A few things I love about my job....

I am back at work in the NICU...and I was thinking on my way home that there are some things just so amazing about my job...and here they are:

1. I love how you can be at a delivery a see a mom screaming her head off trying to get a baby out and the minute that little miracle pops out...she is amazed and her and her husband are crying in joy (or maybe relief!) nonetheless, it is the most amazing thing I think I will ever witness in my entire life...

2. I love how you can be in a c-section and everyone in the room is chatting and the room is loud and full of...well, just whatever...but the minute those dr.s start to bring that baby out, the entire room goes silent. The dr.'s are working very hard to get the baby out and it is almost like the entire room is saying a little prayer all at the same time...that the baby will come out perfect. When you hear that fist cry...everyone in the room breaths a sigh of relief.

3. I love how almost every time I am at work I get parents thanking me genuinely for helping their baby. They usually have eyes full of tears...and I usually do as well...and it feels so amazing to say to them "It is my pleasure..." As I have become a parent myself I feel a stronger connection to those parents and can't even imagine what they are going through and the strength they have to have to get through it. I find myself giving hugs a lot more then I used to...and crying with them more as well.

4. I love how you can take care of some really amazing kids...with amazing families, and you wonder often how they are doing after they leave. And then you might show up to work one day and see a photo of them a year later and that little 2-3 lb baby is now a big stalky toddler. I can't even tell you the sense of joy that brings.

5. I love that I have the most amazing co-workers who have the ability to take me away from all the intensity for a second and make me laugh my ass off....yet could turn around and help you save a baby in the next breath. How in the world did I get so lucky to be one of them?? I think sometimes even they forget how amazing they are...and how much their work means to people. This goes to everyone working there...but especially to Suzanne...who has made coming back to work an awesome time for me. A nurse who I feel I could ask any question to and not be made to feel stupid, one that I respect greatly and would trust her to take care of my sick infant in a heartbeat, and one who can make me laugh so hard I can hardly breath. Thanks girl, for helping me get my groove back :)


Being back at work has given me some of my self worth back, more confidence, a lot of fun, and I am starting to feel a little bit like my old self!! Don't get me wrong...I am tired as hell from being up all night...and feel a little rummy from it as well (so if there are spelling mistakes please ignore them) But I was just feeling so blessed I wanted to share it with everyone.

Good night all...

A long flight, a beautiful wedding, and some damn cute Hughes girls!!

Jason, Karrah, and their son Quinton

Cori, Nick, and Me

Cori and I

Back row: Casey, Jason, Nick
Front row: Heidi, Me, Traci, Julie and Cori

The Girls!! Me, Julie, Cori, Traci, and Heidi

Acting silly

I just got back from South Carolina where I went for my cousin Jason's wedding. Jason and I grew up together...he was the only cousin in a group of many who was the same age as me. I wouldn't have missed his wedding for the world. It was a beautiful wedding and reception. Appetizers, a four course meal, and of course...an open bar!!

All the people on our side of the family ripped it up. Drinking, dancing, singing...just having a general good time. It was wonderful to see some of my family that I haven't seen in a very long time. My cousin Traci even talked the bride into letting us do the chicken dance! A song/dance my Grandma Myrna headed up at every event there was! We all looked ridiculous doing it...but it is just part of the gig!

I have to say, seeing all of my cousins together made me realize what an amazingly pretty family I am part of (not to sound conceded). We are all tall blond bombshells. I think the shortest of us all is probably 5'7". It was wonderful to get a photo of all of us together!

It was funny to me that while we were growing up, there was such an age difference that none of us hung out really. There was a lot of babysitting going on...but not much more! Now that we are all adults, none of that seems to matter and we all can have an amazing time hanging out together...regardless of the age differences.

Leaving the girls for the first time ever was a bit difficult for me. I had a couple of full on breakdowns along the way. However; being at that reception without any kids to look after was actually really nice. It was the first time in a long time that I was actually able to just let loose and not worry about anyone else. It was so great to see them today, they were very welcoming and excited to see me!

So...that was my trip in a nutshell. I had an awesome time and am thinking I might need to take little trips without the kids more often :)

Summer is HERE...

Well, at least for a weekend! Hope everyone enjoyed the wonderful weather we had over the past weekend...it was beautiful! The girls obviously enjoyed themselves!

Mom really does exist

I don't know about any of you other mom's out there...but it seems like I am hardly have any photos of me and my kids because I am aways the one taking the photos. I just happened to be dressed up this weekend because I went to a wedding, and I had my sister in law Chelee snap some shots of the girls and I using my camera. I was a little bit like pulling teeth to get them to oblige, but they did and we got some good photos. They are just cute candids, and are a documentation that yes...I really was in their life when they were little!!! I think it is kind of ironic that we as moms, especially stay at home moms, are he ones with our kids 24/7, yet if someone were to look back at photos 20 years from now, they would wonder where in the heck I was!! So here is the challenge to all you moms...at least one time a month (a week would be better, but that might be pushing it) make sure you get a photo of you and your children. So when they look back through photos when they are older, they will have proof that you were ALWAYS around!!!

Mother's Day

Grant's sister Chelee, His mom, and him


Grant's mom and dad



Booger girl


As you all know Mother's day was last Sunday, and I hope all you moms out there had a wonderful day. I worked my first night shift the night before, so I slept until about 2:00 in the afternoon. Grant and the girls got me a very nice mother's day gift. The gift included a new lighted magnified mirror (I wanted one) a really cool alarm clock sound machine, and a very nice eye mask that I wear when I have to sleep during the day after work. We went to Grant's mom's house for dinner and Grant's sister Chelee and her family were there as well. Chelee has her own photography business http://www.michelleellisphotography.com and she took the wonderful photos posted above. She wanted to get one of the girls and I since it was mother's day...but I had worked the night shift and looked like a worked the night shift (like a walking zombie), so I asked her if she would bring the camera back next weekend to take some shots! After dinner we drove out to my mom's house to bring her a mother's day card and gift. It was the first time we had seen her since they came back from a trip to Hawaii, and the girls were really excited. I then came home and passed out from exhaustion and had a great night's sleep. All in all it was a great Mother's day. I hope all of the amazing moms I know out there had a great one as well! You all deserve it!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Nothing will keep this girl from going outside to play!!! Yesterday I told her she couldn't go outside because it was raining, so she went immediatly over to the closet and pulled out her jacket and boots and came back to me saying "Now I can go outside". How can I say no to that! She looked adorable in her rain gear!

Update: Day one

Well, I made it through my first day back at work...and it really was actually a good day. I think I forgot to mention that all my freaking out was just for orientation...lame, I know. I think most of my nerves came about leaving the girls. When I left in the morning Hailey was not up, and I wanted to wake her up just to give her a hug and say bye. Grant was not having that though, so I just didn't get to see her in the morning...making it a little sad to leave. During the whole day at work I was mostly so busy thinking and talking about other things that I didn't really have too much time to miss them. I have to admit...it was kind of nice to hear myself say something besides "Stop hitting your sister" and "Do you have to go potty"? At then end of the day Grant came to pick me up because we had to do a child switch so he could go to golf league. The girls were waiting in the Hospital lobby with him and as soon as they saw me came running up to me yelling "MOMMY!!!" and giving me tons of hugs and kisses. I guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder!!
I just want to say thank you for all of the AMAZING support I have received from all my friends and family. It brought tears to my eyes last night when I read all the comments. Sometimes I forget how much support is really out there...and when you see it, it is very humbling. I honestly couldn't be going back to work if I didn't have so many amazing people telling me I can do it. I have to give a special thanks to my loving husband, who has been so awesomely supportive of me going back to work, and who took a day off yesterday so he could stay home with the kids while I worked. Another big special thanks to my best friend Wendy, who is watching my kids today and never makes me feel like it will be putting her out. She went to the store yesterday to buy all sorts of special snacks and food just knowing my girls were coming. Anyone who knows them knows they eat ALL day long...so she was just gearing up for it. How sweet is that!
Again, thanks everyone...your support means the world to me!

Freaking Out!!!

I am starting work tomorrow at 8:00 am, and am supposed to be there tomorrow, Thursday, Friday and Sat. night. And...I have been spending the entire afternoon/evening with my head in the toilet!! Is it nerves?? Am I sick?? I am assuming at this point that it is just nerves as I spent the weekend with stomach cramps and just a general "nervous" stomach. I am hoping, no praying, that I will wake up tomorrow morning feeling great and ready to sit through a day of nursing orientation. Otherwise I am going to be in misery! Wish me luck!!

Best Friends

I feel so blessed that my daughters' best friends are the children of my best friends! On top of that, my husband the husband's of my best friends are also very good friends. It ends up working out very good for all of us. We can get together at anytime and do anything. Everyone gets along perfectly. Last night all the guys took off to the fever game, so Wendy and Tera came over here to hang out and have dinner. We had a wonderful dinner and all 6 kids sat up to the dinner table and ate...I could hardly believe it. We managed to make it through the night without any major drama between the kids (just a few minor ones maybe). As the night wound down they all cuddled up on the couch together to watch a Mickey Mouse show before they left. It was so cute to see them all sitting up together that I had to take a few photos. I can already picture them all sitting up there together in 10 years from now. I am certain they will remain very close friends....because if they don't, we will make them :)

Back to Work

A few weeks ago I decided to take the plunge to go back to work. Once I got a hold of my manager things have seemed to go very quickly, and I will be starting next week!! I will be working per Diem in the NICU at Kadlec Medical Center. There is a part time position open, and I have already been asked several times if I want to take it, but I think I will just start out per diem and see how things go. I am very excited and my anxiety is lifting. I am nervous about going back to 12 hour night shifts...that is always an adjustment. I am also feeling a little anxious because I have a lot to do to get ready to go back to work. I have 3 entire days of nursing orientation, on a 8:00 to 4:00 schedule. That was stressful, because I had to find childcare, but I think I've got it taken care of. After that I am starting a month of orientation with my very good friend Suzanne. She has been a NICU nurse for like 25 years...and is one of the very best. I look up to her very much. She is the one who trained me to be a NICU nurse in the beginning, so I was thrilled when she said she'd take me back! I know she will help me get back up to speed! I also have to give a shout out to my best friend Wendy who, even in that crappy first trimester of pregnancy, is helping me out a ton with the kids. There is a lot of day time stuff I have to get done in order to get going, and she has offered to help out soooo much!!! I don't know what I'd do without her. I owe her big time!

So, here I am...after months of debating on what to do...I am back in the NICU. The only thing I know in nursing. Where I feel at home. Where I look forward to showing up to work. Where I am in constant awe of those tiny little miracles. Where I love and totally respect the group of nurses I work with. Where I am constantly being challenged and get to use my brain and the skills I worked so hard to obtain. Where I get to give back to people in the most desperate situations.
Can you ask for anything better...I don't think so!
So, to all my nursing gals out there...I'll see you next week!

Here is a link to a virtual tour of the NICU at Kadlec if anyone is interested:
http://www.kadlecmed.com/facilities/qtvr3.html