Experienced a trip to L&D triage this evening. I started contracting and feeling more pressure than usual around 12:30pm this afternoon. By 3:15 I had a strong urge to pee with every contraction. Andy came home a little early from work and we were at the hospital around 4:50pm. They checked us in...took me upstairs and put me in a triage room.

The nurse sent my urine down to see if I had a UTI since those cause contractions and uterine irritability. Monitors were strapped to my belly to monitor Mason's heart rate and my contractions. His heart rate was good and he was moving. Monitor showed contractions. She then tells me...oh your OB was just here delivering a baby but now Dr. G is on call. Boo!! I know from a friend that she is minimal on interventions and would likely not do much.

No UTI which is great. Nurse checked me after they got the urine results back and I am 1 cm, 40% effaced and Mason's head is at -3 station. So progress...and contractions. She spoke with the OB in the hospital (Dupont does OB Stat..meaning there is always an OB in house) and she didnt even come in to talk to me or anything. grrr! That is some bad bedside manner in my opinion! She just told the nurse to send me home. Makes me mad since I still feel the same and I'm still having contractions! Why not just admit me and watch for another hour or two and see if I dilate anymore?! Now I don't know when to go back in!! Guess I'll see if the contractions continue through the night & go from there. I really don't want to go to work tomorrow night now!!

So much going on lately....

Feeling frustrated still with my new job. I feel like I'm going to get all this paperwork done and the fees paid, have Mason, come back to work ...and then not like it at all!! The NNP is suggesting I take the full 12 weeks since I'll never get that time back with Mason. She doesn't think they will try to replace me in that timeframe. I am afraid the census & acuity is not going to be enough for me. I am also not liking the fact that they aren't reimbursing me for the fees until after I start in the NNP role. Stinks! That's over $850 that we will be paying for and then waiting to be reimbursed on....

Add to this....Andy is having some major job dissatisfaction lately. Yikes...he used to love his job. Lately he is having to do a bazillion different jobs...and is not getting paid correctly or ethically. He is training a new teller, doing all the head teller responsibilities and performing all his new duties as a loan officer. The other branches in his credit union have separate people for these roles. On top of that his branch manager just had to leave to go back to active duty and the interim branch manager does not know his head from his butt ...

So the adults in this house have been a lil cranky! haha!

We are soooo ready and excited about Mason's birth!!! His room should be finished tonight and we are going to be vacumming the car (the dogs currently ride where his car seat will be) and installing the car seat this weekend most likely. The small hospital bag for him is packed...used a diaper bag for Austin but I'm just using a small duffle bag this time since the diaper bag is in use! My hospital bag is 80% packed...just have to throw in a few last minute things whenever I do go into labor.

I should hopefully be getting my "appoval to test" letter early next week. They mail letters out on the 15th & the 30th of each month and I assume my letter will be mailed Friday but we'll see. I have really fallen behind on studying this past week or so since I am always working on paperwor for credentialing if I do have free time at night.

Austin has been learning and growing amazingly fast these last few weeks. His 18mt appt is next week and we should be getting his 18mt pictures done soon...or so I hope! Trying to squeeze in several things before I deliver! :)

OB appt today. Officially have gained more than I did with Austin...ugg. Oh well...I'm assuming I'll be busy enough after I deliver that the weight will just come off! I'm measuring on time and Mason's heart rate was 130. He is still head down and has rotated so that his back is along my left side now. Feeling so much pressure ...really hope he will be here at the end of the month. It's near impossible to bend over now and picking up Austin is getting quite difficult! GBS test at my next appt in 2 weeks and he will also start checking for dilation/effacment then as well. Heartburn hasn't been as horrible the last few days so that's nice. Still taking my pepcid twice a day though just in case!

Austin's fever has been gone since Saturday and he also had another new molar come through on the bottom on the other side of the one that he got last week. He still seems a lil cranky the last couple days but I think it may be more teeth related. Forgot to mention he weighed 27lbs at his ill child appt last week. We go for his 18mt appt on the 20th ...interested to see his weight...and his length! Andy had him stand up against his growth chart on the wall and he appears to be 30 inches. :) He also knows where his belly, nose and ears are too now. He's known belly for a long time and nose for about 2 weeks. Added in ears last week and are now working on hair/head. So he will meet his 3 body parts by 18mts milestone that his doc has. He is learning really fast lately!

Submitted my application (& $300!) to take my exam/boards. Waiting for approval to test and then I can schedule it. The paperwork for credentialing/privileges/prescriptive authority/billing is insane! There is so much to fill out...not to mention there's a fee for everything. Hopefully the hospital is fast at reimbursement because this is crazy.

Took Austin to the doctor this morning since he developed a fever last night and still had it this morning. No ear infection or strep throat. He does have hand, foot & mouth disease most likely she said. It's viral so we can't really do much for it except give him Tylenol and keep him hydrated. :( Poor lil guy!! He has one lesion on his throat she said and hopefully thats all he will get.

Now I really don't want to go to work tonight!!

First night shift coming up tomorrow...yikes! Hope I can stay awake. When I was there for my unit orientation yesterday there were only 2 babies...2! That's insane. :( I reallllly hope that a better NNP job comes along or this unit starts growing soon like they claim it will! At least I won't be getting cancelled or floating to the Peds unit since I am on orientation.

Feeling better about dealing with the crazies who think they can judge the spacing of our children. I've yet to hear of any mom who has her children close together tell m that she regrets it. The clinical supervisor who I was with yesterday for unit orientation had hers 23 mts apart and then another RN on the unit had her close as well. They both said its been great to see them be interested in similar things and do cute stuff together. Of course they also warned that the first few months are hard until the new baby gets in a routine...but it would be like that for anybody! :) Very much looking forward to Mason's birth. Made a list of what needs to go in my hospital bag and we have a list of stuff we want to do around the house/his room/the car before he is born...slowly crossing stuff off!

Austin now has 9 teeth! Another molar finished coming through overnight (or at some point)... and I could see all of it this morning. He now has 5 teeth on the bottom and 4 on top with one molar on top starting to poke through. Tylenol has been our friend this week!

Starting to fall behind on studying for boards...need to get back on track. I have to go to the post office to pick up my diploma in the morning. They tried to deliver it today but it needed a signature. There was someone knocking on our door during Austins nap...but I dont answer the door when alone and didn't know it was the mailman. Wasn't aware that my diploma was considered certified mail. Oh well. So I'll go get it tomorrow so I can upload that & my official transcript to our computer to send in with my online application for my exam. Yikes!! Gotta get on it though since St. Joe can't do anything with credentialing or the collaborative agreement until I pass my boards.

Sorry for the super long posts lately!

I'm surprised at some comments I've heard recently about my pregnancy and the timing of it. I halfway feel like I need to justify mine & Andy's decisions...but then again I'm like screw it, these people don't deserve to know anything if they are just going to (wrongly) judge us based on their assumptions of how life should go.

Ever since becoming Austins parents, Andy & I have realized that life is way to short to not make the most of. Its more than crossing things off of "to do" lists and having certain things all lined up.

Just a bit irked tonight because I found out second hand about a comment that was made about us from someone that I have met 3-4 times in my whole life. Who is she to judge where we are financially, physically, emotionally, etc. Does she determine who is fit to be parents and what spacing between children is required? No, she does not! God has a plan, he knows what he is doing. Everything has worked out perfectly in the end so far in our marriage so I have no doubts at all about having our boys 18 mts apart. All research I've read about having two children close in age only points to the positives that the children experience.

Thanks for reading my long rant. I'm very positive that being a hormonal pregnant woman did not help the anger I felt tonight.

First week of orientation done! All new employees were grouped together the first day and then for Tues-Thurs it was any new (to the hospital or in general) nurses and techs to learn about nursing stuff and some of the computer charting. So glad its over since most of it never applies to NICU! ... nice to get paid though! I have the weekend off then I will have NICU unit orientation for a few hours on Tuesday afternoon with my first shift being Thursday night. Found a faster way to get there...was taking 30 to 331 but then Thursday decided to just bite the bullet and take 80/90 even though I would have to pay. It shaved 20 minutes off so that was nice. Going to be getting the I-zoom pass to put on my windshield to decrease the cost of the tolls by about 50%.

I think June will fly by now with working and preparing any last minute things for Mason. Oh...and studying for boards...doing pretty good so far staying on my "plan of study" that I made myself to help prepare. :) Waiting on my diploma (should arrive today) and then I can scan that into the computer to send with my application to take my boards.

Austin did well being away from me. My mom had him Mon & Tues and then Kelly (Andys sister) had him Wed & Thurs. Very happy to be home with him all day today and then have the weekend as a family. :) He now has 8 teeth...with 2 more about to come through! Makes for some crankiness at times. He also got his hair cut last night by my cousin so he's all ready for his 18mt pics in a couple weeks. :)

33 weeks pregnant today....hopefully only 5ish more weeks to go. My heartburn is getting really bad..taking my max of 2 Pepcid 12 hrs apart each day...and I would certainly take more if I could. :( Several episodes a day of the lovely pelvic bone stabbing pain too. He is still super active and it makes me wonder if he will sleep at all once he's born! haha! :)

Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend...we are supposed to have record high temps here in Fort Wayne. Yuck! Might be limited to playing outside in the morning only!

OB appt today. :) Measuring on time and Mason's heart rate was 140 again...he's very consistent! I've been having contractions on and off since Wednesday night so Dr. L decided he should check me. Not dilated yet so that's good. He looked at my 3D ultrasound from last week and said Mason's weight is measuring in the 64th% ...he said he may want to induce a litle early. I think we'll be ok...Austin came 10 days early on his own so we'll just play it by ear and continue with the plan for a 36 or 37 week ultrasound to see if we can get another weight.

Austin has 2 teeth that have popped through in the last 2 days! One on top and one on the bottom!

Happy 17mts to Austin Jacob! :)

Current favorite things to do:
~climb on the couch
~throw stuff off the couch
~throw the ball for the doggies
~be in the grass...he's no longer afraid of it!
~squirt his water toys in the bath...he cracks up laughing!! :)
~gives kisses without asking now :)

Going through a little bit of a food strike...I am either trying to feed him too much or he is just being picky! Dogs are enjoying eating his food off the floor....but it makes more mopping the sticky floor for this mama.

Getting closer to Mason's arrival. :) I'll be 32 weeks on Friday so probably 6-7 more weeks to go if he comes around the same time Austin did!

Already getting frustrated with my new job and I haven't even started. They are a bit unorganized with communication of details which is annoying. The manager then told me today that they won't even start the credentialing process until I pass boards and obtain my prescriptive authority. Great. Then she proceeded to tell me that while I could take 12 weeks of maternity leave, my job would not be held, per se, since I don't qualify for FMLA. I knew this already but I still didn't think she would say that!! She said "remember, typically its custom for 6 weeks after vaginal and 8 weeks after c-section". Nice way to make a new employee feel like her job is secure.

Wishing I had other interviews scheduled or other offers on the table so that I had more to choose from!

Finally graduated!!! :) Happy to be done!! Got to be surrounded by the people I love most on my graduation day. :)

St Joseph Regional in Mishawaka, IN offered me a full time NNP position today! :) I am going to start as a RN while they are working on all the credentialing paperwork. After RN orientation (week of May 21st) I'll just be working in the NICU unit on a as needed basis until Mason is born.

After my maternity leave is over (credentialing should be approved by then) I will start my orientation for the NNP position...which lasts 3 weeks. Then I'll go to 24 hour shifts....5 in a 2 week period is full time. It really would only be 5 16hr shifts but you have to be on call the 8hrs prior to the start of your shift & available within 30 minutes. Since we don't live near Mishawaka....I will be staying at the hospital during my on call time...not sure how that's going to work out exactly since that's a very long time to be away from the boys. My aunt & uncle live close to the hospital so going there to hang out could be an option while I am on call.

I am still keeping my options open just in case something better suited for our family comes along but I didn't want to turn this job down just in case! Now to begin thinking/planning for childcare...yikes!.....and studying for boards!

OB appt this afternoon went well. :) Mason's heart rate was 140. Everything else looks great. 75% (or more hopefully) done with this pregnancy! Our 3D ultrasound is Thursday morning!! Can't wait to compare his 3D pics with Austins 3D pics. :)

No job offers or other interviews scheduled...hopefully something soon. The online "status" of my interview at St. Joseph Regional stated that they are "actively considering me along with other candidates." Hopefully a job offer will be made to me soon. I'll email/call Riley next Monday if I don't hear anything from any other hospital this week since she told me to get ahold of her in mid-May to schedule an interview for anticipated positions that she said she would have in the fall.

Graduation is in less than a week! Yay! Need to really start studying for boards.

All done with the semester now!! :) Graduation is in 2 weeks! Crazy! I really wish it wasn't on Mothers day but oh well.

I passed my glucose tolerance test. :) My number was 116 and the range for our OB office is 70-139 so I was in the middle! Yay for that!

I had an interview with St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Mishawaka, IN this past Thursday. It went well. There are 2 positions open..part time (2 24hr shifts a week) or full time (5 24hr shifts in 2 weeks). The hours are technically 3pm-7am but you have to be on call from 7am-3pm prior to your shift & since I live more than 30 minutes away I would just have to stay at the hospital (and get paid a few $/hr for on being on call) for those 8hrs prior to the shift. It took a bit longer (1hr 45min) to get there than I thought it would since most of the drive is not on the highway (or at least the way I went wasn't!). They are interviewing someone else tomorrow (not sure how many they interviewed prior to me) so hopefully I should know either way by the end of next week.

Still hoping Ball Memorial works out...it would be perfect...going to email one of the Neonatalogists tomorrow to see if she's heard anything from the higher up guy.

Austin & I did a little shopping this afternoon since Andy is at a baseball game with a friend. We got the changing pad, changing pad cover and the curtain rod (the one in there is ugly & the wrong color!) for Mason's room. :) Getting closer to crossing stuff of the list. Found a diaper genie for $5 at a Mom2Mom sale yesterday! Still need: curtain, lamp/light, decorative light switch cover, & nightlight. We only have a small lamp on the desk in there since we don't spend a lot of time in that room at the moment.

75 days...or less til his arrival!

OB appt today went well. :) Got a lot accomplished haha! Had to drink the glucola for the GTT, got my Rhogam shot, had my regular appt with Dr. L then got my labs drawn for the gtt, hemoglobin and the serology testing. Should have all the results tomorrow they said. Lab lady commented on how well behaved Austin was. :) Such a good boy! We were there from 2-3:20pm for all that stuff!

Mason is now head down!! Woohoo! I asked Dr. L if he could feel my belly while I was laying down and tell me his positioning. :) Heart rate was 140 and I am measuring about a week behind. Having more "pelvic pressure" the last few days and he thinks that Mason must have recently flipped and is now starting to settle into position. Guess you drop faster with the second (and subsequent) babies than you do with the first since your stomach muscles are already stretched out. Nice to know since I don't like this pressure feeling....feels too early on for it to start. I go back in 2 weeks and we will also be doing our 3D ultrasound in 2 weeks ...hope my anterior placenta doesn't interfere too much like it did with Austin! Set to have a weight/growth ultrasound at 36 weeks to see how big Mason is...Dr thinks he'll be bigger than Austin just by exam...but who really knows!

Happy (belated) 16mts to Austin Jacob! :)

He is growing and learning so fast. I was looking at his 12 mt pictures on facebook and his face looks more and more like a little boy with each passing month. Time is flying.

New things he likes to do/can do:
~climb....(and give mommy heart attacks!)
~gets on & off his firetruck easily now
~able to move forward/backward (at a slow speed) on his firetruck toy
~climbs into and out of his chair at home and at grandma & poppys
~runs everywhere!
~knows where his belly is...and where yours is too haha!

Staying right on track with clothing sizes...moving into 18mt and out of 12mt right now. Size 4...almost size 5 shoes!

In other news, I've applied to what feels like a dozen different hospitals (9, so close enough!)...hoping & praying to have a job offer before Mason is born so that I (and the hospital) can get all the paperwork done for credentialing and I can take my boards. :)

This past week felt never ending. Long clinical days for all 3 days. Then, of course, today flew by! Went out to breakfast with my parents then we went to a church childrens resale. They got 3 toys for their house while I got a good amount of clothes for Austin & Mason! :) Later this afternoon we also got Mason's dresser!! It shipped to the store a few days before its expected arrival date. :) It's not put together yet....maybe tomorrow? Can't wait since I want to put all the clothes/socks/blankets/etc away. I got his hamper and the basket that holds the diapers/wipes for the dresser earlier this week with a babies r us coupon that was about to expire. :)

This coming week is my last week of clinicals! Very excited to be done with this semester later this month and graduate next month. :) I have a few interviews coming up....really hope I get offered a job somewhere soon. I know I won't be able to start right away since credentialing takes a couple months but still!!

Andy got a promotion at work this week!!! :) He will start training to be their branch's loan officer very soon!! This is awesome news and something he's been wanting for awhile!

I am on the lookout for a cute short sleeved Big Brother shirt for Austin...we have a long sleeved one that he's been wearing. I've seen a few but they look silly/have weird graphics on them...any ideas? Also why does all the toddler boy stuff have to imply that boys are messy, monsters, or troublemakers? Annoying...

OB appt this afternoon went well. Mason's heartrate was 134. :) Austin loves listening to it! Told Dr. L about my contractions that I've been having off and on the last 2 weeks so he's going to see me again in 2 weeks instead of 4wks (would have went to every 2 wks soon anyways since I'm almost to 3rd tri). Gave me the talk about staying hydrated and limiting my activity when I start feeling them. 4 contractions an hour is my limit...which I know...but sometimes feel like maybe I'm overreacting or whatnot. I'll be doing my 28 weeks labs and getting my Rhogam shot near the end of the month...prolly can't do both my labs and my appt in the same day with Austin & his short attention span! haha! Ultrasound at 36 weeks to check Mason's weight since Austin was a big baby. Can't decide if we are doing the 3D ultrasound or not this time around...I have a anterior placenta (same as with austin) so it will make pictures difficult most likely.

Finally went ahead and ordered the dresser/changing table combo since Target continues to have it out of stock in their stores (all 3 in Fort Wayne!)....and online. So we ordered it from Wal-Mart...same dresser & same price (but they don't carry dressers in the store?!). We did the free shipping to the store and it should arrive there next week! Feel behind on getting stuff ready since Austins furniture was all set up at this point in his pregnancy. Oh well, it'll all work out. :)

2 more weeks of clinical and one more lecture day where we have to present our 2 projects! Should be a good learning, review day since the one project involves each of us doing a presentation on a subject we are weak in. I'm doing the 4 most common congenital heart defects since the heart/cardiac is usually my harder body system.

I will most likely be having an interview next week in Kalamazoo for a NNP position at Bronson Methodist (the director is out of town this week but wants to do an interview soon). The recruiter that I am working with has been working out fairly well...he is the one who is helping set up this interview. Really still holding out for a weekend position at Ball Memorial. The neo that is the director over the unit said he needs to talk to the director of doctors to see what the details are and where I stand in the process. Haven't heard anything else from the other hospitals that I've applied to.

Sorry for the super long post!

Survey time! Keep meaning to do this! haha!

•How far along?: 26 weeks!

•Total weight gain: 10 lbs...according to my scale..I go back to the OB on Monday

•Maternity clothes?: oh yes!

•Stretch marks?: nope

•Sleep: fairly good most nights...up to pee at least once

•Best moment this week: less contractions this week than last week :)

•Miss Anything?: nope

•Movement: lots :) he loves to hear Austin and his daddy...also moves a lot when he hears the other babies crying in the NICU (we've got some term drug withdrawal screamers in there right now!)

•Food cravings: not really...a couple weeks ago..I really wanted a hot dog ..weird...so I got my "fix" at Dairy Queen...only place that I could think of that would have a grilled one haha

•Food aversions: nope

•Gender: Boy!

•Labor Signs: not presently...hopefully it stays that way

•Symptoms: nothing unusal...heartburn is pretty bad in the evening

•Belly Button in or out? Out/flat

•Wedding rings on or off? On :)

•Looking forward to: OB appt on Monday :)

Happy April!

Fast week! 3 more weeks of clinical!! 2 more lecture days..this coming Wednesday and then the last Wednesday of this month...both projects are due the last class day also. I can now say "I'm graduating next month!!" It's so close! Cap, gown, tassel and hood have been ordered as well as my masters pin for the pinning ceremony. :) The high cost of the cap, gown & hood was a bit silly considering we are technically just renting it...you can't buy it, which is fine since I won't wear it again! We get to keep our tassel.

Still waiting on news on the Ball Memorial job. Its been over 30 days since I've applied and since the application said to give 30 days for processing...I will be calling HR tomorrow which is what the NNP I'm doing clinicals with suggested. I also spoke with a recruiter Thursday night and he is sending my resume to Helen DeVos childrens hospital in Grand Rapids, MI since that is one of his clients. He also informed me that the pass rate for the NCC (NP certifying exam) is hovering around the low 70's% range for the past year for all specialities. Yikes! Not sure when I'll be taking it. I have a year...but I won't wait that long!

We got the half of the office that is going to be used as Mason's room cleared out and organized this weekend. Several boxes/bags of stuff either went in the trash or in my car to go to Goodwill tomorrow. Crazy how much stuff I hold onto that I think I "might" need! Oh well. We also changed the room decor plan. Its now going to be monkey themed with green & brown accents. That room is already painted a light brown so Andy is happy we don't have to paint. lol :) We were at Babies R Us today and the wall hanging that matches the monkey theme was on sale so we decided to just get it. Also got a few more bottles to replace the ones that have the oz markings worn off. Got a new pack n play sheet since the one we had on there for Austin is starting to rip on one of the corners underneath where you tuck it in. Feeling a bit better about getting more prepared. We are planning to get the dresser next weekend since the room is now cleaned out and there's a space for it!

My awesome parents have offered to throw us 2 parties this summer! :) One for my graduation which will be in late May and then a "Welcome baby Mason" party in late July! :) Yay for get togethers!! :)

This was a long week...Austin had a fever after his shots at the beginning of the week..worse round of shots so far! Then his cough and runny nose that started last Sunday got progressively worse. Felt bad leaving him when I had clinicals but I think he tolerated it ok.

I've felt crappy for most of the week too. Just want to be done with clinicals. Braxton hicks contractions have started and sometimes this heartburn is unbearable!! Very whiney in the Coak house this week! Did enjoy playing outside for a little bit Monday & Tuesday in the nicer weather. :) Austin even wanted to go outside last evening ...when the patio was wet from the rain thats been happening on and off since yesterday morning...we let him for a short time since he was going to be taking a bath right after anyways. It was difficult to get him to come back inside!! But he loves his bath so that helped. :) Such a sweet boy!

Absolutely no progress has been made on the half of the office that we will be using for Mason's room. :( Andy is dragging his feet on coming with me to get the dresser...I can't lift it! Hopefully once March Madness/basketball is over he will have a desire to start helping me move things along! I have to clean out/organize and it's hard to do that when Austin is awake since he wants to help and the room is right next to his so I can't really do much during naptime! I do have the newborn clothes from Austin sorted out so I can see what will be reusable. So much of Austins stuff is long sleeve, fleece or dark colored since he was a winter baby! Get so tired of people saying "oh, you'll be able to reuse everything since its a boy." Then I just remind them...Austin was born in the WINTER...this baby will be born in the SUMMER!!! Good lord!

Sorry this was quite the long, whiney, ranty post! Just one of those weeks!

Austin had his 15mt appt this morning and everything looks great! :)

He is 24lbs 9oz (50th%), 29in long (5th%) and his head is 19.25in (90th%). He is pretty much staying on the same growth curve since birth...except his head...that is bigger than it has been in the past. She was happy with his amount of words and ability to feed himself whatever he wants (or can have). She said his eyes look great and we don't need to go in June to get them dilated again. His hemangioma is flatter in her opinion...I agree too. :) Sternum hasn't changed and she said it will be hard to tell if it will impact him until he's about 4 years old. He got 2 shots today...wasn't prepared for that...thought we got a break from them at this appt. He also got a finger prick to recheck his hemoglobin & hematocrit. They should be calling me later today with that result but she wants us to just stay on the iron since toddlers don't eat a lot of meat/green veggies anyways. We will now be working on him recognizing body parts if we ask him where they are located...the goal is to know 3 by 18mts. He knows where his belly is...and occasionally his nose.

We go back again on June 20th for his 18mt appt...and then of course in July for when the new baby comes..She is going to be seeing a lot of the Coak family this summer! :)

Only 5 weeks of clinicals left!!! Really need to get working on my 2 presentations that are due at the end of April! I've applied for 5 different NNP positions at 4 hospitals so far...be praying that whatever is right for us will work out!

Happy St Patricks Day!! :) Hope everyone is wearing their green today.

Austin is now 15 mts old (as of yesterday)! Time is going by so quickly! He says "hi" constantly now to anyone he sees. So social. :) His 15 mt appt is Monday morning. Anxious to see how much he weighs and how tall he is. I think he is at least 25lbs...he was getting close to that when he was at the doc for his ear infection a couple weeks ago.

Did some shopping for Mason yesterday...didn't get a whole lot just yet but we are starting to buy the needed items and got some cute onesies. Hopefully will be getting the dresser later this weekend so I can start putting away the clothes of Austins that we will be able to reuse for Mason. So excited to have two boys so close in age!!

This weather has been great and Austin LOVES to be outside!

Baby # 2 is a BOY!! :)

Ultrasound went well. All the organs are present and working correctly, brain looks great & heart rate was 144. We even got to watch him moving his tongue in and out of his little mouth! haha!! He is frank breech (different than breech) which means that his little butt is down with his legs straight up against his body with his feet near his face. He was bending his legs and moving his arms too. :) He has plently of time to flip to head down positioning. Weight is 1lb 2oz which is 1oz less than Austin at this time and it puts him in the 42th% for weight.

Dr. Lorenc said we will likely do more ultrasounds to follow weight since Austin ended up being quite big for a 38 weeker. May also consider progesterone injections to prevent preterm labor. We didn't do those with Austin since we didn't know I would have issues with preterm labor when we were pregnant and the shots are a preventative and not a means of stopping labor. Those would be started closer to 28 weeks and continue weekly until 36 weeks if we decide to do them (they aren't a guarantee to stop labor). Or we may just see what happens and I'll take Procardia again if we have early contractions. Either way....he doubts we will go past 38 weeks. I am measuring exactly 22 weeks...so I'm not measuring ahead anymore! Yay for that...baby must have had a growth spurt just before the last appt. Amniotic fluid was within normal range so they were able to rule out polyhydramnios (possible reason for measuring ahead last time).

I go back again April 9th. Won't have an ultrasound at that appointment but will likely have one at the appt after that.

And...as of right now...his name is Mason Andrew!

No update for this weekend...just going to wait til Monday night...after we find everything about baby #2! :) Prayers that everything is ok (with size & amniotic fluid) and that gender is revealed! So ready to start clearing out half the office to make room for his/her furniture & decor!

What is up with these busy weeks?! Guess I should be happy that we are moving closer and closer to warm weather, graduation and baby #2's due date. :)

Austin seems to be completely back to normal after his ear infection now! :) Finished his antibiotic yesterday. Loves to feed himself lately and eats whatever we put on his tray...so glad he's not a picky eater. :) Current favorites are: cheerios, pears, bananas, strawberries, chicken, & cheese.

8 more days til our anatomy scan ultrasound for baby #2. Hopefully everything looks and meaures ok and that the gender is revealed! :)

Last week was kinda fast and a lil crazy. Had the normal Monday & Tuesday off. Then I went to class in Indy on Wednesday (always a tiring day with that drive). Thursday morning I am on my way to Muncie and Andy calls to tell me Austin has a fever of 102.2!! :( So, I turn around, call my preceptor to cancel clinical, my mom to cancel babysitting, and his pedi office to get an appt. Got him in early that morning with another doc..his was not in the office. He has a double ear infection and mild tonsilitis. First time ever having a ear infection! Poor guy!! He was acting fine on Wednesday. The pedi said he must have high pain tolerance. Austin is on antibiotics for 10 days.

Spent all of Thursday at home just trying to keep him comfortable. He was feverish all day and into Friday morning. Andy stayed home with him til my mom was able to take over so I didn't have to miss another clinical day. Fever was gone mid morning on Friday. Thankfully, it hasn't returned!!

This weekend went fast...don't they always?! Austin and I did a little shopping today ...he is a great shopping partner. :) Can't stay out for as long...this pregnant momma is getting tired fast lately.

This week is a lil different...have clinicals tomorrow, Weds & Thurs. I'll be in the perinatal center tomorrow observing the high risk OB so that will be interesting.

My mom is having surgery on Thursday. Prayers for a fast, easy recovery please. :)

So ready for Spring!

We got our state & federal tax returns today ...so we spent a tiny bit since today was a vacation day for Andy...and then Andy spent a good chunk of time on the budget spreadsheet deciding how much to save and how much to allot for upcoming expenses. Happy that he likes to do the budget...it can be a nightmare at times!

As of right now it looks like we will just buy the dresser first for the nursery and hold off on the crib for a few more months since the new baby will be in our room for at least 6 months. Disappointing at first to think about but if things change then we will get it sooner. He/she won't be needing it right away anyways. I would rather have the money to get clothes/blankets/etc right away versus spending it on the crib right now. We've pretty much picked out the furniture...unless Andy changes his mind again. :) I think we might also have the bedding picked out for both genders...I've changed my mind a bunch on the girl bedding so we'll see!

New stuff on Austin/belated 14mts stuff:
~he can walk backwards now :)
~eats a ton more people food...amazed at what he can do with his 6 little teeth!
~he sways back and forth while dancing now
~says mama, dada, baby, baba, dog, book, why, no, hi & bye
~had his 3rd haircut!! grows so fast!!

Still wanting prayers on baby # 2...I'm starting to have anxiety about the whole measuring ahead thing and he/she doesn't seem to be moving as much as Austin did....or maybe I'm just so busy I don't feel the light/soft jabs as much!

Thanks for reading!!

OB appt today. Baby's heart rate was in the 140's which is good. :) But...I am measuring 3 weeks ahead. Dr. L said my due date is not wrong since I had 2 early ultrasounds which are very accurate in determining due date. So...baby is either breech or I have too much amniotic fluid. We will find out at our ultrasound on March 12th. He didn't want to move it up because in either case we won't do anything right away. If I do have high amniotic fluid levels...then we will probably get monitored by the high risk OB. High fluid levels can mean a lot of things....or it could be nothing. Not going to let myself get stressed out right now. Let's just hope baby is breech and that's all it is.

Being a NICU nurse studying to be a NNP can have its cons at times! I know exactly what could be wrong with this baby but we will just pray!

Another fast week. Austin has been sick most of the week...started on Tuesday and he is still a bit congested this morning. I stayed home with him Weds and Andy stayed home Thurs. He was ok to go to my parents yesterday so I think he is on the mend.

He started saying "book" earlier this week too. :) He leaves the "k" off the end but we know he means book because he will hold one out to us and then say it. I think he has grown taller too...he took his open snack cup off the couch last night after I thought I had placed it back far enough and then he pulled a towel off the washer that was hanging just a little over the edge. Crazy! :)

Clinicals are going great! There are a few differences between this unit and Riley so it's nice to see a different perspective and reasonings on how things are done. Still praying they will be able to hire me when I graduate...they want to...but of course hospital budgeting plays into the decision more than their opinion! It would be awesome to work here in Fort Wayne but the chances of that are slim since there's nothing available right now.

Next OB appt is on Monday....can't wait to schedule our ultrasound so we can find out what we are having and make sure everything is ok with the baby. 4 weeks or so til we will know....hate his long wait time!

Oh also...if you could please just leave a short comment if you've read this post...I don't think many are reading anymore so it's hard to motivate myself to even update the blog.

Happy February! :) This week went crazy fast ... and wore me out. I am so behind on where I had myself "scheduled" to be in my certification workbook to help study for boards. I think I'll just have to redo the list of what I want to do each week to get back on track.  Need to start working on my first presentation that is due at the end of next month.

I just have been getting distracted at looking at baby stuff online during what little free time I've had lately!! I made a registry at Target & Babies R Us of stuff that I like for both genders so I can keep track of what we need/want to buy this time around. We've decided on room themes for both a girl and a boy. Just gotta wait 5 more weeks to find out!

Austin is so, so sweet! :) He now raises his arms up when he wants you to pick him up! :) Or, he will tug at your pant leg.

I usually hate to wish the time away...but I am really ready for summer. I just want to graduate, get a job and have baby #2. There are so many things hanging on the line..all dependent on where I get a job. I just want the whole process to be over with.

Trying to just enjoy this time with Austin while he's still so little...and the only baby to occupy my time. :)

My goal is to have a job lined up before I graduate...preferably a part time or weekends position...but we'll see what gets offered to me!

This week flew by. Crazy. Now I am just tired!! Clinicals went well. I had 5-6 neonates under my direct care and was successful on a PICC line insertion. :) Yay me! Now I need to work on my certification workbook (helps with studying for boards). I am doing a system a week until its done....I've stayed on track so far but we'll see. I want to pass boards the first time around and I am hoping I can take them before I deliver baby # 2 (have to graduate and submit my diploma to the state before I can register to do that)...long shot but maybe just maybe.
Austin has been consistently saying 2 new words this week...maybe 3. He now says "baby" (he had said that off and on but now says it everyday) and "no"! He started saying "no" on Wednesday but I still haven't heard him say it...Andy, Kelly & my parents have so I guess we'll count it haha! Andy also swears he said "why" a few times on Wednesday. I haven't heard it yet. This is why I hate being away from him 3 days a week!!! Grr!

Enjoyed waking up to snow on the ground this morning. :) This winter has been so mild. Wonder if that means Spring will arrive sooner rather than later?

First week of class & clinicals went well. :) We have 2 presentations that we have to do for class this semester...good thing theres only 4 of us in this speciality because I don't like talking in front of a group! Clinicals at Ball Memorial started out way better than I expected. I even got to go to a c-section and high risk delivery the first day! They are hiring at the moment so maybe I will be able to get a job there in May. :)

Austin did great for the 3 days in a row that he had to be with someone else! So glad he had fun with his Aunt Kelly & cousin Camden on Weds & Thurs and then he, of course, had a great time with my parents on Friday. My dad was technically "in charge" of watching him while my mom worked from home since she doesn't have any more vaca days til Feb 23rd. Thankfully my dad still has some days to use so he will be watching Austin on Fridays til Mom can. :) 

Austin LOVES to be read to lately. He brings book after book to Andy or I. Sometimes it's the same book a few times in a row....so we have several memorized now. Haha!!

This pregnancy seems to be going kinda slow...hopefully it'll speed up now that I have class work to fill up any free time that I may have! My belly also doesn't seem to be as big as it was with Austin...worrisome at times but I've been measuring on time so we'll see.

Happy 13 months to Austin!! :) He is so sweet and growing up fast. Knows the word bathtime and starts walking towards the bathroom when we say it! Really working on him being gentle with Lacy right now....she is acting like a old lady when he gets near...

OB appt for baby #2 went well. No weight gain....actually lost a pound. Belly is measuring fine and the baby's heartrate was 150. :) Next appt is Feb 13th and the big ultrasound will be in mid-March at my 22wk appt. Hate that he likes to wait til then. Hard to be patient when many get to find out sooner. Oh well...he has good reasons. Austin behaved really well during my appt. :)

First class of the semester is this Wednesday in Indy then clinicals at Ball Memorial in Muncie on Thursday & Friday. Wish me luck! I'm starting to get nervous.

Austin had his second eye doctors appt today. (first one was at 6.5mts) The doc said his eyes still look fine and that his hemangioma doesn't appear to be affecting his vision at all. We go because his eyes appear to turn in off and on. Doctor said that Austin has wider epicanthal folds (skin between the nose and the inner eye) than some other babies so it kind of makes it hard to determine. He tried to get his eyes to turn in again at the office like last time but they didn't. He did several different tricks/tests on his eyes and Austin passed them all. :) We go back at the end of June to recheck and for him to get his eyes dilated. If all is well, then we won't go back til he is 4 or 5.

Got the babysitter situation all settled for when class & clinicals start next week. I think/hope it'll all work out just fine. Mom's days roll over Feb 23rd then the schedule will change again...which is fine! :)

Austin put himself to sleep for his afternoon nap yesterday!! :) He has done this before (a couple times) as a young infant but now we are attempting to get him to go to sleep on his own before the new baby comes. Plus it's just time. :) He didn't cry, just talked to himself and watched his fish soother crib thing (flaking on the word for it!) and fell asleep. It took about 25 minutes....I was about to just go in there and try rocking him again but then he got quiet. We will still rock to sleep for bedtime and will still rock before naps for a short time so that we don't take away all of the routine. Babies like routines. :)

Less than 2 weeks til class/clinicals start. Not really looking forward to it right now. Struggling to find a sitter for Austin since mom's vacation days don't roll over til mid-Feb & she has very limited time left til then. Andy's sister can only do half days since shes Northrops asst gymnastics coach and the season doesn't end til March. I just want to stay home! I'm sure we'll get it figured out...we have a couple of options but we are just so picky with who watches him. So thankful that my mom has been able to do so much already!

It does sound like my clinicals at Ball Memorial are going to go well. :) I'll have opportunities to go to the NICU follow up clinic and be able to spend some time in the normal newborn nursery in addition to being in the NICU of course.

A little recap of life around the Coak household. :)

~Christmas was wonderful!!! Got all we wanted & more. So blessed & loved! :) Austin had a great time opening presents and has been loving playing with all his new toys and wearing some new clothes!

~His one year well baby appointment went well. Stats are to the right but I'll type them here too. Weight: 22lbs 9oz (50th%). Length: 28in (10th%). Head: 18.5in (70th%). He is doing great she said and we got the ok to start introducing cow's milk. He likes it so far. He has had it a couple times in a sippy and we are going to start slowing replacing one of his formula bottles with a milk bottle once a day at first and then go from there...wont type out the whole weaning schedule! :) He self weaned himself from breastfeeding about a week ago (been self weaning for about the last month). It went smoothly and if I wasn't pregnant he would have probably kept going. Gotta move on though. He's a big boy! :) His hemaginoma is starting to get smaller. We are also now watching his sternum. He has the same issue that several on my dad's side do. It's called pectus excavatum and basically means the sternum caves in a little. There are varying degrees of this. We are lucky that Dr. Camille studied with the surgeon who invented the procedure to fix this condition during her pediatric surgery rotation. Alan had his corrected several years ago so we obviously have that experience too.

~At his one year appt they also draw an iron and lead level. His lead level was normal...didnt think there would be an issue since he doesnt go to daycare and we dont live an old house. His iron level was 10.9 and the normal is 11-16 so he is on a vitamin with iron for the next 3 months and will get it redrawn at his 15 mt appt. I'm sure it'll be just fine. Thankfully he takes the vitamin in his oatmeal. Its very bad smelling and stains horribly (from my NICU experience).

~I am 12 weeks along today with baby # 2. Still sick in the very early morning and the late evening. Had some vomiting on Tuesday morning....Austin's early morning diapers and the smell of formula just sent me over the edge. Andy has been changing him first thing in the morning (because of that) but didn't that day! Next doctors appt is Jan 16th.

~School starts January 9th (technically) but our first class day in Indy isn't until January 18th and clinicals start for me on January 19th. So I have 2.5 weeks left. :( The first half has gone so fast....hopefully the second part of break goes slower.

Merry Christmas Everyone!! :) Enjoy your families today!

Austin's birthday party went great!! He was totally not sure what to do about his cake! Oh well, maybe next year. He got lots of new toys/clothes! Can't wait til its warm out so we can try out his new wagon from my parents!!

OB appt for baby # 2 went well yesterday. Got to have another ultrasound due to my tilted uterus. It makes it near impossible for the doc to hear the heartbeat with the doppler this early on. It was nice to see the baby moving around and to see the look on Austins face when he heard his/her heartbeat! :)

Christmas is 5 days away! We finally put up our Christmas tree and decorated the house last night. We have about half our presents bought now. Been slacking this year. I've been wanting to make & decorate cookies but havent done that yet either!

Ended up with an A in my class! :) My GPA is now 3.75.

Our boy is ONE! This year has gone so fast. We have enjoyed every minute of it...even the hard parts.

New things~
-walking!! walks all over the place...sometimes he gets going a little fast and falls but its very cute to watch!
-says "oug" for dog :)
-scowls at you if he isn't getting his way or you tell him something he doesn't want to hear
-waves and claps mostly on command now :)

Austin has his one year appt on December 27th. Can't wait to hear his weight & length!

We have our next appt on Monday to check on baby # 2. Chinese gender chart says this one is a boy too...haha! We'll see. It was right with Austin but most of the other old wives tale type things were wrong about his gender. The nausea is bad when I first wake up, gets better over the course of the day, and then strikes almost like clockwork again around 6pm. I feel my worst from about 6-9pm...and then I just go to bed... Thankfully Austin has been a great sleeper lately! He sleeps from about 8:30pm to 7-7:30am! Yes, he put himself on that schedule and we know we are very, very lucky! It's going to be rough when baby # 2 arrives to get used to waking up all the time again!!

I will have a one year old in 3 short days! Insane!! I'm not ready for my baby to be a toddler!!

He is doing very well with the whole walking and balancing thing! So big! :) I am really loving my time home with him during the semester break! :)

Can't believe its December! This year has gone by way to fast! I have a feeling that time is just never going to slow down...

Still nauseous ALL THE TIME! :( Really is not cool at all. Still fighting with the insurance company this time around too about my Zofran. OB writes it for every 6 hours....insurance company will only pay their part of it within their rule of 24 pills in 30 days. So I've been cutting them in half to attempt to trick my body. 8 weeks have flown by (well technically only 4 since we found out). Hoping the rest goes by fast...or at least until the nauseous part is over...which took til 22 weeks with Austin. Yuck. Still don't care either way about the gender...although if its a girl then Andy says we will be done having babies...

Austin is doing great!! :) He is becoming such a fast little guy! Not walking on his own quite yet but he is very close. He makes this cute "nom, nom, nom" sound when you ask him if he is ready for breakfast/lunch/dinner. :) Still nursing...yes still. It's safe during pregnancy and he isn't quite ready to wean yet. He does get 2 formula bottles a day to help.

2 more clinicals days and then this semester will be over...well after I take my final by Dec 9th. Then no more driving to Indy til January 18th (for class)!!! Woohoo!! Clincals for next semester will be at Ball Memorial in Muncie and will start either the week of Jan 9th or the week of the 16th...haven't decided which week I want to start yet. Beauty of grad school...more lenient on letting you pick as long as you get all your hours in.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!! Hope it was a great day for all. :)

Andy & I are now expecting baby # 2! Due July 13th, 2012. We've known for 2 weeks but have been telling close family/friends first. :) It wasn't exactly planned...happened a bit quicker than we expected.

Also forgot to do Austins 11 month post. Just been soooo busy! (and tired & nauseous)

New things he does now:
~waves consistently
~claps
~takes few steps alone but prefers to hold onto something/someone
~dances
~walks verrrry fast around the furniture!

Loves:
~his book about the zoo animals
~yogurt melts!
~being busy ...always active!
~giving kisses :)
~watching baby einstein

He is growing fast!  I am estimating he weighs around 22lbs...maybe a tad more. His one year appt isnt until Dec 27th. His birthday party is December 18th...coming up fast!! We are doing a zoo theme. :)

Happy (belated) November!

This week has been busy so far and I'm going to continue to go nonstop until Saturday afternoon then I have nothing Saturday night! Woohoo. Baby shower to go to on Sunday for Erica! :)

Found out today that I might not get to go to Ball Memorial for clinicals next semester. My professor said their census has been chronically low and it might not make for the best learning experience. Boo. She said that I should try to talk to Lutheran/Dupont again to see if they will budge. If nothing gets worked out then I will have to pick another Indy hospital or go to Memorial South Bend (which is 2 hrs away). Of course, nothing can just come easily lately!

I can't believe October is almost over. Crazy! It's been a busy month but November is going to be even busier.

We have figured out our Tuesday babysitter situation ...at least for the short term...hopefully it'll work out! :) My mom is going to watch Austin Tuesday mornings (in addition to Mondays) and Andy will take a half day every Tuesday and make up the hours throughout the work week. So some weeks he will have 2 half days since he already has a half day on my Wednesday class days. Ahh...dont even want to think about next semester. (dont worry...we actually are somewhat)

Our former Tuesday sitter is still not happy with her current in home daycare so she asked me if I would like to babysit (for pay) for her baby on Thursdays & Fridays (to lessen the amount of days that he is there) until mid-December when he gets a spot in a new daycare center. I said yes....it will make my weeks so much busier but the extra money will be nice. I start this coming week....I already know him since I was watching him for free on most Thursdays this semester already since she was watching Austin on Tuesdays. Sorry for all that rambling...I could have just said..I got a very part time job. Haha!

Austin is doing great!! :) He is dancing, clapping and waving now! The clapping is hit or miss....he tries but isn't always successful. My mom took a long lunch on Thursday to take us the Wild Zoo Halloween. Austin was a cute little bumblebee! Had several options of costumes to borrow but I liked the bumblebee the most. :)

I am working very hard on teaching him not to bite me while he's nursing...it's a challenge. Prayers on that please. :)

Looking forward to the end of the semester ...the driving to Riley is very hard on me still. I just can't seem to get enough sleep on Sunday & Monday nights. I tried making my coffee more concentrated but I'm still having trouble staying awake while driving and if I am sitting still for very long during the clinical day. My preceptors are happy with how I'm doing. :) My midterm evaluation went well...better than I expected.

Starting to plan Austin's birthday party....most of the places we've looked into to rent are more than we want/can spend. Our house is too small and it'll be way to cold to try to have it outside! We are tenatively thinking of these date options: December 3rd, 4th, or 18th. My cousin Amy is having her twins first bday party on Dec 10th so that rules out that day and the 11th since my side of the family won't want to travel 2 days in a row. Then Dec 17th is Andy's cousins wedding. Most of his family all lives in town so traveling has never been a issue they've had to deal with! I personally like December 18th because it's closer to his bday and the semester will be over.

Austin still has his cold. :( Took him to the doctor this morning and he doesn't have a ear infection so we just have to wait out this cold which can take up to 2 weeks from the first day of his symptoms. Just very thankful that he didn't develop croup (he was exposed to it last week).

He stood alone for the first time on Tuesday night! He was taking a toy off the couch and let go of the couch for a few seconds so he could hold the toy with both hands. Then he just sat down like it was no big deal! I haven't seen him do it since but I'm sure he will do it again soon.

Still working out the details for November and the first week of December for who's going to take our Tuesday babysitters place. I am going to talk to Kelly and see if she can do any more half days or even full days (shes very busy) because Austin seems to really enjoy her. :) Thankful for that. I honestly wasn't sure how it would work out since we usually only see Andy's family twice a month or so.

Happy 10 months to Austin Jacob!! :)

Poor baby has been sick since late Thursday night. He has a cold with a fever off and on. Hoping he is better very soon!

As far as monthly updates...

-tooth # 1(bottom) is most of the way through...tooth # 2 (top) is about halfway through and tooth #3 (bottom) just broke the surface this weekend. :) Crazy!

-he is super fast at crawling now!

-pulls up on everything and now cruises along the furniture, dog crates, etc

-started waving recently! He doesn't do it very consistently yet but I think he knows what he means. :)

-still loves to dump stuff out of his pails/containers and knock over stacks of blocks

-will usually sit still and listen to someone reading to him...especially if its a touch and feel book or a book that has a button or two that he can push. :)

-loves to be outside still and go on walks :)

-transitioned to his "big boy" seat last weekend! He is rear facing still but was really outgrowing his infant seat as far as comfort and weight go (his went to 22lbs and he is probably 21lbs or so).

-likes to eat puffs, yogurt melts, & shredded cheese as well as his jar food...I think he will be ready for more table food soon.

-still working on the sippy cup...slow process...but thats ok

Found out today that our Tuesday babysitter is quitting at the end of the month! She's been working part time with/for my Mom (which is how we've been able to use her one day a week) but she has found a different job and starts Oct 31st. Sooo...now we have 5 Tuesdays to find coverage for! This also means that I'll be done babysitting her lil guy on Thursdays at the end of October.

Just pray that we can get something reasonable figured out! Andy is going to potentially start working every Saturday so he can get a half day every week to help out on some of the Tuesdays...he already watches him a half day on my Wednesday class days.

Can I just quit now?!? I don't really trust many people to watch him. I'm just so picky! What the heck am I going to do when I graduate and start working??

Starting to get caught up on my reading for school...I was able to get some done during naptime on Friday and then again during Sundays naptimes. :) Still behind and very glad class doesn't meet this Wednesday and make for even more reading! I need to function on less sleep so I can stay up later after Austin goes to bed.

Clinicals at Riley are finally starting to go a bit better. Still HATE the drive and HATE leaving before Austin wakes up. ...leaving at 4:30am is so overrated! My professor is pretty confident that I'll be able to go to Ball Memorial for Spring semester so that will be nicer (I hope). It will be a hour and fifteenish minute drive and there is only one NNP. I'm thinking it will be better suited for my shy personality.

Every time I make this long boring drive while half asleep my dislike for Donna gets stronger. If I still had my job, I could do clinicals here. If she even knew half of the crap we've been through since she fired me, she might feel bad! Probably not though...I haven't heard anything good about her. As you can see I am still not over my termination!

Time to shower, go to bed, and wake up at 3:30am again.

So many emotions this week already. Grr. Not going to type right now because it will just be one looooong rambling vent about clinicals, lack of study time, sleep issues for me, anxiety, missing my boy, etc, etc. Just be praying for me if you have the time!

Happy (belated) October readers! Meant to post last night but didnt get to it. :)

Had a great day yesterday visiting cousins!! :) Love spending time with my cousin Stephanie and her lil man Matthew. :)

This is another 3 day Indy week...then next week is only 2 days. Finally...it'll start alternating like its supposed to.

Need to start planning Austin's birthday party soon!! Can't believe how fast he is growing up. He is very, very active now. Constantly on the move!

My busiest week for September is over!!!

Wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be thankfully. It started with cohosting Emily's bridal shower Sunday the 18th. Then clinicals at Riley on Monday & Tuesday, PICC insertion class in Indy on Wednesday, babysitting all day Thursday, and NRP recertification in Indy on Friday. Whew! Over 1,000 miles on the Equinox this week...and lots of coffee! The next two weeks are still kinda busy but then I'll get a little bit of a break after that. :)

I think Austin is happy to have his mommy to himself this weekend! :) He is such a sweet baby. Very fast on crawling now. He likes to go after the dogs, dog toys, my laptop cord, my school papers, etc.... theres always something more interesting than his toys. haha! His first tooth is showing a lot more now and is sharp!

Just over a month now til my bestie, Emily, gets married!!

Happy (belated) 9 months to Austin Jacob! :) He had a great appointment yesterday morning! Stats are on the right side of the column but I'll list them again with the percentiles... weight 20lbs 11oz (50th%), length 26inches (5th%) and head 18inches (55th%). Everything has stayed in roughly the same percentile which is a good thing...shows he gaining and growing along his growth curve. He still is a shorty...wonder if he'll have a length growth spurt?!

We had a chat about his development and she is very happy with it all. I told her about my comparisons between his 3 cousins of similar ages and she showed my the Denver Developmental chart and how he is within the normal range on everything. That helped to ease my anxiety. Wish there weren't so many questions/exclamations from people though!!! .."He doesnt have any teeth?!!" or "Hes not crawling yet?!!" or "He doesnt devour puffs/cheerios,etc?!" Gah people! Leave us alone. He is doing it all on time!! Your baby/friends baby/relative was probably the exception and not the rule!

Austin did start crawling this past week on Wednesday night. :) Very exciting!! He also has the beginning signs of his first tooth on the bottom left! We can see the white part so it should come through completely within the next week. :)

He is still sleeping 9pm to 7am. Although on the days where Andy has to take him to my Moms or Maya's he has to wake him up around 6:30am. Very nice that it works out for Andy to do drop off and pick up because I would have to drop him off at 4:15am (on 2 of the days) if he couldn't! We do still have some days where he wakes up at 4 or 5 am (about once or twice a week), eats and then goes back to sleep. I don't mind it AT ALL because I miss him terribly when I am in Indy so I enjoy the extra nursing/cuddling session even if it does make me more sleepy. He is still in our room. The video monitor has arrived (thanks mom & dad) so we just need to hook it up and try it out. Sad that he will be in his own room soon! :(

He is also starting to pull up on the couch ...crazy! He doesn't go all the way to standing but he pulls up on his knees. Loves to read and be read to! Enjoys being outside and going on walks with us and the dogs. :)

He is growing so incredibly fast and I can't believe he is that much closer to being a year old!

Compliance officer finally called me back with her decision today (first call about this started Aug 9th). They have decided that I will not be able to do my spring semester clinicals at Lutheran Hospital due to my previous termination. I said "discrimination against a student". They don't care...they have a statement in their contracts saying they can deny whoever, whenever. Just fab. So I'll be driving for clinicals both semesters. Guess it could be worse...I could not be in school and still not have a job. Hopefully I will have employment opportunities (that arent a bazillion miles away) when I graduate in May.

The next step is Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie. They have an NNP who has expressed interest in the past about the possibility of being a preceptor. Hopefully she still has interest and hopefully since they are now part of IU Health there will be no red tape and contracts to figure out.

So...in short..Lutheran Health Network sucks ass! Sorry for my language but I've tried (nicely) to try to get into both Dupont and Lutheran. Management should WANT students to come and LEARN! The compliance officer did say "I commend you for advancing your education."....ummmm ok ...so why deny me a chance to come learn in your facility? Alll I said was "Thank you."

Remind me why I'm in school again?! My stress level is insanely high right now since I am having a huge nervous anxiety attack about the start of clinicals on Monday. After that I hope things will simmer down. I know clinicals will be challenging...its the nature of nurse/nurse practitioner school. JUST SO FREAKING NERVOUS! I feel inadequate compared to my other 3 classmates that have more NICU experience than I do. Just have to type all these feelings out. I know that most reading this are prolly like "get over yourself wacko." ...you try having the responsibility of small babies looming over your head!!

We had a great labor day weekend! :) We took a family trip to the zoo which was fun! :) Andy used vaction time to make the long weekend even longer so that was very nice. :)

Then on Sunday Austin & I joined my parents and some other family members on a trip to my brother & sister in laws house! Austin got to meet a baby pig and get his hair cut for the first time by his Aunt Cassie!! :)

Back to Indy for class tomorrow. Then clinicals start on Monday at Riley Hospital. Getting nervous about being in that NICU!

Happy September blog readers! Soooo ready for fall...this summer has been crazy hot!

Just over a month and Starbucks will have their Pumpkin Spice lattes available! :) Hope I can get one at some point in October...they are yummy. Yes...I look forward to silly things!

My first lecture class of the semester went well. :) We got out early too...can't get used to that though..she said that'll likely be the only time we get out early. Oh well..at least we don't have to go every Wednesday. Being there from 9am-4pm will be an adjustment though...it's hard to sit that long! But we get an hour lunch so thats nice and its not just our professor jabbering away all day...there is a different speaker most weeks on different topics related to neonates! I have a feeling the 4 of us (yes, only 4 NNP students in this last graduating class for IUPUI) will become quite close.

Also found out that clinicals will likely be 10 hour days (7a-5p) instead of 8 hour days. Not totally sure if that'll be the case but the NNP's usually do 10 hour days (4 days a week) at Riley so I don't know what they do with students since we won't take their full case load. If that's the case I will be sad. :( That would be 2 extra hours away from Austin and would put me arriving home after 7 and he goes to bed at 8:30ishpm. Just gotta tell myself its 2 days a week of craziness. One of my classmates thinks its crazy that I am not spending every Monday night in Indy once clinicals start since the drive is kinda long and we have to be there so early. Oh well...we'll see how I do.

Enjoying every minute with Austin! He is soo sweet and so very active now! Not crawling quite yet but he is able to move backwards and roll everywhere. He also gets up on all fours...but doesn't crawl forward yet. :)

September is going to be very, very busy for us so I might not blog as much. Just a warning. :) Theres 2 extra Indy days in Sept for things our professor needs up to go to in addition to class & clinicals...and we have a cookout, a bridal shower, and a baby shower thrown into the mix!

Two bummer things for ya today:

1) Andy did not get the loan officer position. :( They went with someone with loan experience who lives in Huntington.

2) We did not meet the approval requirements to refinance the house. Actually found out about this Thursday/Friday.

...and we are no closer to getting the sitter arrangements figured out. It was kind of put on hold while we were waiting to see about Andys job. (His half day every other week would have went away). We are thinking of seeing if Kelly has any interest in taking some of the Wednesdays so that Mom can take most of the Mondays and the rest of the Wednesdays. It'll all work out in the end. Not sure how you full time working mommies do it! I am not looking forward to working full time after I graduate. Never thought I would have this much anxiety with others (besides Andy & Mom) watching him!

Still unsure about what we are going to do about this whole babysitting thing now that Kelly had to back out of watching Austin every Monday! :(  Quitting school is not an option...as much as I want to sometimes to make things easier! Easier isn't always better though. I'm such a planner and had this all planned out and now just before school starts we have a issue! Wish my Mom could work part time!!!

Austin seems to be feeling better after his upper respiratory infection that he had last week. yay for that! He was 20lbs with clothes and diaper on at the pedi for his sick child appt last week. Gaining fast! He did not sleep well at all during the night all last week...and he is still not sleeping through the night yet after this all started. :( I know I should feel lucky that he slept through the night so early on (4.5mts) to begin with! He has been waking up between 4:30-5:30 give or take the last couple of nights which is an improvement over early on last week.

Class officially starts today but I dont go down to Indy again til the 31st. We just lost our Monday sitter today. :( Kelly was going to be watching Austin every Monday while I was at clinical starting in Sept but she texted today to say that she will have to be on campus every monday ..she didn't know her online class had all the quizzes & tests scheduled for Mondays on campus. Oh well, not her fault. Just not sure what we are going to do now ...so I'm back to stressing out!

Andy has a interview tomorrow at 1pm for the loan officer position that he applied for within his credit union but at the Huntington branch. Wish him luck!!! :) He is very excited about it and we really hope he gets the position!

We are also in the process of seeing if we can get approved to refinance our house to lower our house payment since the rates are lower than when we first got our mortgage. We will know soon...probably later this week.

Happy 8 months to Austin Jacob!!

Time is flying by like always. Crazy!! Austin is a happy little boy who is learning and growing all the time.

He now:
~is usually able to catch himself if he starts to fall backwards while sitting up
~rolls both ways easily
~spins around on his belly to get what he wants
~scoots backwards on his belly
~gets on his hands and knees a few times a day (just started this a few days ago)
~tries to climb you if you're on the floor next to him
~eats breakfast and dinner like a champ :)
~sleeps 8:30pm-7am (with the exception of the past 4 or so nights where he's been getting up at least once a night:( )
~says dada!! :)  (since July 31st)
~gives kisses (he's been doing this for awhile..not sure if I mentioned it in the 7 month post)
~tried puffs on Sunday & then again last night (we break them up into about 4 pieces...so very, very tiny and he likes them so far)

Loves to play...especially on a blanket on the floor where he can sit up and be surrounded by his toys! Likes to be outside, go on walks with the doggies, go to the zoo and to the grocery store (he's a ham for the other shoppers!).

No teeth yet, which is fine by me and his doc. He bites everything though!! Likes to shake/rub his gums back and forth on his teethers ...silly boy!

Wearing 6-9 months clothes and we are moving into 9 month sleepers this week. Some 6 month stuff still fits...just depends on what it is. :)

I am still breastfeeding Austin...this is an accomplishment! Only 43% of breastfeeding mothers make it to 6 mts and then only 22% make it to one year! One year is my goal. :) It certainly takes dedication, patience, and trust in your body to provide.

Tired of being so stressed out. Why does no one want to take a chance and hire a previously terminated employee?!!? I've tried several places that aren't even remotely related to nursing positions and nothing is happening!!!

Had a quick doctors appt today since I felt that Austin hasn't been acting his normal self...the fill in doc claimed he was ok. Austin's pedi is on vaca. Anyways... he weighed in at 19lbs 4oz! Holy moly! What has this baby been eating?! Haha...what have I been eating is the better question. The nurse didn't tell me the percentile but I bet he's still in the same 50% range. Might have to look it up. Just thought I would share! We measured him at home with a tape measure and he was 25.5in this past weekend. :) Growing boy. :)

Happy (belated) August readers!

Didn't feel like blogging yesterday since it was a Indy class day...and class went an hour longer than expected which put me leaving at the start of Indy rush hour (4pm). Guess I better get used to that since class will be 9a-4p in the fall on the Wednesdays I have it. Sorry for that rant...

Anyways...

Andy applied for a loan officer position at the branch of his credit union that is in Huntington. This would be a good opportunity & pay raise. He is starting to get bored being the head teller in New Haven. Prayers that he gets it! :)

Not to much else to say....well, I take that back, I have A LOT of complaining, worrying, stressing, etc that I could vent about right now but I'll take a rain check!

Getting closer to getting the babysitting days & people worked out. A little less nervous now thankfully. Also thankful that clinicals don't start til Sept 12th. Class starts Aug 31st.

Austin is regressing a bit in the sleep department lately. We've been trying to get him to not nap on me. Its a work in progress. Also having to do a formula bottle the last 2 (or maybe 3?) nights. Makes me sad. :( I hope its just a growth spurt...I don't want to give up breastfeeding. He is still a very happy boy most of the time. :)

Andy may be applying for a new position within the credit union.. he's still a bit undecided. It would be more money but its at a further branch.

Prayers for peace and wisdom would be much appreciated.

So, of course after I blog about Austin sleeping til closer to 8am he starts waking up between 6:45-7am consistently since then. grr! Oh well. He wakes up happy so that's all that matters!! :) This is the one thing that is consistent with babies...as soon as you think you know their schedule ...it changes! Gotta just roll with it.

I was able to get all my assessments done at Methodist yesterday (the NNP had to change my day from Tues to Wed)!! Yay for them having 34 babies to choose from!! I was there from 8am-2pm so it wasn't bad at all...and my lunch was free (not to tasty pizza but that's ok). That hospital itself is ginormous...used to be the 10th largest hospital in the US believe it or not but its not as big as it used to be due to some construction improvements and the fact that most adult rooms are single only (versus double). The NNP that I was with has been there for 38 years....talk about some experience with the neonate population!! :) They have 3 NNP's and I spoke with one of the neos that was there yesterday and he said he'd like to hire more and would like to start going through the possibility of having night coverage (more sleep for the neos..but more job opps for NNP's). So maybe that'll be a potential job location after I graduate...we'll see.

Sorry so long! Still VERY anxious and nervous about how the whole clinical and class issue is going to be resolved as far as who will be watching Austin and on what days, etc. I tear up every time I think about how much I'm going to be away from him for Fall and Spring semesters. Just going to have to have a countdown as soon as each semester starts. :( Just have to tell myself that 1)It'll be worth it in the end and 2) in the fall semester I will be with him more days then I'm away from him.

Happy 7 months to Austin!! :)

He is growing up to fast! So blessed to be spending time at home with him everyday... very much enjoying it while I can. Austin has been moving his bedtime up a lil bit on his own...he is now going to sleep closer to 8:30pm instead of 9 most nights. He also sleeps closer to 8am now instead of 7. Going to feel bad when I have to wake him up earlier on class/clinical days next month. :(

No teeth yet but he still chews on anything...especially likes his cold teethers and anything rubbery (like the bath toy type toys).

Loves the zoo, we've been 3 times so far and he really likes to "talk" to the giraffes! :)

Sits on his own for longer periods of time. Scoots backwards now when he's on his belly. :) Rolls over to his belly while sleeping now which makes mommy nervous!

Finally got news of where I can do my assessments (with 3 weeks left of class). I'll be going to Methodist Hospital in Indy. Wanted to go to Ball Memorial but the NNP wasn't returning my professors calls so she thinks she's on vacation. Luckily these 10 assessments shouldn't be a big deal at all to get done and if there isn't enough variety when I go on Tuesday then I'll go back on one of the weekend days so that Mom won't have to take another day off. Glad my professor has been understanding about all the hospital drama here in Fort Wayne. Still makes me mad but I've gotta move past it. Not totally sure where clinicals will be for fall/spring.

Still trying to work out babysitters for fall semester and working on my anxiety about it all. God has a plan.

Some good news and some bad news to report.

Austin's eye doctor appt went well yesterday. The doctor does not think he needs surgery, glasses or patching at this time. He said if we notice his eye turning in more than 50% of the time then we should come back sooner than our next appt, which is in January. He did some tracking exercises, checked his reflexes with the light, dilated his eyes and measured them. We were there for a long time but it's worth it since I didn't want to let this turn into a big problem. His eye didn't turn in at all while the doc was looking at him of course. It really doesn't happen all that often but better safe than sorry! He thinks his skin near his eyes just might be covering part of the sclera (white part). His eye measurements were normal for age so that's good too! :)

The other piece of good news we received deals with Andy's student loans. We/he got approved to put them in deferment for a while due to our financial hardship. Yay!! That'll help out since our savings account is getting low!

Now for the bad news....

Spoke with a lawyer earlier this week and he wanted me to try to talk to Lutheran Hospital on my own to see if I can get my file cleared without having to pay him for his legal assistant. Finally got an answer today from Lutheran and the lady stated that every person terminated will have a no rehire tag on their file for the whole network of hospitals. She said that by law they couldnt tell me not to apply for positions ...so even though I wasted my time since no one in the network could hire me they were following policy. Frustrating!! Wish that Parkview Hospital would take a chance on a terminated person or at least interview me to hear why I was terminated!!! I'll be calling the lawyer back to update him and see if theres anything else that can be done and whether or not he thinks suing for lost wages is a viable option.

Sorry so long!

Still waiting to hear back from my professor about clinicals. She is supposed to be working on placements for us (5 girls total) this week and next week.

Happy July blog readers! :)

This past week was stressssful for me. The short story of the drama is that I will not be able to do my spring semester clinicals in Fort Wayne (was going to split time btw Dupont and Lutheran). The compliance officer at Dupont made the decision & said me being terminated was to big of a risk for me to come in as a student. :( Very upset!!! I even faxed him paperwork from the judge saying I didn't violate HIPAA. Parkview is not an option since they don't have a NNP to be my preceptor.


This also a big reaon why I can't obtain a RN position lately...there is a no-hire tag on my file for the Lutheran network of hospitals (thats a lot of hospitals) and my termination does not appeal to other potential employers it seems to appear. I was not made aware of this tag on my file until about 2 weeks ago.
So it looks like I will be commuting both semesters now. This is actually going to be quite difficult. Clinicals in the fall are 2 days a week with a 6 hour class every other Wednesday and then Spring semester is 3 days a week with class every other Wednesday. Plus all the driving, studying, ...and taking care of Austin! So even if I had a job it would have to be a weekends only type job!

Ball Memorial in Muncie is looking to be a good option for Spring semester since it'll be a little closer during the worst of the weather. I'll know within a couple weeks where I'll be going for both semesters.

Just pray for me. I'm having a lot of anxiety about how I'm going to handle all the driving and time away from Austin. Also running into a little trouble finding enough people/the right people to watch Austin during all this since my mom cannot take 2-3 days a week off in the fall and then 3-4 days a week in the spring!

So stressed out!! Too many things to list...just pray for wisdom and strength.

Austin had his 6 month appointment this morning with the pedi. :) We LOVE her! So glad I found a doc that I feel comfortable with. Recommend her to anyone who lives in Fort Wayne. :) Stats are to the right but I'll list them in this post too. Weight: 17lbs 7oz (50th%); Length: 24.5in (less than 5th%); Head circumference: 17.25in (50th%). I had the nurse measure his length twice since I could not believe that was all the more he had grown and is now basically falling off the growth chart! His doc wasnt concerned she said its one of 2 things: he either is about to enter the 6 month growth spurt or he is going to be on the shorter side like me. He's always been in the 5th% for length so its all still within his normal range.

Developmentally he is doing fantastic she said! He goes from sitting to standing (while holding her hands) with minimal head lag which is actually a 9 month skill so we are impressed. :)

He has one stubborn eczema spot that is not clearing well on it's own (did I ever mention he has eczema?..oops--I don't think I ever have since we weren't completely sure). So we are going back to using Aveeno baby soap & lotion and will be trying hydrocortisone for 2 weeks. We had been using Johnson & Johnson since we had gotten some from shopping before he was born so we were using that up ...guess that was a bad idea! I've read that it can be more irrtating since it's fragranced so back to Aveeno we go. Fine by me...I love Aveeno much more! :)

He also is going to be visiting the opthalmologist to get his eyes checked and measured. You may have noticed that his right eye will occasionally turn inwards in some of the pics of him on facebook. His doc just wants to make sure it isn't going to turn into a lazy eye. It always looks fine at his appts and usually we don't notice him doing it at home but we are just going to stay on top of it since vision problems run in my family.

No change in his hemaginoma so we will just continue to keep an eye on it. No teeth yet either which is perfectly fine. We also got the ok to start solids twice a day and to practice more with the sippy cup. :) He will remain on his Zantac twice a day for now ...she said we could trial him off the bedtime dose within the next month or two if we thought he was ready.

I think that's it ..sorry so long & detailed!!

Austin is 6 months old today!! Crazy!! He has changed and grown so much these past 6 months. No official stats yet...he has his 6 month appt on Monday morning. He is sleeping from 9pm-7ish am now with catnaps throughout the day. Sometimes he will take a nap that lasts longer than 30 minutes but usually he powernaps!

He's tried all the stage 1 fruits & veggies...he gets oatmeal and a jar of food each evening around 6pm. The stage 1 jars are starting to seem like not enough food! We will likely get the go ahead to move to twice a day and stage 2 at his pedi appt. :)

Austin started rolling from back to belly yesterday. He sits up very well but falls over when he gets tired so we don't leave him alone when hes sitting. He is learning to drink from a sippy cup...still would rather chew on it right now. I am still breastfeeding...yay!!..made it to my first goal! :) He eats about every 2.5-3.5 hours during the day. Loves to be outside and go on walks in the stroller. Recently started giving the "open mouth baby kisses" to mommy & daddy. He also pulls my hair and then acts disgusted when he gets it in his mouth...haha!

Think thats about it on new stuff. :)

Cannot believe our baby boy will be 6 months old tomorrow! Insane!!

He rolled from his back to his belly this morning!! :)

Had a phone interview today for a prn position at Ball Memorial in the Mother/baby unit. It was just with HR so the questions were kind of generic. She said she will forward her notes to the nurse manager. Tried to call Parkview North again (Jess suggested I try again)...it just kept ringing..no one picked up. I have to call the NICU and ask for the nurse manager so its almost like the operator connected me to the wrong place! Got busy and forgot to try again later in the day. I can only be on the phone when Austin is sleeping so that they don't hear him!

So much stuff to do for summer classes. A lot of it is not very time consuming but there is certainly a lot to learn! Luckily there are ZERO papers to write!! Yay for that! Most of it is enjoyable to read about since it all pertains to the neonatal population. :)

Austin has been such a good boy! :) He is verrrry chatty! Posted new pics on facebook tonight. Looking forward to seeing my cousin Amy's twin boys this coming Sunday at her parents house since they are in town for the week/weekend. Zeke & Eli are 6 days older than Austin but they were born 6 weeks early. It'll be cute to see the 3 of them together. Haven't seen them since January 2nd. Hopefully Austin does well on the roadtrip!

Doing homework after Austin goes to bed is working out well so far. It's time for bed though...he wakes up at pretty much the same time every day so I have my own personal alarm clock ..lol!

Happy (belated) June!

No new news on Parkview  ...or anywhere else for that matter.

Classes are going well. Gets hard to do school stuff during the day with Austin since he still naps on me most of the time and isn't a fan of entertaining himself for long! Working on doing stuff after he goes to bed. Still need to set up a few days to go to Dupont to work on some class stuff if I don't get a NICU job soon.

Austin is doing well! :) No teeth yet but he certainly has his fussy, teething days. He can mostly sit up on his own now with very little help ..each day he can sit up for a tad longer than the day before. He has tried all of the stage 1 fruits & veggies now. Loves dinnertime for the most part! :) Sleeping from 9ish pm to 6:30-7:30am. Yay! He goes back to the doctor on the 20th for his 6mt appt.

Spoke with the Parkview North nurse manager this morning. She has 2 part time nights positions left to fill and her assistant is supposed to be calling to arrange interviews end of this week/begining of next. Please pray that I'm selected for an interview. :)

After all this time (Feb. to now)...the Dupont job has fallen through and I'm not getting it.

She said she's very upset about it and is not sure why they ended up saying no. I guess
Lutheran didn't have anything bad to say about me so who knows. I personally think a nurse manager should be able to decide who she wants to hire! Heck she is the one managing the nurse!!

She did say I should be able to come in and do my assessment assignments on the infants (since I'd be going through the NNP & Neo's) but we'll see if I can get a job elsewhere first.

So now we are praying super hard about the Parkview & Parkview North NICU jobs. There are 3 available at Pk Main and I think 2 or 3 available at Pk North. I've spoke to the nurse recruiters at both hospitals and have a letter of recommendation from my good friend Jessica who works at Pk North.

God has a plan...just hard to wait.

Sorry for the lack of blogging. Just been busy/same old, same old.

Classes started Monday and are going well so far. I have neonatal/newborn assessment and Procedures in Neonatolgy. Yay! :) Went to Indy Wednesday for a 6 hour class. Blah..went by fast but its hard to be away from Austin for so long with the boring drive added in too! Have to go again next week on Tues and Thurs then again on June 6th. She wanted to get in all our lecture stuff for assessments early on so that we can spend the rest of the summer doing our assessments on infants..10 in total on different (gestational) age ranges. Then for the other class we have a bunch of online stuff to do and will meet in early August to do hands on procedures in a skills learning lab. (not on real babies that day though..that'll come in the fall!)

On the job front...getting so ridiculous. Never realized how much a persons patience could be tested! The dupont nurse manager had a mtg on Monday to discuss/confirm hiring me with her manager and was supposed to call me. Well she still hasnt. Talked to my dupont nicu nurse friend and I guess the nurse manager gave her notice (to quit) this week. Great! :( Well she told my friend that she is adamant on hiring me before she leaves so I am giving her til 3pm to call me and then I'm gonna call her! I have too much time and energy invested in getting this job!

Talked to the Nurse recruiter for Parkview Main (competing hospital for my out of state readers) and he is sending my application to the nurse manager in the NICU. Andys boss is his cousin so she gave him my resume. You really do have to know someone to get in anywhere it feels like. I also have a letter of recommendation going for me at Parkview North and talked to that Nurse recruiter yesterday.

THIS IS CRAZY!!! I just need a job!!! Dukes never called back or returned my email that I had sent (by request as a followup) so I'm assuming they picked someone else for that adult ICU position.

I've applied everywhere!! Including non hospital places. Dang Fort Wayne and its bazillion nursing schools that have so many graduating at one time! Well that...and my termination is always a red flag on applications. :(

Ok vent over.

Austin is doing awesome! :) I swear he has grown an inch in the last week because suddenly all of his 3 month sleepers are getting to short in the legs! We only have four 6 or 6-9 month (depending on the brand) sleepers so I might have to get some more soon! Had to move up to the 6-12 month socks this week too. Growing so fast! He is currently loving his exersaucer and being outside (brief amts of time and out of the sun). Still likes to catnap for me...sleeps great for mom. He sleeps from 9/9:30pm to 6-7ish am!! No teeth yet (thankfully on my part) but I don't think it'll be too long because he really bites down hard on his fingers and his teethers lately. :)

Wow this turned into a long post. Sorry! I'll update later or tomorrow on what I hear about Dupont.

I had a great first Mothers day! Love Austin soo much!! Love Andy too of course! :) Austin did very well at his baby dedication & lunch afterwards.

Andy & I celebrated our 3 year anniversary yesterday. :) We went to Applebees for dinner and then DQ for dessert while my parents watched Austin. Looking forward to many, many more happy years together!!

Earned a A- in both classes this semester bringing my total gpa to a 3.6. :)
Summer semester starts Monday.

A part time nights NICU position was posted yesterday for Dupont!! I applied & called the nurse manager. :) She said the prn one should be posted soon now that the part time one was up. I told her that I was interested in the part time one also so she is checking on permission to hire me for that one...she has permission to hire me for the prn one I guess. She is suppose to be calling me back soon. I hope! This has been a long, crazy waiting process.

Happy Mother's Day to all the momma's out there!! :)

Happy Nurse's Day!! :) Can't wait to start working again...I miss taking care of the tiny babies so much! Although nothing compares to taking care of Austin! :)

I hope everyone has a great Mother's Day weekend! Austin's baby dedication is also on Sunday morning. :)

Gotta finish my case study today (yeah, I've been slackin') and submit it and then spring semester will be done!

Austin has averaged 10 hours of nighttime sleeping each night for the last 3 nights!!! Let's hope this trend continues. He wakes up super happy. :)

But with this new nighttime schedule he appears to be on a nap strike!! Cat naps or no naps the last two days....hmm...

I have a interview tomorrow afternoon at Dukes Memorial in Peru. It's for a prn position in the medical/surgical ICU...not ideal at all but I need a job so I'm taking the interview. It's 70 miles from my house. Why can't Dupont just post that darn position?!?

Happy May everyone! :)

We like our new couch! :) Much more comfortable and it seats more people now. Attempting to train the dogs to stay on a blanket only when they are laying on the couch.

Got my hearing date for my unemployment benefit appeal. Its May 13th. But then today when I was on the unemployemt website it wanted me to fill out a form to resume my benefits...so I did but I don't know if that was just a standard computer thing or what?? Who knows.

My fabulous friend Jessica wrote me a letter of recommendation for Parkview North! She works there in surgical admissions but knows the NICU nurse manager and the NICU educator so she gave them a letter of recommendation about me. So maybe I will have a better chance at getting an interview in their NICU. Last I checked they had 3 spots that were open...they arent on the website anymore but they may still be open. Still waiting on Dupont also.... I have of course been applying at other hospitals and other positions but no calls yet. Need something fast!!! If I don't have a NICU job by the end of May then I will have to get some strings pulled so that I can go in to a NICU to do my assessments for one of my summer classes. Stressful to think about. My advisor says she can set me up at Methodist to do the assignments ...nice ..but I don't want to drive 2 hrs each way to do assessments for free.

This upcoming week is the last week of spring semester! Yay! I have my scholary project paper due on Wednesday, a final big case study due Friday and my adv. pathophysiology final to take by Friday. Whew! Summer classes start May 16th so I get a whopping 10 days off.

Austin is doing great!! We've tried cereal 3 times now and he's steadily getting better at it!!! :) His baby dedication is this coming Sunday, on Mother's day! :)