15 Weeks

For the first time ever, I bought maternity clothes. My pants are getting tighter and I have definitely needed my Bella band. So I decided to check out the maternity clothes. And are the pants so comfortable! They look funny because of the stretchy band, but with a long shirt, it's just a pair of jeans. These maternity clothes were reasonably priced. I can't believe they have designer jeans and are they expensive! I plan not to wear them again once the pregnancy is over and refuse to buy a pair of designer jeans. Though I saw used maternity 7's at a resale store and would buy them there. I say that I'll treat myself to a pair of designer jeans if I can get back to my pre-pregnancy size! Anyways, I bought jeans and two shirts. That's a good start.


How Far Along: 15 weeks
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Up 5 lbs, maybe 6 lbs.??? Don't have a scale handy.

Maternity Clothes: Bought my first pair of jeans and 2 shirts!

Sleep: So-so. Didn't sleep that well last night, woke up 2 times. I did take my first nap ever 2 days ago because I was so tired.
Best Moment of the Week: Scheduling our 19 week ultrasound to find out the gender on January 22nd!!
Movement: Not yet, just pain from my growing uterus or just gas.
Food Craving: Nothing specific, though I really want a Blizzard from Dairy Queen!
Food Aversions: Anything too greasy.
Morning Sickness: Getting less and less. My appetite is growing and get queasy only if I go too long without food...like now. I just ate an hour ago and feel like I need to eat again.
Gender: Too early to tell....still think it's a boy! Though those Chinese gender prediction charts say I'm having a girl.
Labor Signs: Fortunately no!
Belly Button: Still an innie :) Though my belly is getting rounder.
What I Miss: Deli meats, unpasteurized soft cheeses and red wine.

What I'm Looking Forward To: The new year!
Weekly Wisdom: You can eat soft cheeses if they are pasteurized.....and/or cooked.
Milestones: Finally getting rid of morning sickness and end of the 1st week of the 2nd trimester.

Week 14 Pictures

I'm getting bigger...eeeek! I'm getting pains once in awhile which I'm attributing to my uterus stretching.

Second Trimester

I am now starting the 2nd trimester! My morning sickness is getting better. I still get a little queasy, but it's much better and can now finish 3/4 of my food before I start to feel it. I find eating smaller, but frequent meals throughout the day is helping me control the nausea. I've been doing 3 meals a day with 2-4 snacks. My meals are still my normal-sized ones. I thought I'd be able to eat more in one sitting being pregnant and all, but I still find myself stuffed halfway through a restaurant-sized meal. That'll probably change once the baby starts growing more. Anyways, I'll be posting a 2nd trimester picture soon (my camera battery is charging).

How Far Along: 14 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Up 5 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: Nope, but my pants are getting a bit more uncomfortable and have to wear my Bella band with the buttoned pants. I find my stretchy pants the most comfortable!

Sleep: Improving! Been sleeping through the nights now, waking up to a very full bladder.

Best Moment of the Week: Feeling less nauseous.

Movement: Not yet...I think. Probably round ligament pains or gas.

Food Craving: Nothing really, but I really like fruit...pomelos, bananas. I've been craving sushi...I've eaten unagi, kappa maki, and shrimp rolls....all cooked!

Food Aversions: Mexican food.

Morning Sickness: Yay, getting much better! Though feel sick if I eat too much.

Gender: Too early to tell....still think it's a boy!

Labor Signs: No!

Belly Button: Still an innie :) Though my belly is protruding more and more.

What I Miss: Sleeping through the night. My normal eating habits. And not feeling queasy!

What I'm Looking Forward To: Start work after the new year. I'm getting bored at home.

Weekly Wisdom: Try to eat healthy, but it's okay to have sweets too.

Milestones: End of the 1st trimester!

A Surprise Package

I'm a posting machine today! This what happens when you have a lot of free time on your hands.

Anyways, the FedEx deliverer came knocking on my door and I was surprised to see a big package next to him. I knew my parents were mailing the baby's gifts, but didn't think they'd arrive so soon.

It's the baby crib! Because we're not nearly ready to start setting up for the baby, especially in our very cozy one bedroom apartment, we packed it back up in its box. We just wanted to make sure there was no damage to the crib on its travel. My parents and I were so surprised the crib arrived so quickly (they ordered it on Saturday) since the website said it could take up awhile. But considering the crib came from California, it didn't take long at all.

It's espresso, but lighter than I expected. Still, I love it. Here is a picture of the crib put together from the website:

It is a 3-in-1 convertible crib, converting into a toddler and a daybed:

I am so excited to start shopping for bedding and putting everything together. Alas, it's way too soon!

Thanks Mom and Dad!!!!

The Last Week of the First Trimester!

Today marks week 13 and the last week until the 2nd trimester!

Since I am a long way from my family and my parents will finally be getting a computer (and internet!) soon, this blog is a great way for them to see how the pregnancy is progressing. I am a bit sad that we decided to move to San Diego and then get pregnant because my parents would of been so happy to see me pregnant. It's their first grandchild so this is a very big event in their lives right now. But I'll be going home to Seattle for 2 weeks March 2nd and will be 6 months pregnant, so they'll definitely see me more pregnant than now! I have been making more of an effort, though, to call them more frequently than normal as well as have them check Jennifer's or my aunt's Facebook for the latest ultrasound picture!

This blog is also a great way for me to record my memories. It'll be a good way to look back and reference when I'm ready to scrapbook about my pregnancy...which I should probably do now as I progress through it! Until then, I hope you don't mind the weekly, bi-weekly or even daily blogging I may do on here.

How Far Along: 13 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Up 4 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: Nope, but I have to use my Bella band with some of my tighter pants...can't button them and be reasonably comfortable.

Sleep: I never nap and that hasn't changed. Slept only 5 hours last night because I had an early morning orientation for a new job. Woke up after the first snooze because I was hungry and needed to eat before anything else happened.

Best Moment of the Week: Seeing the baby on the ultrasound for the 2nd time and seeing it move its arms and legs. Movement: Not yet!

Food Craving: For the past couple of days, I've been craving milk which I usually don't like.

Food Aversions: Until yesterday, pretty much couldn't stomach anything except fruit. I have been forcing myself to eat. Oatmeal made me really nauseous after a few bites, but managed to eat it all.

Morning Sickness: Getting better. I really have to make sure I eat every one-two hours or I get nauseous...like now! Nauseous and hungry....bad combination! I feel like I'm eating ALL THE TIME!

Gender: Too early to tell....but I think it's a boy!

Labor Signs: Thank god, no.

Belly Button: Still an innie :)

What I Miss: Sleeping through the night. My normal eating habits. And not feeling queasy!

What I'm Looking Forward To: The 2nd trimester when everyone tells me I'll feel better....they better be right!! Spending my first Christmas in El Paso with the Rust family (though will be missing the Deluao family!).

Weekly Wisdom: Don't over-research on the internet....too much information as well as conflicting.

Milestones: 2nd trimester...here I come!!

This is mainly for my benefit as I find time speeding along faster than I'm writing it down.

Since this blog is my only written record of this pregnancy, I'm working backwards a bit

How Far Along? 11 weeks

Total Weight Gained/Loss? +5lbs

Maternity Clothes: Nope, still in the regular clothes, but nothing tight around the belly and no cute form fitting tshirts anymore. Not showing at all unless I'm naked. But my breasts...oh my they are looking mighty fine. My friends don't rub my belly, they feel me up.

Sleep? I love sleep!!! Sometimes I sleep for 10 hours. I always crash in the afternoon by 4pm. No nap is not an option.

Best Moment of the Week? Realizing after swimming that I'd forgotten to put my acupressure wristbands back on...and that I didn't need them anymore!

The NT scan which revealed that everything is A-OK with the wee ones!

Movement: Do my monster, mammoth, truck driver burps counts cuz they move by themselves?

Food Craving: No cravings, but food in general is all starting to taste good again

Food aversions: No real aversions this week. The worst of that seems to be over. Water must still be ice cold

Morning sickness? Nope, but I have to eat every 2-3 hours to keep feeling good

Gender: If I'm pregnant I must be a woman

Labor Signs: No, thank God

Belly Button: Present and hanging out on my belly

What I miss: The ability to know what I'm hungry for. Energy.

What I'm looking forward to: Telling Chicken's family the big news this weekend

Weekly Wisdom: Swimming and exercise is fabulous! Get moving!

Milestones: Almost out of this dreaded 1st trimester

This is mainly for my benefit as I find time speeding along faster than I'm writing it down.

Since this blog is my only written record of this pregnancy, I'm working backwards a bit.

How Far Along? 11 weeks

Total Weight Gained/Loss? +5lbs

Maternity Clothes: Nope, still in the regular clothes, but nothing tight around the belly and no cute form fitting tshirts anymore. Not showing at all unless I'm naked. But my breasts...oh my they are looking mighty fine. My friends don't rub my belly, they feel me up.

Sleep? I love sleep!!! Sometimes I sleep for 10 hours. I always crash in the afternoon by 4pm. No nap is not an option.

Best Moment of the Week? Realizing after swimming that I'd forgotten to put my acupressure wristbands back on...and that I didn't need them anymore!

The NT scan which revealed that everything is A-OK with the wee ones!

Movement: Do my monster, mammoth, truck driver burps counts cuz they move by themselves?

Food Craving: No cravings, but food in general is all starting to taste good again

Food aversions: No real aversions this week. The worst of that seems to be over. Water must still be ice cold

Morning sickness? Nope, but I have to eat every 2-3 hours to keep feeling good

Gender: If I'm pregnant I must be a woman

Labor Signs: No, thank God

Belly Button: Present and hanging out on my belly

What I miss: The ability to know what I'm hungry for. Energy.

What I'm looking forward to: Telling Chicken's family the big news this weekend

Weekly Wisdom: Swimming and exercise is fabulous! Get moving!

Milestones: Almost out of this dreaded 1st trimester

Work Update

I haven't been working for well over a month now as it's been slow at Career Staff. Thus, I began looking for other jobs. Because of the impending birth of our first child and my hesitancy to continue working full-time after the baby's birth, I have been considering taking multiple jobs on a per diem basis or combining a part-time position with a couple per diem positions. The goal is to be able to work full-time as long as I'm able until our child is born, take 2-3 months of leave and then return to work part-time. One reason I love being a physical therapist is that it does allow such flexibility.

I have been offered a per diem position at Palomar Pomerado Health where their need is primarily on the weekends. I would be doing both hospital and skilled nursing facility rehab, depending where there need is. I am excited to return to inpatient rehab as it has always been an interest to work in this setting and will be a nice change from nursing homes. It is considered a level 1 trauma center, so I should see some pretty interesting cases. Their skilled nursing facility seems to be more like the TCU than a regular SNF, which I'm excited about because I miss that type of setting. I have orientation on Monday and should start by the new year.

I have also been offered a per diem position at both La Mesa Convalescent Hospital and Jacob Health Care Center. I would work at either one, depending on the need, and will cover either weekdays or weekends. I just went to my orientation today and will turn in my acceptance letter tomorrow. I will also start working there after the new year.

I will continue to have a working relationship with Career Staff, but will be limited as I will get more hours from the other places. I already let them know that I have been looking for work elsewhere as they haven't been able to fulfill my work needs.

It is good to know that I will finally be working again. It's been quite a bore at home and the extra income will be very nice. I just hope that my body holds up, especially when I get rounder and handling patients becomes more troublesome. I have had SI joint problems just from long walks, so I can't imagine how I'll feel after being on my feet for 8 hours and manually handling patients. I'll just have to sit as frequent as I can while treating patients so I give myself a break!

12 Weeks

Yesterday, we had our 2nd appointment with the ob-gyn. We had the option for another ultrasound and blood work to check for the risk of chromosomal abnormalities, primarily Down Syndrome. The ultrasound, measuring the nuchal translucency, was normal. We'll have to wait 7-10 days for the lab results as both combined assesses the risk for any chromosomal abnormalities.

The baby's heart rate was 154 bpm, within the normal range. On our next appointment we'll be able to hear the heat beating. I guess they don't do it on the ultrasound as it emits a lot of heat and be damaging to the baby.

I think we ultrasound the baby when it was wide awake as it was moving so much! We saw it kick its legs and punch its fist, doing somersaults in the uterus. It was really amazing to see how much they move so early on. However, I haven't been able to feel the baby move yet. I guess in another week or two, I'll be able to feel it's limbs kick my uterus around.

It's so reassuring that the baby is growing normally and doing well. As for me, I have gained about 5 pounds. It's amazing that I have gained weight since I feel like I haven't been eating more calories. Being nauseous and not having an appetite has put a damper on eating. The doctor said my symptoms are normal. It's been hard to eat. I've been forcing myself to eat and everything that I eat has no flavor....not fun at all. At least, I've been trying to eat foods with nutritional value. And hopefully this will past as I start the 2nd trimester.

Changing Body

Every week, we have been taking pictures of my growing belly. The changes have been subtle, but I am getting a belly bump as the weeks progress.

Week 6 - Not much of a belly bump going on.

Week 11 - I'm growing a baby bump! My pants are a bit more snug, but I can still fit in them. I bought a Bella band once I have to unbutton my pants, but haven't yet to do that.

I'm hoping the second trimester goes smoother than the first. I've been plagued with all-day morning sickness, lack of sleep, a stuffy nose, bad complexion, and now an annoying cough. I think I got another cold on my way back to Seattle. The lack of sleep has been mostly from making trips to the bathroom, though now I have been getting hunger pangs and have had to satiate my stomach. Unfortunately, food hasn't been sounding or tasting appetizing and have been forcing myself to eat frequently throughout the day. Luckily, I haven't been losing weight. Anyways, it's been bearable so I shouldn't be complaining much!

Next week will be the end of the first trimester. It will also be the week to see my doctor again as well as another ultrasound. I'm excited!!

A Surprising Birthday Present

It was during our visit to St. Louis that I had an inkling that I was pregnant. I was really tired and ate more than usual, which Michelle had commented on during dinner. I was due for my monthly friend to arrive the day we arrived in St. Louis. My cycles are pretty regular, usually showing up around the 28th day...plus or minus a couple days. I told myself if I hadn't gotten it by the time we fly back to San Diego, we'll take a pregnancy test. Well, that day came. Once we were back home, we bought a test and it was positive!

I say it was my birthday gift because it was during my birthday that I was ovulating. And what a surprising and wonderful birthday present!

I was scheduled for my first ob-gyn appointment at 8 weeks. And what a nerve wracking wait it was! I was around 5 weeks when I tested and I guess it's normal not to have your first appointment around 8 weeks...of course, if you don't have any complications. I wasn't showing any signs of complications, so I just had to be patient. Here is our first ultrasound. The ob-gyn predicated the embryo to be 8 weeks and 3 days. I was off by 4 days as I thought I was already 9 weeks pregnant.

So far, so good. It was so exciting to see the baby's heart beat. It is a strong heart beat at 170 bpm. Dr. Lee, my ob-gyn, said everything is looking good. And I'm feeling well. I have had bouts of nausea, but luckily no vomiting! And I think my most bothersome symptoms have been my stuffy nose, acne and now left-sided SI joint pain. I am suffering through the nasal congestion, but am seeing a dermatologist and have been doing some pelvic muscle stabilization exercises for my SI pain. I'm actually been doing the nasal rinse on and off....I've just been lazy. Dr. Lee said it's safe to take Claritin-D, but I'm going to hold off until the 2nd trimester if it doesn't get better.

St. Louis, Missouri

Chuck and I had a wonderful time visiting Charlie and Michelle in St. Louis, Missouri. It was my first time in the Midwest. I thought St. Louis was beautiful with its old brick buildings and living in California, I missed the fall season.

Going to the top of the Arch. Who knew you had your own travel pod. I always thought it was one big elevator.

Delicious frozen custard at Ted Drewes. We couldn't resist going there two days in a row.

Anheuser-Busch tour. Beautiful buildings and huge Clydesdale horses.

Big Laguna Trail

Last weekend, Chuck and I went on a 11 mile hike at Big Laguna Trail. Unfortunately, our hiking book doesn't have very detailed directions nor the trails aren't marked well and we didn't complete our planned loop. But we did manage to get in 11 miles of hiking from retracing our steps back to the trailhead.

Laguna Lake with no water in the summer months. In the winter, it is wet and water fills in the lake.

Jennifer Visits San Diego

My sister and her boyfriend visited us over Labor Day weekend. Since Andy had never been to San Diego before, we did the more touristy attractions (San Diego Zoo, the beaches, Gaslamp District).

Of course you can't come to San Diego without going to the famous San Diego Zoo. It was my second trip there and I still enjoy watching the animals. A new baby panda was born in August, but won't be on display until he's 5 months old.

Fun tree people performing at the zoo.

My sister has taken to hiking, especially since her boyfriend is very outdoorsy. On her things-to-do in San Diego was a hike. We went up north to Poway and hiked 6.5 mile up Mount Woodson. It has tons of large boulders which are popular with rock climbers. Like our hiking book stated, the best time to hike Mount Woodson is spring, fall or winter as the summer months are just too hot....and boy are they right!! This is a moderately difficult hike because it's a good climb to the top, but the hot hot weather makes it strenuously difficult. You don't want to run out of water because you can get heat exhaustion pretty quickly.

I didn't think we would make it up to the top because it was so hot. Unlike the Pacific Northwest, the trails aren't covered with many trees and the sun beats down on you with few shady spots. Luckily, the huge boulders did provide for much needed sun relief. But we made it to the top and was happy that getting down would be easier since it all downhill. After the long hike, we quenched our thirst at Stone Brewery!

Road Trip to El Paso, Texas

Two weekends ago, Chuck and I took a road trip to El Paso, Texas. Chuck took two days off work and we had a long weekend to visit with the family, my in-laws. From San Diego, it is an eleven hour drive through Arizona and New Mexico. A long day of driving, but easier and cheaper than if we were still living in Seattle.

It has been a long time since we've seen John and Virginia, the wedding being the last time we got together. I haven't seen my nephews in a long time and was nice to hang out with them. Actually, I never met Shaun before, Virginia being pregnant the last time I visited El Paso, and Jack was three years younger. What a cute bunch of boys!

Not only did we get to visit the family, but it was Hatch green chile season! We bought thirty pounds of fresh green chiles, roasted and packaged them. Since we have a tiny freezer in our apartment, we took half for ourselves and gave the rest to the parents. So we have 16 quarter bags of frozen green chiles which to make a lot of hot and tasty dishes.

Arizona and its many cacti on the roadside. I didn't realize how tall they can get.

Halfway to El Paso, we had to stop by and eat lunch. Of course, we had to make the pit stop at a brewery. Chuck found Nimbus Brewery via Google maps at Tucson, Arizona. Really cute brewery with good food. Being from the Pacific Northwest and an ultimate beer snob, I thought their beer was just okay. Their flavors seem muddled and was shy of tasting like a stout or an IPA or a red ale, etc, etc.

Fortunately, we were able to hit up High Desert Brewery in Las Cruces, New Mexico again while we were there. Really really tasty beer and it's good to know that they haven't change since the last time I was there in 2005.

Chuck gave me a tour of El Paso and one of the touristy things we did was the Wyler Aerial Tramway. The Wyler Aerial Tramway is in Franklin Mountains State Park. It's a four minute ride up to the top of Ranger Peak where you can get a view of El Paso, New Mexico and Juarez Mexico.

We spent a day in Las Cruces, New Mexico which is just a half hour away west of El Paso. It is where Chuck went to college (New Mexico State University) and has a cute little historic district called La Mesilla. We went to La Posta for lunch for yummy New Mexican food and a margarita.

The next time we'll visit El Paso is for Christmas and hopefully, the weather won't be so hot and unbearable!

Knitting Project For Miss Julia Umayam

This was my first attempt at knitting a stuffed animal and it turned out good. The hardest part was embroidering the parts of the bear, especially the eyes. They turned out more squarish than circular.

The pattern came from 'Knitting for Baby' by Melanie Falick and Kristin Nicholas.

I used just one ball of yarn to knit this baby bolero. The back features an eyelet motif that, according to Eastern folklore, brings luck and protection to the wearer.

The pattern came from 'One Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit and Crochet' by Leigh Radford.

To accessorize the bolero, I knitted a pair of pink socks and a hat which both have the same edging as the bolero, a K2 P2 rib.

I love knitting hats and made a light green (hard to tell in this photo) one with a "umbrella pattern".

I got the pattern in the same book as the baby bolero.

Hiking in Escondido

Three weekends ago, Chuck and I hiked at Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve in Escondido which is 30 minutes north of San Diego proper.

Chuck crossing Escondido Creek. We had to cross it twice as we went the wrong way into a private residency.

Olivenhain Reservoir. It holds 8 billion gallons of water - an extra, temporary supply for the region in case an earthquake severs or damages aqueducts that transport water from NorCal.

Lake Hodges Overlook.

Chuck heading towards the Elfin Forest. We're on our way down to the trailhead. Conveniently, Stone Brewery is just a short drive away and we're headed there for a beer fill up.

Stressed

I am so glad that tomorrow is my last day at this particular skilled nursing facility. They asked if I wanted to work next Thursday and Friday, 1/2 day each, but I'm 99% certain I will say no. Fortunately, they didn't ask me face-to-face as it would be a very uncomfortable conversation. My point person for the agency e-mailed me and I told her I would have to mull it over.

I just can't wrap my mind around their high productivity expectations, greater or equal to 85%. This would mean 7 hours of direct-patient contact each eight-hour day. At my former job, we were expected to have a productivity of 75% (6 hours of direct-patient contact each eight-hour day). An article I read from the Physical Therapy Journal Productivity Among Physical Therapists said "productivity standards include an ideal goal of six hours of direct-patient contact each eight-hour day, an expected standard of five hours of direct-patient contact each eight-hour day".

Now I understand I'm a contract therapist so I am not expected to do case management and care conferences; and thus, my productivity should be higher than that of staff therapists. But sometimes I do have to confer with a nurse, doctor or another therapist about a particular patients or patients and that can take minutes, non-billable minutes. Also, I have documentation for every patient that I see, not to mention learning the mode of documentation which takes learning time.

So given their greater or equal to 85% productivity expectation, I should spend 408 minutes total for direct-patient care. At this facility, my planned treatment time total was 425 minutes for, I'm assuming (especially if I'm billing for this time) direct-patient care. This means I have 55 minutes left for documentation and conferring with the staff (if applicable). Not I'm including rest breaks, which by California law, requires 2 10-minutes breaks if working an eight hour day. If that is the case, then I'd have 35 minutes to document along with other non-billable tasks. For so-so documentation, it's doable. But for good documentation, it's cutting it tight. But when you have an evaluation to write or a few, it certainly is not enough time! Does that seem fair? I think not. Now I calculated my productivity and I was in the ideal goal of 75% productivity.

Some patient's can't tolerate 75 minutes of one therapy session at one time, but when you have 2 continuous 75 minute therapy sessions; I highly doubt a patient will optimally perform nor tolerate it, especially many with co-morbidities. In this facility, they do most of their treatment in a gym and most of the time, they do one therapy session after another. Anyways!!! I'm could go on and on, but I'll spare you....but not Chuck:) At least, I have only one more day there and now I think I'm 100% sure I won't go back.

My First Job in San Diego

Today was my first day back at work and boy, am I exhausted...and I didn't work a full eight hours of work! Taking a few months off has made me a bit unfit for my physical job as a PT.

My first assignment was at a skilled nursing facility, only a 15 minute drive northeast of our place. It's a typical skilled nursing facility...not that I've been to many of them. It's not the nicest facility, Bethany on Pacific is far more superior in cleanliness and appeal; but I wasn't immediately horrified...a good thing! It took a few adjustments since I am used to working at a subacute care facility, especially ETCS.

ETCS has set a high standard and thus, I'll probably be disappointed in the quality and care, especially when it comes to nurses and nurses' aides (cross my fingers, I find a few excellent ones!). Notable things that are considerably different: the agency orientation. I was given a really quick, like five-ten minute, orientation of the facility which is far bigger than the TCU. I knew the gym (where most of the equipment is stored except for wheelchairs which are stored in a shed outside...if you can find one), general location of the rooms (kept going back to the wall posting after every patient), where the bathroom was located (which I didn't use because I didn't have time), and the computerized documentation (though they failed to mention, until I asked, that I could glean more information in the hard chart for the initial evaluation at the nurses station). I wasn't introduced to the nurses or at least where I could locate them if I had a medical problem with a patient.

I guess I'm use to the thorough orientation the TCU gives agency staff, especially with the initial evaluation! I got a very interrupted introduction to the evaluation paperwork process. Fortunately, the computerized documentation is easy to follow. I guess it would of been nice to be completely oriented to it. They were pretty relaxed about it saying that I could finish the Plan of Care tomorrow....ummm, no! Anyways......it's just different. I guess as a contract therapist, I'll just have to learn to bug people a lot with all my questions. I'll adjust accordingly.

One thing I miss about the TCU is that its focus is not driven by minutes. I guess that's what you get when you work for a non-profit versus for profit. Really, and I mean really, is a 720 minute RUG level appropriate for a patient who has Alzheimer's and only receiving PT/OT....I'm thinking, not so much. And that's one thing I'll have to stick to my guns, the appropriateness of minutes for a patient.

Anyways, I think this will be a good experience for me. Hopefully, I'll be able to find a few facilities I really enjoy (and hope they enjoy me), but it's nice to get exposure to the different kinds of places and people. The good thing about it....if you don't like it, then you can decline to return back there! And I'm still undecided about this place...well, I am there until Friday. Stay tuned!

PT License

So I found out two days after taking the jurisprudence exam that I am now a licensed physical therapist in the state of California!! Of course, they weren't quick enough to mail me the results as it was first processed by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy who then sends the results to the PT Board of California. But the PT Board was able to update their database and I was able to verify my license on their website.

I will be meeting with Career Staff this week to complete my paperwork and should be ready to work by the end of this week or beginning of next week. I'm excited to start working as I'm getting a bit bored. I'll be starting per diem, maybe 3-4 times a week and then transition to full-time as I become familiar with the agency and San Diego...and when I get used to the idea of working again!

I'll be working at different facilities in a 20-30 mile radius north/south of San Diego. I'm excited to work as a contract PT as I don't have to work weekends (finally!) as I can make my own hours and when I become benefitted, it still pays more than working direct for a facility. Also, I get paid weekly! We'll see how I like it. One of the downside is not getting familiar with a facility as you may not be there long term.

Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park

For the Fourth of July weekend, Chuck and I decided to spend it camping at the Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park. Since it was a holiday weekend, we were debating whether to leave after work on Thursday or wake up early Friday morning. We were betting that one of the first come-first serve campgrounds would have an available camp site. Not looking forward to driving six hours at night, we decided we had enough discipline to wake up early to be at the park by at least noon. We made good timing, but our hopes of finding a camp site were looking dreary as there was a line into the national park. All the campgrounds in Sequoia National Park were full and had to drive to Kings Canyon, 76 miles where we entered the park, and found plentiful of camp sites at the last campground in Kings Canyon. At the second to last campground they had a couple of sites available, but they were unappealing located either next to the bathroom or on a slope. We decided to risk losing them by driving to the last campground. And boy am I glad we did because they had a lot available and not next to the bathroom!

King's Canyon is known to be similar to Yosemite Valley, both being carved by massive glaciers during the last Ice Age. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Kings Canyon is the deepest canyon in the US with a maximum depth of 8,200 feet.

The Giant Sequoia trees are amazing! The park has one of the largest trees on Earth, the General Sherman tree which grows in the Giant Forest. The Giant Forest contains five out of the ten largest trees on Earth, in terms of wood volume. You don't realize their immensity until you get real close to them and you become disappointed that your camera can't take a picture of the whole tree unless you're far far away from them.

We went on a guided tour of Boyden Cave, a mile-long cavern in Kings Canyon.

Of course, on our way home, we had to make a pit stop! Chuck found Lengthwise Brewery in Bakersfield.

We had a sampler of all the beers brewed there and we couldn't leave without a growler of their beer. We're going to have a pretty big growler collection when we head back home to Seattle! We already have two from Stone (thanks to Chuck's parents who bought us another one), one from San Diego Brewing Co. and one from Lengthwise Brewery. And I think from our first visit to San Diego, we brought one back to Seattle from Coronado Brewery. No more, I swear!! Well...unless they're unique like the Stone growler.

Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park is beautiful and can't wait to go back again to do more hiking. However, I'm excited to take Chuck to Yosemite as well. We still have a lot to explore of California as well as other places on our list to visit!!