First week down

It's kind of screwy because the semester started last Wednesday, but my lectures are on Mondays and Tuesdays. I did have lab last week and then this week is full of skills practice, class, orientation and skills pass-offs.

I would like to say I feel more grounded and prepared for what lies ahead now that the first week is over, but I don't. I am fairly certain the majority of my classmates feel the same way! I still feel aimless and like I'm wandering around in the dark with no direction. I know I should be taking time do some kind of studying or working on a project, but it's hard to know what. It's very frustrating! I'm hoping it gets better, or this semester is going to involve a lot of guess work!

On another note, today was the first day that Cami and Brie went to the sitter's house. I told them while we were getting ready this morning that they were going to Amanda's house to play with Sarah. When I got them out of the car, Cami walked right up to the door (they'd never been there before). The only anxiety came when they met the dog, Penelope (very cute, but a dog none-the-less, and the twins aren't sure what to think about dogs). Once the dog was out of the way, they settled right in and didn't fuss at all when I was ready to go. They both gave me a hug and a kiss and waved as I walked out the door. No tears!!! I was prepared for some drama, and there wasn't any. I was very relieved. When I picked them up, they were more interested in the swingset/playhouse and trampoline than they were in my arrival. I'd say the day was a success!

Tonight I worked on a poster about Maddie for her class at school. She's the VIP this week. We went through a bunch of pictures and she picked the ones she wanted on the poster. She gave me a list of her favorite things and I wrote them out on the poster. She's really happy with it. I am going into her class with her in the morning to talk about her for a few minutes.

Prayers for Collin

I've known a group of women for nearly 7 years. I've only met three of them, but I believe there are about 70 in our group. We all went through our pregnancies together at the same time with our "Auggies." They've been a great source of friendship, advice, encouragement and support over the years. We started out as an expecting club on iVillage and moved to our own private message board several years ago. We've watched our kids grow from the first ultrasound images, through the developmental milestones, to the first day of Kindergarten and now First grade for many of them.

Last fall one of the kids was diagnosed with Neuromyelitis Optica. There are no words to describe the suffering he has gone through. His parents were recently told that he is terminal and they don't know how long he has left. I cannot imagine the heartache and pain and sorrow that they must be experiencing. I have never met Collin or his mom, but I have cried for them and with them.

This has all reminded me to enjoy my job as a mom. To get through the "bad days" with more patience, more laughter, more love. Please keep Collin and his family in your prayers. I know they will be felt. If you would like to read more about Collin and his story, you can visit his website.

A new opportunity

The University has a program for nursing students. It's an intern position that allows you additional clinical and professional experience as you work with a preceptor. They hire them in most of the units at the hospital. I applied early this summer and didn't hear anything for almost 2 months. I met with a clinical staff educator who basically screened me and got a feel for where my interests are. They didn't have many openings at the time and she told me she'd forward my information on to a few departments. I only heard back from the NICU. I interviewed with them last week. I didn't expect to get it, but appreciated the experience to interview with two nurse managers and three RNs - it gave me an idea of how to prepare for future interviews when I'm done with school.

Yesterday my phone rang and I recognized the prefix on my cell phone. I could not believe it! I was expecting a polite rejection letter sometime this week (I've interviewed at the U before and not been hired). I answered and it was the nurse manager calling to offer me the position.

I am thrilled for the opportunity. It's a little intimidating, but they start NSI's with the babies who are just working on feeding and growing and work you up to the more critical patients over time. Once I graduate, I need to work at the U for two years. If I like the NICU (and that's the hope for the department) then I am hired on there full-time. If I decide I don't like the NICU, I will just need to pick another unit to work at.

It will be busy this semester but I only need to work 12 hours a week. The money is *okay* but I am most excited about the opportunity to apply the skills I'm learning in school. I attend orientation in about 2 1/2 weeks and then I'll start working in the unit.

Oh, and in case you're not keeping track like I am, school starts TOMORROW.

Maddie's in first grade!

I can't believe it. Here's a picture from her first day.



She's happy because she can play on the big-kid playground, her friend from kindy is in her class and she gets to eat lunch at school. It's such a long day but she did really well today. I do think she's ready for bed, though!

Just for comparison, here's her pic from her first day of Kindergarten last year.

A top ten list, of sorts

A compilation of things I have heard, been told, witnessed and discovered over the last week or two.

10. "Mom, the babies are dipping chicken nuggets into ice cream on the living room floor."
9. Finding poop smeared on a bedroom window. Hi, neighbors.
8. While cleaning up said poop mess, your troublesome 2-year-olds get into the freezer and bite their way into otter pops. On the family room floor. Did I mention they were red?
7. The twins jumping back into the bathtub right after I had finished drying them off and dressed them.
6. Cami and Brie hiding under the air hockey table eating fist-full portions of creal from a brand new bag of Marshmallow Mateys.
5. Brie running to Maddie for comfort and some cuddle time.
4. Brie coming to me with a blanket saying "Want cuddle, Mama!"
3. Brie: "I ya you Cami, I ya you Mannie"
2. Cami: "I luf you, Mama."
1. All three girls dancing, singing and laughing together when they thought no one was watching.

And a bonus
Cami: "Want hug!"

Nostalgia

Last weekend I went to a family wedding reception with Maddie, my parents and my sister. We decided to grab a bite to eat at Hires. While we were there we ran into some friends from the ward I grew up in. I consider myself incredibly blessed to have grown up in the T-ville 20th ward. One of the guys I ran into lived across the street from us and we talked about the fun times we had as kids/teenagers. It brought back a lot of good memories.

We moved into the neighborhood when I was 8 years old. Almost right away I became friends with Amy, who is and will always be my BFF. :) We had a few other girlfriends we hung out with but I haven't kept in touch with them like I have with her. When we became Young Women at 12 years old we were included in a very large, tight-knit group of youth. My favorite memories of my teenage years involve Girls Camp and Youth Conference and all of our other activities. We were blessed with some inspired leaders whom I still look up to that really helped me become who I am today. Aaron also grew up in the same ward. It is so fun to share some of the same memories with him. Our closest friends, family really, are also from the 20th ward. They have been there in good times and bad and I don't see that ever changing.

One of the biggest factors we considered in our home purchase was a community with lots of children our girls' age. We have definitely found that and I hope that they will be able to have similar experiences as they grow up here. It has made all the difference in my life. As I was driving through Mom and Dad's neighborhood today I thought about all of the people who have touched my life. Many of them have moved on, some have passed away, some of them I will very likely not see again in this lifetime. I know some of them may happen to find my blog and I just wanted to say thanks. :)

Karma Chameleon

Maddie loves to sing this song with Boogie on the Wii. She has the words down and is now working on the tune. :) You can't see her very well, she's crouched down on the couch and she doesn't know I'm taping her performance.

Sleepy

Last night was one of those nights that you just wish would never happen. Brie was fussing in her sleep from 9 until 11:30 - which is when she started full on crying. She didn't settle down on her own so I got her up and snuggled with her for a bit. I put her back to bed at midnight and she seemed to be okay. At 12:30 she started crying again. I got her up and just brought her to bed with me. I hadn't slept yet. She didn't want to sleep, she wanted to play with my face and climb all over me. At 2:00 I wrestled her into a "sleeper hold" and she started crying again. Aaron was home by now and came upstairs to take her. She didn't want him and came back into our room crying. This time she went to sleep pretty quickly. At about 5:45 I woke up because of the sunshine in our room and noticed she was awake too. Nice. About 6:00 Aaron asked me where the Excedrin was. Brie now let go of any plans to go back to sleep. *yawn*

She never did take a nap today, not for my lack of trying! This is what happened at dinner time. Too funny.

Procrastination

Sooo...I had all of these grand plans at the beginning of my summer break. Since we moved in last November, and I had surgery in December, and started school in January...I wasn't able to get stuff done the way I wanted to. This summer I have cleaned out the garage (which needs it again) and cleared out the excess stuff in the pantry. I would still like to organize the girls' playroom. This might be a moot point because we may be separating the twins and moving the majority of the toys down to the basement. (Cami and Brie are not kind to each other when the door to their room is close for bedtime/naptime). I also need to find a better system for the girls' clothing. Oh, and then there's the painting and decorating we would really like to do. It looks like we're putting that off a little longer.

Well, I have two weeks, and they're busy ones. I think I can get it done if I really focus. But man...what have I been doing all summer? Oh, that's right...I have the three precious destroying princesses running amok.

The right place at the right time.

My mom mentioned today that two weeks ago she was at a wedding reception for someone in the ward I grew up in. She ran into the mom of the lady that watched my girls for me last semester. During their conversation she mentioned that I still didn't know who I was going to use as a sitter for the twins. Amanda, the lady that watched them last semester, has since moved from EM to stay in her parents' basement while they wait for a move several states away. She had said she wouldn't be able to help me with the girls this fall because of the move and because of her pregnancy.

This whole childcare situation has been a HUGE source of stress for me this summer. I haven't had the details of my schedule, I don't know anyone here in EM very well. I did find an add and spoke to someone who was available to work with our crazy schedule but I haven't met her yet. I fasted yesterday and one of the things on my mind was childcare for the twins. I want it to go smoothly and I want someone I know I can trust with my girls. I thought about it again this evening while I was looking at my calendar for this fall.

While I was looking at my calendar, my doorbell rang. It was Amanda. She stopped by to offer her babysitting services. Her pregnancy is going well and she has talked about it with her husband. She offered to drive here from the south end of the valley if I'd pay her $10 for gas on the days she came out. The only issue was that her daughter has preschool the same day I need her. As we talked some more I asked where exactly she was living, because maybe I could drop the girls off at her place. She lives right by campus. I was in a state of disbelief. How could it end up working out so perfectly when just minutes before she rang my doorbell I was wondering what we were going to do?

I am feeling very humbled tonight. Very grateful for this answer to my many prayers.

Some inspiration for a Monday Morning

I'm having a hard time getting going this morning, so I thought I'd procrastinate just a little longer and put these two quotes on my blog. I wrote them down on a sticky note years ago and just came upon it in my scriptures the other day.

"Fill your minds with truth. Fill your hearts with love. Fill your lives with service." President Thomas S. Monson

"The greatest battle of life is fought within the silent chambers of your own soul...It is a good thing to sit down and commune with yourself and decide in that silent moment what your duty is to your family, to your church, to your country, and to your fellow men." President David O. Mckay