Saturday, January 21, 2006
Circumcisions cost $99…
My folks just got the hospital bill for my birth, and I overheard Dad say that my circumcision was $99. Now that’s interesting…

Honestly, I would have thought it would be much more. It wasn’t a long procedure but it was performed by an MD with I assume some pretty extensive training. I don’t really understand the economics of things like this, but I guess I’d find it a little more comforting to hear it was, say, $500 or $1000. I’d like to ask my folks if there were different pricing options for the circumcision. Was there a ‘premium circumcision package’ or maybe a ‘gold’ option to have the operation performed by a ‘top’ surgeon? Is it possible they opted for the ‘basic’ or ‘economy’ circumcision? I’m a little concerned about the fact that it was listed as $99…is the hospital trying to make it seem less expensive? Did $100 appear to be too much? Was there some sort of holiday sale or special ‘limited time only’ pricing? I wish I could’ve discussed the whole affair with my folks before the procedure…if they had told me cost was a concern I would’ve suggested we maybe don’t even have the circumcision.

The hands now work for me…
Thank God. That’s all I can say. If you’re a regular reader you already know what a hassle the hands have been. They wake me up, hit me, scratch me, and for the most part I haven’t been able to do much of anything about it. Until recently, that is…

I’m proud to announce that they now (for the most part) work for me. I can now manipulate them with a skill and dexterity similar to…a backhoe operator in training. But that’s ok. Any control over the hands is much better than getting smacked around. I now spend a considerable amount of my day swatting at the inflatable plastic ball hanging from my play mat, and let me tell you…it is a BLAST. It may be the most fun thing to do ever.

It’s only a matter of days before I will actually be able to use the hands to grab things, but I’m already considering how I will wield my ever-growing powers – should I wield them justly and judiciously or harshly and mercilessly? Will I use them to further noble ends or devious schemes? Feel free to give me your thoughts/advice on the subject…

My folks are soooo funny…
I’ve only been able to smile and laugh for a few weeks now, but I can’t tell you how funny my folks are. They really crack me up big time. During the day I’m usually in a good mood because my mom sings Kenny Rogers tunes to me or one of 384 official variations on the ‘Henry song’. So when they start in with making the goofy faces and sounds, it’s really too much to take. When mom’s not around dad tries to sell me on different schemes and pranks to play on her (pee during the diaper change, etc.). Those usually make me laugh but I don’t ever really do them…I think dad’s pushing his luck with mom and doesn't realize it.