*Took 15 minutes to comb a giant knot out of a lady's hair. When her doctor came around she told him how it was the best thing ever that I combed out her hair. He mustered a half-hearted fake smile and left. Then we joked about how he just "didn't get it".
*Got yelled at several times by a patient's son. I kinda had fun seeing how kindly I could respond to his degrading comments. Sometimes I'm an actor at work. Probably the rudest human I've even encountered.
*Spoke to my patient in a microphone all day due to his extreme hearing loss. To top it off, he was also confused, although pleasantly.
*Gave a billion medications by mouth, by IV, by nasogastric tube, by other such tubes, and by an orifice that shall not be named (coughcoughbuttcoughcough)
*Ran around like a chicken with my head cut off, finally caught up, and then got shipped off to another unit to meet 3 new patients, then proceeded to do the chicken with no head thing for the rest of my shift.
*Floated to Methodist's ICU, the trauma ICU, and the general medical floor. That's a lot of floating.
*Quickly got the right people in the room before so-n-so hit 'dial' on his phone to call our CEO and demand better care. *Rolls eyes, but tries to put self in their shoes*
*Only had to give one bed-bath, score.
*Ate a chocolate covered Peep and stole 2 packs of saltines and a diet Sierra Mist from the 'patient's only' food stash on 5Dom. However, this was necessary, as I was physically shaking from low blood sugar.
*Charted for 45 minutes of my 60 minute break
*Spent a good 10 minutes explaining to my patient that I am indeed trustworthy, despite his suspicions otherwise, and that I would not abandon him. Then spent another good 10 minutes listening to all the other staff members who are NOT trustworthy. *Rolls eyes for real*
*Assessed several wounds, ick!
*Listened to 7 set of lungs ranging from crackly to clear.
*Only took care of one actual ICU patient. But enjoyed my 3 floor patients.
*Was told to be left alone more times than I can count. But was also told that I was appreciated.
* Was a care taker, med giver, advocate, reassurer, care planner, dressing changer, house keeper, therapist, active listener, family members psych issues taker-carer of, doctor conflict resolutioner, phone caller, back rubber, hair comber, IV puller-outter, colostomy emptying maniac, and much more :) teehee.
And.....I still have 12 more hours to go tomorrow! I better go to bed.....nah, not yet.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Happy 2nd Birthday Audrey Joanne!
2 years ago at just this time, Chris and I were in our hospital room waiting for Audrey to be born. We got there around 9:45 ish, so I'm sure by this time we were finally settled in. We were supposed to try to sleep. I think Chris got a little, but I couldn't really sleep, because my contractions were getting more and more uncomfortable. I think I decided to get an epidural around 2:30am and Audrey was born at 5:17am! The whole night was a blur. I remember lying there watching, ironically, the movie "Baby Mama" on TV. A short while after my epidural the pain started to get really bad. All the sudden it was time to push and about a 1/2 hr later, we had our Audrey. She was so perfect! Then it was first shots, first bath, first time seeing her family members and so on. And now here we are, 2 years later! Time seriously flies!
We had a wonderful birthday party for her yesterday. Today she keeps saying, "robot party?" And tomorrow, or in 15 minutes rather, is her actual birthday! It wasn't my turn to put Audrey to bed tonight, but Chris said, "Don't you want to be the one the puts her to bed that last time before she's 2?" And being so sentimental I said, "Oh yeh, I have to!" So I did :)
We love our sweet girl so much and are so proud of her. It's a joy to watch her grow and learn. We'll have to see what tomorrow brings. From what I've heard about tomorrow weather predictions it sounds like someday we'll be saying, "Remember how much snow we got on Audrey's 2nd birthday?" Bummer! We'll find something fun to do, but I do know it involved chocolate chip pancakes in the morning and Culver's ice-cream with Grandpa and Grandma later on :)
Here's a few pics of our sweet one....
We had a wonderful birthday party for her yesterday. Today she keeps saying, "robot party?" And tomorrow, or in 15 minutes rather, is her actual birthday! It wasn't my turn to put Audrey to bed tonight, but Chris said, "Don't you want to be the one the puts her to bed that last time before she's 2?" And being so sentimental I said, "Oh yeh, I have to!" So I did :)
We love our sweet girl so much and are so proud of her. It's a joy to watch her grow and learn. We'll have to see what tomorrow brings. From what I've heard about tomorrow weather predictions it sounds like someday we'll be saying, "Remember how much snow we got on Audrey's 2nd birthday?" Bummer! We'll find something fun to do, but I do know it involved chocolate chip pancakes in the morning and Culver's ice-cream with Grandpa and Grandma later on :)
Here's a few pics of our sweet one....
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| A Few Hours Old |
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| Our Little Family |
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| One Year Old! |
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| 2 Years Old! (almost) |
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| Putting my girl to bed the night before her b-day! |
Saturday, April 09, 2011
We Almost Have a 2 Year Old!
It's crazy to think that Audrey was born 2 years ago. On one hand it feels like we've had her forever and on the other hand it feels like she was born yesterday.
Her day of birth was so memorable. I had worked 12 hours and then went to a dinner for Chris' newly engaged friends. Then, while meeting someone new at the dinner, my water broke, right there at the restaurant. Now, knowing Audrey's personality, it's really not surprising that she decided to make this dramatic first sign that she was ready to enter the world.
I still remember when the nurse handed her to me. She was perfectly quiet and all her features were tiny and delicate. She stared with big, searching eyes up at Chris and I. She just stared and stared and I marveled at how perfectly made she was. I tried to hard so take in the moment so I could remember it later and I still do. We just kept saying, "Oh wow."
And now that tiny newborn is a busy, busy toddler. How it happened so fast I'll never know.
Audrey has the most active mind I've ever seen. She is constantly going from one thing to the next. She's not one to sit quietly, not even in the car (this makes traveling of any distance a challenge). She's talking more and more each day. Some things new things she says are, "Audrey do it" and "Oh goodness sakes!" She is saying lots of 3 and 4 word phrases, like, "Mama play too?" "More snacks please" "Go to Grandma's House?" and so on. She's able to communicate many many things now!
Audrey is also started to really play pretend and also to really wants Chris or myself to play with her at all times. She likes to put her babies in the baby crib that she has and tell them to "take a nap" then she moves them to the play highchair and looks them in the eye and says, "Baby eat? Ok!" I love how she pretends to talk to them. Just recently she has been saying, "No baby....sit in corner!" Then she sits them in the corner. Apparently they were disobeying. :) She still loves to color, play with her kitchen, play with playdoh, listen to music, and watch videos on the computer. She also requests several times a day to, "Go to Grandpa-Grandma's house?" If she's at her grandparent's house, she's basically in Audrey heaven.
Audrey also loves to play with her Daddy. Often during the day she'll just look at me and say, "Daddy?" Then I'll say, "Where is Daddy today?" and she'll say, "Daddy at work!" The two of them are quite the pair. They spent most of their quality time wrestling around being silly.
Mostly Audrey is a good girl and goes with the flow of her daily routine pretty well. But she can definitely be a feisty girl. She knows what she wants and she doesn't give up easily, but neither do we! She usually sits in the corner maybe once every two days when she does something naughty. She doesn't like it, but when I tell her to go, she does, and she stays there until I get her (usually!) I'm trying to teach her to say "yes mama" and "I'm sorry" I know right now it may be meaningless to her, but if she can learn the process of what to say, then soon enough she can understand why she's saying it!
I remember hearing once, maybe at our pre-natal classes, that it takes 2 years after having your 1st child to feel like being a parent is the new normal. Well it's almost 2 years and I still feel like I'm trying to get used to it. Sometimes not being free to be me and do what I want to do is really hard. Sometimes this living room feels like a prison and the weeks get long. Sometimes I go for days without being by myself (minus her 2 hr naps and being at work). Sometimes I miss sleeping until 10, then going shopping, meeting a friend, watching TV, and then being bored of all things! But all the work and all the sacrifice is completely worth it. Being a parent is the hardest and most rewarding thing I've ever done in all my 27 years. I don't think anyone can explain it to you until you've done it. I love that little girl more than anything and she bring such joy and pride to my life. I thank God everyday for blessing us with Audrey.
I'm so excited for the nice weather to come, to get out of this house and find new, fun things to do with my busy toddler girl :)
I'm also excited for next Sunday, her birthday party, and next Tuesday, her actual birthday!
Her day of birth was so memorable. I had worked 12 hours and then went to a dinner for Chris' newly engaged friends. Then, while meeting someone new at the dinner, my water broke, right there at the restaurant. Now, knowing Audrey's personality, it's really not surprising that she decided to make this dramatic first sign that she was ready to enter the world.
I still remember when the nurse handed her to me. She was perfectly quiet and all her features were tiny and delicate. She stared with big, searching eyes up at Chris and I. She just stared and stared and I marveled at how perfectly made she was. I tried to hard so take in the moment so I could remember it later and I still do. We just kept saying, "Oh wow."
And now that tiny newborn is a busy, busy toddler. How it happened so fast I'll never know.
Audrey has the most active mind I've ever seen. She is constantly going from one thing to the next. She's not one to sit quietly, not even in the car (this makes traveling of any distance a challenge). She's talking more and more each day. Some things new things she says are, "Audrey do it" and "Oh goodness sakes!" She is saying lots of 3 and 4 word phrases, like, "Mama play too?" "More snacks please" "Go to Grandma's House?" and so on. She's able to communicate many many things now!
Audrey is also started to really play pretend and also to really wants Chris or myself to play with her at all times. She likes to put her babies in the baby crib that she has and tell them to "take a nap" then she moves them to the play highchair and looks them in the eye and says, "Baby eat? Ok!" I love how she pretends to talk to them. Just recently she has been saying, "No baby....sit in corner!" Then she sits them in the corner. Apparently they were disobeying. :) She still loves to color, play with her kitchen, play with playdoh, listen to music, and watch videos on the computer. She also requests several times a day to, "Go to Grandpa-Grandma's house?" If she's at her grandparent's house, she's basically in Audrey heaven.
Audrey also loves to play with her Daddy. Often during the day she'll just look at me and say, "Daddy?" Then I'll say, "Where is Daddy today?" and she'll say, "Daddy at work!" The two of them are quite the pair. They spent most of their quality time wrestling around being silly.
Mostly Audrey is a good girl and goes with the flow of her daily routine pretty well. But she can definitely be a feisty girl. She knows what she wants and she doesn't give up easily, but neither do we! She usually sits in the corner maybe once every two days when she does something naughty. She doesn't like it, but when I tell her to go, she does, and she stays there until I get her (usually!) I'm trying to teach her to say "yes mama" and "I'm sorry" I know right now it may be meaningless to her, but if she can learn the process of what to say, then soon enough she can understand why she's saying it!
I remember hearing once, maybe at our pre-natal classes, that it takes 2 years after having your 1st child to feel like being a parent is the new normal. Well it's almost 2 years and I still feel like I'm trying to get used to it. Sometimes not being free to be me and do what I want to do is really hard. Sometimes this living room feels like a prison and the weeks get long. Sometimes I go for days without being by myself (minus her 2 hr naps and being at work). Sometimes I miss sleeping until 10, then going shopping, meeting a friend, watching TV, and then being bored of all things! But all the work and all the sacrifice is completely worth it. Being a parent is the hardest and most rewarding thing I've ever done in all my 27 years. I don't think anyone can explain it to you until you've done it. I love that little girl more than anything and she bring such joy and pride to my life. I thank God everyday for blessing us with Audrey.
I'm so excited for the nice weather to come, to get out of this house and find new, fun things to do with my busy toddler girl :)
I'm also excited for next Sunday, her birthday party, and next Tuesday, her actual birthday!
I love you Audrey Joanne!
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| Audrey on the new slide at Grandma's house! |
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| Audrey meeting Dora at the Mall of America last week! |
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| Audrey likes to sit on the potty! |
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| Playing pretend with her baby :) |
Monday, March 21, 2011
10 Fun Facts (because I don't feel like studying and I need to stall...no wonder I blogged more in college)
1. I have yearly competencies tomorrow. Mostly, we just go over things in a small group, but there is a short EKG test. We need to be able to identity heart rhythms, most importantly the lethal rhythms. To practice for my test, I will now tell you all the lethal rhythms: V-tach, V-fib, Idioventricular rhythm, asystole (also ventricular standstill and agonal), 3rd degree AV block, and Torsades. They are lethal, because if you don't intervene, the patient will most likey, or rather, very likely die. I have only seen 3 of these in real life. I bet you all know what asystole looks like, it's just a flat line (this is very bad).
2. Audrey has a cold. This makes her already feisty temperament even more feisty. But it also makes her a little more prone to snuggling :)
3. I am wearing a sweatshirt right now I got in elementary school. I have been using it as a jammy shirt for, well, decades. It's a New York Laundry brand sweat shirt. It came with a matching sweat shirt material bag in a matching color: salmon pink-ish. My Grandma Hemmer got it for me one Christmas and got herself a teal set as well. I dunno why she did it, but I'm glad she did. It's ginormous on me now, so imagine how big it was on my 10 year old self.
4. I keep buying Nilla cookies for Audrey, but Chris and I have re-discovered how amazingly good they are and we keep eating them gone before Audrey even gets one. I think I need to stop buying them. (Acutally, they are the off-brand kind, 'vanilla wafers')
5. I distinctively remember when I was nine years old I thought to myself. "I am 1/2 way to being a grown-up"
6. My friend Bridget and I used to get as ugly as could get using make-up and gross clothes. Then we'd take our each other's pictures. Then we'd get as pretty as we could get and take another picture. Then we'd label them 'before' and 'after'. Haha, I miss doing stuff like that.
7. My favorite drug is propofol. It makes my patients sleep. But it also drops a blood pressure, which can be a bummer.
8. When we were little my brother Brice and I had a knocking system between our walls. One knock was 'hi', two knocks was "hi back" three was "how are you", four was "good, how are you" then seven knocks was something like, "I'm all done talking now and I'm going to bed so don't do anymore knocks, haha"
9. One of my favorite memories with my brother Brice was when I was almost asleep one night and I heard little noises at my window. I looked outside and he was throwing little rocks at my bedroom window, motioning for me to come outside. I was probably like 16 at the time. I drug myself out there and he had my ice skates all ready for me to put on. Turns out our whole cul-de-sac was solid ice. So there we were, ice-skating on our street at midnight. It was so fun. That's my brother for ya. Did you know we did that Mom?
10. My very first impression of meeting Chris was that he was one of the friendliest people I'd ever met, especially for a teenage boy.
Ok, I need to study now. Shoot it's 12:25am.
2. Audrey has a cold. This makes her already feisty temperament even more feisty. But it also makes her a little more prone to snuggling :)
3. I am wearing a sweatshirt right now I got in elementary school. I have been using it as a jammy shirt for, well, decades. It's a New York Laundry brand sweat shirt. It came with a matching sweat shirt material bag in a matching color: salmon pink-ish. My Grandma Hemmer got it for me one Christmas and got herself a teal set as well. I dunno why she did it, but I'm glad she did. It's ginormous on me now, so imagine how big it was on my 10 year old self.
4. I keep buying Nilla cookies for Audrey, but Chris and I have re-discovered how amazingly good they are and we keep eating them gone before Audrey even gets one. I think I need to stop buying them. (Acutally, they are the off-brand kind, 'vanilla wafers')
5. I distinctively remember when I was nine years old I thought to myself. "I am 1/2 way to being a grown-up"
6. My friend Bridget and I used to get as ugly as could get using make-up and gross clothes. Then we'd take our each other's pictures. Then we'd get as pretty as we could get and take another picture. Then we'd label them 'before' and 'after'. Haha, I miss doing stuff like that.
7. My favorite drug is propofol. It makes my patients sleep. But it also drops a blood pressure, which can be a bummer.
8. When we were little my brother Brice and I had a knocking system between our walls. One knock was 'hi', two knocks was "hi back" three was "how are you", four was "good, how are you" then seven knocks was something like, "I'm all done talking now and I'm going to bed so don't do anymore knocks, haha"
9. One of my favorite memories with my brother Brice was when I was almost asleep one night and I heard little noises at my window. I looked outside and he was throwing little rocks at my bedroom window, motioning for me to come outside. I was probably like 16 at the time. I drug myself out there and he had my ice skates all ready for me to put on. Turns out our whole cul-de-sac was solid ice. So there we were, ice-skating on our street at midnight. It was so fun. That's my brother for ya. Did you know we did that Mom?
10. My very first impression of meeting Chris was that he was one of the friendliest people I'd ever met, especially for a teenage boy.
Ok, I need to study now. Shoot it's 12:25am.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Audrey and Her Daddy
I love watching Chris and Audrey together. He brings out a different side in Audrey that I do not, a very silly side! Chris makes Audrey laugh and giggle more than I do and he thinks up random fun things to do with her. I'm so proud of the father that Chris is to Audrey; I'm so glad God chose him to be Audrey's Daddy. I'm so grateful that she will grow up with a strong Daddy keeping her safe and loved. She will feel secure and confident in herself, knowing who she is through Christ because of the things Chris will show and teach her. I'm so excited to raise up our kids with Chris! He is a wonderful man, husband, and Daddy!
Here are some pictures (many pictures, I even cut out several!) of these two silly ones throughout Audrey's (almost) 2 years of life.
A few days ago...
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| Always wrestling around |
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| Doin' what they do |
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| Feeding Daddy some crackers |
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| My personal favorite, because of how it captured the moment and because how shocked I was that Chris let himself get soaking wet! |
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| 2nd Father's Day |
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| Always making her giggle |
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| Love this |
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| Silly Gooses |
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| Daddy's turn! |
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| Helping Audrey learn to sit! |
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| He was wrestling her around way back then too! |
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| I've always loved this one. |
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| Chris really wanted Audrey to have her 1st icecream cone! |
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| She how she loves him?! |
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| I remember her giggles that day. So happy! |
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| Daddy won Audrey a pig at the fair. |
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| Nappy time. |
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| 1st Father's Day. |
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| A natural Daddy |
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| In their Sunday best. |
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| 1st horsey ride! |
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| 1st bath, I remember that he wanted to be the one to do it! |
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| I always wanted to get that classic Daddy/baby sleeping picture, pretty sure this was our 1st day home from the hospital |
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| Getting to know each other! |
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| Audrey Joanne and Daddy meeting! Their 1st picture! |
When I go get Audrey in the morning she usually says, "Daddy?" I say, "Where is Daddy?" Then she remembers and says, "At work!" When Daddy gets home, Audrey usually brightens up and either goes to see him or starts jabbering, telling him about her day. After supper, Audrey looks at Chris and says, "Belt?" This means she wants to go upstairs and 'wrestle for the belt' with Chris. It's very fun to watch them play!
Thanks for all you do Chris. I love you and Audrey does too!
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Audrey's BFFs
Audrey hasn't had any choice in who her friends are, because they are the children of some of my friends. Regardless, she has come to know and really enjoy these friends! Just recently she has started mentioning each by name, randomly throughout her day. Something will make her think of one of her friends and she'll say, "Lukey?" or "Connor?" As if she's asking me if she can go play with them! Some of Audrey's friends were meant to be, because I have been friends with their Mom's for a long time and others have formed just because two ladies became moms around the same time, met, and decided they had a lot in common so they got their kids together! However we all met, Audrey and I truly enjoy getting together with these friends and their wonderful mamas.
*Audrey and Luke get to hang out a few times a month at Luke's house when I go to work in the afternoon! Luke's Daddy and I grew up in the same church, but I have come to know Luke's Mommy through church and MOPS over the years! I love watching these two together. Luke is several years older than Audrey and acts like a big brother to Audrey. He graciously lets Audrey terrorize his bedroom and play with all his toys. He makes sure she is safe, having fun, and taken good care of while she is at his house. For such a little guy, he is keenly aware of Audrey and is so kind to her. Audrey gladly says, "bye-bye" to me when I drop her off at Lukey's house, she can't wait to start playing*
*Emily is only eight days older than Audrey. I met Emily's Mama at my brother's wedding in October of 2009 because she and her husband were the photographers! We started chattin' and found out we were both new moms and had a bunch of things in common. We decided to get our girls together not so long after the wedding and have been doing so since! I love bouncing parenting ideas off Jen and seeing our 'twins' playing together. I always find myself wishing Audrey had a little dose of Emily's calmness (like on car rides!)*
*David and Sammy Chesney have no choice but to be friends with Audrey, because their mama is my longtime, wonderful friend Kelsey! She and I grew up in church together, but became good friends in college as roomates. It's been fun to do grown-up life together, as we got married and had children around the same time. Audrey adores David and Sammy as well as their parents Kels and Jeff (who are now Audrey's Sunday school teachers!) There have been some jokes thrown around that the boys will have to fight over Audrey someday, haha. They'll be in consecutive grades in school as they grow up. So Kels, someday we'll have a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grader! Or....10th, 11th, and 12th grader, freaky!!!*
*Sweet, precious Zahra is my friend Diana's daughter. I met Diana way back at WSU pre-nursing school, as we had several classes together. We ended up in different nursing schools and parted ways for several years. Later on, I can't remember how, but we discovered we both got nursing jobs at Mayo! And, we both had baby girls! Diana initiated us getting together shorty after Zahra was born and we picked up our friendship were we left off all those years ago! Zahra is a few months younger than Audrey. It's fun to watch the girls together. They used to fail to even acknowledge each other but I have recently caught them being silly and actually 'playing' together! Diana is such a wonderful mom and I've been blessed to also learn from her great ideas in parenting*
I'm so grateful for all of Audrey's friends and their Mamas! It's fun to look back at the pictures and see how they've all grown over the past couple years. I look forward to more years of fun with Audrey's buddies!
*Audrey and Luke get to hang out a few times a month at Luke's house when I go to work in the afternoon! Luke's Daddy and I grew up in the same church, but I have come to know Luke's Mommy through church and MOPS over the years! I love watching these two together. Luke is several years older than Audrey and acts like a big brother to Audrey. He graciously lets Audrey terrorize his bedroom and play with all his toys. He makes sure she is safe, having fun, and taken good care of while she is at his house. For such a little guy, he is keenly aware of Audrey and is so kind to her. Audrey gladly says, "bye-bye" to me when I drop her off at Lukey's house, she can't wait to start playing*
*Emily is only eight days older than Audrey. I met Emily's Mama at my brother's wedding in October of 2009 because she and her husband were the photographers! We started chattin' and found out we were both new moms and had a bunch of things in common. We decided to get our girls together not so long after the wedding and have been doing so since! I love bouncing parenting ideas off Jen and seeing our 'twins' playing together. I always find myself wishing Audrey had a little dose of Emily's calmness (like on car rides!)*
*David and Sammy Chesney have no choice but to be friends with Audrey, because their mama is my longtime, wonderful friend Kelsey! She and I grew up in church together, but became good friends in college as roomates. It's been fun to do grown-up life together, as we got married and had children around the same time. Audrey adores David and Sammy as well as their parents Kels and Jeff (who are now Audrey's Sunday school teachers!) There have been some jokes thrown around that the boys will have to fight over Audrey someday, haha. They'll be in consecutive grades in school as they grow up. So Kels, someday we'll have a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grader! Or....10th, 11th, and 12th grader, freaky!!!*
(Click on me to see better!)
*Caitlin and Connor (or Conna') as Audrey says, are 2 more of Audrey's buddies. They are the sweetest two little ones and Audrey loves to talk about them. Connor is only a few months older than Audrey and they'll be in the same grade in school. She mentions them both at the most random times. They have graced my home with their presences on several occasions! Their mama is a super fun lady (seems weird to say 'lady', but I guess we're too old now to be called girls!) who I met a few years back at church/MOPs. I love hearing about what Allison is doing with her kids and bouncing ideas off her. She is very encouraging to me as I keep on learning to be a Mom!*
*Sweet, precious Zahra is my friend Diana's daughter. I met Diana way back at WSU pre-nursing school, as we had several classes together. We ended up in different nursing schools and parted ways for several years. Later on, I can't remember how, but we discovered we both got nursing jobs at Mayo! And, we both had baby girls! Diana initiated us getting together shorty after Zahra was born and we picked up our friendship were we left off all those years ago! Zahra is a few months younger than Audrey. It's fun to watch the girls together. They used to fail to even acknowledge each other but I have recently caught them being silly and actually 'playing' together! Diana is such a wonderful mom and I've been blessed to also learn from her great ideas in parenting*
I'm so grateful for all of Audrey's friends and their Mamas! It's fun to look back at the pictures and see how they've all grown over the past couple years. I look forward to more years of fun with Audrey's buddies!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Great-Grandma McAlister
I've always loved this picture of my Great-Grandma McAlister. She just looks like such a neat lady, and from what I've heard, she really was a neat lady. Grandma Mac, as she's referred to, died a year before I was born.
She's my Grandma Joanne's mom and my Dad's grandma. Each weekend up until at least late elementary school (I'm kinda guessing on the time) my Dad spent his weekends at her home. My grandparents packed up my dad, uncle Brad, and aunt Susan and drove over to Austin, MN each and every Friday and spent two nights with Grandpa and Grandma Mac. Whenever my Dad or aunt and uncle speak about that time of their lives, they seem to have nothing but fond memories.
This is my favorite memory that my dad tells: My dad was the middle child, and for some reason, every Saturday morning at his grandma Mac's house, he was the first one up. I think he liked being up first because he could choose his favorite cartoons to watch. He tried to tip-toe around the house to the TV room, being as quiet as he could so no one would hear him and wake up. But sure enough, a few minutes after he'd settled down to watch cartoons, he could hear his Grandma making him toast in the kitchen. I picture her lying in bed as a big smile spreads over her face when she hears my Dad trying so hard to be quiet. Being the loving Grandma that she was, she couldn't resist making breakfast for little Rick.
I hear that my Grandma was kind and loving, with a quiet-gentle heart. She didn't have anything bad to say and didn't complain. My mom didn't get to know her for too long, as she died a few years into my parents marriage, but even she has all nice things to say about Grandma Mac. It was a sad sad day when she died, too young, in her 60s.
I can tell that my Grandma Joanne still misses her Mom a lot. Sometimes she'll tear up and talk about how much her mother would have loved all of her great-grandchildren, and now even Audrey, that she never got to meet.
I'm not sure why it is, but I've always felt that we'd be close. Like if I had gotten to meet her and spend time with her, that we'd get along and have a lot in common. I feel like I'd love to be around her. I wish I could have met her.
Whenever I've been asked who I'd like to see in heaven, besides God of course, I say, "Grandma Mac". I'm not totally sure how heaven will be, but I really hope that I will get to meet her and that she will be this kindred spirit that I feel she is to me.
Despite wishing I could still have my Grandma Mac, I am anything from lacking in the Grandma department. I have grown up with the two most wonderful Grandmas a person could ever have: Grandma Mary and Grandma Joanne. They are the perfect pictures of a Grandma: loving, selfless, caring, giving, hospitable, generous, fun, goofy, and the list goes on. They're the backbones of our families, keeping us all together by opening their homes to us and making us feel welcome :) I love you both! And how lucky am I that my Grandmas are able to be a big part of my daughter's life as well :) Also, now my very own mother is starting a new generation of Grandmother-ness and she, of course, is fabulous. Hmm...I'm getting excited to be a grandma now, haha, ok I'll wait for a while.
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| Verlene June (Shoden) McAlister |
This is my favorite memory that my dad tells: My dad was the middle child, and for some reason, every Saturday morning at his grandma Mac's house, he was the first one up. I think he liked being up first because he could choose his favorite cartoons to watch. He tried to tip-toe around the house to the TV room, being as quiet as he could so no one would hear him and wake up. But sure enough, a few minutes after he'd settled down to watch cartoons, he could hear his Grandma making him toast in the kitchen. I picture her lying in bed as a big smile spreads over her face when she hears my Dad trying so hard to be quiet. Being the loving Grandma that she was, she couldn't resist making breakfast for little Rick.
I hear that my Grandma was kind and loving, with a quiet-gentle heart. She didn't have anything bad to say and didn't complain. My mom didn't get to know her for too long, as she died a few years into my parents marriage, but even she has all nice things to say about Grandma Mac. It was a sad sad day when she died, too young, in her 60s.
I can tell that my Grandma Joanne still misses her Mom a lot. Sometimes she'll tear up and talk about how much her mother would have loved all of her great-grandchildren, and now even Audrey, that she never got to meet.
I'm not sure why it is, but I've always felt that we'd be close. Like if I had gotten to meet her and spend time with her, that we'd get along and have a lot in common. I feel like I'd love to be around her. I wish I could have met her.
Whenever I've been asked who I'd like to see in heaven, besides God of course, I say, "Grandma Mac". I'm not totally sure how heaven will be, but I really hope that I will get to meet her and that she will be this kindred spirit that I feel she is to me.
Despite wishing I could still have my Grandma Mac, I am anything from lacking in the Grandma department. I have grown up with the two most wonderful Grandmas a person could ever have: Grandma Mary and Grandma Joanne. They are the perfect pictures of a Grandma: loving, selfless, caring, giving, hospitable, generous, fun, goofy, and the list goes on. They're the backbones of our families, keeping us all together by opening their homes to us and making us feel welcome :) I love you both! And how lucky am I that my Grandmas are able to be a big part of my daughter's life as well :) Also, now my very own mother is starting a new generation of Grandmother-ness and she, of course, is fabulous. Hmm...I'm getting excited to be a grandma now, haha, ok I'll wait for a while.
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| Joanne Inez (McAlister) Hemmer |
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| Mary Ilene (Thomas) Erickson |
Thank God for Grandmas here and in heaven.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
One to Remember
It feels so good to be home! I just finished my weekend at work. 8 hours on Friday, 14 hours on Saturday, and 12 more hours today, Sunday. It's exhausting and tiring, but it feels like a job well done and now it's time to go back to real life!
This weekend was nuts, we were so busy, getting admissions left and right. I'm so glad I'm not a charge nurse having to organize all the craziness.
Saturday was a day I'll never ever forget. About 1/2 way through my shift I met a patient who found out he need to have a somewhat urgent, unexpected surgery. I spent a few hours with him and his wife and sat nervously with them as they heard the risks of the surgery and what to expect. I imagined how scary it would be to start off your day like any other day and then a few hours later finding yourself waving goodbye to your husband as he's rolled away in stretcher down to the operating room. I helped bring this patient down to the OR and as he was being wheeled in the room, he was still telling jokes. As I walked away I remember thinking that he was a perfect patient: nice, funny, cooperative, positive....
A few short hours later I got a call that things were going very poorly in the OR and through a rare and unexpected sequence of events, my patient was most likely not going to live. My heart dropped to the floor and pounded in my chest for the next hour as I waited to hear more news.
As the clock hit 7pm and my shift was over, I got a call that I needed to bring the patient's wife down to the OR area to speak with the surgeon. I had somewhat secretly hoped this would occur after I went home, but that was not the case. I really did not know how I was going to tell this woman that we needed to travel down to the OR because her husband was dying. The next few hours were rather surreal as she got the worst, most unimaginable news of her life. She was supposed to see her husband in a few hours and now she would have to say goodbye.
We learn about death in school and are given tips on how to act/what to say, but when it actually happens, it's hardly something you can prepare for. Mostly, I just sat next to her, for 2 hours, holding her up and listening to her cry.
How unreal to lose your spouse. I cannot imagine the pain. And after all that, she looked at me and said, "I'm so sorry you're having to go through this, this must be the worst day you've ever had a work, but I'm so glad you're here." The worst day of work for me? Well....yeh, but wow, I can't believe she was even able to think about anything beyond her own pain.
Dealing with a patient's sudden and unexpected death was an experience I didn't really want under my belt, but I do feel like next time, I won't be so afraid. I got home 2 hours late that night.
I always say a prayer before work that God won't give me anything I can't handle. That night I was praying I'd get to go home before that patient died; I told God I couldn't handle telling that wife what had happened. But I guess God decided that it needed to be me and that with Him, I could handle it.
We usually don't meet our patients before they go to the OR, so if they don't make it through surgery, it's like hearing a sad story that has nothing to do with you. But it's completely different when it's someone you've met and started the process with. Sigh.... I hope it never happens again.
This weekend was nuts, we were so busy, getting admissions left and right. I'm so glad I'm not a charge nurse having to organize all the craziness.
Saturday was a day I'll never ever forget. About 1/2 way through my shift I met a patient who found out he need to have a somewhat urgent, unexpected surgery. I spent a few hours with him and his wife and sat nervously with them as they heard the risks of the surgery and what to expect. I imagined how scary it would be to start off your day like any other day and then a few hours later finding yourself waving goodbye to your husband as he's rolled away in stretcher down to the operating room. I helped bring this patient down to the OR and as he was being wheeled in the room, he was still telling jokes. As I walked away I remember thinking that he was a perfect patient: nice, funny, cooperative, positive....
A few short hours later I got a call that things were going very poorly in the OR and through a rare and unexpected sequence of events, my patient was most likely not going to live. My heart dropped to the floor and pounded in my chest for the next hour as I waited to hear more news.
As the clock hit 7pm and my shift was over, I got a call that I needed to bring the patient's wife down to the OR area to speak with the surgeon. I had somewhat secretly hoped this would occur after I went home, but that was not the case. I really did not know how I was going to tell this woman that we needed to travel down to the OR because her husband was dying. The next few hours were rather surreal as she got the worst, most unimaginable news of her life. She was supposed to see her husband in a few hours and now she would have to say goodbye.
We learn about death in school and are given tips on how to act/what to say, but when it actually happens, it's hardly something you can prepare for. Mostly, I just sat next to her, for 2 hours, holding her up and listening to her cry.
How unreal to lose your spouse. I cannot imagine the pain. And after all that, she looked at me and said, "I'm so sorry you're having to go through this, this must be the worst day you've ever had a work, but I'm so glad you're here." The worst day of work for me? Well....yeh, but wow, I can't believe she was even able to think about anything beyond her own pain.
Dealing with a patient's sudden and unexpected death was an experience I didn't really want under my belt, but I do feel like next time, I won't be so afraid. I got home 2 hours late that night.
I always say a prayer before work that God won't give me anything I can't handle. That night I was praying I'd get to go home before that patient died; I told God I couldn't handle telling that wife what had happened. But I guess God decided that it needed to be me and that with Him, I could handle it.
We usually don't meet our patients before they go to the OR, so if they don't make it through surgery, it's like hearing a sad story that has nothing to do with you. But it's completely different when it's someone you've met and started the process with. Sigh.... I hope it never happens again.
Saturday, January 08, 2011
A Spontaneous Little Trip
When you live in the frigid, cold state of MN, it gets a bit challenging to think of things to do to fill the time with! It gets even harder when you have a little one. Once we've played with every toy, danced to music, read books, colored, watched Elmo videos on You Tube, it's time to get out of the house! I dunno who needs it more (probably Chris and I), but I can't sit inside all day. We covered the normal stuff today; we went out for lunch, visited Walmart, and of course, walked around the mall. As I wondered what we would do to fill our evening time, Chris declared that he had a craving for Dairy Queen! If you know my husband, you know he's not a big dessert guy. He eats sensibly and doesn't usually have many cravings. So, I was delightfully surprised when he suggested we drive to Zumbrota after supper to have DQ! It's nice to have a plan. So, after supper, we set up Audrey's DVD player in the car and took off. It's only a 20 minute drive (if even), but she was pretty happy to watch Elmo and Chris and I got to chit-chat in peace the whole way there and back! We thought it would be fun to let Audrey have her own treat. Luckily we discovered that DQ has 'mini' blizzards, so Audrey got a oreo one all to herself. She was such a good girl the whole time and seemed to like her treat. However, once she noticed her Daddy's 1/2 eaten cone, she really wanted that! (she loves cones). So Chris and Audrey switched treats. At one point on the drive home I was watching Audrey watch Elmo. She saw me looking at her and gave me a tiny polite smile but then waved and said, 'bye-bye' to me, as if to say, "I love you Mama, but please turn around so I can enjoy my Elmo DVD!" I thought that was pretty amusing. It was a fun evening and whole day with all three of us together. I love Saturdays! I even got to go shop by myself during Audrey's nap! And the day ends with Audrey tucked in bed, Chris playing Playstation, cookies in the oven, and me relaxin'. Here's a couple pictures from this evening :)
Thursday, December 30, 2010
20 Months!
It's so hard to believe we've had our little Audrey Joanne for 20 months! Looking back at pictures from those first few months, it's seriously somewhat difficult to remember that phase of life. People say it 'flies by' and while it doesn't feel fast when you're in the midst of it, it truly does pass so quickly. It's almost sad to realize how much I've already forgotten. Now she's 20 months old and doing something new everyday
Here is a list of things Audrey is up to these days....
She loves to color with her crayons while sitting at her new big girl desk from Grandpa and Grandma Hemmer.
She loves to play with her pretend jewelry.
She also loves to play with her new kitchen (to sum it up, she loves all her new toys!)
She loves playing/wrestling around with her Daddy.
Her handmade sled from Grandpa Gale has been quite a hit!
She loves to listen to her music in the car and in her room. She 'sings' along to Jesus Loves Me and currently loves Zaccheaus and This Little Light of Mine.
She know exactly what she wants to do and she's not afraid to try to figure out how to get it. My Dad calls her the 'master manipulator'. For instance, she says, "Snack...yes!" or "Elmo....yes!" Before anyone gets a chance to say no, she says yes. She's not much for playing alone or getting super absorbed in any one activity. She's constantly on the move and seems to always be thinking of what to do next. I wish she would happily play without me a little more, but I suppose I'll miss that when she's older. It's a challenge to teach her to obey, she's so strong-willed. However, most of the time, she is a very very good and sweet girl.
She is very polite. For some reason, please and thank-you, were very easy to teach.
She LOVES books.
She is saying new words everyday now. Today she said "man" "horse" and "orange" for the first time! She does some signing still, but says much more than she signs. It's getting kind of fun to try to figure out what she's trying to communicate to me. Mostly I know all her words. It took me a few minutes to figure out "ban-ya" She used to say "ba" for banana, now it's apparently a bit more sophisticated.
When I say, "A..." Audrey says, "B.....C!" And when I say, "One..." She says, "Two!"
When I write out her name, she say, "Au-dee!" and points to herself :)
She's growing out of her 24mo clothes and now has some toddler sizes!
She's 29lbs and I think like 33 inches (at 18months)
Well....I think I'll leave it at that!
It's been a joy watching this little person take shape, we love her so much! Here's a few more pictures from December.
Christmas morning
Cookies on the face
The one and only time Audrey actually willingly posed for the camera and was in a very silly mood!
Looking at Grandma's tree.
My pretty girl on Christmas Day
Here is a list of things Audrey is up to these days....
She loves to color with her crayons while sitting at her new big girl desk from Grandpa and Grandma Hemmer.
She loves to play with her pretend jewelry.
She also loves to play with her new kitchen (to sum it up, she loves all her new toys!)
She loves playing/wrestling around with her Daddy.
Her handmade sled from Grandpa Gale has been quite a hit!
She loves to listen to her music in the car and in her room. She 'sings' along to Jesus Loves Me and currently loves Zaccheaus and This Little Light of Mine.
She know exactly what she wants to do and she's not afraid to try to figure out how to get it. My Dad calls her the 'master manipulator'. For instance, she says, "Snack...yes!" or "Elmo....yes!" Before anyone gets a chance to say no, she says yes. She's not much for playing alone or getting super absorbed in any one activity. She's constantly on the move and seems to always be thinking of what to do next. I wish she would happily play without me a little more, but I suppose I'll miss that when she's older. It's a challenge to teach her to obey, she's so strong-willed. However, most of the time, she is a very very good and sweet girl.
She is very polite. For some reason, please and thank-you, were very easy to teach.
She LOVES books.
She is saying new words everyday now. Today she said "man" "horse" and "orange" for the first time! She does some signing still, but says much more than she signs. It's getting kind of fun to try to figure out what she's trying to communicate to me. Mostly I know all her words. It took me a few minutes to figure out "ban-ya" She used to say "ba" for banana, now it's apparently a bit more sophisticated.
When I say, "A..." Audrey says, "B.....C!" And when I say, "One..." She says, "Two!"
When I write out her name, she say, "Au-dee!" and points to herself :)
She's growing out of her 24mo clothes and now has some toddler sizes!
She's 29lbs and I think like 33 inches (at 18months)
Well....I think I'll leave it at that!
It's been a joy watching this little person take shape, we love her so much! Here's a few more pictures from December.
Christmas morning
Cookies on the face
The one and only time Audrey actually willingly posed for the camera and was in a very silly mood!
Looking at Grandma's tree.
My pretty girl on Christmas Day
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