Photo Dump!

This has been a normal week of paper writing, studying, grocery shopping, laundry, organizing...the usual. Adding to the fun has been the on-again/off-again nature of my clinical site. Looooong story short, I am currently set to take to the halls of Cambridge Hospital on Saturday night at 1930. If anyone is having the hankering to birth a child, the aforementioned would be a great time. Despite the years of study, yada yada yada...it wasn't until the orienter at the hospital told me I'd be getting a pager did I feel like a genuine student nurse-midwife. This is real and it's happening!

Mostly because the days have been mundane, the camera hasn't come out much. But we've had some leaf days and some snow days, so I just cleared off the camera (and my phone) and here's what there was:

Mom brought us a bushel of apples for our anniversary gift. H has been helping herself whenever she's feeling a bit peckish (haha, get it??)

H's new "smile for the camera" smile

Lobster hands!!!!!!! This winter is going to be a challenge for her. She was having trouble walking with the layers of clothes throwing her off balance

S and I went to the Cheesecake Factory where I got...(drumroll, please)....cheesecake!!!! And other good stuff...

The only damage we got from Sandy was the stripping of our trees. Lots of leaf piles made and disposed of over the hill

Forced labor

I've just thrown in the towel. Sesame Street comes on at 1000, and it's a standing date at this point. As H's down to just one nap a day, this is my sanity saver. Almost a solid 45 minutes to myself. I usually end up watching with her....especially Super Grover!!!! But I hate Elmo so I leave at that point

She likes to surround herself with friends, pillows and a beverage. Girl knows how to view

Elmo just went off the screen; this is her gearing up for a hissy fit till he reappears

First snow! We got about an inch and then it sleeted all morning today and now it's gone. The exterminator told me it's supposed to get warm next week. He also told me there was no sign of termite activity. 3 visits and we've been clean each time. Phew.

As it was sleeting/raining we stayed inside today. H checking out the snow

The thrill of being allowed to stand on the chair was almost more than that of seeing the snow

Showing Bobby the snow. These two are pretty inseparable at this point. And when she has nothing better to do, H chants "Bobby Bobby Bobby" over and over and over. And over and over and over and over....I hope you begin to see why the Sesame Street is so vital to me...

Another favorite pastime; looking at herself and shouting "Henhe!" (her version of her name). My computer's screen saver is set to pictures so H likes to just watch herself (as she makes up 97% of my photos) scroll across the screen

Pigtails and big eyes. Love this squirt.

That's it, folks. I was supposed to babysit tomorrow but that got pushed off so I'll have time to write the paper that's due tomorrow so I shan't bother doing it tonight. I get to get my flu vaccine (yippee....although I get the preservative free because of H so it shouldn't hurt as much) and then hope to check out the newly opened Michael's in Porter. Steve actually asked what I was going for and I just looked at him speechless. Does anyone go into these places looking for particulars? I just walk in knowing I can only spend a certain amount. I've never failed to find stuff I couldn't live without. Although I still need to get some wooden letters to decorate H's room with...I think I'll pull out some yarn and needles and get started on these tonight.  Happy snuggling-in weather!

18 months and 4 years

The past week was a milestone one for us. Henri turned 18 months (which feels more significant than a year to me) and Steve and I celebrated four years of marriage. And by celebrated I mean we had scrambled eggs for supper and went to a meeting at church. How quickly romantic nonsense dies. Anyway, I've been spending a lot of time looking at old pictures and videos of H as a baby. I don't really remember her as I think of her as she is now, but it looks like she was a pretty cute baby :)
Here are a few comparison shots from the last year:

A few days old

6 months

We thought she was so grown up already

Starting to scoot around

She's still a smiley baby

Last year



This year!

I hope everyone stayed safe in the storm. We just got lots of rain and wind and had to rake the leaves the next day. The folks just left after spending the night, and H came down with a cold and is all stuffed up. I'm supposed to start clinicals on Saturday (night shift at the hospital! Come on babies!!!) but paperwork and additional requirements are proving to be more than a little frustrating. In the meantime I'm writing papers and Steve is working a ton of late nights and H is back to loving her school. And I think Steve and I are going out this week to properly celebrate our anniversary :)

Some pictures of KY

I'm baaaack! After a hectic, stressful, fun, exhausting, tearful, bonding, scary, and educational week, I have returned to the homestead and am settling back in. By that I mean I'm ignoring the mountain of schoolwork I need to get started on and am cooking and sewing. Henri and Steve did just fine without me so I might have to go away more often ;) I have a few weeks before I start my clinicals so I'm just trying to get the place in order for my last big push to complete school. About 6 months to go!

Not many pictures from this past week, but here is what I had on my phone:

My solitary cell. It was quite a treat to have a whole room to myself!

Classroom

The barn where we had classes, library and computer lab

A mural in town dedicated to FNU and its founder, Mary Breckinridge

My torn perineum, Hannah. She was well sutured by the time I left. Here's my practice hand-tied knots.

The main classroom building for the midwives. Treacherous steps leading down to it

The future of midwifery! :)

Mary Breckinridge keeping an eye on all of us as we celebrated in her home

Made H some pants last night during nap time (shadows are weird here; they actually fit really well considering I had to guess on the fit)

And then last night I sewed her a skirt and hand appliqued the shirt. I realize it screams "home made!!" but H was thrilled that it had owls on it and wanted to wear it, so that's all that matters

And in other happenings:
-H used her potty on Thursday and is determined to repeat. Might get this potty training thing started sooner than I'd thought
-A MASSIVE Elmo obsession has taken over H. I can't stand his voice, his stupid questions, even his eyes. H repeats his name at increasing volume until I put it on Netflix. And even then she freaks if he goes off the screen for a second. He's on her diapers as well so she constantly wants a change so she can see him.
-Vocabulary explosion! Actually, she still only says the first syllable of a word so she says the same thing for many things, but she knows what she wants
-Along with that, she's pretty much eating everything we eat. Up till I left I'd still adjust H's meal and ours to keep it soft, basic.....the past few days I've just been serving her whatever and she's been loving it. Of course, the fact I'm letting her dip stuff in ketchup probably hasn't hurt.
-We're still nursing! 18 months! I pumped while I was gone in case she wanted to go back, and thankfully she did without the slightest hesitation or glitch. I'd left instructions that she get at least 2 cups of almond milk a day while I was gone and she's gotten hooked on that, so I'm only offering nursing morning and night, and it's a schedule that should work once I start clinicals.
-I am not pregnant. I'm putting that in here for certain relatives who are spreading the rumor and disbelieving my mom's denials. Happy for those that are, it's just I've been there and done that and once was good for me.

Lots to look forward this week. An epic storm predicted, our 4th anniversary, conference at church, hopefully firming up my schedule for the next two months, dinner out with some friends. Hope you all stay safe!

Quick update

For some reason photostream is being wonky so I can't show you my stuff from today, but I realize I left the last post in a rather bad mood. There was a lot of panic, stress, and many days of separation facing me then. Now? Well, I must say I'm having a blast. Being able to hold Henri and Steve would make it even better, of course, but I'm sort of loving having all this time to study, learn....and just hang out with new friends. It's very much a college feel with tight cliques having formed (I've been slumming with the NP's, haha), lots of laughing, study sessions conducted in our pj's, complete isolation from current events in the world, and mostly just the sense that we're all in this together and no one's going to let anyone else drown. There is another exam coming up I'm a bit apprehensive about only because I'd like to score high, but I think it'll be just fine. And we're getting in to the really good stuff now; suturing (cows tongues and foam blocks), pelvic exams (on each other; visualized my first cervix today! It looked like a picture in a textbook), birth simulations complete with lots of staining fluids, and SOAP notes (ok, I hate the last one, but you have to do them). I'm also racking up a decent charge on my card with all the apps I'm buying for practice and it'll get worse as tomorrow the librarian will be sharing a bunch of others to try.
I had a moment after Skyping with Henri tonight of wishing I was headed home sooner, but I'm sure the time will pass just as fast as it has been up to this point. And in the meantime, I'll continue to debate the merits of getting a wrist tattoo. A bunch of the girls went out tonight to get this image ( little squattier and a bit more rounded at top to make it look like a head) inked and I was very tempted but figured I'd scope out a reputable joint first. I'd do it in white, probably inside of left wrist; symbolic of what I'll be doing (and have worked so hard for) and also to celebrate Henri; if more kids come along, I could add initials or something. Anyway, Papa gave it his blessing (as in: "Joe gets a new one for every level he passes") and it would be my last chance, sort of (isn't this something you really only do in your 20's?). Anyway, I recognize that decisions made while under extreme stress in a group situation might not be the wisest, so I refrained. Tonight.
Sorry, I rambled again. I need to go type up a SOAP note, but wanted to reassure those that might be considering FNU; Clinical Bound really has been a great experience :)

Fried brains

No, this is not a cooking post with some exotic recipes. It's the state of me at this moment. For those that might not have picked up yet through my constant whining, I'm training to be a nurse-midwife (CNM). To this point I've been online for all of my classes and life has been grand. Now the physical stuff starts, and while I'm thrilled to finally be getting my hands dirty (literally: we've been told to wear scrubs we're OK with staining this whole week...), it's been a lot more work than I anticipated, getting everyone ready for this change. Because it's not just about me anymore. First we moved Henri to daycare. And the first week was great and the second was horrible. But she'll suck it up and life will move on for her. Then, I had to go to Hyden, KY for 8 days of training. This meant prepping a weeks worth of meals, laying out a weeks worth of clothes for Henri (with socks and shoe assignments!), typing out the menus and daily schedules and contact info and allergy info and doctors info and and and. Also the 80+hours of studying that needed to go in to preparing for the intensive week I'd be having, packing for myself, rounding up supplies, the panic of not having any banking information in my name.....So after getting up early (we learned from our last plane adventure), flying and then driving for almost 4 hours, I made it to school. And called Steve only to find out that H (and 2 other kids) had had a reaction to snack and that the fire department and ambulance had been there to check her out but he figured she was fine. AAAAAHHHH. Lets add in some more panic, guilt, and sleep deprivation (as my neighbors decided to chat until 1 and then get up at 6).
And then I discovered that the hours I'd spent memorizing systems in a certain order? Yeah, we're being tested in a completely different way. So I'll be up late tonight too as that check offs early in the morning. And there's tons more to complete, I'm just taking it minute by minute.
So, my apologies for not having a nice chatty update from home. I have a few picts from before I left, but mostly it's just been me staring at a sheet of paper trying to remember to check for light sensation to extremities BEFORE I move on to reflexes and that Cranial Nerve 7 includes symmetry of upward gaze as well as the funny faces. This is so much easier in clinic when you have a reason to be performing these exams and you don't have an examiner standing over you!

She's ready for breakfast!

Can you spot the goldfish? She's been stockpiling them behind the books then grabbing a snack when hungry

Fall Festival at school on Saturday. They had a bubble machine and H was in love

Lots of instruments for the kids to use

She was tickled by the piano but really loved the egg shakers

Tore through a whole package of sticky notes in a few moments

Where I'm stuck staying for the next week

I'm sure a decent nights sleep (and getting through this all) will help my outlook on life quite a bit. Until then, I envy Steve his time with Henri and can't wait to rejoin them!

VT in the fall

We took advantage of the long weekend for a quick jaunt back home. There was much sitting about, coffee drinking, laughing, Esther Williams viewing, apple procurement, eating, standing in the rain to watch field hockey, golf (Steve and Papa), and snow. Upon our return H had a crummy day at daycare which hopefully was a fluke but might be a delayed reaction to transitioning. I've had a freak-out over all the memorization and studying that needs to be done by Tuesday, had a great time certifying in neonatal resuscitation (I'm nominally capable of intubating! woohoo!), and taken advantage of coupons for free Lindt chocolate balls....and eaten more than my fair share of them.
The following picts are just of our time at home and will probably be of limited interest; you'll note we spent much time in the leaves :)

 

 

I love geraniums in terra cotta pots

Leaves are very funny

All is not joyous in the leaf pile

It can be hilariously terrifying

But mostly just hilarious

Most of H's adoration continues to be directed at Papa; here they're enjoying a batch of homemade leaf stew

Anna is definitely the cool aunt

A few of the reds in the area; most everything was pretty yellow this year

Papa's stone walls and gardens are lovely

Photo shoot!

Some yearbookish shots were taken....

Cold and pouring through all but the last 5 minutes of Anna's game

See #5? That's my super talented littlest sister owning this game. Sadly the ref (no doubt in pay of Middlebury) called her for high sticking. Totally uncalled for. They still smoked 'em, 2:0.

Along the High Road

These cows are very tolerant of getting "mooed" at.

And on Monday, there was the promised snow. The Gap was clear by the time we headed over it

 

As always the time was much too short and I continue to look at available real estate in the area....Probably won't see them until Thanksgiving. Which is in a few weeks. Yikes.