Guess who caught the first baby?

Yesterday Christian caught his first baby and was absolutely in love. He remembered everything about the parents and the baby's name and how much he weighed. I told him to be careful or he'll catch the fever and we can only handle one birth worker in this family (but who knows!?). He has his shelf exam - the exam after each specialty rotation - coming up so we're both spending the weekend buried in books.

First semester clinicals are winding down for me. I have learned so much and am starting to actually feel like a student midwife. I also love that I am now more helpful in the clinic than a pain in the butt. I take patients off different schedules and see them on my own, which really lightens the load for the other providers. I am so lucky to have been invited to stay at the same site for my second semester ambulatory care clinical (pretty much the same stuff as this past semester) - this means not having to re-learn a different EHR, not having to develop a new relationship with a different preceptor and provider. I am thrilled, I love my current site (and my many preceptors in this huge practice...I regularly rotate with 4 different midwives). I'm now just counting down to December when I get to start catching!!! AHHH! So exciting (and I can't believe that Christian beat me to it!).

Survived!

I survived my test (got an A!), got everything done I had on my list for the week (there was a lot), and I got to see Batman with Christian. Absolutely zero complaints here. As part of one of my last minute projects I've been uploading our honeymoon photos so I can print some and put them in an album. I enjoy looking at these so much! We had such a fantastic trip - almost entirely thanks to all the wonderful people who contributed to it. Thought I'd share some of my favorites before I head to bed. 

I can't believe we're inching towards that 2 year wedding anniversary....and I can't believe I'm married to this guy, I'm still in shock. I do truly love him more today than I did then (which I did not think was humanly possible). Don't you just love digging up old photos (old being a relative term in this case)?


Night.

Ash

Achievement unlocked.

I am taking this extremely small break between modules to come up for air and say hi to the world. Hello world.

So, Chris is on week 3 of OBGYN rotations and so far he's survived GYN surgery, OBGYN clinic, 2 call shifts (27 hours straight, what the...?!), and lots of blood/placenta spattered scrubs (I'm glad those stay at the hospital and don't come home). He is loving OBGYN just like I knew he would. He hasn't caught any babies yet, but has caught 2 placentas and has first assisted in a GYN surgery and a cesarean. He's getting great experiences and loves his attendings and residents. [Note: Only the husband of a midwife/midwife-in-training would use the phrase 'catching babies' versus delivering them...mamas birth babies, providers help catch...and there is no end to how much I love that he says this.]

Feeling like single girlz during one of Christian's call shifts.

He says if anything ever happened with emergency medicine that he'd look into it. OBGYN and a midwife...I'm sure it wouldn't be the first time. I'm still betting he'll remain enamored with emergency medicine and I think it's a great fit for him. Right now I'm just glad he's enjoying the rotation. The hours have been a little tough but we're making it work.

I myself am nose to the grindstone trying to prepare for an exam on Thursday. It's a ton of material and everyone in the class is overwhelmed (not just me...I guess that's good). It's hard because it's the first GYN class and I'm so excited to be on midwifery content but it's just SO dense it's really hard to sift through. Hopefully I'll survive and live to see another semester.

My cave right now...no we CANNOT do it!

In the meantime, Christian got a little break tonight after working a 27 hour shift starting Saturday morning so he had the boys over for Star Wars, barbecue, beer for the drinkers (root for the non), and breaking ground on construction of a rather large Lego R2-D2 model. I hate to be locked away while fun things are happening but I'm really glad he's getting a chance to unwind before the week starts allll ovverrrr againnnnn (nothing to be done to stop it, trust me, I've tried).

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Ash

hey jimmy kimmel, YOU SUCK!

If I had a dollar for every time a kid said this in the following videos, I'd have at least $10. Am I a bad person for thinking it's hilarious to have a laugh at your kid's expense every once in a while? Perhaps. These videos remind me of when my brother went through a hilarious prank phase (that I may or may not have found funny at the time) and no one was off limits. Okay, a few may cross into the slightly mean territory (specifically the father's day ones?) but if thinking these are hilarious is wrong, I don't wanna be right. Keep 'em coming, Jimmy. Compiled for your viewing pleasure:

(Which ones are your favorites?)



I told my kids I ate their Halloween candy - DEFINITE favorite at 2:45. Although 1:04 is great (I love this dad's attention to detail) and 2:00 is amazing. I love a 'glass half full' kind of kid.



Crappy Christmas gift - okay, 1:40 takes the cake...I love that the brother is totally ready to take it, nice kids - they just seem confused. :) 3:45, that kid needs to be grounded, big time.



Crappy gift part II - The little girls at 1:12 are adorable. The winners are probably a tie between 2:26 and 3:20 (that kid is totally STOKED to get a potato).



Waking up kids for school in the summer - Note: my sister would have literally socked my parents in the face if they pulled this on her...girlfriend is NOT a morning person. 1:04 is good, that's what I would've done...1:28, those sweet boys, I love them trying to do the math in their heads.



I unplugged the TV during the game - Lesson of this video, adults use foul language and throw things. :) I like the guy at 1:10 and the dude at 1:30, but the boldest one is the kid who does it in a room FULL of people at 2:00, not with the remote but straight up unplugs that flat screen.



I Silverstone'd my kids - Okay, the percentage of kids who eat the food is hilarious (especially the ones who say they like it). The first kids are pretty funny (I don't know why there's so much crying?! I would've just run from my mom and called her nasty). The last kid in the 1:25 sequence totally calls mom out on her BS. 3:05, they're totally into it.



I sprayed my dad with a hose - Okay, depending on the day my dad had, he'd either think this was hilarious or be super bummed. I'd just have to select my moment very carefully. I feel like some people did not choose quite as wisely. Love the guy at 0:40 with the hot tea, 1:36 - this dad is so calm, and of course 2:24....don't dish it if ya can't take it, Jimmy.



I sprayed my dad with a hose, part II - 0:38, I love that chasing ensues, 1:00 - this dad totally uses an innocent dog as a shield, 1:26 - this kid is a prime example of wrong time wrong place. 2:07, "Why are you doing this?!"




Love,

Ash

PS - Can you tell someone is doing his first overnight call shift leaving another certain someone alone to her own devices? (The dog can't stop me.)

link up? sure, why not!

Okay, I've never done anything interactive with another blog before but I figured family would be interested in seeing what I bum around in all day. And without further ado - my dress code (hosted by bloggers Anna and Renee):

Before grad school, I practically lived in scrubs. Between my 4 years as a patient care tech (nurse assistant), two and a half of those in nursing school, plus my first nursing job, I probably owned more scrub pants than I did jeans and shorts combined. Nursing school was polo shirts and scrub pants (No pockets on top?! For a student?! Pretty awful.) Then Christian and I moved in together - he was an EMT for 2 years, worked in the CPR lab at the U of A, and had just started medical school - so we pooled our resources. We're about the same height so sharing unisex scrubs is no big deal (and helpful when getting dressed in the morning).

Our very first clinical rotation. Remember how fabulous we thought we were?!

Loved having my cousin born at the hospital I worked at...needless to say they got special attention. :)

We wore caps for our big university-wide graduation, to distinguish ourselves from the crowd. I think we looked pretty cute.

Then, I became a nurse educator/case manager. Public health nursing was something I never imagined myself doing but I quickly fell in love with it (and it's dress code). Can you say CASUAL?! As long as I don't look like a hobo, I'm pretty much okay. I try to stick to nice jeans, closed toe shoes, and my Teen Outreach or another non-awful shirt.

Nurse educator/case manager garb. This baby was born with a face, but must be an unidentifiable baby because of privacy and all that stuff. Unlike the above baby that is related to me and absolutely too cute not to show.

Then I got into grad school. Now I'm training to be a "provider"....professionalism is the name of the game. This often includes the use of a shiny (yet still weird-looking to me) white coat.

On my way into clinic....stillll getting used to this look.

I'm glad my preceptor prefers to go sans coat and I'm allowed to take cues from her, so I usually ditch the coat for regular old business casual. I won't need to don scrubs again until I hit my intrapartum rotation (AKA time to catch babies!).

On my way to an on-campus intensive learning day. Also something I might wear to clinic to see patients (although I much prefer pants.)

As far as gear, while I used to carry a fully stocked bag full of all the goodies the other girls hosting the link up carry, now I carry a suitcase full of baby dolls, a knitted uterus, rubber cervix, and a pair of mesh panties that would make the ladies at Victoria's Secret jealous. Also: breast pads, a breast pump, a rubber breast, a cloth breast, and lots of other breast-related gear.

Don't forget the cloth pelvis! Love that guy... 

So that's about it for me. Nurse friends, you're welcome to link up. I'm slowly fading after a long day in clinic (and husband has been in bed since 8:30....welcome to third year rotations I guess...).

Hope everyone enjoys their 4th of July! 

Love,

Ash

#$%^&*(*&%^&

So I guess we can all agree this blog is best for updates and photos of fun things (when we have time to do fun things and photograph them) and not for my thoughts on life or marriage or fashion (yikes) or even Viesa.

I have to look back because I honestly can't even remember where I last left you! Let's see...oh my....I can't believe I didn't share the happiest of all days when Christian conquered Step 1! Jeeze, you guys are really behind...

Here's a few goodies from ACNM (since I promised I'd tell you about it but don't really have the energy besides to say that it was amazing and incredibly renewing and beyond encouraging and I can't wait for next year....Nashville, Tennessee!):

Birth art and goodies EVERYWHERE.

Needlework everywhere! SO bummed I left mine at home!

My classmate Heather and me, leaving the vendor area with goodies.

Okay: so Chris did it! He took Step 1 and lived to tell the tale. I think it was a good thing that I was able to be gone the week before his exam and I am SO SO SO glad I ditched the conference a day early to come home and be with him on the day. It was emotionally/mentally/physically draining for him and I was so happy to be around to help and support. Now you're all thinking, "Well how did he do?!!?". Legitimate question but we won't know for another 3 weeks or so. Apparently tests taken on the computer are so hard to grade, it takes 6 weeks to get the grades out. No matter what the score is, we're happy to put it behind us and move on to the fun stuff.

Trying to sleep off 8 weeks of hellish studying. I don't know what Vies is sleeping off....

Right after his exam, Christian was able to enjoy some relaxation time. We did a few fun things together here and then he went to California for a week with his school friends to visit Mickey Mouse. Unfortunately (or devastatingly, however you want to look at it) I was unable to go with because I'm still in the middle of a semester. Duty (aka the clinic) calls and I had to sit this one out. He absolutely deserved the R & R (and to see Mickey) and I'm so glad he went.

He was with Mickey, I was doing all of this. I'm not bitter at all. 

In the meantime, I'm still plugging away at clinical. I am really loving the clinic I'm at and as I've previously mentioned I'm smitten with my preceptor. She is a delightful woman and a wonderful midwife and I want to be just like her when I grow up. :) I'm taking care of patients on my own now and it feels crazy/good. I feel comfortable doing OB visits of most varieties - new or return aka subsequent visits throughout pregnancy. I am working towards mastering that darn speculum (I'm getting there - that cervix is one sneaky sonofagun). I'm also getting better at finding heart tones and knowing what I'm feeling when I'm feeling around, whether that's on the belly or in the vagina. I had a moment with a patient and her husband and 3 year old the other day when I whipped out the doppler assuming she (already well into her second trimester) had heard the baby before. She informed me that because of transferring care from another city and letting too much time lapse during their move to Phoenix, she was too early to hear the heartbeat at her last appointment. When I found that kiddo's heartbeat they all melted and the 3 year old was patting mama's belly saying, "Baby!". I mean, c'mon. That's my job, fo reals. I'm not pretending it's all sunshine and rainbows, but it's pretty wonderful. I feel grateful that people let me squish on their bellies and feel their kicking, growing babies. 


After Christian's glorious albiet wayyyy too short break, he was back to school again - this time as a MS3! Yes, that's right. Christian is now a THIRD year medical student. As in three out of four. I can hardly believe it. I took the requisite first day of school photo (the first one in our "new" house)...this year I could only grab my iPhone for a photo as I myself was sprinting out the door to clinic. The menas I only have one more photo to take (until PGY1, the first year of residency, that is). You can see the photos from year one and year two here.

It's big time stuff now, like working 5+ days a week all day plus taking night call and the occasional on-call weekend. It's time for him to put all that delicious knowledge to good use. His first rotation is OB, which I (obviously) think is fantastic. I asked him if he's going to claim his hippie midwife spouse and he said proudly. :) Then it's on to surgery then other things I don't remember the order of. Now until Christmas is going to go by at an astonishing pace, I can tell you right now. 


That touches on the major things. In downer news, my dad is off to do the Army thing in an unnamed middle eastern country for far too long a time (although any amount of time is too long a time). We love him very much and hope he returns to us safe and sound (and just in time for my sister's wedding!).


Now I will be one tired student midwife in the clinic tomorrow if I don't get myself in bed. Hope you enjoyed the little bite of our current reality. I'm sure more exciting things will happen and I will wait three or four months to tell you about them.




Love,
Ash

I've found my happy place.

I know we've been MIA forever. No apologies here...just crazy busy schedules. I've started my clinicals and LOVE THEM. Christian is less than week away from Step 1 and I've abandoned him (or given him mercifully uninterrupted peace and quiet...not sure which) for five days while I attend the American College of Nurse Midwives annual meeting. I've been here for a matter of hours (all they're doing today is registration) and I am overwhelmed by the energy of the room. I can't describe what it feels like being surrounded by so many smart, strong, and passionate women at one time. I can't wait to enjoy the rest of the week.

So until I get home to tell you all about it....

Love,
Ash