This is what I've been doing

I'm not going to bore you with my to-do list.  We all have them.  But I do want to share a product of the list.  I'm working on Bianca's 2-year-old scrapbook.  As you may/may not know, I went digital last year with scrapbooking and did Bianca's first year book in digital format.

This year there is no way this album will be as detailed as last year's.  But I'm trying my hardest to at least crank out something!  I can't imagine my little baby not having a special book for her special year.  So... here's a lil sample of where my "extra" time (aka Bianca's nap time) has been spent.

Now I must go.  There's plenty more to do!!!  

Visitors & Updates

Lots of things have been going on lately.  It seems everyone is so crazy busy right now - I'm not alone!  So... maybe you have been too busy to check my blog and haven't noticed I've been slacking on updating.  (here's hoping!)

First off, you probably didn't notice if you are a regular viewer, but I've decided to make my blog open to public again.  I had closed it for a short time, wanting to keep out a few bad seeds (ok, maybe just one bad seed in particular).  However, it seems making a blog private makes it very difficult for family and friends to view. I have had grandparents, aunts, and cousins having issues viewing.  This is NOT what I intended for our blog!  The whole point is to keep everyone updated with our ever-so-changing lives, so I've decided to make public.  Welcome back.

Secondly, we are pushing for fall around here.  The weather down in the south is a-m-a-z-i-n-g!  I'd been praying and hoping God would blow a little cold front our way.  I am typing this with a fall candle lit, my windows and porch door wide open, and tortilla soup brewing on the stove.  Simply divine.  Thank you for answering my prayers!

And oh.... bunches more news.  But first - we interrupt this news broadcast for a special grandparent visit.  Miss Bianca had a treat last week - Grandma Dee and Papa came to town.  It was just going to be my mom coming to visit, until my dad got wind and heard mom had not bought him a plane ticket.  That didn't work for him.  So, he got a ticket last minute to come see his babies and spend a few days "relaxing" with all of us.

We did lots 'o stuff.  I think the best part was going to Centennial Park one morning and watching Bianca run around and play.  Well - I got to sit and watch.  The grandparents were in charge of running around and keeping up with the B.  It was very, very hot.



 

Ah.... the fountains at Centennial Olympic Park are cool, even on a hot summer day (courtesy of Good Night, Atlanta!)

Then, one day we ventured to Cabbage Patch Babyland in Cleveland, Georgia, to see how Cabbage Patches are "born."  My family has always been big Cabbage Patch fans.  My mom and dad still like to tell the story where they "stood in line for HOURS while Christmas shopping," just go get that special doll I had growing up.  They really are a great way to teach kids how to be motherly and soft.  Anyways, this was more like an over-grown gift shop than anything -  but it was fun.  We got to see a "birth" of a cabbage patch doll.  Kinda creepy, I'll admit.  "Mother Cabbage" was 10 leaves dilated and got an "easiotomy" by an LNP (Licensed Patch Nurse).  I was cracking up at some of the stuff they said.  Bianca was kinda scared of all the patches.
 

   

Here's the picture of the ultrasound of the baby to be born.  It shows pink or blue lights - pink for girls and blue for boys.  This baby was pink.  Could it be an omen????......

Bianca, slightly weireded-out:


She really dug the play stuff:




Overall, it was a great visit!  Thanks again, so much, mom and dad.  We love having you visit.  You really helped me out - I'm not moving too fast these days! 

So, moving on with news.  If you have forgotten, I am pregnant.  Sometimes I forget until I realize I'm already tipping the scales and I've been hosting Olympic Soccer Trials in my belly.  I'll do an updated belly pic later this week (I can't do it all in one post, people!).  Actually... truth is cause I'm getting my hair "did" later this week and I'm slightly embarrassed at the situation we have on "root" right now.  I'll also have more to blog about with baby at the end of the week.  I see the doctor this week and I'm officially in the last trimester.  Yeah!  I keep telling myself... 10 weeks of work left.  Actually, I think I'm down to 9 now.  

This baby is supposed to be coming around Thanksgiving but I have a feeling it won't stay cooking that long.  We'll see.  Braxton Hicks are occurring all the time and I feel like I'm going to explode.  My belly is much bigger this go-round.  My mother ever-so-politely said, "Hum... I'm not quite sure where you think you're going to put it for another 3 months."  Meaning = "Your belly is really big.  How much further do you think it's going to stretch?"  We'll see.  Eviction notice before 3 more months, anyways.  But all-in-all, life is good and pregnancy is great.

So, I leave you for now with some cute lil pics of my first born....

   

A few good words from a good old man

Ok, so I got quite a few responses when I blogged about the little boy cancer patient.  I think it really made everyone who read it stop and think about how precious is our life.  I wanted to share another, heartfelt story I came across not too long ago.  A little more heart-light.... but also something to make you think!

We had an 80-something male come in the ER.  He was alone.  He walked well, took good care of himself, and was very sweet.  It's amazing and sad - but when you are in your 80s and bathed - it says a lot about your condition (sadly).  He had drove himself in after midnight for an issue we shortly fixed.  He was discharged and it was time for him to go home.

I walked the paperwork into his room for him to sign.  He looked at me and was smiling with the cutest smile.  Like he had been chatting with an angel in the room or something.

"Ready to go over your discharge papers?" I asked, slightly rushing.  I had 3 other patients.

"Oh sure.  I was just thinking about someone.  Want to see something?" he asked.

"Oh.  Yeah."  Kinda caught me off guard.

The old man pulled out his wallet.  He opened it to the first picture.  It was a black and white oldie from the 40s.  It held the face of a beautiful young woman with porcelain skin and black onyx hair.  She was beautiful.  Stunning.

"We were married 56 years.  She died the 8th of this month.  I took care of her the last 4 years of her life."  He had tears in his eyes.

"Wow.  I don't know what to say.  Except by looking at her smile, I think you probably took care of her for the last 56 years of her life, not just 4."

He smiled when I said that.  I felt like a chapter in The Notebook.

"Yeah.  We had the best time.  But there were hard times.  Do you have a minute?  I have a story."

Well, I didn't have a minute.  Truth is, I didn't have 15 more seconds to spend in the room.  But I stayed.  Sometimes you have to just shut up and listen.  Not worry about what is going on outside a room.

I sat down and listened.

"We were married 2 weeks after we met.  I was there to take her roommate out that evening, but the roommate wasn't ready.  So, I sat and talked to her.  That's when I realized I was taking her out, not the roommate!"  The story was getting good just minutes after he started.  I love stories by old men.  Maybe it's cause I don't really remember my grandfathers.

"We both came from nothing.  I would go to her parents' house to visit.  They had no running water.  You had to take a mirror and go shave outside.  We both said we weren't gonna be like this with our family.  So we saved.  I went into the Navy.  She got a college degree.  I lived overseas, worked hard.  We didn't have much, really.  I would keep $50 from each month's paycheck and the rest I'd send home to her.  She paid off the home we had bought in 4 years."

"We had babies.  The 1st said he was going to be a chemical or electrical engineer- whatever paid more. He graduated and worked for Texaco.  Worked his way up from the bottom.  He retired as a vice-president.  The 2nd went to college and learned about investing.  He worked for a company I can't say - but just know he was more lucrative than the first.  Children 3 and 4 followed suit."

He was smiling, tears pouring down.

"4 babies.  4 millionaires.  All came from nothing.  My wife and I, we became millionaires, too, but we never told the boys.  We wanted them to learn the value of a dollar and hard work.  But money is not everything.  Turn the picture over."

I turned over the black and white picture of the beautiful woman he called his wife, only to find a picture of the two of them together.  This picture was quite different.  It was in color.  The people in it were worn and elderly.  The man's face was the same as the person sitting in front of me.  The woman had the same eyes as the beautiful woman on the other side.

"You see.... you can have all the money in the world, but if you don't have the person to spend it with, you are the poorest in the world.  Money is no good.  I saved all that money so I could take care of her when she was old.  So I could pay for anything she might need just to keep her comfortable.  I did it - and now she's gone.  Now I'm just giving all my money away!"

I laughed, but was really just relieved to breathe out loud so I could cancel out the tears in my eyes.

"Let me ask you something, what's the first thing you do when you get paid?" he asked me.

"I pay myself, " I said.

He smiled big as I'd ever seen him smile that night.  "Ah-ha.  You've been taught well.  Who told you that?"

"My husband.  We have to plan on taking care of ourselves.  I'm sure when we retire, there won't be any help.  The economy will be in so much trouble, people will have to survive on savings and being debt-free."

"YES!"  He was so excited!  "You see.... if you have found the most priceless thing in your life, your love.... the next thing to do is to make sure you can support them.  Cause let me tell you - the end is when it gets tough.  This world is getting bad.  People ring up credit cards like it's money they actually have!  The struggles and sacrifices we made for the first half of our marriage was worth it - just so I could take care of her well those last 4 years of her illness."

"I bet you miss her," I said.

He stopped smiling and looked at me, big eyes full of tears.  "A little bit of me dies everyday she's not here.  Pretty soon there won't be any of me left."

"I think you are in pretty good health!  I hope I am getting around as good as you when I'm your age."

"I may look good, but my heart is dying.  Take every penny you make and save it.  But take every memory you have and savor it like a delicacy."    

"I want you to be careful driving home.  There's nothing but crazies on the road at this hour."

"I'm going to IHOP.  Gonna call my son for a midnight meal."

He touched my pregnant belly on the way out.  "You take care of that."

My Story about Abbie

I know I have said it before, but I think it warrants saying again: if you have even one friend in life who you can say is your best friend, you are a lucky person.  I am a lucky person.

Abbie, my girlfriend from college, came to Atlanta last week to visit.  This was her first trip here - and actually 3 years since we had seen each other!  We both agreed that we can NEVER let that much time go by again.  But, life gets in the way: babies, weddings, vacations, families...... it happens.  

I was going to pick Abbie up from the airport, and was not nervous at all.  Excited in every way possible.  It had been over 3 years.  I had had a baby, and now was pregnant with another.  She was now a successful Master's grad speech pathologist living on her own in a big city.  Both two women who have grown immensely in the years we've known each other.

I met Abbie in Iowa City my Sophomore year during Rush.  I remember my mom telling me, "You gotta keep a look out for Kathy's niece, Abbie.  She's coming through."  Kathy lives down the road from my parents and has been my mom's best friend since I can remember.  I never did meet her when she rushed through the house.  I was SO frustrated.  But I pulled for her during slating (which wasn't hard - everyone who met her loved her) and remember thinking, "I hope I get to meet her some day."  On Bid Day, when she choose to be a Chi Omega, I got to meet her.  She was beautiful, athletic, and so down-to-earth.  A perfect fit to be my sorority "little sis."

And while looking back, we both laughed over dinner about stories from college and what we would-have's or should-have's.  We both said if we went back in time, we probably never would even join a sorority.  We weren't your typical "sorority girls."  From renting a convertible on the Clearwater beach in Florida to watching Iowa games in negative temperatures.  From walking home from the Iowa City nightlife to running 15+ miles in one day while training for a marathon together.  From being there from silly break-ups to standing at my side when I married Derek.  Abbie, you are the best friend a girl could ever have.  

Now, over 7 years have passed since I was at Iowa with Abbie.  I've been to Kansas City to visit her and she's been to Atlanta to visit me.  One thing is for sure: we are sisters at heart.  We can go years without seeing each other.... but when we meet again, it seems that no time ever passed. 

And she is good with my baby.  What more could a girl ask for in a best friend? 

Cisels come to town

We were so blessed and lucky this week to have visits from TWO different Cisel family members!

Uncle Drew (or "Do Do" as Bianca calls him) was in town for CAT business for a day.  We were lucky to squeeze in just a few minutes to see him at the airport.  He's a busy working man!!!  I was so proud to see Drew in all his work attire.  I thought he looked a lot like Derek.  He's busy traveling all over the country for his CAT training.  He sure loves his little niece.... and she so loves her Uncle Drew.   Drew - thank you so much for taking the time to see us during your busy trip.  Even if it was for a few crazy, airport minutes.





(photos on this post are all a bit blurry.... all's i had was the iphone.  oops.  pregnancy brain)







And Nana made her way there this week!  Yeah!  She was here to help out with things and see the little B. We just love when Nana comes to town.  I got naps and Bianca got clothes.  It was perfect!  Oh... and I got to buy a bakery cake without being asked why from my hubs (he understands his mother's love for cake and my pregnancy cravings).  It was de-lish!  And Miss Bianca sure loves her Nana.  She asks for her when she wakes up from naps and when she wants cookies.

And to keep you up to speed on Baby #2: this weekend was a bit nerve-racking.  I started having contractions on Friday night and they didn't really stop until Sunday evening.  I actually went home early this weekend - a rarity.  I went down to L & D and made sure everything was normal.  Turns out they are Braxton Hicks contractions.  I had these all the time with Bianca - just not ever this early.  I went to see the doctor on Wednesday to have a check up and make sure all was well.  He said everything happens early on Baby #2, especially when you are on your feet and working.  I guess I'll have to "park it" in triage a lot and be bored as can be at work.  Oh well - it's all for the kids!

   it's getting bigger.

this was just one week earlier....

Just to put things into perspective.....

"What's the craziest thing you've seen?"  It's questions like this I get ALL the time when I meet people and tell them I am an ER nurse.  I've often thought about starting a blog with just ER stories from work.  I have so many to share.  Some funny, some sad, some unbelievable, some miracles, and some devastations.  If I did start a story-telling blog, then this blog could be kept strictly for Bianca and the family.... and the latter could serve as more of a "therapy" session for me!  Truth is, I do write sometimes when I come home from work.  I have some stories I never want to forget.  They stay on my computer, unread.  I thought I would never share them, but I'm thinking about changing my mind.

I feel at home in a hospital.  It's comfortable for me.  Very rarely do I get shaken when I'm there.

It's been a while since I was really hit with a hard one.  We recently  had a young boy come in who looked terrible.  I mean - terrible.  He was pale, frail, sick, feverish, and limping.  An IV was started, labs drawn, medicine given.  Then the wait game.

The young boy had been complaining of leg pain for weeks.  His mom had taken him to the doctor and was diagnosed with "growing pains."  An ACE wrap was applied and worn daily to try to give comfort.  He lost some weight, but had still been playing and was acting pretty good.  The last couple of days he was really sick, so mom and dad were hoping to go back to the doctor on Monday, but it was Sunday night and they could not wait - he was too sick.

Lab called.  There was a critical value.  Hemoglobin low, and platelets very low.  Not good.  This can mean bleeding somewhere, or some sort of horrific anemia.  More critical values kept coming in.  Lab results come back highlighted if they are abnormal.  He had more highlighted than non-highlighted labs.  Before long, a diagnosis could be made from looking at labs and not even seeing the patient: Cancer.

While we are not really able to tell someone, "you have cancer" in the ER (biopsies and further testing is required).... a lot of the time, we know. There are a bunch of tricky ways to going about telling someone how sick they really are - even if you aren't supposed to.

I looked at the mom and dad after the doctor left the room and told them their son would be transferred to downtown Atlanta to a highly skilled hospital for pediatrics.  Our doctor wasn't able to clearly say what was wrong with the child.  He said it could be a terrible, terrible virus.  He said it could be something more.  He would go by an advanced ambulance.

It is so hard to keep composure when you have developed a bond with a family.  You want to hug, cry, and tell them it's going to be ok.  But you just don't know if it realy will.  The best thing you can do is always look them in the eye.  Never leave the room until you answer all their questions.  Wait for the uncomfortable silence and let it stay a while.  And try to answer questions appropriately without over-stepping the limits.  Here are questions parents ask when their baby is sick:

Can we ride in the ambulance with him?
~ One parent can ride.  


Can we go home tonight after we are checked out there?
~ No, you can't.  You will be in the hospital for probably quite some time - more than just tonight.


Can we stay overnight with him?
~ I don't know that hospital's ICU rules, but I'm sure you can always stay close by.


The ICU?  How sick is he?
~ Very, very sick.  There are many things this could be and an ICU is the only type of floor that can really handle his condition.  


I mean.... the worst thing.... would be.....
~ (silence - I shake my head)


Do you think we caught it fast enough?  
~ You caught it as fast as anyone could.


They knew.  Parents have a way of knowing.  The father could not look up at me.  He said, "I have to step out."  You could hear him vomiting in the hall outside the room.  The mother had tears pouring down.  The patient just sat there, no expression.  So little on the stretcher.  So weak.  He looked at his older brother sitting in a nearby chair - nothing.  They didn't know.  That's the beauty of children.  They have no idea of the depths of illness.  It's the parents that take it the hardest.  Now I understand.

I went and spoke with our ER doctor.  Definitely cancer.  Even the transfer papers said it.  He said something to me - "It definitely puts things into perspective, doesn't it?"

Wow.  Yes, it did.  It made every issue in my life I have been dealing with just seem so small at that very minute.  All the little worries and everyday stressors..... they are nothing.  I just thought, "Thank God."  And then I realized - that could be my child someday.  You just never know.

It makes you take a step back.  Breathe.  And it makes me want to be a better nurse.  What would I want my nurse to do for me if that was my child?  I was sure there was nothing more I could do to comfort them or fix anything.  But there was one thing I had to do: pray.

I went back to the room as the ambulance was packing them up and taking them to the next hospital they will probably have to call their "home" for months.  I looked the mother straight in the eye and said, "I am praying for you.  And I will pray for you everyday."  She looked at me, smiled through her tears and said, "Thank you."

And I knew when I said that I had done more for them than any medicine.

Pray tonight and hold your babies..... thank God they are healthy.

Up to speed

Well, I've been lacking in my posts.  Yes, it's true.  Seems the bigger Bianca gets, the less time and more demands she has.  It's so funny ~ I think back to the days when she was smaller and it seemed I had so much more free time.  At least I could put her down somewhere and go to another room without her drawing all over the walls.  I was more rested, had my head on straight, the house was always clean, dinners cooked to perfection.... now.... there's no time to spare!  When she is awake, I have to be there pretty much the entire time to supervise or there's no telling what could happen.  Then, when she takes her nap for the day - I'm either so exhausted I have to lay down or I have too much computer work/cleaning/things to do.

These are the demands EVERY mother meets.  It's crazy.  The fatigue, the exhaustion, the planning of fun events.  I remember my mother telling me when I was pregnant, "Enjoy this time cause once they're here, everyday of your life is for them.  Not one is for you."  It's been almost two years..... and I definitely know what she was talking about.  I think it has taken about a year or so for me to really realize all that is involved.  Maybe because the demands (at least for my child) have grown moreso in the last 6 months than they have in her little life span thus far.

And now there's #2.  Oh boy.  Oh girl.  Whichever.  

Oh my.... my doorbell just rang.  It's the UPS man.  HOW DARE HE!!!  It's the middle of nap time.... I may just have to open my door and yell at him, "Excuse me... do you know you just woke up my baby? Why don't YOU come in here and watch her for the next hour I was supposed to have had off???!!!"

Let's see how long this post really goes on for.  Probably not too long.......

But, to get you up to speed.... here's what has kept us so busy!

Bianca had a play "date" with her boy Julian.  He's simply adorable.  He got all dressed up for the day - and even brought flowers (that ended up shredded, all over the house!)  

Julian brought along his mom, Harper, and his grandma, Monica.  Monica is from Germany originally, and sang German songs to the kids.  Bianca was MESMERIZED by the neat language.  
And one of the songs came with a tickle.... B begged for it over and over!

Then, I hosted our neighborhood women's gathering.  It used to be a book club, until none of us had time to read.  Now, my husband calls it a "wine club."Next time you have water, put some basil and watermelon in it.  a-m-a-z-i-n-g
hosting gives me a reason to shop at Whole Foods and buy expensive cheese without feeling bad.  delish!




white ceviche and crab salad.  perfect for the hot weather.
Of course, I failed to get a picture of the strawberry "shortcake" cake that took me 3 hours to make.  we ate it too fast.  But my... it was yummy.
We do a lot of dress up these days.  Bianca digs my summer hat I wear constantly.  I'm still nauseated every time I'm out in the sun.
We both have been eating a lot of Oreos.  Seems to be the thing of this pregnancy.  Bianca is a fan as well.
Stickers are a big deal these days.


Water tables or the pool is a must every night.
We've done some shopping (gotta stay cool and indoors, right?!)  Here's some new jewels I found for B's summer shoes.  The bee and Thomas Train are old, but Mickey and Lil Miss Sunshine are newbies.  

We buzz to the park some mornings before it gets too hot.

She digs the slide.
and the ducks
We frequent the library about once a week, sometimes twice.
and she tries to keep cool.  


oh yeah.... and we paint our nails



THAT'S IT!  NOW YOU'RE UP TO SPEED ON OUR AUGUST DOG DAYS OF SUMMER.


I'M NOT KIDDING... THE UPS MAN IS GOING TO GET IT!