In the past few days life has gone from crazy to insane... So many things popped up that my head is spinning. I do want you to know that nothing really bad happened. The babies are doing great and growing, and the pregnancy is still very manageable at 22 weeks (even though I already measure at 27 but I always get big when I'm pregnant). In fact, I canned 10 quarts of pickles two days ago, so see, I'm not lying :) And we are all doing good here...
But there are other things that occupy my mind all the time right now. First, we have some family relationships that are just crumbling down, and we don't know what to do about it. The worst thing is that our kids are in the middle of this big mess, and they are hurting but other family members just try to portray us as unkind and inconsiderate. The truth is we are trying and willing to help but nobody wants our help, and then blames us for not being supportive. It's very frustrating and I could never imagine it would go this far...
The second was the news I got yesterday about a new citizenship law back home in Russia. I mentioned before that even though I've been living in the US for almost nine years, I have never received American citizenship. Many people ask me why. Well, a small reason is money because it costs quite a bit and the only extra right it gives me is the right to vote (insert a chuckle here...). But a bigger reason was always the exact situation that is happening right now between the two countries. I'm not going to go into politics (other than the fact that Obama has no idea what he's talking about and is quite ignorant) but all of their sanctions on both sides only hurt regular people... The new law basically tells me that I need to register with the Russian government as somebody who lives outside of the country (it wouldn't make a difference if I had US citizenship because, technically, I would have dual citizenship since my Russian one would still be there...) within two months. At first, it sounded like I had to go back home to do it but it looks like I might be able to just write a letter but it will be a royal paper pain and, most likely, fines and stuff. Ugh... But if I don't do it, they could arrest me if I ever tried to enter the country. So yeah, I'm not a happy camper here...
The biggest headache though happened today when we got a certain medical bill. About a month ago my husband went for allergy testing for his esophagitis. The doctor's office is located in a small clinic but is a part of a huge hospital health system (the office is not located in the actual hospital though. Not even close!). So hubs spent about two hours in there been tortured - read, ninety pokes on his back with different allergens that itched like crazy for weeks after - and thought that a $35 co-pay was all we are going to pay.
Imagine our surprise when we get a bill today and realize that they charged us as if he had this procedure done in the actual hospital!! Apparently, when you go to a small clinic, you better check if they belong to a system and whether or not they are allowed to do that!! Because even after the insurance allowed amount and adjustments we still owe more than $800!!! For a doctor's visit! To say I'm pissed is to say nothing! My husband worked for a medical insurance company for 4 years, and it's a first for us!! Granted, we do have money set aside for medical bills, and because I'm pregnant with twins, we will meet our out-of-pocket maximum for this year anyway (the only consolation!) but I wasn't planning to pay for it right now and, really, I think, it's more a matter of principle! Has anything like that ever happened to you??
I just suddenly felt so tired.. It seems like every day it's a new thing, a major thing... This week cannot end soon enough... I know all of those things are fixable (well, at least, I hope they are) but sometimes life just becomes so overwhelming... Most of the time I'm trying to be a positive blogger, mainly because generally I'm a positive person but man, I feel drained tonight... Need some quiet positivity in my life...
Gonna go count my blessings...
Thank you all who keep our family in your prayers. I really do appreciate it!
Now I need to go and offer my own...
Hugs and good night to you, my lovelies! Hopefully, I'll be back tomorrow with a better outlook on life...
