Tutus

For as long as I can remember I have loved tutus! Like every other little girl I wanted to be a ballerina and twirl around in a big poofy tutu.

Unfortunately my big thighs are not tight/tutu friendly ;)

Now I have a little girl who looks adorable in her chunky/naked/tutuness! (sorry English majors)

Just just said "awwww" didn't you!?

Someday her thighs may not be tight/tutu friendly and she won't be able to run around topless, but right now she is the CUTEST tutu wearing baby girl ever!

You can order these adorable tutus here! At Ransom Made Designs!

The good thing today: all the above! ;)

Teresa

The Last Baby

Every mom has the opportunity to have her "last baby"

Not that I love her more, but I do cherish those milestones a little differently than with the boys.

There's also those things I wanted to buy for the others or do with the others and I didn't get the chance.

I know I'm not the only one, think about it!

I wanted a cradle, a changing table, a nice breast pump, and one of these:

She hates it, and pretty much cries the entire time she's in it.

But I love that she has it (okay that I have it) and that at least my last baby got her own outside swing!

The good thing today: I don't have to give birth ever again!

Teresa

How much is that doggie in the window?

I was cleaning the kitchen and heard the little girl in her room screaming.

Like any good mom I ignored it for a few minutes . . . then went to investigate.

Here's what I found

She pulled her toys and blankets out of her changing table and climbed up in there, of course she couldn't figure out how to get back down.

Again, like a good mother I laughed and went for the camera

I immediately thought . . .

"how much is that doggie in the window, ruff, ruff!"

After about 10 seconds she didn't think I was funny and screamed MUCH louder!

The good thing today: I found a place to stick her while I'm cleaning . . . JOKING!

Teresa

Lunch With Jesus

Working with preemies can be stressful.

Sometimes they don't like to breathe,

sometimes their heart wants to take a little break,

and sometimes they need some convincing to stay here on earth.

One night in perticular I spent my night trying to keep a little one alive and was stressed and tired.

My friend Ashley with her southern drawl says: "he's just tryin' to have lunch with Jesus!"

I couldn't help but smile and chuckle a little.

I take it seriously . . . but sometimes I need a little humor to break it down. It's amazing how much a little chuckle can do to alleviate intense stress.

I find myself sometimes saying:

"You can have lunch with Jesus tomorrow, just not TODAY!"

"Jesus is busy at the moment, please come back until he's ready to see you"

"Stay away from the light"

"BREATHE"

"%&#$*!"

I'm sure you get it ;)

I can't be too hard on them though, I would rather be there too sometimes ;)

The good thing today: Those little babies who repeatedly walk away from the light when I beg and plead!

Teresa

BooBoos and Koolaid!

This is the cutest mug ever!

I love dirty little kids, cover them in mud, Kool aid, stickiness and that's the way I love them.

The little girl decided she could walk down stairs, even though they are as tall as her legs are long . . .

What followed was a goose-egg and tears. The fail safe treatment . . . Kool aid!

Somehow I think she'll recover.

The good thing today: kids believe in the healing power of sugar ;)

Teresa

Willow Tree Massacre

I have little children, I also have some nice things. I keep my nice things out and teach my children to not touch!

For the most part I've had great success with a few casualties along the way.

Today that was my Willow Tree dolls. The girl beheaded one and de-legged another.

To her credit show knows she's not supposed to play with them and immediately hands them to me when she's caught.

The good today: I own a glue gun!

Teresa

Baby Faces!

It amazes me every day how similar my kids look.

Granted they are different but as I was once told "from the same recipe"

After I had my 2nd son and told my husband "it's looks like I had the same baby twice!"

My daughter was whisked away rather quickly after birth and then I was able to walk into the NICU I knew exactly which one was mine because she looked just like her brothers.

I love that my babies are cookie cutters!

The good today: 3 babies with blue eyes and blonde hair!

Teresa

Sand and Little Toes

I love watching my kids experience new things and seeing the world through their eyes. This week the baby is experiencing sand!

Husband and boys built and AMAZING sand castle complete with drawbridge and moat!

We came to Bear Lake last year but she was 5 pounds, but this years she's 21 pounds of sheer curiousity!

Babies on a beach equals:

Swim diapers

Eating sand

Pooping sand

Water up the nose

Sand boogers

LOTS of Sunscreen

Swimsuits with diaper butts

Toes in the sand

These are things I wouldn't miss for all the inconvenience in the world!

My boys are pros, they do the life jacket thing, build their own sand castles, and swim on their own! Someday the girl will be a pro too, but for now she is a first timer ;)

The good today: She finally puts her toes in the water without screaming

Teresa

Bath in the Sink

I love that my one year old can still bathe in the bathroom sink!

I love bathing my babies in sinks, it's a smaller space, less echoing and I don't have to bend over and kill my back. The girl is the caboose of our family and while she is petite she's also growing up quickly. She's big enough that she ends up soaking my floor now, but the fact is she STILL FITS! This will probably her last bath in the sink . . . kinda sad :(

The good today: tiny girls who can still fit in the bathroom sink ;)

Teresa

Inside on a Hot Day

It's 93 degrees outside and 78 degrees inside . . . yuck! Our "evaporative cooler" isn't cooling too well and I don't have a car to leave the house. I know, poor me.

The girl and I were up most of the night and that makes the two of us quite the pair today. She's been walking around the house crying today and I was about done. I baby-gated her in her room while I showered and came out to find this:

She climbed into the basket I use for her dirty clothes and was playing in there. Even better, it has wheels so she got pushed around her room. Mostly is was just good to see her smile.

Babies are lucky they get to wear just a diaper on hot days and it's okay.

Good thing today: A laundry basket with wheels!

Teresa

NICU

My Husband and Daughter, not my patient;)

I'm a float nurse, which means I float around to different units in the hospital when they are short on staff or have too many patients. I mostly spend my time in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit), PCU (progressive care unit - cardiac), ER (emergency room).

Tonight I'm in the NICU wiping little bums instead of big ones, focusing on suck/breathe/swallow, and doing a lot of rocking and whispering. I think I could live and die here.

My Junior year in High School we had to do a job shadow for home ec. I procrastinated. The day before my decision was due I called up a family friend much to my mother's encouragement and asked if I could go to work with her for a day. She was a NICU nurse and her name was Marion. I had NO intention of becomming a nurse because it was "gross"!

That day my eyes were opened to a whole new world of technology, faith, science and the beauty of the human body. I had never seen babies so small only 1 pound at birth. I still remember the baby we cared for, her name, size and how her hand barely covered the tip of my finger. I took home the smallest diaper imaginable and I was hooked!

My daughter when she was in the NICU, not my patient ;)

I swore I would never work in the NICU, but 5 years into nursing and here I am and still loving it!

The good today: playing NICU nurse and wiping tiny bums!

Teresa

P.S. HIPAA! I cannot violate the patient privacy act, check it out here: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/