All in a day's work

Work at work, work at home...they are both challenging & rewarding, never boring, sometimes sad & always refining. I spend my night "out on the town" (at least that's what I tell my patients) helping others enter the delightful world of mommyhood or increase their workload with each new addition. I spend the rest of the 156 hours in the week "working" in our little Nest.  

I truly enjoy both roles & see some similarities here & there such as: 

• Serving- the titles of nurse or wife/mommy has "serve others" written all over it. Often times the people you are serving may in fact be irrational (women in labor or two year olds) but are desperately in need of someone to come along side them & help make sense of the craziness. 
• Repetition- life at home is full of repeating the same tasks over & over, diapers, meals, diapers, snacks, diapers, baths, more snacks & a big blow out diaper to finish off a good day. Life at work is full of repeating the same tasks over & over. There are only two ways a baby can exit a woman's body & although combinations of complications run rampant at such a busy labor unit I still do the same thing over & over & over. I find some comfort in that...in both places.  
• Screaming- there is a lot of screaming in my house. Someone told me prior to having the twins "just realize that there might be someone crying all the time...and sometimes it might be you...and that's okay!" I've definitely experienced that over the past year. Similarly there is a lot of screaming on a Labor & Delivery Unit & for a darn good reason! The same advice holds true, "just realize that there might be someone crying all the time...and sometimes it might be you...and that's okay!" 
• Refining- I know God made me the way I am & led me to fulfill the role of nurse & mommy simultaneously for the time being.  At home, I am frequently challenged as I parent four little ones. God reminds me often of my imperfections & his perfection. At work, I am frequently challenged to love & serve patients that are different than me. I am reminded often of how Jesus loved & served to the point of death & how I am called to be like Christ in the way I love & serve others. 

A day's work at work consists of lots of charting but more importantly lots of encouragement, direction & shared moments of joy as babies are welcomed into families.  I have bonded with many patients over the years but nothing quite beats being there to see your own niece or nephew born even if I wasn't the official nurse....

Karis Ann- August 20, 2010

Isaac Haddon- February 27, 2012

I am bursting at the seams thinking about the upcoming arrival of my newest niece Olivia Noel who is due to be born WHILE WE ARE IN TEXAS!! Please join me in praying Jenny will far surpass her due date so I can make it home in time ; ) just don't tell her...ha! Truly though, whatever day she arrives is absolutely perfect & Livi-Lou & I will make up for lost time with lots of snuggles once we get back to the Sunshine state.  Plus my Jenny girl is in fabulous hands with her on-call nurse : ) 

Back to this work thing....

A day's work with a family of six consists of many things including but not limited to: playing, cleaning, cooking, laughing, disciplining, bathing, repairing, tickling, chasing, teaching, reminding & jumping off of a school bus of course....

It was Elo's first go- round with school bus jumping & I was a little nervous due to the "wild woman" factor but thankfully we survived with no injuries! The boys got a kick out of watching their flying sissies. Speaking of flying sissies, Char got some serious air!

School bus jumping led to long naps for all which then led to some playtime outside in the beautiful February weather.

The boys are SO happy cruisin' in the double stroller with this view...

Lolo is getting the hang of scootering and as long as there are no curbs in sight, little Eloise stays upright. Charlotte would immediately say "that rhymes that rhymes!" if I was reading this to her : ) We are playing a lot of rhyming games these days. Anyway, Eloise was making me laugh with her funny little grin...

Charlotte is a speed demon on the scooter but has taken a liking to the tricycle. We do realize she is ready for a bicycle but we haven't gone there yet so the Texas Tech trike is getting lots of use...

It's a tough little trike as you can see...

Rob came out to join us so I passed him the camera to capture me doing my "signature move" where I ride the scooter while pushing the stroller. I figured out I could do this out of necessity one day when Eloise crash landed off the scooter requiring her to hitch a ride in the double stroller....with two other babies. I'm sure I could have laid the scooter across the top of the stroller but then I wouldn't have been able to look so cool...

Robby made more fun of me for calling it my "signature move" versus the actual riding. Eloise decided she would return the favor & give Charlotte a ride except for she can hardly pedal herself. Thanks Daddy...

School bus jumping to nap to outdoor sweaty time to BATH TIME! My favorite part of the day, other than bed time of course ; ) I love my kids SO much but I really do get excited about bed time...if you are a parent, you know exactly what I mean. 

Baths lately are the Fab Four slippin' & slidin' all together which makes for lots of grins! 

The little guys are enamored with the water coming out of the spout. They look a lot alike to me in this picture.  If you can't tell, Anson on the left, Owen on the right. 

And there they are, the squeaky clean Fab Four that keep me "employed" at the Valentine Nest.

I collapse on the couch exhausted most every night by 7:30 & praise the Lord for a few things. 

1. We made it through another day & possibly did more than survive (ie had fun jumping off buses)
2. We have a fresh start upon waking even if there are multiple wakings in the upcoming 12 hours.
3. We have many more years ahead to love & serve these precious blessings as irrational as they (or I) may be at times. 

The night a week that I am not collapsing on the couch I am prayerfully starting a 12 hour shift asking the Lord for wisdom as I walk into room to meet a woman with a baby bump & her own story that effects everything in the process of giving birth.  

It is all good "work" whether home or at the hospital. It is work ordained by God for my mind to figure out & my hands to do. It is work I am thankful for even though the sacrifice is often great.