Health and Well Being

You know it's a bad sign when you are in the doctor's office so often that the nurses feel like they should make small talk with you. The past couple of months we've called or visited the doctor's office on the order of once a week and sometimes more often than that. Xavier had a checkup at six months, but because of a scheduling foul up we had to reschedule Oliver's appointment for a couple of weeks later. Then Xavier got sick with some strain of RSV and we were in every couple of days to make sure that his breathing wasn't getting worse. Then Oliver gashed his forehead on the countertop while playing on the stairs (see, kids, you really can get hurt) which required stitches. Then Xavier started spiking highish (102+) fevers (related to teething?) which warranted a couple of followup visits. Then Oliver complained that it hurt to urinate resulting in another trip to the doctor. I just want to know if there is a bulk rate on copays for doctor visits.

In general, my wife's health and my health have been good - no serious illnesses or injuries. We're not getting enough sleep due to our teething toddler who does not like to be wet. Some of my sleep issues are self-inflicted though. For example, last night I was out playing Magic with friends until after 1:30. I know that if I make better choices that I will be able to get the sleep I need. It's just that the time after everyone goes to bed is the time when I can do the things that I want to do - i.e. play Magic, watch TV online, read, work ...

Making better choices is a broader topic in our house. We've been trying to cut out a lot of the processed food from our diets and move to more fruits and vegetables. I've been fairly good about being good, but I do have my weaknesses. As long as I can moderate my excesses, I should be able to take off some of the extra weight that's accumulated.

What I really need to do is to make better choices surrounding exercise. I'm loath to get on the treadmill when the kids are awake for fear that one or the other will try and play with the moving treadmill and lose a finger or something. With that in mind, early morning and late night are the only other options. Early morning generally loses out to more sleep and late night loses out to more fun pursuits like laundry, Magic, or TV. For a while I was watching my TV online while using the treadmill, but ABC.com has an annoying habit of asking you to click a button to see more show - difficult to do when running on the treadmill. NBC is better in that regard, so as soon as they have something worth watching I may find myself on their site killing two birds with one stone.