Something's afoot in Vancouver

This post has nothing do with Me, Wayne, babygirl, or anything remotely related to us. However, I found the following article very interesting. Read the article here:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/another-foot-washes-ashore-vancouver-continuing-eerie-trend-021754311.html

"the latest in roughly dozen such cases since 2007"

"Police so far have no theories about how or why the foot ended up in the water"

"In previous cases, police have said it appeared the feet separated from bodies naturally in the water and foul play wasn't suspected"

Let me get this straight. 1)No one knows why the feet were found in the water. 2)This has happened about 12 times in the last 4 years. 3)Human feet 'naturally' separate from their owner's body in water. Interesting fact. 4)Foul play is not suspected.

Hmm, so another day, another foot in Vancouver. A human foot is bobbing along the shore and it's normal? I have to assume then that there is also a body that this foot belongs to, and it is also bobbing along somewhere in the ocean, and no one is concerned about it? So if between 6 and 12 bodies floated ashore in Vancouver, it would be a normal occurrence and no foul play would be expected? Do feet just happen to wash ashore randomly in other bay cities? Why haven't they been finding any heads, hands, or other parts to these bodies?

I think this story is extremely interesting, if a bit morbid. If you are as engrossed as I am, you would also enjoy the Wikipedia article about the events. It offers much more information, and feasible theories as to why.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salish_Sea_human_foot_discoveries

"Babies are SOOO expensive" Part 2

OK, so we have the nursery and infant layette ready and the car seat safely installed in the car, for a premium of around $500. No big deal, right? OK, let's go to the hospital and bring the baby home!

So, you go to the hospital and somehow that huge bump on your lower abdomen turns into a tiny squealing baby. It happens every day. Actually, as a random fact, it will happen about 300,000 times today around the world. No, not many of them in a hospital, but you get the picture. But for most people in the US, you have to pay the hospital and the doctor that has made an appearance long enough to 'catch' your baby. During my swiftly diminishing pre-baby adulthood, I assumed that would be around $5000-$7000 for a normal delivery.

After one trip to see my doctor, I paid the remainder of what I owed for the "doctor's" fee. The total "doctor's" fee was $480 (my 15% out-of-pocket). I then decided to pre-register at the hospital, which is next door to my doctor's office. I pre-registered, and they asked me if I wanted to pre-pay also. They told me that I would get a 30% discount for pre-paying. Wow! Sounds like a bargain to me. So I went ahead and paid the $840 to the hospital. So for my part of the bill, I have paid $1320 plus a few lab tests here and there. That's fine, I'm OK with that. Besides, you can't put a price on a baby, right?

Let's add up how much the birth actually costs. We are lucky to have good insurance. It covers 100% of prenatal care and 85% of maternity care. I do not know how much my insurance has paid for the prenatal care, as they pay 100%, so we will leave that out of our calculations.

First we have the doctor's bill. $480 is 15%; so my insurance is paying $2,720. The hospital bill is $840, but they gave me a 30% discount. So that would have been $1,200 for my 15%. My insurance then, is paying $6,800. We now have a grand total of $11,200. If the baby is a boy and you want him circumcised, that is another $500. An ultrasound is $500. Banking your baby's cord blood? $60 per month indefinitely. What if there are complications? A cesarean section? A premature birth?

Anyway, I do not wish to discuss the 'current healthcare crisis' or the 'rise of healthcare costs' or any other such rants, just interesting that something so 'normal' as a human birth costs over 11 thousand dollars. And, in our situation, to thank an employer for providing decent health insurance!

"Babies are SOOO expensive"

Perhaps this post is a bit premature, because Babygirl hasn't even arrived yet, but I have some thoughts and opinions on this common phrase. So I will only speak on my experience spending money pre-baby, and if you think I have no clue and am in for a huge reality check, just roll your eyes and say "well....she is pregnant after all..."

First of all, My name is Sheena, and I am a frugal blog addict. Yes, I'll admit it, I spend a lot of time browsing frugal blogs, thrifty websites, do-it-yourself-and-save! - type websites. I may not save much because of it, or actually use any of the helpful tips, but I sure enjoy reading them. And I do NOT make and or use reusable toilet paper. (yes, some people do) I am however, a bit of a cheapskate, and a sucker for a good deal. So, I would like to brag about our pre-baby expenses.

New:

Car Seat: $150

Crib Sheets: $15

Hangars $5

Mattress Pad $20

Used:

Bumbo (cool little infant chair), Boppy(cool infant/nursing pillow), and Bouncer

$25

Swing $50

PackNPlay $75

Crib & Mattress (yes, I know the government says it's not 'safe' to use a used crib)

$50

Random garage sales & second hand clothing stores

$70

Free:

First of all, I apparently hit the mother-load when it comes to family and friends. Sorry to rub it in, but I have the nicest, most generous friends in the world! I have received so many great items as gifts from so many people. Here is a revised list:

Clothes (newborn up to 2T)

Lotions & Shampoos

Diapers & Wipes

First Aid stuff

Blankets

Stroller

Toys

Toddler Bed

Baby Carriers

If my math skills are correct, about $460. At normal retail prices, that would buy you a crib, carseat, and a baby swing. What's the last thing you spent $500 dollars on? A car payment, college textbooks for the semester, maybe a piece of furniture. $500 is a chunk of cash, don't get me wrong, but in other ways, it doesn't buy you much. So considering this, I am inclined to think this, "Babies CAN be SO expensive." So far, I feel our baby hasn't broke the bank. (YET...I wonder how much college textbooks will cost in 18 years?)

I did omit one splurge I made. I purchased a few cute books and stuffed animals for the baby, paying $30 for $55 worth of items using a coupon deal at a local business. One of which is the famous Goodnight Moon book, complete with the little stuffed bunny that is in the book!

So, I am quite pleased with myself for getting everything I have for around $500. But again, it is probably only thanks to getting so much stuff from awesome friends! And we shall see how much money we end up spending in the next few months once baby is here!

Pregnancy Lament

Some women just adore being pregnant. They glow, they have energy, they marvel at the tiny miracle happening inside of them. My body apparently didn't get the memo. So here is my memo to body:

To: Body

From: Self

Date: August 25, 2011

Subject: Pregnancy Lament

Dear Body, I know you are growing a precious little human that I can feel moving around inside of me. I want it to grow and be healthy and smart and cute, there are just a few things I am looking forward to when you are finished incubating this fetus:

I would like to sleep on my back again.

I would be overjoyed to be able to speak more than one sentence without getting out of breath.

It will be just lovely when I can eat a meal in which dessert does not consist of Tums.

I want to be able to jump, run, hike, and ski again, but would be content if I could just do one sit-up.

It would be a welcome change to cough or brush my teeth without gagging.

Perhaps it wouldn't be too much to ask if I could get out of my easy chair without a private pep talk (one, two, three...PUSH)

Oh, and Body, one more thing, please, I would like not have to worry when I laugh or sneeze in public. Body, you just don't work like you used to.

How will I manage...

One thing that has surprised me since being pregnant...well, since I have been 'showing'...is people are incredibly nice to me! I never knew so many people could smile (gasp! at a stranger!) and open doors for you without acting like it is a chore. Sometimes I actually feel like I brighten someones day!

I like to shop at this Mexican fruit market. (I'm not sure if that is politically correct, but that's what I call it.) Last week, el senor gave me free jicama. This week, he insisted on carrying my bags to the car for me (there were only 2). Thanks!

Most women will start up a conversation with you. It usually proceeds like this:

1) Either: "You must be so hot!" or "When are you due?"

2) "Do you know what you're having?"

3) Depending on the person, the next bit ranges from "Well congratulations" to the details of their own pregnancy (all I ate was ketchup!), birth (the baby was squeezing the umbilical cord with its' hand!), child rearing ("Look what you have to look forward to!" as said person's child imitates a disturbed monkey), and/or grandmother-hood (my grandchildren are perfect!).

This brings me to the real question in mind: How will I manage post-pregnancy? I will have to open doors for myself, carry my own belongings, get my own food, not get to choose what restaurant to go to, and not hearing "Ok, Sheena, whatever you want" from my little brother and brother-in-law. (followed by a stage whisper of "Don't upset the pregnant lady!") I suppose the solution to this is to never go anywhere without the baby, and hope it is cute enough to bring a smile to one's face. And hope I don't realize that it is no longer me they are smiling at.

How to name a baby

No, we have not decided on a name for Babygirl yet. Even though there has been no lack of suggestions and time spent online at babynames.com, it has been harder than we thought to pick out a name. The good names seem to be either overused or we can think of someone with the same name that we don't really want Babygirl to be named after! For instance, Wayne writes down a list of nice pretty girl names. Then we realize his list is nearly identical to the top 20 baby girl names of 2010. We can't have our Babygirl going to kindergarten with 5 other Olivia's! I have recently picked out two of the nicest, sweetest, best names. Feeling quite proud of myself I looked them up only to find out they have recently made huge jumps to the top 50 names predicted for 2011! So we move on to different names....maybe some French or Italian names. But what adults, never mind children, know how to pronounce "Roesia" or "Huguetta"?

Let's move on to the suggestions given. My cousin's preschool aged boys have been very helpful. They think Pinky, Thunder, Miss Sally, and Blue Bear are nice names. My dad has said there are plenty of good names out there...Ken, Jack & Ike would be nice. When I asked what names if it's a girl, he said those same names would be fine. My friend Cori is set on Serendipity, and Stephanie Kinney thinks She-Wayne is an excellent name. Another friend dreamed we had our baby, and named it Cameron.

We are hoping Babygirl will have a name by the time she leaves the hospital. One that is not too common, too weird, too old, too boy-ish, or the same name as our neighbor's dog! (should be safe here, our neighbor's dog is Gus) Hey, that gives me a few ideas....Gusele, Gussa, Gussy?

The WaySheTribe is expanding

Good Morning! This is the Official Blog of the Wayshetribe! Thanks to a certain Cody Vaughan, we found a somewhat-catchy name for this blog, as he dubs us the "Wayshetribe". We will be using this blog as a photo album and journal of our lives, including the new addition to our family, due September 15! That's right, the Wayshetribe is no longer Wayne and Sheena, but Daddy, Mommy, and Babygirl!

To fill you in on a few details....A year ago (June 2010) we moved from our happy apartment in Rapid City, SD, to Elko, NV. We bought a house here in Spring Creek (about 15 miles from Elko) and have been enjoying this new part of our lives. Wayne is working for a gold mine here. He normally leaves at 4:30 AM and gets home at 6 PM or so, but only has to work Monday-Thursday, and plans on being the baby-hog Friday-Sunday. We have now been married 7 1/2 years, and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Babygirl!

Now, an update on the pregnancy for the women (the man-folk might want to skip this paragraph). Sheena has had a healthy pregnancy, however she didn't feel great for the first 6 months. The morning sickness bothered her a lot, but not having a job was nice so she could relax and take it easy at home. The doctor first told us the baby was a boy, but then switched it up and now say the baby is going to be a girl. All the tests, ultrasounds, measurements, and other random poking and prodding have all come back normal.

We are excited to help welcome several other babies that are making their debut this fall also! Sheena's sister-in-law Rachel is due with a girl on September first. Wayne's sister Connie is due around the end of September with a boy, so we are excited about little baby cousins! Our good friends here in Elko, Brad & Cori Brooks, are expecting a boy in early December. Katrina, another friend in Elko, is expecting a boy in December also, so looking forward to the doing the alleged 'play-date' with our Elko friends.