Money, Health Care, and Freckles.

Ugggghhhh...
Guys! I don't write in here often enough. This is such a great outlet for me. Have I told you that I compose the beginnings of blog posts often in my head, but then never actually get to type them here? Well, I do.

This is not one of those pre-composed-in-my-head posts, though. This is straight off the cuff. As a result, it's bound to be rambling and off-topic. Forgive me, or just skip this one.

I have so many things I could write about, so many things I want to write about. Did you know that I spent four solid days in Ohio a few weeks ago and that it was splendid? I want to write about my visit there, but not tonight.

Tonight, I am going to write about my children. Shocking, I know. (I always write about my children because my children are my life, because I am a woman of privilege in America and we're all destined to be mothers who give up our everything for our children, and it is exhausting. But that is for another post.)

Something new came to us in the mail this week. It was a statement from our health insurance company telling us that Emma, my beautiful, small child, has REACHED HER OUT OF POCKET MAXIMUM for the year. That has never happened before. This year, since the insurance coverage changed to make her speciality medication copay $150 each month, and we had our usual number of rheumatology appointments, PLUS a special visit to the podiatrist and the multiple X-ray views he wanted of her ankles prior to her appointment, well... I guess that all adds up.

I never expected that my child's medical bills would be more than mine in the course of the year. *sigh*

The good news is that she is doing well. The pain she had in her heal and ankle for the past several months seems to be due to tight tendons as a result of growth spurts, and not due to her arthritis at all. Regular stretching, new shoe inserts, and more supportive shoes seems to have greatly improved that situation. She has had intermittent pain in her jaw that I can't explain. Is it arthritis in her jaw, or just some fun TMJ type of thing? Great question. Who knows?

She sure knows how to read, though, and I sure do love that.

My boy child, Liam, is a splendid little creature. His medical out of pocket total for the year has been $0 because his annual "well check" was covered by insurance and I don't recall him needing medical care at any other time in 2018. Yet. (Somebody, please knock on wood.)

Liam makes me crazy in the way that a small child is bound to make a mother crazy. He has a few "character" sweatshirts that he really likes. One is Yoda with a hood that pulls over his face, complete with eye-holes and Yoda ears on top. The newest is a bright yellow Pikachu sweatshirt with cute little ears on the hood. He wears his yellow Pikachu sweatshirt most days, ALL DAY, at school. I have to force him out of it at the end of the school day, when we are about to walk home in 80ºF weather. The thing is filthy after 2 days, but I'm only going to wash it once a week, so there.

It's a good thing the kid is adorable and fond of solving math problems.

I'm tired and I'm not exactly sure I'm making sense, so I'm going to go now... Almost...

Just remember that adorable children (and adorable adults) might have "invisible" illnesses that cause them to reach their out of pocket maximum for the year at the beginning of October, and you have no idea what their struggles in life might be, so please, be kind.