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.

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!