Sorry I have been M.I.A. lately in terms of this blog. But there's been a lot going on since the last post. Since then, I have left Monroe Clinic's Labor & Delivery unit (I spent a total of a month there and that was enough) due to the fact that I discovered I hate placentas and cervixes and pretty much everything having to do with the labor & delivery process, that I missed oncology greatly, and that certain rural MDs do not like their RNs to be experts in their field or question something that concerns them or have an opinion about anything. Needless to say, I did not enjoy that and felt that I was not doing myself or the nursing profession justice by staying there. Fortunately the nursing director there was very understanding and validated my concerns and wished me well. So since July I have been back at UW in the outpatient chemotherapy clinic, where I belong :) Plus now I never have to work weekends or holidays again, and no more night shift!!! All in all, a really fortuitous ending to a few worrisome months...
Kenny is still at Sara Lee, and enjoying his EMS classes in hopes of becoming a paramedic at some point in the near future. Our other big news... we found out in June that we are having a BABY!!! Tate Cleaver Winkelhake is due on February 5, 2010, and we couldn't be happier. I thank my lucky stars that I have felt great the entire time, with the exception of some nasty sciatica. But my chiropractor is my best friend :) Below are some belly pics from when I was 20 weeks along, and his ultrasound pics. Sorry some of you have already seen these in a prior email.
The first u/s pic is his two little feet together, the next is a profile shot where it appears he's blowing kisses, and the last is the "gender" pic. Sorry they're so tiny...
We've been working on the nursery lately, and here are a few pics so you can see what we've been up to. My in-laws and Kenny surprised me one evening by having the crib put together when I got home from work. I found some great wall decals to put up behind the crib; the saying is "Guess how much I love you?", and I thought it would be cute to make it look like a plane was pulling the saying behind it like a banner:
Back in July one of my close friends from grade school and H.S. visited before returning home to Mexico! Kim and I had fun going to the farmer's market on the Capitol Square and checking out New Glarus, among other things! It was great to see her, but she had important work to get back to in Mexico, helping her sister's autism clinic incorporate new neurofeedback equipment into its therapies. She bought me some beautiful flowers I couldn't resist posting a pic of:
Here she is in New Glarus at the Maple Leaf Cheese and Chocolate Haus, then the New Glarus Brewery:
My sister came up in September for a weekend visit, and you can tell we stayed really busy. In her defense, Zoey is a great snuggler and convinces many people to nap with her:
We also checked out the farmer's market while she was here, and I found these gorgeous flowers, that included cabbage leaves and something that looked like coral from an ocean reef:
Well, I think that's about it... there are lots of parties and gatherings in the next few months so hopefully I'll have lots more to post! Until then, love and peace to all of you!
Meredith
