Back to MCA I go

Well, I would like to get right to the point. I am returning to MCA. Children's was great. Everyone was very nice and welcoming and the hospital was amazing. Children's hospitals just rock. I loved the NICU and the babies were so interesting and complex. So why am I going back to MCA? Well, I believe it just isn't the right time. There were also going to be some issues with the schedule that I didn't anticipate. I tend to get ahead of myself and when I get my mind set on something I have to go for it and accomplish it. I realized very quickly that MCA is where I need to be right now. My boys are still very young and need 100% of me. There are just to many demands at home right now to be dealing with the stress of a new job. I know that over time that stress would decrease significantly, but I do think there would always be some stress present just because the acuity of the unit. The babies were definitely interesting and complex. They have a lot of babies that Level III units (like MCA) have had for months and then can't figure out what else to do with them so they send them to Children's. Lots of syndromes, brain injuries, brain tumors, severe BPD, also they admit babies that have already gone home so you get a lot of sepsis, etc.... Also there are cardiac babies awaiting surgery. There are also babies that didn't get the best care at smaller outlying hospitals and Children's is trying to undo the damage. They also had a lot of babies that I was already comfortable caring for because they were similar to what I had cared for at MCA.

I did enjoy it and was doing just fine, but I really felt strongly about needing to return to MCA. Usually my instincts are right. It is still a dream of mine, but I really felt God was telling me "not now." I just need to learn to be content where I am at. I do love MCA and was happy there. I am still doing what I love and can make a difference in the babies at MCA. I am still taking care of sick babies. There are still plans for expansion. Of course they have been talking about that for years, but I heard that it is definitely starting next year which means the NICU will be doubling in size and will mostly be private rooms.

Also, I may look into job sharing with Medical City Children's in their NICU. They have an awesome NICU as well that does everything and they are in the same hospital network so I may be able to pick up shifts over there on occasion during times of high census and that may give me "the fix" I need for variety and more complexity. We'll see.

Also, I think maybe I am going through a mid life crisis :) Seriously, I just turned 40 and my childbearing is done. I kind of have this attitude of "what now." I guess I always feel the need to be working on something, working towards a goal, looking forward to something, etc.... Since 2007 I have given birth 3 times, did an online medical transcription course that took 2 years by the way and I have done nothing with, and started selling Origami Owl lockets. Not sure why I do this. I think for the next few years I need to just chill out and focus on raising my boys, being a good wife and growing spiritually and just be content where I am at.

Where do I start?

Well I did it again. I haven't updated in months and I don't know where to start. Let's start with the most important. My sweet Joshy turned "1" on Sept. 6th. Can't believe it. His 1st year went soooo fast. I will admit that I am a little sad that the baby days are behind me. A part of me wants them to stay little forever, but there is another side of me that wants to get out of the baby/toddler stage. I have discovered that there are pros and cons to every age and stage. I do know that the time that we have with our kids is very short and we need to cherish every age and stage. Joshy is such a cute little guy. He is walking all over the place and is in to everything. He is busy, busy!

Matthew is doing good. He is officially in Kindergarten and doing great. He has a great teacher this year. He goes to the "learning lab" every day where he gets extra help with his work. I am still really liking his school. They seem to have fun and don't give the kids too much work yet. He hasn't had any homework yet which I think is a good thing. I really don't want to overwhelm Matthew just yet. He seems to like school and never complains about going.

Luke is doing great. He is still my sweet cuddly boy. Love that little boy.

We all went on a trip to Gulf Shores, AL and had a fabulous time. We were very blessed that we got to go on the trip. We had a nice condo with an awesome view of the beach. I LOVE the beach. My dream is to live in a beach town. There is just something about the beach. Matthew was quite the little fish. He loved the beach and the pool. Luke not so much. He really never went in the water, but he didn't mind hanging out and playing in the sand. He still had fun. Joshy was quite the little fish as well. He loved it. It was just nice to get out of town and just relax and not worry about cleaning the house, going to work, etc... We will definitely go back.

Well I have some big news. I got a new job! Yep, you heard right. I got a new job. Remember about a year ago or so I mentioned that once Josh hits the year mark I "might" look for another job. Well it happened. I love my job at MCA, but I knew that eventually I would like to work in a higher acuity NICU. I really wanted to work in a NICU that had surgery and subspecialty support. You just get more of a variety and lots of interesting and challenging cases. I will spare you the details of my job search, but I will be now working at Children's Medical Center in Dallas. They have an awesome NICU and they do everything there. I will admit I am very nervous. It will be very different than the NICU I am in now, but I am up for the challenge. I love that nursing allows me all these great opportunities. I will still be part time (2 days a week), but I will be on nights which is good for now. I may eventually go to days.

Can't think of anything else right now! Until next time!

Picture of the hospital I will be working at.

Matthew turns 6

I now have a 6-year-old. Can't believe it. This was his 1st "real party." We usually just have parties at the house which works out great. Personally I like having parties at the house. They seem to be more laid back and casual, but this year I thought I would let Matthew have his party somewhere. He has been to enough birthday parties now that knows how much fun they can be. I did like that I didn't have to clean up and there was entertainment for the kids, but of course you have to pay for it, but it was worth it :) Matthew really enjoyed it. We just invited the boys from his class and we had a good turn out. Matthew had a lot of fun! Enjoy the pics!

Long overdue update

We're still alive :) I am amazed by how fast time goes. It is scary. My last post was April 1st which seems like it was just a few weeks ago, but it was over 2 months ago. We are well into Summer already and so far so good, well most days anyway! It isn't too bad with Matthew home. Him and Luke are attached to each other so I know that Luke is glad that Matthew is out of school. Matthew finished out Pre K4 and did fairly well. He will be going into Kindergarten next year. So far I am still very happy with his small private school that he is in. I think it is good for him. Next year he will be in the "learning lab" so I will be eager to see how that works out for him. Basically it just means he will be pulled out of class a couple times a week for extra help. Matthew did have a recent visit with Dr. Mauk at the Child Study Center and it is definitely looking like he will have some sort of "language based learning disability." She wants him to get a full evaluation in about 6 months. I've known all along that something wasn't quite right. I will try my best to not let it define him. I just know that we will have a long road ahead of us in regards to school/academics. At least it is a lot more recognized today than it was when I was growing up. These kids have a lot more support so his future remains bright :) We did put Matthew in Tae Kwon Do which is going very well. The place we found is perfect for Matthew. He is really enjoying it!

Well work has slowed down recently which is not good. The hospital didn't renew their contract with Amerigroup (a type of Medicaid) and the reality is most pregnant Mom's having babies are under Medicaid so this does impact our census, but Amerigroup is only 1 kind of Medicaid so we are still accepting all the other types. In the last couple of weeks our census has gotten much better, but the big problem is that we have overhired. We have too many full time nurses and most of them are on days so we really need to have a census in the mid to upper 20's to utilize all of our staff. It is frustrating, but not much I can do about it at this point. The problem for me it that PRN and then PT staff is cancelled before FT staff. I have only been cancelled twice so far so I am okay at this point, but the future is uncertain. The hospital will likely renew with Amerigroup in about 6 months, but that doesn't help the situation currently. I have started job searching. I did tell myself that when Joshy hits a year that I would start looking. I think I am ready to move to a larger NICU that does surgery and has subspecialty support so that means a Children's hospital or a high risk referral center like Harris Ft. Worth. Harris Ft. Worth has a PT night position open that I have applied to and had a phone interview that seemed to go well, but a couple of days later the PT job posting was gone, but now it is listed again and I am waiting to hear from the recruiter. I would really LOVE to work for Harris. They have an awesome NICU. It would be 3 times the size of the NICU I am currently in and they do surgery and have subspecialty support. All there babies go to Cooks for sugery and come right back to Harris. Cooks is connected to Harris. Pretty cool huh? I really have my heart set on Harris so I hope I am not disappointed. We shall see. I am definitely ready to rejuvinate my passion for NICU nursing.

Luke is doing great although he is 2 and he definitely is acting 2 at times. His favorite word is "nooooooo." Otherwise he is still such a cutie and such a sweet boy.

Joshy is doing great as well. 9 months old already and he is crawling and pulling up. I am starting to hear some babbling as well. He is such a cutie and loves his brothers.

We are going to the beach in August. I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!! It has been so long since I have taken a real vacation. All of us are going and I can't wait for the boys to see the beach. Looks like we will be going to Gulf Shores, Alabama. We will be getting a beach front condo for a week. So excited.

Can't think of much else at this point. I will post some pics in the next post.

Blessings!

Betsey

Love these boys!

My Origami Owl opportunity

Well I officially signed up with Origami Owl. It has been a few weeks and so far I am having a blast. I am really loving the product and surprisingly I am loving the sales and marketing aspect of it. This surprises me because I am really not a "sales" person. I know lots of people that have been in direct sales (Avon, Pampered Chef, Scentsy, Arbonne, Mark Kay, etc...), but I was never interested in joining any type of direct marketing company. There was just something about Origami Owl and the product that captured me and well here I am :) This company is fairly new, but is RAPIDLY GROWING. There is a wait list for new designers and it is taking several weeks to get on with the company. I think I joined at a good time. I am taking things slow and steady at this point. They are coming out with a new catalog and hostess rewards next month so I am waiting for that before I starting booking parties.

So what is Origami Owl you ask. Well, they sell lockets, necklaces, charms, tags, plates, and dangles. Basically you design your own living locket that tells your story. The options are endless. They have a HUGE selection of charms. The lockets open and close so you can change out plates and charms. They also have a tagged line that is super cute! The quality is amazing. Below are some pictures of some of these lockets. LOVE!

Here is a link to my Origami Owl Facebook page. Please visit and "like" my page so you can stay up to date on all things Origami Owl. There is also a link for you to shop. If you need to contact me feel free to e-mail me at kruegerbetsey@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/OrigamiOwlByBetsey

My 1st Origami Owl locket

Just received my 1st Origami Owl living locket. Isn't it fabulous? I geared my 1st locket towards my work as a NICU RN. All I can say is WOW! I love it! I love it so much that I am going to start selling these. Yep, you heard right. You will be able to get your hot little hands on one of these amazing lockets. I will be posting more about Origami Owl very soon so stay tuned.

Luke's 1st haircut and learning differences

Well we got Luke's very 1st haircut today. It went very well. My hairdresser (Lisa) did it. I have been going to her for years. She did Matthew's 1st haircut so I wanted her to do Luke's and of course she will be doing Joshy's eventually. Luke looks like a cute little man now. Honestly he still doesn't have much hair, but it needed to be "cleaned up." Pictures below. Now on the learning differences. This has nothing to do with Luke's 1st haircut :) Had a meeting with Matthew's preschool director, his PreK teacher, and the learning differences coordinator. They want to put him in the Learning Lab next year for Kindergarten. I am not surprised, but I was hoping just maybe that he would just do fabulous and not need any of those types of services, but that isn't the case. In my heart I know that Matthew has some sort of learning difference. His teacher said overall he is doing well, but there are some things he really struggles with. I knew this was coming, but it is still hard to hear. He is not officially diagnosed with any sort of learning difference. He is really too young to make any sort of diagnosis just yet. It will likely come in the next few years. I am soooo grateful that his little small private school has a learning difference program that he can utilize (for an extra fee of course). Of course I have fears that it may not be enough down the road, but I will just have to cross that bridge when I get there. I do have my heart set on Matthew attending this school all the way up until the 12th grade. I will just need to take it year by year and just trust that God is handling it and that he knows what it best for Matthew. It is very hard knowing that Matthew will likely struggle in school. You just want the best for your kids and don't want to see them struggle. I have looked into alternative schools if needed in the future. Basically they are private schools that cater to kids with learning differences, but WOW are they expensive!!!!!!!!!! Obviously he may need to be in the public school system to get the services that he needs. It wasn't what I was planning, but of course not everything goes according to plan. He does have an evaluation with the school district next week so he should be able to get some sort of speech therapy through the school. It won't be much, but it will be better than nothing. For now I am trying to not worry about the future, but that is much easier said than done and on the grand scheme of things there could be much worse things to deal with. That is all for now! Blessings! Betsey .

Blog makeover

I was getting bored with the previous blog so I made some changes. I am really not very blog savy so I am trying to get familiar with some of the various settings, formats, and layouts. I didn't realize it,but some people actually make a decent living off of their blog. They actually bring in an income. Pretty cool, but I hear it is A LOT of work and probably not something I have time for, but I will admit I would like to look into it. I would probably start an additional blog. I hear that the more lucrative blogs usually stick to 1 topic such as cooking, crafts, organizing, etc.... I was thinking maybe a neonatal blog. Hmmmmm. Something to think about. Here is 1 pic of Luke. This is the pic I will be using for his 2nd birthday party invite.

Luke

Blog trouble

It seems the blog is always acting up lately. I am trying to make paragraphs and put captions under the pictures but the blog won't let me anymore. Hopefully it will fix itself because I don't have a clue how to do it. So bear with me :)

Just random thoughts

Just felt like rambling so here it goes. The kids were sick with a stomach bug. Fun :) Matthew managed to throw up all over the minivan. It was everywhere. Good times. It's times like those that I am glad that I do not have a brand new car. We are loving our used minivan. Everyone seems to be on the mend. The kids are doing great. Matthew is enjoying school. I met with his teacher recently just to discuss how he is doing and overall he is doing well, but she did say he does struggle with some things and gets frustrated easy, but overall he is doing fine. The school does have a reading resource room that she thinks he will benefit from at some point. She did think he would benefit from some speech therapy so I need to put a call into the school district and get him hooked up. I am still very pleased with the school he is in and I am not as freaked out about him being in Kindergarten next year. I think he will do fine. Need to plan Lukey's 2nd birthday party. Shouldn't be too complicated. We will just be inviting family and having something simple at the house. Lukey won't care. He will just be excited for cake! YUM! He is starting to talk more. Maybe 6 or so words but is doing great in every other area so no worries. He is a smart little guy and so full of personality. Oh, just discovered he has a lip tie. That commonly goes along with a tongue tie. Basically the lip tie isn't a huge deal but the more significant it is the more it can cause problems with his teeth which we are seeing. I am going to get him into the dentist soon and see what they think. I did find a picture of me about the same age as Lukey is now and it is unbelievable how much he looks like me. It is crazy. He is definitely a "mini me." Joshy is doing great, but not sleeping all that great! So frustrating. He wakes up a night and has trouble getting back to sleep. Hopefully it will pass soon. Matthew and Lukey were great sleepers as babies. I do think he is in a developmental spurt so that probably is contributing. He is rolling and vocalizing more. He is such a cutie patootie. Well, I am finally getting motivated to get rid of some clutter and get organized one drawer at a time. It is very satisfying. One of favorite things to do is to read organizing blogs. My most favorite blog is: iheartorganizing. This blog is fantastic and so many great ideas and inspiration. The link is in my blog list if you want to check it out. Also I just got the most fabulous planner. It is a life planner from ErinCondren.com Someone at work had one and it was love at first sight. It is so colorful and pretty. I smile everytime I look at it. I even posted some pics. Can't think of anything else right now. Until next time. Blessings, Betsey

Long overdue update

I have waited too long to update, considering that I haven't updated in over 2 months. All is well here. We made it through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and we are well into the new year. 2013 here we come. This is the year I turn 40. YIKES! 40 just sounds old. I remember when my parents were 40. I am still 39 until September so I will try to enjoy it. The holidays went great. The only holiday I had to work was New Years Day which was no biggie to me. I only have to work 1 "major" holiday per year since I am part-time which isn't too bad. It's just the reality of being a nurse that you will have to work some holidays. Hospitals never close (thank goodness :) Well, obviously I returned to work. I ended up being off close to 14 weeks which seemed like a long time. I did enjoy my time off, but it was nice to get back to work for my 2 day a week "mommy break" :) We are still busy as ever. We have 28 babies. Remember we are only a 23 bed unit, but they did open up an 8 bed continuing care nursery upstairs, but that's just really a bandaid until they can build us a bigger unit. Not sure when that will be but hopefully soon. The boys are doing great. Matthew seems to be doing well at school. He is doing great with learning his letter sounds. He is always singing the letter sound songs that he learns from school. Lukey is still cute as ever. He will be 2 next month. Yes, you heard right Lukey will be 2. Joshy is growing up fast. Already 4 months. He has his 4 month well visit this week. He is about 15-16 pounds know. Such a big boy. Well I am going to quit writing because I have a TON of pictures to upload. Blessings,