New swing

Quinlynne has a new fun swing in the tree of the front yard. I'll get around to pics of it soon. Thank you for the swing, Havens! On Sunday after church Quinlynne had me out there pushing her in the swing. I took the opportunity to quiz her on a few things. It went a little something like this:

me: What's momma's name?

Q: Shandowin

me: How old is momma?

Q: 33

me: What's momma's favorite color? (she better get this right, we just talked about it!)

Q: Red (Good girl!)

me: What's momma's favorite food? (Does she know what shrimp are, really?)

Q: carwots (Well, that makes me sound healthy.)

me: What's momma's favorite thing to do?

Q: Ummmmm....homework. (This almost made me laugh aloud. But, since that's what she sees me do most often & what I tell her I need to do, it makes sense.)

me: Where does momma work? (She won't get this one.)

Q: Hospitaws

There was more quizzing, but it's so much fun to see how well your kid knows you. I was surprised that she knew I worked in hospitals. I want to know where she gets that carrots are my favorite food, though?!?!

My Dad

OK, again, I've been on the home computer. I wanted to share some pics of my dad with you. I realize that some of you never knew my dad. I hope that through some of these pictures, you'll feel like you knew him a little bit. There is this one: my 1st Easter...or maybe it was my 2nd, I don't really remember that particular day.

My dad letting his precious little girl (none other than me) open his birthday present. My dad and his sister, my Aunt Di. Check out those ears he has! When my mom was pregnant both times, my Granny (Mom's mom) used to say that she was gonna have to tape ears back if the baby came out with my dad's ears. I'll have to find some Navy pictures....his ears STILL stuck out, even when he was in the Navy.

This one is just funny to me. Dad had a new truck, and he was pointing to the fact that it's a Peterbilt. Not long after Dad died, my friend Brenda called & left me a voicemail. In a teary voice she said "I just pulled up behind a truck that had a bumper sticker reading 'Old truckers never die. They just get a new Peterbilt',". That is TOTALLY something my dad would have found hilarious.

There's this one of my parents with friends of theirs, the O'Dells. We had gone up to see them when they lived in Indiana.

My dad and Aunt Di, with me & my brother. It's okay, you can say it....I resemble my Aunt Di. My mom & my cousin Penny informed me a few weekends ago that the older I get, the more I'm starting to resemble her. (Notice the freakin' chin all of us have. UGH! Dad tried to make me feel better by telling me "Don't worry baby, that chin can take a hit and you'll never even notice it." My response was "Whatever Dad. 'Cause I get in so many fights" However, my brother has been in a few & I think he found Dad's words true.)

And this one is the best. This is my dad with his friend, Henry. Henry was making fun of Dad's hat that he got when we were in Branson. Seriously, my dad could be so gaudy. But, this smile is forever ingrained in my mind. My dad had what could be described as nothing other than a sh*! eatin' grin. Can you not just hear his laugh that goes with it?

One day soon you'll get to see pictures of my Dad, brother & I at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally!

A rarity

I have been spending some time on the home computer instead of my laptop lately. That leads me to look at old pictures on the computer. Such as this one:

I absolutely love this picture of Quinlynne & Aaron. She is so tickled, she can hardly contain herself. She absolutely loves my brother. And then there's this one:my dad feeding Quinlynne some plums & cereal. Since I was working full time, and Dad was home a lot due to his cancer...he helped out with Quinlynne way more than I ever would have anticipated. It truly shocked me. I love it, and miss him!

Then, there's these little goodies I ran onto:

Yes, that is me, Quinlynne, and her genetic materials donor...aka Adar, Butthead, Donor, Dumbass. Don't we look like one big, happy family? This was the first time he'd ever really spent any time with her. We had lunch together when she was 9 months old. (Don't I have a good fake sorority girl smile??) I know she does bare a striking resemblance to him. But, I'll go ahead and say it...she looks like my dad a great deal. Maybe I'm waxing sentimental because I'm stil in amazement that my little Miss Curly Q has already been here on this earth with me for 4 years. It truly, in all honesty, seems like she should just be toddling around. That's how I feel every time I look at her.

You know something crazy, one of the reasons I thought he (Donor) didn't want to have anything to do with me once I got pregnant was- I thought he was ashamed of me. I thought he was embarrassed to let anyone know he'd created a baby with me. My self-confidence was that low. I thought he was so much better looking than me. When I got these pictures I said to myself "What the crap was I smoking? Yes, he's attractive- quite good looking- but no better looking than me." Isn't it crazy what Satan can make us think about ourselves, if we let him in? Whatever the case- I will be greatful to him (Donor) forever. Why???? That's what you may be thinking. I am greatful to him for helping me make my beautiful, intelligent, loving, vivacious, caring daughter a possibility.

My day in surgery

Today I was back in surgery again. I observed a Total Hip Replacement. First of all, I was totally shocked that the lady only had a spinal & conscious sedation. Seriously? Knock me out! I can see having conscious sedation during....say, an EGD, or a colonoscopy (normal- & I have had those done), or a cyst removed, or something of the such. But a hip replacement? Give me the big stuff! I mean, there is sawing, and hammering, and drilling. It's a pretty gruesome surgery. At the end of the surgery, they were transferring the patient onto her hospital bed from the OR table. I looked down on the floor and there was the lady's femoral head. Just. Lying. There. I said "is that the head of her femur?" They all started chanting for me to pick it up. I declined, as I did not have any gloves on. The circulating nurse bent down & picked it up and threw it in the trashcan.

After our time in the OR & PACU, we went to postconference. I told my instructor about the femoral head. She told me I was lucky, they usually throw the femoral head at the student. I guess I lucked out, because there was a med student in the room today, too. Couldn't hit two of us with it, so they just let it lie on the floor.

Birthday Girl

This year Quinlynne turned 4 on August 22. It seems like she should still be my baby. I mean, she'll always be my baby girl, but it just does not seem possible that she is 4. Is this the way I'll feel about each subsequent birthday? Is this the way my mom feels about me??

I was really too poor to have a birthday party this year. I feel like such a terrible mom. I just told myself that I'll make up for it- she'll have a killer Sweet 16. I invited a two friends & their children, and my cousin (who also is my friend) and her sons over to help Quinlynne celebrate. (I only invited people who I'm not totally embarrassed to have over to my mom's house...where my daughter & I live because I'm too broke to afford our own place). I put out a slip-n-slide thing, a sprinkler, & Quinlynne's old cracked pool. The kids had a blast. Here are some pics.

Aunt Connie's cousin, Cathy, sent Quinlynne an adorable birthday tutu (& a cool wallet). Quinlynne loved it.

Quinlynne, Drew & Isaiah on the slip-n-slide. They played in it so long that there was a huge mud puddle at the end.

Quinlynne & the boys in the pool.

Isaiah & Elijah looking so cute, brotherly & loving playing on the tractor.

Deacon & Isaiah deep in conversation on the tractor.

The parking lot for the party.

I will pot more pictures later. Believe me, I have plenty. I am too tired. I have to leave the house at 5:45 in the morning, and I have to get to sleep! Can you believe she's 4???

Party GIrl

Last week in our Nursing Issues & Perspectives class we had to take a personality test. There were 4 categories. D, I, S & C. D's are the direct, on-track, group leader types. S's are the senstive, listener, nice people. C's are tne anal-retentive people, the ones who color code their schedules & plan everything out. I's are the people who like to have fun, who don't want to be bored with details when someone is telling them something to do...just get to the point. Apparently, I am a party girl. Would you ever have thought? Some of the characteristics fit me to a tee. Others...not so much. Like, I am apparently supposed to like working in groups. That is not really the case for me. But, I guess not every minute characteristic of each group fits everyone, huh? I never would have thought I'd fit this category, because my life is SOOOO far from a party! Although I do have some song (it may be a Beastie Boys song) going through my head..."HEEEEEY We want to PAAAARTAAAYYY!!!"

HINT

Here's a hint of what's to come.....

as soon as I finish editing and saving all of the pics!

Here Kitty Kitty

Here Kitty Kitty!!!!

I have had Purty for almost 8 years now. So we can safely say that she has been around longer than Quinlynne. Purty (she has that name because she ain't so purty) very much has her own little personality. Not the most loving kitty in the world. That is probably the reason I am so surprised that she is so patient and forgiving of Quinlynne and the love she shows to Purty. Purty lets Quinlynne pick her up under her front legs and carry her all over. She lets Quinlynne lie on her. She remains still while Quinlynne has her head in a vice grip, petting her. Purty must be polishing her halo for all the patience she shows with Quinlynne. (Purty is an outside kitty, so she still has all of her claws.) Quinlynne has now gained the responsibility of feeding Purty each day. Quinlynne assures me every day that she feeds Purty because she is Purty's Momma. When did Quinlynne become the mother to a cat that she is younger than??

So, as you all know, I am in school again. And- if you don't know anyone who's been in nursing school- let me assure you that nursing school keeps the nursing student EXTREMELY busy. Housework, cooking, anything fun is now a foreign concept. Folding laundry takes time. During that time, all a nursing student can think about is the reading he/she could be doing. As I write this post, I am wracked with guilt because I am not writing a paper. It truly is terrible. So, I decided to teach my newly-turned 4 year-old daughter how to fold some laundry. I asked myself "is it important that the towels & washcloths look perfect, or that they're folded?" I dumped the load of towels onto the sofa & called Miss Thang in to fold. I told her that is how she can help momma with her homework. It worked! I had to get a picture!

In the OR

Today was my 1st day in my OR clinical rotation. In past experiences, any time I have had to be in a sterile field, I always feel very sick & near passing out. So, I just knew it was going to happen to me. The floor I was on today- I observed 3 gynecological surgeries. I was hotter than hades int he room, sweating like crazy. But- I didn't get sick. Getting used to the mask & my glasses fogging up took a while, but I finally got my mask situated so the dang glasses didn't fog over. I got to place 2 foleys (what better patient to practice on than one who is asleep?), and I did them the first try! Tomorrow I don't anticipate any really big surgeries. However, I do anticipate getting in on some rather large surgeries next week.

My instructor came in during the 2nd surgery and asked me how I was doing. I said great! She told me she was sorry she hadn't made it around sooner, but one of my classmates had fainted in surgery. I feel so bad for my classmate, but glad it wasn't me!