A week in review

Sunday - Work, work, work. Wow! Our unit is overflowing with patients right now! Here is a list that may explain my job a little bit for those of you unfamiliar with the NICU world. I especially appreciate # 21 & 22, you have no idea how many people think I sit and rock babies to sleep. Ha! I wish it was that easy! And # 29 and 30 are so, so true!

30 things about an NICU nurse....
1. You've eaten hamburger patties bigger than most of your patients.
2. You don't understand why talking about sticking a needle in a baby's head is making other people at the dinner table ill

3. At one time or another have had breast milk, blood, poop, urine or all of the above on your scrubs

4. You have affectionately called a patient: cletus the fetus, wimpy white boy, troll orFLK (funny lookin' kid) in report

5. You can change your patient's bed linens with one hand while holding your patient in the other

6. You can make an IV arm board out of some 4x4 gauze and tape

7. You've almost caught your hair on fire while in your patient's bed...a.k.a. overhead radiant warmer

8. You've used a sock or a piece of tape for a restraint

9. You check out the scalp veins, cap refill and fontanels on a friend's new baby

10. You use a cotton ball to obtain urine samples

11. You use saran wrap to keep your food fresh AND to keep your patient's warm

12. You think all crying babies need Benadryl, Versed or intubation

13. You have ever shown a doctor a green residual while they were eating

14. You have obtained a 10cc residual when the patient only gets 1cc

15. You have put an intensive care patient in a swing

16. You don't get excited if your patient has a heart rate of 180

17. You do chest compressions with two fingers

18. You use a rubber band for a tourniquet

19. You've seen two complexes on the EKG screen and not been excited-you merely pat your patient on the butt and it's all good

20. Newborn babies look like preschoolers to you

21. You tell people what you do and they think you sit around and rock babies all day

22. When you tell people what you really do they start to cry and/or vomit

23. You have assisted with surgery on your patient in their bed...in the unit

24. You have met your patient's father, mother's boyfriend, and husband all in one day

25. When you get excited over a baby's 10g weight gain

26. Patients that you can't hold in one hand are too big for you to take care of

27. When getting blood (or anything else) on your freshly made bed stresses you out more than when it gets on you

28. When you truly believe that your patients listen to you when you're yelling at them from across the room to save themselves because you're busy feeding another baby

29. When your pregnant friends hit 28 weeks you relax, because that's practically term

30. Constant alarming doesn't faze you, but you can't get the lullabies from the mobiles out of your head.

Thanks to my friend Michelle for this list. Check out here amazingly creative blog here: http://michelle-bsktgirl.blogspot.com/

Monday- Josh slept on a nap mat at school for the first time. What??? I asked the teacher how much drugs she gave him, and she thought I was being serious. How they got this kid to lay down unconfined is a complete mystery to me!

Tuesday- We were as lazy as the dogs today. Laundry, cleaning, and bills were done, but that's about it. I also figured out how useful and fun youtube can be to a child obsessed with watching trains go round and round. We watched 11 minutes of a toy train going round and round. He was smiling the entire time. Other than that, this is pretty much what we did all day....

Wednesday - More school fun for Josh and a free day for me! I went to the mall and then floated around the neighborhood pool while reading a book. It was delightful not to have to keep up with my roaming and very dangerous toddler. I was enjoying every minute until there was a "BabyRuth" incidence and we all had to evacuate the pool. Lovely.

Caddy Shack (circa 1980)

Thursday - Swim lessons- Josh did 4 seconds under water! Scarier for me than him, I think. Josh loves swim lessons. Next up a group trip to Whole Foods. Erin and I loaded the kids into a car cart and strolled around the store looking for healthy snacks for the kids. We picked up some dried carrots and sweet potatoes, and some sunflower seeds. We'll see how it goes.

Friday- Katie got to come play all day! They had a great time together. Josh woke up from his nap yelling, "KayKay? KayKay?" and Katie woke up yelling "Osh?Osh?" They ran towards each other and giggled and giggled. It was super cute. Josh and Katie liked to hide away in tight spaces... what are they hiding from, I wonder?? And it looks like I will have to pay for extra baggage on my trip this weekend.

Blue Crocs.
All the cool kids wear them.

Snack time in the laundry cupboard.

The cutest couple of stowaways ever!

I am all packed up and ready to go on my trip to New York City to visit these fine folks....





My big brother and his beautiful wife!


and
Aunt Pickles (aka Nicole). Here she is on a gorgeous Hawaiian beach, making me super jealous! I found this shirt for her at the scrapbook convention couple of months ago! Isn't it hilarious?!?! I almost screamed (okay, so I did scream) when I saw it!

I am looking forward to my trip (I will be celebrating my big 30th bday, but shhhh, don't tell anyone). But, I have to leave my boys behind, so pray that we all survive! I'm going to miss them like crazy!