Saving Lives....

My professions for the moment involved saving lives. For those of you who have no idea what I have been doing since February, I am working in the ER at Proctor and OSF, our local hospitals. This often involved taking care of people who are barely ill and just don't understand the definition of EMERGENCY, and many times it involved using the skills we have learned to save the lives of our patients. Heart attacks, Strokes, Car Accidents, Shootings, Stabbings, beatings, poisonings, Respiratory problems.....we see it all. Literally...

We often say "ER....you watch it, We LIVE it." The job gets downright nasty at times, but someone has to do it or many lives would be cut short. And somehow God has granted me the ability to stare at people's insides, blood, mangled body parts etc. and not get queasy. (for those of you who just passed out after simply reading the words, just breathe and continue as I will refrain from describing anything in detail :o)

Part of our job is to be prepared for any large emergency. Most of the time we see people patient by patient. There are occasionally accidents that bring us 4 or 5 patients at a time. The stress of mass casualty incidents is much greater than taking patients by patients. So to deal with the increased stress levels, we are trained time and time again in different situations so that it is instinct when we treat patients and we really don't have to 'stress to think'. One type of situation we have been trained on recently is the exposure of hazardous material. This would come into play if there was a large chemical spill, terrorist attacked using biological warfare...or anything of this type. Although it is a serious situation, we had a lot of fun training so I thought I would share some pictures from our 2 days with you.

So, we had to wear these goofy suits. And I kid you not when I say they are HIGH TECH. Basically Tarps...But when they could save your life, you are grateful. These are also one size fits all = they are all 5X, use duct tape to fit them to your body. HUGE is an understatement. This is us halfway dressed, with our 'angels'. because of the Situations we would be preparing for, you cannot dress yourself. The suits get incredibly hot inside and you actually lose a few pounds in a few hours just from sweating. So the deal is, you have an 'angel' who dresses you to save your energy, and you drink water to hydrate and rest.

Since chemicals can he harmful to touch OR breathe, we wear special 'contraptions' to filter the air reaching the inside of our suits. The goal in to have the suit properly places so that you puff up upon circulation of air inside your suit. So when you put little people in 5X suits and fill them with air, you get bubble people. Walking in the suits is quite entertaining.

Me in my suit ready to save lives....

We then had to practice washing patients. Decontaminating is the most important part of the 'saving' process or you will infect anyone attempted to attend to the patients wounds (if there are any). So we practice in our special showers that we set up outside. I really hope....and pray, that if we ever have a biohazard situation of any magnitude, the people will be able to assist a bit better than these mannequins.

And then you have different types of people who are not mobile. These also will need DECONed...so we practiced. And yes...real people will weigh much more, but it was just practice. Had it not been 50 degrees outside we would have put our bathing suits on and been the 'subjects'....but this was not happening.

All I can say is....Bring it Terrorists....and God Help us because it will be absolute chaos if anything happens...

But we will do what we do....Save Lives.

It's a WILD LIFE....

Especially when you spend the day at Wildlife Prairie Park with tons of children under the age of 5. I take the twins to a 'playgroup' Tuesday through Friday for a little socialization. Since they are not in kindergarten yet, it is important that they are around other kids (because they get sick of one another quite easily). East Peoria High School has a Child Development class and they request to have small children brought in for an hour and a half four days a week so the high schoolers can learn. Most of the HS students want to go into early childhood education when they start the program....Needless to say, not all of them stick with that career choice by the end.

Anyhow, the girls LOVE the program and their 'teachers'...as do I. Because it gives me at least an hour to run an errand without two little ones begging to do what they want to do. Another thing I love about the play group is that there are 2 fieldtrips. The first fieldtrip was to the Bloomington Children's Museum (Wonderful place!!!) and I got to go along. The second fieldtrip was to Wildlife Prairie Park. Since it is impossible to enjoy these places for just an hour, the fieldtrips last from 8 AM til 3 PM. And the best part is...i get to watch the girls without having to really watch them because they each have their own 'teacher.'

This is the whole group of munchkins with their HS teachers. We were missing a few kids this day. And it was chilly and sprinkled on us....but no one seemed to mind :o)

They started the morning with a Pre-School educational program which was awesome. The kids liked it, but I think I enjoyed it more :o) They talked about senses and about different animals and how they use their senses. So there was an owl (MY FAVORITE....I almost went over and hugged it I was so excited, but thought better of the situation), skunk, toad, and snake.

My Pretty little Owl Friend....its name is Oliver :o) And he hooted numerous times and the kids when wild. It was too cute.

Mr. Skunk...don't remember her real name because i was too busy watching the owl. But she was a cute also. The kids all plugged their noses when they brought her out, and one little girl hid under her chair. Rather amusing since the skunk didn't stink, and just laid there the whole time. Oh Kids...

Since it was such a nasty day, most of the animal outside were hard to find. But around lunch time they can out to feed....I think all the children we looking mighty yummy to the wolves. They were pacing along the fence. The kids didn't stay far from their teachers while we were here.

After all the walking and animal watching, it was time to ride the train and then head home. But before we headed home, we needed a little more excitement. SO we headed to the HUGE slide which the kids loved. Well, most of the kids. Delaney loved it, but Caitlin....she didn't get to enjoy it much.

The story goes like this. The first time we took a bathroom break, Caitlin had a little...freak out session (that's putting it nicely). If any of you have been to the Wildlife, you know the bathrooms in the museum area are not 1st class...or 2 class for that matter. They are basically glorified port-a-potties. Huge holes in the ground made to look like toilets. Well, Caitlin has sensory issues anyhow and these toilets were not too appealing. But when you have to pee you have to pee...so she went into the stall. About 30 seconds later we hear screaming...and this is not just a little squeal or two, I'm talking there is a bear chasing me kinda scream. Of course she was so frantic she could not unlock the door and we could not get in. Finally she came out in tears and informs us that there was a bug crawling up the toilet to get her. Well we survived that one but the second bathroom break was not as fun. Since the first event had her so worked up, she would not even go into a stall the second time. Finally I was able to get her into the stall as long as i was in there too (just in case). Well this still didn't help because she would sit on the toilet and cry and then jump off. But eventually i got her to go. Have I said lately how much i love children...I really do.

When we are at home, Caitlin probably goes to the bathroom about every hour. So i didn't let her drink too much because i knew there were going to be issues on this trip. But that didn't help much. Just as we were about to leave, Caitlin's teacher comes and gets me while everyone else is sliding...as i turn around to go with her Caitlin comes walking over to me. SOAKED...not even kidding. The child wet her pants. She was sooo scared of the toilet she would not even say that she had to go to the bathroom in fear of having to go back. So she peed her pants. I must say she handled it better than i would have. Didn't cry or anything just stayed by my side the whole way home....as i made her sit on a cardboard box (i know i know but i didn't want to clean the seats when she got up) So a 40 minute bus ride home and a 10 minute car ride and we were showered and clean once again. I wish i would have gotten a pic of her standing because it was priceless....but i could only snap one of her sitting on the bus with me. She allowed just one picture as long as her face was not in it. So here we go...

And as you can imagine, it was all down her legs in her shoes....everywhere. I just cannot WAIT to have kids of my own. Never a dull moment. But lesson learned....even at the age of 5 you should pack extra clothes when going on a fieldtrip.

Job #3

With my nannying position coming to a close (beginning of June) I decided it was time to figure out more ways to entertain myself. OSF was the answer. I will be doing the same job (basically) as I currently do at proctor, but with more trauma and patient care. The OSF Emergency room is the place to be if you want to see all the cool injuries that come out of the Peoria Area. I am more than thrilled with this job. I will be working as needed which basically means that i will be called in at least once a week and possibly more depending on the need.

I will be remaining at Proctor as well and will be switching to Part Time (from PRN). I am already working Full Time/Part Time status most weeks so they decided to just switch me so i get the Paid Time Off and other benefits.

So once nannying is complete I will just be working the Hospitals and going to school. I will be taking 12 hours at ICC throughout the summer. I am sure to stay busy (I Hope).

*Micah and I are also in the process of buying our first home. 500 Brentwood in Morton. If all goes well we will be moving in on May 15th. I will post many pics and more info at that time. And there will be numerous updates made to the home so i am sure we will have some before and after blogs in the near future.

Job #2

Since babysitting full time and going to school part time is not enough to fill my schedule, I decided to take on a second job. Luckily 1 week after applying, Proctor hired me in their Emergency Room. So now I am actually using my EMT license inside the hospital.

It's definitely no Rady Childrens...although we do get a few little ones...but I am sure I will love it for what it is. And it takes up more of my time so I cannot complain of boredom.

I will be working some second shifts, third shifts, and weekends as needed for now...and then we will see what happens in the summer after I get rid of the twins. Today was my first day working a full shift and it was quite interesting. I met many wonderful, many interesting, and many old smelly people....but it is all part of the job. And I must come across nice because one little old lady tried to tip me for being 'such a little sweetheart' too bad we can't take tips lol.

I am sure i will be worn out by the end of the week because lifting people 3 times my size, pushing them around the halls, running around up, down, side to side...it is all quite tiring.

We will see how I'm doing after a few weeks of work school and babysitting...If i make it that far

Job #1

In January, I started taking a class at ICC (need it to get into PT or PA school). It took up a little bit of time, but not enough so it was time to get a job. Since there are about 5 jobs available in Peoria and I qualify for zero of them, I started looking for the childcare jobs. Well turns out a friend of mine was thinking about using me if she kicked her nanny to the curb...haha but after discussing the fact that i would not be available once i get into full time school we decided it was not the best plan because she would be stuck without childcare. So she is dealing with her nanny and Her sister decided i would be perfect for her kids. So I am not the proud teacher/playmate/nanny/babysitter/caregiver/mediator for her twins. She has 5 year old girls who I am attempting to prepare for kindergarten.

Little Miss Caitlin

My morning starts by getting them showered and ready for the day. Now this should not be a difficult task but when you have 2 high maintenance girls it can be quite the chore. Delaney's hair is very curly and needs special shampoo and about 3 different products after the shower. Caitlin's blond straight hair must be blow dried and curled under to her satisfaction (with a special shampoo). And of course they have bows to match every outfit....that is once we find an outfit. They are polar opposites so it is rather had to get them dressed. Delaney is very style oriented and she does a rather good job picking out her outfits on her own...Caitlin on the other hand...she will have about 20 outfits on before she finds one that is just right. My assistance is requested however i don't think she really listens to anything i say and is almost always appalled by my input. Reminds me a lot of a little Sophie Ann in England. But it makes me smile.

Sassy Delaney

Then of course 2 hours later we can eat breakfast and basically run out the door to get to playgroup on time. So for an hour I can relax before I pick them back up from playgroup. then it is off to the house to clean our rooms, make our beds, decide what we want for lunch, and then begin the battle of eating veggies. Delaney likes her vegetables but Caitlin is not the biggest fan. She will spit them in the garbage when I'm not looking. hide them in her pockets, under napkins, or on her sisters plate. So when she says she is finished i usually have to frisk her before she can get up from the table... seriously healthy eating habits should not be this hard to teach but i guess if her parents don't make her eat them then she really doesn't know why she has to for me.

Trying to take a picture but Caitlin got distracted (very common occurrence)

Once lunch is over it is time for 'school'. They girls know the routine and get their school stuff and are ready to learn. Through this time i have discovered that I am not going to be a homeschooling mother because i would rip my hair out...and I am not having twins because it is quite the challenge....and I have realized that Marti (in England) is a SAINT.

Sometimes we get to sit in time out for coloring on the counter...

After school they get to play inside or out depending on the weather...I am not a fan of TV so they only get to watch if they have been perfect for the whole day, the weather is horrid, or i have a sprained ankle and cannot chase them around like I normally can. The girls are not ones to play with each other or on their own...I am 99.9% of the time forced/asked to join in on whatever crazy fun they are having. The other .1% of the time I am doing dishes and cleaning for their parents. (I would rather clean up in your house Holli, your kids didn't make nearly as big of a mess, and you were tidy yourself so i didn't have to clean up after you too haha). But the girls have caught on the cleaning and i am so proud. They now pick up after themselves (sometimes i must remind them kindly that nothing new can come out til the other toys go 'home') But with my organization obsession all their toys have a home and the girls know where the home is so it doesn't just get tossed around. I think their parents were rather shocked when they first came home to a clean house, but i guess the girls only stay organized for me and when I'm gone for the weekend I come back to a disaster. But they pick it up rather quickly once i get there...they know better they just don't have anyone else reminding them so they would rather not keep it clean.

We take field trips...Whitney errands are their favorite because they get to see what I do as a 'big kid', but we also LOVE the park and Library.

It keeps me busy and I love their sweetness. They are quite sassy at times but it is always entertaining. I will be sad when summer comes and I am no longer needed. But they assure me that i will be able to swim at their house with them all summer (haha yea maybe once but that will probably be it).

Rady Children's Christmas Party

Since we live in CA and the weather is BEAUTIFUL, Christmas is quite exciting. Working for Rady Children's definitely has its perks. Their Christmas party this year was a boat cruise. Normally you can take a boat cruise for about $70/person, but we got to go for $10!! It was a wonderful evening of eating and dancing with wonderful coworkers. I have been so blessed to work with such wonderful people. I will miss them all greatly.

This is the boat

Micah and I getting our "Christmas picture" taken (by a not so good photographer ;o)The not so good photographer, Melinda

My lovely ladies. Seriously this is the greatest group of women EVER. I work closely with each of them as we assist the therapists. We didn't take a department pic because that would have added about 100 people :o) I will miss you all so much!

Time to go home after a tiring night:o) But it's always fun to dress up and hang out with friends.

Can't wait for girls night/my going away party....sooooon soon soon

Working with the wee ones

Small world....So we had thanksgiving with our friends Ben and Debbie from church. Come to find out, their grandson goes to therapy at Rady Children's in the same office where I work. SOO for his next therapy session I got to work with him and his therapist. he is such a beautiful little boy and we had a lot of fun exploring. Thanks Ben and Debbie for letting me hang out with the wonderful little guy!

All Things Great and Small

The Lord has made them all....

Working in a children's hospital allows me to see all the little blessings that God creates and places here on this Earth. They are beautiful little creation, each and every one. Since I am working in the Physical/Occupational Therapy department, I get to be with children who may be labeled "disabled" by everyone else in the world, but are just so perfect in God's eyes. I see these sweet little faces, eager for attention. Little eyes that cry out to be able to communicate but can only point or scream or cry out in frustration from not being able to speak. Kids who look longingly at everyone else walking while they sit in a chair waiting for someone to push them. They are beautiful.

The kids who cannot focus and seem distant, but when there is any connection at all a smile beams across their face. Precious beings who experience being 'different' daily. They work so hard to correct those differences, but what if that is just how God wants them to be? What if God made their limbs shorter for a reason? But then I look at the miracles that God allows our doctors to perform. They may get all the credit, but in all honesty there is only One who can grant the gift of surgery, or the ability to maneuver the body in a way to make it move better.

God's creations are so incredible.

I am not allowed to post any confidential information and cases, but i have seen them all. Eating issues, sensory issues, not able to walk, not able to talk, distant, attached, malformations, autistic, cripple....Children born with one normal leg and the other 6 inches shorter and not aligned. With the modern medicine that God has given to our surgeons, this child now has a metal nail holding two chunks of bone together with a 6 inch gap. You can literally watch the bone grow together to replace the missing section (via x-ray). Kids who were told they would never walk are walking. Never underestimate the power of God.

I see His little Miracles every day. Their scars are just marks of God's handy work.

Yesterday I was playing with a little guy. Goofy little kid. Running around, doing the opposite of what you told him, and laughing at the fact. But then after hearing that he has been enduring therapy for 8 years, didn't have a chance to walk while he was little, and now he is in Tai Kwon Do, Incredible. He was bowling with me (using the legs that used to be dead weight), like a child with two normal legs.

You forget about how much easier your job would be if the kids would just listen and do what they are told. You forget about how you wish they were not screaming or crying. You forget all of their faults and just sit in awe of the miracles. The Lord made them all!

Proof of answered prayers....

So most people know that my two loves in life are children and studying medical sciences. I graduated from Carthage with a BA in Biology and Chemistry hoping that would be enough science background to get me into any Medical School, Physician's Assistant School, or Physical Therapy School. Over the summer I then slaved over getting licensed as an EMT. Basically being an EMT would allow me to get hours in the medical field to enhance my applications to schools in the future. I knew I would enjoy it, but I feared the off shifts, driving big ambulances in a HUGE city, being on call constantly, working weekends, and basically having no life other than EMT. But I applied everywhere anyhow. I knew I would miss working with children so I also placed a request into a local children's hospital to volunteer on my off days to get my kid fix and help little sicklings.

The volunteer process takes 6 weeks...they are serious about this stuff! But while cruising the hospital website I came across a job that sounded interested BUT didn't think I was quite qualified. I figured the worst that could happen was my application would get trashed and I would move on. So I went for it and got a call within 2 days asking me to come in the next day for an interview.

Off I went nervous as can be, but it went well. The problem was...they had at least 6 more interviews after me and had plenty before me. So I basically just let it go and kept applying elsewhere.

Friday I got another call. I figured it would be them telling me that i was not what they were looking for....however that was not the case. I GOT THE JOB!!!

Now I am employed by:
The largest children's hospital in CA. And I will be working full time DAYS with KIDS! Seriously a huge answer to prayer. I am a Physical Therapy Aide and will be assisting the physical therapists and occupational therapists with their treatment of lots of little lovely children. What could be better. Getting paid for something i was 100% willing to volunteer for. Seems like this happens to me all the time because that is how I got my job at COCUSA back in 2003. Called them just wanting to volunteer my time and they hired me. Now i got to Rady just wanting to volunteer my time and they hire me :o) Maybe if I try to volunteer to get into a Masters or Doctorate program they will just accept me. haha

When that time comes we will see, but for now I am just thrilled to have a wonderful job with wonderful people in an AMAZING city!

Thanks for all the prayers!

Lifelong Dreams

To all of you who have been praying for our new life, thank you! It has been a interesting transition for sure. As most of you know, this past summer was spent nannying for a family while taking EMT classes at ICC. I figured, while in CA I could get a lot more hands on experience in the medical field by working for an Ambulance service. So i endured four hours of class twice a week and then worked at OSF and Proctor on some Saturdays, for clinical experience. The class finished two weeks before the wedding and I was in no way going to be able to study for my National Exam that allows me to work anywhere in the US. So then after getting to CA, I planned to take the test, but didn't have my book to study.

So after much running around, Jennie and Dave came to our rescue once again and brought the book to Chicago where Micah was on business. Once the honeymoon came up there was no studying time and then the week after didn't allow for proper reading either. But finally, Tuesday and Wednesday we spent with my head in the book reading 700 pages hoping to remember anything and everything I learned over the summer.

Yesterday I took my test. I must say, i am a pencil and paper kind of girl. I like to be able to take my time, skip questions I am unsure of, and cross out answers for proper reasoning. The National EMT test is not quite up my alley. It is a computer based test that gives you some teaser questions to test your ability in the beginning and then formed the remainder of the test on how well you know your material. Answer a lot of questions right, they start getting harder. miss a lot of questions, the start getting easier. You cannot move on without answering a question and you cannot go back to check or change an answer. I am a second guesser so it basically took all I had not to freak out. There is also no set number of questions to answer...basically the computer can tell by the questions you answer correctly, at different difficulty levels, if you will pass or fail and then it just shuts off. So you may be on question 70 and it decided you are going to pass and just stops, or you may get to question 170 and it shuts off then. I tell ya, my nerves were tingling.

The good thing about this test...you know the results the next day.

So this morning i woke up to "CONGRATULATIONS YOU ARE NOW NATIONALLY REGISTERED AS AN EMT"

What a relief. Now i can find a job and start saving lives :o)

Should have taken this class before babysitting all your children, but i knew the basics back then...

But now, if ever needed, I can assist in the delivery of a child as well (as we all know the real work comes from the mom)

Oh Happy Day, now pray that my driving record is good enough to drive an ambulance to get a Job in this crazy state. They are VERY strict!