heart ache

Here are a FEW of Aubrey's 18 month pictures. She is getting so big! I cannot believe how grown up she is. Time flies by... at every stage I want her to stay that age, but she continues to be more fun the older she becomes! Parenting is SUCH a heart ache!

By the way check out www.carterphotos.wordpress.com Sarah Carter is the one who did Aub's pictures, if you like them and want her to do some for you... let her know!

special delivery

The day I have been waiting for ALL semester... a clinical day spent in Labor & Delivery (L & D)!! Yesterday was it... 5:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. I shadowed two nurses and observed 3 deliveries and assisted in the measurements/care of one of the newborns! The first delivery was at 7:09a.m., they came into the hospital at 6:05 a.m. and baby girl was born at 7:09a.m.!! Mom was, in her husband's words 'Sheera'! She had no pain medicine until afterwards, wasn't enough time for it to take effect beforehand. All I heard out of her were a few grunts and a squeek. About 20 minutes of pushing, baby was here!

Now all semester every girl in the class has been concerned about the only GUY in our class rotating through L & D. He puts up w/ a lot from us in class, but a woman in labor? Him and I were in the first delivery yesterday morning and i'll have to say he did a GREAT job! He was really interested in helping take care of the baby, which is the 'Star' Nurses job. I placed him behind me against the wall, JUST in case he should pass out, the wall could catch him, and I wouldn't have to! I told him to 'watch his facial expressions'...i didn't want him making a 'grossed out' face so mom in labor could see! As the baby is coming, I look over and he's bent down trying to find a better view around the Dr so he can watch the birth! Then he was right up at the warming table with the star nurse taking care of the baby! He did wonderful! And later admitted he thought it was cool, but will stick to his original plans of becoming a Nurse Anesthesist and just give these ladies their epidural!

HE did fine....everything is over, Dr. is taking care of mom, nurse is taking care of baby, mom and dad are overjoyed, I have tears in my eyes b/c it is SUCH an amazing experience and priviledge to be in the delivery room! And then it hit me! All of the sudden my skin went ghost white, I felt like it was 100 degrees in the room, I was seeing stars, everything was looking darker and my legs were getting weak.... I was on the road to passing out! WHY? I HAVE NO IDEA! Nothing grossed me out, I kept moving my legs and didn't lock my knees....I just knew i HAD to get OUT OF THE ROOM! But how was I going to do that with weak legs...I don't know, I just DID! I slipped out quietly and made my way to the nurses desk and sat down, took some deep breaths, looked at the floor and kept telling myself 'DO NOT PASS OUT...DO NOT PASS OUT!!' I went and sat in the bathroom for a while and ran cold water over my hands/wrists. Once back out at the desk one of the other nurses saw me, my color being more white than a ghost, and took me back to get some orange juice and crackers. She asked me if I ate breakfast. What kind of a question is that?! OF COURSE I ATE BREAKFAST! I don't LEAVE the house w/o food! It had only been 2 1/2 hours since I ate, but she said that was just enough time for my blood sugar to start to drop. So my instructor found me and said that with some people, it just happens. Even though I wasn't conscioulsy thinking anything, chemically and subconsciously my body PROBABLY couldn't handle the situation of another human in so much pain.

Then I was just mad at myself! How rediculous is this?! A NURSE who ALMOST passes out....I can't be doing that?! So I made it a goal to observe as MANY deliveries as possible and overcome this crazy thing! And I watched 2 more births! NOT a problem with either of them! Watched the whole thing and felt fine!

The sight of a baby being born is unlike anything I've ever experienced! My baby being born was an amazing experience, she was a c-section, but it's different when you're JUST observing! I had tears in my eyes with each delivery, performed deep breathing techniques and even held my breath and 'pushed' when the mom's did! The human body is so intricate and detailed! God is AMAZING for creating us the way He did! How it all works blows my mind! As much as I liked being in L & D, I don't think I want to make it my occupation. I would rather work on the new mom and baby floor, after all of the most critical stuff is over! :) If someone asked me to be a part of her labor and delivery, I would be there in a HEART BEAT...but for it to be my profession, no thanks! Maybe at a later time.

self centered

If you happen to notice that I am 'following' myself, in the box to the right under 'followers'... some how i clicked on the 'follow' button and added myself to the list. No, I don't have a large ego...nor am I so obsessed with myself that I have to follow my own blog. I don't know if i can get myself off the list! ha! silly me! This is the result of a non-regimented spring break schedule! My mind is making my hands do crazy things!

eruption

I was so impressed with myself this morning. I made a 'coffee volcano' and it wasn't even for an object lesson in KidZone! I swung by McDonald's to grab a McCafe on the way to work, and it was nice and hot, but by the time I reached my desk, it was NOT so hot. So I ran to the kitchen and popped it in the microwave. The lid was still on, but i tucked the little flap back so steam could escape. I kept thinking, 'just a little longer, I want it good and hot, once I sit down at my desk, I won't be getting up'. A minute and a half later I watched the 'volcano' erupt all over the recently cleaned microwave!. Half my coffe was flooding the bottom of the microwave. Luckily I ordered a 'medium', so I still had plenty left. What a sight!

spring is in the air

Well it is a BEAUTIFUL day in SW Missouri. Almost officially spring. It looks like it around here. Spring is one of my favorite seasons! Our property looks beautiful with the apple and plum trees budding pink and white flowers, the bright green grass coming in that Jake grazes as fast as it grows, and this year Aubrey is big enough to run around outside and enjoy it as well! We have been outside a lot this week. My Spring break is almost coming to an end, what a nice, relaxing, no alarm clock, much needed week it has been! Aubrey and I have spent a lot of time outside, feeding the chickens, petting and feeding Jake, walking all around our 6 acres, looking at worms, blowing bubbles and riding in her wagon. She DOES NOT like to hear the words, 'we're going inside to eat lunch now'. She loves food, but more than food, she LOVES being outside! This summer I will have the tan of my life, because her and I will practically LIVE outside! Plus the city of Willard is getting a new pool that will be open this summer, so we MIGHT have to visit a time or two...and invite her best friend Josiah to come, he's been taking swimming lessons!

I know it is easiest and best to be going through Nursing school right now while Aubrey is so little. But days like this week, it is so HARD to get back into the grind of the routine! I just keep telling myself "8 more weeks of this semester, one more year of school and it will ALL be worth it...I have ALL summer to spend with Aubrey".

what to do?!

Spring break is next week!! I consider myself on spring break as of yesterday at 4:30. That was my last day of class for a week and a half! I've been pondering and planning my week 'off'. "What should I do? What should I do? Go home to IN and see my family, where it's still cold? Travel to AL to see Megan, where it's warm? Select a destination which is warm and I don't know anyone? Stay home, clean, organize, run errands that have been kept off b/c of such a busy schedule? Shopping trip to Kansas City? Branson Outlets? Stay home, sleep in every day and stay in my p.j.'s all day playing with Aubrey?" The list can go on and on and on! All of the above I would LOVE to do, but i really only have 3 'free' days of my spring break! So I have them filled with dentist, dr's, photographers (hopefully Sarah) and one day of 'undecided'. I do however have a test the Tuesday I return to school. What sort of teacher schedules a test so you have to study over break? A Nursing School Teacher!

I know I will thoroughly enjoy my extra time w/ Aubrey. With my busy schedule, I don't get as much time with her, which I don't like at all, but I know once she's in school, she will need my attention more than ever! SO, I will stay home, b/c now the thought of traveling anywhere not only costs money, but exhausts me more than I am already exhausted! But in the back of my mind I will dream of sunny, warm Hawaii! (or somewhere warm with an ocean)

miscellaneous

Happy Friday to everyone! Today was a beautiful day in SW Missouri! We hit the 80 degree mark! Every window in my house was open, clothes were outside drying in the sunshine and I spent a good hour giving Jake, my horse, a workout! He was sweaty and tired of me telling him what to do by the time we were finished. It felt so good to get out, soak up some sun and enjoy the day! I even came away with a little pinkness to my porcelain white skin!

My clinical day on Wednesday was spent with 4 new mom's and their new babies. It's amazing to me how each mom is completely different from the next. Obviously no two individual's are alike, but they all went through a similar experience and they are all completely different situations and outlooks! One mom had baby #4 Tuesday morning and was dressed in her clothes Wednesday morning, searching for her nurse to let her know the Dr. told her she could go home and she needed to be home in time to go to class that night! She was a professional mom! I guess after 4 you would have the routine down...just a little! The other 3 mom's weren't so energetic, they all had c-sections...so just moving around was a task to be checked off the 'to do' list! And going home? That just sounded like too much pain and work!

I had a lot of fun in the nursery playing with babies. Taking temperatures, washing their little faces, listening to the speedy little heart rates, checking reflexes, changing diapers and listening to the wave of cries. Once one baby starts, it's only a matter of seconds before the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and entire nursery of babies practice their vocal skills!

I enjoy the post partum (new moms/babies) floor very much! For the most part everyone on that floor is very healthy! Pregnancy is probably one of the healthiest times in a woman's life! It was nice not to have a lot of medications to keep up with. A prenatal vitamin here, a glass of ice water there and a look at some swollen ankles/feet was all I had to keep up with! Kind of makes me get the baby itch again....but don't be asking, because there won't be any news! Just remember who I'm married to...he's enough to equal the energy of 2 children!

Ragu anyone?

It seems as though Thursdays are my 'blog' days. These are the days when I work 7 hours and have time to sit, take a breather and reflect on my week! This week it looks as though instead of highlighting Nursing school, I am highlighting my daughter! Not a bad trade off! I'll fill you in on my clinical day for school later.

Something EVERY child in the United States and probably at least Italy has in his or her or mom and dad's posession is a 'first spaghetti' picture! Aubrey has eaten spaghetti before, but this time mommy let her eat it all on her own! She had a lot of fun with it and LOVES spaghetti and garlic bread. She ate it at least 3 days in a row for about 2 meals each day! And she would still be eating it if we had any left.

So here are the famous 'first spaghetti' pictures! :) We made a b-line for the bathtub after this one for sure!

1...2...3...smile!

Just wanted to share a fun picture of Aubrey! Two things suprising with this picture... #1- being she actually had enough time in her day to STOP for the camera, #2 - she actually smiled in the fact that she was sick with a cold!