Family Vacation

We're packed and ready for our adventures in Florida. I've been craving the beach and a bit of R&R. I'm sure that I'll get my beach fill....but the R&R part of debatable.

The best part...

about making a cake is licking the spoon, of course.

Blooming

Our yard is finally coming alive! Uh, did I mention that I love Spring?

Earth Day

I'm embracing the "Go Green" revolution. A few things I've decided to do to better our lives and to be kinder to this great earth we live on.

Only use reusable bags for all of my shopping

Go vegetarian at least twice/week

Eat red meat only 3 times/month

Plant a vegetable garden

Make my own household cleaners

Use only LED light bulbs

Sisters

I love this pic of the girls. Oh, and notice the flour on Isabella's face. Yeah....maybe I should really rethink that lock on the pantry door idea.

An afternoon run

So, this is what happens when I go on an afternoon run. Gosh...they have it good.

It finally happened....

Spring has arrived! This past winter felt like it lasted forever and now I think Spring is really here to stay. We spent Saturday walking around in shorts and flip flops and I couldn't have been happier. We took the girls to Johnson's Farm where Isabella ran around looking at all of the animals and where she devoured her first soft serve ice cream cone. It was a bit windy for Olivia but as usual, she just went with it and enjoyed the outing.

Why?

Sometimes while I'm at work, I ask myself that question....why do I do this? Yesterday was truly my first "official" day back on the job as an ICU nurse in the Surgical ICU. I didn't sit down, eat, pee or drink a sip of water until 4:30 in the afternoon. And when I did get a chance to do all of those things..it was for a mere 15 minutes, only to rush back quickly to take care of my patient who was spiraling downhill quickly. Then at about 6pm I found myself and the rest of the team doing chest compressions, shocking him, opening his chest at the bedside and internally shocking his heart only to rush him off emergently to the OR for what seems like an impossible task....saving his life. I return today for more of yesterday and part of me hopes that the day is a bit less stressful....but really....it's that stress and pressure that keeps me coming back.

Easter

Easter was a day spent in the company of family, great friends and delicious food. Oh, and let's not forget Isabella's first easter egg hunt. Although, there is just something wrong when you're wearing a jacket and hat while gathering easter eggs.

A blog gem

So, I don't usually read blogs. I like looking at design blogs for a bit of eye candy and enjoy smitten kitchen for recipe ideas, but I stumbled upon this blog and really enjoy reading the musings in this guys life.

What a night

Just when I think we're all on a great sleeping schedule, leave it up to the girls to stir things up. I spent last night waking up every two hours to feed Olivia and when I wasn't satiating her appetite I was either moving Isabella's foot from my neck or feeling her kiss me just as I fell asleep. Yes, Isabella decided she would take part in the late night/early morning party and awoke at 2am crying and spent the next several hours trying to get comfortable in our bed, finally deciding on a horizontal position between Jason and I, leaving me with about 7 inches of space. Can't wait for this kind of night when I have to go to work the next day. Bring it on.

Photo Booth

We had a bit of fun with the Photo Booth application on our computer tonight.

J's day

Yesterday was my first day back at work and Jason's first day taking care of both girls for a long 14 hours. When I got home I was expecting the house to be in complete disarray but to my surprise...not the case at all. He managed instead to clean out the fridge, fix the curtains in Isabella's room, rearrange the furniture in the sun room, clean the kitchen, play outside with the girls and catch up with our neighbors. Both girls were happy and doing great when I got home. What a dad!

Photo

I love this pic of Isabella. Perhaps it's the look of concentration and those cute curls.

Water balloons

Isabella played with water balloons for the first time today and found them mesmerizing.

Compassion

Isabella at just 21 months of age possesses many qualities that I admire. Today I witnessed her compassion and concern for others. A friend of mine needed to run an errand so she asked me to watch her son for a short while. This poor little guy was a mess when his mom left and he spent much of the time laying on the floor screaming and crying. Isabella was immediately concerned and went up to him and offered her blanket. She also tried sharing her snacks and other toys to help him out. She played near him and every couple of minutes came over to see if there was anything she could do to console him. What a sweet kid.

The conclusion

As I put Olivia into a baby seat in a room of about 20 other infants I knew without a doubt that this was not the right thing for her or me. I tearfully explained her routine to the caretaker and likes/dislikes, etc and thought, "What am I doing? Am I really going to leave her here?" I then took Isabella to her room and got her settled in. She was excited to see all of the indoor play equipment and carefully observed the classroom and the other toddlers. I left as Isabella was taking her seat at the table for snack time. As I was making my way to the front door I was stopped by the owner of the center who asked if I'm going to be alright? I tried holding back the tears but it was obvious my attempt at faking that everything was fine was failing miserably. She reassured me that they would be alright and to call often. I drove off and was immediately coming up with plan B. After careful consideration and talks with Jason (who always knows the right thing to say in tough situations) we've come up with a plan that we feel good about. Olivia will be cared for by the same person who took care of Isabella and we'll continue to take Isabella to daycare twice a week and see how she likes it. As for me, I start work next Monday and am going change my status to "as needed" if that is a possibility. It's evident that even working twice a week will be difficult on the family, especially when Jason starts school.

Isabella had a great first day and didn't cry at all. The teacher said she followed right along and seemed to enjoy being there. She is a confident and independent little person and extremely social so I knew she would be fine. Now for my Olivia, it was a different experience. The teacher said Olivia did great and is a sweet baby but when we got home she had a long meltdown and was difficult to console, which is not in her nature. I know she did not get a restful nap in a room full of infants and was overstimulated by the end of the day. Of course I felt guilty, but know that I will never do that to her or any of our future children again. Live and learn.