The insanity of bags and Medical world

I know I've been bad about getting new post up recently. But you want to know how exciting its been here? The kids are searching out new adrenaline rushes because our day to day life has been so over the top that regular toys just aren't doing it anymore. Here I caught them experimenting in the kitchen.

Grocery bags everywhere!!

 See?! See them flirt with danger, completely straight-faced? Brave children.

Seasoned X-Games Pro

 Don't let the cute demeanor fool you. Regularly playing with grocery bags has been proven to cut years off your life, and give you premature red hair.

Can't mess with this.

 And don't forget the bag tags! That's when it gets crazy! I can't watch...

On three! Ready?

 If you're not careful, the passing of bag tags could cut off a finger! The threat of paper cut is imminent!

Success! Phew! That was close!

Ok, but seriously. We did have a scare last week, taking Emma to the ER to get stitches in her head. I might post more on that later. Don't worry, that's not very gruesome either. Tough girl fell backwards on the radiator and after 7 hours in the waiting room and a five minute surgeon visit, she came out with 2 whole stitches. We're really blessed that's all she needed. 

Then starting Sunday morning, Stella puked, no doubt from something she picked up in the waiting room. She was fine Monday and then puked again this morning at 5am. So its a bug that's rearing its head once every other day. Strange. I'm hoping its over now and Emma is in the clear. 

Other exciting happening include my first train trip to my first official midwife meeting. Aside from me confusing her with talk about my "pounds" and "inches", it was a pretty successful. So this week I'm 14 weeks along.  Since then I've been on a mission to try to figure out how to register for the free health care here. Our insurance doesn't give us any maternity since we signed up while I was already pregnant. Very convenient. 

I asked help of an Italian lady in the Economo's office and she said its confusing for even those who have been here their whole lives. Good. Very encouraging.  So my game plan was to follow every lead I got, not knowing a lick of Italian of course, but 'bene' and 'si'. This gets you very far when discussing simple matters such as we find in the medical world.

Basically, I was plan on getting rejected once a day at least until someone could help me. I'd go into an office and tell them I needed to register. They'd shake their heads, ramble on in Italian, and I'd be thoroughly confused as to where they were telling me to go. Eventually I get a street name and number written down and I'd be on my way. Then, rinse and repeat. 

Yesterday I actually went to three places. The first hospital sent me to an office that was closed. Then I went to the address that I was given at  my first rejection. Praise God I didn't have to take a ticket and talk to someone behind glass who was trained in saying 'no'.  There was an old man wandering the hallways, taking a smoke break and asked me, well, I don't know what he asked me. Maybe if he could help me, and he did.  

With my type of visa I have to pay 378 euros to register for the year. However, if I registered now it would run out in December and have to register again in January. So, now my next week will be dedicated to finding out how much blood work and an ultrasound cost, to see if I should register for the last 2.5 months of this year. And yes, it could take me at least a week to find these answers. 

It's because of all these bus rides, train rides, and lots of waiting that I've finished a book in a week. That's a first for me. In fact, now I'm halfway through #3 in the trilogy. 

On another exciting front, I found a louffa. 

Now, as we refer back to the exciting grocery bag adventures of the children, you'll see that it really was seem pretty darn exciting. Let's just all try to control ourselves here.