I am thankful.....

I am thankful..... for being here at home this Thanksgiving instead of rushing off after dinner to begin a twelve hour shift, to have so much family so nearby, great friends some of which I have known since grade school and some for only a for few short weeks, my new job that allows me to be off on weekends and holidays to spend more time with those that mean the most, to be able to work part time, for my husband that makes it all possible, for my son's smile and laughter that is so contagious, the health of my family, (if you don't have your health the rest doesn't matter so much), for my health, for my new ENT Dr. McFeely and no he is not on Grey's Anatomy even thought it sounds like he should be, that my surgery and healing process has gone so well thus far and hopefully the return of my hearing and feeling in my left ear, "a safe home and a warm bed on a quiet little street", freedom to be who I am and live the way I choose in a country that was founded on freedom, to God for making it all possible and for you!

Fall is in the air!

I just love fall. It is by far my favorite season. The color of the leaves, the crisp cool air, a warm fire, hot chocolate. This fall I have so much to be grateful for. I got a call today from a friend that lives out of town. She is coming home for Thanksgiving. She is having a party for her son and planning on getting together with all the gang. After I listened to her message, I realized that I am off for all the holidays this year and what a blessing that truly is to me!

Normally, I would have had to think about when I working, when I am sleeping and can get up to enjoy the festivities (and feel awful) This year all my weekends and holidays are free to spend with the people that mean the most to me. I just had a moment after I talked to Carrie that I was very thankful. I am excited that I am going to get to see her over the holidays. I digress.

Anyway, we have had a lot of fun this fall. Halloween we trick or treated with Shannon and Alyssa. We cruised the neighborhood and then went the the Trunk or Treat at Andrew Jackson which was great! I saw a lot of people from school and their children. We also paid our third annual visit to the pumpkin patch. Kohen had a blast. It just seems that since I have taken this new job that I have more time for fun things with my family and friends. Yeah, I took a HUGE paycut, but for me that is not what it about. I love that I get to spend so much time with my son! I would not trade it for anything. He is only going to be small for such a short time. I will never get this time back. I am so thankful!

About Me

About Me:
I am a nurse, wife, and mother. (not necessarily in that order) I suppose caregiver covers all three. They are the hardest yet most rewarding job ever though. I am married to my high school sweetheart, Zack. We have a son, Kohen, who is our angel. He is ALL BOY and keeps us on our toes.

I am very outgoing, I enjoy being around people and can talk to just about everyone. I also cherish my time alone. I LOVE music! I am clumsy. I can laugh at myself. I am very easy going and pretty down to earth. I try to give others the benefit of the doubt. I am pretty open minded and realize everyone has a different point of view even if it greatly differs from my own. I love my friends and family. I have the best friends a girl could ask for. I thank God for them. I do not know what I would do without them and pray I never have to find out!

My pregnancy was a turning point in my life. You can read the rest of the story under my note, All things work together". That I truly believe. That was a difficult time for me, but God used that to bring me to a place where I needed Him. I started attending church when Kohen was a few months old and rededicated my life to God. It has really changed my life. I am FAR from perfect, just forgiven.

Fall

I just love fall. It is by far my favorite season. The color of the leaves, the crisp cool air, a warm fire, hot chocolate. This fall I have so much to be grateful for. I got a call today from a friend that lives out of ton. She is coming home for Thanksgiving. She is having a party for her son and planning on getting together with all the gang. After I listened to her message, I realized that I am off for all the holidays this year and what a blessing that truly is to me! Normally, I would have had to think OK I work this night and can get up at lunch (and feel awful) and go hang out. This year all my weekends and holidays are free to spend with the people that mean the most to me. I just had a moment after I talked to Carrie that I was very thankful. I am excited that I am going to get to see her over the holidays. I digress. Anyway, we have had a lot of fun lately. Halloween we trick or treated and stopped at a Trunk or Treat, which was great! We also paid a visit to the pumpkin patch. Kohen had a blast. It just seems that since I have taken this new job and gotten adjusted that I have more free time for fun things with my family and friends. Yeah, I took a HUGE paycut, but for me that is not what it about. I love that I get to spend so much time with my son! I would not trade it for anything. He is only going to be small for such a short time. I will never get this time back. I am so thankful!

Happy Birthday!

We had a great time at Kohen's birthday party...here is a note that I gave to the parents.....
A note from Kohen's mom

We are so glad that you were able to join us to celebrate Kohen's birthday! I have always loved a good party. The scene has changed a bit over the years, but you can't beat spending time with your favorite people! Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the details of planning a party (especially for Zack)

While planning this party, I began to think about birthdays....why we celebrate them.....and what they mean to me. I thought about the past two years, and what becoming a parent has meant to me. God has blessed us with a healthy, happy child that we are so grateful for. He brings us such joy everyday with his smile, laugh, curiosity, determination, and hugs and kisses! He is our angel and has changed our lives in more ways than I could have ever dreamed. Since his arrival we are attending church, which we had not done in several years. He makes me want to be a better person. I feel that being his mom is by far the most important assignment that I have been given. I am so thankful that I have been blessed with such wonderful friends and family to look to for support and advice along this journey that we call parenthood. It means more to me than you will ever know. I love you all and am so grateful to have friends like you in our lives. Thanks for coming to help us celebrate his birthday!

What it means to be a nurse

You will never be bored
You will always be frustrated
You will be surrounded by challenges
So much to do and so little time
You will carry immense responsibility and have very little authority
You will step into people's lives and make a difference
Some will bless you
Some will curse you
You will see people at their worst and at their best
You will never cease to be amazed at people's capacity for love, courage, and endurance
You will see life begin and end
You will experience resounding triumphs and devastating failures
You will cry a lot
You will laugh a lot
You will know what it is to be human and to be humane

Melodie Chenevart

All things work together

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

All things work together Current mood: thankful Category: Life
This morning the pastor talked about sharing your testimony.....
I had not been in church in several years, when I found out I was pregnant. I have always thought it was important for children to be rasied in church. I began to want to find a church home. My husband, my best friend, and I visited a couple of places. There was a sense of urgency I felt that they did not. I did not want to visit alone.
Meanwhile, I began to start having some complications with my pregnancy. At my 24 week ultrasound, my AFI (amniotic fluid index) was quite low. That can sometimes mean there is a problem with the baby. I also developed a severe ear infection that was resistant to three courses of antibiotic therapy. I had to have surgery to find the problem with my ear at around 30 weeks. I joked with my ENT that one day I was going to see my OB more than him. I was right. I then developed PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension) and was placed off work on modified bedrest. The twice weekly appointment at the OB office began. I began to look forward to going. I have a great doctor and his staff was wonderful. A lot of the time it was my only outing. My baby also remained in the breech position. The thought of a csection was more that I thought I could bear.
I am a nurse and have worked in labor and delivery for about three years now. I have witnessed a lot of happy deliveries. I have also seen many tragic situations. They include miscarriage, preterm delivery, fetal abnormalities and death, even the mom becoming critcally ill. I tried to be thankful and remember the people that had much more severe complications. I tried very hard to be positive and strong, and was most days. There were times that I felt very alone and scared. I did not want my family, friends, co-workers, and especially my husband, to know that I was scared at times. I prayed and talked to God about it.
God was watching over me. He led me to a doctor (long before babies were thought of) who is one of the few OB's in town that will even attempt and external version (manually turning the baby) One day, close to the end of my pregnancy, he told me he would be unable to attempt a version unless my AFI was much higher. I left in tears. I know a c section is not the end of the world, but at the time for me, it was.
A few nights later, I began contracting and went the hospital. My AFI was the highest it had been! PRAISE THE LORD! The external version was sucessful, and I delivered a PERFECTLY HEALTHY baby about a week later.
There were a few other issues postpartum as well. He was hospitalized at four days old for jaundice. I had a very hard time emotionally also. It seemed like everytime I turned around it was something else. A lot of minor problems are sometimes as bad if not worse than one major problem. I did not want to see or even talk to most of friends and family. I would get too upset and tearful. HORMONES
A few months went by.....I still had not found a church. Then one night right before Christmas, I felt very strongly that I had to go to church THAT NIGHT. We went to my mother in law's church and enjoyed their Christmas program. A few nights later on Christmas eve, I was changing Kohen's diaper and the hutch behind him (which probably weights 75-80 lbs) fell over on us. I was able to brace the fall. I only got some minor cuts and briuses on my arms. If I had been leaning over or getting something out the drawer, it would have killed him. I was very shaken, it took me several hours to go back to sleep. We began going to church, and I rededicated my life to God.
I didn't realize it at the time, but I now know that the reason that I went through that was, so I would need God. I was very happy and content in my life. I had everything I had ever thought I wanted, a nice home, good husband, a job I enjoy, family, great friends, and I was expecting a baby. There was something that was missing, a void, an emptiness. God needed to get my attention.
He has blessed me with a healthy, happy child that I am so grateful for daily. He has also blessed me with a lot of new Chrisitan friends.
That's my story. I hope to encourage you if you are going through something and not sure why, God may have a purpose not yet revealed.
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him who have been called according to His purpose.