whew I survived.

It's Friday. And that means that I survived my first week back to the hospital. I won't lie and say it was easy because it definitely wasn't. I probably shed more tears on Monday alone than Everly did all week! The week flew by though and I have some great people to be working with that made the week easy on me too. I am able to go pump 3 times a day and some of the specialists are recent new moms (within the past 2 years at least) so they understand the importance of breastfeeding, pumping, and keeping up your supply so they are always reminding me to go take a break and pump. Then that gives me time to flip through my phone looking at pictures of Everly and time to just take a little rest. It is exhausting jumping back into things after being gone for so long! But thankfully I've had a lot of support from Jordan and my parents this week...I never would have survived without them and their encouragement, love, and support! My mom had to practically kick me out the door on Monday because I was stalling so much but now I'm ready to leave each day because the sooner I start my day, that means the sooner I can get home each night. Eight weeks flew by when I was home with Everly so I can't imagine how quickly these next three weeks are going to go and then I will officially be done! All that's left then is the certification exam...which I'm not even going to think about right now because that's not until the spring. I'm just thankful to have the opportunity for this internship and the chance to finish it after having Everly! Now onto the good part of the week....it's Friday! And my whole family is going to be in town this weekend for the Iowa game so I can't wait to see them, relax, enjoy some homecooking (I missed my dad's good cooking so much when they were living in Texas!), and love on Everly every chance I get! Happy weekend everybody! Hope you enjoy it by doing something that you love!

on the clock...

I'm officially on the clock and down to one week left of staying home with Everly... next Monday I will be going back to the hospital to finish my last four weeks of my internship. While I'm excited to get back into the swing of things and finish it up, I'm dreading the thought of leaving her! Ughh....too many hormones and too many emotions, and not enough time! I am pretty thankful to be part of a department that is so family oriented though and understand what it's like to have a baby and to come back to work after having a baby so that makes it better. And leaving Everly with my mom will make things a thousand times easier...I would be a real hot mess if I had to drop her off at a daycare or with someone else!! Now I'll be spending the next week snuggling and loving on her even more than I do as I count down my days until I head back to the real world... which reminds me, I guess that means no more days on end of lounging in my sweats and glasses. Time for wearing real pants and making myself look presentable everyday again!

settling in....

It's been almost a full week since we have all been home from the hospital together and we are slowly getting settled in and figuring out our "new normal." Since Everly is home on oxygen that makes our "new normal" a little bit different than it will be permanently. We still have the oxygen tube and monitor cord to be cautious and aware of so getting her up and down stairs takes some planning to make sure we don't get tangled in any cords, leave one of the oxygen tanks open, and unplug the monitor before trying to go in the opposite direction. Everly has been an awesome baby so far at home. She has stayed on the NICU schedule so far so she is up every 3-4 hours to eat, stays awake for 20-30 minutes, and then falls back asleep. She rarely cries and only fusses when she's hungry so she's pretty easy going...I think she could snuggle all day if Jordan and I let her! Actually, I'd love to snuggle with her all day but get nervous if I start falling asleep or if Jordan starts falling asleep because I'm paranoid like that and don't want something to happen to her. Jordan has stepped up into his new role as Mr. Dad and helps with diaper changes without being asked and does the nightly bottle feeding so I can sneak in some extra sleep! The past week has been quite the whirlwind and I'm so sad that it's Jordan's last night home with us before he goes back to teaching this week...time has flown by!!

And in other exciting news, my parents are officially back in Iowa for good! They got here on Friday and have made themselves welcome in our home and will be living with us until they find a house of their own. I'm pretty excited to have my mom around to help me out with Everly, organizing and decorating our house, and she'll be here to give me more advice and support as I navigate my way into motherhood. Definitely feeling pretty thankful that my parents were able to sell their house in Texas and my dad got his new job when he did! I'm so happy they are back in the midwest and especially happy that they are so close to us!

life in the NICU for 2 weeks

Everly is two weeks old today! Which means that her and I have both been living in the NICU now for two weeks...and what a change of perception it has been for me staying here and caring for my daughter, a NICU preemie baby. Just three weeks ago, I was interning with the Child Life staff and I was handing out massage coupons and Chili's giftcards to families and kids. Just six weeks ago, I was helping lead Parent Support group in the NICU and I was talking to mom's about their experiences at the hospital and what we could do/not do differently to help them out. And now, here I am. I'm getting massage coupons almost daily and we have received a few Chili's gift certificates so Jordan and I can enjoy a nice meal together. And I have attended a NICU Parent Support group where I decorated some onesies with my mom along with other NICU mom's and I got to hear their stories. One mom had her baby at 25 weeks while another mom had her baby at 29 weeks. And here I have been scared day in and praying every minute for Everly to get stronger when I know we will get to bring her home in a matter of days. These moms I met are praying for survival for their babies. They didn't get to hold their babies until they were 3-5 weeks old and I got to hold Everly before she was even 3 minutes old. They don't get to breastfeed their babies because they're too fragile and weak to even attempt that. I got to breastfeed Everly within a few hours after she was born... I never thought my birth plan and path with cross over with the NICU. I never could have imagined meeting the moms and nurses I have met through Everly's stay here. And I never realized how thankful it would make me feel because I know we are some of the lucky ones here. We are pretty dang lucky. 

The past two weeks have been nothing short of emotional and this is easily the biggest rollercoaster of emotions that I have ever been on. I have only left the hospital a total of five times since Everly was born and a lot of that was out of fear and guilt. What if something happened when I left and I wasn't there to comfort her? What if I could have prevented something from happening if I stayed? What if the nurses are busy and can't hold her and soothe her with soft words and kisses? Some days, I don't even like to leave her room just to go to the cafeteria to get some food... The nurses here are incredible and the doctors are very patient with me. They always take the time to explain everything, answer any of my questions, and help comfort me when they can see the fear in my eyes and tears balancing on my eyelids. I have to trust the care of my daughter and what's best for her to them. And that is pretty hard to do. Actually, sometimes, it's nearly impossible because all I want to do is bring her home. And some of the nurses have gotten too comfortable with the fact that I am here ALL the time. The nurses all work 12-hour shifts from 7am-7pm and then a new one comes in for the 7pm-7am shift. A few times, it will be 11:30am and I still haven't seen our day nurse yet one single time...I can't help but wonder what she has been doing for the past 4 1/2 hours besides checking in on my baby just once?! What if I hadn't been in the room when they thought I was? I do nearly 100% of Everly's cares which I'm thankful I get to do. I know not every NICU parent gets that chance or even that option so I will take any form of control and independence and normalcy that I can get. But man, nothing is more stressful, frustrating, and scary when it's 4+ hours into a nurses shift and I haven't even seen her once yet. And they wonder why I don't leave Everly's room often and when I do, it is for a very limited amount of time!

Today was the day we were planning to bring Everly home as a family and unfortunately that didn't happen. She had to do a "car seat test" because she was born before 37 weeks AND she is less than 2500 grams (5 1/2 pounds) so she automatically qualified to be required to pass the test before she could be discharged. Basically, she had to be buckled into her car seat for 90 minutes and sit in it without desaturating her oxygen levels at all... and because she is so little, she got so cozy and then scrunched down so she ended up being chin-to-chest. And well, obviously it's pretty hard to breathe when you're strapped into a car seat and are sitting chin-to-chest so her oxygen levels kept fluctuating too much and dipped too low. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement....it took all I had in me to not start bawling in front of the nurse when she was telling us we wouldn't be getting discharged and as soon as she left the room, uncontrollable sobs came over me. Now there is talk of us being able to go home on Monday with her on oxygen for 2-3 weeks which I am more than happy to do. The doctor says it is a developmental thing that she will outgrow with time as she gets closer to being "full-term" and closer to her due date. So it's a relief that it is nothing serious or permanent by any means...just a minor setback. Oxygen at home will be nothing as long as it means that we all get to be home as a family!

I have never missed home more than I have until these past two weeks. The first few nights here when Jordan would leave, I would find myself standing by Everly's isolete or crib, just staring at her and crying. Thankfully the tears aren't an every night ordeal now but having my family in two different places at night is incredibly hard. But Jordan is always quick to remind me that Everly is at one of the best NICU's in the nation and home is only 12 minutes away. So, like with many other things I've come to realize with being a NICU parent, I count my blessings considering the fact that home is less than 20 minutes away, Jordan and I are able to see each other still everyday, and I've gotten to see Paisley a few times here and there when I do leave the hospital. That doesn't make it any easier when I want to be in two different places at the same time but it sure as heck makes it more bearable. I will never forget those feelings and emotions that I was trying to process the day I got discharged from the hospital and when Jordan and I left Everly's room to make a trip home to regroup and get some things for me so I could come back because I knew I would be staying the night with her. The thought of us having a two-day hospital stay and leaving with a beautiful baby and balloons and celebrating were completely out the window.... I would never wish upon anyone the feelings and thoughts that we had when we were walking to the car without our baby and knowing that we were leaving her in the hospital by herself. Every time I leave the hospital without her, I get those feelings all over again... I can't wait until we both break free from this place together, as a family, and when she can come home with me and Jordan. We are excited to figure out our "new normal" as a family of four and I can't wait to close this chapter in our lives and her baby book and watch her accomplish many milestones in the future! Here's to hoping that we are all home together as a family and relaxing on the couch by Monday night! 

back to Texas...but not for good!

This morning my mom flew back to Texas... She has been at the hospital with me every single day since Everly was born until this morning. Saying good-bye to her last night was a total downer BUT a huge positive because the next time I will see her and my dad again, they will be back in Iowa...and this time, it will be for good!!! To add to the craziness that the past week and a half has been, my parents put their house on the market and in five days, it sold! My dad was dealing with that and setting up house showings while my mom has been here with me...and not only did he sell their house, but he also accepted a new job in Cedar Rapids. Whoo hooo!!! So many happy tears all around and I am beyond excited to have them not only back in the midwest, but living within minutes away from me! There's no way I could have survived living in the NICU without my mom's constant support, encouragement, advice, love, and company. And there's no way I would survive motherhood without her (and my dad!) nearby as well because I know they will always be here for me and Jordan and our kids no matter what. And that's the greatest kind of love to feel and I'm lucky we have that in our lives. We'll be seeing you again soon, Grandma and Grandpa!

let the pictures do the talking...

Since we are still in the NICU, things around here are pretty crazy. There's always some sort of alarm or buzzer going off, nurses coming and going, and it's just always a sense of "being awake". It's never quiet and it's never calm. Thankfully I have my mom here to keep me company during the day because Jordan is still teaching for now and saving his vacation time for when we bring Everly home. The days are starting to run together already so I figured I'd let the pictures do the talking for this post...

mom and her baby with her baby! this was the day Everly was born
and right when my mom got to the hospital to see me and meet her new granddaughter

one of our first mornings together of snuggling

she knows how cute she is

kisses for my sweet girl

we finally got to dress her!

"no more pictures, Mom! I'm trying to snuggle with Grandma!"

what this weekend was supposed to look like...

Everly isn't even a week old yet and already there's been several times where Jordan and I have said, "oh shoot, we aren't going to be able to this/go to that because the baby is here now!" And this weekend is one of those times. Tomorrow is our good friends Ryan and Alyson's wedding in Chicago! Jordan is a groomsmen so we were going to be heading there today for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner then enjoy all the wedding festivities tomorrow. Since I'm living in the NICU currently with our baby, the plans have changed! And I know this will be the first of many times that our plans change because of Everly...and I'm totally okay with that. Thankfully our friends are awesome and totally understand and they were even planning on Jordan not making it to the wedding at all and were just going to rearrange some things with the bridal party. I know he is bummed to be leaving me and Everly all weekend but I'm glad at least he can be there to stand up by his close friend and be part of their special day. In the meantime, Everly and I will continue to hang out with my mom, doing some crafting, and watch some chick flicks! Happy wedding weekend Ryan and Alyson! I hope you have a beautiful day and I can't wait to see pictures!

Everly's Birth Story

I knew I wanted to be able to remember and recall every moment that happened when our baby was born so I'm thankful that I was thinking straight enough to be making little notes in my phone throughout the past few days and especially on the day Everly was born so that when she grows up and asks about her birthday, I can tell her every detail starting from the beginning of the weekend... **I apologize in advance for this being rather lenghty! But there is nothing gory about it!**

Jordan and I had our maternity pictures taken on Friday August 30th at 7:00pm. It was pushing 100 degrees with the humidity and of course we were having outside pictures taken. But we fought through the heat and got some really great shots (at least from the previews I have seen so far!) It was totally worth it though because I had been looking forward to our "bump" pictures for a while so a little heat was nothing! Jordan was also a real trooper and stood by in the heat and was helping me up and down through it all. I'm so happy we did the pictures when we did because we never would have guessed that less than 12 hours later we would be walking into the hospital labor and delivery unit...

After our pictures, we came home, had Jimmy Johns for dinner and then hung out with some friends that were in town for the Iowa football game the next day. It was a bunch of Jordan's guy friends so there was lots of football talk and other "guy talk" so I was emailing my sister some pictures and pinning lots of ideas for future crafts/projects on Pinterest. We all finally called it a night around 1:30 because we had big plans to wake up in the morning to go tailgating and enjoy a day of Hawkeye football!

I woke up around 2:30-3ish Saturday morning feeling like I was going pee so I got up to go to the bathroom and as I was walking there, some fluid came out, like I had peed my pants, so I kept going and hung out in the bathroom for a while. I had assumed it was my water that broke but refused to think that or admit it to myself because I knew I would start going crazy and freaking out! So, I laid back down in bed and went back to sleep off and on until about 6ish when Jordan woke up to go to the bathroom and when he came back to bed, I was laying there wide awake and finally said, "so I think I should call the hospital..." Of course he asked why and if something was wrong so I just calmly said, "well I think my water might of broken like 2 or 3 hours ago..." And that woke him up pretty quickly!! We debated back and forth about what to do because I wasn't feeling any contractions or any pain, no bleeding, or anything else besides some fluid still coming out every now and then. And again, I was just still telling myself I was peeing my pants because, you know, that's just what pregnant women do I've been told. We decided to look through the book we got at our birthing class (SO glad we went to it when we did!) and I went to the page about "Early Stages of Labor" that talked about when to call if you think your water breaks... Turns out that I met each and every criteria so we called and I felt like "one of those women" who call the hospital pregnant for the first time thinking they're in labor and then it ends up being a false alarm. The nurse told us to come in and get checked out and to bring a bag "just in case" so after hanging up the phone, Jordan and I just sort of stood there for awhile. Were we going to meet our baby today? It's six weeks early! This can't be happening! Then we stood in our closet just staring at everything...we didn't have a hospital bag packed yet (I KNEW I needed to get one ready, dang it!!) so we just grabbed our comfy sweats, some hoodies, the few nursing tanks/bras I had, and our bathroom stuff. Jordan's friends were awake when we left and I sort of laughed walking out the door and said, "you know we'll see you guys later to tailgate. This isn't really happening!" We finally got to the hospital around 7ish and the whole drive there I don't know why, but I was freakishly calm and Jordan was noticeably nervous. We talked about final baby names and what to do if we did have the baby today and who to call first... then we just stopped and said, "let's wait until we know what is happening..."

Once Jordan and I got to the hospital, we made the long walk after getting parked to the Labor and Delivery unit. During the whole walk, more and more fluid kept leaking out and I looked like I had sat in a puddle. I was walking with some serious bow legs and have never wanted dry pants more in my life! When I finally got checked in and hooked up to monitors, the nurses said I was contracting every 4-6 minutes and was 4cm dilated already which I just could not believe. I looked at Jordan and said, "I thought everyone always said getting to 4cm was the hardest?! How is this happening?!!!" After they determined I was clearly in labor, I got admitted right away in a labor and delivery room. That's when I sort of lost it because then we realized we were having a baby THAT day 6 weeks early ready or not! We got settled into our room, which happened to be right across from Kinnick Stadium and we had a perfect view of the big screen too! That made us pretty happy and gave us a good laugh because we had tickets to the game! Shortly after being admitted, I got hooked up to the antibiotics and fluids but since I was contracting so regularly and consistently, I didn't ever need pitocin or any other fluids. Whewww thank god! I had always said I wanted as few of interventions as possible so I'm thankful my body was doing its thing and progressing naturally pretty quickly. I was doing great with just breathing, massage techniques, using the birthing ball, and Jordan's help that I didn't need any other pain management until I hit 6-7cm and I started freaking out. I think it was a combination of the pain and being so scared that it was happening so fast and that we were going to have a NICU baby. There was just way too many thoughts running through my mind that I couldn't relax and I couldn't settle down. Finally, I caved and I asked for an epidural and by the time it got placed, I was already at 10cm and ready to push...turns out when I had asked for it, I was in the transition stage and things were progressing fast. The anesthesiologist got done taping my back and I felt instant panic and said, "I feel like I'm either about to poop or have this baby like NOW!! There is way too much pressure for this to not be happening...NOW!!" So my midwife was in there already helping coach and checked me and was like "yep you just went from 6 to 10 in less than 30 minutes and you need to start pushing now...let's meet your baby!" Since things happened in such a whirlwind, the epidural wasn't in full effect completely but I think if it had been, I wouldn't have been able to feel the contractions and know when it push. It took the edge off that's for sure but I still felt in control and could tell when I needed to bear down and push. I pushed for about 45 minutes and between pushes, we talked about tailgating and football and then made guesses about the sex. And at one point I said, "I just have one last request, when the baby is born, I want Jordan to announce boy or girl" so it was a very relaxed environment and everyone stayed calm and helped me to stay calm and confident throughout the whole day. A few times my midwife would say, "you can do this and you're going to. It won't kill you and I know you're scared, but you can do this." Then 45 minutes later of pushing, our sweet baby was born and Jordan couldn't see because of the cord so I got to announce and say, "it's a girl! We have a baby and it's a girl!" As she was placed on my chest and wiped down then Jordan said, "we have a daughter and you're the strongest mom I know..." He was pretty awesome throughout it all even though I know he was just as scared but he kept it together so I wasn't a mess. During a few of my panic attacks, he would remind me that we were in the best hospital in Iowa and that we were strong people so our baby would be strong. Sometimes just getting a hug and him holding my hand was all I needed to calm down and relax through a contraction.

Everly was checked over by the NICU team right away but her APGAR scores were 9 and 9! Jordan went with her to the NICU for them to do the vitals and check her oxygen/respiratory system because the lungs were the doctors biggest concern. She has thankfully been keeping her oxygen level right at 100% so she isn't on any oxygen or any medications. She has just an IV for antibiotics and right now the only things we are working on is her feeding and trying to get her established enough to eat on her own. She has an NG tube and I get to nurse her every 3-4 hours then I pump and whatever I pump, they use that to feed her with her tube. The NICU staff are all being super supportive with breastfeeding and they make sure she doesn't get a pacifier or bottle to interfere with the breastfeeding and getting that latch/suck down. Thankfully her only cords are the leads on her chest for heart rate, pulse oximeter on her foot, and then the feeding tube so it's definitely scary and intimidating but I know it could be so much worse. Seeing them place the NG tube today made me cry and was really tough though...she fought it and it was just awful to watch because I felt so helpless! She is a champ and is being super easy going so far. We're hoping she keeps making improvements each day so we can get out of the NICU sooner than later. They're thinking a week for now at minimum but said that can change and hopefully no more than 2 weeks max. Once she gets the latching and feeding down on her own, the other things we need her to work on and do on her own will be regulating her own temperature so she can be in a crib, keeping her oxygen levels stable and high enough, and consistently gain weight. We have a few milestones and hurdles to get through before we can go home with her but for now, we will celebrate every small victory that she accomplishes!!

The whole morning (and day for that matter!) was a complete whirlwind. We walked into the hospital not knowing what was going on and then was quickly admitted into the Labor and Delivery unit. Once we knew our baby was coming early, we finally called our families and told some friends. When my dad answered the phone, he was expecting me to talk about tailgating and the football game so he was definitely caught off guard when I said, "well actually I'm at the hospital and we're having this baby...today." Panic mode set in for my dad and he kept asking how I was doing and the baby and if either of us were in distress. I could tell her was worried but I reassured him it was not a life or death situation and that we would keep him updated as the day went on. Jordan then called his parents and had a similar conversation with all of them as well. I knew both families would be worried when we called since the baby was going to be six weeks early but we kept telling them we'd update them and to not worry. Which is funny because somehow Jordan and I were both staying relatively calm while our family and friends were the ones freaking out.... and some of our friends didn't believe us that we were at the hospital to have the baby! Like I said, since things happened so fast, we never once updated anyone after the initial calls/texts that we sent out! The next time we called people, we had news to announce that we had a baby girl! I don't think you could have wiped the smile off my face if you tried and those phone calls were some of the best ones I've ever made. When I called my dad, he asked I was doing and feeling and I just said, "Well I'm doing pretty great...just hanging out and recovering because I had the baby and you're a grandpa again to a little girl." That's when I could hear a sense of relief from my dad and he told me that my mom had bought a one-way plane ticket and was on her way up to Iowa. I also found out that my sister was on her way from Milwaukee! I've never felt more loved or lucky to have two amazing women in my life and I was so thankful they both got to be there with me and my new little family on Everly's birthday!

All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better birthing and labor experience. It happened naturally and quickly, just like I had hoped and I had very few medical interventions. Jordan was an amazing husband as always and made a great coach, supporter, and teammate for me. I wouldn't have wanted anyone else by my side and even when he wasn't saying or doing anything, just the comfort of him beside me was enough love and support for me. I had a super easy pregnancy and felt good the whole time, minus a few aches and pains on various days here and there, but overall, I really had few complaints throughout the past 34 weeks. I can't believe it's over and that now I have a sweet baby girl. I've never felt an instant love for anyone or anything like I did the moment I saw her and when we first locked eyes. I knew in January when I found out I was pregnant that my life was going to change...and I knew in a second when I saw Everly that my life has changed for the better. Jordan and I are so in love already with her and can't wait to see where our adventures in parenthood take us.

new rotation = last rotation!

Today was a big day for my internship because I started my new rotation on the 3rd floor pediatrics unit and I am beyond excited for it! With the start of this rotation, it also means that I am almost done already with my internship. I can't believe how fast the past 7 weeks have literally flown by and how much I have already learned and accomplished. Anyway! Third floor at the hospital is the same unit that I used to volunteer on for Dance Marathon and where I spent a lot of time working when I was a Child Life Assistant. There are several patients and families that I already know and have a close relationship with so I'm really looking forward to working with them again and being able to spend time with them while developing my skills for my internship. These next five weeks are going to fly by...I have a lot to learn and do in the next 25 days so here goes nothing! 

a day in the life of an intern...

I left work on Friday as a Child Life Assistant and today I walked back into the hospital as a Child Life Intern! I don't think it really hit me until I got started for the day by going to a procedure in the clinic then attending rounds in the NICU. For being 26 weeks pregnant, being in the NICU kind of freaked me out. Ok, not kind of.... it definitely did. There were babies there that were born anywhere from 22-30 weeks gestation and it was very surreal seeing babies that were born and are smaller than the Peanut I am currently growing and hopefully keeping as safe as possible in my belly! I truly admire anyone who becomes a NICU parent and the strength of those babies because they are truly fighters against all odds and are little miracles! The first day was a whirlwind but a great whirlwind and the time really flew by... I'm so thankful for this opportunity and am looking forward to all that I will be seeing and learning in the next 12 weeks!

a surprise visit...

Today while at work at the hospital, I got a very sweet surprise visit from a former patient who was back for her 3-month check ups and scans. I hadn't seen Izzy since she left after her last chemo treatment well over 3 months ago and I was not expecting to see her sweet and sassy self! When she was first diagnosed, Izzy didn't take it very well at all and was terrified of anyone and everyone who walked into her room, and rightly so for only being four years old! She refused to come to activity and didn't want any of us to hang out with her in her room to play a game or do a craft. She wanted her normal four year old life back and to spend time at home with her parents and newborn baby brother. And all I wanted was to make a difference in her stay at the hospital and her course of treatment. So every single day, I went to her room and knocked on the door, knowing she would get upset and tell me no and send me on my way just like she did to everyone else. Until one day, that all changed. Izzy finally said, "well I like princess books and puzzles." So I brought some in and together we read some books and worked on some puzzles. It only lasted maybe a half an hour until she got upset when her pole started beeping and she was snapped back to the reality of still being in her hospital room and undergoing cancer treatment. But that one day of books and puzzles was all it took. I returned the next day, and she greeted me with a smile and invited me into her room to play Barbies and princess with her. I guess you could say the rest is history...

We hit it off and she was always quick to give me a hug or snuggle onto my lap. My heart was overwhelmed and I think it was the first time her mom finally breathed a sigh of relief. Izzy then always referred to me as "her best friend" and rarely let any of the other child life assistants do the 1:1 activities with her like she let me. There will always be those adults, kids and patients that I will form different relationships with and a bond with in different ways but I'm so thankful for the bond I formed with Izzy. She trusted only me to chase her around the hospital while she rode the tricycle as we went from floor to floor. And the day she left the hospital after her last chemo treatment, she gave me a sign she had made and decorated that said, "i luv child life and katie. xxxoooooxxoxoxo" and she drew stick people giving hugs to each other. Straight from the mouth and mind of babes...so precious. And I was so beyond happy to see her today as she walked into the playroom healthy with a head full of hair this time, a smile on her face that no one or anything could wipe off, and a big hug waiting for me full of love. Nothing makes my heart happier than a surprise visit from a special kiddo who no longer fears the hospital and I know I made a difference in her life. I'm thankful for my job and the miracles I get to witness day in and day out!

And so it begins...

Well, the second semester is officially underway. And with two days in, it has already been quite the whirlwind of events. And of course, the two classes I'm taking this semester are in the two formats that I despise of...online and at night. Double Curses!!! Seriously. Oh well I guess, whatever gets the requirements checked off is all that matters to me! I have also been getting ready to start my new job at the children's hospital next week. I don't think I've ever been this excited before just to start a new job! But I know it'll be great and hopefully a good lead in for my future internship and jobs. In the Child Life field, it seems like the biggest part is networking and it comes down to who you know, not what you know. I'm thankful I know the right people. However, I'm not thankful for what all I had to go through today just to start orientation. The hospital requires two TB tests, which yes, that is ridiculous. And why you might ask? Wellllllll obviously, because the first one could just be read wrong and is a "control" to get your body geared up for the 2nd one! Oooh right. Thanks Nurse, because my body was really sad without these two TB tests and now I'm gonna feel all nice and geared up after having both. Wow. I have a better idea....um how about you read the TB results right the first time so not everyone has to do a second one?! There. Boom, problem solved. Anyway, since I'll be in the children's hospital, I also had to get a flu shot and tDAP shot (it's a combined tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccine for all of you non-medicine people) and on top of that, my blood drawn to test for chicken pox antibodies! Which, if you're following along, that totals up to 4 pokes. I may be 24 but that doesn't mean I have to be okay with getting 4 pokes in one day...in a 30 minute time frame and two in each arm. This, I am not ok with at all. And no, your Muppet Character bandaids didn't make it hurt any less but nice try. Needless to say, I left the clinic with my arms feeling lifeless and slightly throbbing. You know when Ace Ventura got hit with the tranquilizer dart and his arms were just flailing around and he couldn't lift them? Yeah, that's how mine felt.

Now that I'm finally starting to have feeling again in my arms, turns out my biceps and shoulders are feeling pretty sore. Why must vaccines make your arms all achey and then your whole body starts feeling it?? And on top of it, I've already been fever-ish with a wicked sore throat and a nasty head cold over the past few days. I haven't had strep yet at all this winter season so maybe my body is finally caving in. Big bummer. Good thing the weekend is in the near future! But better yet, good thing my bed is even closer right now. One week in and I'm already exhausted. I need to start mentally preparing for next week when I have to work 30+ hours a week, do my own class stuff and teach all the newbies about health. Yikes. Since Jordan is playing Call of Duty (ugh, don't even get me started about that) I think I'll mentally prepare by snuggling up with Paisley and watch The Lion King in bed! I knew that 5 week break would catch up to me eventually....