Happy Halloween!

I have been excited about Halloween this year. It is our first one in our new house. I am hoping for lots of little ones with cute costumes to knock on our door for candy. Last night, Peter and I carved this pumpkin and it was a lot of fun. I guess it was our first annual Summerlin Pumpkin Cut! Today has been a wonderful Halloween so far! I have been running errands and straightening up the house. Peter's parents are coming to visit for the weekend, so we are looking forward to that!

So, as for an update on my last post, I ended up getting sick early Wednesday morning and was unable to go work. Therefore, I did not get an update on my little boy I posted about a few days ago until Thursday. Much to my surprise, he was still in his crib right where I left him Monday morning. The doctors had the conference with his mom, and they came to the conclusion the baby was just too mentally competent to take him off of the ventilator. I cannot lie, I was a little pleased to hear that he would be with us for a little longer.

Well, it is almost time for Mr. and Mrs. Summerlin to arrive, so I am going to run! I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween and a wonderful weekend!

The hard part of the job

Most days, my job in the neonatal intensive care unit is rewarding. Of the eighty-something babies in our unit, the majority of them will stay several weeks, then go home with their families. Unfortunately, some of our babies are not strong enough to make it through. Their little premature organs do not grow along with them sometimes. In my almost two years of working in the NICU, I have been fortunate enough to never lose one of my babies. However, my heart was breaking this past Sunday night as I took care of a little boy who has been in our unit for about seven or eight months now. He was 600 grams, which is about 1 lb. 6 oz. when he was born. As he grew, his lungs did not grow at the same pace. Though he has been on and off of the ventilator his whole life in our unit, he has constantly needed some form of oxygen to support his breathing. He has been back on the ventilator for the past month or so. Other than his lungs, he is a strong baby boy. He is very aware of his surroundings, smiling and looking back at you when you speak to him. However, without the help of the man-made ventilator he would die. He has a wonderful, loving mother who is at his bedside as much as she can be. She is so appreciative for her son's short life and for us nurses who have taken care of him since he was born. Lately, her precious boy has been unable to oxygenate his body sufficiently. Sure, he could continue to depend on his ventilator a little longer, but his heart would eventually fail from doing such hard work. So, his mother has decided to take her little boy off of the ventilator to keep him from suffering any longer. Sunday night/Monday morning, as I was sitting at his bedside talking to him and holding his little hand, I was so torn inside for his mother. What a decision that must be for her. She could sit beside him and talk to him and have him look at her for a little longer and be somewhat selfish, or she could decide to remove the ventilator and let him go. Let him go to a much better place with a new healthy heavenly body. So, Monday was the day his mother set up a meeting with our wonderful team of doctors to discuss the possibility of taking him off of the ventilator. All day yesterday, I could not get them off of mind. I go back to work tomorrow. Please pray that I will have a clear head in the morning to realize that his mother made the right decision, and not be upset if he is no longer with us. This is the hardest part of the job.
What a blessing it is to have a healthy baby!

One proud wifey

I am so proud of my husband! He kayaked 45 miles down the Mississippi River in under six hours! Dad, mom, Rachel, Pappaw and Granny Hammack, and I went down to the Under the Hill finish line to see him finish this past Saturday afternoon. I was so happy to see him finish! Maybe next year we can have a two-seater and I can tag along! HA!

After the race, we drove back to Jackson just in time for me to go to work. It was terrible trying to stay awake all night after not getting much sleep! I made it through! The bad news is I have to work nights again next weekend. Yuck! This weekend, however, there is no work in the plans! We are heading back to Natchez this weekend! Natchez is holding the annual Balloon Race weekend, and Peter has never experienced the excitement. So, we are going to try to make it into town tonight for the balloon glow and firework show. The balloon glow is one of my favorite parts, so I am looking forward to it! Saturday, Rachel is having a birthday party at dad and mom's house! It will be so much fun for her! I am really looking forward to the weekend!

In other news, it is time to get flu shots! As the nurse of the family, I highly recommend getting one! I was able to have mine yesterday at work. My arm still hurts, but it is better than catching the flu!!

Okay, time to be productive today. I have lots of errands to run before we leave this afternoon, so I better get to it!

Finally.....We have started a blog!

So, after much, and I mean much, persuasion from a certain sister of mine, Peter and I decided to start a blog! We thought it would be a great way for family to keep up with the day-to-day happenings of our lives. Hopefully, Peter and I will both contribute to this blog. He is a much better writer, so his posts will be more interesting!
We are leaving for Natchez tonight. Peter and his cousin, Bahen, have decided to participate in the annual kayak race down the Mississippi River. They will start in Port Gibson early tomorrow morning and kayak down the river to Under the Hill in Natchez. For those of you who do not know, I am a bit of a worrier. So, I have a few reservations about him taking on the mighty Mississippi. He tells me it is very safe and there is no way he is telling his cousin his wife will not let him take part! The big adventure should take him about six hours to complete. He should finish around three o'clock. After the race, we are heading back to Jackson. I have to work nights Saturday and Sunday, so we will probably get home just in time for me to turn around and head to the hospital! It should be a busy weekend, but I am excited about seeing my family!
Speaking of family, Rachel's birthday is Saturday! She will be seventeen! It will be great to be home to wish her a happy birthday in person!
Okay, I have lots of housework to do before heading out this afternoon, and I better get started! Hopefully next time I post I will be free of the night shift for another month, and my husband will have conquered the Mississippi River! Woohoo!