The thing that I find myself doing most is google searching what happens as the various weeks and days pass by. It is an obsession and I am sure that I am not the only person who does this during their pregnancy. The only thing is that after a while, you want to feel the baby move or something to reassure yourself that everything is okay. The doctor's visit seems so far away now.
In fact, I think I am beginning to become a bit impatient and I am usually quite patient. I am aware that it is almost 16 weeks (15 weeks, 4 days) and that the time is passing by but I feel as if I am in a bit of a lull and the time is not passing by quickly enough. I think I need to find things to occupy my time. In actuality, there are a lot of things that I can do but I am waiting for the 20 week mark.
I have downloaded a few apps and a pregnancy countdown timer as well and I've read all of the messages for the full 40 weeks so now all I do is reread them. I know what every test is for and I've acquainted myself with quite a few medical terms as well as all of the possible things that can go right and wrong. Basically, in an educated way, I am driving myself nuts!
I am very well aware that this is probably the one of the last totally free weeks that I will have for a long long time...well for the rest of my life because Nan has decided to get remarried and there is a wedding on the very near horizon as well as the temple's camp and the week after, school begins.
If all goes well, I plan to work until the Christmas break begins. Let's see how things turn out. As for the Ph.D. I am working on that slowly....very, very slowly. It may be too late to drop it because I'm half way through but the prospects of landing a public health job in Florida is next to nothing. I do feel a little more accomplished for getting the MPH and I am happy that I decided to pursue a Ph.D. but I am not sure what will happen when the baby comes. Thankfully, I got most of the studies completed before. I really do like the field and with the new rules for health insurance and the swing toward preventive medicine, we may be in demand shortly and hopefully, there will be more job openings in South Florida.
I am a bit upset about the deal that we got with teaching. I called last week to find out about what my insurance covers and found that as teachers, we get a good deal with benefits...for ourselves. To add a child to my insurance is another issue. I also found out that while teachers are allowed 12 weeks and their insurance is covered during that time, they are not paid, not even a fraction of their salary. I wondered about that. What about those teachers who live in single-income homes? While Ami and I are a bit more secure, I wondered how others do it. The life of a public servant is a tough one indeed!
Having a baby in this country is an expensive venture for middle class people who receive no aid from government, state or federal. From what I have seen, and it is not certain, the cheapest newborn insurance runs around $100. Then we have to wonder about someone who will see the baby and that is also another thing that will run up the bill. My mom, who has been wanting a grandchild for quite a long time, has volunteered to do as much babysitting as she can and I am totally on board with her more than anyone else but she cannot quit her job.
Either way, now that I know what's involved, I will save a little extra when the new school year begins just to be ahead. When I told my dad about the whole salary situation, he gave me a look and replied with the same answer that he always gave since we were little, "But anyhow, you're not going to starve!"
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