No real post today

I am too tired.  Been up early and worked long days this week.  Very tired. More next time maybe.  Nite Nite and Sweet Dreams!

Decision to Make...

I have yet to decide how I want to BLOG about my daughter. Most of you out there are friends and family- or I assume so. But I know there are people out there who I don’t know. And that’s the fun of BLOGging. That’s one reason why I do it. I want to meet random people and know them through their BLOGs. Almost like pen-pals in a way. BLOGging is a way, or was a way before Facebook came along and took over the world- was a way to let my family and friends know what I was up to. Then Facebook took over and I began to solely post there. I post on Facebook all the time about my daughter and post pictures. But then again, I have my settings set to friends only and only the people I want to see the photos can see them. I used to post very openly and without fear about Rob and I. And now I’m hesitant. Motherhood does that to you I think. You want to protect your little one as much as you can. But you don’t want to overprotect either. And someone recently made a comment on my last two years ago post asking for pictures of her and not just the pictures of the ultrasound. And while all that was the jumpstart to BLOGging again- something I have been thinking about anyway, but still it was the jumpstart. And I don’t know who you are, but it seemed a little random. Because anyone who would read this, or even know about my BLOG two years later would probably be my friend on Facebook and therefore would already have seen her many pictures. So have you been checking my BLOG hoping for an update for two years? Did you find me randomly? Did you find me off of a comment off of another BLOG? I don’t know. But it got me thinking and then my Ima instincts kicked in and I wondered if BLOGging about her was a bad idea or not.

So I’m thinking I have a few options. I may give her a pseudonym, or I may use her name but not post pictures. Or I may just BLOG about my life like I used to BLOG about my life full on and full force and with no worries and that’s that. I haven’t decided yet. Did I say that already? Anyway... I miss BLOGging because I miss expanding on an experience and not figuring out how to put it in the third person in a certain number of words. Plus Facebook just isn’t what it used to be. There are a number of reasons for this. This may or may not get its own post. But I digress yet again.

So I’m not sure how to BLOG about my Little Bean. My Milk Monster. Our Munchkin Scrunchkin. My adorable drive you crazy Tazmanian Devil Toddler. My extremely sweet and yet beyond stubborn little girl who is a really good and happy kid- except when she’s not. There are so many things I want to say and stories I can tell. Like how she has now learned the word “no.” And how when she says it she draws it out and makes it two plus syllables “NOOOOOOOO-Wuh!!!” Or her dimples. Or how she crunches up and laughs when I ask her where her belly button is. Or about the time when I was tickling her and tickling her and she kept saying/signing “MORE!” every time I stopped. And finally when I just decided to ask her “More what?” She tickled herself and fell into my lap laughing. There are so many things I can tell. But with her name? With a picture? I don’t know. I’ll figure it out I’m sure. Eventually. In the meantime I may just nix the pix and use a nickname. But Please bear with me until I figure it out.

Snow Adventure... Sort of....

SOOOOOOOO I cancelled all my morning patients in Stamford and hoped that I could see a couple of local patients here in Norwalk this afternoon. because if I didn't see a couple today there is NO way I'm getting through the rest of the week. I managed to see 2 patients today. One was easy, to get to- right on a secondary road, no problems. Except she pooped on herself and I had to clean her up. But that's another story. Actually it's not. It was yucky, I cleaned her up and that was that. Juuuuuuust like being back in the hospital.

The second patient who lives only a few blocks away from the first patient was more of a problem. Her street wasn't plowed yet. I got stuck getting to her house, but I got out of it pretty easily by going back and forth a bunch of times. I made it to her house and did her treatment. When I left was when the problem started. I figured that I got in ok so I would be able to get out ok. WRONG!

I backed out from the driveway into the street. And proceeded to get stuck. And more stuck. And then even more stuck! I got out of the car and undug my wheels. And then I tried again, and I got even more stuck. One of the neighbors called out to me and offered to lend me a shovel. I dug out, I drove 10 feet and got stuck again. ACK!!! I walked down the road to where I saw a private plow and some men shoveling. Most of the men ignored me (really nice right?) and the plow was gone by the time I made it down the block. One man helped me. He brought over his shovel and dug me out and dug a path behind me to someones driveway. Then another young man came out and they both together pushed me out and into a random driveway which luckily was dug out. The second guy said he saw the plows coming a little while ago doing a neighboring street and they usually did this one next. So I waited it out. And sure enough a few minutes later the plow came by. Except that he plowed me in. By this time the man with the shovel had gone so I was trying to dig my way out with my feet. And who should come along but the guy who owns the house. And he starts yelling at me what am I doing in his driveway and am I crazy and all that. I try to explain it to him that I was stuck and his neighbors pushed me there because it was the nearest place to go to wait for the plow and I was really sorry and that I'll be gone as soon as I get the snow drift in front of my car moved. Then he realizes the plow plowed in his driveway and all the work he did this morning was for nothing etc etc and he starts cursing the plow people and me. But then the plow comes back for a second round up the street and the man yelling at me is in the way. So then the plow people and the man start yelling at each other F you this and F off that. I was so embarrassed that I caused all this mess.

And then I see the private plow guy again and I run over to him and ask him please please PLEASE can he just move the small drift in front of my car so I can get out of this guys driveway and he can get out of the plows way and we can stop world war 3 from happening over a snowplow and a truck??? The private plow guy was very nice and he moved the bit of snow and I got my behind out of there and left the man and the plow people to scream at each other.

I made my way down the street and almost didn't get up a hill. ACK! That's all I needed- to get myself unstuck only to not make it up a hill! So I backed down and prayed that I could get enough momentum to get up and WHEW! I made it. I was so happy to be home and not out in the snow!

I REALLY hope things are better tomorrow because I have an early patient in the back woods of North Stamford up a hill and I really hope I can get there!

I always maintain that if it's going to snow it should snow a WHOLE LOT or else it shouldn't bother because otherwise it's just a mess. But I forgot about how much of a mess 18 inches of snow creates! And that's my snow adventure for today. Time now to get the toddler from climbing on my legs and feed her supper. I hope everyone is safe and sound and not stuck in the snow! Nite Nite for now!

Snowstorm

Luckily I didn't have to go out today. I was SUPPOSED to do a start of care, but she cancelled. This is good as it's SNOWING! Not to mention I HATE starts of care. Evil things that take hours upon hours. And will I suppose one day get their own BLOG post. But for now YAY for not having to drive in the snow! And conditions are supposed to get worse and be blizzard like with accumulations of 12-18 inches expected by tomorrow. I am hoping I can see my patients tomorrow. But for now I am glad that I can stay in the house and not venture out into the white stuff. I went food shopping this morning because isn't it my luck that I ran out of milk on a Sunday morning right before a blizzard? But I had to go so I went. It was a MADHOUSE! And then waiting and waiting and waiting on line the person in front of me first realized that she couldn't find her credit card as she was trying to check out. I want to know why she didn't use the 10 minutes she was waiting in line to get her stuff ready? And then I got picked for the random "just making sure you are not stealing when you use the personal scanner thingy check" Which took additional time. I do love those personal scanner thingys but I don't like the random checks. It's the few who ruin it for the many.... Anyway.... I survived and I am using the rest of day to clean, spend family time, and put away too small baby clothes and no longer played with baby toys into rubbermaid tubs and into the attic. Oh yes, and nap. I must nap. Now, while the baby is napping....

In that case I hope anyone who reads this is having a nice day and either enjoying the snow or enjoying hiding from the snow. And if it's not snowing where you are, I hope you are having a nice day anyway. Till Next time. Bye Bye!

I want to be BLOGging again....

But work is getting in the way. Today I did a start of care, a resumption of care and an agency discharge. If you don't know what that means, it means about 6 hours of patient care and then about 12 hours of paperwork. I have 2 patient treatments tomorrow and 2 therapy evaluations. I get a break for Shabbat. I have another start of care on Sunday. THEN I have to figure out how to fit all of these into my schedule for next week. HA!!!!!! being on call Christmas weekend is a nightmare!

I'll try to post something about my life from the last 2 years later this weekend. If I'm awake that is.....

Hmmmmmm........

I haven't done this in awhile. 2 years in fact. To the day. (Which is just a funny coincidence)

But after all this time I got a comment on my last post. Which got me thinking and wondering if people are still actually reading my long abandoned but not forgotten BLOG. I checked my visitor counter and noticed an up-spike in visits to my BLOG recently. So I got to thinking about how people got here. I used to BLOG very regularly and I guess I had a fairly decent readership. But I dropped off for varying reasons over the past few years and I haven't posted anything in quite a long time. So I wondered how my visits spiked???

I like to read BLOGs of others and I have commented on a few lately signing in with my Blogger ID which would lead people here. I wonder if there might still be people out there who like me are interested in reading a "random postings on varied aspects of my life" BLOG?

I wonder if I have the extra time to spend BLOGging again. I always found it nice to be able to share and vent and post and "meet" other random people from around the internet. Maybe I'll throw my stuff out there to the internet universe again. I liked BLOGging when I did BLOG in the past. And I did it for a long time. And then life got a little crazy and I stopped. I spent some time this evening reading through some older posts. And I realize how amazingly different my life is now then it was a few years ago. I could write a million posts on how my life changed in the past 2 years. And a million more on my patients. And a million more jokes and pictures and other random things. And about 10 million about my daughter, dog, or Rob.

Anyway, this is the round and round working of decision making in my brain. I think I might start BLOGging again. For me. And for you. And for fun. But I always like to know who is out there. So feel free to send along a comment at any time to say hi, introduce yourself, and tell me how you got here. Do you have a BLOG I could read? What do you like to read about on a BLOG?

And on that note my nose smells a poopy diaper. (Oh my life is SO different from how it was the last time I BLOGged) Time to pluck the toddler from her pile 'o books and toys and change a diaper. Or given the time, take off the diaper, giver her a bath and put her to sleep. More another time!

I suppose I can post it here too...

Just for the sake of posting something here.  Still trying to find time....  Facebook has just been so much easier, I can just write Carie is...  Blah Blah Blah and I'm done.  Here I always feel the need to write something and proofread it and make it perfect and all that.  But since the news is all over everywhere else, and I have a few procrastinating minutes when I SHOULD be folding 8 loads of laundry, I'll put it here too.  

I'M PREGNANT!!!  WHOO HOO!!!!  (I love saying that!)

Ok, pictures...

This was our first sonogram picture of out "Little Bean."  I was almost 8 weekss at the time. We've been calling the baby Little Bean because that's what the OB called it when I mentioned that it was the size of a coffee bean when she said it was about a centimeter long.  The name stuck.  And since we are ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY NOT FINDING OUT THE SEX before it is born on or around June 26,2009, Rob and I decided that Little Bean would be a good in-utero/Pre-Bris/Simchat Bat name to use.  I digress.  Anyway, at this point, we were able to see the heartbeat when she did the sonogram, and we sort of saw the teeny little arms & legs waving.  But the still picture just looks like a cute grain of rice.  :)  We were still absolutely elated with it though.



This one was taken at 11 weeks during our Nuchal Translucency Screening.  (A test that consists of an ultrasound & 2 blood tests to determine the baby's risk for Downs Syndrome & other similar disorders)  The baby is doing wonderful, the OB called it "a star" because the test results were fine. Risks of such disorders were way lower than even the average risk.  Whoo Hoo for Little Bean!  Beating expectations & being better than average already!  (No pressure though)  But we could see SO much at this stage, hands fully formed & waving, legs kicking, face, heart with all 4 chambers, body, it was completely amazing.  And Little Bean was rocking around in my uterus so much you would have though there was a dance party in there.  It wouldn't stay still for the Oscar the ultrasound guy to get a good measurement & heart rate.

So now I'm 13 weeks and still feeling queasy.  But that's better than nausea & vomiting to the point where nothing would stay down 24/7.  I'd love to find the person who named it "Morning Sickness" and make them live through a first trimester like mine.  It was icky.  But while I'm still not feeling great, I'm definitely better than I was, and very much looking forwards to the 2nd trimester and hopefully the end of all the nausea.  

And that's my big news!  YAY!!!!!

I Had a Patient on Friday...

Who told me he couldn't do P.T. because he "Ran out of air"

 Thought that was worth a quick post.  I love old people, they are so cute!

Some Advice From One Of My Patients

I had a 100 year old patient this week, she told me that the secret to living so long is to mind your own business.  I thought that was good advice.  Thought I'd share.  Thought I'd maybe find some time to BLOG again.  I hope....

5 More Friends

I think this video is cute, funny and EXTREMELY important. So even if no one reads my BLOG anymore because I don't post anymore I'm still posting it in the hopes that 1 person will see it and VOTE next week! Whatever your opinion is, go out and make it, cast your vote. It counts.

Christian the Lion

I saw this video recently, it's 40 years old, but it's recently been floating around on the internet and the TV news too. The little message flashed at the end is cheesy, and not why I'm posting this.  I just think it's an amazing story and yes, I cried when I saw it. :)  I guess I still am a cheeseball!

Someone told me this weekend that they miss reading my BLOG.

So for her, I'm putting a quickie update with a few extra minutes before I have to go get Rob from the train. I'll introduce the world to our new dog. Her name is Samantha, but I call her Shmoo.

This is Shmoo. She's a Kerry Blue Terrier, daughter to Rob's father's dog. Atypical coloring as Kerry Blue's usually have coloring the shade of grey blue of her beard. Atypical personality because she is sweet, shy and NEVER barks!

Shmoo loves to lounge on our bed.

Isn't she sweet!?!?!?!?


Rob loves her.


Here she is getting a bath. (I swear it's like she's our first child with bath time pictures and everything!)


She doesn't like bathtime too much.

All wet.

Ring around the Shmoo!

All clean and dry and happy in Rob's Sweatshirt!

So that's a bit about Samantha. She's wonderful. And on that note, it's time to go get Rob from the train. Have a good night!

My Poor Unupdated BLOG

I used to be so good about it.....

and then I fell off the wagon.  I want to climb back on again, I really do....  but not today.  Today I have to clean my kitchen and fold my laundry and sleep.  Oh well....

Automated messages

I know, it's been awhile, been busy.  But I couldn't let this go, it was too funny.  We're having some furniture delivered today.  We got one of those messages from the furniture company yesterday with one of those 3 hour windows that they'd be coming.  The voice said:

(in a slow, pro-noun-cing ev-ery syl-la-ble com-pu-ter voice)

"Your furniture will be delivered between 10:27 AM & 1:27 PM.  These times are approximate"

Teee Heeeee!!!!  I love that!  :)

Happy Tuesday!  

Cat Plays Furry Grim Reaper at Nursing Home

From MSNBC

Oscar has predicted 25 deaths by curling up next to patient in final hours

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours.

His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means they have less than four hours to live.

“He doesn’t make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die,” said Dr. David Dosa in an interview. He describes the phenomenon in a poignant essay in Thursday’s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

“Many family members take some solace from it. They appreciate the companionship that the cat provides for their dying loved one,” said Dosa, a geriatrician and assistant professor of medicine at Brown University.

The 2-year-old feline was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a third-floor dementia unit at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The facility treats people with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and other illnesses.

After about six months, the staff noticed Oscar would make his own rounds, just like the doctors and nurses. He’d sniff and observe patients, then sit beside people who would wind up dying in a few hours.

Aloof and businesslike feline Dosa said Oscar seems to take his work seriously and is generally aloof. “This is not a cat that’s friendly to people,” he said.

Oscar is better at predicting death than the people who work there, said Dr. Joan Teno of Brown University, who treats patients at the nursing home and is an expert on care for the terminally ill.

She was convinced of Oscar’s talent when he made his 13th correct call. While observing one patient, Teno said she noticed the woman wasn’t eating, was breathing with difficulty and that her legs had a bluish tinge, signs that often mean death is near.

Oscar wouldn’t stay inside the room though, so Teno thought his streak was broken. Instead, it turned out the doctor’s prediction was roughly 10 hours too early. Sure enough, during the patient’s final two hours, nurses told Teno that Oscar joined the woman at her bedside.

Doctors say most of the people who get a visit from the sweet-faced, gray-and-white cat are so ill they probably don’t know he’s there, so patients aren’t aware he’s a harbinger of death. Most families are grateful for the advanced warning, although one wanted Oscar out of the room while a family member died. When Oscar is put outside, he paces and meows his displeasure.

No one’s certain if Oscar’s behavior is scientifically significant or points to a cause. Teno wonders if the cat notices telltale scents or reads something into the behavior of the nurses who raised him.

Nicholas Dodman, who directs an animal behavioral clinic at the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and has read Dosa’s article, said the only way to know is to carefully document how Oscar divides his time between the living and dying.

If Oscar really is a furry grim reaper, it’s also possible his behavior could be driven by self-centered pleasures like a heated blanket placed on a dying person, Dodman said.

Nursing home staffers aren’t concerned with explaining Oscar, so long as he gives families a better chance at saying goodbye to the dying.

Oscar recently received a wall plaque publicly commending his “compassionate hospice care.”

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Inflammatory Breast Cancer

This is something I personally have known about for awhile, but that could be because I've had a medical education. (P.T.'s learn more medicine than one thinks!) This is however something that NOT many women know about and should. So watch the video and learn about THE MOST aggressive type of cancer that presents in THE MOST atypical manner.

Links for More Information

Inflammatory breast Cancer Research Foundation

National Cancer Institute

IBC Support

Susan B. Komen Foundation Fact Sheet on IBC

The Breast Care Center

I was Googling Harry Potter....

Because Rob and I are both excited about the latest & last book which comes out on Saturday. Rob has been for weeks and weeks and weeks and months saying "I can't wait for Harry Potter" I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also a bit sad that it's the last book, none more to look forward to. I think I may have semirecently BLOGged on this. ANYWAY, I digress. I found this article from the Jerusalem Post.

Yishai opposes sale of 'Harry Potter' on Shabbat
Industry, Trade, and Labor Minister Eli Yishai (Shas) said Tuesday that he intended to fine any bookstores that open this Shabbat to sell copies of the seventh and last book in J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter' series.

Yishai said that there were limits to how far Israel could go to be like other nations. "I've instructed inspectors to be ready... and I intend to indict anyone who breaks the Shabbat Law."

Currently, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is scheduled to hit store shelves at 2:01 a.m. Saturday morning, that is overnight between Friday and Saturday.
Israel's Ministry of Magic declined to comment.


I laughed. and laughed. and laughed. The whole Shabbat thing in Israel doesn't surprise me nor bother me, I've known other things to be held or banned because it fell on Shabbat. New Years 2000 for instance. No parties allowed in Jerusalem. Though I seem to remember hearing about a few in other parts of the country, but I could be wrong. What I found funny was the comment on the Israeli Ministry of Magic. :) Very clever.Oh yeah, and then I get an e-mail from my husband who somehow managed to get his hands on some Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans and informed me that the "vomit" flavored beans really do taste like vomit. EEEEEEEWWWWWWW!!!!!!!! Well, that's what you get for eating Every Flavor Beans. I once got completely thrown off (because I thought I had picked out all the weird flavors) by an extremely realistic and spicy horseradish flavored bean. It was fairly unpleasant to say the least, though probably not QUITE as bad as the vomit flavored one. I can see how it could make one "[Lose their] liking for them" to quote Dumbledore. I certainly never bought them again.

EAT ME!!!!

We were watching the Addams Family Values last night. Rob and I both forgot how funny that movie is!!! And by far, the best part of the movie is the Thanksgiving play, ESPECIALLY the song and dance that starts it. EAT ME!  Sauteed or barbequed EAT ME! We once were pets but now we're food. We won't stay fresh for very long... so eat us before we finish this song! I love it! :)

Two of the Day's Patients :)

I had a very cute, very confused old man today. He had a knee replacement, and the anesthesia after effects were playing with his mind. Apparantly he was agitiated and combative last night, but he was cute with me this morning.  Confused, but cute.  And those can be the best kind of patient to have.  Entertaining and cooperative.  At first he didn’t want therapy because he "just had knee surgery."  So I told him that everyone has therapy after knee surgery and that if we didn’t do therapy, his knee wouldn’t get better. Which I guess essentially is true. So we’re doing the  exercises and he tells me that he’s glad he’s doing exercise. “It’s good for me, because you know, if I don’t exercise, I won’t get better!” And it wasn’t sarcasm, he genuinely didn’t quite remember me telling him that. When I told him I knew that, and I’m glad he was glad, he was shocked. How do you know that??? Because I’m a therapist, it’s my job to know!


Theeeeeen he started in with the jokes. Confused, silly, somewhat dirty jokes. What did the elephant say to the naked man? How do you breathe out of that thing??? Why don't witches have children? Because their husbands are hallo-weenies.
Oh yeah, and then the corny ones. He asked me if I play golf, I told him no.  So he asked me if I knew anyone who played golf. I said I did, and he asked me who. I told him my father-in-law plays golf a lot. (actually it's Rob's mother's husband, so I guess that would make him my step-father-in-law. But it was easier to just say my father-in-law) Anyway, I digress. So the patient told me to tell my father-in-law to wear 2 pairs of pants the next time he goes golfing. I asked why? And he told me "Because he might get a hole in one" OY!
I also had a really sweet lady this afternoon.  When I asked her who she lives with, she told me "If I make it until October, my husband and I will be celebrating our 60th Wedding Anniversary!"  Wow.  That's really cool.  I told her that if I make it to October I'll be celebrating my 1st Wedding Anniversary, so I guess I had a long ways to catch up.  :)  She laughed and then started telling me all about her husband.  It was pretty cute, except that I didn't have the time to listen to her talk on and on and on.  We did have to get moving and walk.  I like to let them talk, it makes them feel better and all that but then again I have a schedule of patients too.  I usually compromise and try to converse during the treatment.  But she was sweet.  Also a bit confused and forgetful, I heard the same stores 3 times in 20 minutes, but sweet.  And VERY feisty.  It was an entertaining mix.  :)

And those were my 2 favorite patients of the day.  :)

Another Reason the Earth is in Trouble....

Rob told me the other day he was walking to (or from I don't remember) work from (or to) the train station in the city, and he overheard a conversation of someone on the street near him, and the guy was saying that he left his air conditioner on all day when he wasn't home because he "didn't want to come home to a hot apartment" (Rob said he wanted to hit the guy and shake some sense into him or something.  I don't blame him.  I would also.)

HOW INCREDIBLY AND HORRIBLY SELFISH IS THAT!?!?!?!?!

And we wonder why the earth is going to die from Global Warming.  If we all were JUST A LITTLE more selfless, then a HUGE difference could be made.  I once BLOGged about it.  And you can get more info by clicking on "The Inconvenient Truth" link somewhere to your left in the "Links I Like" section.