Done

In my last post, I was totally bored in the nursery. Hmm. How quickly things can change. The next day (or maybe the day after that...when you work 5 days in a row they all start to bleed together) was pretty much insane. We had multiple births and more than one "bad baby". I know, it's super mean to call a newborn bad, right? But what I mean by that si that they were kids with problems- mainly the fact that they couldn't breath properly. I was crazy busy all day, and once again, left feeling totally unprepared to be on my own. Whatever- I have a whole week off to get ready for being a nure on my own. Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Whoa

So yesterday was my last day on the "floor" (post-partum/antepartum unit) before I am off orientation and totally on my own. For today and the next three days I am in the nursery. I was kind of excited to have one last day to show my coworkers how ready I was to join them as a grown-up nurse. Hahahaha. Well it turns out that fate had a little something to show me about just how "ready" I thought I was. I started out the morning with 4 patients, 3 of which were to be discharged that day. (The whole discharge process involves a lot of paperwork and usually takes about 2-3 hours to complete). One momma informed me that she couldn't get picked up until 2 pm. This was problematic because the goal is out by 11, and if we are after 11, we have to write up exceptions (ugh). Patient 2 had uncontrolled pain, which I informed the MD about, and then he ordered a new med (injectable). The problem was that for this particular injection, you can't have ibuprofen for 8 hours, and she last got a dose at 6:20. She had basically maxed out all of her limits on other pain medications, so what that meant was that she would be in a lot of pain, with nothing I could do about it, for HOURS. Not good. The second discharge was an 18-year-old who seemed to be under the impression that she was at home. Her boyfriend slept in bed with her, and the room was a MESS. Stuff all over. And she refused to wake up and listen to anything I had to say until I literally had to turn on all the lights, and pull off her covers (some of you may remember doing similar things to your sleeping teenagers). The last patient was a fetal demise. The baby had passed away the day before and the mom wanted to see him one last time before the funeral home came to get him. So I had to go to the morgue and get him. In a picnic basket. Sorry to be graphic and disturbing, but I was a little disturbed myself! The basket looks like this:
Since the bodies are so super tiny, this is the easiest and most private way for us to transport them. Ugh. On the way back down, a food services employee asked if I was going to have a picnic. Um, no. I also just feel awkward being a nurse to a mother who just lost her child. There are just no words and nothing I can do to comfort her. It's hard. Meanwhile, woman in pain is on her call light every two minutes because she is so agitated from the pain. Teenager finally got up (once her mom came and yelled at her). We waited and waited for the doctor to come see the mom who wanted to leave by two, but she hadn't come be 1:30. So I page her: no response. I leave her a voicemail: no response. So I have to call the clinic and have them try to track her down. Finally at 3:45, she calls back and asks me to just put in the orders and discharge the patient. (Putting in the orders is an additional 20 minutes of work) and then the pharmacy sent the wrong meds. By 4:45 they were gone. At 2:30, finally my momma in pain could have her shot. So when I go to give it, the plunger comes detached from the needle and spays Tordol ALL OVER me and the patient. We were both stunned. This has NEVER happened! And then she almost had a huge meltdown when I told her I had to go order more! And then my arm got all itchy because Tordol is apparently not meant to be sprayed on the skin. Go figure. AGH! I almost cried about 4 times yesterday! It was very frustrating, and I left feeling like I had no idea what I was doing!
Today though, I felt much better about the situation. I think that "hell days" are really a good thing (even if you feel like screaming in the midst of them). They teach you so much more than any easy day ever could. And I feel like a better nurse for having handled all of it!
Today I was back in the nursery, which was horribly boring all day (we went form 3 babies first thing to none by 2 pm). Then during the last 2 hours we had 3 deliveries and we were super busy! Maybe tomorrow could be more of a balance. Please.

A new life

Last week was an...interesting experience. I am still processing quite a bit of what happened, so I won't go into too many details, but I want to tell you all about it.
One of my best friends had a baby. And I helped.
Liz and I have been friends since junior high, and I was maid of honor in her wedding. Since before she got pregnant she said she wanted me at the birth of her babies. I kind of laughed it off, and was a little surprised when she did get pregnant that she actually wanted me to be there, in the room, helping to coach her. I got a call on Tuesday that she was going to be induced that night, and that I should get in the car and drive up (Liz and her husband live in Madison, WI). I frantically packed up and drove ahead of a blizzard to get there by evening. When I got to the hospital, I was shaking with nervousness and excitement. It didn't last long. We were sent home. There was a communication error between Liz's doctor and the hospital nurses, and they didn't want to induce her, so they sent us home. Good thing too because the snow was starting to pick up. We went out to a nice dinner, and there was about 7 inches on the ground by the time we got to the house. Shortly after, Liz's mom and in-laws arrived. Then it snowed some more. In total, we got 18 inches of snow. It was A LOT.
So much in fact that we spent most of the next day shoveling. I do not like winter.
Thursday we went to a doctor's appointment where we were told that everything looked fantastic. They wanted to run one more test, and if everything looked good, they were willing to let nature take it's course. We packed up, I called and told Dad I was heading home, and went for the test. Which we did not pass. So it was off to the hospital to be induced!
Without going into the gory details, it was 18 hours of very hard labor, and not any sleep for this nurse or her friends. Liz's mom, husband, and I took turns being there for her as she went through labor. Finally, at 11:47 in the morning on Friday, December 11th, Belle Kristin McCartney made her entrance. She weighed 6 lbs, 13 ounces, and was 20 inches long.
She's perfect. I have never felt more love for such a tiny person! Aunt Katie is going to have to pace herself with the baby presents! I keep seeing tiny, adorable baby things that I just HAVE to get for little Belle! And I was blown away by my friend's strength and courage as she gave birth to her daughter. I have friends who have kids! I'm old!
Personally, it was way harder than I expected. Knowing what I know, with the experiences I've had since working in OB, it was torturous! Watching my dear friend in pain, and knowing there was nothing I could do was awful! Thankfully I can truly say that Liz's medical team was fantastic! There wasn't a single moment where I thought "why are they doing that" or "I wouldn't do it that way". It is hard to be a medical professional in a medical setting, not as the employee. I find myself hyper-critical, and the ladies and gentleman at St. Mary's more that exceeded my expectations!
Now, one week later, mom and baby are both doing well, although I miss them terribly! Coming back to working in Urbana was made a little easier by the return of my favorite person, my little sis, to the USA. There is a lot to be thankful for this Holiday Season.
She's Happy too. Really.

Getting Personal

So far, my entries have been pretty much about what I observe and do at work, but not how I feel. I have thought quite a bit about this post, and whether or not I was comfortable posting it, but I think that if this is about providing myself (and others) with an accurate account of my first job, than it is important to include. Please be sensitive as you read, because this is about as personal and private as I get.

On most days, my job is not only discouraging; it is the perfect birth control (as if I need it). I see women in labor, women with difficult, scary pregnancies, and women dealing with the dramas of a new baby. None of these things make me anxious to have any of my own. I am just fine not having kids any time soon. Normally.

Today, I was in MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic). The regular MFM schedule allowed for many first trimester screens (and congratulations), hospital visits, and prenatal clinic visits. That is a lot of happy pregnant (or recently delivered) women. On top of that, Melissa Zahnd (the APN) is 16 weeks pregnant and just started telling people at work. Everyone was screaming and jumping around and talking baby names, and hugging, and I was not a huge fan of any of it. As the day progressed, I got to feeling more and more…depressed, lonely, sad, whatever. I felt like everyone in the world is pregnant except for me, and it is not even on the distant radar for me. I had to sit and listen to Dr. Shepard telling Melissa that it’s about time she has kids because she’s getting old (at 30). I had to listen to Rachelle (a nurse on L&D) say that while teen pregnancy sucks, “eighteen-year-olds can push because they were made to have babies”. I had to get asked (3 TIMES) “do you have kids?” “Did you have a baby here?” “How old are your kids?” etc.

I don’t want to be a single mother. I want the perfect little nuclear mom-dad-baby family. At this point, it would be selfish of me to have a baby in any other circumstance. I don’t want to do that to my child. I don’t want to raise a child on my own emotionally or financially. Partially I think I want a baby right now because I am lonely and it would fill a void. Which is one (of many reasons) why it would be wrong to do so. Not to mention the lack of a baby-daddy. And partially it’s because my good firend Liz’s due date is so close and I am reminded daily that my friends are having kids and moving on with their lives, and I’m standing still. Alone.

I have said for many many years that I believe I was put on this earth to be a nurse. More so, I believe I was put here to be a mother. I think I could be really good at it. It is a huge responsibility, and not one that I take lightly, but one that I am excited to do. Being a parent is scary. I get that that. I also get that I’m not getting any younger. I know that 25 isn’t old, but each impending birthday feels like another year closer to that time-bomb in the biological clock. UGH. It's hard being single when you are surrounded by babies.

Lucky for me, the MFM clinic day only happens once, and I never have to do it again. Tomorrow it's back to Antepartum patients on the floor, and my 3 month evaluation with my boss!

Antes

Last week and this week I have been on Antepartums. This means moms that are still pregnant (and usually way too early to deliver) and on bed rest in the hospital. Mostly my day consists of trying to find babies in utero (with a doppler or the external fetal heart monitors), reading strips, and attempting to control symptoms of preterm labor, gestational diabetes, pregnancy induced hypertension. There is a lot of communicating with the doctors and other members of the healthcare team trying to keep things from getting out of control. Usually it works.
There is a patient on our unit who has been here since her 19th week of pregnancy. This week she is at 29 weeks. That is ten weeks of hospital time, laying in a bed, praying that her twins don't come too early. Needless to say she is frustrated and tired, and not always the most pleasant to deal with, but we have all come to care very much about her and the outcome of her pregnancy. Last night she started having contractions that we couldn't stop, and today after a small bleed, her cerclage (stiches that were placed in her cervix to prevent it from dialating) came out, and she dialated to 6-7. So they rushed her back to the OR and delivered her twins this afternoon. Mom is doing well, and both babies went to NICU. It was a tense afternoon for those of us who cared so much, but I think this is a best case scenario. We also have a mom with triplets inside, but hopefully she will stay pregnant for quite a while longer.
Today I got my "cycle" for the upcoming months. This isn't my schedule per-say, but it is the pattern that I work. Every month is the same: I always start on the first Wednesday. So while I can't always know dates, I know that the first Saturday, the second Saturday AND Sunday I will work, but the last two weekends I have off, and the last weekend I have 5 days off in a row- which is AWESOME! That means I can go visit my people! Yay! I'm just happy to be able to plan things in advance now that I know what to expect.
Oh, and also, we had a baby last weekend named: (get ready) KNOWLEDGE SINCERE. Seriously.

Boppi Blanket

So it was another super busy week in the nursery. Tuesday I was pretty much on my own while my cohort was at lunch when we got two new babies at once. Up until this point, I was feeling pretty good about being in the nursery--I thought I could handle it. One baby at a time. But two made me feel a little...crazy. I was still shaking when I got to my car that day. It's intense!
This week I also learned about a new and wonderful device we have in the nursery. One day a "code" was paged overhead. I realized that there are no speakers in the nursery, so if there was an emergency code, like a fire or a tornado that I need to know about, I might not find out. I inquired about this and my coworker agreed that it was poor engineering. "But," she said, "if there is a fire you get to use the Baby Boppi Blanket!" I raised an eyebrow, so she pulled it off the top shelf of our linen cabinet and put it on. Later I had to model it myself. Ladies and gentlemen, I present, the fire safe, Baby Boppi Blanket:
Oh yeah, you are supposed to just slide a baby into each of those pockets (there are two more on the back) and then run down all eleven flights of stairs to rescue babies from the fire. To me, this raises an important question: Which is worse: Burning in a fire or brain damage from suffocation and being jostled around in the baby boppi blanket?

Babies, Babies, and MORE BABIES!

As you may have guessed from the title of this post, this week I was in the nursery, NICU, and breastfeeding clinic. Which meant I was surrounded by babies, all week. I also worked 5 eight hours shifts, and while I know that's what most of the world works, getting up at 5:30 5 days in a row made me want to cry! And as this picture indicates- it was pretty intense at times! The way the nursery is intended to be staffed is with one nurse. One nurse and sometimes as many as 25 babies! The good part about this plan is that our unit nurses the dyad-meaning the postpartum nurses are trained to care for the moms and the babies as a pair, and we try to keep the babes in the mom's rooms as much as possible. First thing in the morning, when the pediatricians are doing rounds, all of the babies come hang out in the nursery. One starts crying, upsets his neighbor, and the next thing you know the whole room is screaming! Not very relaxing! As soon as the doctors are done we try to get the babies out to the rooms. Before a baby can be discharged, there are a whole list of things that need to get accomplished. They have to get a hearing screen, pictures taken, get blood drawn for the PKU test (genetic tests we send away to the state), and get their cord clamps removed (just to name a few). It is the nursery nurse's responsibility to make sure all of this gets done. The other part of the puzzle is that we admit all of the new babies that are born throughout the day. There are alot of things that have to happen within the first hour of life. The babies get a full assessment (takes about 10 minutes), vital signs get checked every half and hour for two hours, they get their "eyes and thighs" (erythromycin in the eyes and hep. B and vitamin K shots in the thighs), and they get their first bath. It gets comlicated when you have a twin birth, or a vaginal delivery and a c-section two minutes apart. HECTIC! Twice this week we had eight or nine babies born during the eight hour shift I worked. Yesterday, doing a new admission, I had an important first- I got peed on. My fault, I was standing at the end of the warmer, and I hadn't put a diaper on him yet...next thing I know-pee all down the front of my shirt. Ugh. Little boys are trouble. I also spent a day rotating in the breastfeeding clinic (interesting, but lots of boobs). And on Wednesday I spent a day in the NICU. They say we might float down to the step-down NICU sometimes (where the feeder-grower babies are, nothing too intense).
As most of you probably know, I went into nursing, in short, because of babies. I wanted a job where I could get paid good money to hold babies all day. Later in the journey I found the Neonatal ICU, and thought that that was my future-as a NICU nurse. I knew it was unlikely to get a job in a NICU right out of school, and the position I did get was almost too-good-to-be-true. However, going into it, I figured I would tolerate the moms, but nursery would really be my forte. After this week, I find myself anxious to get back out on the unit with the mommas! The one thing I really like about the postpartum nursing is the teaching...and you can't teach much to a baby. I was really suprised to find myself feeling this way- I'm a baby nurse! But I guess it just goes to show that God really does have a plan and things happen for a reason. Next week, more babies.

Moments

Sorry it's been a while, but life is busy when you're a working girl! And I've found that after a long (exhausting, both physically and emotionally) day, the last thing I want to do when I get home is sit down and write about it. I need some debriefing time or something. Still loving it though.
This week was my last week training on postpartum. This means that for the remaining eight (or so) weeks until I am off orientation, I will be in the newborn nursery and training with antepartum patients. In the past few weeks I have become very comfortable doing assessments, teachings, and even taking care of fresh post-op c-sections. By the end of yesterday, I was an EXPERT at discharges, sending 4 people home throughout the day (technically 8, when you count the babies too). There are about 400million steps to a discharge, so I feel pretty accomplished being so skilled at them already.
There were also some fun moments throughout the week. On Monday, a person I was friends with throughout most of my childhood and adolescence had a baby. While she and I no longer talk, it was fun to be able to meet her son in his first few moments and get to congratulate her family. Thursday I got an "Applause Card" from my boss. This means that a patient singled me out as having given her great care, and I get a free drink on Carle to thank me for it. Yesterday I saw a new dad not only gag, but vomit while attempting his first diaper change. (We're talking full on, hurling into the toilet 3 times here people)! I stepped out to get him a glass of water while the mom had a go at the diaper. The look on her face when I came back in the room told me that she wasn't much more successful. "It's not coming off" she said, "should I use soap or something?" I tried to hide my chagrin, and said, "no, just put a little more muscle behind it, meconium is thick, but it will come off". To which she replied "But her skin is so delicate, I'm afraid it might tear".
There are also those moments that in actuality, are very sad, but you just have to laugh to handle it. For example: A new mom's drug screen came back positive for marijuana. When questioned about it she said "Well, yeah, they told me I couldn't smoke cigarettes anymore because I'm pregnant, what am I suppossed to do?". OK. Or another new mom who's drug screen was positive for cocaine and alcohol (and as a side note, no, she did not get to take her baby home). When I was taking care of her after her c-section she complained of itchiness (this is a common side effect of morphine). When I brought her some benadryl she said "Ain't it funny, I'm itchin like a crack-head!" Yeah. It's not quite as funny when you actually are. Then when her friend mentioned that the baby looked awfully pale (both mom and "dad" are african american) she says "no, she'll darken up. She's gonna darken up", then after a quick glance at the now-frantic-looking dad, turning to me and grabbing my arm while looking me in the eye "She WILL darken up, right?!" Um...
My job also raises some interesting moral questions. I have found that some days, as you may have guessed already, it is like the Maury Povich Show. Part of our job is making sure that birth certificates and paternity papers get signed. The law states that if a woman is married, her husband's name goes on the birth certificate. Regardless of weather or not he actually fathered the child. He can waive this right by coming in and signing a document giving up paternity. So we have some interesting problems arise because of this law. Like a mom who is married, but has been separated from her husband for 9 years. She has been living with another gentleman for 3 years and he fathered this child, her husband now lives in another state. We aren't allowed to let them leave the hospital until both parents sign the birth certificate. Hmm. And the paternity papers...These papers are not required, but recommended in the case of unmarried couples having a child (if the mom were to die without this signed, the dad would have no legal rights to the child). However, by signing these the man is assuming responsibility (legally) for the child and also waiving his rights to genetic testing. So if it turns out that the child is not his, but he's signed the papers, he still has to pay child support. So, we have situations like: the man is about to put his John Hancock on the paper, and after listening to my speech about genetic testing, mom says "um, honey, you might not want to sign that", you can imagine the drama that unfolds.
Ok, wow, long post, my bad. Next week I'm in the nursery and I get to go to the NICU for a day, but I have to work 8 hour shifts, all five days of the week! Yuck!

"The Katies"

So last week was very informative, but really long and sometimes boring. Carle is trying to start an OB nurse residency program, so last week was spent in residency class. A residency is a "clinical, professional and personal support system that helps new nurses transition from student to confident nursing professional" that consists of courses, preceptors, mentors, and debriefing sessions for the residents. Some of you may remember that I had applied for a few residency programs originally, so it is nice to accidentally end up in one. I ended up with a random low grade fever for the second half of the week, which made it even more challenging to sit through 8-5 classes!
This weekend I drove to Chicago to have some time with my girls and have a mini baby shower for Liz. We got all dressed up and went to high tea at the Four Seasons. It was very fancy and fun!
Today I was back up on Post-Partum. Neither of my two preceptors were there today, so I got stuck with a random nurse named- guess what- KATIE! As it turns out, we have very similar personalities and worked well together. She is full of sass and sarcastic witty comments...much like another Katie I know...we ended up introducing ourselves to patients as "the Katies"! I got to do lots of fun nursy things: give flu shots, discharge teaching, check billirubin levels on babies, suction a baby that decided to choke in front of me...feel lots of funduses (the fancy nurse word for top of the uterus, see picture below)...it was a good day- at least until the end.

There is a patient on our unit who has been hospitalized for about 3 weeks. She is 22 and pregnant with her 6th child. (for those without quick math-she has been pregnant almost every year since age 16). She has been on bedrest for the past three weeks, and we have all taken turns caring for her a couple days at a time. Today, finally reaching 34 weeks (the gestation doctors decided would be safe to deliver at) she was induced. After hours of labor she started hemorrhaging and they had to take her to a crash c-section. The baby was rushed to NICU and as soon as her bleeding was under control they rushed her down on the stretcher to say goodbye to her baby. He is not expected to make it through the night. I am blessed to work on a unit that is normally very happy, but that might just make these rough times even rougher...It was especially hard becasue we all had spent time with her and seem to be greiving this loss as a unit.
In other news, I got my H1N1 vaccine today, so no piggy flu for this girl! Off to bed!

Baby Catching

So this week I felt more and more like a nurse. Yesterday and today I was in Labor and Delivery...and boy have I learned a lot! Like I learned that if a mom says "I need to get my pants off and lay down, the baby is coming" he is coming, and no, he will not wait for the doctor (or any experienced individuals) to come into the room, so when you put your hand out--expect that you will be holding a tiny head as it enters the world! (three times this happened in 2 days-once to me!) See the people in the picture and how they are all nice and gowned and masked? Yeah, me, not so much...I also learned that when I call a doctor, and tell them that I need an order for such-and-such, they just trust me, because I'M THE NURSE! And I learned that babies hear you talking, and if you are trying to find them (in utero) to put them on the fetal monitor, they will continuously run away, making you feel stupid--"outsmarted again, by a fetus!" And I learned that if the attending says "watch out, that bag is about to burst" you should step to the side or else you will get a face (and neck) full of amniotic fluid. (Luckily it was a resident, not me that learned that leason the hard way). I also learned that fifteen year olds are too young (duh) to be having babies, and they cannot handle the pain (You'd think someone was killing the poor thing, and then when she's checked, she's at 2 centimeters--that's 8 to go honey!). I learned that long after I go home at night, I will continue to hallucinate the "ding, ding, ding" sound of the fetal monitor alarms. Also, I learned that I have A LOT to learn! One (of many many) questions I have is "when you are checking a cervix for dilation...where do you look? I mean where are your eyes suppossed to go when your fingers are doing the splits inside some lady's who-ha? (sorry too much info?)...but it's AKWARD!

Anyway, the miracle of life still amazes me- every time I think- "un uh, there is no way that big huge thing is gonna fit through that tiny little opening" and then it does. AMAZING! And I cry. Every time. Not as much as the babies though, so I think I'm doing just fine.

What a DAY!

So Thursday was my first twelve hour shift, and apparently I had blocked out my memories of 12s from the internship last summer, because I didn't really realize what I was getting myself into! I suppose the other difference is that I'm not a student, or and intern --I'm the nurse! I can't say "Let me go check with your nurse" anymore! Luckily for a couple months I still have a preceptor that I'm supposed to check in with, so I'm not totally on my own! Thursday, I was scheduled to be on post-partum, and between my preceptor and I, we had five patients, and during the day we ended up admitting two others. Earlier in the week there were maybe 3 patients at a time down in Labor and Delivery, and 5 or six up on PP (Post Partum). Well Thursday, every room was full (that's like 26-30 rooms on each floor)! It was crazy! I guess it was a good way to start though- jumping right in! Because of all the crazyness, I got to do a lot of stuff on my own-assessments, teachings, giving meds, putting on monitors, talking to doctors...it felt pretty nurse-y! The biggest event of the day (no pun intended) was the birth of a ELEVEN POUND- EIGHT OUNCE baby! That's almost 12 pounds--the old fashion way--no ce-section! We were all very impressed! When I got home, I pretty much passed out. And then I slept for 11 hours straight. And now I have a three day weekend to enjoy- back to work on Monday!

I'm a genius. A tired genius.

Well, after much harassment from the parental units, the general consensus is that if I'm gonna have a blog, I need to write more often- so here goes, but it's hard! Man am I tired! I am still having a rough time adjusting to working life. The alarm goes off WAY too early, and when I get home, I'm beat! And that's just been 8-5! Tomorrow I have my first 7-7:30, so that might be rough! Last week was spent mostly in various forms of orientation class-much of which I have sat through before. I also spent a few hours a day on the units, which were pretty great. My department, "OB Services" is made up of Labor & Delivery, Post-Partum, Newborn Nursery, and Antepartum. They are split between the 10th and 11th floors, which makes for some back and forth, but really good views (as far as central Illinois scenery goes). My favorite day thus far has been in the nursery (duh). I got to take some first pictures, give first baths, and help with a circumcision(yikes!). The past two days were spent in Fetal Monitor training. Turns out I'm pretty great at fetal monitoring, and I got a perfect score on the certifying exam this afternoon! This was only really surprising because apparently I had some bad shrimp at lunch and kept having to excuse myself from the class during the afternoon...yuck!
And no, I didn't break six thousand laws by photographing a patient- don't worry, I just stole this off Google to give an example of the awesome sort of things I get to do at work! Yay!
The house is fine, I still think it's adorable. Tonight though, when the folks were here for dinner, I kept smelling a strange odor...like...pee...large smelly quantities. We all sniffed around, but were unable to locate the origin. Luckily, I purchased a pretty fancy alternating scents hot oil diffuser (read: air freshener), so I think the mysterious pee smell is gone-or at least masked by the stench of "morning walk and cleansing rain". Anywho, assuming I survive my first 12 tomorrow, I will be sure to fill you in! I got my first (emailed) pay stub today, for last week only, and I laughed out loud at how much it was! Working is pretty SWEET!

A Working Girl

So much has happened! Be prepared for a lengthy post! Over labor day weekend we went to IKEA and I got a couple finishing touches for the house...and by a couple, I mean a lot!
I got a bunch of frames, and blew up some pictures that Emily and I took. Here are a couple of sunset scenes over the bed...peaceful!
The living room! I hung the curtain rod all by myself with my new (old) power drill--THANKS GRANDPA!!! Also I am attempting to keep fresh cut flowers and some plants alive...we'll see how that goes...
The living room from the other side: I got the bookshelf on the right at a garage sale, and hung the light over the table on my own too! Also in this shot you can see the small dresser I got for $5 at another garage sale at the end of the hall that I am putting sheets and towels in.

This is another shot of the office: basically the same, except now I have a large laminated world map to make it feel more office-y.
Also, small details make me happy. Case in point, I have these hooks on my porch...which would be ideal for hanging plants on, except that would mean more things for me to have to keep alive, so instead, while at a fun antique sale down the street, I got this (middle) $35 very old lantern for $2, and hung it on a hook. Without knowing it, a collection was born! Soon after another was purchased at IKEA (the one on the left). The third was $3 at Meyer in the off season garden section. So now, I collect lanterns! (If you have any to spare, I have at least more hooks!)

Anywho, after all this fun house stuff, last week I wrapped up my job at Parkland and my nannying gig, and yesterday, I became a full time member of the working world (with benefits)!!!
While I was right about the majority of yesterday being boring (because I have already attended "welcome to Carle class" twice), I am having a GREAT TIME! It turns out that 4 other girls from my class at Parkland were also hired to the OB unit, and I really like all of them. There are 3 other girls who also seem very nice joining the OB team. We all went shopping after work for our infant stethoscope and some "nature themed" scrubs (our new dress code). The most exciting thing I found out yeasterday though, is that I might not be stuck on the night shift- in fact my boss said it may be 6 months to a YEAR before (if) I'd have to switch over! YAY!!! I get to have a life!!! Tomorrow I start actual nursing orientation, and next week I go to fetal monitoring class. I will be on the unit (wither in Post-Partum or Newborn Nursery) by Friday. This is it folks: I'm legit:

Bad News Bears

Last night, it would appear that I had another furry (albeit dead) visitor. After 3 weeks with no signs of anyone, there was a mouse in the trap in the kitchen this morning. Probably because it got cold this weekend...so there may be more to come. Not Cool. If only it were as cute as this:

Not much news

Well, as predicted, I don't have anything too interesting to write about, but a few little updates:

1- Last weekend I got up super early and went garage sale-ing. It was kind of exhilarating and I got some great stuff! I came home with about as much as I could cram into my car--a small green dresser (for towels and linens), a cool metal wine rack, a side/end table with magazine racks, and also a large bookshelf that didn't fit in the car but had to be delivered. The best part about all of this? I paid less than $20. TOTAL. Garage Sales are awesome!

2- Wednesday night I cooked dinner for mom and dad at my house. There was a minor incident involving some burnt cheese and copious amounts of smoke, but the good news is, my smoke detector does indeed work! I made potatoe and parmesean encrusted tilapia and it was pretty darn tasty! I am looking forward to hosting more dinner parties in the future!

3- Last night we had a torrential rain storm- I think it was between 3 &4 inches in a very short time! My coworker got caught in his car in a flash flood, totaling the vehicle, but he's ok, thank goodness. I stayed up long enough to determine that the gutters on my house are pretty much useless, to feel lighting quite possibly strike the lightning rod on top of my roof (or at least somewhere WAY too close for comfort) and to notice that the roof was leaking once again. This time it was over the sink so I didn't really care and went back to sleep. Notified the landlords, so maybe I'll be getting a new roof sometime soon!

That's all for now...more later!

Not much

Not a lot happening here, just waiting for my job to start. The good news is, that after grand total of 4 mice, I haven't seen any (dead or alive) since last Wednesday. The last to commit suicide didn't go down without a fight! He bled all over my floor first, and I found him with his little feet sticking out from under my stove. Not cool. Bad news: after a particularly powerful rain today, there appears to be a puddle in the utility room. A bucket has been placed and the landlords have been notified. It is only a steady drip at the moment. Clayton (the man who fixes things) says they knew about the leak, but thought it had been fixed...so he's gonna come over tomorrow to fix it. He said something about how it probably was just a shingle that got knocked loose in the storm. I'm not so sure. There are some bulging ceiling tiles that would suggest there is more than one shingle loose. We'll see. Don't expect to see much more from me for a while, my life is pretty BORING for now.

Little Ward- the world traveler

Today we drove to St. Louis, and put Emily on a plane to Africa. How did my little sister get so brave? It was hard to see her go, but I am so excited for her! She's gonna have amazing adventures and we'll see her in December. Four months is not that long, right?

Houston, we have a PROBLEM

This morning, I discovered that my house had a visitor while I was sleeping. A four legged, beady eyed, grey, squeaky visitor. That's right folks, I had a mouse (or more likely, mice). The clues have been evident for days, but didn't really add up until I found the droppings this morning. It started with a pan of brownies, covered with tin foil on my stove. A few times this week, I came into the kitchen to find that the tin foil was peeled back a bit in the corner. Blindly, I thought nothing of it, replaced the tin foil, and continued about my day. A few times when I have been sitting in the living room watching tv at night I've heard a strange noise come from the kithcne or utility room. I just figured it was a new place, and I don't know it's noises yet. And a few weeks ago, when I was over here one night painting my bedroom, I heard a strange chewing/scratching noise coming from the ceiling. I freaked out a little, but convinced myself it was just a squirrel on my roof eating a walnut. I never heard any more chewing, so I forgot about it. This morning, the tinfoil was peeled back, and there were droppings on my stove. I spent the rest of the time I was supossed to be using to get ready for church wandering the house, searching for other evidence. After church, I came home, and set four traps. Tonight when I got home, DEAD MOUSE. SICK. I put on a glove and threw it in the trash, screaming to mom on the phone the whole time! I also set poison bait all over, so if he has any friends, hopefully they will all DIE! I do not want any mice around my new beautiful couch!

A place to sit!

Saturday I bought (well, technically Mom and Dad bought, but I WILL pay them back this time!) the most beautiful couch in the world! Yay! Mom and I spotted it about 3 days ago, and I fell in love instantly. It was slightly out of my price plan, and I didn't really think there was much hope. There were some...perfectly nice couches for much cheaper, but they all came in one color-beige, or brown. BORING! All of the "pretty" couches were more pricey, so I was pretty sure I was stuck with a boring brown. Then I took Dad and Bethany with me to go look at (and possibly purchase) one of the basic models when next thing I know, I have convinced Dad, and we are laying down the plastic for my beauty! Oh and did I mention it's PLUM (deep purple) ?! GORGEOUS!!! We rented a truck from Mernards (who knew you could do that?), and dad and the furniture guys loaded it up. Easy. Getting it in the house however, was an entirely different story! After multiple attempts with rotating and turning it to every concievable angle, it looked pretty bad for me and my plum couch. Through valiant efforts by my parents, sister, and I, the screen door and all for feet on the couch were removed. It squeezed in, with less than a centimeter to spare! It is all set up now and looks great! And now people have somewhere to sit when I have them over! Yay!!! And I have somewhere to lounge while I blog!
Tada!!! (The chaise is removable, so that wasn't the issue with the fit) Perfect, no?

EMPLOYMENT!!!

I got the call yesterday morning-I have a job! Yay! It will be a staff nurse postion on the OB Floor at Carle Foundation Hospital, in Urbana. I will start in Post-Partum and newborn nursery, eventually rotating to antepartum and labor and delivery when needed. It is pretty much a dream postion, and since Carle is a level 3 perinatal center (the highest level you can get), they require their staff nurses to have a lot of extra training and certifications, which will make me extremely employable to anywhere else! I don't start until September 21, and even then, it's two weeks of orientation before I get to actually be a nurse, but it's SO EXCITING!!! It is a night postion, and some call is required, so I'm not sure what kind of social life I will have, but I guess that is expected at first. In the mean time, I can buy a couch now since I will be making good money in the months (and year) following September!

Moved In!

Mom, Dad, and Emily helped me move on Friday. It was a lot of work-who knew I had so much crap in such a tiny apartment?! I can't thank them enough for all of the back breaking work! Apparently there are pictures of that adventure, so I'll get those posted soon enough. I have spent the past two days getting all settled in, and despite the lack of living room furniture, it looks pretty good. I think this house thing is gonna be kinda fun! Speaking of fun, Mom and Dad thoroughly enjoyed watching me mow my first lawn...which was very painful and torturous for me! Mom snapped pictures on her camera phone, which will NOT be appearing anytime soon! Still waiting to hear from Carle about the job...hopefully this week. In the meantime, here are some lovely pictures of my new place for your enjoyment:
Front door, complete with cute flowers (Thanks Mom & Dad!!!)


New purple bedroom! Yay!

Lighter, Brighter, Living room, ignore the awkward lack of furniture...















Green Office, ignore the boxes...






Bathroom, notice the cabinet, which, much to mom's chagrin was purple, and HAD to be painted immediately, which ended up being a huge fiasco, but in the end, the tan looks just fine!


Anyway, that's all for now, but stay tuned for news about the job!

An Update

So the Provena (cardiology job) didn't really work out...I never heard anything from them either way, which I find pretty irritating...and I heard from a friend that a classmate had accepted the position...so, on to Carle. I interviewed with HR on Friday, and I think that went really well. Dawn, the HR nursing recruiter and I seemed to really be on the same page, and she acts like she will find a way to employ me, one way or another. Also on Friday I had an interview on North Tower 6 at Carle, with the nursing manager of that unit. NT6 is a geriatric medical unit, and while I'm sure (much like my past summer internship) I would be good at it, and eventually grow to kind of like it, geriatric medicine has nothing to do with Maternal-Child stuff so I'm not crazy about the idea of starting there. Yesterday I had an interview with OB (meaning post-partum/newborn nursery, eventually rotating to antepartum and labor and delivery as well). I felt like it went really well (but at this point in the game, your guess is as good as mine), and she has 6 positions open, so I think I have pretty good odds. Since I am the proud tennant of a lovely house for the next year in Urbana, this would really be the best job I could ask for, and a great transition (to a bigger&better NICU/town) in the future.

Speaking of house...I spent the end of last week and most of the weekend painting and getting ready to move in on Friday! The bedroom is a plum-sort of purple/mauve color (pics soon!) and the main living space is a light beige/sand sort of color. It really brightens up the space and makes it feel a bit more like mine. I've been taking carloads of stuff over for the past few days, yet my apartment still appears to be FULL! I have a few last minute tasks to complete and then moving day is here! Once I have things out of boxes I'll post more pictures, and I'll try and get some up of the color changes asap. In the mean time, keep your fingers crossed and your prayers sent about the OB job-I really really want this one!

A little taste--

Pictures!!! Yay!!! (Sorry for the blurry-ness of them, it was dark and my camera was low on batteries, therefore grumpy and not willing to take not-blurry shots) Enjoy!

Ok all, here are a few shots to keep you interested while I'm gone. The first is of the house itself. No, I am not loving the mint-green color, but it will be tolerable. I'm going to hang some plants from the porch and have dad plant hostas! Ben (my CUTE landlord) assures me that while I'm gone this weekend the branches will be cleared off the roof, lawn will be mowed, and trees will be trimmed. Hopefully it will look lovely when I return!

On to the inside:
When you walk in the house, you are in the cave-I mean-living room! The room has beautiful espresso colored hardwood floors, but no over-head lighting, and chocolate brown walls with a low ceiling. The overall effect is quite cave-like. Also, my pictures are limited to the rooms with overhead lights since I have only had time to visit the house in the evening and haven't brought over any lamps yet. So, after the living room is the kitchen. Here is a picture:
Yes, those are turquoise walls, and yes there is WOOD PANELLING on the upper half-gross!!! Oh, well, the size is good, the laminate floors are new and Emily matches! There is also a huge utility room, with washer and dryer (!) off the kitchen.

Down the hall to the right is the first bedroom, which I will be using as an office/guest room. It is currently painted Kelly Green, and while it might not be my first choice, it is tolerable! The hardwood is continued in this room.

To the left is the boiler room, and the bathroom. The bathroom is small, but has a tub, and some extra cabinet space, so I think it will be good.

Next is my bedroom, which has carpet (yuck), but it appears new-ish and clean. The walls are this lovely blue, which I don't really mind, but is doesn't match my stuff, so I think I'm gonna paint. Behind the bedroom door, there was a surprise...

Ben tells me that the former residents were artists, and that they will be coming back to pick up this little gem. Hopefully it will be gone when I get back from Chicago...

I mean, WHAT IS THAT??? And when you open it up, there are 3 sweatshirts hanging inside...um, ok...it needs to go ASAP- before I can sleep there!

Ok, well, that's all I got. Have a great weekend, and I'll post more when I get back and start cleaning/painting!

New Beginnings

Well, I may not be the fabulous writer that my sister is, but I've decided this blog thing is worth a try. My life is going to change in some big ways in the next few months, and I think it might be fun to document it. Sometimes it seems like just days ago when I left for UIC to become a nurse. Six years (and two college degrees later), as of Sunday, I am officially: Katie Ward, RN. Taking the NCLEX (the nursing board exam) on Friday I couldn't really believe that it was happening-how could it be, that in two short years, I've learned ALL that I need to know to become a nurse? I was still shaking so bad after the first 20 questions, I made myself get up and walk around, just to calm down. When it shut off at 99 questions I think my heart stopped! The two days of waiting were maybe some of the most difficult since I began this whole journey. The feeling after seeing that "pass" was one of the best! While I don't officially have a job yet, I have had 4 interviews (one at Vanderbilt...that didn't workout...and three for this cardiology position at Provena in Urbana). Hopefully I'll hear from them by the end of this week!

Yesterday, I signed the lease on a 2 bedroom house in Urbana. It is an older home, with some...quirks, and an interesting paint job, but I think with some TLC and a new coat of paint it will be pretty nice. I'll post pictures of the whole process on here, so you can all see. To dad's great amusement, I am supposed to provide my own lawn care...Um, can't I pay some 12-year-old to mow my lawn? We'll see how that goes.

This weekend (from Thursday to Sunday) is Wendy and Anil's Mexican-Pakistani Wedding Extravaganza, so the fun of home-rentership won't start until I get back...Stay tuned...