ScrappyDoc

Enjoying my free weekend...

...before starting the CCU (Cardiac ICU). The last month was awesome, both from a skills standpoint and a "getting other stuff done" stand. I got a bunch of intubations and learned a ton about ultrasound. I actually feel pretty good about interpreting my own scans and making some treatment decisions based on my findings. That is a huge improvement over where I was last month.

Hoping for some productive time this weekend, before I head in to another call month in the CCU. Nick and I need to do some Christmas shopping and some cleaning of course. It will be nice to have some down time together since Nick was so crazy busy last month. Not quite sure how next month will pan out for him, hopefully not so crazy.

Nothing better than cold weather and football

Also a great opportunity to showcase this years first appearance of the Blanket Bitty... This is in a little joke that Nara and I have referring to the fact that really no matter what the temperature, we would always prefer to have a blanket on our laps... Now that it is good and chilly here in NC (meaning it got down to the low 40's), I broke the lap blankets out of the closet and cozied up on the couch for a lazy day full of great college football and wedding planning. The cats got in on it too as you can see below.

It was sad that I had to enjoy the mellow day on my own since Nick is on 24 hour call, but between games I went by the hospital and hung out with him for a bit. It completely sounds like I was a slug today, but I did get some real work done. I managed to rearrange and organize the downstairs, which has been functioning as the catch all recently for all the things that don't have an official home. That was certainly a big project.

And now for some celebratory pictures from today's football adventures

The Buffs rolled over Nebraska during their final game of the season. This was always the game we looked forward to at CU, and it's great to see them come out on top. Hopefully this season signifies a change in direction for the recently scandal-ridden team.

It was also great to see VT win over Virginia. We have a couple of VT grads in our department so I lean a little bit in their favor anyway. And it's hard not to pull for them after all of the tragedy this year.

Finally starting to feel like the holidays

After having 77 degrees early Thanksgiving Day, I was having a hard time believing that it was the end of November and time for the holidays. Please don't misunderstand me though, I was thrilled that it was warm, especially after talking to Nick's mom and hearing that it was 20-something in Mason City. But there is just some internal disconnect that occurs when you walk around and see all the leaves changing and falling off of the tress and realize you're in a t-shirt and capris. Needless to say I was confused. But that is now all better, helped along by the 40 degree drop in temperature over the last 24 hours. I noticed it especially tonight as I was leaving work and walking to my car. The air had that delicious, crisp fall smell that makes you want to jump in leaf piles and then go sit by a fire and drink hot chocolate. Yippee for fall and hooray for yummy fall scents!

One of the 8 million reasons...

...I love my sister. The following quote is taken from the description of a toy that Jenny has on her "Things that Kassi might want for the holidays list," along with the picture-

Eggplant toy is fun and hands-on, encouraging children to develop a positive attitude towards   vegetables. Made and stuffed with 100% organic cotton."

If only more parent's spent a little time and energy encouraging their kids to develop a positive attitude towards vegetables. Heck, my job would be a hundred times easier if I could convince my patients of the same idea... maybe I need to get an eggplant and use it as a prop for my "healthy lifestyle" spiel that I give many of the folks I see in the department. I think I like the sound of that, "Eggplant as an agent of change in Emergency Departments." There might be an article there folks...

No, in all seriousness, it was pretty neat for me to peruse the list of toys that Jenny and Rob picked out for the peanut. They are so attentive and conscientious when it comes to Kasandra. She is so lucky to have such wonderful parents (not to mention an Aunt that isn't too shabby either:) I know it's a small thing, but this is the stuff I wind up thinking about at home after a long day.

Rewards many months later

I'm not sure how many of you remember Dylan Hooper; he was one of the heart babies that I took care of in Iowa when I was on the Pediatric ICU team, who came in after coding at home on Christmas eve. Grandma did CPR and rushed him to the hospital and he had several long months of surgery and complications while I took care of him. He's the one I helped raise the money for the heart walk. So I keep up with him from afar, thanks to his CarePage, and I can't believe how great he is doing. I had a pic of him on my page forever ago, but just check out this big guy, loungin' at Grandma's house.

He still needs oxygen because of some small blood vessels in his lungs, but he is just incredible. Melissa (his mom) says that he is taking all sorts of big boy foods (after being fed through a tube in his stomach for many months), and is learning sign language along with some vocalization. One of his vocal cords was paralyzed during one of his heart surgeries so it makes it difficult for him to speak regularly. But his is powering through, and is a constant reminder of why I do this job and that there are miracles that we are witness to, despite the tragedy we see on a daily basis.

You ROCK Dylan, keep up the good work!

Bonding

As you can see from the comment on the post below, I obviously made a good impression on my niece! SWEET! I can't wait to see her again, although I'm sure she'll probably be twice the size she is now. Oh well, we talked about trying the whole video conferencing thing too, maybe that would make it easier to be away.

Heading back to NC

What a fun trip!! That has got to be the fastest 5 days I've had in a long time. I got a ton of wedding stuff done and got to spend some real quality time with Jenny and the baby, who by the way is so freakin' adorable it's ridiculous... As far as the wedding goes, I think I've got it down to 2 photographers and 2 florists. With the photographers, Nick and I just need to decide who's style we like better and what all we want in our packages (e.g. how many albums, prints, etc). For the flowers, I'm still waiting for final proposals to come from the people that I met with, but I think it will be between 2. I'm eager to see what they come up with as far as prices and designs go. Hopefully they'll get back to me this week, which is what they all planned.

So I won't make you wait any longer for pics of the wonderful Kasandra and her magnificent Aunt Cari...

I swear I don't have an up-do in this picture, despite what it looks like...

Happy Aunt, unhappy baby!! Can't you just hear her... C'mon, can't you get that sun out of my eyes, seriously!

If you want to check out pics of her with everyone else in our family, check out the new album on Flickr at Kassi's Pics.

All in all the trip was great, although it's always hard to say goodbye. It was great to just hang out with Jenny, Rob and Kassi, and I think that they appreciated what little help I could give them. We laughed today when Rob came home from the grocery store and I was holding Kassi and walking around the house talking to her, he looked up and was a little surprised not to Jen holding her, and he said, "Nice, it's like having 2 mommies." It's got to be tough doing this all on your own without a ton of support, so I'm glad I could be there for a bit. I can't wait until they come down and visit Nick and I in NC, hopefully in the next few months or so. That will be just great.

Some funny vids for all the docs in the room

This one is great, and comes with a special shout-out to all my favorite anesthesiologists... (Nicholas and Bex, I'm talking to you)

This one is a little odd, but had us laughing our butts off on one of my Peds call nights. Don't miss the Attendings doing the "moves" towards the end... Yeah, and whoever is imitating the dance moves is pretty slick, watch out JT.