Hospital dayz....

Life in the hospital is never dull. Behind each door lies an adventure and you never know what its going to be! That is one of the things that I really love about my job. Each child is different which means buckle up!

Right now we have a little 10 months old who has been in all week with cellulitis around her eyes. Therefore her face is swollen and her eyes are swollen shut. When I first met her, I felt my heart break! She has been alone for the majority of the time because of a hard family situation at home. Thankfully I've been able to be with her through the many tests and procedures. She's been in a way, like my little girl! I chose to set up a routine with her in my soothing techniques so that she knew that it was me each time since she couldnt see me!...hoping to give her some consistency and predictability.

On Friday I wore a lucky charms cereal shirt that one of my friends gave me for Christmas. Therefore, I believed that it would be my lucky day! Well at least I fully expected it to be! I went in to see my cute little munchkin and she was laying on her stomach with a blanket over her. As soon as I said hello she lifted her head and through those little slits in her eyes she saw me and gave me the cutest smile! (The first sign of a happy emotion during the whole week). Of course such cute behavior needs to be rewarded... I picked her up, kept the blanket on her and snuggled her for a little bit. Then I smelled something.

Hmm.... I looked at the crib and right there before my eyes...diarrhea everywhere! "Nice" I thought. I then realized that that was right where she was laying, but she was disguising it by laying on top of it. Now here I was holding her- with the same side that was just laying on the blanket, snuggled against ME! I didnt even want to look under the blanket and see what my shirt looked like. The little girl was still smiling (fully knowing what she did to me, I am sure) and playing with my name badge. I pulled her back slightly and looked down. Sure enough- right there over the "Lucky" part of Lucky Charms- filth! Diarrhea with who knows what in it. Well- the lesson there....lucky charms...not so lucky! She got all cleaned up with a bath and my shirt did as well. Thankfully we have extra clothes here at the hospital for such occasions!

Yesterday when I went in to see her and she actually opened her eyes and again gave me that award winning smile. Being the smart girl that I am... I checked under her and the coast was clear! I did her hair and took her on a walk and to the playroom. This right here is one of the reasons that I love my job... I love seeing the kids get well, play- and well... be kids again!

Fun at Home!

Well sadly the holidays are over but luckily there is an amazing invention called the camera that helps keep those wonderful holiday memories alive!

Favorite moments include...

Sledding

Here we are- dressed up for the cold! Little did we know that a monstrous hill was awaiting us!

Therefore, I jumped in with Lucille and we headed down to find a smaller hill. However, as I "jumped in" I realized that the sled was a little bit on the 'toddler size' and my long legs were left out! Luckily with some quick thinking I managed to get all of me in there with a little room left for Lucille!

Side note... you see that boy in the back ground? Yeah- he decided to heighten my stress level. Right as I got set to slowly go down the hill, he decided to take off running in front of us! Which wouldn't be so bad if what I thought would happen (slowly glide down the hill) happened. Instead, we went careening full speed ahead toward the little boy running in front of us! I dug my hands in the ground trying to steer away from him as well as the "cliff" on the other side. Of course as I was panicking, Lucille was laughing hysterically and loving every moment of it!

This picture may be a little deceiving- sure he looks cute and innocent- but don't stand 5 feet from him as he flies down the hill! Just trust me on this one- he leaves no survivors! I have the bruises to prove it!





Temple Square:

We all bundled up as we headed out to see the lights on possibly the coldest night known to man. Thankfully, I was smart and left my winter coat in UT for such occasions as these! I was wondering how to invent a nose protector that wouldn't make me look like Rudolph!

GAMES!!!


Finally!!! After years of waiting, I got to try out the Wii. Bowling, Tennis, and Golf... without leaving the comfort of my own home!

Do I really look like this when I bowl?! I think that I need to work on my form!

Board games are usually included in our family- and I dont mean to brag, but Candyland is my forte! I think I intimidated the little ones because half way through they were ready for hide n seek!

Whenever Lucille hid she would stay there for maybe a minute and them run out to me with a big "surprise" look on her face. Tanner would make noises so that I wouldn't have to search very long! They like to make like easier for their Aunt Jill. Aren't they so thoughtful?!

This was the thorn in our side this Christmas. We always put a puzzle together. As we started we were all smiles. However, day after day those smiles turned into grimaces as we forced ourselves to work on a never ending puzzle. The problem was that there were only 3 colors and 1000 pieces. Impossible. We'll continue on it next year---maybe.

and last but not least..... Being with my family!!!

Could there be a cuter Nativity scene? Only if my three other nephews were there. They all did superb! I was very proud of them!

All in all it was a cozy Christmas with lots of fun and laughter! I truly am so thankful for such a wonderful family!

I learned!

This is simply a follow up blog to inform all of you that even though I have to learn lessons the hard way...at least I learn them!

In reference to my blog about being pulled over, I have taken the good officers advice to 'not speed on the reservation' to heart. I make sure that I KNOW what the speed limit is and that I only go a little itty bit over, if at all. People have even passed me and sped off into the wild blue and I wonder..."where's my cop friend now?"

Well last week I turned the corner and eased into my slow motion speed of roughly 36 mph. Everyday that I pass that dreaded spot where he pulled me over, I make sure I have my licence (which would probably be best BEFORE I got to that spot, preferably in my house before I leave...but nonetheless, that thought crosses my mind) and then I look to see if the cops are waiting for me. Well this day he was! However, no slamming of the break was required. I simply drove right past him and went on my way as he stayed put!

Isn't it funny that I still thought that he would find some reason to pull me over. I thought that maybe my speedometer could be broken and in reality I was going 75 and had no idea!

Hallelujah!

Oh happy day! The results are in... I passed my certification test!!! All of you can now sleep better knowing that I dont have to retake this stinky thing ever again! :)


When I graduated from college, I remember thinking how happy I was that I wouldn't have to take any more tests. Then I started working in Pharmacy and certification was required. So off to the books I went again. Studying and agonizing each day for the months before the test. Then there were the weeks after- fretting and worrying each day that I saw the mailman. When the results finally came and I passed- I was happier than I have ever been before. Now for sure, I thought to myself, no more tests! It was a happy time.

Then I got into Child Life and again certification was required. Again, the late night cramming sessions came into play. And these past few weeks have been filled with moments of surety that I passed and moments of doubt when I thought that I didn't.

I got a call today from a girl who took the test with me. As soon as I saw her name on the caller ID, I knew that's why she was calling. "Did you get your results?" She asked. Now, you see I work Saturdays so the answers was "ahh!!! NO!!!!" She passed, so the pressure was back on. For the next 5 hrs I had to wonder what kind of night I would be having... good or bad? As I drove home my stomach was in knots. I was sure that I didn't pass. I went to the mailbox and saw a tiny little slip of paper. Surly, I didnt pass. They would be sending me a certificate if I passed. I opened it up and read, "Your test score appears below." Of course I read that to mean -below the allotted number to pass. (not below, as in later on in the letter.) Then it said, "Congratulations! you passed!" I was so confused, I had to read it a few times!

Tears filled my eyes as I realized the wait was over. I am now certified and the best part- I will be getting a raise! oh Happy day!

Heres the lesson I have learned...If I decide to change careers it will be one that will NOT require certification. I dont think my heart can take it anymore!

Upside down and inside out!

Have you ever had one of those days where it feels like you have magic in your fingers and everything goes smoothly? Or have you had those days where the magic has somehow left your fingers and everything breaks or falls apart? Which day do you suppose I had today? Correct answer: B.

The problem occurs when your 'falling apart' day affects a little 5 year old boy who is counting on you to have a 'magic day!' It all started when I headed downstairs with a 15 year old boy, to the operating room. Parents aren't allowed in the OR so he asked me to stay with him until he fell asleep. The problem is the OR is very unpredictable at times. His parents and I entered Pre-op at 12:30. Now, I can keep a conversation going for awhile, but my conversation skills were put to the test. Time kept on tickin, but nothing was happening. We talked about Guitar Hero, which he loved and so did I, rabbit hunting, and I was entertained by the crazy things he has done with his friends. By 3:00 finally the doctors made their appearances and we headed on our way to the OR. While there the patient had received some medicine that made him all loopy. (This is one of my favorite parts of the job! People on this medicine always crack me up! ) The surgeon, Dr. Headly, and I were talking as we walked into the room. A little bit later, the patient and I were trying to figure something out and I said, "Oh! Ask Dr. Headly. I bet he has a good head about him!" HAHAHA I know you are all laughing right now. Because I totally cracked myself up. I did not have any intention of being punny- so the shock of it made me laugh out loud. I think I even said "Hey! That was a good one eh?! Haha Good head! Haha" I'm sure the Dr. found it hilarious! It was very apparent by his- "good one Jill". and that was that. I still laughed though.

So what does this have to do with a 5 year old and things breaking you ask? Well, because I spent all afternoon chattin it up in the OR, I felt an extreme rush of things to do on the floor. In my rush to get caught up, I was informed of a little 5 year old who had to have an IV start. He was having a really hard time. I talked to him about what coping techniques would work to get him through it. He decided to play video games. AHa! Luckily we have those. So out the door I flew like a flash (there is my dedication to Christmas.) and the video game machine was not there! What?! Its always there. Finally after the 3rd place of looking, I found it! Phew! Relieved, I went back into the room, set it up and began helping him get started. Of course he picked the football game. Now, For those of you that know me well, know that I love video games. However, I have always stayed away from the sports ones. They just never did it for me. So, as he says "lets play football" my heart sunk a little bit. My cheerleader, Laura the nurse, didnt really help either. "Jill is amazing" she tells him. "She can fix anything and knows all about all video games!" Wow- Laura! Help a girl out! So I felt the pressure. Of course as the little boy is getting frustrated at the game, the time is getting closer to do the IV. Dad, mom and grandma all tried to figure out how to play the game. (You would think there would be a PLAY button, but no. No such luck). We switched the game out, to try one that I could possibly help him with and somehow in the process the whole game system stopped working all together!!! There is nothing more frustrating when you're 5, have to have to get poked, and the game you want to play to help you get through it- DOESN'T WORK!!! Arg!

So, to quicken the story, the IV gets done and I go in search of another game system--The game system that he had played the previous time in the hospital. I found it and brought it in. He was so excited. He said to me "I choose to play Mario!" um...well...Mario was stolen a couple months ago. Sadly, I had to inform him that Mario was lost and his little eyes filled up with tears. "but...but...thats what I want to play!" Moral- Life is hard.
After some talking, he decided on Finding Nemo. We played it for awhile, but it was a little difficult for someone with only 1 hand. (sometime kids refuse to use the hand that the IV is in, even though they could!)

My last chance to appease this child was in the laptop. I retrieved it from my office and went to save the day. Too simple, you say? You say correct. As it was booting up, a huge error message filled the screen. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!! Can a girl get a break? I mean its for the children!
The story ends well though. A little bit of that magic came back into my fingers and it started working normally. I got him all set up and I even think he had a itty bitty smile on his face as I left the room!
I'm just thankful the elevator worked well on the way down. That would be the last thing I needed- plummeting down 4 floors at the end of the day!

The airport

I flew home this past weekend to take my ever so exciting child life certification exam.

I feel like I have become more of a pro when it comes to flying since I have done it more frequently lately. As I approached the check point, I put all my lip balm/glosses/and chapsticks dutifully in a white clear plastic bag- so, i guess, there would be no reason to believe there was a bomb in them. Can anyone explain to me how a baggie will contain an explosive device if it went off? I'm still working on that one.

Before I got to the the scanning machine things I handed the guy my boarding pass and license and waited for the okay. However, he threw me off. "Let me guess..." He said as he took my stuff. What he was going to guess was a mystery to me and I wondered what on earth I did to deserve this "special" treatment of the security guard talking to me. "Vegas!" He said as he looked at my destination. He laughed and then sent me on my way. I was baffled by this #1 Because I have never seen these people have any sort of personality and #2 Why did I look like I was going to Vegas? (Maybe it was the belly dancer outfit that I was wearing!)

The next step is always something that takes some thinking. Which line is going to move fastest through the check point? I have this amazing sense to get in the line that moves the slowest. This occurs any place where a line is needed. Grocery stores, library, bathrooms etc. (I even waited almost an hour for a hot dog at the Diamond backs game. I just kept thinking that it would go faster any minute. I know. I'm lame!) I was bound and determined to beat the system and pick the fast lane. The trick is once you pick it, you are stuck because everyone else fills in behind you. There is no going back. Unfortunately, I failed again in the picking.

The lady 2 ahead of me had 4 little totes full of stuff. 2 laptops, her carry on and her purse. Each one requiring its own tote. As she was loading up her stuff, the lady directly in front of me was taking off her shoes and putting on her little booties from the airport. (apparently the airport is helping with any sanitary issues. Very nice idea, but for some people they are tricky to get on, which adds to the time.) The lady putting them on was for some reason struggling to figure it out. The tote lady in front of her finally got all her stuff to the moving belt and sent them on their way as she made her way to the medical detector. (I'm still behind the bootie lady trying to figure out how I can help the situation move a little faster.) As the tote lady made her way through the dreaded medical detector, her boarding pass was not in her hand. Stopping the line even more, we had to wait as her things went through moving belt so that she could retrieve her pass.
The bootie lady finally had it figured out and was ready to slide her own tote onto the moving belt. I sighed a sigh of relief- Finally we were moving! But the sigh was just premature. The bootie lady entered the medical detector as I slid my tote onto the belt. The alarms started going off. "Go put your jewelry in your tote" the security lady said. The poor bootie lady was pretty frazzled as I'm sure she was thinking, "I'm not a terrorist! I just like to look good!" She took off her earrings, rings and necklaces as we all waited patiently. She stuck them inside a little bucket and put it on her tote as it slid into the scanning machine. As it did so, I could hear it tip over and each one of her precious things were scattered everywhere inside that dark cave! She didnt notice because she was trying to hurry to not stop the line more. As she went through, of course the alarms go off again. I am now standing, next in line. Waiting for the okay to walk through. But because the bootie lady set off the alarm again, the security lady turned her back to me, cutting off the pass for me to walk through and yelled out "woman assist!" and waited for someone to come. It was funny because she didnt take her eyes off the bootie lady like she was going to try something! I myself, was blocked in , since she had her back to me and the long line was forming behind me. (I even wondered to myself, does she think that I am going to try and slip by as she has her eyes on the bootie lady?Does she not realize that there are like 10 security guards watching everyone? I guess she didnt, because she didnt budge until someone else came. I kind of got a little self conscience and wanted to shout out to the crowd- its not me thats backing you up!!!
Finally someone came, and I stepped through those scary metal detectors- luckily, they didnt go off! Why do I feel like they are always going to go off? I know that I dont have a weapon of mass destruction in my pocket, but I worry- what if someone planted one!
Luckily I had arrived to the airport like 2 hrs earlier- since traffic wasnt as bad as I had planned- so this delay didnt stress me out!
Here is the moral of your story. If you are a lady and like to look nice, make sure all jewelry is off and in your carry on. Once safely past the metal detector, you can get all dolled up! And maybe it wouldnt hurt to practice putting on socks over and over again so as to prepare for the booties!
(I hope this all made sense. I realized as I was typing it that I didnt know the real name for things- so I made them up!)

Thats it! I'm walking!

As many of you know- I have been traumatized by elevators in the past. But also most recently,as I have mentioned, the elevator at the hospital has started in on the shinanigans! One might think that I would have learned my lesson by now. But I think that at times, it takes a few of those "um- I think my heart just stopped" moments for me to finally get it.

Yesterday, as I got in, there was a dad with his cute little daughters. Of course they were so excited to push the buttons so everyone told them what floor they were going to and eventually all 5 buttons were pushed. We went up to the 2nd floor and one lady got out. Then the lights around the numbers signifying that the floor was chosen, went off and we started back down again. I started the whole "Don't freak out" talk that I do inside my brain to myself, over and over again.
"If other people panic, then I'll succumb to the fear, but until then, stay calm". But then the doors didn't open and flashbacks started flying throughout my brain of the other incidents that I have had. Confused, the dad calmly pushed the buttons again and it went back up and stopped at the floors that it needed to. Whoosh- relief filled my heart as I jumped off onto my floor.

That should have been enough of a lesson learned, but I had to get it one more time before I finally caved in that elevators are scary scary machines that humans put way too much trust in!

Today, I took those same cursed elevators again. I got on and as we pushed the buttons the lights around the numbers would turn off as if they weren't chosen. So we'd push them again, and the doors would close, lights would go off, and we'd be sitting there not moving. Finally it worked. It went up to the 2nd and 3rd floor but then the lights would go off the numbers and it went back down to the first floor. The other lady that was with me, looked at me strangely. and I said something that I'm sure was profound like, "Um- why is it that we can not seem to go UP in this elevator?" Once again on the 1st floor, and weirdly still on the elevator, we tried again. After our ride up and down, we were finally successful in getting to our destinations!

I think that I can cancel my gym membership because I'll be getting all the exercise that I need now- no more elevators!