Another thing about work...

*Warning- if you are really sensitive about reading about babies dying, maybe read with caution? Nothing too awful, but this is a post about the unfun parts of my job:

Wow, back-to-back posts about work? I don't even post much, usually, about work.
You know one of my pet peeves? Referring to a baby as "expired." It really sits wrong with me. As in, "The baby's gestation is 22 weeks but it hasn't 'expired' yet."
Ok. I'm sorry, but babies do not "expire." They die. It's awful, it's sad, and they deserve dignity and it should be called what it is. They're not dairy products. Now, we refer to dead adults as expired, too, and I don't like that either, but we obviously get way more dead babies here than adults, so babies are more on my mind. Maybe I'm being overly sensitive, but the day I feel nothing when a baby dies is the day I'll be looking for another job. It SHOULD feel wrong when you have to take a dead baby and place them in the morgue's fridge. This may be cheesy, but I like to sing a little lullabye to the babies that have passed.
Tonight, I think I'll say a little prayer for the people who lose their children. And be so very grateful that mine are safe at home. Because if you have healthy, happy children, you really do "have it all."

The Bane of My Existence

...is duramorph. That's a long-acting morphine that is injected into the patient's epidural or spinal catheter to manage post-operative pain, in case ya didn't know. And what it means is, if you've had it, your friendly nurse will be checking on you veeerry frequently, you know, to make sure you're breathing :-)Instantly quadruples my workload.
Just what a brand-new-just-had-a-cesarean-mom needs right? Being woken up all night long? Ugh.
The pain control? Not yet convinced it's that much better than a PCA (patient-controlled analgesia- the patient is able to inject themselves with dilaudid and we bolus them as needed). I think some it works great for, others, not so much. And the side effects: Nausea/Vomiting (common with a PCA too), itching, respiratory depression, bladder retention. Sometimes it feels like we're chasing people with zofran and nubain all night....giving one medication only to need another. Not sold yet on this duramorph thing. I think it should be decided on a patient-to-patient basis whether or not they get duramorph versus PCA.
Other work-related headaches?
Breastfeeding problems. Neurotic parents. Hemorrhages. Infection. Not getting my time off approved. Being SO tired at work in the middle of the night and not getting to take a nap break, because I use my free time to pump. And so on.
On a more positive note, my patient's last night were fab. And I only had one C-section and one vag. Like, wow. Easy-peasy.
Sorry if this post was boring.

things which make me smile today

1. I got new cute shoes on sale in North Bend. They have a little heel but are still comfy! Fabulous.

2. Andie Lucie's "ma ma ma maaaa" whine

3. Aili knowing the meaning of the word "dribble," and telling me about soccer and how we only pass to our friends (I assume she's talking about her teammates!)

4. The poultry, with the exception of the Araucanas who are still itty-bitty, are OUTSIDE

5. Honeycrisp apples in the 'Burg on the way home from Spokane were on sale for $7.99 for a 10lb bag, normally they're 3.99/lb! Sa-weeeettt

6. I cleaned out my car and found like 10 stethoscopes. Now I can stop "borrowing" them from the pyxis at work

7. Work is actually slow tonight-I might not even have to admit anyone! Gasp. Oh, and no breastfeeding problems! Yee-haw

8. Woody the (sadistic) woodpecker did NOT visit me this morning- he has been showing up every morning, pecking on the side of my house and waking me and the girls up- seriosuly, it's driving me out.of.my.mind. I'm even considering lethal removal. Her must have caught wind of that, because he didn't try to wake the dead this morning! Yay, now I don't have to sit outside early in the morning with a shotgun, sling-shot, or try other methods like aluminum foil or motion-detector sprinklers. Seriously, considered 'em all.

9. I had naan + cucumbers + garlic hummus for dinner at 12:00am. Yumm.

10. It's 2 AM, I'm at work, and I'm not out-of-my-mind tired. I actually napped pretty well today

11. Babies with pink bow hats (when I'm feeling nostalgic, I make them for my girl babies at work)

12. Flowers in bloom- we have a few types at our house

13. My "nurses give intensive care" undies. No I don't always wear nurse undies to work, but I have a few. My favorites have a big syringe on them

14. Aili telling me that she wanted to hold me

15. Andie's baby noises- she sounds like a parakeet sometimes

16. My hubby is off work until Saturday

17. We got our Hawaii tickets booked

18. Life in general. It is just good.

Anything I missed? I think so. And that's a good thing!

Easter

We had a fabulous Easter, did you?
By "we," I mean myself, Aili, and Andie. Jeff worked nonstop pretty much the entire weekend. Poor guy, but I am so proud of him- his little side business is doing very well so far, and he is teaching some too, and of course the Paramedic/Firefighter main job- so dedicated!

Aili got to spend the weekend with my dad and Sigrid- she had a blast, got totally spoiled, and ate her way through many a chocolate easter bunny. She came back a few pounds heavier. Oh well. Here is a picture of her enjoying her bubble bath:

Andie Lu and I spend the weekend visiting Lisa in Spokane. We had a great time, and every time I go, I think about how I should visit more often! We missed Aili and Jeff, but it was fun having our little girl's weekend, too. I even arranged for some deluxe sleeping arrangements for her:
It's called being creative, not cheap. You should see my kindle "case." It's a huggies diaper. No, seriously. I mean, it straps, it's padded, it's somewhat water-resistant...it's genius. Right?

Andie Lucie liked the pinwheels outside church. More than she liked looking at the camera, anyway:

With her mama, in her Sunday best, outside church. Yes, I forgot to buy her an Easter dress. I suck. Thankfully Lisa's mom came to the rescue with this cute outfit!

....and some more mama love:

My sweet little one also got in some quality time with her boyfriend. And I do mean quality:





I just realized there aren't any pictures of Lisa and I. Darn! This calls for another visit, pronto. Well, she did a great job in planning a suprise party for her hubby's birthday and graduation/MBA. It invoved baseball, food, and friends. That's three of my most FAVORITE things.

It was great seeing their little family- Toby is getting so much older! Whatta cutie too...Andie Lucie's a lucky girl, don't you think? ;-)

...But I want a blue egg, daddy, and I want it now!

Ok, so upfront here's 2 things:

1. Yes, this is another post about chickens
2. No, I am not going to turn into a crazy chicken lady, or an axe-wielding farmer girl

So, as some of you may know, I have coveted the elusive Araucana (an Ameraucana would do, too). What are these you ask? Well it is a fabulous chicken that lays EASTER EGGS! (Well really, it's a hen that lays eggs that are blue or green. It's not like it's Jesus's chicken or something. Wait...did Jesus have chickens?)

I was bound and determined to acquire some of these chicks to add to our four birds we already have, but man oh man, that has proved to be a difficult feat indeed! Those things sell out like hotcakes! (Do hotcakes sell super-quickly? Maybe like Justin Beiber tickets after school lets out?) I practically had a fit because I drug my tired, worked-all-night booty to the country store yesterday morning right after they opened, as instructed to do by the employees, only to find out that all the araucanas were spoken for! Say whaaatt?! They didn't tell me you could reserve them, they said you had to come in first thing on shipment day! SO annoyed. As I left, defeated, I heard 2 women coming in, chit chatting about how they had reserved their birds. I was a little miffed because they didn't let me do that, but alls well that ends well, because the Mt. Vernon store had a few left (although they were going fast, too) so I was able to get 2! (and yes...they did hold them for me. I am such a hypocrite, I know. I almost told them not to, because I felt morally guilty after being frusturated that other people did that!) Let me tell you, those are some cute chicks! They also had some ducks that were pretty cute too, and I was *thisclose* to taking some home:

(angel on shani's shoulder): "Don't get those ducks, Shani. You need to finish the pond/stream first or they'll just fly off.

(bad shani): "But they're sooo cute, don't you want a lil' baby ducky? Think how cute, waddling around the yard!"

(angel shani): "It'd probably get eaten by coyotes!"

(bad shani): "They'd eat your slugs and mosquitos!"

I decided to be responsible and not get ducks....yet. One of these days we'll finish the pond, but for now, we have to focus on getting the Cluckingham Palace complete for the ladies. It is turning out so cute too, that Jeff is something else. I can't wait until it's all decorated:

Shani: "I want it to be barn-red with a cream trim with windows for them to look out. And it needs a window box with flowers! And on the side it should say 'Cluckingham Palace' and have a picture of a strutting chicken with a tiara! And she should be a fancy chicken too, real sassy-looking!"

Jeff: (eye rolling) "Yes, dear"

I'm in charge of finding this fancy chicken to stencil. I don't think Jeff knew what he was getting into the day he married me.

(Bonus points if you can figure out what movie quote the name of this post is from. Just substitute "golden" for "blue").

It's Raining in Our Tropics

What is with this weather? It's been a yucky Spring so far for sure...not impressed. I'm dreaming of an aloha vacation, and thankfully, we'll be going on one in September. Who doesn't love Hawaii? Last time we went to Kauai, we loaded up at the costco with all sorts of yummies- we like to barbecue and cook our own food on vacation at least some of the time and in Hawaii that's easy with the lovely costco and local farmer's markets for produce. Some of our favorites? Steak shish kebabs and Aloha burgers (teriyaki burgers with pineapple, avocado, and grilled onions). Quite festive in the tropics. Obviously we've had to be a bit more, ahem, creative with the menu in some of the foreign countries (a lot of them don't even have expiration dates on their food). But Kauai is super-easy.
So, I sat in the car today, Hawaii-dreaming, just driving with my babies and my hubby, exploring the local area. We saw a lot of wetlands and 2 lakes (Cavanaugh and McMurray). It was a little bit of a tiring day, as I worked the night before, but Telea (bless him) watched the girls so I could take a nap and then we tried to stay occupied in this rain. After driving around the county, we came home and I got it in my head that we MUST make coconut shrimp. Luckily, my husband is indulgent, and made these little bites of delight for me (he protested at first on the basis of he wasn't sure he could follow the recipe, but it is super-easy and I was busy nursing the baby. And then when I tried to help later, he wouldn't let me, it was now 'his' thing!)

Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients:
1 egg, 1/2 Cup Flour + 1/4 Cup Flour divided, 2/3 Cup Beer, 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder, 2 Cups Flaked Coconut, 24 Shrimp, Oil for Frying

Directions:
In a medium bowl combine egg, 1/2 cup flour, beer, and baking powder. Place remaining flour and coconut in separate bowls. Hold shrimp by tail and dredge in flour; shake off excess. Dip shrimp in batter and then let excess drip off. Roll shrimp in coconut and place on a baking sheet lined with wax/parchment. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes (or in freezer for about 10). Meanwhile heat oil to approx. 350 degrees (preferably use a deep-fryer). Fry shrimp in batches, turning once, for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Use tongs to place on paper towels to drain.

Doesn't it just conjure up an image of palm trees and clear warm water? Seriously, I can smell the sunscreen and freesias. So go make yourself some, and have a tropical day! Never mind the weather.

ps- When we go to Kauai, I think we will be buying a BIG bag of shrimp. And coconut. Bring on the deep-fried goodness.

28 Candles

That's how many I get to blow out now. And my husband made sure of it, too!
He planned me a TOTAL surprise party, and spent a couple of weeks doing it, too. And then while Steph and I were getting manicures, he watched 3 girls AND set up my party: 50 people were invited, and people came from as far away as Spokane, Olympia, B-ham/Lynden/Ferndale, and Kirkland (Leah wanted a shout-out, too :-)) There was awesome grilled food, baked goodies, and a cake with looottts of candles! And the best part; friends and family and lots of little kiddos playing everywhere. One thing that made me smile was how my party looked a little like a 5 year old's party, what with all the kid's stuff everywhere! It's funny, because the day before, I was obnoxiously tearful and whiney a little emotional about the fact that I hadn't had a lot of "socializing" time in with my friends and family-I've been feeling a little isolated lately due to the responsibilities of keeping up the house/working on the yard, motherhood, and work. I know now Jeff must have been a *teeny* bit exasperated- after all, I was going to get plenty of good catching-up in:

In the midst of his planning, Jeff realized that we needed some more seating for the party, so he made 2 large adult-sized picnic tables PLUS a kiddie table I had been coveting. Being the difficult creative wife that I am, I got it in my head that our kiddie picnic table needed to be either round or octagon-shaped, not rectangular. And he totally surprised me by making a beautiful one! The stain's not done yet, and I haven't added an umbrella, but you can totally see it in all of it's glory:

Seriously, there's like nothing that man can't do. 28 is gonna be a GREAT year. I can feel it in my (old) bones! I feel so lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life, and I had a great time chatting, playing, eating, and making s'mores until late into the night by the bonfire (and luckily, a certain fireman-NOT the husband- decided against "sacrifcing my picnic table" to the fire, although everything else by the house that was able to be burned went!) I just feel so overwhelmed with love and gratitude. Not only does my husband give me everything I need, but he is everything anyone could ever want, too. It's so bizzare the way life works: I met him randomly in a starbuck's one day before I had to go to clinicals at St. Joe's, and he was studying fire department stuff. Had we each decided to go get coffee even an hour later, we never would have met. We had no other real "ties" or mutual friends. He is honestly the sweetest, most caring, unselfish person I know. He makes not just our little family's life better, but the world better, too. I love you baby. You are so good to me.

Chirp Chirp, Cheep Cheep!

I love babies. So, I thought it might be fun to have some more. Enter babies, below:

2 barred rocks + 2 buff orpingtons. Aren't they cute? Those itty-bitty balls of fluff are pretty entertaining, too! We're having a good time watching them play in their brooder. I've been doing my research and think we have no idea what we’re getting into we can definitely handle these four chickens. Aili seems to be enjoying them, too- the first time she went and grabbed one I was a little suprised, it was like she'd been raised on a farm or something- that girl can grab a chicken!
I'm pretty excited for these ladies to start laying later this summer! (please help us if we accidentally wind up with four roosters...) We're having a lot of fun with our four new chick babies (and, I kinda want to go back in a few days when the Ameraucanas come in so I can get a fifth and have an easter-egg hen!)