Summer is here!

All is well around here. Summer has arrived and Matthew will be a 1st grader. Hard to believe! He made it through Kindergarten. Yay!!! He did have his testing at Scottish Rite at the end of April and we go back on June 9th for results. Eager to hear what they have to say.

Kim and I went to Chicago. We have been best friends since the 9th grade so basically a really long time. She has 4 kids of her own and we both turned 40 recently so this was a trip for us to reconnect and take a break from our responsibilities as Moms. It was a very needed break. She lives in Fort Wayne, IN and has lived there for the past 4 years or so. She used to live here. It's hard being so far away, but we make do. We had a GREAT time. We loved Chicago. We had a beautiful hotel with a FABULOUS view of Lake Michigan. Basically we just ate, talked, and shopped and walked everywhere. There was so much to see and do.

I start back at Children's this week. I was there yesterday for computer stuff. I start on the unit Wed. night. So far I am feeling pretty good about it. Sure I am nervous and hoping the anxiety doesn't kick in too much, but I am really hopeful that things will work out this time. I am only orienting for about a month and the schedule just seems more manageable this time. There is so many factors that come into play as to why it is just better timing than last time. My manager at MCA took my resignation well. She tried to convince me to stay on several occasions. She was even willing to go to HR and ask for more money if that was going to get me to stay. I told her it was not the money. She understood and still says that anytime I want to come back to let her know. I will miss MCA, but I feel that this is the right decision for me right now.

We booked our condo at Gulf Shores. Sooooooooo excited. I LOVE the beach and feel so blessed that we can take this trip again. We went last year for the 1st time and plan to return every year. We love Gulf Shores. The rates on the condos are very reasonable. We didn't get quite as good as a rate as last year, but still a good deal. We will go mid August so that gives us something to look forward to all Summer!

Sorry no pictures this time. I got a new iphone and my computer isn't recognizing the pictures for some reason.

Update!

Where do I start? I haven't wrote an update in months. Let's start with the kids.>/p>

Matthew is doing well. His application did get accepted through Scottish Rite for the Dyslexia/learning disability evaluation. They have an excellent program there so I am excited that he was accepted. Hoping to have the appointment soon so we can have the results before he starts 1st grade in August. School is going pretty well for him. He is struggling with some of the academics so he does have some "red flags" for a learning disability. Hoping to have some answers soon so we can find out how he learns best.

Luke is good. Just celebrated his 3rd birthday. Had a great time! Working on potty training and so far that isn't going too bad. His talking has really taken off lately. He is really at a cute age. He is funny and sweet!

Joshy is doing great. He is 18 months now. Can't believe it. He is full of energy and has about 2 words or so. He is lots of fun and he loves his big brothers. We did have a little scare with him recently. He choked on a pistachio. I know! I know! He shouldn't have had a pistachio yet. It was under Dad's watch :) Anyway, he seemed to be okay, but a few days later it was apparent that he wasn't okay. Off to the pedi for an x-ray and the radiologist said it was "concerning" so off to Cook's we went. They were expecting us in the ER. He ended up needing a rigid bronchoscopy under general anesthesia with a pediatric surgeon. It had broken up in 3 pieces and it was lodged down in his lung. He had to stay overnight for oxygen, steroids, and breathing treatments. He almost had to go to the PICU overnight. So glad we avoided that. He was able to go to a regular room and we were able to go home the next day. We did see a few familiar faces while we were there so that was nice. His nurse in the OR used to work with us over at MCA in the NICU. Cook's was great. Nice hospital! We were definitely in good hands! NO MORE pistachios or any kind of nuts.

So here is an update on work. I have been back at MCA since November and it was nice to be back "home" and in my "comfort zone." Having said that, I still feel like I am not supposed to be there anymore. I'm just not feeling it anymore. I love everyone I work with, but I still have a longing to be somewhere else. I have prayed and thought long and hard over these last few months trying to figure out where I need to be. I strongly considered Cook's again, but I just can't deal with the floating policy. We have 2 nurses from Cook's working with us at MCA and they said sometimes they had to float twice in a week. Ummm, no, that isn't going to work for me. Major deal breaker. I have been feeling led back to Dallas Children's. 2 nurses from MCA have recently left to go work over there and they are happy. I did enjoy my short time over there. Everyone was nice and the babies were complex and interesting. The unit is still expanding and doing very well. I decided to e-mail the manager. I figured what do I have to lose. Anyway, she said she would LOVE to have me back. How cool is that? She has been very nice and understanding. I also found out that the NICU is now a "closed unit" which means you never float anywhere. Unheard of for a Children's hospital. I'm quite happy about that. The plan is too start at the end of May. I am excited and this time its for real. The timing is just better this time. I feel confident that things will work out this time. They better work out because there will be no going back to MCA this time. Also the PT insurance benefits through Children's are way better then MCA and we really need that right now. That is another story in itself. I will spare you the details. I haven't told anyone at MCA yet and I don't plan to let anyone know until late April. Wish me luck :)

Can't think of anything else at the moment.