I Love Pumpkins! (Part 4)

Here are some of my pumpkins pictures that I have taken over the last several years...

More Pumpkin Carving

Tonight we had our 4th annual pumpkin carving with some friends from nursing school and their spouses. Audrey loved looking at the pumpkins lit up. Although it was definitely a different party with babies, we had a fun night.

I Love Pumpkins! (Part 3)

Here's a picture of my new glass blown pumpkins- thanks to my personal shopper, my sister.

Pumpkin Carving

Last night we hosted 50 people from our church, Revolution (Downey Campus.) We had so much fun hanging out, eating great chili and carving pumpkins. We carved artificial pumpkins (they could not be real because it would be a source of infection for our immunosuppressed patients) for the 18 kids on my unit. The Pediatric unit at City of Hope is a much more festive place thanks to everyone’s hard work and creative hands. Here’s a picture of our Jack-O-Lanterns.

Back to Work Too

Today was my first day back to work after 17 weeks “off” experiencing a new kind of job as a full-time mom. For those readers that do not know, I am a nurse on the pediatric unit at City of Hope (a cancer hospital.) It was an early morning getting up at 5 am. I have been used to getting up at 5 am to feed Audrey, then going back to bed for a few more hours, so it was a little more challenging to get up and stay up. I have been worried that I would forget everything and even had a bad dream recently that I did not assess any of my patients and forgot to give them all their medications. Lucky for me my nightmare did not come true. I was amazed at how fast everything came back, it was like I slipped into autopilot. I gave chemo after not giving it for almost a year (you cannot give chemo while pregnant.) The highlight of my day was a visit from Eric and Audrey for lunch. Life certainly has changed since my last day of work 4 months ago.

Childhood Development

I have a lot to learn about parenting. As a parent, you always want the best for your child. Part of that is wanting them to develop as quickly (read...faster than other kids) as possible. Last week, we decided that Audrey would like the Johnny Jump Up. It wasn't long before we realized that she might be a little small for that particular form of entertainment. She did enjoy chewing on the side for about 30 seconds before she started screaming. I guess we can chalk that one up to experience. Sorry Audrey!

Interesting Cat...

I met the most interesting cat this weekend. Alice is super skinny (the pictures do not do justice to her gaunt appearance.) At first I thought she wasn't being fed, then I looked at her food bowl and realized she is certainly not under fed. Evidently she has hyperthryriodism, a condition which increases the metabolism. Common treatments include surgical removal of a portion of the thyroid gland and radioactive iodine therapy, which is excessive for a cat. Maybe, it's the nurse in me, but I was fascinated by her.

I Love Pumpkins! (Part 2)

Today the 12th Annual Great Glass Pumpkin Patch begins in Palo Alto California. At this amazing event, over 30 artists display their unique glass blown pumpkin creations. The pumpkins are on display from October 2nd to October 5th and then on sale October 6th and 7th. I was disappointed to find out that it was this weekend because we aren't able to go. My sister who lives in the Bay Area is also going to be out of town (she is at shooting school, yes guns, with her husband and Eric's step-sister) so she can't buy one for me either. Besides, its not worth going to San Francisco if I don't get to see my sister, even to see the glass pumpkin patch. I'll have to find another creative way to get my hands on a glass pumpkin. Above are some pictures of last year's “patch.”

I Love Pumpkins! (Part 1)

Yes, it is my favorite time of the year...Harvest. October 1st marks the day I think it is appropriate to decorate for Harvest and that is what I did today. I love Harvest even more than Christmas. I love pumpkins and have a rather extensive pumpkin collection. One of my favorite thing to collect is glass blown pumpkins. Here are of my glass blown pumpkins: