VENT!! Just big ole long VENT!! (update w/ceiling pics)

fromustobaby · #1 January 6th, 2010, 04:47 PM

Ugh!! Seriously, not my day...
This is long, sorry...

Got in to work all ready to get my paperwork for filling out my leave of absence for baby...
Well, I was severely mistaken as far as what my maternity leave will be...
I **thought** I'd get 6 weeks of short-term disability (with some pay), with the option of taking an additional 6 weeks (and since its only 13 weeks total between when Kaiden is due and when school ends, I'd just use vacation days for the last week)...but, that's not the case at all...
First, there is no short-term disability...ok, guess that was wishful thinking...
Second...they will only do FMLA after I have used up ALL - ALL!!!!!!! - of my sick days (which I have built up over the last 7 years)...as in, I will have absolutely no sick leave at all (with a newborn at home)...
Third, because DH/soon to be baby is on my insurance, if I do use FMLA (i.e. after using up all of my sick days), I have to pay them the $400/month to have DH/baby's insurance covered...and of course, I don't get paid for that at all...and, did I add, my insurance freaking sucks!! I have a $750 deductible and then like 40% over that...I could find health care for less than that that isn't as crappy cause we are so healthy anyway...

UGH!!

So, instead of taking all 13 weeks off to spend with my baby (and then having summer off), looks like I'm taking 5 weeks off (and spring break - so 6 weeks total)...then either having DH or getting a college student to watch him (luckily, the college kids get off of school pretty much the same day that I have to go back, so am hoping to find an in-home sitter relatively cheap) while I go back for the last 8 weeks (at that point, I think I'll have maybe 2 sick days left)...

The one good thing is that because I had so many sick days built up, I will get paid while I'm off...but, I'm wiping out 7 years of sick days...ugh, not happy about that...we want to try again in a year after he is born, and I dont honestly know how I would swing that without having all my sick days built up again...

Oh, and then to cap off the day...
It is FREEZING here (for FLorida)...I know it isn't cold to most of you, but it hasn't been above 50 during the day for the last week (and its supposed to last for another week!!)...I've never experienced temperatures like this in my life - I'm from Miami!!...and the air at school is not working right, its about 60 in my classroom - which again, might be nothing for many of you, but is hard for me (for example, 90 degree temperatures with no a/c is nothing for me, but might be hard on you)...and at home, there is a break in the air pipe and he heat is not working right...I swear it is shooting out cold air...the only thing that is keeping me sane is that I have a space heater (3 feet for me at all time)...we called it in but they havenb't called back...

Oh, and this afternoon, we came home, and a pipe burst (our pipes aren't used to this weather either) - in the roof...the water was pouring out of the side of the roof of our house!! Of course it also COLLAPSED the ceiling of the guest bedroom (thankfully not Kaiden's room or the master bedroom)...So, now the plumber is here - hopefully fixing the pipe...and now we have to hae someone come out and fix the ceiling and the floor (the carpet in there is soaked also)... and we have had no running water in our house for the last 4 hours either...and I'm hungry/thirsty...

Did I mention it wasn't my favorite day - UGH!!

Pics of the ceiling...fun stuff...

I'm actually feeling better now, Matt was so sweet, it really helped...and he had it rough, cause he had to clean up all the mess!!

MarinaAndCharlie'sMommy · #2 January 6th, 2010, 04:57 PM

Tonya, I'm so, so sorry you are having such a horrible day. Wish I could say/do something to make you feel better.

ca_dawson · #3 January 6th, 2010, 05:26 PM

Oh man what a crappy day! I'm so sorry about all that. That does suck you have to go back for 8 weeks and use all your sick days. At our place they don't let our time roll over, so you have to use all of your time by the end of the year. But everything will all work out! I hope you get to feeling better soon!

chrissy323 · #4 January 6th, 2010, 05:33 PM

So sorry sweetie

denalibear · #5 January 6th, 2010, 05:37 PM

Oh Tonya that really stinks!!!! I didnt realize they made you use up your sick days first

I never even thought about that...I guess I need to see how it is here...I have about 9 weeks of sick days that I have been saving up for over 10 years.

lttle_one · #6 January 6th, 2010, 06:48 PM

Sorry you had such a crappy day! That is, unfortunately, standard practice in the US. They can require you to take all sick and vacation time before FMLA and don't have to pay for anything extra (insurance.) And this disgusting cold that over 60% of the country is feeling isn't helping, I'm sure! It's been awful here, too, and it's all relative, so I'm sure it feels just as bad to you at 50 there as it does at 20 here! :HUG:

jensma · #7 January 6th, 2010, 07:00 PM

I am so sorry you're having such a crappy day!! The thought of having to hurry back to work just really puts a kink in the plan huH?! I am so bummed for you, that really stinks!

I hope tomorrow is a better day!

fromustobaby · #8 January 6th, 2010, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lttle_one

Sorry you had such a crappy day! That is, unfortunately, standard practice in the US. They can require you to take all sick and vacation time before FMLA and don't have to pay for anything extra (insurance.) And this disgusting cold that over 60% of the country is feeling isn't helping, I'm sure! It's been awful here, too, and it's all relative, so I'm sure it feels just as bad to you at 50 there as it does at 20 here! :HUG:

I guess I just had no idea, kwim? I was expecting to have 6 months off with him, so being told differently was shocking...

Yea, I'm sure it is all relative, I'm just such a baby when it comes to cold...

MommaLee · #9 January 6th, 2010, 07:44 PM

I looked into short-term disability when we first started trying and in Texas there are few companies who classify pregnancy as a disability (I only found 1 company here) and the premium was skyhigh. They also had a stipulation that you had to have the insurance 10 months prior to becoming pregnant. When I added it up, if I would have just saved the $62 each paycheck that they would have taken out for the premium, I would have had about the same amount of money they would have given me after the baby was born.

Sorry you had a sucky day

KCMomma · #10 January 6th, 2010, 08:11 PM

OMG what a complete shi**y day!!! You poor thing. I would have been bawling if I were you. Just one thing after another. Well, hang in there sweetie. You will soon have a sweet little boy to make things all better!!!

Sakeenco · #11 January 7th, 2010, 12:07 AM

sorry that all this has happened definately nothing that u would want to happen even 1 of the 2 things would be too much. I hope all starts improving soon.

yarngirl · #12 January 7th, 2010, 08:01 AM

Ohh Tonya what a crappy day! I'm so sorry that you even have to stress about this at all! It's so unfortunate that we don't have regulations that require a certain amount of paid maternity leave. I hope today is a better day for you!

CandaceDianne · #13 January 7th, 2010, 08:07 AM

Oh goodness, that's a terrible day!

I am really sorry!!

I hope today is better!

Oreobaby · #14 January 7th, 2010, 10:10 AM

Sorry you had such a bad day yesterday, hope today is much better!!!

Coley · #15 January 7th, 2010, 10:57 AM

Same here... Talk about a... crap storm!

I am all too familiar with broken pipes and water running into houses and such... so I truly know your pain!! When it happened to us I called Danny at work bawling so bad he had to come home and that was when he had an 1 1/2 hour commute!! HA!

I'm sorry your leave time isn't going to work out the way you hoped. I really wish we had more family friendly laws. Ugh.

I hope today is going much better for you hon... I really do.

NortheastWifey · #16 January 7th, 2010, 11:25 AM

Oh, I'm so sorry Tonya! That's a lot to deal with in one day!! You poor thing!!

amazing_love · #17 January 7th, 2010, 12:14 PM

Oh sweetie i'm sorry yesterday was such a horrible day! That really stinks that your plans had to change. I really think maternity leave should be much longer for women!

I hope today has been better

stlgirl · #18 January 8th, 2010, 05:50 AM

Oh my gosh Tonya, what an awful awful AWFUL day!!

The US absolutely stinks when it comes to support of working moms. There is an organization called Moms Rising (momsrising.org) that is fighting for better leave policies, more like what they have in other developed nations, but with everything else on the government's plate right now, I doubt the mom lobby will achieve very much any time soon. Are you absolutely sure you guys couldn't dip into savings so that you could stay home longer? I know that is really scary, but at the same time, honey I think you may be really unhappy going back so quickly. I can't predict the future, but I feel like being ripped prematurely from your baby when that was never your intention (only doing it for financial reasons not personal ones) might be an undo stress on you and the family. I'm just putting in my humble opinion here, so please take it with a grain of salt, but I guess I'd just recommend waiting before making final decision about when you go back to work, even knowing what you know now about your crappy school leave and insurance policy.