Friday, October 2, 2009
The Pic Says It All
My sister has swine flu (H1N1). Boo. My mom is showing symptoms. I'm hoping my minimal contact with my sister will protect me; however, I have had much more contact with my mom. I'm also crossing my fingers for Amber as well. We can't take a whole lot of time off work because we have that trip to Florida in November.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Plan B
Well, as all of you are probably tired of hearing, there's something up with my baby making junk...so...we're on to plan B. Amber is temping and using OPKs. Yesterday was CD 12 and she already is showing progress...I say she'll probably have a positive reading on the OPK within 2 days. We'll confirm with Smileys. Its kind of a bummer that I wont be carrying first as planned, but having a sweet baby is so much more important. :-)
In other news, Dakota graduated from puppy school! He is such a smart (yet, stubborn) little "it" (lol, he just got neutered on Wednesday). His training is no where near over, but for now I'll leave you with a photo...
Sunday, September 6, 2009
New Plans
After we move into the new place (we're guessing after the new year...cuz of the brand new car we bought for Amber) we are going to actively pursue a family by every available avenue. We decided that as soon as we get settled, we'll have a home study done and apply to the "foster to adopt" program, sign up with a private adoption agency, and also go to fertility specialists to pursue getting pregnant as well. Let's call it multi-tasking towards completing our family. It'll probably be expensive and will take a lot of sacrifice on our part, but I know this will increase our chances of having a family. So, that's the new plan.
P.S. We're doing Thanksgiving on our own this year...in FLORIDA! Mom's giving us a week in Orlando. It's conditional right now (if Amz' work lets her off) but we'll be gone from the 21st - 28th. We'll hit all the major theme parks and we're open to other suggestions of things to do.
P.S. We're doing Thanksgiving on our own this year...in FLORIDA! Mom's giving us a week in Orlando. It's conditional right now (if Amz' work lets her off) but we'll be gone from the 21st - 28th. We'll hit all the major theme parks and we're open to other suggestions of things to do.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Grr...
I just don't think I ovulate. I had 2 negatives on the fertility tests, so I know my ovarian reserve is ok. However, I've been testing for MONTHS and I've yet to see a true positive OPK. That's tons of $ down the drain for NO results. I recently decided to try the smiley OPKs since everyone swears by them, and as soon as I opened the package I knew it wasn't going to work...the sticks are the same thing that comes with the CBEFM. You know, the expensive monitor that ALSO never gave me a positive/peak reading. I would get to high on the monitor, but never peak. Sigh. So...I'm thinking its an LH thing. I don't think I surge, and therefore not ovulate. I suck.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Le sigh...
I had a great time this weekend. Its so nice to spend time with real friends. Like my facebook status says, I would love to have more true friends, but I'm too socially awkward to start that whole process. I'll just keep being me. :)
Dakota is such a handsome little boy. I truly adore him and he's so smart to boot. I miss him when i'm gone for more than a few hours. He can sit, stay, watch me, leave it, roll over, lay down, get off, jump up on command, and is completely potty trained. He doesn't like doing "just for fun" tricks like shake, play dead, etc. Maybe thats his working dog breeding. We've tried to teach him over and over, and he doesn't seem the least bit interested. Even for treats. I guess there are worse things, and we'll keep trying. He walks better on a leash now, but only with his gentle leader head collar. Otherwise, he pulls like a frickin' mule...and just as stubborn. He is finishing up puppy class and we're going to enroll him in intermediate class soon. He loves the water, he loves being around people (especially men...idk where he got that one), and he likes being social with other dogs (as long as there aren't too many and its not in an unfamiliar place). He is 5 months now. :)
Now for some not so good news. It seems like for every optimistic post I make, the very next one is full of disappointment. It appears despite the insane amount of work/money we've put into Amber's car...it needs MORE work. It needs new break pads on all 4 tires, and supposedly the parts are not very expensive. Her mother's bf has offered to put them on for us, which is nice, but it kinda sucks that every time we think we have something fixed, another thing breaks. I guess that's the nature of the beast because in the last week or so we've both noticed that when the car switches gears (its an automatic) it has started to shake. I have no clue what this means, but I'm guessing its the transmission and its not good news. My car, although its the same model and only 1 year newer, is still in pretty good condition, but it'll be needing some work soon. The serpentine belt is showing some definite signs of wear and will need to be replaced. My dad knows how to do it, but I'm not sure he's going to be in the mood/have the time to do it. That's all fine and dandy, and I could pay to have it replaced professionally, but turns out I owe the IRS a little over $300...from 2007. When I graduated with my first degree I had a loan that would become a grant if I graduated within 4 calender years of starting school. Well I did, so the loan became a grant. With all the other government grants I've gotten, I've never had to pay any money to the IRS. However, this time it was classified as a cancellation of debt, and I had to claim it as income. They sent me 2 different forms and I didn't know which one to use, as they came around the same time. So I asked my father who did all my taxes to this date, and he said to use the grant form. So I did. Now I owe penalties etc, so that'll come out of my next pay check. Yay. :(
So Amber and I are discussing buying 1 new car, and I'll drive one of the 2 others. That way if one breaks, I'll have a back up. I will keep up with small repairs, but if it turns out her car needs transmission work...too bad, so sad. I'll drive it until it dies. We're hoping that this wont impede upon our plans for moving into our own house; hoping AND praying. A car payment is just going to make our budget tighter. I guess it needs to be done tho.
So...that's that. I guess we're home shopping and car shopping now.
Dakota is such a handsome little boy. I truly adore him and he's so smart to boot. I miss him when i'm gone for more than a few hours. He can sit, stay, watch me, leave it, roll over, lay down, get off, jump up on command, and is completely potty trained. He doesn't like doing "just for fun" tricks like shake, play dead, etc. Maybe thats his working dog breeding. We've tried to teach him over and over, and he doesn't seem the least bit interested. Even for treats. I guess there are worse things, and we'll keep trying. He walks better on a leash now, but only with his gentle leader head collar. Otherwise, he pulls like a frickin' mule...and just as stubborn. He is finishing up puppy class and we're going to enroll him in intermediate class soon. He loves the water, he loves being around people (especially men...idk where he got that one), and he likes being social with other dogs (as long as there aren't too many and its not in an unfamiliar place). He is 5 months now. :)
Now for some not so good news. It seems like for every optimistic post I make, the very next one is full of disappointment. It appears despite the insane amount of work/money we've put into Amber's car...it needs MORE work. It needs new break pads on all 4 tires, and supposedly the parts are not very expensive. Her mother's bf has offered to put them on for us, which is nice, but it kinda sucks that every time we think we have something fixed, another thing breaks. I guess that's the nature of the beast because in the last week or so we've both noticed that when the car switches gears (its an automatic) it has started to shake. I have no clue what this means, but I'm guessing its the transmission and its not good news. My car, although its the same model and only 1 year newer, is still in pretty good condition, but it'll be needing some work soon. The serpentine belt is showing some definite signs of wear and will need to be replaced. My dad knows how to do it, but I'm not sure he's going to be in the mood/have the time to do it. That's all fine and dandy, and I could pay to have it replaced professionally, but turns out I owe the IRS a little over $300...from 2007. When I graduated with my first degree I had a loan that would become a grant if I graduated within 4 calender years of starting school. Well I did, so the loan became a grant. With all the other government grants I've gotten, I've never had to pay any money to the IRS. However, this time it was classified as a cancellation of debt, and I had to claim it as income. They sent me 2 different forms and I didn't know which one to use, as they came around the same time. So I asked my father who did all my taxes to this date, and he said to use the grant form. So I did. Now I owe penalties etc, so that'll come out of my next pay check. Yay. :(
So Amber and I are discussing buying 1 new car, and I'll drive one of the 2 others. That way if one breaks, I'll have a back up. I will keep up with small repairs, but if it turns out her car needs transmission work...too bad, so sad. I'll drive it until it dies. We're hoping that this wont impede upon our plans for moving into our own house; hoping AND praying. A car payment is just going to make our budget tighter. I guess it needs to be done tho.
So...that's that. I guess we're home shopping and car shopping now.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
I've officially been let loose!
I'm off orientation at work and i've been thrown into the general mix. It is my understanding that they are going to continue to wean me into a full caseload, although I'm already not far behind. My time management skills are greatly improving, as well as all those other nursey type skills i've acquired. I can already keep up with charting better than some that have been there a while.
I wish I could say i was getting along with everyone, but I cant. My ex-preceptor has taken offense to me taking advice from several other nurses (including our charge nurse) concerning our computerized charting system. By far in pre-op, we spend the most time with paperwork/charting. So when something takes 2 steps instead of 3, or if you can change a time next to someone's name instead of making 35 nurse's notes, you tend to gravitate towards the one that will wind up saving you time. I've been told several times I'm charting correctly because our system is charting by exception, so we simply state that things are within normal limits, and only go into detail when things are abnormal. However my ex-preceptor, who is an old fashioned ex-ICU nurse, spends an extra hour every day catching up on charting because she goes back into the system to make notes. I agree that some are necessary, but one for everything seems excessive. *shrugs* I'm going to go with majority rules with this issue; however, i may have burned a bridge there.
I also flew solo for the 1st time on conscious sedation today, while working with the anesthesiologist on nerve blocks. Overall, it went well. I had my first IV infiltrate while in the block area, which led to a delay...and we all know docs hate to be delayed...argh. However, the anaesthesiologist i was working with was pretty cool about it, and I started another IV right away. Otherwise, the block went off without a hitch.
Only thing I've noticed that kind of sucks about my job is that we're always short staffed. Its a combination of the hospital census increasing and nurses retiring/quiting. I was hired to be the 7th full time pre-op nurse. But directly after I was hired, a nurse retired, so we are at 6 right now. Well, another nurse just put in her 2 weeks because she is moving to Austin. So soon we'll be down to 5. Obviously, we need 7 because thats what management originally intended on having on the unit. Buuuut....now they are saying that we only need 1 more. I really hope they hire 2, because there has been a lot of interviewing going on. This just means that instead of working 5 eight hour shifts, i've been working a lot of 9 and 10 hour shifts. I'm super tired when I get home during the week. However, i have been getting overtime which is nice.
My sister moved into the dorms at Sam today...i'm kinda proud. Nuff said.
Amber and I are DETERMINED to celebrate Christmas in our own house this year...we are currently saving.
I foresee my new year's resolution to be: Become a mommy.
I wish I could say i was getting along with everyone, but I cant. My ex-preceptor has taken offense to me taking advice from several other nurses (including our charge nurse) concerning our computerized charting system. By far in pre-op, we spend the most time with paperwork/charting. So when something takes 2 steps instead of 3, or if you can change a time next to someone's name instead of making 35 nurse's notes, you tend to gravitate towards the one that will wind up saving you time. I've been told several times I'm charting correctly because our system is charting by exception, so we simply state that things are within normal limits, and only go into detail when things are abnormal. However my ex-preceptor, who is an old fashioned ex-ICU nurse, spends an extra hour every day catching up on charting because she goes back into the system to make notes. I agree that some are necessary, but one for everything seems excessive. *shrugs* I'm going to go with majority rules with this issue; however, i may have burned a bridge there.
I also flew solo for the 1st time on conscious sedation today, while working with the anesthesiologist on nerve blocks. Overall, it went well. I had my first IV infiltrate while in the block area, which led to a delay...and we all know docs hate to be delayed...argh. However, the anaesthesiologist i was working with was pretty cool about it, and I started another IV right away. Otherwise, the block went off without a hitch.
Only thing I've noticed that kind of sucks about my job is that we're always short staffed. Its a combination of the hospital census increasing and nurses retiring/quiting. I was hired to be the 7th full time pre-op nurse. But directly after I was hired, a nurse retired, so we are at 6 right now. Well, another nurse just put in her 2 weeks because she is moving to Austin. So soon we'll be down to 5. Obviously, we need 7 because thats what management originally intended on having on the unit. Buuuut....now they are saying that we only need 1 more. I really hope they hire 2, because there has been a lot of interviewing going on. This just means that instead of working 5 eight hour shifts, i've been working a lot of 9 and 10 hour shifts. I'm super tired when I get home during the week. However, i have been getting overtime which is nice.
My sister moved into the dorms at Sam today...i'm kinda proud. Nuff said.
Amber and I are DETERMINED to celebrate Christmas in our own house this year...we are currently saving.
I foresee my new year's resolution to be: Become a mommy.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Where does the time go?
I know i have been neglecting this blog, and I feel bad...but I have been doing 9-10 hour days 5 days a week, instead of the 8 hour days I was hired on for. So...I've been hella tired and end up going to bed around 9:30-10. However, I am liking the job, and I'm usually so busy that the time goes by fairly quickly, but its still tiring/stressful.
We have decided to give our goldfish away. They keep outgrowing tanks, which usually means getting a new filter/pump to go with the new sized tank, and cleaning their tank is a huge pain in the ass, and within ONE DAY of cleaning the tank, the water gets cloudy. I have all the best fish stuff, but apparently goldfish are dirty fish, and I would need a HUGE tank and a very expensive filter (or an outdoor pond), and I just don't want to pay $300-400 on MORE fish stuff, when I've already spent about that much (and the fish were only $3!). I actually just got a call from someone who would like to adopt them, and they might be able to get them tonight. Now i'm actually feeling aprehensive. :( I know its for the better.
We are going away for the weekend! We are going to sea world in san antonio and we are going to have a lot of fun! However, I don't think it'll be relaxing cuz i know we're gonna want to do as much as possible.
Well, now i have to go clean a fish tank. Fun.
Peace.
We have decided to give our goldfish away. They keep outgrowing tanks, which usually means getting a new filter/pump to go with the new sized tank, and cleaning their tank is a huge pain in the ass, and within ONE DAY of cleaning the tank, the water gets cloudy. I have all the best fish stuff, but apparently goldfish are dirty fish, and I would need a HUGE tank and a very expensive filter (or an outdoor pond), and I just don't want to pay $300-400 on MORE fish stuff, when I've already spent about that much (and the fish were only $3!). I actually just got a call from someone who would like to adopt them, and they might be able to get them tonight. Now i'm actually feeling aprehensive. :( I know its for the better.
We are going away for the weekend! We are going to sea world in san antonio and we are going to have a lot of fun! However, I don't think it'll be relaxing cuz i know we're gonna want to do as much as possible.
Well, now i have to go clean a fish tank. Fun.
Peace.
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