Mommy and wife turns nurse: The ER Trip

So earlier today I wanted a fairy Godmother who would grant me more time to blog and tweet...or maybe I wanted the fairy Godmother to blog and tweet for me...Well, now I have some extra time to blog. I don't have extra time really, it's just that I'm stuck in the ER with hubby...ironically our department has been plagued with ill husbands in emergency situations! Why is that? Who knows really! I'm the 4th wife with a hubby who was rushed to the ER this semester and we're not quite 1/2 way through the semester yet....

Last week I thought he had the flu. He had a pounding headache and body aches. I felt guilty for meeting a friend for drinks. Then the severe stomach cramps started. Then he left work early 3 days in a row and he wasn't hungry! What the hell is going on?
8 a.m.: So I made him a doctor's appointment (despite his protests). He went, they drew blood, poked him, sent him home with something for gastritis and a cup to collect a stool sample (yucky)!
5:45 p.m.: Early evening I say "I think we should check your temperature just to be sure." The doc had said to check it and if it went above 101 to call the office. This is my mommy instinctt kicking in for the benefit of the hubby. He protests, I take his temperature and start packing an overnight bag for him and putting the bay in his PJs and preparing for what I assume will be a long night.

6 p.m.: 105 degrees! And we're off to the ER (as per the nurse in the doctor's office). He's sweating, can barely walk or stand up straight, his eyes look weird and he isn't talking very loudly (not that he ever speaks loudly). The triage/admissions nurse gets funky with us for not managing the fever at home with acetaminophen. I get funky right back and say "My doctorate is in education not in medicine and the nurse sent us here and I suppose if there's a problem you can call her for further explanation. But I'm sure if she thought we could manage the fever at home we wouldn't' be here."
7 p.m. Approx. 600 mg of acetaminophin to bring down the fever....

11 p.m.: Several hours later (if you've been to the ER you know how this works), we're getting hooked up to IV, being sent off to get an X Ray and I'm grateful that ironically our neighbors are there (well, not ironically....long story...grandpa had a stroke Sunday night and got rushed to ER, he's up in ICU holding on....) because they end up taking baby boy home so he can sleep uninterrupted by the girl in the next bed who I think took someone else's Vicodin and is now screaming for pain meds (uh? what?) and is being obnoxious beyond belief. PLUS the other guy needs a social worker (oh! wait, that's me) because he tried to O.D. and his handcuffed (not sure why?) to his hospital ER bed....maybe I could go do an assessment....or not....then the guy who just woke up from a seizure and is playing with his iphone, ipad, and kindle...his mom keeps asking what each gadget is for!

2 a.m.:  Going to get X Ray and/or CT Scan (same thing maybe?). I'm surfing the internet looking up possible diagnosis. I've narrowed it down to a few.
4 a.m.:  You have a kidney infection, here's 2 prescriptions, and you're free to go home, follow up with your primary care.
5 a.m.:  Driving home, picking baby up from neighbors, going to get 30 minutes sleep....maybe because baby always wakes up at 6 a.m.! :-)

Fairy God mother

Where's the fairy Godmother who is supposed to help me so that I can blog and tweet full-time instead of cleaning my house, grading papers, caring for sick hubby, and playing with baby boy on my Monday off?! I tired clicking my heels 3 times and I rubbed a pumpkin (or is it supposed to be rub a lamp?).  I have 3 blogs in draft that I want to finish and post....can I get s ghost writer if the fairy Godmother doesn't show up....blogging & tweeting are more fun than grading papers and drafting an IRB for a research project.....real blog post coming soon....just taking a quick break to ask if anyone has a fairy Godmother I can borrow, and if yes, does she also help with housework and personal grooming?

I am the social work lady who is human

Do social workers need to be "on" all the time?

When I lived, worked, and attended school in Atlanta I spent quite a bit of time walking in downtown. Like most urban downtown cities Atlanta has its share of homeless folks.  I am not bothered by homelessness (well, I'm bothered that it exists and as a social worker want everyone to have adequate housing, but I'm not bothered in a "Oh go away" type of bothered). Anyway...if a person on the street who was likely to be homeless spoke to me I spoke back; depending on my mood and the circumstance I might hand over a couple of dollars or loose change. I even found myself in a heated debate with a man one time over the virtues of giving money to the homeless. He said I needed to do more to help humanity. Much to his dismay I had had a difficult day of seeing non-compliant clients and was on my way to a night class for which I was not prepared. I snapped at him that I was a social worker and well understood the plight of the oppressed and down-trodden and didn't need him to give me a lecture about my moral duties! Well, from that day on anytime he saw me he would yell out "Hey social worker lady" and laugh, which would make me laugh.  I often bought him lunch, chatted with him about how he got to be homeless, etc.

Anyway...today while walking my son in the park (a new activity as I'm trying to loss the pregnancy weight that remains on my body), two men began engaging me in a conversation about my son.  I think they were flirting, but anyway...the conversation turned to me helping them with money for the bus and dinner. I happened to be walking in the park that is across the street from where our family attends church. Every night of the week a different organization prepares and serves dinner.  So I referred the men across the street as it was dinner time (this was just about 30 minutes ago). Wrong thing to do I suppose. Because they began a rant about why people never really wanted to help their fellow man and just because they were hanging out in the park didn't mean they were homeless, etc., etc., etc.  I recalled the day I snapped at the man in Atlanta and instead said "My son and I will be happy to escort you to the church for dinner, but we do not give money to people we don't know. I'm also happy to write down for you an agency in town that can help you on an ongoing basis." (the social worker in me at work).

One of the guys said "You must be a social worker or something." and they both began to laugh! I said "I am a social worker and very proud to be so, and the offer still stands."  They didn't take me up on my offer but I did see them walking towards the church, hopefully they ate a yummy dinner.

I am the social worker lady who sometimes has no patience for helping others (shame on me right) and other times can't help myself from helping others. After all, I am human and sometimes I am not "on" my social worker game! Oh well...I try.

May Our Children Have Greater Peace

I thought I would not watch all of the remembrances of 9/11 - just too sad. But of course, I'm drawn in and we're talking about where we were, how we felt, who we knew, etc. And then James Taylor comes on and begins to sing. The tears begin to flow and I clutch my baby boy and pray out loud that he may grow up in a world more peaceful and loving than my world. That he may enjoy greater freedom with less intrusive safety. And that he may not know trauma and drama. All utopian wishes I know, but a mother can only hope and pray...May God watch over all of us and keep us from harm and may we learn to celebrate and enjoy each other as opposed to judging and fighting. I want to leave this world richer than it was when I came in and I want my son to know no war or conflict....May we heal and keep moving forward!

This week’s news in child care adventures

Baby’s daycare is closed this week because this is the week the teacher’s do all of their in-service training and cleaning, etc. In my opinion it is a stupid week to be closed because it is the week school begins and it forces parents to take vacation at an inconvenient time. For me it was bad because it’s the week I have all kinds of meetings, orientations, preparation because classes begin next week. But nobody really asked my opinion…So we had to get creative with baby-care this week.

Monday he came on campus with me and charmed everyone around! All my co-workers including my Director were kind and supportive and loving to baby. Of course, this is not a regular option!

Tuesday my co-worker and her spouse watched him. I left to go conduct an orientation meeting and my phone rang 30 minutes into the training. Baby had been crying and fussing for an hour, what should they do? Oh Lord! Take him for a walk and start walking this way (co-worker lives on campus) and if he is still fussing he’ll just have to sit in the meeting with me. Why didn’t’ daddy stay home with baby? Tuesdays happens to be the day that daddy has back-to-back meetings and presentations and he used up most of his vacation on our summer road trip. Why don’t we have a babysitter? Because we’re nervous unprepared new parents who haven’t searched, interviewed, or hired anyone….yet….Anyway, baby was fine after a brief walk and feeding and a crisis was averted. I felt bad, my co-worker felt bad, baby was fine!

Wednesday we stayed home, went to the mall, walked along the river, had a good day.

Thursday, daddy stayed home with baby. It was the 1^st day that he had stayed with him ALL day (6:30 a.m.-10 p.m.).  I left home feeling anxious and sad. I only called twice. And in the end daddy was fine and so was baby. AND daddy got to see what some of my days are like! 

Today, baby and I are hanging out and eventually we’ll hit the grocery store and Kohls (mommy needs some pants!). Have I said how much I LOVE spending time with baby and also how much I appreciate having him be in daycare! LOL! Some days I want to quit my job and be a mommy full-time without working outside of home and other days I look forward to going to my job.....

Lesson: get over myself and search for a babysitter!

Side-note: Not sure about Sarah Jessica Parker's new movie "How Does She Do It?" If it shows her doing it all well I'm gonna be pissed and sending off my 1st letter to a movie studio...

Just my rambling on about preparing for a hurricane

So I grew up in earthquake country also known as California. So I got used to not being able to prepare for that unexpected natural event. Fire safety was drilled into our heads, so I think I know how to avoid starting a fire but really am unsure what to do if my house catches on fire (maybe J and I should discuss that soon....just in case).

I moved to GA and experienced tornadoes and learned where to hunker down and what to bring with me into the "bunker."It's good to have an Army reservist as a room-mate who believes in being prepared and owns a battery operated transistor radio.  I also learned about winter ice there because it rarely snowed - everything just froze!

I moved to New England and have weathered some what I consider to be bad snow storms. I've mastered driving in the white stuff and am even capable of shoveling it! I know to take extra clothing + blanket to work in case I get stuck; and to use kitty litter if I get stuck in a parking space....or at least I think I know how to handle snow and snow storms!

A hurricane seems like a different beast, especially with a 9 month old. J and I used to ride out power outages by eating out in the next town over and cuddling. Don't think we're supposed to be out in a hurricane and I think we need power for the baby's sake. So I've done the following:
1. asked J to get a generator (maybe he will....maybe he won't.....inBetween herein lies what you just blogged about!)
2. Bought water, flashlights, batteries, candles, matches. ready to drink formula, adult snacks.....
3. Packed everyone an overnight bag, which now includes extra diapers, wipes,  plush toy + rattle and soft books, first aid kit
4. Cleared space in basement office in case that's where we end up having to sleep....thinking about making a reservation at the local hotel...just in case....
5. What else?

I guess 1938 and 1991 were bad years around here, so I want to be prepared. After all there was an earthquake in VA that was felt for several states up and across! Earthquakes aren't supposed to happen in VA and as far as I'm concerned hurricanes should stay out in the oceans and not come to New England - we get almost 6 months of snow! Give us a break!

Stay tuned for "How babies break the racial barriers adults set up" :-)

New School Year Resolutions

I know that people traditionally make resolutions on or near January 1st.  I tend to make resolutions twice a year: on or near my birthday and in August or September when the new school year begins!

My resolutions:
1.  Continue to love and care for baby; watch him grow; try not to over-react when another kid bites him (happened this week)
2. Find more time for hubby (it would be nice to have a date night....once a month maybe???)
3. Find more time for mommy (yea, right) - can I get my nails done?
4. Grade all my student's papers on time
5. Remember my student's names (I usually do pretty good with this)
6. Keep my office clean (ha-ha-ha-ha) - the university should offer personalized maid service!
7. Breathe before I speak and maybe also count to 100....
8. Mind my own business; don't give unsolicited advice (don't give advice, period), no gossip
9. show appreciation out loud for those I care about & for those I see doing "good stuff" - I think everyone likes to be acknowledged
10. Remember all the things my mommy told me growing up and live by them - she's a smart woman! And call her more often to give her updates!

Grandma & Baby in Atlanta, July 2011
11. And...do all that other stuff I'm supposed to do for tenure, etc.