Christmas Presents!

Our Family Christmas Photo! Eric got me a new camera for Christmas, so we had lots of fun taking photos and videos. Peanut on the other hand, didn't understand the need to wait for the timer in our group shot, so I had to pin her down! After we opened presents we enjoyed egg nog with brandy, mashed potatoes, turkey for Eric, beans and Fruits of the Forest pie. I think we watched "A Christmas Story" four times! And of course, there's no better way to round out the day with a climbing video!

Peanut loves to open presents! She got her stocking opened all by herself and promptly destroyed her stuffy!



























Eric showing off his new pants, shirt and drawing model! We both got razors from my mom, which for some reason, made for great photos!

Peanut Christmas Video

Here's my first go at uploading a video. This is Peanut enjoying the packaging rather than her present. More photos to come later. Merry Christmas everyone!

Getting Ready for the Holidays and Fall Semester Wrap Up

This picture is from last year's Christmas, but I thought it was cute and wanted to post something reflecting the holiday spirit at the Harrisman family household! Next week I'll be through with finals and we will have time to do things like take photos, make cookies, and send cards out. On Friday we're leaving to drive to Missouri to visit Eric's parent's for Christmas. Peanut will be very excited about another long car ride I'm sure. We're also looking forward to seeing my parents again as they'll be driving to Missouri also. It should be a fun weekend introducing the parents to one another before the wedding.

Today was my last day of OB/GYN clinicals. Our clinicals were six weeks long, two days a week. There are three "units" we got to work in while we were there. One was Labor and Delivery, the second Mom/Baby (also known as post partum, or the place where mom, dad and baby recover and prepare to go home), and the third was in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). The NICU is for babies who are born too early or for newborns who are sick. We got to spend four days in each unit, which was a great experience. They were all very unique. I liked working in the NICU because it's so amazing to think these are babies who were suppose to be in the womb for another month or two, yet with years of research and advanced technology, these babies have a pretty good chance of survival. One of the first babies I cared for was born eight weeks early when mom's water broke. There was no stopping labor, but they were able to give a steroid to help the babies lungs develop. This baby spent about five weeks in the NICU and was sent home doing very well. They don't let students do a whole lot in the NICU but I was able to have two babies one day that I took care of. The nurse I was working with followed behind to make sure I didn't miss anything or mess something up, but it was a very cool experience to do almost everything on my own. I was also able to bottle feed her for her whole feeding, which was the first time she had milk by mouth instead of tube. She did amazing!

In Labor and Delivery I was able to attend two Cesarean sections and two vaginal deliveries (Eric thinks it is hilarious that I call them "vaginal deliveries," but that's what they are!) The second C-section I got to assist. I was the person who got to "wring" out all the bloody towels and make sure they were all accounted for and none of them were lost in the patient. I also did my first foley catheter insertion in front of the entire operating team, which was a little nerve racking. For the vaginal deliveries, I saw one woman have a natural childbirth with no pain relievers. The other woman chose to have an epidural, which made for two very different childbirth experiences. It was very interesting to see the natural ways to help progress labor and provide comfort. Boulder Community Hospital has a newly built campus with an exceptional maternity floor. Each room is equipped with an over-sized jet tub for women to relax in during labor. They also have a variety of those big yoga/pilates balls that they call "birthing" balls. Some women find sitting on these to be a comfortable position while they are waiting for labor to progress. BCH also uses massage, imagery, aromatherapy, music therapy, and has it's own team of Midwives.

Mom/Baby was the unit as nursing students we were able to act the most independently. For the last two days of my four there, I was able to have my own patients. We were able to provide complete care to mom and baby. Yesterday and today I had a post-operative woman and her baby, which required a lot of work because she had a reaction to anesthesia. I have to say I kind of though OB/GYN would involve a lot of holding babies, but this wasn't true at all. At Boulder Community Hospital, there is no nursery. Every baby stays with it's mom in her room. Mom's are encouraged to "wear the baby" for the first twenty-four hours, which means they should be skin-to-skin, breastfeeding, and bonding with the baby. It's a very different philosophy from many hospitals in the area.

After clinical today, our very cool and supportive clinical instructor Mari, brought us all out to eat at an Indian buffet across the street where we filled up with Chai tea and saag and talked about all the cool shots, catheters, iv's and assessments we got to do. It feels very good to have completed our first clinical and only have three days of school left!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Feast





We have a lot to be Thankful for and had a wonderful few days off. We were lucky to be able to spend a lot of Wed, all of Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sunday together. We ate well, enjoyed the weather, caught up on sleep, went to the gym and watched some movies. We were also able to catch up with friends and even went out to a wine bar in Boulder with our roommate Ryan.

This weekend I received an update about a family friend who was diagnosed with cancer over the summer. He is 22 and until then in great health. He was athletic, smart, and ate well. Apparently they've tried all kinds of treatments and clinical trials, but they don't believe he will live until Christmas. This really upset me as I recalled almost the same scenario with my friend Jeff from two years ago. He was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 23 and died a few months later, just before Christmas. It really made me think harder about what I'm thankful for. We all say we're thankful for our family and friends, for our health, for the ability to work and go to school, for the food we're able to afford and for all the other blessings we've had throughout the year. The news of his progressive illness made be doubly appreciate all that I have. I am very fortunate. I have happiness, a wonderful family, the most amazing finace, a dog that is a handful, but loving nonetheless, the opportunity to attend school full-time and give that all the attention I need...I have friends who care about me, a mother and father who do everything they can to help me and for today, I have my health.

Going to nursing school and learning about disease process and all the things that can go wrong can be overwhelming, especially when you have friends who are being diagnosed with cancers that were formerly thought to be cancers in men in their 60's and 70's...I guess for today, I am thankful for my health and for the health of my friends and family.



We started cooking this feast Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Eric made orange-glazed salmon in the back right pan, roasted sweet potatoes (not pictured), and I made vegetarian stuffing in the back middle, dinner rolls (which were really more like mini-loaves of bread!) from scratch, butternut squash soup in the middle, and pumpkin cheesecake pie. In the front right is Emeril's recipe for green bean casserole that Eric and I spent like two hours making! We had to actually fry the onion rings for the top! It was all amazing though!

Eric's New Truck

Eric's New Truck

He's so psyched :o)


Eric got a new truck. I make fun of him for trading in his vehicles all the time, but I must admit, I like this one. It's automatic, so I can drive it and it's not as big as the Xterra, which I felt drove like a tank!

He built a little bench in the extended cab part for Peanut to sit on and even covered it with carpet. Peanut wasn't sure what to think at first, but she's grown used to it now! We haven't gone camping in it yet, but I'm sure excited too. I think the back of the truck will be much more comfortable than the car or the Xterra. Sleeping in the Xterra was hard because we always managed to be lopsided and crushed between the wheels.

A request to share :o)

Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

This silky fall/winter puree tastes rich, though there is no cream or butter in it.

Recipes for Health

This series offers recipes with an eye towards empowering you to cook healthy meals every day. Produce, seasonal and locally grown when possible, and a well-stocked pantry are the linchpins of a good diet, and accordingly, each week’s recipes will revolve around a particular type of produce or a pantry item. This is food that is vibrant and light, full of nutrients but by no means ascetic, fun to cook and a pleasure to eat.

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 pound butternut squash, peeled and diced

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 medium-size Yukon gold or russet potato, peeled and diced

6 cups water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock

Salt to taste

1. Heat the oil in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and stir together until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the squash, sweet potatoes, regular potato, and water or stock, and bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes, or until all of the ingredients are thoroughly tender.

2. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup (or you can put it through the fine blade of a food mill or use a regular blender, working in batches and placing a kitchen towel over the top to avoid splashing). Return to the pot and stir with a whisk to even out the texture. Heat through, adjust salt and add pepper to taste.

Yield: Serves 6

Advance preparation: You can make this a day ahead and refrigerate. Reheat gently. The soup freezes well. Once thawed, whisk well to smooth out the texture, and reheat.

Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 189; Calories from Fat: 29; Total Fat 3.2g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium,776mg; Total Carbohydrates,38.6g; Dietary Fiber, 5.7g; Sugars, 3.6g; Protein: 3.5g; Vitamin A 163%; Vitamin C 61%; Calcium 7%; Iron 8% (Approximate nutritional information provided by calorie-count.com)

Hats

These hats rule! I was about to get Eric one at Wal-Mart when my mom insisted she'd get us both one so we could match...she's calling it our Christmas present! These should keep us nice and toasty on the Peanut walks throughout winter :o)