A New Nurse in the Family

Our family proudly gathered downtown to watch Al graduate with high honors from nursing school yesterday. After 15 straight months of classes, clinical, and studying, we now have a new nurse in the family. Congratulations babe on your second degree and welcome to the best profession out there!

Al and his Dad

Walking the stage

A hug from Elias

Al and his proud parents

Happy Birthday Boys

My little babies are babies no longer. Carson is now six and Elias is four. My goodness time has flown by quickly. I couldn't be more in love or in amazement that Al and I created these two astounding children. How far they have come in their lifetime already!

Carson always needs to know how things work and what processes are used in everyday machines and products. He shocks us by randomly figuring out simple multiplication in the backseat of the car to reading words and books at a level we didn't think he had mastered. Art continues to be a stable outlet for Carson's energy and we often find him settling into a craft or drawing instead of running around out of control like he did when he was younger. Our big man also played on a soccer team for the first time this year and loved every minute of it. He is caring and empathetic but most of all just a lovable kid. Next up....first grade! Happy Birthday big guy!

Elias is a true character and comedian. Sarcasm is not lost on his young four year old mind. Throughout each day you will find him teasing Carson and Daddy, laughing at himself, and making silly faces in the mirror for entertainment. Girls are his weakness and when you ask him about his "girlfriend(s) of the week" he blushes and gets bashful with a sly little grin across his face. Eli is fiercely independent and wants to help make his own food, mix his own thickener, buckle his car seat belts on his own, and put his braces on without help. He is a cuddler but incredibly stubborn and bullheaded at times. That strong will has gotten him through life this far and will carry him throughout adulthood successfully. He laughs when he falls and bounces right back up saying, "I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay". I can't wait to see how his personality develops over the next year. Happy Birthday little man!

Where have you been?

Lazy summer days are ahead but my schedule has been packed during the past two weeks. Al finished school and will graduate June 20th with his LPN earning a 3.96 GPA!!! I'm so proud of my husband and can't wait until he can discover the joys of nursing. Carson finished soccer for the season and had a class field trip to the zoo last week. Elias is learning his letter sounds and can now write his name on his own. Tuesday I took my GRE to get into the neonatal nurse practitioner program and I'm glad that sucker is over! All of this has been happening in the midst of doctor's appointments, IEP reviews, and birthday parties.

I will post pics of the boys and their parties in the next few weeks but first we are going on vacation. That's right.....I have 16 straight days off of work. I won't know what to do with myself but it will be worth it. Al and I are going to have a trip without the boys for the first time ever! We will be dropping them off at Granny and Papaw's house Monday night and then leaving for Florida Tuesday morning. Sunday we will head back to Granny and Papaw's house and stay through Friday. Al graduates Saturday the 20th and then I have free time with the family until the 25th. What a glorious month this will be. So, send great vacation vibes and tell the sun not to turn me into a lobster. I may post a few pics so everyone can be jealous but if you don't see an update for a few weeks, you'll know why.

Alphabet Soup

This morning I added seven new letters to the end of my name. Over the past few months I have been studying to take the American Association of Critical Care Nurses' CCRN certification exam in the neonatal specialty. The test is a 150 question computer based exam over three hours. At 0900 I walked into the testing booth, sat down, took several deep breaths, smiled for the picture, and began. Eighty-nine minutes later I walked out with a slight headache and a huge smile. I passed and earned my CCRN-NIC!!!



You know you have little kids though when you go out to Bob Evans for lunch to celebrate :)

Toad-aly Cool

Meet our new friend Blacky. Eli found him in Gigi and BobPop's back yard when they were hunting for worms. He started yelling, "I caught a frog! I caught a frog! Come quick 'cause I caught a frog!". Well, he was right....halfway. He caught a toad. I could not believe he actually snatched it up and didn't squish it to death by the time I ran to the back to the yard. Eli was so proud of himself. Carson was a bit turned off but still excited. I took the toad from Eli and we looked him over and named him. Of course this is when Blacky decided to pee all over me (don't worry, there was plenty of antibacterial soap and water post-Blacky tonight!). The boys decided Blacky would like to live under the raspberry bushes in the garden and eat all of the bugs that live there. Eli grabbed him up and found a good spot and let him free. Hopefully Blacky will be there tomorrow when they search for him.

Park Play Date

My friend Amanda and I met at the park for a fun play date with our kids on Tuesday. She has two gorgeous munchkins who are five and one. We met at the train park and let them loose. Little did we know that we would spend the next two hours watching non-stop action and endless energy. Carson and Eli had a blast chasing Emmy and Wesley found the boys quite fascinating. Here are some photos...







What a perfect day!

Spring!

After an unexpected change in Mother's Day plans late Sunday evening, I found myself sitting on the screened-in porch at my parents' house and relaxing while the boys played with trucks. It was a lovely night even if the original plans fell through and I have enjoyed every single minute of these lovable, snuggable, growing boys this week. I need to post all of the fun pics of our escapades tomorrow but for tonight I will leave you with a few snapshots of their cuteness.

When did they grow up into almost 4 and 6 year olds?

Not Me! Monday #2

It's time for another Not Me! Monday. After reading all of the incredible things I didn't do this past week, head over to MckMama's blog for her weekly "Not Me! Monday" post.

One day last week after putting the boys down for nap I certainly didn't lay down and sleep for three-and-a-half-HOURS before waking up to cook dinner for the family. I would never need that much sleep in the middle of the day when my morning was spent lounging, drinking coffee, and surfing the web while Al studied. Nope, not me!

An OCD mama like myself could never send her almost four year old to school wearing plaid red/blue/tan/white shorts with a lime green shirt and yellow socks. Completing the look with blue AFOs with planes, cars, and streets signs adorning them and blue/white tennis shoes. I would not!

On Wednesday I never would have worn my Victoria Secret yoga pants all day long instead of my jeans because I didn't feel like seeing if my butt had grown larger in the past few days. I didn't eat a bag of Archway Soft Iced Molasses cookies in three days on top of that incident either :) Wouldn't do it!

What things did you not do this week??

Strawberries

Carson's illness didn't seem to fit the diagnosis of croup and asthma exacerbation when his symptoms grew and his fever/malaise increased yesterday. He wouldn't get off the couch and was restless sleeping. This morning he woke up at 8:30 (two hours later than his normal rise and shine) and yawned really big. This is what I saw....



Now I know why he's feeling like crap. Off to the pediatrician at 2:10 to get a script for antibiotics. Too bad it's not going to be just a follow-up appointment from the ER visit.

***** Leave a comment with Carson's diagnosis and why he will need antibiotics and I'll mail/bring you a special treat! *****

Not Me! Monday -- New Edition

I have been inspired by MckMama over on her blog with her weekly post entitled "Not Me! Monday". The concept is writing about all of the embarrassing, non-perfect, brutally honest things you did over the past week. The catch is to blog about them as if you didn't do them! It is quite therapeutic and fun which is exactly what every Monday needs.

This past week I certainly did not fudge the words in a bedtime story book because I was exhausted....and get caught by my almost 6 year old. I guess Carson's reading skills are advancing faster than I knew.

Throughout the week I did not eat three generously heaped bowls of Cherry Cordial ice cream and then complain when my scrub pants were just a tad tight at work on Friday. That wouldn't make any sense!

Last Wednesday I definitely did not forget to re-order Elias' tube feeding supplies for the month and run out of MIC-Key button continuous feed extensions. I would never be that unorganized!

Head over and read up on MckMama's not me moments, blog your own, and share them for everyone to read. Perfection in motherhood is far fetched. Why shouldn't we get a little stress relief and humor at our own expense?

Love's Boundaries

Tonight while snuggling with Mr. Sick and Mr. Bouncy they started telling me how much they loved me. Elias started first by saying he "loved me more than the Polar Express". If you know Elias at all, you know that is a lot for him! Then Carson countered with "I love you all the way to Mars and back home". Finally Elias proclaimed at the top of his lungs "I love you all the way up to heaven and that's the farthest you can go!".

God I never want to forget this age and these priceless moments.

I love my boys to infinity (and that's forever and ever!)

Mr. Sick

Healthy and playing "Surgery with Construction hats" on Saturday night


Carson woke up sick this morning. Wheezing, barking cough, fever of 102.7, and feeling just plain crappy. I was at work when I received a call from Al around 9. Al never calls me at work. I think this may have been the second time. He said he was bringing C-man to the emergency room at my work and dropping off Elias at my parents. He put Carson on the phone so I could hear him breathe and ask him a few questions. Man did he ever sound bad. Thankfully I was able to take a few minutes off the floor (thank so much Anne!) and meet them downstairs.



They diagnosed him with croup and an asthma exacerbation. His history of asthma and tracheal stenosis in addition to countless ED visits and treatment lead them to this. After filling him up with dexamethasone and sending us home to watch for worsening symptoms, we grabbed a juice from the cafeteria and I kissed Carson and Al goodbye. It was so hard to be stuck at work while my oldest babe was in respiratory distress with a fever. I ran out of work as fast as I could and arrived home in record time for snuggles and hugs.

Sleeping with Daddy


*****UPDATE 5-4-09:*****

Today Carson missed school. His fever is bouncing between 101 and 103 with Tylenol. He has been laying around the whole day. Carson does.not.do.that! We are heading to the pediatrician tomorrow at 2:10 and hopefully they will have good news. Right now he is curled up on my lap with his head resting on my shoulder and legs dangling off towards the floor. Send get better vibes to my big guy. He certainly needs them.

Sick Baby


One of Elias for good measure

Snuggling

Yesterday Carson started getting sick. Nothing serious, just your run-of-the-mill common cold. Thankfully. He was sneezing and blowing his nose all afternoon and evening. It was different compared to other times my big guy has been sick. Carson was acutely aware of his symptoms and trying to process what each of them meant. He is growing up!

Sneezing - "I need to blow my nose."
Fever - "I'm hot Mom. Can I have some Tylenol?".
Lethargy - "Can we please snuggle on the couch with your super soft blanket Mom?".

Of course we can Carson. I would drop everything to get some snuggle time with my almost 6 year old first born. How could I ever say no? We snuggled up on my queen bed wrapped in the blanket my little sister gave me for my birthday. He let me run my fingers through his hair and hold him close. Anyone with an almost six year old boy knows that this was nothing sort of miraculous and a special treat for me. He fell asleep on my chest and I carried his cold ridden body to his bed and tucked him in. I hope today brings less illness but allows me to keep the snuggle time with my big guy.

I'm a soccer mom

It's official....I'm a soccer mom. Well, minus the mini-van. Carson started soccer off with a bang this evening. His club had a special "Soccer Rocks" night with the local professional soccer team. The kids were able to perform drills with four of the teams stars, get a fun t-shirt, and have an autograph session with the guys. Even though it poured and was about 50 degrees, all of the kids had a blast. Carson was in heaven and ran around like a free spirit. He was one of the few kids who had not actively played on a soccer team before but for the most part, you couldn't tell he was a newbie. The parents probably thought C-man was in the wrong age group because he was a head taller than all of the other kids but was in the middle of the 4-6 year age group.

Carson playing keep away with Gino!


Carson and Crew Cat


I was a typical proud mama on the field (which by the way was super cool to be out on in the middle of the giant stadium). I took video and pictures on my camera and cheered for my Carson. The players couldn't have been nicer. They truly enjoyed interacting with the kids. Carson especially like playing around with Gino because he played keep away with Carson and made him work for the ball. Overall it was an amazing opportunity and I'm glad we didn't stay home because of the rain. Carson is rearing to go for practice on Thursday. Wish him luck....their first game is this Saturday!

Video of one of the drills-- Carson is in the lime green t-shirt

Quick Catch-Up

Busy is not even the word for our lives lately. Things are going great and I can't complain. Eli's upper GI and abdominal u/s went better then expected. He does not have gallstones but his Nissen is still intact, loose, and NON-FUNCTIONING. He went for an endoscopy with biopsies last week and his stomach and duodenum took fabulous. His esophagus had mild irritation from his GERD and some bacteria growing on the top few layers of tissue samples. We will continue his current med regime and try to treat his reflux with adjusting pump feeds during the day and at night now on top of being maxed on meds. A repeat Nissen is something we want to avoid if possible due to the high probability of him not being able to eat orally again post-op. His GI and surgeon are in agreement with us and so we will see how things progress from here.


Carson is doing well also. I was able to go to his school for career week and speak to the kids in his class about neonatal nursing. Carson was excited to show me off and his classmates loved seeing the tiny preemie gear from Carson and Eli's NICU stays. I brought along a few stethoscopes for the kids to play with and you would have thought they were gold! It's hard to believe Carson is going to be finished with Kindergarten and getting ready for first grade. He is not a baby anymore and every day he is asserting his independence more and more. His teacher went on maternity leave about a month ago and the permanent sub is having trouble reading Carson's signs. This has brought on a few behavior issues at school and home from frustration but we are working it all out. His reading is skyrocketing and Carson is incredibly proud of his increasing knowledge. It is really fun to watch this stage of development.


I'm back to exercising and dieting. Ugggh. No fun at all but I feel out of shape. I started on the Jullian Michael's 30 Day Shred 9 days ago in addition to putting in my food intake in www.thedailyplate.com to track my eating habits. So far I feel stronger, more toned, and healthier and it hasn't even been two weeks. The boys think it's funny when I work out and they always want to try and exercise with me. Crazy little turkeys that they are.

Al is almost done with his LPN program and will graduate on June 20th. I can't tell you how proud of him I am. He has really taken his education seriously and fought for each A he has earned. Graduating with a 4.0 is almost in his reach! He also finally made good on his promise to me to quit dipping Coppenhagen. It has been tough but on 4/1 he stopped and hasn't had a dip since. :)

Well, this update grew into more then a "quick note" so I better get back to studying for my CCRN-NIC. I take my test on 5/21 and can't wait! Wish me luck.

Nursing and the Economy

Browsing through blogs tonight I caught a post on http://realityrounds.com that really struck a cord. The author is also a NICU RN and her blog is quite interesting. I find that I agree with this post of hers and am irritated when people casually mention that they will "just become a nurse" so they can get a job right away because the economy is tough. GRRRRR.....it's frustrating! Thankfully I'm not the only RN feeling this way...

Do You Want to Make More Money? Become a Locksmith, or a Nurse!
Posted by realityrounds on March 6, 2009

The economy is in the tank, unemployment is at 8.1%, a 25 year high. There are 4.4 million unemployed, with countless others who are underemployed. So what are the media pundits solution? Become a nurse!

I have to admit, this rubs me the wrong way. It is a huge pet peeve of mine. I read quotes from CNN of a former real estate agent becoming a nurse because it is “a more stable job”. I hear the Governor of Michigan talking on “Meet the Press”, saying a solution for all the recently unemployed in the auto industry, is to retrain them in health care.

Yes, there is a nursing shortage that will only get worse because of the aging of the population. Yes, we need more nurses. But, no, we do not want people going into nursing because it is a “stable” job, or they are desperate for work. The media pundits make nursing out to be a job that any sucker can do.

Nursing, by the way, requires a college education. You cannot become a nurse through a Sally Struthers training catalog. “Do you want to make more money? How about a career as a locksmith, TV repairmen, or a nurse!” It takes two years to complete an Associates Degree in nursing, and four years for a Bachelors of Science degree in nursing. Hopefully, we will be out of this recession/depression in two years.

Please, do not apply for nursing unless you have the following qualifications:

A love for science and the scientific process
An academic mind, with good problem solving skills
A love of medicine, health and social sciences
A good attitude
Not minding long hours on your feet, working weekends and holidays, and off shifts
A genuine desire to help others maintain health, gain health and promote health
A desire to promote the image and professionalism of nursing.
It would be great to have a new pool of nursing candidates who can bring some of the above qualifications to the profession. But, please do not apply if the only reason you want to be a nurse is because you can’t find a better job. Just become a locksmith then!

RR

The Week in Review

Is it only Thursday? This has been one week packed full of obligations and appointments. Sunday I worked my normal 12 hour shift and came home to a fabulous dinner prepared by my hubby. Monday morning I had coffee with my mom and caught up on the past week's events. After inhaling too much caffeine and sugar I headed back home to grab Carson off the bus and get Al and Eli in the car for appointment #1 of the day.

Carson had his routine check-up in the Behavior Clinic at Childrens at 1230. The appointment went quite well and his NP was pleased with his progress over the past three months. Al and I are quite happy with Carson's new skills in self control, calming techniques, and redirecting himself when he gets overstimulated. Carson was able to show off his intelligence a bit by reading and spelling all kinds of things and throwing a bit of math in the mix as well. He is such a fun kid. Growth over the past three months has been good and his new stats are 48.8" tall and 48lbs even. Not too shabby at all. No wonder everyone thinks he is 8 though!

Next Elias had his GI appointment at 315. We went over all of the symptoms he has been having over the past few months as well as his recent test results. His weight gain is poor but he is tall. New stats are 41.75" and 34lbs. He needs more weight on him. They ordered him a new feeding pump that he will be able to wear more comfortably during the day (the Zevex Entralite Infinity)- we have an old Zevex Entralite now that is bulkier and heavier. He is also going for an upper GI on Friday to make sure his Nissen fundoplication is truly undone. Our GI doesn't want to send him back to our surgeon for a re-do without a recent upper GI study showing it is undone. He is also getting an abdominal ultrasound on Friday to check for gallstones due to his recent severe right sided pain and clay colored stools. Hopefully that comes back negative. We will see where to go once the test results are in on Monday.

Tuesday was Eli's appointment with Phys Med where he officially received his cerebral palsy diagnosis. Spastic Diplegia. Right into his chart. It seems so permanent even though we have been living with it and talking about it for years. To have it be in black and white finally seems awkward. His doctor said that since his studies have shown no other reasoning for his chronic aspiration, it is linked to his CP and will most likely be permanent as well. That was a blow but we will deal with it. He is loving his AFOs and doing quite well with them. They are working his muscles and will say, "my legs are tired, can you carry me?". We won't do it but at least he is showing us that the braces are forcing him to use the correct muscles to walk and breaking that tone down.

Tuesday I was also supposed to meet some wonderful friends for lunch but woke up with a fever and feeling like someone hit me in the face with a baseball bat. Wednesday wasn't much better and Eli started feeling sick. Today is worse but I don't have a fever finally. End of winter colds are no fun at all. I thought I had escaped it but unfortunately the bug attacked me hard. We have gone through way too many tissues in our household this week!

So....there's the update for the week. Tomorrow we have testing but it's Friday(even if it is the 13th) so it has to be a good day. Thanks for reading if you got this far and sorry for the venting. :)

Badges of Boyhood

Today was an unusual March day for Ohio weather. Over 70 degrees, windy, and perfect for two little boys to play all day outside. Carson and Elias spent the day riding bikes, flying kites, digging in dirt, and getting into mischief like every young boy should on a day like today. The two of them looked like they had taken a bath in the back of a dump truck and then spun around in a cement mixer for a few hours once nap time rolled around. Every small request from, "Can you please put your shoes on the steps?" to "It's time for nap now, head upstairs" was met with tears and spaghetti noodle limbs.

Awww...the moment you know as a parent that your children are beyond exhausted from playing their hearts out. When they fall to the floor into a pile of childhood flesh needing a good hug. This is what the beautiful day brought to our house this afternoon. Unfortunately it also brought a few reminders from their great adventures. Carson is now the proud owner of a gash on his elbow, upper arm, and forehead from racing on his bike AND tripping on the playground. Elias, not to be outdone by his older brother, decided he would take flight off of his bike too. His new nickname is Rudolph and he keeps asking when the skin on his nose is going to grow back.

A few scrapes, band aids, kisses, and hugs later all was well again at our house and the boys were off to dreamland. They both couldn't wait to show me their war wounds when I came home from work tonight. Their badges of boyhood.

Trauma! Emergency! Practice?

My little sister's best friend is an EMS-basic student and invited Carson and Elias down to school for their pediatric assessment lab this week. The boys participated in training for assessments, C-spine, trauma skills, and vitals. They had a blast and ate up all of the attention. Thanks Brooke for thinking of us and including the boys in such a great activity. I'm glad we were able to help you guys out in learning pediatric assessment skills for the field.

Here are a few fun pics of our little trauma victims....