14/365: Hmm...

Did I say I'd post every day? Maybe I meant like a post for each day that may be posted AFTER the fact...

;)

Working nights has kind of hindered the posting thing, but it is still on my mind!!

Working night shifts hasn't been as hard as I was worried about. Squishy has been awesome with allowing me to nap at least 5 hours (between several catnaps & one afternoon nap); even 7hrs yesterday! He has handled sleeping with Momma very well, too. No fussing or anything... just lays down & goes right to sleep! Such a contrast to how it is when I am home!! He fusses & cries & screams until I lay down with him & snuggle & nurse!

Today, we stayed in town & napped @ my brother & sister-in-law's house so that we could hang out with my Mom this afternoon. I slept through my alarm & the lunch date we had planned, but met later @ the mall. Got some awesome clearance deals @ Sears (my Mom, that is) & Old Navy (finally got my skinny jeans & some cute stuff for Squishy, too). A great dinner @ the Mexican restaurant & then we came home!

Have some chores planned for tomorrow through the afternoon & then we are heading into town to hang out with some friends from church. Looking forward to it!!

Wish I had a picture to share tonight, but glad to have some stuff to update about.

PS: In case you are wondering... I am nearing the end of my 13wk orientation period. I have learned a lot but still have SO MUCH to learn. My preceptors have been awesome & very encouraging. I know that once I am on my own, I will have support from the other nurses to help me through. There are nights I wonder if I should have returned to work & there are nights that I am proud to be a working nurse AND stay at home Momma. I will have to figure out the correct schedule of shifts, but once that happens I think it will be easier. So far, I have worked 3days/nights in a row most weeks, but will be trying to work 2nights in a row, then a weekend night. We will see how it works out! :)

OH, here's a picture... this little tube sure helps me get through the night w/out soda or coffee...


It really helps!

Tomorrow, I will post more about the signs Squishy has been using! He has made up a couple of his own & learned many from us! So nice to have a bit of insight as to what he wants!! :)

6/365: Missing Me Some Soda...

I haven't had Cherry Coke for over a week... no soda of any kind since last Saturday. Yes, I'm addicted. I have been good with water & my vitamin/energy drink, but I'm seriously craving one of these...


Not too much more to say about today. Squishy allowed me to sleep well this morning, we played a lot, & then he told his Daddy all about it when he got home from work. We met my parent for a quick dinner of yummy black bean soup & biscuits, then came home! I am working a bit on budgeting for this month & then going to bed. Both boys are already asleep.

Finished out my first week of nights. Not too bad, but definitely will take some getting used to. There is a self-scheduling set up for the floor... it's not guaranteed that you will get the schedule you request, but I set mine for 2 nights in a row, then 1 night on the weekends. I figured this will allow me more time to see the boys during the week nights & not have such exhaustion with staying at home with the baby during the days. On the weekend, I can prepare with a short nap & recoup with a short nap after church on Sunday mornings! Since it's scheduling 6+ weeks in advance, I won't know how this schedule will work for me until then, but I will learn what works for us in time. I am also still pretty overwhelmed with all the details that entail the job, but have great teachers so I'm trusting it will slowly come more naturally to me.

That said, finishing up my budget... then to sleep! Have a wonderful Friday! I look forward to spending some time with a great friend that I haven't hung out with since October! I miss her! :) We will partake of queso, chips, & Cherry coke!

5/365: Bright Smiles!

I have to say these smiles sure do brighten my days. Even when I only get 5 hours of sleep between two 12 hour shifts... somehow, I've made it. I have also been drinking an energy drink that's full of vitamins to help. Looking forward to having the weekend off & doing some couponing & housework! Amazing that I am looking forward to that, huh?! :)

3/365: A Doctor's Tears

Tonight, I saw a doctor shedding tears for her patient.

Tonight, I shed tears for my patient.

It is so hard to care for patients on both ends of the spectrum...

One is looking forward to an exciting beginning

The other mourning the ending.

Words can't quite express the emotions I am feeling, but they do make me hug a bit tighter, nurse a bit longer, and love a bit deeper. And they are nothing compared to the anguish many mothers go through everyday with empty arms and a memory full of moments.

If you have a child in your life, always remember what a blessing you have. And if you know someone who has lost their's, acknowledge their blessing, too. They NEED us to remember their baby, too.

2/365: A Day in Town

Well, since today was a Sunday and we live so far away from church... we spend most of the day "in town" between morning & evening services.

So, Sundays tend to be rough in that Squishy pretty much gets ZERO naps, we don't accomplish anything at home, & we come home exhausted. That sounds like such a downer post, but it is what it is.

We did get some grocery shopping done & a bit of Christmas clearance shopping done. And we got to play with Squishy a lot, too.

Because our Sunday evening services are also a fellowship service, we all bring food. At the grocery store close to the church property, we stopped & grabbed some snacks. And a snack for Elias. These funky little things...


Here's a quick shot of Squishy after he squirted some of the apple/strawberry on his cheek & shoulder. Crazy boy. So cute!!


Sorry this isn't a very exciting post, but it's how the day went! We did snatch plenty of good produce for Squishy to snack on... cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, tangerines, bananas, & avocados. I also made sure to have plenty for me to pack for "lunch" this week at work. I have gotten in the nasty habit of heading to the cafeteria for lunches payroll-deducted. On a positive note, I have bought salads & soup, but I have yet to leave that cafeteria without a full cup of Wild Cherry Pepsi in my hand. I am stocked with a vitamin-energy drink that is called ZipFizz & has about 100mg of caffeine. I hope this will help me stay awake & alert during the night shifts.

Heading to beddy-boo in a minute & hoping for a wonderful day in preparation for the night shift tomorrow. Hope you all had a wonderful New Years weekend & a wonderful Monday back to work! :)

1/365: A New Year

A Blogger I follow is nearing the end of her 365-in-a-row blog posts and it has motivated me to do the same for this new year. We have many goals and dreams for this year and it will be nice to have a running diary of sorts. I hope to post a photo every day, too, but that may or may not happen.

Here are some changes our little family experienced this past (2010) year...
** Nick received a promotion in the very beginning of the year. Much more responsibility as a plant and quality control manager.
** Elias turned a year old and has just amazingly developed into a curious, adventurous toddler. So amazing to compare pictures, memories, and journal entries. It is hard to imagine it being the same little person.
** I passed the state board of nursing exam in March, worked as a shift supervisor from June through October at a somewhat local nursing home, then accepted a full time position with a local hospital in the labor and delivery unit in November.
** We bought a house on more land in October. Our mobile home/land is being cared for by renters. There isn't much work in the way of structural repair, only a couple of larger projects and the decorating/organizing/personalizing that comes with any home!
** We lost a dear dog, Irving. He was our shelter rescue and we feel happy to have given him an extra 6.5 years of life to enjoy.

Some goals we have set as a family and I have set as an individual...
** Replacing the flooring upstairs. This will be "Big Project #2" after the A/C unit is paid for. We plan to replace the current carpet with some sort of hardwood flooring. Probably bamboo.
** Finish painting the walls on both levels of the house, set up each area, & declutter-declutter-DECLUTTER! Ensure the house is functional.
** Drink soda only once/week. I would love to cut it out altogether, but realistically... that probably won't happen.
** Get pregnant! We hope to not have to pursue treatment, but will if that is where we are led.
** Restart our contributions for Hubby-Bub's IRA, Squishy's educational fund, & open an IRA account for myself.
** Begin a savings fund for the fencing for the property.
** Planning & some execution of landscaping for the front of the property.

As you can see, most of our goals are related to the house & financial planning! :) As long as I continue to work, my paychecks will go toward house & savings. This way, we continue to live off of one income in case we need to return to a single income family.

We are very excited for the year ahead, but I must admit to being a bit anxious, also. I begin my night shifts this week & am wondering how it will all work out with watching Squishy during the day & being away from him three nights/week. I will definitely be updating throughout... although maybe not as wordy on those days following working all night! :)

Have a wonderful New Year!