I'm lovin it!

Recently I have realized that I really truly love my job and here are the top 10 reasons why (in the last couple weeks) that is:

10. Sweet nothings...
In the playroom I have a poster that says "If I could "leaf" the hospital, I'd go..." and then kids pick a paper leaf a write their wish on it. Some write "home" others "Toys R Us" etc. Last week when I walked in, I noticed one kid wrote "To play with my friend Jill". Oh how sweet!

9. Smart kids...
Kids always amaze me at how they teach me to teach other kids. I was doing medical play the other day with a school aged kid. Her doll needed an IV so we got out all the medical stuff. As we opened the needle, I explained that you pull apart the two pieces of paper and it will open it... "kinda like..." I stopped and the kid goes "STRING CHEESE!" Yep! That was a perfect explanation! Its now a part of my preparation that I use with other kids!

8. I get to play...
I walked into a teenagers room to see how he was doing. He engaged super well in conversation and we were talking about what he liked to do for fun. He mentioned PlayStation (which is one of my favorites as well). So, of course we started talking about guitar hero and he goes " Well, I brought it from home. Its over there. Do you want to play?" Umm... yeah! Was my first reaction, But I said no- I really shouldnt. However, he kinda egged me on... so whats a girl to do! I had to show him up! So we sat and played- but in the end, he totally kicked my trash! Oh well... it was worth it!

7. Anatomy lessons...
I was making a puppet with a 4 year old the other day. She started drawing the mouth and asked if we should put teeth in it. "what do you think?" I asked her. She started drawing the bottom row. I asked "should we put teeth on the top too, or just the bottom?" I really was just "making conversation" but the look on her face was priceless. It was almost as if she thought that I really didnt know about teeth. She says "On top too! Here look in my mouth (she opens wide) You see? (pointing at her teeth.)There are teeth on the top AND the bottom. Okay?!"Okay. Got it!

6.Self Esteem boost...
When I prepare children for surgery, part of my prep includes me putting on an OR hat and mask so that kids can familiarize themselves to what the DR's and nurses will look like in the OR. (One kid asked me why I put a lunch lady hat on! hehe). We talk about what they are for and so the kids can see that its the same person with or without the hat and mask. Well, I always try to make a joke of it and once it backfired on me. I put on all the gear and said to this 6 yr old girl. "Dont I look beautiful?"(Said, as I modeled it like Vanna White).Then I asked "Now, do I look better with or without it?!" And she replied "WITH!" I thought- maybe I should really try to look better when I go to work!

5. To kids, I am as funny as a stand up comedian...
I was spending time with a 2 yr old that needed a little extra TLC. She had some stickers and started putting them on my shirt. Again, trying to be funny, I put one over my mouth and attempted to talk to her. Of course it was just mumbling. By her reaction, you would have thought that I had told her the funniest joke in the world! The nurses down the hall heard her laughing! It even got me laughing that I started crying. She was laughing so hard that her face turned red! Then she took a big sigh (as if to catch her breath) and said "That funny!" And then, of course, we proceeded to do that for the next 10 minutes. Each time her laugh became more and more fake- but I will never forget that first time-- That was real as real could be! Hey! At least I know what my first line will be if I ever get into stand up!

4. Extra love...
Whenever I work with kids, one of my main focuses is to help the find out how to cope with their pain, worry, fear etc. We usually go through it before and then practice it. (I.e. take a deep breath, squeeze someones hand etc..) Well, One day I knew this 5 yr old was not so keen on taking medicine. So I went in and we talked about the "plan". She decided on her own something that I had never heard before. She told me that she wanted to sit on my lap, sip a little of the medicine, have a drink, and then kiss me on the cheek! I smiled and said- "Okay. If that works- its a deal." When the nurse came in with the meds, the little girl stayed sitting on her side of the bed. I was like "Hey! Whats our plan? How come youre sitting clear over there?!" I think she was surprised that I was actually going to do it! She ran over to me, jumped on my lap- and low and behold, it worked!!! See- at times, kids really do know what will help them best! And lucky me got a medicine kiss out of it!

3. Poop soup anyone?
I was walking down the hall, when I heard this little 2 yr old saying (and kinda singing) "poopers. poopers". I went in and noticed she was alone. I asked her if she needed her diaper changed and of course the answer was yes. I put some gloves on and undid the diaper. I will spare you the nasty details, but I really and truly thought "is this soup?" The way the diaper was, it was kindof like the bowl and it was FULL to the brim of liquid diarrhea! (Still, it makes me shutter to think about it). However, I just kept reminding myself how much I loved me job. Granted the big hug and her saying "tanks Jill" made it worth it. But- I think I can go through life without see that again!

2. Nicknames...
I have many of these in the hospital. However, each time I see this one 2 1/2 yr old, who spends a lot of time in the hospital, she gets so excited and then says "paydough?!" You see, we played with play dough awhile back and it has stuck in her mind. So now, no matter when it is, if she sees me- she yell it out. Now, her parents and some o f the nurses refer to me as "hey play dough- whats going on?!" I think she uses me for my play dough!

And last but certainly not least..

1.I am famous!
I worked with a little 5 yr old back in June when she came in with a dog bite to her face. We had a great time together. Her mom called me last week because they have to do some outpatient work (totally unrelated to the dog bite) and wanted to know if I, or the other child life specialist, would work with her daughter beforehand. "of course!" I replied, trying to fully remember who she was. Then her mom said, you know, she talks about you and Dominica ( the other child life specialist) all the time and she even named one of the scars on her face after you. One is named Jill and the other is Dominica!

See! As hard as I feel this job is at times- its moments like these that I realize that it really is a blast to work with kids! You never know what youre going to get!!! :)

The power of the mind

I find it interesting that you can be so sure of something and then have it turn around and be so different! Let me explain...

Rewind to when I moved to Mesa. From the first drip of Mesa water on my tongue I was not a fan. I decided that I would buy bottled water. But then that started adding up. So...I ended up using my roommates water pitchers that you filled up and then as it sat in the fridge, it filtered the water. Therefore, if anyone was visiting, and not wanting them to be subject to such horrible suffering, I always steered them away from the oh so evil tap water!

Now in my new house, we have had to live without the "wonderful" water pitcher filter. Lucky for us, we have the water/ice dispenser thingy in the fridge door. It has been my life savor and I have absolutely enjoyed every last sip of the delicious water that somehow magically comes out of our fridge door! (I'm still working on that one!) Even now, when people come over, I steer them clear of the tap and lead them directly to the fridge door.

Well last night, I grabbed a cup and went for the fridge for my nightly cup of water. As I pushed my cup into the fridge door, nothing happened. "Umm... wheres the water?!" I asked my roommates. We tried to figure out what was amiss with the water and we came up with nothing. "What am I supposed to do?! " I asked as my mouth felt more and more parched by the second! My roommate pointed and said "Jill- there is water over there!" And she pointed to... get this... the tap!!!

"WHAT?!" I said "That water is nasty!" She looked at me and then it all came out... "Jill... That water is the SAME water that comes out of the fridge!" and then she started laughing. "The fridge water isn't filtered?!" I asked. I had to pick my jaw up off the ground as I went to stare at the door. "Are you sure?!" and then my non-believing/skeptical side came out. "How do you know?!" I asked curiously. She said- "Well, first of all, it tastes the same! and Secondly- show me where the filter is or even where it says that it is filtered!" Wow- 2 very good points. So I ventured over to the tap and filled up my cup. As I put the glass against my lips and took a sip- I found that she was right!!! It tasted the same!

Oh the power of your mind. I had thought and convinced myself that the water tasted good from the fridge simply because it came from the fridge and not the tap! How silly is that!
I am still trying to comprehend it all- since for a year I had thought so differently-

Lesson here folks- Sometimes it REALLY is all in your mind! :)

Life is good...

So..... as some of you know and some of you dont know, there has been a certain someone that has come into my life and really spiced things up! The name of this certain person: Aaron. Therefore, my life really has been a lot more exciting so I thought I would share with you all some pictures of the fun times had here in Phoenix...

One of the things that I loved when I first moved here was the whole 'desert' feel. I loved that there were cactuses/cacti (whatever!) and palm trees everywhere! However, with time I realized that I had become so used to seeing them that it really wasnt so special anymore. Now, when Aaron came to visit back in December, he helped me remember and re-recognize the beauty of Arzona again. We spent a lot of time driving and soaking in the beauty that Arizona has!

Of course I had to share with Aaron the amazing 'new' invention called guitar hero. I am not quite sure what it is about it that I love so so much... but I do! So we headed off to an arcade (another favorite of mine) to try it out! He was such a good sport about it. I had to show him the moves of how to get it done!

I kinda think that Aaron was a little jealous of my rockin skills- so he tried to make up for it on the air guitar. Maybe he got some inspiration from the frog!

In all the driving that Aaron did while I was at work (poor poor Aaron- left all alone in Phoneix!) He found signs with both of our names on them! Random huh?!

Notice however, that below the 'Aaron' sign it says "Not a through street". I think he felt hurt at what the sign was insinuating, so I had to take matters into my own hands to help him see that that is not the case :)

After he left, I went to see what I could do! I would like you to first take a minute and look at the picture above. Doesnt that Aaron sign appear to be maybe just a few feet up? And the yellow sign looks about the size of a speed limit sign? Right?! All I am saying is that when we pulled up and I walked closer, I realized it was far above my head. I mean- come on! I just wanted to put my sign over it and clear things up a bit! Was that too much to ask?! I had to stand on my tip toes and still couldnt cover it all- even with stretching with all my might! Plus, the yellow sign- yeah. Much wider than my 2 pieces of computer paper could handle. Oh well- sometimes it really is the thought that counts! :)

We also headed off to see the Motorcross races. In our minds, it was going to be dirt bikes doing tricks. We thought..."Cool!" so we headed downtown. (note to all of you... driving downtown Phoenix is the quickest way to increase your blood pressure in a matter of seconds! I can feel my heart racing just thinking about it!)

So we learned... Motorcross does have dirt bikes indeed. But the focus wasn't on doing tricks, it was on speed! They raced around and around and the crowd seemed to really get into it when they crashed. Why is that always a fan favorite?! It all turned out pretty fun though. We just had to figure out all the rules.(I even tapped the lady's shoulder in front of me to get the low down. It was her first time too though, so we just had to figure it out on our own!) Once we got it down, we had a great time!

Here is a heads up for all you soon to be motor race car fans. Jimmy Stewart apparently is THE MAN in this sport. Just throw that name out the next time you're there and you'll be sure to impress all around you! (That way you wont look silly when you're looking around for the actor that well... died a few years back!)

We also went and saw the beautiful temple and the lights that were up for Christmas. It was so fun to continue the Christmas tradition of going to see the temple lights, that I did each year back in Salt Lake. However, the great part was that I could still feel my nose when it was all over and I didnt have to worry about driving home in a blizzard! I am really learning to love Arizona in the winter! They did a great job and the temple looked amazing!

It really was such a blast to get to know Phoenix( I know, it took Aaron coming here for me to finally explore my surroundings!)

And it was especially fun with such an amazing travel companion like you...Aaron!!!

Happy Valentines Day! My dear Aaron!
You truly are a keeper! :)

Estoy agradecida que estas en mi vida!

Um...Excuse me?!

So...I dont know if any of you recall that when I moved down here to Arizona last May, I was a little warm. Okay- lets be honest. I was HOT! But, the thing that kept me pluggin away was the thought of a nice cool winter with no snow, no worries about waking up to a blizzard, no scraping my car windows etc... Those beautiful thoughts got me through those rough days...

And I have to say, that has been the case. Each morning the thing furthest from my mind is snow! It was always a weird thought each time I talked to my famliy or friends in Utah and they told me of yet another blizzard that dumped 5+ inches the night before. Lets face it, I forgot that it is winter since each morning there are blue skies that welcome me and no snow in the forcast.

This morning my worlds collided. I was running a little bit on the late side (in my defense, it was only about 5 min!). I ran downstaris, grabbed a granola bar for breakfast and sped outside to drive off and catch up to those 5 min that I had lost. After I locked the front door, I turned to run to my car and BOOM! It felt like I hit a brick wall. There in front of me was an inch of frost on my car! WHAT?! This is not possible. I looked around to see if I was in actuality still is Arizona and didnt by chance get teleported back to Utah during the night. Yep. It was Arizona alright- Arizona with frost bite!

Well, since I had happily given all my scrapers away when I moved here, I sat pondering in my car what I should do. Then it all came flooding back to me. I opened my wallet and got some random card that I didnt need and got to work. As I was scraping the window with my safeway grocery store card, my thoughts were taken back to those many mornings in Utah. Those mornings when I felt like my lungs were going to collapse as I scraped the windows, trying not to scrap my knuckles in the process, and sitting in my car as I waited for my heater to heat up.

It really only took a few minutes and I was on my way. I am sure that from most of you out there, I am not going to get any sympathy... especially from those of you who spent hours shoveling this weekend!

In reality it was just shocking. Who knew?! Now I might begin to have those thoughts again about needing to wake up early "just in case" I have to scrap those darn windows again.. However, it was good to see- I still got it! :)

Totally Redeemed!

So yesterday I decided to brave the lucky charms shirt again! It was the first time since "the incident" that I have put it on. As soon as I pulled it out, I was taken back to the awful smell and sight of what had been over it previously days. Good thing it all came out in the wash!

As I slipped it on, I hoped that this time it would in deed turn out to be lucky...and was it ever!

Throughout the day nothing too out of the ordinary happened. At about 5:00 a nurse approached me about "a situation" in the lobby.

Heres the background. In our pediatrics department we have an amazing lobby. It has tables and chairs, a piano (which I would prefer to get rid of... but thats for another post) and it has a projector with a big screen. This projector is normally off in the slow months of the summer. However, winter is a different story. Because of so many respiratory illnesses on the unit (RSV, pneumonia, brochiolitis etc...) Siblings under 12 can not enter where the patient rooms are. They have to stay in the lobby. The patient, if not contagious, can go to the lobby and they can have a movie night. Its all fine and dandy... IF the projector works . And well, for some reason the responsibility of "knowing it all" and fixing it seems to have fallen on....well....ME! Those of you who know me are thinking...what?! I know- I think that same thing each time the come to me. Why me?!

So when the nurse came to me with a situation in the lobby with the projector, I simply shook my head and asked "what now". In the past, it has been something "simple"... no sound, or no picture. This time the problem led me to wonder why some people are allowed in public places.

She informs me that a dad of a patient couldnt get the projector to turn on, so he re-programed the remote and now the picture is playing, but playing UPSIDE DOWN! "Oh really" I said with a half smile and a tad bit of sarcasm. "and I'm supposed to know how to solve this..hmm..." In my head I actually thought "What?! Why?! Why was this man allowed in here?" The nurse said a few "nice" things about the man, and I headed off to "fix it!"

I walked in and he said "Oh look! Lucky charms is here to fix it!" My head was flooded with a lot of things that I wanted to say... "Why do you think you could re-program this? Is it yours to re-program? Do you think you're a super hero? Next time- ASK for help. And also- this lucky charms shirt doesnt have a very good history- so watch out! " But I kept that all to myself as I smiled and said "Sure am!" as he handed me the remote.

There is a great phrase "Fake it til you make it!" and I did exactly that. I started pushing buttons and asking questions trying to fix the 101 dalamations that was playing upside down. I had about 10 kids looking at me with those pleading eyes to help the situation. I couldnt let them down! This was serious business. I joked around and said, "Maybe if I turn the remote upside down it will work!" See, I think that I am so funny and cracked myself up. The mom laughed, but the dad said "Or, I'll just take the projector down and put it back up upside down as well!" I simply raised my eyes from the remote, and looked directly at him. "Um... I dont think so...but thanks!" I said with humor in my voice, but I also was thinking- yeah right! You've done enough...I think you should stay seated buster!

I asked him to tell me exactly what he pushed and I proceeded to work backwards. I pushed the same button as he did and got some menu. But of course it was upside down- so in order to read it, I had to be upside down. Somehow in that position, I pushed something and it all flipped around and worked!!! I received a round of applause from the kids and I felt like doing a victory dance. (and well... I did! ) Because in all honesty I did not feel like I was going to triumph! See prayer works!!!

When I left the lobby, I looked down at my shirt and told it that it was totally redeemed from the lack of protection from the diarrhea the month before.

Now dont you all think that that definitley deserves a gold star?! I thought so! ;)

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!