Wild pumpkins... (2 new posts tonight)

Last Thursday (usually my day off) I had to go into work for a case conference. The days that I work I drive to work in the dark and home at dusk (taking a different route home than I do to get to work)... But since I was driving in later in the day for this meeting, I noticed the pumpkins in the fields that I never see because I'm traversing the road in the dark usually. I thought it looked pretty cool all of the orange gourds out there dotting the land- I think I passed a total of 4 fields- wishing that I had my camera.


So, yesterday after I finished up all of the lab work at the OB's office, I headed in to work (can I just say that I really loved only working 1pm to close?!!!... how great would that schedule be?) Anyway- I had remembered my camera and took a pic of 2 of the fields I passed... don't know if you think it's as neat looking as I do... but kind of a fun fall thing to see. It amazes me all of the different things that are grown here... always something new.....

I'm spent, so off to bed I go.

Our corner of the woods...

Well, here's a different perspective... This was last Tuesday at the doctors office- I'm 34 1/2 weeks in this picture. At that appointment, however, I measured 37 1/2 weeks... I think that's what led the doctor to take another look at my glucose tolerance test (AKA "GTT," which was done at 28 weeks). He hadn't said anything about it being abnormal- but when I got home his staff called me to schedule a 3 hour GTT. He had made a comment about this being a big baby.. I doubt it, but we won't know until she arrives. I don't think I'm gestational diabetic- I've had low sugars at work- never elevated... but again, we'll see.

So Monday morning (yesterday) I went and sat at the office for 3 hours and had 4 sets of labs done which will determine whether or not pregnancy has put me in a diabetic state... I'll letcha know!

Here is a great pic of a common occurrence- McKenna and her daddy-o watching TV (probably "Dirty Jobs" on the discovery channel!)... She is seriously such a daddy's girl it's not even funny...
Jocilyn and McKenna stayed up doing their nails the other night... McKenna needed hers to dry... next thing I know- here she is! (I thought the socks and shoes were cute- she likes to sleep in my scrub tops in case you are wondering what in the world she has on)...

Here is J finishing up her nails... cute kid if I do say so myself!

Bye "handsome" (2 posts added today)

So- I have had this patient for the last year and a half who I've referred to as simply, "handsome." He walks in and I greet him with "Hey handsome, how are you today?" and he calls me sweetheart and loves me... He is one of those patients that makes a difference in your day- he has made a difference in many of my days as he has loved me and allowed me to love him as his nurse.

This morning that handsome guy passed away. It was the oddest thing, he is just never, ever late for his treatments. So, I was beginning to worry when his sweet wife called me and let me know that he was in the hospital and that the physician we work with was already aware. So I told her that they were in my thoughts and to keep me posted, "sure thing kid"... she always calls me "kid," and I just love her. Later in the morning the doctor was sitting by me at the desk when he took a call that I knew was about "handsome." It was the hospital letting him know that they were running a code on him as they spoke. He hung up and let me know. I immediately said a prayer in my mind- in the prayer I began to ask that maybe he wouldn't be taken home just yet- and that's when something happened that I'm not sure has ever happened to me before- it was as clear as if someone beside me had spoken it, " It's time, he's coming home," I thought that was strange and then heard it again, "he's coming home..."- within 5-7 minutes the doctor got a call telling him that the code was unsuccessful and Gerry, AKA "handsome," was gone....... I'm going to miss him.

It was interesting to watch my colleague, this physician, work through the past 24 hours. He has treated this patient for years. We know him well, we've seen him through some pretty nasty hospitalizations where he's presented with a lot worse labs and symptoms than this time... but here this physician sat going back over the cares that he had prescribed, decisions he'd made, and trying to reconcile the outcome- knowing he did all the right things- but still working through it. It was interesting to watch because this isn't a side of this doctor that I often see.

There was a lot of shock and many brimming tears from the staff that had to be held back for the sake of professionalism. I think that in my field we often forget how sick these folks are that we care for- my PA said, "I didn't see that coming, it's always the ones that are doing so well..." I said to him, "Really, none of our patients are doing very well if we stop and think about it..." Last year we had a bad holiday season- we lost about 7 patients between Thanksgiving and New Years... I'm hoping this isn't an indication of things to come- and I'm thankful that "hey handsome" got to go home today- what a treat it's been for me to care for him and to have been a part of his life- I like to think that we made it the best it could be, given the circumstances over the last couple of years. I know he had a good weekend before being hospitalized, one full of family, nature and hobbies that he's enjoyed his whole life... I'm glad for that...

Homework

I'm so tired I can hardly see straight! The end is fast approaching- only about 6 weeks to go and I've hit "nesting" mode... which also means- mental breakdown mode. Yes, you get things done to finish preparing- but I'm feeling totally unprepared and too old to do this again... I know, I'm not that old, nor am I the first to have a big gap between children... but I feel all out of sorts. The point of this ramble was this- this blog will be short, and sweet- but hardly to the point. It's kind of a random compilation of photos over the last week or 2 since the last post- Enjoy!

A pic of me at approx 33 weeks... is it just me? or do I look tired?

Here are the girls being very studious and diligent about their studies... remember when homework consisted of decorating letters of the alphabet? ... yeah, me neither....

My girlies tangled up in their sleep one night when I went to kiss their sweet faces before crawling into bed myself...