I'm a 10!

I'm not bragging, although my sweet Leopold would think I'm a 10. I'm referring to the fact that my hemoglobin is now 10. Yeah! I never thought I would be so excited to have a double digit hemoglobin but I am. My iron levels are still very low so I will receive IV iron again this week and then next month. My hematologist says if that doesn't do it then he will drop the "atom bomb iron" on me. My comment to him was "say what!!!" He very casually said that it could cause a fatal allergic reaction (like that was an every day occurrence in my life). He then told me that is why he would admit me to the hospital to give it -- so I could be monitored. My Ob-Gyn called me a medical marvel because I seem to do the most remotely possible medical things. Those small chances of 1-2% of the normal patient population are usually 100% for me. So, to say the "atom bomb iron" makes me a tad nervous is an understatement. Hopefully the regular (non-fatal, allergic reaction) iron will do the trick. Let's all pray that. The first dose did very little so I'm concerned. I'll keep you posted. Life is never boring.

Sophie

Livin' at 7

My hemoglobin is in the 7's now. I was in the 9's then the 8's and now the 7's. I had IV iron about 5 weeks ago and we had hoped that would help but it didn't so now I sit at 7. I'm tired and pale. They are setting up a transfusion for me this week. I tried to avoid it but it looks like I will have no choice. I ran for an overhead delivery last week and was so short of breath that I thought I would need resuscitating before the baby. Luckily I recovered before the baby arrived. Whew! So, I should get blood soon and will hopefully get some color back in me. I'm pretty pale right now. I'll keep you posted.

Sophie

Around the House

Yellow Bird and The Mini Mister. The Mini Mister loves making this face. He will even wrinkle up his nose even more.
Mommy and The Mini Mister.
We were emptying the trash and The Mini Mister crawled into the cabinet. Silly, silly boy.

Serious Obsession

I have a serious obsession with Sonic ice. Is it just me? Am I the only one who loves Sonic ice? I by it by the bag and put it in my freezer. I don’t know how they do it but the stuff is amazing and I seriously want a Sonic ice machine at home (I hear they are thousands of dollars). Then they throw in a Happy Hour from 2 to 4 with half priced drinks and that has me over the moon hooked. I love Sonic ice. I don’t know what is so great about it, I suppose the fact that it is crunchy and easy to chew when your drink is gone. I think the size has something to do with it also. Those little ice pellets are just right. I went to get a drink one day and they were out of Sonic ice. I got regular ice. I wanted to just hand my drink back to them. What is the point of a Sonic drink without the Sonic ice. They simply should have just closed for the day. I did keep it. I love my Diet Dr. Pepper with vanilla. But, it wasn't the same without the Sonic ice.

Anyone else out there a Sonic ice lover? Regale me with your Sonic ice stories. Who is planning a trip to Sonic from 2 to 4 this afternoon? Just know I’ll be drinking a Route 44 Diet Dr. Pepper with vanilla and chomping on every last cube.

A Mother's prayer and a safe arrival

This morning I was driving home from work on the Interstate and there is a lot of construction in one area. Thankfully the speed limit is lowered in this area and I wasn't driving above it. As I turned a pretty tight corner in the road I see a tractor driving straight for me in my lane. I had no where to go (other cars in the lanes beside me) so I came to a screeching halt praying no one was behind me to hit me (this is an Interstate). I was able to stop just in time and the tractor driver appeared unfazed by the fact he was driving the wrong way on the Interstate. It shook me up quite a bit and when I got home I told my mom about what had happened. She then told me that she had prayed specifically that morning for my safe travel home from work. How great is that? God answered her prayer but also that my parents pray for me and my brother and our families every day. You are never too old for a mother's love or their prayer covering. Thanks Mom! I love you.

Pomp & Circumstance & all that Jazz

Yesterday was my graduation. I graduated in December but they only have the ceremony once a year so yesterday was the day. Obtaining my Master's in Nursing was quite the adventure and I'm more than glad it is over but there are always things to be learned from the journey.

Here are some of my friends from the program. I could NOT have done this without them. We supported each other tremendously. I made some lifelong friends. Before graduation.
Squat, don't bend. They kept telling us to squat and not to bend when we were hooded. It became a big joke. The professor that hooded me was very short so I had to squat quite a bit. Not easy to do in heels.
I was hesitant to participate in the ceremony. Having graduated in December made the whole thing anti-climatic. But, the kids wanted me to and I'm glad I did. It was a good example to them. They were so excited and kept telling me how proud they were of me. They were with me through all of it.

I love any opportunity in which I can encourage education in my children. They wanted to try on my regalia so I let them. Aren't they cute. Motor Boat wasn't so sure of the hat.

Future graduate Sasha.
Future graduate Yellow Bird.
Hook 'em. Now me and my man are both officially UT graduates. We sang the Eyes of Texas and everything.
The little loves of my life.

Love Hate Relationship

I have a love-hate relationship with flying. I love how quickly you can get somewhere but hate the confining places of an airplane. I flew in October to Florida for a board review but before that it had been almost 10 years since I last flew. I was a bit nervous but was flying with a friend so it was better. She kept me calm. She also help me navigate the new security procedures. It was nothing like that the last time I flew pre-9/11. Boy have things changed. This time I was flying alone and had to navigate it all by myself. There was someone sitting near me that had never flown. A grown man that has never flown on an airplane is unusual. He was so nervous that he made me feel like a veteran flier.

I love looking out the windows. It is so beautiful. When you can see the ground I imagine the people I'm flying over and how our lives are intersecting for that brief moment totally unaware. Do they even know I'm flying over them at that point in time? Just find it fascinating. I also love watching people at the airport. I wonder where they are going and why. I saw a lot of military people at the Dallas airport and wondered if they were deploying. They had family members with them who seems sad so I kind of thought they were. Our prayers are with them.
Here is why I was so claustrophobic. What a tiny plane. It was a short flight so that was good. I picked a seat on the single row side. It was still a tight fit.

My night of relaxation

I worked Friday night and flew to Dallas Saturday morning to get the car. I was going to drive straight home but Leopold thought it would be better if I spent the night in Dallas. So, here is a picture of my hotel room. It was nice but I was so exhausted that I didn't enjoy it as much as I should have. I also wish Leopold would have been there with me. I missed him so much. I love being with my family and I just missed them. Nice place but would have been nicer with my family joining me. There was a 42 inch flat screen, HDTV. Nice!

Here in lies the problem

It's after 2 am and I'm still awake. Working the night shift totally messes up your internal clock. I have prescription sleeping pills but since I'm still awake you can see they don't work very well. I'm thinking of trying Melatonin. I hear it is helpful. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I feel so loved!!!!

When I woke up this afternoon there was a note on my bedroom door that led me to another note and to another note and eventually to my sweet family on the front porch with a present for me. It was this dress. It isn't my birthday or any holiday. Leopold bought it for me because he loves me. It was so sweet. I love it. He says he is going to take me out on a date so I can wear it. I can't wait. I'll have to post pics of us all dressed up when we go (instead of just out of bed dressed).

My family loves me. Leopold is always telling me I'm cute, beautiful and even hot. I don't think there has been a day of our marriage that he hasn't told me something like that. The other day he said something about how beautiful I was and Sasha said "you always think mom is cute" (kind of in an accusatory way). I turned to her and told her she should marry someone who feels the same way about her. The amazing thing is that he tells things like this when I feel I look my worst. Messed up hair and baby puke all over me and he will tell me how beautiful I am. I know it is love that is speaking. It is so wonderful to be loved like he loves me. I'm one blessed wife, that is for sure.

Just a swingin'

The girls had friends over playing today. We know a lot of people that homeschool so they never seem to be lacking for playmates. Motor Boat and I decided to grab a blanket and go swing on the porch swing while the kids played outside. He is getting use to the sun. It is cloudy today but a few weeks ago his little eyes would have watered like crazy. He did great today.

Mondays!

Mondays are tough. I work every Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights for now. It isn't my favorite schedule but it has allowed us to keep Motor Boat at home and not place him in daycare. After the flu scare, I feel more sure of our decision to do this crazy schedule. Well, Mondays are hard because after working all weekend at night I get home Monday morning and get very little sleep all day. I was thrilled to get home this morning and find all 3 kiddos in bed still sleeping. I was able to crawl into bed and get a little sleep. The girls slept in our bed since I was working and this morning I found them as pictured. They are sleeping positioned just alike. I snapped this picture and then crawled into bed and snuggled up with them. They all slept until almost 10. Heaven!

On the mend-Recap of a rough week

Well, Motor Boat is finally home from the hospital and I'm on the mend also. Whoever picks the flu strains that go into the flu shot, please get this one next year. It is a kicker. Last week I started getting what the girls had and then Motor Boat came down with it. He ended up in the hospital. His little system is just so fragile. Leopold took time off from work to be with him since I was sick myself. They had some good bonding time. It was hard to have him in the hospital and not be able to be there with him. But, I'm finally up and about today for the first time. This flu just wipes you out. Still coughing and hacking though. Continue to pray for us, especially Motor Boat, for a continued recovery.

Love you,
Sophie

I love this guy so much

Almost 17 years ago the most amazing thing happened. I had the honor and privilege of marrying this guy. To say I've been blessed is an understatement. I love that I get to share this life with him. It is cliche to say this on Valentine's Day but I love you honey. I'm so glad that you chose to marry me. I pray we have many more Valentine's Days together. They keep getting better and better all the time. I love you so much. Sophie

BPPV

BPPV is no fun. I had never even heard of it until I blacked out at work a year ago and my head broke my fall. I had a huge hematoma down the back of my head. They called a rapid response code and all these people came running. Kind of embarrassing. They strapped me to a backboard with a neck brace and wheeled me off to the ER. I can't tell you how many bumps there are between the unit I work in and the ER but there are a lot and each and every one hurt my head. I first felt the vertigo when they log rolled me to put me on the back board. I thought it was something that would pass but it didn't. Two weeks later I was still so dizzy I couldn't walk or even sit up. I was on Phenergan and Valium and absolutely miserable. They finally sent me to a neurologist who diagnosed the BPPV. I had never even heard of it and thought the cure he suggested was nothing short of voodoo medicine. But, it worked. They performed this procedure called the Epley's maneuver . It may seem like a simple thing but sitting up and laying back really fast when you are so dizzy is a tad scary. I had to sit upright for 48 hours (even slept that way) so that the crystals wouldn't fall back into a part of the inner ear that was affecting my balance. I still have some vertigo when I look up (they call it top shelf vertigo) and stand too fast. It is a problem at work because all our monitors and pumps are elevated but it is manageable. They aren't sure why I blacked out to start with. It was really hot on the unit and I was slightly anemic but they didn't feel enough to cause a black out. It was probably a combination of those things and the fact that I hadn't slept well the day before coming to work. They like to tease me at work by saying I knocked my marbles loose and when anyone is feeling faint they refer to it as a "Sophie Moment". All in good fun. Everyone was very worried when it happened and I can't tell you how horrible it is to be so dizzy. Thank goodness they have this treatment now. It use to be something you had to live with. I'm just not sure how you did that. I couldn't drive, work, sit up, walk. It was terrible but now they can fix it so for that I'm very grateful.

I'm sick

I know I'm looking pretty rough here but I'm sick and thought I would share my misery with you. I felt fine when I went to work last night but by 10 pm I was in so much pain I was crying. I have a kidney infection. Thank goodness I had some AZO in my bag. I was prepared because I've been here more times than I can remember. I went to my doctor first thing this morning and she put me on antibiotics. Pray they work. The last time I had a kidney infection I ended up in the hospital for IV antibiotics. Even though the bacteria was sensitive to the antibiotic I was on I still ended up needing IV drugs. So, I praying this time the oral stuff works and I don't end up hospitalized. When I was pregnant with Yellow Bird I had to have a central line with IV antibiotics because the oral medicine that kills my bugs is banned during pregnancy. My kidney infections are serious stuff and I don't play around with them. I get really sick, really fast. All I know is that right now I hurt and feel terrible. Kidney infections are no fun.

Don't fall asleep in the ISCU

This is one of my co-workers who made the mistake of falling asleep while at work. She doesn't seem to learn life's lessons easily. The night before she fell asleep in a chair and woke up taped to it being pushed onto the elevator with every button pushed. I missed that photo op but not this one. It was so funny. One of the unit clerks finally rescued her. Getting fired is the least of your problems if you fall asleep where I work.

Happy New Year ISCU style

I worked New Year's Eve and rung in the New Year with my co-workers. We had sparkling grape juice and of course food. I work with some amazing people and we do have fun for it to be work. So from the ISCU, Happy New Year!

I'm secure in my manhood

You may be wondering why I'm showing you a picture of a dirty onesie. Well, when I got to work last night I unwrapped one of my patients to find the sweet little thing dressed in this outfit. What is wrong with that you may ask? It was a BOY! Now, I'm sure the nurse that dressed this poor child simply forgot what sex baby she was dressing. We do get rather busy and all but this was too funny. Of course I had to take him all over the unit for all to see and get a chuckle. I then dressed him in an appropriately male outfit and fed him. He seemed unfazed by the outfit so I decided he must be very secure in his masculinity to wear lavender with a pink bear and ruffled sleeves. It can be hard to tell with their diaper on what sex they are. I wanted to show you a picture of the baby in the outfit but that would violate patient confidentiality so I can't. Just rest assured that the baby now is dressed like a boy head to toe.

Ouch

I'm not sure you can tell much from the picture but my hands are already red and rashy. It is only the 1st night of 5. We have a waterless gel we can use but imagine putting alcohol on a rash. It hurts. So, I will keep coating my hands in my lotion and pray they don't get too much worse over the next couple of nights. Sometimes it is so hard to go wash them again and again. But, I have to. Infections kill so I must protect my patients.