The last post was all about Nicole, and I didn't really get a chance to chat about MY life. This blog is, after all, all about me.
(but as a Nicole update, they are treating her for a kidney infection. Turns out she is NOT dilated and has been instructed to take a week off. She'll have another ultrasound at the end of the week, but if it looks ok she can come back to work. thank goodness)
Pneumonia: I am still coughing a fair amount, but I am pretty confident the X-ray will come back clear. That's good. In a way, this may have turned out in my favor. I get 8 weeks STD for my maternity leave, and that ended on Feb 10th or so. According to the Massachusetts Maternity Leave Act, I get 16 weeks of protected job security, although it is unpaid (similar to FMLA, only a state program). For the remaining time, I can use vacation time in order to still get paid, but any other time is unpaid. I had saved about 2-3 weeks vacation, so I was going to use all that and just take unpaid time for the remainder.
However, I had an epiphany while driving the other day: had I returned to work, I would be back on STD for the pneumonia. So why am I wasting vacation time? I contacted my HR, and they are going to look into it for me. HuzzAH! This will save vacation time and I may not need to take any unpaid time at all. It makes sense to me: this is what STD is for. And my HR contact didn't think it was a problem. However, my faith and confidence in my insurance company is...well...we'll keep it clean and not say what I'm really thinking.
This week is going to be a bit rough. Zev will be with Jason at the back-up day care, and I'll be with the girls all week. I do have some appointments...early intervention is coming on Monday, I have a meeting with my boss on Tuesday (mom is coming to watch the girls so I can run out for two hours), and I have to get an X-ray some time on Thursday (may have to beg a friend to babysit). I also need to find time to get to the gym...perhaps after Zev goes to bed. It will be late in the evening, but better that than nothing. I think I'm sufficiently over the pneumonia enough to do a little something, and it is my stress reliever.
I've been having some stomach bloating, and I think it is due to my inactivity. I have a very temperamental GI system, and the things that I find bloat me up are: too much processed foods, too little activity, and not enough water. I'm doing crappy on all of those, so I really need to work on that, for my own comfort level. Ugh. Its really the activity that makes it the worst. Once I get back to work I think it will be better since I won't be sitting on the couch all day; I spend a fair amount of work time on my feet, even though I wouldn't call it especially 'active'. But I do really miss my high level activity that I had 'way back in the day'. I suppose it is unrealistic to be able to keep up that schedule, but SOMETHING is better than nothing... I am one of those people who hates to sit still. Made bed rest even harder...
Made challah yesterday for the first time in about ten years. The recipe was only blah. Not sweet enough for my taste. But it was something I really wanted to do, and next week I can try another recipe. This one was half whole wheat/half regular flour, with a touch of honey and applesauce. But I think it needed more oil: it was rather dry. And more salt. I want to buy a bread machine so I can do it weekly; once I start work, doing it without one is going to be too difficult. If any readers have suggestions, I'm open to them. I just want something simple.
Tonight is Purim. Jason will be taking Zev to services and I will be staying home. Sigh. I do want to get out and get him a costume and maybe we can make cookies this afternoon before he goes. We need sugar though...I realized that yesterday while baking the challah. I wish I could go, but there is no way we can bring the girls out in public to a small room with so many germs. Oh well. Next year.
And here I thought my bed rest/house arrest would end once the girls were home...
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