Metal Meredith

The Highs and Lows

Late last Sunday, I was determined to solve our Health Insurance woes. Currently, we pay about 40% of our income a month for all three of us through Phil’s company (yay - politics!). Phil and I discussed our finances last weekend and admittedly, it’s looking bleak. I resolved to find an alternative. We were so excited when we came across a plan that looked to be about three hundred dollars a month. It might just be the answers we looked for!

I called on Monday morning only to have Anthem quote me $1150 for all three of us, that’s every month!!! With Phil and I being on what anyone would nicely call the “chunky side,” we are apparently a bigger health risk than a mountain climber or a racecar driver. We are, essentially, uninsurable under normal plans. This started our week off in such a funk. I immediately armed myself with a stack daycare numbers and temp companies looking for babysitting and work (not to mention a good dose of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream). The resolve quickly fizzled when I went to the first daycare center and couldn’t bear to leave my child there.

By Wednesday and a good conversation with my support group (Thanks Stacey, Stacy and Lisa!), the panic was calmed to a dull ache and the week slowly droned on. Crisis averted.

Friday dinner, Vivienne was all set to eat some hot dogs and peaches when the phone rang. I assume the spot at the table while Phil talks with his friend Carter on the phone. Vivienne, always the dramatic actress, refuses to eat. I decided to start stacking her food. I place one hot dog on the plate and say “one”. Then I pick up another and put it on top of the next and “two”. Only it wasn’t me. Astonished, I picked up another one and placed it on the stack “fee”. Ok, so my kid is counting. It went on like this four or five more times. We went to ten at least three times. She just kept saying them in order “wun, too, fee, fure, fibe, sees, seben, ate, nyy, tin.” I was just amazed.

Phil quickly hung up the phone and watched and giggled with me. Now, I have never been one to call my kid a genius. Anyone who constantly falls, walks into solid objects and pokes herself in the eye four times a day can’t be very smart. But, here I am. I am listening to my 20 month old count to ten over and over. Phil gets her into the bath while I go check the toddler bible “What to Expect.”

I am reading through chapters named after months of life for my baby. I get to 18, then 19, 20, 21, 22 and still nothing. Finally, at 23 months, there is a snippet about reciting numbers and alphabets. Essentially, it tells the parents whose kids that don’t do this to not to be worried. Although 23 months is a bit young, it is usually due to increased watching of television shows like Sesame Street that has kids repeating things at a young age. *POP -----Fizzzz* That was my bubble bursting.

Ok, so I didn’t think Vivienne was going to join Mensa and become a rocket scientist. But, I wasn’t hating the prospect of having my first born soar above my expectations. However, I still reserve bragging rights for the plain fact that Vivienne can carry the tune to Sesame Street, the Alphabet Song, Elmo’s World and sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star all the way through using only the word “Apple”.

Although my week began with such high expectations squashed with one phone call, it ended with my low expectations being blown out of the water.

Take Care,
Meredith