Posted by Jessica (jojobear99):
6:26 pm According to yelp, there are over 100 dentists in Folsom (over 400 if you count orthodontists and other specialists). Of those, SEVEN!!?! are on our insurance. Of those 7, one does not take new clients, and one is an orthodontist, which means you really have five dentists to choose from, and they aren't actual dentists but dental businesses with cutesy names like "smile time" that won't even tell you the name or credentials of their staff on their websites. And every one of those five has spectacularly horrible ratings on yelp with reviews that start with "this is the worst dentist office I've ever been to I'm never going back".

So originally I was going to just make an appointment with the dentist Paul picked (and had some dental work done by that he was reasonably satisfied with) which is actually in citrus heights (20 minute or so drive each way) but then it turns out they say its going to take an hour and a half for the appointment, and that does not even include a teeth cleaning, *just* x-rays and exam from the doctor so they can "see what work you need" and because the hygienists are all too busy/booked or something. But that would take like 2 1/2 hours plus 40 minutes of driving "at least" if I could get an appointment to get everything at once.

So that kind of got my spider senses tingling and wondering how a competent dentist's office could possibly require that much time for a routine dental exam, it just doesn't sit right with me. And gosh darn it, I don't even care whether I get the exam in the first place, I just want them to scrape all the plaque off my teeth and say "see you in another six months", but most dentists won't let you just get a cleaning without also getting x-rays and and exam, especially as a new patient.

Oh, and our fabulous insurance is an HMO plan, which means they cover absolutely nothing if you want to see a dentist not on their plan. And if I don't want to go see that one in citrus heights, I can't see them until June 1st to have it covered because they'll only change the dentist for plan at the beginning of a month.

So now I'm debating whether I should take a chance on one of these sketchy dentists, or go see a "real" dentist and pay out of pocket, or see if I can get an appointment with my old dentist in Pleasanton and pay out of pocket. Advantage to my old dentist is they already have all my records and stuff, and I have x-rays done at my last appointment 9 months ago, so they'd probably let me slide on new x-rays so it would only be $165 instead of two-hundred-something, but I'd have to go visit my parents to do that. Or try out some random better dentist here, which has a convenience factor, but probably would end up having to get new x-rays.

Oh what to do...blah...no solution seems good really...guess I'll have to figure it out soon though

Posted by Jessica (jojobear99):
2:14 pm

I was supposed to be going to see my parents for dad's birthday. But then my mom got sick and she might be contagious, so instead I'm at home by myself with the baby mopping poop up off the bathroom floor while he naps ;-). And I have no plans because I wasn't supposed to be here now... bah... now what?

Posted by Jessica (jojobear99):
5:06 pm

Yesterday Austin was "reading" one of his favorite board books (which coincidentally looks very similar to bending the cover backwards and mashing up the cardboard) about this curious blue gosling named BooBoo who likes to eat. So he's flipping through the pages and then he quietly announces "Boo Boo".

And then today we were out visiting my new financial advisor, and she had her small dog in the office. I let Austin out of the stroller and he walks over next to the dog and stops and looks at the dog and says "hello". He just looooves dogs. Later we were at the playground and saw another dog and Austin did the same thing, it was so cute. And then Austin babbled some more like he was saying a whole sentence or two, but I couldn't make out his sentence clearly so who knows what else he was telling the puppy.

And a couple days ago Austin was "helping" me load the dryer. And by helping, I mean shutting the dryer door while I'm trying to put stuff in the dryer. So I asked him to open the dryer door for me to see if he wanted to play a "game" with me, and he seemed to understand open and closed. He's starting to really grasp language, its very adorable to watch.

Posted by Jessica (jojobear99):
9:41 am Austin is not really known to put his toys back away when he's done with them. Usually they only know one direction...OUT of the toy box...unless Mommy or Daddy puts them away. But last night I watched Austin stealthily put away one the TV remotes in his toy box, presumably for safe-keeping until he wants to play with it again. Suddenly it seems so clear how Daddy's employee badge ended up in the toy box the last time it went missing.

Posted by Jessica (jojobear99):
1:25 pm I've been bad at posting lately. Hard to find the uninterrupted time to think straight sometimes when baby's naptime gets pre-occupied with other things. I've been having another bout of loneliness...I really wish I had some, or well, any, good friends who are local...with Paul working so much overtime and discouraging fighting over stupid things sometimes... it leads to a lot of long and lonely days. I spent some time today trying to follow up on possible secondary playgroups for Austin (that may or may not be a good fit?), since the group we started has been slow to get going and last week no one even showed up...though a couple people were sick and stuff, so its possible there's reasons other than the possibility the group is already losing traction after the initial excitement last month...

Its been frustrating trying to meet people in Folsom. And that's even with the playgroups and MyGym and Church bible study/mom's group. Seriously, I think I know of the life story of our mailman than most of those other moms. Maybe I need to work on some *good* conversation dialogue ideas? I often feel like I just don't even know where to start once you get past how old is your kiddo ;-) and most of the other moms don't really seem to at a place of reaching out looking to expand their social circles. Guess they worked on that before being so busy with a new kiddo? Moving shortly after having a baby is something I wouldn't want to do again. 

I keep being torn between wondering whether people in Folsom are just unfriendly or otherwise too busy or not interested in making new friends, or whether its something I'm doing wrong...or whether I'm just approaching the wrong people, or there's some secret about getting to know mommies that's different than non-mommies, or whether I just need a better/new repertoire of dialogue and potential questions to ask other mommies to try and get to know them a little bit and start building a relationship. Its really frustrating sometimes...I wish I knew what I was doing wrong so I could work on fixing it, you know? I sit there questioning whether the problem is something I'm doing, or whether its just an unfriendly location and I'm unlucky to be stuck here?

Anyone want to come move to Folsom and be my friend for a while? ;-)

Posted by Jessica (jojobear99):
7:15 pm oh, and then I'm also starting to try and think about whether/when/how soon to start looking into going back to work...and whether I'd want to consider part time or full time and whether that'd be work from home or local only. Or do I just want to be a full time mommy for how long? I don't know...no particular clear answers on really any of that. Some days I love being at home with Austin, we have a lot of fun playing together and did I mention he LOVES to nurse? Other days he poops four times. And gets fussy and I'm frazzled and feeling cooped up and so is he. And then I start to ponder what the best possible scenario for us would be...but I don't have a picture, I draw a blank. Direction. I need direction. I feel lost adrift in a strange place I don't much like and don't know where to go from here. Bah.

Posted by Jessica (jojobear99):
5:52 pm Did I mention Austin tried to climb a cabinet with low shelves today? I caught him four inches off the ground reaching for something on top. And after I pulled him off and told him now, he still tried again two more times within the next hour. Gah! He really is going to be just like his daddy

Posted by Jessica (jojobear99):
9:50 pm Its been so frustrating trying to make friends for me and/or Austin in Folsom. I could probably go on all day about that and write a page or two or more about all the different things that didn't end up working out and all the things I heard about that took forever to connect to and still didn't work out when we finally did. But I guess it would suffice to say its frustrating. And I found another playgroup for Austin that looked like an ideal age range that isn't at his naptime or conflicting with any of the other things I'm currently considering trying to get him out of the house to do, that had such promising potential (can you sense the hope I had?). But apparently they already have too many people in the group, so Austin probably won't be able to continue going to it after all (hopeful bubble deflates), and another group was suggested that simultaneously conflicts with both storytime at the library and my gym that we're going to try this week...and even that one Austin might be too old for because its for newborns to cruisers, and he's imminently on the verge of deciding he wants to be an independent walker instead, and being as tall as he is and so curious and determined with learning to crawl and walk so young and how he got kicked out of the hospital's new mommy group for intimidating the little babies too much that one just may not work...oh and his saturday playgroup just got disbanded because of insufficient attendance... so it seems like its back to the drawing board again. And now its also looking unlikely for me to connect with the indoor soccer league that sounded like a promising me activity...

Folsom's been a lonely place so far...I thought it'd be getting better by now, but it just isn't.... Hard to "take joy in all circumstances" right now...

Posted by Jessica (jojobear99):
10:10 pm ( poopy diaper story )