Moving Forward ...

I've been back to the hell baby nursery twice now due to a period of slow down in the NICU so I'm guessing that I have no choice but to learn this role. I've been doing some breastfeeding research on the internet (remember, I've NEVER lactacted and no this isn't something that all women just "instinctively" know) and I signed up for a spanish class that starts in January. Even if I don't end up staying in Colorado, it will be helpful to be able to mutter at least a few words of Spanish (so there John!!). So perhaps by the end of this assignment I will be a confident well baby nurse and friend to all new mothers .... or maybe not.

I also realized that it has been a long time since I mentioned anything fitness minded which is likely due to the fact that I've become the epitome of sloth in the past few months. I know that I have a hard time with motivation so it's time to set some preliminary goals to get me going.

• 1. Train and complete an early spring half -marathon
• If I get in the lottery, I'm planning the Moab Canyonlands Half
• If that fails, the Virginia Beach Shamrock Sportsfest Half
• 2. Assemble the bike trainer that I purchased and actually get on the thing at least twice a week (remember, I'm not trying to work miracles ... yet)
• 3. Look around for a place to swim so that I can get back in the pool after the first of the year
• 4. Start thinking of summer races - I'm thinking two Sprint distances and *gulp* going Olympic distance late in the summer

finally, #5. Stay POSITIVE and seize the moment!!!

Jenn No Hablo Espanol

Last night at work I was floated to the well baby nursery (also known as the "Hell" baby nursery for us NICU nurses). I had to float a few times when I lived in Columbia so I felt up to the challenge of screaming babies, nervous parents and breastfeeding. When I walked into the unit, however, the first thing they asked was "do you speak Spanish?" It was at that point that I knew I was in for an interesting evening.

Many people aren't aware of the huge Hispanic population in Colorado. According to wikipidia (the source for all interesting facts on the web), 19% of Coloradoans speak Spanish. This makes Colorado #6 on the list of states with the greatest percentage of Spanish speakers (behind NM, CA, TX, AZ and NV respectively). I knew there were a lot of Spanish speakers in Colorado, specifically in Denver, but this was the first time as a nurse that I had to confront it head on.

My answer, was "Nope, I don't speak a word." which isn't true because I can say Hola and Buenos Dias and Me llamo Jenn, but in the world of nursing this isn't going to help me a lot with asking about how well the baby is eating or trying to answer their questions. I took 2 years of Latin in high school - a miserable experience with an ancient nun who hated me- so I've been very unprepared for the reality of our diversifying world and the fact that three of my patients only spoke Spanish.

I managed to make it through the night with the international language of hand gestures, pointing to my boob, the baby then the clock etc. trying to get across "when did the baby last eat" and for the most part it seemed to work. I was very stressed out though and I felt bad for the nice Moms who did make a valiant effort to use the few words that they knew to bridge the gap as well. Today, I signed up for an intensive Spanish class in January because even if I don't stick around here, it would be nice to start learning.

and the Moms who had trouble breastfeeding?? I don't even want to get started on how unprepared and clueless I am on assisting with that issue. By morning I just wanted an intubated, sedated, sick as snot baby so that I could get back to what I know!!

The Best Dog Bed EVER!!

Most of you know that I have two dogs, and if you've ever visited me they've likely jumped on you, licked you and tried to crawl in bed with you. Tosca (my Jack Russell terrier) is the worst about invading your personal space. She feels that it is her right to sleep in the people bed and she also prefers to burrow under the covers and curl up right in the crook of my knees. The only problem with this is that I occasionally like to change position ... you know roll over, move my legs etc ... and Tosca takes this as a personal attack on her slumber. When I roll over and am forced to move her, I'm rewarded with a menacing growl from beneath the covers. But I have FINALLY found the solution!! The burrow bed!!














I found this online at Fun Stuff For Dogs and ordered it after reading the testimonials from people - one specifically mentioning how it got her Jack out of the bed. Tosca immediately climbed into it and has been happily sleeping since :) This is the best money I've EVER spent!!

Living in a Winter Wonderland!

My friend Joanie reminded me last night that I was so behind on my blogging that I was still listed as living in Virginia!! I still have some fun pictures from an adventure or two while there, but I'll have to post those later. Right now, I'm living in snowy Denver, Colorado!!! I had to get out my flannel jammies for cuddling with Oakley on the couch as you can see above:)

I got here a week and a half ago after a four day, 1800 mile journey across 7 states. The little Ford Escort was loaded to the brim and a full load was also bungeed on top, but we made it over the Appalachians, through the pouring rain across Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois, and luckily had sunshine for the (boring) drive across Kansas and the Colorado plains. It was actually really sunny and warm the week of Thanksgiving, but the snow finally came in last night. It's still flurrying out - but it's not too cold and the dogs are loving it!!

I'm working in the NICU at the University of Colorado hospital which is right across the street from my apartment. So far, it's a great place to work and everyone has been very nice and accommodating. I'll be here till the middle of February so hopefully there will be some skiing, riding and snowshoeing in my future!

Here are a few pics out of my window at this exact moment.....

I am a hero ... at least to dogs!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a dog lover and that there are few people in this world that I love more than my dogs.

Tonight, I was driving down a very busy 4 lane street with a nurse friend on my way to see the movie Borat (which by the way is HYSTERICAL! It is wrong and funny all at the same time) when we came to an intersection and cars were inexplicably were slowing down. I'm wondering "what's the problem?" then I saw a blond cocker spaniel looking scared and trotting through the intersection dragging a flexi-leash. Without a thought, in the middle of the intersection I stopped the car, opened the door and called to it "come here" in my high-pitched dog voice. S/he immediately ran over to us and jumped right up into my lap and then perched his/herself on my friend's lap. Directly ahead was a gas station and we saw some frantic looking people so we immediately pulled in. An older woman came running over and we couldn't get the poor shaking pooch to get out of the car because s/he was determined to stay on Amy-Lyn's lap. One of the gas station workers was also there and both of them were pretty sure that the pooch had been clipped by a car prior to our rescue. The poor woman was a mess - apparently she had stopped into the convenience store to get some milk and tied the dog outside but it had gotten loose and ran into traffic. I could totally relate because this is something I could see either of my dogs doing. The dog didn't have any visible injuries, but she did seem to be favoring one of her back legs. We had the woman jump in our backseat and we drove the both of them home.

I was just so glad that the dog was OK because it was night, a very busy street, and the poor guy was even dragging a leash! It might not have been the smartest thing to do (i.e. stop in the middle of the road) but it was an automatic response. I'm just thankful that the dog came when I called to it and jumped in because it would have scarred me for life had I seen it get run over. So I guess I am a hero .... at least to dogs :)