Smooth Transition

I have now worked at my new job for 3 weeks, & can honestly say that I love it! I like my coworkers & the clinic manager. I love being at home with my family every night & having weekends off. I can't believe I get the whole hour to myself for lunch! I am also not exhausted physically & emotionally after getting home from work, probably because most of the patients I see are young & healthy. Instead of nurse's scrubs & Dansco shoes I can now dress up & wear my nice jewelry. It is a clean, pleasant, stress-free job for the most part, especially compared to bedside nursing.
It has its challenges, of course, otherwise they wouldn't call it work. For example, I referred my first patient with ectopic pregnancy to the ER & also managed a woman who came in for IUD removal & turned out to be pregnant. Other interesting clinical cases involved a young gay man with strange-looking sores all over his pubis (turned out to be a bad case of eczema since all of the STD tests came back negative), & a young Iranian woman asking me to explain to her what orgasm was like & ways to achieve it. It is certainly a privilege to share such intimate details of my patients' lives & to have the skills to make a difference. I am actually excited about going to work in the mornings, wondering what each new day will bring!
I haven't always felt this way about being a Nurse Practitioner. When I first started practicing in January of 2008, I had clinical confidence issues & felt like an imposter for half of the time (which is apparently common according to the Professional Issues class in my Master's program). It took time for me to get to where I am today & I feel like I have finally come home. I am actually thinking of dropping my per diem RN job all together (probably after we pay off our home equity line of credit). I am already dreaming of the next step in my career, perhaps opening my own Women's Health clinic (?).
Sophia's Russian daycare went out of business last week, so we are making new childcare arrangements AGAIN. I really liked one of the nannies working there, so I offered her a job. She will come & take care of Sophia in my home. My friend Nadira has also decided to join (since she has not made new childcare arrangements either), so she'll drop off her 2 girls here as well. Irina has just moved from Russia a couple of months ago, & with no English proficiency was grateful for this job opportunity. I really hope Irina & I get along, & this will be the start of a long-term, productive relationship.
Sophia is so mobile now that we put the bed mattress for sleeping on the floor to keep her safe. Sometimes my husband wakes up first & goes to take a shower leaving her alone. I've decided it was only a matter of time before she fell off the bed, so she now sleeps on the floor with Daddy. I am so fortunate to have a helpful & family-oriented husband! Part of the reason my new job transition went so smoothly & my leg healed up quickly was that he slept with Sophia for more than 2 weeks so I could be well rested & focused.
Last Tuesday Gerritt had professional photography session through the Yen Lui studio. It was organized by our Bellevue College's toddler class. We took a group photo with all of the Moms & toddlers, & then individual shots. Gerritt sat on my lap while holding his stuffed dog. I can't wait to see it!