When it rains it pours

Blessings Blessings Blessings.




















Yes the grand baby arrived safe and sound.
I arrived for my night shift at 6pm Dec 21. It was kind of quiet in my family birth dept. The next day would be one of the nurses birthday. We all commented "wouldn't it be fun if Brooke came in tonight to have baby Colton?" The evening marched on with outpatient triage's which included a very ill patient with severe preeclampsia, and an active labor patient. Midnight struck and it looked like things were again calming down. We sang happy birthday to Gayle and within minutes the phone rang and it was my son in law announcing Brooke's water had broken and they were on their way into the hospital. We all squealed and jumped around like a bunch of silly Jr high girls. The special delivery would happen today.
Brooke and Cody arrived at the hospital and she was still 2 cm dilated. I knew it would be a long night for Brooke.















Being the charge nurse I had charts to prepare for the next days scheduled procedures and as the Resuscitation Specialist I had to stay alert to respond to the high risk labor patient who appeared to be adding DIC to her list of problems. Thankfully the baby was doing fine.
I was pulled knowing both my department needed me and my daughter needed me at her bedside. by 3am I called in my Stand by charge nurse to relieve me so I could take off the charge nurse hat and put on the grandma hat.
Brooke did so well and Cody what an amazing coach. She labored all night finally reaching 4 cm at 10am by 11am an epidural gave the opportunity for rest that she really needed in order for her to continue. within the hour she was completely dilated. Labored down for another hour and 45min of pushing rewarded by a healthy 7#5 oz bundle of joy at 332pm. He didnt cry much but pinked up and went to breast within 10min of age.









Blessing after blessing I say because through out the whole labor Coltons fetal heart rate tracing remained text book perfect not one deceleration for the Gramma/L&D nurse to worry about. Im so thankful.




PS thank you Wife/mom/nurse for checking in on me even when I didnt post. You truely are an awesome bloggy friend.

Ill be home for Christmas?

Who will get her first? The song Ill be home for Christmas has special meaning at our house this year. baby Colton maybe here for Christmas. Counting down the days till Reed and Kelsey home for Christmas from NC?

Ive been wanting to make these Angel cookies with pretzel wings for many years.
Every year it fell off the projects to do list.
They were fun easy and worth the effort.

Practicing the gramma stuff with my friends granddaughters. Little fingers in the dough, flour, frosting and smiles make Christmas time.

One mom and one baby? Yep that was all the fun we had last night at work. Now that my daughter Brooke has arrived at 37wks gest is seems like not only am I excited to have her call with news that labor has started, but all the staff in my dept are excited to see who will be on duty when my grand baby arrives. Seeing my coworker snuggle a baby in the nursery I now am closer to grasping the reality my grand baby will be here soon.

I had the time to catch up with some of the staff I hadn't worked with in a while. I am reminded again why I love the staff I work with. They are very skilled dedicated to caring and willing to give of themselves to each other on a personal level.

Last week some of my coworkers announced that I would not be allowed to leave for the day until they came up with the name my Grand baby would call me. Of the top choices it was narrowed to "MiMi" or "Mermy". For some reason my own kids choose to call me "The Merm" So that's where Mermy comes from I guess a cross between Merm and Grammy. One of my grandmas we called Mammie. All the staff agreed Gramma or Grammy didn't fit me. Something about sounding to old and they seem to think I'm not an old grandma. I hope its not just that I don't act my age.

Baby shower for my soon to be Grandson

Celebration of the new baby to come. Im not much of a blogger lately. Shower attended by friends and family. I hand carried parts of the decoration for the cake from NC. I'm not a real game person so we played a fun game of chance I called "bottoms up" A pie tin and 5 small plastic babies. Roll your babies and count how many land with their bottoms up. each person got three rolls. This was not a game of skill but sure provided some laughter. Cake cutting, gift opening and I read a story to Colton " God gave us you"

Several in the group went together on a stroller car seat combo. Very nice. I hung a clothes line across my living room to display the baby clothes gift items and displayed the blanket I made for Brooke when she was born.

North Carolina in the fall

The decorated cake entry to the state fair. won honorable mention








































The gingerbread cookies we made.





















The happy daughter and son in law on his return from two weeks training.





















The Mantle decorated for Thanksgiving
Ten days away from my home. Ten days visiting #2 daughter and her husband in NC. the first 5days spent just my daughter and I hanging out and playing. Army hubby off for training, my daughter and I shopping, sewing, baking, crafting. We were in the fabric store so long we both got exausted. Then off to walmart. I had so much fun buying the makings of thanksgiving decorations for her home. That evening we baked a birthday cake for hubby,listened to christmas music and crafted a table cloth we had seen in a magazine when we were snooping in books at Borders. Im so thankful for time. Time spent with the ones I love. Tomorrow I head back to the west coast .

Blessings in the sock drawer

Ive been on a blogging break. Ive been checking in on other blogs but havent taken time to add to mine. I find it takes me a long time to come up with a tiny post so I stop before Im started
I'm not a very organized house keeper. I bop from one room to the other picking up this and that, folding clothes here and wiping up there, taking time to clean out a drawer just in time for garbage day so I wont have the chance to change my mind and pull out the"treasured item" from the garbage and return it to my clutter.
Last week on a sunny fall day I had to stay inside cleaning. I found myself rounding up a load of laundry in my closet. I don't remember how I got there,maybe a sock was sticking out and I took the time to open the drawers to organize.
There in the sock drawer I found the blessing. Ive seen it before but I couldn't resist taking the time to enjoy it again. Deep beneath the socks are special notes and letters. Some from my grown daughters to their dad and I,some from my husband notes of apology and mending of a misunderstanding years ago. One is simply a small scrap of wood with a note written on it saying I haven't told you I love you enough lately. (My husband is a carpenter)
I had to stop and ponder how funny it is I keep some of my dearest mementos in my sock drawer. I sat on my closet floor reading and soaking in the words of the letters. Sometimes I can find a blessing in the strangest place. The sock drawer.

Full Fall day

What a full day I had today. I started by sleeping through my alarm to take my kids off to their first day of school. Thankfully I have two girls who have learned to set their alarms, fix their lunches, fix breakfast and make sure their mom is awake and ready to take them to school on time. Wow what an amazing thing really for and 11 and 15 yr old.
My hubby left this morning for some R&R Bow hunting in eastern Oregon so I'm on my own for a few days. I always think I should take on some project while he is gone. In past years when he has gone hunting Ive redecorated his office, painted one of the girls rooms dark purple, redecorated another child's room and thrown out stuff needing to go. I guess I'm more of a hunting season cleaner than a spring cleaner. I'm not planning any big projects this hunting season. Maybe just dust the house.
I intended to take myself off to the gym to get myself back into an exercise routine but alas I stopped off at the computer this morning and got lost in Face Book and emails.
Talked to the daughter living off in NC on the phone while she shopped at walmart. Weird how the world really can be so small with all the technology. I told her I would call her back after I went to Target with Daughter #1 so she could make a baby registry. We had fun with the registry gun clicking off all the little items she will need to care for her new arrival. It was strange even though Ive had 4 babies I was unfamiliar with some of the latest baby must have stuff. A whole aisle of baby bottles. Oh my it was overwhelming. I wasn't as much help as I think she thought I would be.
Lunch and then stop by work to drop off some supplies for a children's health fair scheduled at my hospital. The FBC is in charge of making hundreds of "Boo Boo Bunnies" In case you don't know these are wash cloths folded to look like a bunny and when a child gets and boo boo and ice cube fits inside for the child to hold on the boo boo. I was delayed by my manager wanting to talk to me about schedule changes and a charge nurse meeting tomorrow. I ended up being 15min late to pick up #4 daughter from her first day of JR high. Boy did I get a scolding on the text message. Where are you!!!!!
I called daughter #2 back and chatted while I drove to pick up #3,#4. I agreed to skype with her when I got home so she could show me her costume she got at walmart. How fun is that to be able to actually see her all the way in N.C.
While we were talking I heard a beep on the line. I took the call from the hospital. Yes too many labor patients and not enough staff for the night shift. No I cannot work all night. My husband is out of town but I could cover 730-mid
night.
Daughter #3now in the car and asking if she can go visit her new love the sweet horse named Misty. I agree to take her but must be back to work by 730
Now I know why I'm so tired after today. After taking the girls to ride the horses I made sure they were OK with food etc and off I went to the hospital.
I worked till 11pm helping out by attending babies at their deliveries and odds and ends.Still busy when I left only one patient room empty in the dept.
What a full day. I better go to bed and set two alarms so over sleep again. It starts all over tomorrow. welcome to fall.

15 and "in love"

"Jumping with Misty"

"Satisfaction of caring for another"




"In Love"





This past week in my work as a Labor and delivery nurse we seemed to be running a special of the week. One after the other we admitted 14 and 15yr old to have babies. As the charge nurse in my dept I do most of the triage of patients. I had cared for One of these young moms several times through out the summer as she came in during the night with assorted complaints. My heart is very tender toward these very young girls and I somehow have been given extra compassion for the moms of the girls. Maybe it has something to do with the fact I have 4 daughters and know I do not have control over all their actions and choices. I am thankful I have not had to experience this road with any of my daughters but I am keenly aware of guiding and guarding thier hearts as they journey through the rocky path of 12-20.
One of these girls truely broke my heart. Her mom appeared to be concerned and caring to her pregnant daughter and truly overwhelmed with the circumstance she was in. She took me aside in the hall and thanked me for my care to her daughter. She said "You know this is not what I would have chosen for my daughter. I'm doing the best I can but I'm over my head. I appreciate your not judging me and being kind."
Every time this mom and daughter came in I again tried to reassure and encourage her. So when she came in this week to have her baby I again felt that draw to pray for them and do what I could to make good out of a difficult situation. I did not directly care for her but again as the charge nurse I get to check in on all the patients. The layers of drama unfolded revealing just how mixed up this 15yr olds life had become. How is it possible for a young girl like this to have no idea who is the father of her baby?
I asked my 15yr old daughter. Is this normal? She said Not normal with the people I hang out with but there is a small group of girls that behave like its their spot in life to just have sex with who ever wants. Sad huh. She asked me why are you asking me this? I told her I was just wanted to know what she thought of such a sad situation. The conversation to follow blessed me as she expressed her hopes and renewed goals to focus on school. With one week left of summer refocus and last minute fun is where were at.
It is such a relief to see Ab placing her affections on something other than boys. In the last few weeks she has taken the initiative to contact her older sisters father in law to spend time with their horses. I am proud of her honest approach offering to clean stalls brush horses etc in exchange for some riding opportunity.
Last week she asked if she could take one of the saddles home and condition the leather. She spent several hours working on this project. She was proud of herself when she returned it this week looking clean and shiny.
I'm so thankful to see my 15yr old loving her time with the horses instead of the situations Ive seen at work this week. I'm praying for a fresh start this year and success in her school work.