A Curios intersection of the Pixies and Parenthood:

Where is my mind?

A reoccurring contemplation these last several weeks, and one universally shared often by by all parents, is "What did I use to spend my time [doing/thinking about/worrying] before my kid? This comes about lately as we proceed full-bore into the rigros of potty training. We've kind of been edging into it, dipping our toes into the pool for the last couple of months. No more excuses now though. We've jumped in; We're past the point of turning back.

This nifty potty sings when wet

For example, yesterday I was trying to explain to one of my employees the intricacies of a good positive reward program, such as the importance of "princess wipes" versus regular ones, and the different grades of stickers (overall size is very important, Mermaid stickers are best, but if all we have geometric than we have to usually double up.) The young twenty-something coed e listened patiently, and unsucessfully tried to hide the increasing level of bizarre fascination/dread that she was experiencing listening to a grown man talk about "Announcing your Poops," and celebrating that most mundane of human functions, wiping one's own butt.


Which leads me back to the original question. All these details have long since pervaded my subconscious; I often only realize upon arrival at work that I have been humming a Laurie Berkner song for the last seven miles. So what did I used to do with my brain? What great ideas, contemplations, obsessions have been lost in the shuffle? I really can't seem to remember. Was I close to reconciling free will with a deterministic universe? Did I have the rosters and stats of the entire Western conference of the NBA memorized and analyzed? Have I become dumber, mundane and generally less interesting? I really can't seem to recall . . . .


Got to go . . . the frog potty needs changing for a fresh attempt!

The Case of the Missing Fork

I was washing dishes the other day and noticed that our forks have mysteriously been disappearing. I knew I had only washed two forks.

When I went to the drawer to see if there were any in there I was surprised to find only three. Interesting. Where have all the forks gone?

A couple days after pondering the whereabouts of our forks, Bryan is in the kitchen cooking. I hear a little shuffling, something falling, a couple of clinks then some very choice words. Then Bryan says, "Well, there goes another one." To this I reply, "What do you mean another one?" Apparently over the course of our marriage and (of our forks) they have been "falling" victim to the floor vent in the kitchen.

Case closed. Now, off to buy new forks.

The New Nurse

After a few weeks on the job I have learned a great deal about myself. Here is a list of a few things that I have learned.

1. It is okay to cry, and in many circumstances a necessity. I have become close to one of the burn victims on the unit. She is a beautiful young girl who has a long road ahead of her. For some reason we connected almost instantly. On one of the days I was caring for her she had a minor setback. She was so upset and frustrated. I could see that she wanted to cry but was trying to put on a brave face. I shut the door and pulled up a chair next to her bed and we cried.
2. Be thankful for what you have. I had not been assigned to the young girl in a few days and I have really been missing her. I knew she's been having surgeries this week and wanted to see how she was. When I entered her room she asked me where I had been and why I hadn't been her nurse for a while. She began asking me how my weekend was and how Rosie has been. It made me take a step back. This girl is in a hospital bed, in pain with a long road ahead of her and she's asking me how I am? Really puts things into perspective.
3. 12 hour shifts are hard work. I love having 4 days off but the three that I do work are exhausting. I usually need a day just to recover.
4. I do not function very well without sleep. Yesterday was a pretty tough day at the Scherhouse. Rosie has been sick so I decided it was a good idea to keep her home with me. One problem...I had just got off work having worked the night shift before. Needless to say, we didn't get a whole lot accomplished yesterday. I forgot to add the clothes to the washing machine. We watched a whole lot of Dora and Word World. We ate breakfast and lunch in front of the TV. We took a nap and I'm pretty sure Rosie was awake long before I was.

I really love my job and am adjusting to the new role of working, being a wife and mother full time. I am thankful for the opportunity to care for people.