-almost a big girl-

I have one more shift of level 3/4 orientation and then I am on my own.  

Woah! Seriously? Like you mean I'll be trained to the highest level of our NICU?  I can care for any baby? Woah.

(link here to see my post from the beginning of 3/4 orientation)

I am excited.  But obviously nerrrrvvvvoussss.  I feel as ready as I'll ever be.  Bring it on!

I have had some really awesome orientation days.  I have had some pretty amazing preceptors who taught me A LOT.  I have found my own way of organizing and doing things.  Yes, I have felt overwhelmed, but that's a good thing.  I have seen some of the craziest and most interesting cases/assignments on our unit and I feel like my orientation was perfectly well-rounded.  I have had nurses tell me I have seen/done things they haven't done themselves in their 3+ years in the unit.

 I love learning.  Sometimes, I listen in on the docs teaching the residents and hold back my smile when I can answer a question the resident can't.  I know I'll continue to learn and grow everyday and I am so happy about that.

The best advice came from another nurse today:

"Take the most complex/sickest baby you can your first day off orientation...have a nurse close by that you trust and know that there is always someone there to help and ask questions."

love. my. job.

signed up and ready

I did it! I signed up for BodyPump training in April.  I have kind of been putting it off and I keep giving myself excuses on why not to do it.  Last night, I had enough of myself and the excuses (so was Matt) and I clicked "Book Now".  And I feel great!

As I am blogging, my quads and triceps are screaming. I went up in weight in squats, biceps, and triceps this week. This morning I did a Pump class and it felt so good.  I just love it.  I am so excited to get started with the instructor training. While in class, I find myself counting the music and practicing cueing the next move in my head.  

So it is official.  I am attending the instructor training April 1-3 :).  

pay for pictures?

So I was really looking forward to posting about my awesome trip to San Diego, but whenever I try to load pictures it says I have used up all of my free quota and offers for me to purchase more.  Has this happened to anyone else or have you had to buy the extra storage?  I'm new at blogging, so I don't about that.

I have been a bit of a blogging slacker this week.  It always so busy when you get back from a vacation to unpack and get back to normal and then I had to work on Thursday and Friday.  

Luckily, I have the weekend off so I can spend it with Matt while he is off work.  Today, I went and had lunch with my friend Ashley and her mom at Cheesecake factory.  Her baby bump is just so precious. After lunch, I decided to walk around the mall. I have a list of things I need/want, but I walked out of the mall empty handed.  I have to say I am pretty proud of myself.  I am picking up an extra shift at work this week so maybe that extra money that I was planning on using for the bodypump training will have to send me back to the mall to shop :).

Plan for this weekend/week:

-Figure out this darn picture uploading issue and blog my San Diego trip

-Register for bodypump training (I am cleared to sign up, I just need to get on it)

-Take Jax on a large amount of walks-he loves the sunshine 

That's about all I am worried about getting done for now.

San Diego bound!

I will be on a short hiatus from blogging because...I am leaving tomorrow morning for San Diego!!!

Matt is driving me up to Midway early in the morning (he's not so happy, but we are taking Jax along so hopefully that will make his drive home better).  I am flying out of Midway to meet up with my friend Amy who is also going out there and we will be on the same flight!  It will be a long flight, but at least she will be with me.  My plan is to catch up on my reading, catch up with Amy, and hopefully get some sleep since I had a crazy busy day at work today.  

I am sooooo excited to see Abby and to meet her pup Scooter.  I haven't seen Abby since around Christmas and it wasn't for very long so I miss her so much.  I am so pumped for these next 4 days. 

Sunshine and 70's, here I come!

Chicago weekend

This past weekend, Matt and I joined Lauren and J Dan to visit our friends, Jamie and Darin, in Chicago. Jamie and Darin got married this past summer and moved up to Chicago.  They live right downtown and the view from their apartment is amazing!

We all went out for a great lunch at a cute restaurant downtown and then we sent the boys off to a bar so we could shop!  We hopped on the Red Line since it was a little chilly to walk the whole way.  What an experience.  Jamie is so used to the Chicago way already, so she is a pro at using/riding the train.  Lauren and I on the other hand were a little nervous.  Maybe since Darin decided to tell us all the crazy things they have seen on the train at lunch.  

We shopped til we dropped and then met back up with the boys.  We all had a couple drinks and then headed back to our hotel to get cleaned up for dinner.  We went to Sushi Naniwa for an awesome sushi dinner.  We ordered a TON of rolls and we started laughing when we realized how fast we were going through them! 

Jamie and Darin

Taxi to sushi dinner!

Of course, my husband got a picture of the cap driver.

Beautiful city

After dinner, we made our way to English-a really neat bar.  It had 3 levels and was an older looking bar. It had character :).  We luckily found a table and set out camp for the rest of the night.  It was fun to sit and catch up after not seeing each other for so long.  They had the BEST soft pretzels and cheese that we obviously needed around 11.

The group!

Can't wait to plan our next visit!

step numero uno

I officially started the first step of this whole BodyPump training thing.  Yeah!  It is going to be a lonngg process, but I am excited.  I spoke with the manager at my gym and she gave me the low-down on what all the process includes.  It's a little overwhelming.  I wish it was as easy as "do the 3 day weekend training and then you're good to go".  But I totally agree with all the different steps you go through because it makes a really great instructor.

I signed an instructor agreement with Les Mills (the company that supports BodyPump) this morning which then gets forwarded to my gym's manager and she has to agree to sponsor me through the training.  No, that does not mean they pay for it, that is all me :(.  After she approves me, I can sign up and pay to attend the 3 day training in April.  I am thinking about doing the one in Columbus, OH instead of Northbrook, IL.  They are about the same distance from Indy, but I am thinking the traffic will be better to OH.  It's a straight shot with no toll roads.

Wish me luck on my new journey :)

learning...NICU-style

I love my job.  I know I have said and will say it 100 trillion more times how much I truly love this job.  Matt has told me it makes him happy to hear me say it and to tell his friends and family how much I am loving it.

I love my co-workers.  They are the best group of girls in the world.  There is always someone there to learn from, laugh with, and talk to while feeding a babe.  There are so many nurses that I look up to, and aspire to be like. Their skill and compassion amaze me.  At times when we are so slammed and busy, but we work together to get everything done. Sometimes I stop what I am doing and look around and realize how cool it is to be there and to be doing what we are doing.  Seeing the hands of one of us in the isolette of a 1 lb. baby taking special care to things others would completely disregard like the noise and the control of temperature.  Or going on a delivery, never knowing how the baby will come out, and seeing our team work together to help them transition.  I used to watch this kind of stuff on TV thinking there was no way I could ever do that, but I am. We are so blessed to have such amazing doctors a part of our team.  They really trust the nurse's instinct and that feels so good. I am just so lucky.

I was nervous when I accepted the position because I had a couple nursing friends tell me it was not a good idea to specialize in nursing so soon.  Try out med-surg, even peds why don't you? Well, guess what? I think I made the absolute best decision for me.  I learn so much. Every single day. And I can't imagine working on any other unit.  I love my patients, I love their families, and I love the difference we are making in their lives.  We are saving their babies and giving those tiny miracles the opportunity to live healthy lives.  

I love making memories for families.  Introducing them to their new baby and explaining what we are doing to help them. I don't know why, but it's the dads that get me every time.  Once they get teary-eyed, so do I.  I love when they are so eager to just be looking at their new baby.  My favorite is when we go on a delivery and the dad sees the baby for the first time and says, "Can I touch her?".  Why sure! :)   I have yet to "primary" a baby which means you sign up to have this baby every time you work.  You get to know the baby like the back of your hand and their family comes to know you as their nurse.  

I am currently orienting to level 3/4 which includes the babies on mechanical ventilators, high-frequency ventilators (oscillators and jet vents), drips (for cardiac and blood pressure medications, insulin, sedation, pain medication), venous and arterial lines, and so on.  Basically the tiniest, most complex, and sickest babies.  There are kids with heart defects, GI defects, multiple anomalies, chromosomal syndromes, babies needing to go to surgery, and babies the size of your hand.  I learn so much from the nurses I am paired with.  When I am done with this orientation, I will be fully trained in the NICU.  I can take on any baby, no matter how small or sick or how many medication drips they may be on.  Scary.  But exciting :)