A tiring week . . .is it really only Tuesday?

It has sure been a week already, work has been very busy and demanding leaving me physically drained. It has been good in other ways though. The first year I worked at my hospital we gave out 12 units of blood in the entire year. We gave out 12 in 4 days to 3 different patients this week. That is not the norm but the need has certainly picked up. It is always an adrenaline rush when the ER or L&D calls all in a huff to set up units STAT. I have done it enough times I just go into auto-pilot and crank them out but there is always a fear when we are dumping units as quick as we can into a patient. When you know they are in the OR being treated by the best docs but you still never know when a wicked side effect could kick in and matters turn very poor very quickly. Luckily for the 2 patients I was working on, this was not the case. The blood was received in a timely manner, boosted them up, the bleeding was stopped, and they are even both home today just a couple of days later. As trying as situations like these can be, they also have a level of satisfaction. The satisfaction of doing what I went into this job to do, to help people and in these cases, to save lives. I consider myself a "back-stage" performer--the lab runs essential tests in treating and diagnosing nearly everything patients come in for, but only with issuing blood do I get a little more center stage action. I prefer the back but it is good to know the years of schooling and the Lord's prompting to this field can be beneficial to others. My mom will be the first to tell you I have "cooshiest job" around but I can tell you once in a while I really work for my money. Anywho . . .that has been the satisfying side of work--there have been some less satisfying parts but they mostly involve me being so OCD in my lab. At home I am not a perfectionist at all, but lab people in general are very nit-picky or as I would say accurate. I don't handle change well in my little world here to the point that if a binder is flipped the wrong way or a pen is not where it belongs I get a little disgruntled and of course have to fix it immediately. For the entire 6 years I have worked here, I have worked with the same staff. We understood each other and shared the same OCD. Everything was almost always as it should be. In the last 6 months, 2/3 of my little team have moved on leaving me alone with new people. Some days I just don't do well with it. Things are just . . .different. Not necessarily wrong (of course my OCD mind thinks so) but different. I need to learn to relax, let it go a little, and give the new people a little leeway. We'll see.



On to a very different topic (well, maybe not all that different) we are finally having a little bit of potty success. My does it seem like it is over due. The boys are only wearing diapers when they sleep now and the accidents are steadily declining. Lowell's had a few good days with no accidents at all. I took the bubbas to the zoo today with my cutie sister Cyndel and it was a lot of fun. The weather was great (for almost January) 40 degrees and sunny. As always in the winter the zoo was deserted so the kids got all the time they wanted with whatever they wanted to play with. They really needed the chance to run, I am so glad we have gotten a break from snow for a couple of days. The best news was Davis stayed dry the entire trip--woohoo! Carter wasn't quite so good, but oh well, work in progress. Here some shots, which I actually did take the time to flip but it didn't stick. Sorry.
Davis being a monkey in the lights

Davis singing row, row, row your boat in a boat--yep we've done that before.

A good shot of Carter from Cynni's phone

We did reach melt down stage as we were leaving, but we were an hour past lunch and already at nap time so it was to be expected. I have to share Davey boys cute line to me today, we had watched a commercial for DisneyLand and he said he wanted to go there and give the princesses a hug. I said that would be nice, and he thought a minute and said, "I wike you too mom". I think he was afraid I would think he liked the princesses better than me, it was just a cute thing to say. When I tell him I love him, now he answers with "I love you too mom", melts me every time. And today as we snuggled on the couch he wanted to hold my hand and told me I was his friend. I am a pretty special mommy. Carter says the funniest things and is such a card but I can't think of anything specific just now. He's my lover boy too though.

Going backwards to Sunday, we had Lowell's whole family over for a goodbye dinner for his sister as they headed back to Texas. Their visit was much too short and we grieve the loss of my only nephew who is now so far away again. Sigh. Anyway here's some pics:

Cousin! Big Dylan, Hannah, and my Davis

The whole family--so cool to get us all together for once (and that my kids are looking and smiling--I have trained them well :)).

Well enough rambling for one day. I wasn't going to do another post until after New Year's but my work has swung the other way tonight and I had some down time, so there you go. Wishing you and yours a very happy new year!