Baby Catcher

Surprise Birth...Well Sorta!

2010-02-21T09:48:00.005-05:00

Ok Just when you think you have it all figured out..someone blows your experience right out the door. You have to stop and remind yourself that even tho you Think you can predict some birth patterns; you really know nothing lol.

My experience this am. Mom was G4P3. Water broke. Came in and was admitted. Spent the night with very few *discernible* contractions. No pit ordered. Doc called. Newp didn't want to use pit because of past Vbac. Ok. So she spent a fairly restful night. Gave her some IV pain medication a few times to make her rest. Oh and I forgot. 1cm.

6:30am.
I give her the pain medicine she has requested.

"Nurse how will you know I've dilated?"
Nurse - "Well I guess I'd have to check you; would you like me to?"

So I examine her and find the baby's head very low. "ooOOoo" and all the proper encouragement that she's made some decent. But wait. I don't feel..now wait a minute. No I definitely don't feel any cervix. I'm careful because I feel bad that she is feeling the exam. 98% of my moms have epidurals and you could put both hands in there and she wouldn't feel it lol.

"Nurse does this mean it's too late for my epidural?"
"Yes it's too late. But let me give you the good news. This is as bad as it gets. So you'll do just fine."

I go tell the charge nurse and she gives me a wary eye. "Maybe the cervix is just really thin and the cervix is hiding behind.." Ok so I ask the most experienced nurse who I Swear has worked for 100 yrs to check behind me.
Newp. She doesn't feel it either.

Soooo I call the doc. And I don't start pushing..cause I just have this feeling. You L&D nurses hear me.

She's still very comfortable but feeling some "..pressure". Day shift nurse arrives and checks patient. "Ohh the heads right there!"

yeah no kidding =)
Call for resident standby. Contractions stop while resident waits to catch baby.

Private MD arrives; gets impatient for a contraction to really come and tells mom to push. She pushes 3 times and baby is born.

I left a little late for home. I just had to walk to the charge nurse and say "See I told you she was fully." Hehehe!!

OH and despite the recent administration of the pain medication; the baby is vigorous and crying.

Whew. See you just can't trust a pregnant woman =)

Be A Man!!

2009-11-30T17:04:00.002-05:00

Hey guys..long time no see =)

I worked all weekend and am now Off for a few nights and prepping for my colonoscopy and reading my blogs. Fun huh? LOL. So let me share a funny story,

This was told to me by one of my L&D friends last night. She had a difficult delivery. First the mom was thrashing around so much in her bed that she disconnected her Epidural. Yeah I know I don't get it sometimes. Anyway anesthesia came and replaced her epidural and she tried pushing again. Her words were "Oh cool I don't feel Anything; so yeah I'll push now."

Hmmmm.

Ok so she does finally push the baby out. Dad is hanging around and taking cell phone photo's but not touching the baby. The mother tries to get him to hold his child; but he won't participate.

Nurse has to recheck baby's vital signs. She does her job, wraps baby up again and walks up to dad.

"Hey dad Be a man and hold your son."

He murmers Ummmm K and takes his baby in his arms.

Nurse tells me later that she was thinking "Omg I did Not just say that out loud!!"

We all told her Good for You!!

I like this nurse. She did good =)

Blog Decisions..

2009-10-17T01:03:00.003-04:00

Well as you can probaby tell I've been mostly blogging about my photography and Not about my babybirthing experiences. But I Love both! So I guess it's time for a second blog; with it being for my photo work. I will keep posting my funny/poignant/sad/interesting baby storys here.

Now..on to designing =)
Thanks for your loyalty!!

Website Announced!

2009-09-09T14:30:00.005-04:00

Ok guys pleaseee forgive me for being so bad about updating here. I've been on vacation to Wales for almost 2 weeks and before that I was working fevorishly on my Photography website. It was work. Hard work but well worth it I think =)

My plan is to open separate gallerys soon. Right now they're all as one gallery because it was a steep learning curve as it Was to create the site. But I got it now!

http://www.joannebeechamphotography.com/

So please take a look. And then take another when I've updated the gallery.

I have two weddings and a one year old photoshoot coming up. I'm so excited to share this with you!

And I know I'm about obsessed about the sheep who roam the hills in Wales..but here are a few photo's I took on my vacation. More to come!

2009-08-01T13:21:00.008-04:00

I had the Best portrait session Ever with 3 little girls last week. They were darling!! And they loved being in front of the camera..well at least as long as I could keep up with them lol. When I sat them down I got some funny photo's of the eldest girl sticking her tongue out. So natural was def. the way to go =)

I love being there. I had so much FUN! And the best part came when it was time for me to go. The girls asked mom if I could pleaseee stay and have a snack with them. ♥

Leap of Faith!!

2009-07-24T22:36:00.002-04:00

Well I finally took the leap.

The leap of faith towards having my own photography business. I signed up with Pictage which is one step I've been talking about doing. I need to build a website too..but that will have to be another day. I'm still up in the air about who to use. Pictage is an Incredible photography site where you can upload your *event* photo's and people can order their work right off the site. I can't wait until I have *events* to put there.

Yeahhh I love these peeps already too! They've been in touch with me and so patient as I asked a zillion questions. And then still sat on the decision. And they didn't give up on me.

Well I just signed up. And I feel honored to be a part of such a Great community of awesome photographers!! I can't wait to dig through all the information they have online for me.

My Day!

2009-07-07T10:53:00.005-04:00

...will be spent processing Christina's photo's of her and Emma. Of harrassing Audrey to stop thru on her Thelma and Louise roadtrip. Of wondering if she should buy the Totally Rad Actions and waiting for Someone to share their love for them on FB...and finding a chair to use for my photography. Something old..grungy and colorful. So I will be in touch to share =)

Delaware Wedding =)

2009-06-23T15:01:00.008-04:00

My very first time to shoot a wedding this past weekend. I was invited to second shoot with a Wonderful and popular Delaware Wedding Photographer. She was most gracious to have me tag along and get some shots with her. It was a beautiful small wedding in a stone church. Hard to get light in; but lovely just the same. I will never forget this first chance. I am looking for more!! Here are some of my photo's =)

My Newest Dream ♥

2009-05-27T15:18:00.012-04:00

I have caught the bug for photographing people lately. Couples even. And I want very much to learn the art of photographing little peeps. Babys! Yes you're getting it. I want to add Portrait and Wedding photography to my photo skills. But I need practice and I need to build a portfolio. Lucky for me I work with mostly young women. So I asked a few of my work buds if I could take their photo's. They were thrilled to comply. My deal for them is free photo's.

Here are a few from this past week that I wanted to share. =)

White Peonie's

2009-05-20T19:48:00.001-04:00

Bought these on the way home from work this am. I had to buy them =)

Check it out here too...http://jodyangel.wordpress.com/

BW Light

2009-04-22T18:04:00.005-04:00

Hey guys long time no chat! Well I've been a busy girl with work and researching some new photography paths.

I love my fine art photography and will Never give that up. But someone has actually asked me (*thru looking at my flickr and knowing my friend*) to possibly shoot their wedding in 2010. At first I thought whatttt? Me??

But then I started thinking. I love the photojournalism style of many of todays wedding photogs. And if I were to do weddings it would be My preferred style. So my heart has led me in that direction. I am reading like mad about portrait photography and wedding work and looking for a professional wedding photo to take me under her wing. I've had one lovely person already email me back wanting to meet me and possible "second shoot" with her. So I'm pleased as punch hehe. Sorry but I guess I should say I'm over the moon. Or I'm just tickled pink. Well you get the idea =)

So stayed tuned.

For now; here is a photo that I took that I am especially proud of. I converted it to BW after thinking the tones and variations would really suit it. You tell me!

Shop is Open!!

2009-04-05T18:15:00.002-04:00

I've been thinking about this for some time; but finally made the decision last week to open a few accounts to sell my photo's. I have become so totally in love with photography and all the wonderful people it has brought into my life. I hope to continue to "kick it up" a notch and enter the professional world of photography. So I wanted to share with you. I hope everyone takes a look. And know that things will change; because I'm still trying to figure out the best way to promote my word and get it out to the masses =) The peeps lol. Plus I have to keep taking time to load up my photo's. It's quite a bit of work so be patient with me =)

My shops are Etsy and Redbubble. At redbubble you can order the print in various forms; ie cards, posters even streached canvas. So I'll see you there =)

Here are the addys..

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6088600

http://www.redbubble.com/people/jodyangel

B L U E ♥

2009-04-05T18:11:00.000-04:00

No words really needed here. We went to Longwood Gardens on Friday.

Simply amazing place..

Frustrated!!

2009-04-02T18:12:00.002-04:00

Sometimes it's very frustrating to work in L&D. I know. You think it's all fluffy and sweet smelling right? Well it's not. Sometimes it is..but unfortionately it's not always.

Last night I had a patient being induced. I got on well with her; but then I do with most all my patients. But I just couldn't help shaking my head everytime I walked out of her room.
She had issues. Major issues. Like being a G7P2 at age 21 for starts. Also a Type1 Diabetic. Major mental problems. And then the medical history went on and on...

But what bothered me..and I hope I don't get blasted for saying this..but what bothered me was this. She is single and has had 7 pregnancys with 7 men. No man was by her side this time either.
Two of her children had died from major medical issues. 2 died because she was in a fight while pregnant. Uhhum you heard me. Then she had anther stillbirth. Then 2 children who were in state custody.

Now here she is pregnant again. 21yrs old.
It just blew my mind. I wanted to share. Hopefully I'll have another sweet and joyous delivery when I go back to work.

I feel better ♥

Big Fat Babies!!

2009-03-19T17:30:00.005-04:00

^^ Click on photo for Larger View

Ok I admit I'm partial. Partial to big fat babies lol. In case you're starting to get insulted..I mean Big Fat Babies! You know the kind I'm talking about. Whewwww.

I had a lovely birth the other day. I took care of a lovely couple for a foley bulb induction. When I returned the next evening she had not progressed beyond 4cms. Aghh. The writing was on the wall. The Dr. came in and they decided together that it just wasn't happening. So the CSection was called. She was exhausted and ok with it. I reassured them as best I could.

When they pulled the baby out I could see already it had a Massive head. Big body came flying out! The baby was a gorgeous boy with long black curls. He was 9lbs15oz. Yeahhh!! I said to mom! "I love your fat baby!!" LOL everyone laughs with me. Then I explain that I love them because my babys were all lil fat things too. So I think they're just cuter.

Oh I don't tell the moms with the little skinny babies that they're Not cute. I just don't tell them my personal fatbabystory =)

It's a horrid day out today. Rainy and damp. Enjoy the rest of your day anyway. Do like me and have some Ben and Jerrys lol.

Vega's Baby!!!

2009-03-13T19:52:00.003-04:00

What a wonderful vacation. 4 nights in Vega's! Our first time. We're not gambler's, but not to worry. There is so much to see that we'll go back again. No doubt!

We took a flight and copter ride thru the Grand Canyon. What a thriller! I've never flown in a helicopter before. When I said the the *cough* young pilot that this must be the Best job ever...he said "Oh it's easy". He flew us across the desert floor until he reached the edge of the Grand Canyon. Then...over the edge we went. Wheeee! It was Great!

Then we also took a driving trip through the Valley of Fire. Amazing red rock formations and mountains. Simply amazing. I could of done that every day! The rough floor and jagged walls of the park contain brilliant formations of eroded sandstone and sand dunes more than 150 million years old.

Prehistoric users of the Valley of Fire included the Ancient Pueblo Peoples, also known as the Anasazi, who were farmers from the nearby fertile Moapa Valley. The span of approximate occupation has been dated from 300 B.C. to A.D. 1150. Fine examples of rock art left by these ancient peoples can be found at several sites within the park. These are called Petroglyphs.

Amazing stuff. It's great being on vacation =)

Getting ready to Work.

2009-02-27T13:00:00.005-05:00

Ok well let me preface this by saying I Love my job. For the first time in many years I look forward to what the workday or night rather will bring. This is my dream job.
On the other hand; I love being home with my husband. I've just had a few nights off and it's been a good couple of days. I've got alot of work done on Flickr and around the house. And I've really enjoyed reading thru blogs I've not kept up with. I found a few new friends on Facebook(Yeah Leaca and Gail) and have faved some Incredible photo's.

I was downstairs doing some dishes when I heard geese quaking. Is that what they do? lol. Anyway when I looked out my kitchen window I saw a large flock of Snow Geese on the field right near my home. Well even tho I've captured some terrific photo's of the geese I had to have more. So on went the coat. I thought it was cold but its not. Very warm and blustery. Across the field I tromped. All of a sudden they started honking. Ok that's what they do. Honk*
A white tailed deer darted across in front of me. Yes I got him =)

So this ramble was just to touch base and wish you all a wonderful weekend. Enjoy it. And think of me =)

Textures - My Passion!

2009-02-23T13:06:00.002-05:00

As a newbie photographer I am always looking to learn something new. And to determine my style. I am so in love tho with so Many styles I can't say what I love best. Sometimes light and soft. Sometimes hard and gritty. Right now it's all good. But I have been playing with textures lately and I Know this is a style that is sticking with me. I love the..well the Texture texturizing gives my photo's. I have a few "mentors" in flickr who's work has Inspired me greatly.

I just love it!! So here is a taste of my new *cough* style.

Getting backed Up!!

2009-02-17T21:17:00.004-05:00

Emma and her Daddy with "Elmo in the Box". I gave Emma a nice stuffie Elmo cause she loves him. But she didn't want to keep him Out of the box lol. Very funny. And we think you're the sweetest babygirl Ever Emma!

Ok I admit it. I'm having trouble keeping up with all the lovely creative things I love to do. Like blogging and posting. I've been bad. Very. I promise I will try to do better. *crosses heart *

Ok so How do I get rid of the spammers that have hit my blog?? Aghhh.

Photoblog 2009

2009-02-06T13:40:00.001-05:00

Hey guys. I am still messing around with the production of this site, but here is the launch! I do hope you take a minute and let me know what you think. I will keep tweaking!!

http://jodyangel.wordpress.com/

Snow Geese

2009-02-05T16:34:00.004-05:00

I was in the house yesterday after working; getting ready to lay down. I heard geese flying overhead and when I looked out the window I saw they were the snow geese I was dying to photograph. So Canon in hand I tossed my coat on and out the door I went. I watched them land across the field from my home. (lucky for me) I approached them quietly and took a few shots. When I was satisfied I shouted at them.."fly away". I was ready. Snap! I was pleased.

Click on the photo please =)

Same as it Ever Was...

2009-01-27T16:05:00.002-05:00

Ok last night was a fairly calm night. I started off with postoping a csection mom then going into the OR to do a baby. Word was there were conjoined twins born that day but they were 24 weeks and had passed away. Weird thing is I would of loved to have seen them, just for the experience. Does that sound strange? Well it's something you don't see often. But the nurse had just sent them down to the morgue. Poor mommy and daddy. Thats who I really feel for. But at least they had time to adjust to what probably would happen. We had a 36 week IUFD the other night which came out of the blue. One of those horror storys of just not being able to find the heartbeat....sighs.

On a lighter note tho...I have started a photo blog. One where I don't talk. I just post lol. I'm still revising..but will post the link here later. My biggest influence for doing this is this blog...http://www.durhamtownship.com/

In my travels looking for inspirational blogs concerning photography I ran across her site and it Blew My Mind! lol ok seriously. Take a look. But the best thing is she is a very nice person. Reachable. Her photo's are just so .. mm .. perfect.

So it snowed a bit today while I slept. I'm back to work in a few hours. I'm up for it! Talk later =)

When you have time to kill..take a look at my flickr acct. It's growing!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodyangel/

Bestest Hubby Ever!!!

2009-01-20T16:27:00.003-05:00

Yep I thought that would catch your eye! Hubby brought me home a dozen long stem red roses the other day. I asked why and he said .. "just because". I've got alot of messy stuff to deal with lately in RL so I think he was letting me know he understood.

I love him to bits.

"One's art goes as far and as deep as one's love goes."

2009-01-19T16:35:00.003-05:00

A new blogger friend here @ http://www.greeblemonkey.com/

Please visit her site and enjoy! It's an awesome blog. She is running a fabulous photo contest which I've just entered.

*crosses fingers*

Happy Love Thursday!

2009-01-15T15:10:00.004-05:00

...We lay there & looked up at the night sky & she told me about stars called blue squares & red swirls & I told her I'd never heard of them. Of course not, she said, the really important stuff they never tell you. You have to imagine it on your own.

~StoryPeople~

Does this do to you what it does to me?

Hope it does =)

Dead Head Winter..

2009-01-10T12:33:00.007-05:00

Ok so I'm in the same situation as every else I've talked with. It's January and there is virtually no sign of life outside. It's brown. Oh yeah and they its some more brown lol. So as a photographer its easy to fall into a slump. No flowers or pretty things outside to capture.

I think this is the time to look around at home and grab some neat photo's of the things in our lives that we love so much. Little things that make us smile. Collections. You name it!

I have started doing this. Walking around and looking at the small details. Then running for the canon. I think I've caught a few good memories.

It will have to do...Unless it snows tonight like they say lol. *crosses fingers*. Ok so I'm off work until Monday night so "bringgg it Onn!"

I've also decided to start a Photo Blog. I have seen a few that fit the bill for what I want. No words. Just a nice large photo. Black background. I've emailed a few of my photog friends and will step forward with this once I hear back. I'm also going to find a way to take a real photography class. Either at Ritz or possibly online IF I can find one. This is no passing hobby. It's part of who I am. It's what I need to do. You girls with camera's know what I'm talking about...

Here are a few glimpses into the beauty of my life.

Waiting for change..

2009-01-08T09:27:00.003-05:00

Yes waiting for change in my life. Those of you who are close to me understand =)

Finally got everything christmasy down and packed away..except for my tree lol. It's Hugggge and I just can't do it until hubs helps me. So there it sits. I find it so sorta sad and nostalgic to take the ornaments off the tree. I'm not sure why. But maybe its just feeling like the magic and wonder that I love about christmas is over...guess I'll have to find wonder in daily things yes?

I try to with my photography. Try to find beauty in the average mundane things. The sun is out today and I think I'll go on a little drive to see what I can find =)

So it's time for a shower, cup of coffee and out I go. Tonight I'm back at work at midnight. Then off for the weekend. Yeahh. This is the reward I get for putting in 12 hr shifts!

2009-01-01T18:02:00.001-05:00

My first teacup of my teacup collection. =)

Happy New Year 2009!

Happy New Year 2009

2009-01-01T02:35:00.002-05:00

Well dear friends it's here. 2009. Can you believe it? I can't! I'm working at the moment and just got out of the OR for the first birth of my hospital of this new year. Don't know if it was the first of the states..I'll have to investigate that lol.
Went well tho. I've been busy and a bad blogger. For this I promise to do better in 2009!

Blurred Frustrationsss!!

2008-12-25T17:26:00.003-05:00

Grrrrr.

Ok I feel better. I guess I'm just thinking that because I haven't taken any formal camera classes that I'm Just missing out on something; ie not understanding it. I Thought I had a handle on this but last night Just proved me wrong..again.

I can't seem to get good Unblurred photo's of people when they're moving. Last night. Christmas Eve. Kids moving!! Blurred photo's =(

Get the image? I also find myself in low light conditions alot and can't seem to work out the settings either. Last night was in a low light living room and just could Not get the settings to work. When I thought I had it....I'd click and the time would just dragggg until the shutter clicked.

Delete. Try again.

So I don't know exactly what advise you can give me; but I'm feeling very discouraged about it today. This is what I know. Low light, open your aperture and bump up your ISO. Shutter speed. Well that still sort of baffles me at times. When I set the shutter speed faster; I end up with a black photo lol.

Grrrrrrrr.

Ok I swear I'm done grrr'ing. But I still don't understand. So can anyone help a sista out here?

Or tell me where to look it up lol.

Oh and Merry Christmas =)

I'm back to work at midnight so I'll check back in.

Here is a sample of what happens to me in low light. I think its a fun photo; because this little girl cousin was really putting a show on for my camera. But it's a blur.

Flickr'ing!

2008-12-17T10:14:00.002-05:00

Hey guys! Just thought I'd share some of my Christmas Flickr photo's!
I've been off for a few days; but back to work tonight. Hope your weeks going well and you're ready for christmas!

exHausted!!

2008-12-09T20:17:00.002-05:00

Yep. Exhausted. I'm not this tired when I'm working!! Decorating the house has taken all my energy. Good thing I don't go back to work until tomorrow night lol. Whew~

Anyway just wanted to share a moment I had at work the other night that made me think "That's why I love nursing!"

Patients baby had been having decels all night. We all watch the "icky" strips at the desk even if they aren't ours. And all night we were saying.."now That's ugly!" concerning this one strip. Doc was on site and doing all kinds of interventions. Nothing was working. We all knew she probably was going to get "cut". And we were all sitting there when the call light went off and we heard "Call a STAT Csection" when the clerk said "can I help you?". I think most of us got up and sprinted to the room.

There is always alot going on Especially when the section is called stat. No time to waste. So as I helped in the room I noticed the two grandmothers-to-be in the corner. They were holding each other and crying.
"It's going to be alright!" I said to them even tho this was the first time I'd seen them. I sure hoped it would be alright but you never know. But I could see the fear and somehow I just felt it Was going to be alright. As I helped get the girl to the OR I thought more about those mothers. I felt for them...so I went back to her room. They were still there holding onto each other. I told them where they could wait and then reassured them that their baby would come into the world in probably 15 minutes or less. Then I told them that I would peek into the OR and come out and tell them when he was born. "Ohhh thank youuuuu!!!" they both said in chorus.
I didn't have a patient at that moment so I was free. I tossed on a cap and mask and headed for OR#1.

As I stepped inside I could see them pulling the little guy out. It's such a surreal thing to see doctors fish baby's out of abdomens. I still am so amazed by the skill. He was limp and not very responsive; but the Ped team quickly got him stimulated and with a little blowby O2 he started crying loudly. We all breathed a sigh of relief.

I headed out the door and down the hall. There in the waiting room were the grandmothers. Not grandmothers to BE but real grandma's!

"He's born"!

I shouted as I walked towards them. They jumped to their feet shouting and running for me. They both were crying but now it was tears of joy. I almost started crying with them lol. "Ohhh thank you nurse..." they both said. "Oh no problem; I understand; I'm a grandmother too" I said to them. You should of seen the looks of relief on their faces. I felt so good to be the bearer of great news. And I thought as I walked away...this is why I love being a nurse =)

Bright Red and Shiney

2008-12-08T18:50:00.001-05:00

Ok I've been a bad blogger. Please forgive me tho because I've just been too darn busy. Plus I admit I am sorta addicted to flickr and when I Do have a few minutes I tend to wander....

SEE!!!

Ok so I promise an interesting post .. erm tomorrow? I had a lovely moment at work last night and I'll share.

But right now I'm assembling our tree. Bought some cool old glass ornaments too the other day. So I'll share that with you. Hope you have a great Monday night! Ta ta~

Post Thanksgiving Leftovers

2008-11-28T12:39:00.003-05:00

Man! My fridge is Stuffed and I swear I am too lol. I can remember years ago I could eat my Thanksgiving dinner and have a turkey sandwich in the evening. Not anymore! I literally fell into bed last night. Stuffed. Full. Done!

So now you know what we're having for supper tonight. But first we're going to the movies this afternoon to see Australia. See you later *urp*

Love After Love

2008-11-27T19:39:00.004-05:00

Love After Love

The time will come

when, with elation

you will greet yourself arriving

at your own door, in your own mirror

and each will smile at the other's welcome,

and say, sit here. Eat.

You will love again the stranger who was your self.

Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart

to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored

for another, who knows you by heart.

Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,

peel your own image from the mirror.

Sit. Feast on your life.

-Derek Walcott

...but thanks to Shutter Sisters =)

Sharing with Friends..

2008-11-26T20:23:00.003-05:00

Back in the 80's I wanted to learn to quilt. So I did! I don't have any time now to do this...but took these photo's the other day to show you that I Could! =)

Machine sewn but all hand quilted. I'm a purist hehe!

* Da Funk *

2008-11-24T13:44:00.003-05:00

WW http://www.wayfaringwanderer.com/ is running a challenge here. To name one of our favorite photographer's that we look to for inspiration when we have lost our way...

You know the feeling. The funk. The "I don't know what to even Take a photo of today" kind of funk. Especially now I find it a challenge to find pretty or interesting things. There is not really snow yet and the ground is quickly just turning a dull....brown....drab...blah! No flowers. No color. So what do we do? We look at others and look To others to help us find our groove again.

Well WW herself is someone who had personally helped me find my way in my photography life. Her photo's have inspired me and shown me how to center in on the things around us to find the beauty. Her blog is a joy to read. Her photo's make me want to do better! And I have to tell you; she has been a godsend to me when I've been stuck in a problem. She has helped me and conselled me to help me figure out what I was doing wrong. She took the TIME! For that I am very grateful and happy to have met her here; altho only as a net meeting. Plus she lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains where I hope to settle oneday. Lucky girl!

So when you're stuck and can't get inspired. When you can't even see the light around you; go to your fellow photo blogger's sites and cruise. You'll soon feel that artistic spark again!

Perspective

2008-11-19T15:58:00.002-05:00

My perspective today. At Shutter Sisters. What a drop dead gorgeous day. Back to work tonight. I've had just beautiful deliverys this past weekend. Lovely uncomplicated smooth labors with primips! And young girls at that! I was so blessed to be there and a part =)

One girl was giving up her baby for adoption to her sister who couldn't have another baby. A first for me. But they all handled it well. The baby was delicious and fat. Just like I like them lol. She was 17 but taught me something. I learn from every mother I care for.

I'm actually excited to go back tonight!

Oh and I finally took time and went for a haircut yesterday. I loved the girl who did my hair. She understood exactly what I said when she asked me how I wanted my hair. I don't fight my hair. It's thick and curly. So I let it be what it wants to be. Nice layered cut hitting my shoulders seems to work well for me. No ponytail tonight!! Have a great evening friends.

Just Hanging Out...

2008-11-13T08:19:00.002-05:00

Yes I did it this morning! Don't get ahead of yourselves. I had written in my pocket calendar that I Live by that I had my Shoulder Dystocia class this am. At 7am. Aghh. So I was up at 5:30 this am and gone by about 6:10 to work.
Well the class is not until 8:30am. So here I sit in the library killing time before I walk down to the other end of the hospital. I could of stayed in bed longer this am!!! I like sleeping in =)
Course poor hubby said I was snoring like a walrus last night. Blech. I may eventually go to the docs to see about that.
So anyway I will be sitting in the class allllll day. Then back to work tomorrow night. This is my weekend to work too. So it will be a busy weekend for me. They say it's going to rain. I don't care since I'll be spending the days sleeping lol. Sorry!
Ok off to class. Sorry I have nothing mind blowing to share at the moment. But check back. Tomorrow's another new day!
Chow!

2008-11-11T21:26:00.002-05:00

Go check out my photo's on Flickr. We went to Jim Thorpe a few weekends ago. Take a gander at this front door! No time to post right now..night off. But I have things to share in the am.

Nite all!

2008-11-07T18:49:00.001-05:00

My Sweet Elvis. He just our hearts delight on this Fabulous Friday!! Enjoy the Weekend =)

Why Am I a Photographer?

2008-11-05T10:31:00.009-05:00

..and how has my perspective changed. This topic is being discussed today on Shutter Sisters. If you haven't already checked them out you are Truly missing some blessings.

I have always been the one behind the camera. Documenting my children's growth and fun moments. I'm not in many of those old photo's lol. But that's one thing that will change this year. I think I will start a self portrait section of my Flickr account. I don't want my essence or image to be forgotten when I'm gone. Pictures help with that. They make time stand still. They make you fall back into the moment. Haven't you ever looked at an old picture and just felt yourself slip back into time? I do! I still do with these photo's of my baby's.

I now love photographing small seemingly insignificant things. Stones, old benches, sky and even leaves on the ground. They become art. Timeless.

Here is one example.

So I encourage you if you aren't already a photographer, to become one. Start with a cheap digital camera and start snapping. Trust me soon you'll want an upgrade. Money well spent. And just think of the timeless moments you will capture for years of remembrance and reminiscing. You won't regret one photo =)

Feeling Quilty but still Feeling Ill =(

2008-11-04T15:51:00.002-05:00

Welp I still have this sinus sick thing going on. If it lasts another day I may go to the docs for antibiotics. But I hate to go to the docs lol soooo we'll see.

But I just called out for tonight again and I feel guilty as heck. Why? Because I know that by my not being there that the other nurses may have to pick up the slack. So I feel bad. BUT when I start feeling too badly I remind myself of the other night and almost not getting sent home at 5am because basically they forgot I was sick. I guess. You other nurses know how it is in the real world. They shouldn't want you there Ill, but they don't mind it if you push yourself harder; because they want your warm body there. It just doesn't work like that in the corporate world does it? Oh well. So I'm home tonight. Poor hubby. He said I was snoring like a Beast last night lol. I'm so clogged up.

But on a brighter note I wanted to share a neat birth story from a few nights ago. As you all know I'm relatively new to the L&D dept. Its been about 8 months now. And I've learned so much. I truly love my job. Especially the laboring moms. It's my fave. bit about my job.

So this night I sent my pt. to the OB ward and for a moment didn't have a patient. Yeah for a Minute lol. Charge nurse assigns me a mom laboring stuck at 9.5 cms. Just a lip left on her cervix. But you don't really want to push with a lip. Can cause all kinds of nasty swelling. So they had sitting straight up in the bed. She was Not a happy camper when I came into her room. She asked how long would she have to wait before pushing. So I checked her. Newp. Still had that darn lip. She almost cried...I felt bad, but told her we'd just try sitting for a bit more and I gave her an Epidural (PCA) bolus.

I left her for an hour and she didn't call out. So I went in and checked her again. Ick still had the lip. Now I thought for a few minutes and said "lets try some trial pushing". I knew that it might be possible to help streach the lip over the baby's head if she pushed effectively. So we pushed for about 20 mins. Now I didn't say anything to her but I felt lots of Capet. That's the skin at the top of the babys head that sometimes gives them a conehead because of prolonged pushing. The baby's head was very soft and pointy. I tell her to keep pushing and I'll be right back. I'm thinking to myself all the way to the desk about the situation. I knew I had to call the MD. I spoke with the resident at the desk about it and asked if this could do harm to the baby. Newp she said. Just makes em pointy lol. Then I call the MD. I tell him that I'm not sure she's really moving the baby down, and I feel lots of Capet. He says "Well she's had adequate time to prove herself. Just set her up for a section. Call me back when you know the OR is ready. Byeee!"
I hang up and think. Hhmp! So you think I'm going into this room and tell this 19yr old girl her doc said its section time for her? I tell the Charge nurse but go back and we resume pushing.

Well don't you know it. She makes progress!! I can fell the baby's head closer now and it feels rounder. Goood! So I put the nurses light on and tell them to call the doc but tell him we're delivering via vagina (not in so many words lol).

We push and push!! I can really feel baby moving now, and can see the famous perineal bulging that means the baby's head is very close to delivery. I know call out for Resident standby.

Pushhhhhhh!! Come on girl pushhhh!! THEN. Baby is def. crowning. As I reach for the sterile drape to support her perineum her doctor walks in. "You just made it in time" I say to him. He chuckles. Baby is born about 4 pushes later.

So I felt so good about this. I could of just had her stop pushing and let him come in and section her. But something in my gut (gotten always listen to your gut) made me want to try harder.

Personally, I feel as if I saved her from a section. I mean her doctor couldn't even be bothered to come in and check her himself. He was basically leaving it all to me to evaluate.

Well doesn't matter. I still feel like I helped her avoid getting cut. I know I did. And that was a defining moment for me.

I love my job =)

Just Do It!

2008-11-04T09:39:00.001-05:00

Show me Yours!

2008-11-03T16:54:00.002-05:00

http://shuttersisters.com/

Yeah well I have to work anyway...

2008-11-02T21:28:00.002-05:00

BooHoo. Here I am. At work. Feeling icky sicky but was too late to call in. Plus, they really frown on you calling in sick much at All in the hospital where I work. If you miss more than a few days during a period of time; they make it an infraction. Yeah you're in trouble. So I try not to call off.
But I've felt sorta odd all day. My throats dry and scratchy and I have a dry cough. I know its my sinus's cause its really irritating the heck out of the back of my throat. Hmmm. So I am here for 12 hrs. Then 12 x 2 again before I get a day off.

Blah.

I blame that darn Michelle (who's last name will remain a secret) cause she worked the other night sick as a Dawg and I was near her.

Yip.

So that's it. I don't feel well. Just wanted to let you know. Gifts would be appreciated hehe!!

Superhero Photo Challenge: The leaf perspective

2008-11-01T21:05:00.008-04:00

Today's challenge at ShutterSisters was to take photo's at ground level. You get a neat perspective when down on the ground. You can't even really focus properly. So it's neat to see the beauty that comes thru anyway...here are my photo's today.

A Wee Bit of Heaven

2008-10-29T14:58:00.001-04:00

Breakthrough Day!

2008-10-28T17:12:00.004-04:00

Gosh!! Is it windy where you are? We're in the middle of some weird storm with high gales. I mean the tree's on my property are bending over! I hope they don't break. Esp. my Tree of Life =).

So I've stayed in today and worked on my photo's. I had a bit of post processing breakthrough and I wanted to share a small bit of it with you.

Here is my granddaughter Madilynn without the splotchy baby acne =)

And her darling sister Hailey =)

I Could just Scream!

2008-10-23T17:13:00.002-04:00

Aghhh. I did the unthinkable. I went to my daughter's to take photo's of her precious little girls and forgot to check my camera settings. So when I downloaded the photo's I did get to my PC and took a quick look I saw how rough they looked. ISO 800.

And I did another BAD thing. I didn't charge my battery. Didn't think I needed to. And so halfway thru my session the camera shut OFF.

So remember. Check your battery and setting before doing any photo work. Always. Even when you don't think you need to.

I might be redeemed tomorrow. I'm going back to take some more pics. I'll let you know how they come out.

Keep Trusting Your Instincts

2008-10-22T19:39:00.006-04:00

Lesson learned the other night. Listen to your heart.

Woman comes up from triage at 2cms BUT very uncomfortable. After about 45 mins I am able to get the anesth. doc to give her an epidural on her request. No relief. None. Hmmm. She had just been checked downstairs. She was a Primps. First time mommy. So you would not expect anything to happen quickly...

I am sent home early because of quiet night. It's 3:30am. I go into my moms room and take out a pair of sterile gloves. I wanted to check her before leaving...just in case there has been progress. Charge Nurse with 25 or more yrs experience comes in the room and says.. "what are you doing?" I explain I was going to check her. "Newp don't. She's probably 4cms". This Charge nurse is Very bossy and intimidating and when she tells you Don't, well you don't lol.

I start giving report to the oncoming nurse Jen. I see her strip out of the corner of my eye. There are little humps on her contractions. That means pushing is happening. Hmm. "Jen look". I explain to her what happened with bossychargenurse. But I say to Jen. "I just have this feeling...lets go in together. You check her. But I want to know before I leave."

Well Jen introduces herself and pulls her gloves on. You Had to be there to see the look on her face as she sweeps her fingers around the cervix. Yip. You guessed it. There is NO cervix lol. And when Jen says "look" and points to the perineum...I see hair!

So we jump into action. Call the Primary doc and get the resident there asap!

So this primps mom went from 2cms to 10cms in about an hour and a half. Unheard of..but sometimes happens.

I looked at meanchargebossynurse as I clocked out but didn't say anything. I knew it. I should of stood up to meanbossyintimadatingchargenurse. But I doubted myself.Not again I won't. I will keep learning to trust my instincts.

Even tho I'm a newbie. =)

I Love My Bed!!

2008-10-20T15:09:00.003-04:00

Well I've had 4 days off.

Which means 4 nights of sleep! I go back in tonight at 7pm and work tonight and tomorrow night. I love some things about working at night...ie: no management lol.

I love the women I work with. And the more laid back feeling. But I love my bed.

Hubby laughed at me last night as I tucked my feet into my cold sheets. I said.."Mmm I Love my Bed!!". He said "yes you do don't you." Don't know why I said it. Just felt so good. Cold sheets again'st my skin. Window open a bit to let the cold night air in. Somehow it's just about perfection! Working nights makes me appreciate my nights I get to sleep even more.

I love my bed!

Super Hero Photo Challenge

2008-10-18T22:10:00.002-04:00

...at Shutter Sisters.
http://shuttersisters.com/

We were challenged to find the beauty sitting right before our eyes. In our kitchen! I took scads of photo's of this and that. But this one jumped off the page at me. So I submitted it =)

I had washed dishes and left the water sitting. I know. Bad girl. Oh well I had things to do..ie: catch up on my blog reading and flickr loading lol. So after I read the challenge I headed downstairs with trusty canon in hand. There was my sink. With the sponge floating. And I thought Why Not!

Pop over and read a bit on the above site. I promise you won't be disapointed! Laters!

Swan's.

2008-10-17T17:31:00.002-04:00

The swan's are back for the fall! This was taken at our local stream. The swan's are still skittish. But soon they're venture close to the bank. I'll be waiting with Canon in hand =)

Enjoy your Friday!

A Patience Flower..

2008-10-10T10:15:00.004-04:00

An abject lesson in patience is the flower outside our doorway

planted when the spring was young watered,

tended, nurtured through the spring, the summer,

into the cooling of fall bursting into a single bloomin

the middle of October just days before frost

will come into our world

Watching over this flower,

waiting for its blooming

wondering what fruit

it will bear all summer long

by Raymond A. Foss

~Light Nights or Night Lights~

2008-10-09T10:12:00.009-04:00

I just love a good sunset. And the evenings here lately have just been spectacular! So I have been snapping and trying to capture the feel of the light thru the trees and off the water. I thought I'd share some before crashing into bed this am lol. I'll be back with L&D storys later I promise!!

Au Natural~ Again!

2008-10-05T14:49:00.005-04:00

I had a fabulous mom last night who decided to go Natural with her childbirth. I tell ya! There just aren't many women willing to go that extra mile and decline the epidural these days!

They know I like the natural ones..cause its how I birthed my baby's. So I usually get those mommy's. And I love it!

This mom was a first time mother and determined to go without medication. I asked her why and she said she just didn't want a needle stuck in her back; and she was afraid of the side effects of the epidural on her baby. Her dad asked me what his first grandchild felt like when I did the vag exam. He asked for my name again and said he wanted to remember the name of the first person to have her hands (or fingers) on his lovely wee one. I was touched..

Good points mom! Sorry girls. I know its the popular way to birth these days..and I Have been convinced by more than a few that its appropriate for some situation. But I'm not convinced there isn't risk that we don't know about......now. I'm thinking that one day they will come out with some facts that will scare the crap out of us. Ok so call me crazy. It's just what I wonder about.

So anyway her labor went wonderfully. She came to me at 1am at 5-6Cm's and was 8-9Cm's by 7am. She sat upright (HF) in the bed and was able to walk around her room and go to the bathroom. She breathed thru her contractions and her family was there to rub her back and encourage her. She was just so IN control it blew my mind! I kept the praise up to her and told her what a wonderful job she was doing. At some point when I told my fav OB resident that the pt. was the poster child for natural childbirth, the resident said.."Oh no You're the poster child lol". She knows about my large chubby baby's =)

I was disappointed to leave this am. I hope she had a fabulous birth this am and I can't wait to see how she did.

Women you CAN DO IT!!!

Come Play!

2008-09-25T22:13:00.002-04:00

One of my fav blogs and bloggers is http://www.dolcepics.com/

She is a fab. photographer and amazing person! She has this game we play each week where we take a photo off her site that she's posted and we umm..well we Play with it. We do whatever we like!! This is my take on the spooky fall door.

Touching of Hearts

2008-09-20T09:54:00.002-04:00

I had a delivery the other night which touched my heart. On first glance you might think the dad was a real toughass. He had a straggly long chin beard and was covered with tatoo's. Now don't think I'm anti tat..cause I have one! Ha! Bet ya didn't know!

But this dad looked very rough. But was polite and softspoken. Mom ended up pushing but not able to pass the baby under the arch. You L/D nurses know what I mean. So after one very long icky decel and then bradycardia, off to the OR we go at 3am.

Surgery went well. Baby boy was glorious!! Apgars 8-9. Perfect.

But what touched me was the dad. Once his little boy took his first breath and was being looked at by Peds; I looked over at dad. He was wiping his eyes and lovingly staring at his son. I told him to come over and see his boy. Dad was just full of tears and apologized for it. "Ohh no" I said. "You shed all the tears you want. You've just become a daddy and your life will Never be the same..."

Small silly post perhaps..but a moment in my job that touched my heart. It's why I love my job =)

Love Thursday =)

2008-09-17T18:27:00.003-04:00

John and Emma having Daddy time.

This is what Love Thursday is all about.

I was inspired by this man..

http://www.finearttextures.com/

Wordless Wednesday =)

2008-09-17T18:27:00.001-04:00

Looking Back this Am..

2008-09-16T09:49:00.004-04:00

..you're gonna miss this..

.. I am going thru all my old photo's looking for some to save on my Flickr page. I came across some really sweet photo's..which makes me sorta sad. My kids have grown up!
You guys with the little ones hear me and here me good! They Do grow up fast. And time Does fly. It might sound trite now. Or you say Ohh Jody they're sometimes just driving me Crazy!
But before you know it they'll be big. And moved out. And on their own. And yes! Thats what is suppose to happen I know! But sometimes I shed a small tear, wishing I could relive those days of young motherhood.

So today, hold your babies close. Even if they're teens. And tell them you love them. And take loads of photo's =).

"You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this"

End of Summer Blues..

2008-09-15T11:07:00.004-04:00

Gosh I hate to see summer go. Yeah I know. I'm tired of the heat too. But there is magic in the summer which is gone the rest of the year.
I will eat these blueberries tonight and celebrate my summer.
I encourage you to do the same. And post a photo of something you love about summer. I'd love to see!

I'm a Grandmother!!!...again =)

2008-09-12T08:50:00.004-04:00

Wooooot! Daughter had her baby girl last night. 8lbs 11oz of sweetness.

I am going to see her this am and Promise to bring photo's to show you.

*Proud as a Peacock!!*

Going out...

2008-09-11T18:15:00.000-04:00

..for Ice Cream!! Wooooot. I have the bestest hubby. Summer is Not over yet!!

Photo's to follow =)

~My Wordless Wednesday~

2008-09-10T14:18:00.006-04:00

Magical places. Right out our front door sometimes. =) Opps shhh!

Go here and enjoy ..

http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/?p=422#comment-25977

Just Last Night..

2008-09-05T21:57:00.002-04:00

I go into work each shift never knowing what awaits me. Am I working L&D, periop, high risk or circulate in the OR. And after about 6 more months I will be trained in Triage. And trained to scrub for the OR.

So last night I was scheduled for 11-7. I arrived at work and was assigned a patient who had delivered but was waiting to be discharged to the postpartum. floor. So there was little for me to do other than assess mom and baby and fill out various paperwork. Easy peasy. Gone by midnight. Then I had no patient until about 3am. The floor was unusually quiet..

We had a baby born with anacephalus. Long story short it means no brain. It was not my patient but I did go into the room to help the nurse assigned to them. Baby was preterm at 21 weeks. Parents were Incredibly strong! Nurse and doctor were incredibly shaken. What a tough thing to deal with. I can't even imagine. They are in my prayers tonight...

So about 3am the Charge nurse comes and asks me to circulate for the next CSection. Yes you heard right. The Next CSection. Apparently they had one after another all evening and thru the night.

Ok so I set up the OR and await the patient. She was a full term mommy who had reached 9cm's but stalled there for a few hours. The Doctor said she had waited long enough. "Failure to Progress" He was "cutting" her. Yeah cutting is the accepted and widely used term for CSection in the OB world. How sad huh? To dilate to 9cms and have to go thru a section. The baby was doing fine; tolerating the Pit well. No decels. No loss of variability. Hmm. So why the section? I don't know but I think he could of given her a little more time. She was not my patient until she hit OR#1...

The section went well. Mom delivered an 8lb plus baby boy and everyone was happy. So after I got her settled into her postop room everything looked fine. I assessed the baby and found his breathing to be very rapid. In the 90's! I called Peds, attached the pulsox and did a blood sugar. Baby looked fine. Just was breathing very fast. I got a phone call to say I could go home if I wanted...things were slow; so off I went. I think the baby probably went to OBS. Observation for 4 hrs. I gave report to the nurse taking over for me and headed for the time clock.

It was 5:30am. Nice to head out a little early =)
I got to see the sun rise as I drove over the bridge towards home.

So that was my night. September 5th, 2008. I'm off the weekend. But already wondering what Sunday night will bring my way..

~Wordless Wednesday~my best parts of summer

2008-09-03T14:54:00.006-04:00

Gosh is it really Wednesday? LOL yeah. Well I've been off for a few days and I've lost track. Hmm. Ok so take a look here. This is my first time playing..not my last!

http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/?p=422#comment-25977

My Hubby's NOT shooting blanks.

2008-08-30T12:53:00.003-04:00

Ok so maybe I've inspired my husband with my new photo skills. I'm not sure. BUT this am he asked me to get my Canon out. He set up a box of his fancy smancy bullets and "snapped" this photo. It looks great as his desktop background =)

Great work hun!!

Darkness Fell..

2008-08-30T12:00:00.006-04:00

I tried to find some interesting shots while we were at the airport last night.

So I thought I'd share a few.

We miss you Tom already....

Goodbye Tom..

2008-08-29T11:32:00.002-04:00

Sad to say the day has come for us to take the drive to the airport. Tom is flying home to Wales today. We've had a fab vacation with him here this year. We went so many places...Williamsburg, Atlantic City, Ocean City, fishing, crabbing, swimming...too many things to list. He's so sweet cute and funny. Even tho he's 15 LOL. A chip of the ole block too. He and his dad sure had lots of laughs and we cherish the weeks we had. But school starts next week.

Next summer we plan on going to Wales. I've got to work out the details with my job. Blah. They don't give everyone a "summer" vacation. But I'm going to start making some noise now Wellll in advance. We're going!!

So bye for now Tom. We love you and will really miss you.

ps (he would KILL me if he knew I posted this pic hehe! Shhh)

2008-08-27T22:28:00.001-04:00

Mmm I *heart* my coffee. No more needs to be said. Goodnight Johnboy =)

A Bit of Elvis

2008-08-26T21:38:00.004-04:00

Ok after that weird post down there; I feel compelled to share a bit of my Elvis with you. http://shuttersisters.com/home/ is a Wonderful blog I visit. It's full of wonderful stuff. And so I was inspired by a photo posted there today...

So without further adeu~

My Elvis

Moron Alert!!

2008-08-26T21:11:00.002-04:00

Ok. So it's alright that I'm calling myself a moron. Don't get your knickers in a twist! I messed up BIG time today. But I must have an angel on my shoulder cause...well here's the scoop...

Hubby stepson and I went on a mall trip today. We needed a few things and I knew I could get a pedicure out of the trip too *hehe*.

So off we went. Oh we had a grand ole time walking the mall. We even ate in the food court. Bad stuff I know but yummy just the same.

So I go to my fav Salon in the mall and have a F.A.B. pedicure. Really yummy. The best! For you ladies who have not partaken, let me assure you. Your life will never be the same! Do it! You can thank me later.

We drove home after making another stop at Staples for school supplies. We were almost home when we stopped at the Drugstore for some mouthwash ect. To my horror..my wallet was no where to be found! OMG!! I haven't done it again! Yes friends. This is not my first foray into moron land. I've done this 2 other times, and within a few years. I've been lucky both times. Once we discovered I had left it in the Home Depot on top of air conditioner boxes; and the other time I left it *gasp* on top of the gas tank where you buy and put gas in your car. Yea well I don't pump gas. In my state, they wait on me hand and foot. I just put my window down and hand out the card. Well this time I was in another state. One that makes me get out and get all icky gassy smelling. Dang them! I put it on top to swipe my card and never looked back. That angel was on My shoulder that day too. Because the nice little gas boy saw it and put it in the store safely. Man I thought my heart would beat out of my chest that day. I was fried!! But everything was safe when I drove frantically back that day.

Well this day has a happy ending too. Apparently when I was gathering my shoes and paying, I laid my wallet down on the table and just left it. Nice man who runs the Salon saved it for me. Tucked it safely away. Course he couldn't call me cause my number wasn't in my wallet....but after my Harrowing calls to the Mall's idiot security guard,(another story) he knew I was coming back.

Whew.

Now I went ahead and cancelled the credit cards that were in my wallet JUST in case; but all looked well. Did I tell you I had the girl/boy dude do my pedicure this time? Long strange story lol.

I deserve a glass of wine tonight doncha think?

Here are my feet after my TLC!

Feeling my Way..

2008-08-25T11:42:00.004-04:00

I love the way it feels to capture moments in time. To preserve feelings thoughts and emotions. This is what I'm trying to learn to do with my photography.
Hey I'm new at this. So new that my family sort of laughs at the "strange" things I choose to call my subjects. Things like bricks, wheat or especially that old metal porch chair. You had to see me. Sitting on the ground with my foot propping the chair in the air.

"OMG you have to see this! She's taking a photo of your Chair!"

I said "yeah its art".

But they're not getting it yet. I am trying my foot in the water. I don't know what I like best...yet. I love photo's of my grandaughter Hailey. I love baby photo's. I had to stop myself the other week on the beach. Sweet little child playing in the sand. Hubby said..Don't! I guess that might freak the mom out?

Lol I was being coy~

...wasn't I?

So I love taking photo's. All kinds of photo's. And I'm trying to learn. I don't have enough time in the day to read all I want to..or play with the photo's.
But I will keep trying.

Even if they laugh at me =)

TAG you're IT =)

2008-08-20T20:59:00.014-04:00

Nurse Lochia tagged me. So now its my turn!! Just follow the rules below and let the person know you tagged em!

1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules to your blog
3. Write 6 random things about myself
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them
5. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.

Ok whew. Here goes!
1. I play the violin. Well its sort of sitting in the corner at the moment; but I've played it since the 4th grade..and I can play it! Luvvv my violin.

2. I am crafty. I love crafting. All kinds of crafting. Hey this blogging even is a sort of crafting. A crafting of the mind. I've done heirloom baby sewing, quilting, custom sewing, tole painting, knitting cocheting and tatting, made wreaths from grapevines, ect ect.

3. I love to sing. In the shower. In the car. In the supermaket. Anywhere. To the great chagrin of my family hehe.

4. I love traveling and I look forward to traveling more! Next year we're planning on going to Wales. I can't wait. My hubbys from Wales and I haven't been there for 5 yrs.

5. I wish I was thin. Very thin. I wish I had to eat ice cream to "try" and gain weight lol. I've always wanted to be thin. I'm just not disciplined enough YET to control and watch what things I eat. Grrr.

6. Get back to this one lol!

Now I tag Auds, Christina, Wayfaring Wanderer, DolcePics, SanDiegomoma and AtYourCervix

Home at Last

2008-08-20T19:02:00.003-04:00

This is where I feel at home,

at peace

Nothing and no one can take this away from me

In the night is where the real beauty takes place....

By Erika Y. Garcia

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13732519@N07/2769753932/in/set-72157606697503343/

Bangled, tangled, spangled, and spaghettied!

2008-08-18T14:55:00.006-04:00

Ok just a quickie here cause I'm in the middle of my sleeptime! But I thought this deserved a post. Honestly!

What do you do, when you walk into your patients room; and in respect for her sleeping; leave the lights off .. and you see THIS lying on her table next to her bed. It wasn't there before...

So you say..."Oh you better put this somewhere safe"? Do you say "Ohh whats that"? Do you say "Nice Hair"!

Or do you do like me and say nothing at all but wonder ~Why in the Heck~ would anyone take off their hairpiece and just lay it on their bedside table. Yeah just leave it there slung next to the ice chips and lube.

Funny thing was tho; I could hardly recognize my patient! She came in with a long full ponytail. And this woman in the bed was......clipped!

I dunno. But I think that if I wore fake hair I'd at least put it away in my purse or bag when I took it off.

I almost spoke..then decided not to.

People. Simply amazing!

Artsy Fartsy Me! ~

2008-08-16T10:08:00.011-04:00

Now that I'm delving into the Photo world; I've found myself taking photo's of the strangest things! Hubby says.."Why?" I can't explain; except that I find beauty in small things and moments.

Babies having Babies!

2008-08-15T22:10:00.003-04:00

I've had a few young girls give birth since I started my new job; but this mom took the cake. 15 years old and not a ounce of good brain matter between her ears. I have to sorta block out my personal feelings and fears when I have a patient like her. I just feel so badly for these little ones going home with such young mothers. Sometimes the grandmothers aren't even much better if you know what I mean..

Oh I educated her about everything. Its just how I do my job. I love explaining whats ahead to prepare "mom" as I believe strongly that Knowledge is Power.

I explained the epidural she was going to get and how it would feel when it was time for her to push the baby out. I showed her how to pull her legs back and push thru her butt.

But this mother only wanted to scream. And scream she did..for my entire 8 hr. shift. I told her how to relax and breath. I even told her I had natural childbirth 4 times and Honest to God you Can give birth without feeling so distressed. But she would have none of it. Even her mother jumped into the drama. Instead of supporting and calming her daughter; she fed into her fear. All I heard from the family members was how awful and long their labors were.

I even took the mother aside and asked her to tell the other women not to talk about their difficult labors; as it was frightening her child.

But I swear. Some women really get off on dramatizing and scaring the bejeapers out of others.

So we had to deal with load moaning and screaming for 8 hrs. From one centimeter to 10. She almost was throwing herself off the bed when it was time to push. And instead of chin down and legs back; she kept pushing away and pulling her legs together. I swear I thought she was going to kick the Dr. in the face! When the baby was born, she showed little maternal instincts towards this lovely little girl. Instead, she spent the next 2 hrs talking on her cell phone to all her girlie friends. "Ewww you should of seen the Icky stuff on my baby" she said....

Shesh. There autta be a law..

Jody's House of Horror's!

2008-08-15T21:57:00.002-04:00

Man! I'll tell ya what! You've heard of pet rocks? Well my hubby has a pet Spider!! I'm not kidding you. He's about to be punished Severly for his antics yesterday. I; after laboring and sweating over laboring mothers, come home to the report that he has "fed" the spider living on my house! So I take a walk outside and yeah. He's fed the spider alright. He caught one of those big grasshoppers and Somehow without touching the web, put the hopper so the spider *MONSTER* could catch him.

So remember those white zigzaggy things in the web I talked about? Well I Freakin KNOW what they're for now!! The spider took the hopper and wrapped him tightly in the web! Aghhhh this is getting disgusting even to TYPE! So now the spider has breakfast lunch And dinner for probably weeks. This grasshopper is huge.

So beware before you look at the pics below. This is giving me nightmares!

Ohh and just wait til you read my entry about the mice on the *cough* clothesline. Its coming just as soon as I can steal a few minutes to tell you about that one. It's priceless living here with Tony; trust me LOL!!

We're having a Party~HERE!!

2008-08-14T09:30:00.024-04:00

Well if this isn't the coolest idea going; I'll eat my shorts! Ok even better, I'll eat Your shorts lol. But seriously this is Great! I am inviting you to my home for a dinner party! Yeah yeah you're saying. Don't you smell the sauce on the stove? Don't you want a glass of my favorite Mondavi wine to sip? Mmm I think you might want to keep reading even tho this is a long post!

My friend Auds at Barking Mad
came up with this Brilliant idea! It's a way of showing off some of our favorite bloggers and acquiring a few for ourselves too! You are most welcome to play along. What you do is this. Pick 10 of your fav bloggers and list them while sharing what you love about them. Then link your post with the links back to audrey. Soon, it will be a cascading event with us all intertwinning in the Ginormous World Wide Web! So we're going to share who we would Love to invite to our dinner party and why we love thier blogging style so much! I'm excited to share with you my 10 favorite bloggers cause I love what they have to say and I Know you will too! And I'm happy to meet some more. Always!

I've always loved having online friends. Hey I even met my husband online and took him into my real life (RL). So sometimes web buddys become wayyy more. I have friends I've met and kept in RL too. So I feel totally blessed to have these people in my life. It would not of happened if it weren't for the WWWeb.

This blogging has taken my by surprise. I really didn't know or realize how many interesting people there still were left in the world. But I've soon come to find that not only have I met some Awesome Inspiring Women thru my blogging; I know there are lots more just waiting to be found. I love having a place to share and bond with people all over the world. So this Dinner party as I said is Brilliant and I love Auds for thinking of it! Bullocks to anyone who would even Suggest this is anything but divine. My final word.

Now on to my fav bloggies =)

1. Auds. Yeah I know it seems I'm kissing butt. But I'm not.This lady Has to sit at my right side next to the Spaghetti and Meatballs I'm making for our dinner party! I've know Audrey for about 5 or so years now in RL and am just blessed beyond words by her. She is an inspiration and just about the funniest, wackiest, wild woman ever!! I'm serious! Now don't be hatin! Cause I've sat and actually HAD dinner with her LOL! I kid you not. So check her blog out. She shares personal deep moving things and hilirious side tingling things too. She will knock your socks off Seriously. I think you'll see once you start reading here at Auds

2. A Traveling Midwife is an inspiration to me as an L&D nurse because she understands so well my world. She lives it! She's a great baby catcher and I learn by the posts she shares. Gosh this girl is funny. I about LMAO at her post about the docs talking to nurses thru their masks and being unintelligable. Oh and she shares wonderful birth storys too =)

3.As far as Nurse blogs goes, this woman gets My personal award. She's funny, sarcastic (which I loveee) and knowledgable all mixed together. Nurse Ratched is a site you Have to see. Even if you're not into the medicine scene, and who ISN'T, you'll come away chuckling.

4. This girl has Terrific Insight into people and what makes them tick. Jen will take you done a path that you may have avoided or turned away from. She will make you think hard and take a long look at things inside your soul that other people can't see. And you'll be glad you looked. Very glad..

5. You know I am loving learning about photography. Well I can tell you; there are No better photographers Anywhere better than our girls on the net. This woman here at The Inspired Family is constantly teaching me little things about how to get fab pics with my new Canon. She runs a tip top blog with loads of TLC. Just take a look at her gorgeous Desaturated photo's here and here! Oh please dig all around her site =)

6. Now this site is not One woman, but loads. All putting their heads and talents together to give us a top notch photography site! You WILL thank me for this one. Hey I'll even give them my Cherry Cheesecake I am bringing to the dinner party Just for the pleasure of looking thru their camera shots. The girls at Shutter Sisters even have a fab photo- flash necklace coming out soon. This site will take you Weeks to read thru. Yes it's That good!

7. These girls are all good friends of mine in RL and in erm, my WL (web life) too! So I decided to list them here as one. That way I still have a bit of room for a few more lol. So please read at Marlooneys Morology, Fruitpie's and Spice and The Wonderful World of Me. We're all personal friends of Audrey too~~~hehe!

8.Come visit Nicole at Nicole Young Designs for some of the Very best digital scrapbooking kits. She's a part of a wonderful site called DigitalScrapbookPlace.com. I love her work and I love learning more tricks about digital scrapbooking. DO yourself a favor and peek!

9. Well this next blogger is the Only man I'd invite to our dinner party. Why? Well you take a look at his blog called Confessions of a CF husband and tell me YOU wouldn't invite him too!! His heart is almost as big as his head. Hehe I can say that cause he's gone and shaved his head to support his loving wife Tricia in her fight again'st Cancer. Ohh but thats not the first trial they've been thru.His little girl Gwyneth's miracle story will make you grab your babys and hug them till they push you away. This is truly an incredible story..one you have to read. Hey the guy even posts synopsis's for peeps to catch up with lol. Gotta love that!

10. This is a Photography site I cannot live without these days, named Dolcepics. This mom in Clear Simple Understandable Writing and photo's, shows you how to truly capture the moment with your camera. Her photo's are Freakinnnn Incrediblistic!!.I can't say enough sweet things about her. She is a true professional with a heart willing to help. I can't wait for you to see this blog! I'm saving my Jello Fruit Salad for Her!!

So there you go. You're invited. I hope you join in. Have a little fun, go on it won't hurt I promise! I'll make sure I buy enough wine. And I'll toss a few more meatballs in the pot! Come on down~

Hurry Home Elvis!!

2008-08-13T09:30:00.002-04:00

Say a little prayer for my baby boy Elvis. We just left him off at the vets

for his needle biopsy. Even the thought of it makes my heart skip a beat. But we need to know if there's something wrong with his thyroid. All labs were clear...but this will give us peace of mind. We'll pick him up later this afternoon.

We just love his sweet little self sooo much.

Spider UPDATE!!!!!!!!

2008-08-12T11:18:00.011-04:00

Well what can I say here!! I went outside this am to check up on the below mentioned spider. You know. The fricken one on the front of my Freakin HOUSE!! He/she is still lurking. And the web is enlarging Dramatically! There is the Same zigzaggy thing in the web like Auds at http://www.abritandabit.typepad.com/

Her hubby apparently sent this via EMAIL or something to ME!!

Why Gareth oh Why!! You know I'm deathly afraid of creepy crawly things.

Next time I see you you're getting a slap about the head trust Me!

So if you look closely, my spider now has a victim. NO wait. It has 2! One it's feasting on, and down below one for tea.

This demon from hell is over 2 inches long! I do have to say my new camera caught she/he very well tho. =)

It's FUN Monday!!

2008-08-11T13:37:00.004-04:00

New photo blog I found with some Monday FunfunFuN! Check it out here

http://aojthelurchers.blogspot.com/2008/08/fun-monday-assignment-for-11th-august.html

I'm posting one of my favorite photo's here. It's my wedding day. Why is it one of my fav photo's? Duhhhh! LOL because it was one of my happiest day, thus far. Hubby is from Wales, so I had the florist put daffidills in my bouquet. I wore a champagne lace dress and had my hair put up all pretty. Hubby bought a nice suit and put his sweetest smile on. We've been married over 4 yrs now with no regrets.

I love this photo =) ...... and I love him!

Patterns of Life?

2008-08-11T10:14:00.004-04:00

One of my fav blogs http://writteninc.blogspot.com/2008/08/thematic-photographic-10-patterns.html has a challenge up each week. Check it out! This week is "ongoing patterns" or "repetitive patterns". I thought I'd play along. So I dove into my storeroom of photo's and came up with these. Hope you enjoy! Play along too!

And lastly, when I took this pic my family said.."what???"

They just don't it =)

JUST for Auds to cheer her up =)

2008-08-10T22:46:00.001-04:00

Ok so Audrey You should be soooo glad this doesn't live in Your garden.

Hope it doesn't make you go EKKKKKKKKK!! I'm stearing clear of him...shivers.

I hate spiders more than I hate Bee's. And I truly hate those buggers..

Did you say Work?

2008-08-10T13:40:00.003-04:00

I know. I'm on vacation right? So why do I keep wondering what's going on at work. Why do I wonder if they're busy..or slow. I wonder if there's been any excitement. Sudden emergencys. Fast births with screaming mothers. I wonder if there's been any Huge babys like last week. I wonder if anyone notices I'm gone...

Weird I know. But I wonder why I wonder. I go back to work tomorrow night. I must love my job lol.

Reflections

2008-08-07T18:21:00.011-04:00

I caught the reflections of tree's in my photo of the wavy glass I saw Everywhere in Williamsburg yesterday. I love that glass!

On Vacation here...

2008-08-06T23:16:00.002-04:00

..but Still taking a few mins to post here. It's sorta a mini vacation I suppose; being only 4 days long. But considering all I could get Off from work was 6 days..well it is what it is.

We decided to take the trip south to Williamsburg and that's where we spent the day. And it was 100 degrees! But I love the place. And it was full of wonderful gorgeous things to photograph. So, since its late, and everyone wants the lights off; I'll post a few pictures I snapped with my new camera =)

Tomorrow its either the Water park, (which is giNormous) or Busch Gardens. Not sure which yet. I Did note that Busch Gardens is FULL of FREAKIN high rollarcoasters tho *shivers*.

Note-Ok so this lame hotel internet won't Upload my lovely pics. So for now I can't show you. But I will...soon.

About Last Night...

2008-08-05T22:25:00.002-04:00

...it was like night and day. My shift started at 1900 and I was listed as working in Periop. This means I either go into the OR with a C Section mom and "do" the baby. Meaning I take the baby fresh from the open womb and dry him/her vigurously with the Pediatrician and assess the baby; give the meds; put bracelets on, ect ect. I'll try not to bore you lol.

Anyway last night I commented on my Moms Huge belly as we prepped her for the surgery. I mean she was Ginormous! Well you can always get a pretty good idea about the size of a baby as soon as the Doc pulls the head out. This babys cheeks were just fatter than I've ever seen! Weight of this baby was 12lbs 1oz. I'm Not kidding you!! Wow she beat Me I said lol. My first baby was 11lbs 7 and 3/4oz. Peanuts compaired to this little boy!! Sad thing was he had to go to NICU tho. Baby was grunting and had a low blood sugar. But he will be fine. Just needs a bit of help to get his system working well. He was absolutely adorable. I could of just kissed him!

Later I was covering for a nurse who had to leave the unit for her break. Her pt. was 20 weeks with twins and in PTL. Pre Term Labor. She was lying in Trendelenburg position which means her feet were higher than her head! Looked Uncomfortable! Her BIG problem was one of her babys amniotic bag had ruptured and his little leg was down in moms vagina. NOT a good thing BTW! Basically this is a death sentence. The baby is too young to save...and its only a matter of time, probaby days before he is born. A baby is not viable ( I hate that word!) until about 24 weeks. She put her light on and I answered it..
"I feel more movement in my vagina than I did earlier" she said. Ohh no I think. I get the resident and she does a speculum exam. She points out the little leg protruding in the moms vagina. This is a heartbreaking situation. The parents are in their mid 30s and have no children. This is an IVF. In Vitro Fertilization pregnancy.
The "hope" is to sew her cervix shut once baby A is born. Can this work? Probably not...but it could. So I reassure the mom and say a little prayer in my mind as I walk out her door. I also said a prayer for her NOT to deliver while I was in charge of her for the next 30 mins. Lucky for me she did not.

So I had highs and lows at work last night. Great joy for a sweet fat little baby boy and great sadness for the small living but doomed babys still unborn.

..I still love my job tho. It's strange the strength that comes to you when you need it. When I think about some of these things I feel really saddened and ackward about dealing with the situations. But when they actually happen, I step up to the plate. I get pleasure in doing what I can do to help. Thank God!!

...n One more!

2008-08-03T15:14:00.002-04:00

I love these little guys too. Ever find one? It's called a Hummingbird Moth. And I swear when you see them you Almost think they're a small bird. IE a hummingbird.
They're all over my butterfly bush. Fascinating!

Ever see one of These?

2008-08-03T15:11:00.003-04:00

I Love my new Camera! I made a photo boo boo here tho. Butterflys too centered. It's still pretty tho eh?

Top 10 Things Not to Say to Your Wife in the Last Week of Pregnancy!

2008-08-03T14:21:00.002-04:00

I found these reading and thought I'd share. Now I can Just imagine some men actually Saying these things to women. Trust me. I've heard some I could add here!
Sometimes I think this whole "support" persons thing is a bad thing lol. I have to shhhhh them! Amazing really...

1.Honey, I don’t mean to alarm you, but have you ever read about anyone actually popping from being so big?

2.Hey Babe, is it OK that I invited some of the guys from work over to see how big you are? They won’t believe me.

3.Honey, come in here and see this horse giving birth on TV. Oh, man that looks like that’s gotta hurt.

4.Honey, I was just straightening up the bedroom…can you tell me if this is a fitted sheet or a pair of your underwear?

5.You’re dreading labor?! Do you know how sore my feet get from standing beside you that whole time?

6.Boy it would be really nice if you went a week or two late so I could watch the six-part mini-series on PBS.

7.No, I couldn’t eat another bite honey. I ate so much I feel…like you.

8.Why don’t you go take a nice, relaxing, hot bath? But don’t put much water in the tub because it’ll overflow when you get in.

9.No, you don’t look huge. “Huge” is such a harsh word…I prefer the term “healthy.”

Little Kitten Pictures I Swear!!

2008-08-01T16:46:00.005-04:00

Lol ok so maybe my recent post on Infant Death was wayyy too morbid and morose for most. So I want you to see my kitten pics. NOoo I'm not selling out! Or being trite.
I really Did take these kitten pics!

Ok so here's the scoop. Our neighbors Very nicely let us come over and swim in their lovely in ground pool whenEver we want. Today we wanted too..and when we arrived she told us about the 2 kittens that one of her boarders brought home. Apparently she found them sitting by the side of the road. Awww I hear ya! These are the most lovely friendly adorable balls of fluff I've seen in Eons. Well besides my Elvis and Sassy that is~
..and No they do Not know I was cooing and swooning over these little ones. Ahem.
Ok so back to the story. I have my new camera which Thankfully I had brought with me to take some swimming photo's. These kittens are Not fural, they def. have been brought up with people. They aren't even afraid of the dogs...

So without further adeu, here are some sweet little kitty pictures. I hope my photography bloggin friends jump in and offer Any and all suggestions. Thanks guys. Stay cool..its HOT out there!

Elvis!

2008-08-01T15:45:00.001-04:00

Ok so Finally today at 3pm my vet gave me a call. Elvis's blood tests all came out normal! Well I should say he had a T3 and T4; the T4 being slightly elevated but the T3 normal which makes it all a normal high. Ok so thats nurse chat lol.
All normal. He ran the gammet of tests too...

So the option is this. To totally put our minds at rest he said we could do a needle biopsy. Come in the am and leave in the afternoon. Slight sedation and send the spec off to a pathologist.

I'm calling now to see how much; but we've decided we're going to do it no matter What the cost. Just so our minds can be at peace....

Saying Hello and Saying Goodbye..

2008-08-01T09:51:00.003-04:00

...this will be a difficult subject to blog on; but one that needs to be shared.

Childbirth is something we go into fully expecting to finish with a fresh pink lusty crying baby. But sometimes that's not the case. In fact, Until I worked in the L&D dept. I never realized how many baby didn't get to have that chance.Everyone feels being an L&D nurse is attractive because most of the time the "patients" aren't really patients. Because they're not sick, they're in their prime of life. There is loads of suffering tho. Women in labor, even with epidurals which are so popular today Still have alot of discomfort. There is always some mucous, feces, urine, blood and usually vomit. As a nurse there is only so much you can do to alleviate the pain. It's difficult sometimes to remain composed while helping a mom deal with these discomforts of delivery.

So we like to think its always happy in L&D. But death is always lurking on the unit. Its a common occurrence. More than I realized! As you monitor the mom's strip closely evaluating the FHT's (fetal heart tones) you always have to keep in mind the real possibility that this new little baby might not get to see the light; and may quickly decelerate and god forbid, die on you.

Sometimes the Mom goes to her doctors visit and he has to tell her that there are no heart tones; that they baby's died. And they just don't know why. This can happen at any stage of pregnancy unfortunately.

My patient the other night had been told her baby was gone. She was scheduled to come into the hospital the next day and have her labor induced. As I approached this young couple I could see the pain they were carrying. Tears were dried on both their faces and the veil of death hung over them. It felt strange to walk them down the hall past mothers with healthy infants sat just feet away in their safe rooms. It just felt so wrong.

As I explained what I was going to do; I tried to be most respectful of their pain. I first told them how sorry I was for their pain. For their loss...
Its a hard thing to put into words. But we know that its best dealt with face on. Their baby died. Not their fetus, nor did they lose a "pregnancy". They lost their child, no matter what the gestational age. That's how I feel and that's how I deal with it. Its a real child and needs their place in the family recognized.
This mom was 23 weeks along. It seems to be a common time of fetal death. There must be a very important transformation that happens around that time; and sometimes it just doesn't happen.

I hooked her up to a monitor to see her contractions after having her change into the gown. They I started her IV and her pitocin. I then told her when her contractions became difficult to manage to let me know and I'd call the anesthesiologist for her epidural. This mom did Not need to get any award for her stoicism during labor.

The labor took almost 10 hrs to produce a birth. A stillborn baby girl was delivered and placed in my hands. I wrapped her gently in a blanket and took her to the warming table to tidy her up. It is policy to encourage parents of dead infants to see, touch and hold their babies after delivery. At first, most parents are horrified and decline quickly. But usually after a bit, they tentatively ask to at least see the baby, after we explain how this helps with the grieving process. Research has shown that parents are better able to resolve their loss better if they see their baby and know what they look like. This also gives them the opportunity to say goodbye.

As I carefully cleaned and wrapped this little baby, my heart was breaking. With tears in my eyes I went to the bedside and told the parents they could see and hold her when they were ready. They knew how to get in touch with me, and I left the room to allow them to have their time together. Then I went into the bathroom and just cried until I felt empty.

The parents did want to see and hold their baby after about 30 mins. I gently picked her up and placed her in her mothers arms. The mother broke down and just sobbed. That's when my tears started up again. I bent down and hugged the mom and just said "I'm so sorry..so sorry". The parents held that baby for 5 hrs before they were ready to give her up. They had the grandparents come visit and everyone had their chance to say goodbye. It was heart wrenching but I felt a sense of peace that they were dealing with their horror face on. They were so strong...
So this is the dark side of my job. Lucky for me, they rotate the IUFD's amongst the staff so its fair and distributed evenly. I should not have another demise for weeks, hopefully months. Its very hard and very heartbreaking.

We as nurses do everything we can to facilitate healing of this suffering. We take photo's and wrap the little one in precious clothes handmade by women somewhere who make extra small gowns and bonnets just for these babies. You can see the love sewn into these garments. We give the parents a memory box filled with things to remember their child by. The measuring tape, the clothes the baby was dressed in, photo's and a small teddy. This teddy appears in the photo next to the baby. As harsh and terrible as this all sounds, it really does validate this child's life as best we can.

If the parents don't want the box at the time of discharge, its put into storage for a time when they probably will want it.

My heart was heavy that day as I walked off the floor. But I knew I had done all I could to tenderly and carefully care for this family.
I was glad to come into my next shift and have someone just getting ready to push. To see that 8lb 9oz baby enter the world screaming made me dizzy with joy!

..I go back to work tonight. I never know what is waiting for me..but I Love my job. This is why I became a nurse.

Love Talking but...

2008-07-31T22:36:00.001-04:00

Aghhh No Time to blog! I have thoughts tumbling around in my head. But I'll have to hold them til tomorrow. Anyway, know I miss ya's!! Keep up the great blogging work btw =)

Mmmmm Juicy~

2008-07-30T20:26:00.001-04:00

..before it gets later in the season, let me show you my strawberrys from June. Mmm!! Juicy they were too!! I love making jam, when I have the time. But I didn't. Maybe next year. LOL Uhhuh!

2008-07-30T15:08:00.004-04:00

I sped outside last week after a torential rainfall. Something about the droplets of rain hanging off the bushes by the driveway was fastionating to me. I ran this photo thru a filter called Ambience. This was taken with my small point and shoot Canon.