Final Father-Daughter Day?

Obviously Ruth and I will have other opportunities to hang out, but I think life changes after today. Amy is no longer on the work schedule after today. She may take a few of my extra shifts in April and she may do the same after the twins are born, but she will most likely be part time. Therefore, I no longer have these 9 days a month where Ruth and I have 10 or more hours together. I am a little sentimental about it. Looking back, there were some tough times early on when she didn't like to take a bottle, but I felt so pressured to make sure she took all 4oz because I had this fear she would be a failure to thrive overnight and Amy would make me work all 18 shifts because of my iniquity. There would be those times we went to visit Amy in the middle of a shift and then Ruth was inconsolable because she saw her mommy and wanted to be with her. The good times however outnumber the bad. We had wonderful days and nights together including going to a Rangers baseball game, hanging out with Will and Nick, and walks around West Village. I'm going to miss it.

So my shift ended with two critical patients and an unfortunate incident with a consultant. I drove from the ED directly to Ben's to take him to Love Field for his flight. I came home and slept while Ruth and Amy went to make up the missed oral glucose tolerance test. Ruth did not go to swim lessons due to a fever. I did some laundry after Amy went to work. Once Ruth was up from her nap, we went to Target to get an iron, ironing board, Motrin, step stool, and a kitchen trash can. Amy had given her some Motrin before naps so I went ahead and gave some Tylenol for fever prophylaxis. We stopped across the street at Home Depot for another outdoor lightswitch timer. Then we drove through the barrio towards Northpark Mall. It was a good reminder of life to drive through different neighborhoods. Ruth loves the mall. She recognized the benches and escalators and ran ahead without me. At the food court, I asked her if she wanted eggs. She said, "No." I asked if she wanted chicken. She replied the same. I asked if she wanted fries. She then had a huge smile and said, "Yea!" Why not? It was our last official Daddy-Ruthie day. We got some chicken strips, fries, and Sprite at Chick-Fil-A and she handed them the credit card as usual. She began with fries but when I asked her to eat some chicken, she did so and ate a good amount so I was proud of her. I let her have plenty of Sprite because I wanted her to stay hydrated and happy. We walked around the kid clothing and toy stores. She was social to everyone and ran all over the mall. At Build-A-Bear, she found a stroller with a bear and drove it around. After awhile, I told her it was time to go. She was recalcitrant and began to scream in defiance. I gave her a warning in a stern voice, and she complied. I was proud of her for giving up the stroller which she loves to play with, and we moved on. I wanted to find her some business dress for TCEP but apparently there are not a lot of 2 year old female CEOs out there so I didn't find close that matched that description. She ran around the big mall intersection up the ramp and down the stairs over and over. This worked well for my plan to get her worn out by bedtime. When we drove away from the mall, Amy called and said she was headed for the snack machine for donuts. Since she is carrying two of my babies currently, I figured I should get her something healthier. We got some chicken strips from Sonic and drove up to the ED. We had a tech come get the food since I have learned from past experience that Ruthie can be upset for the remainder of the day after she Amy and remembers that she misses her. Another tech came out and wanted to clarify that he wasn't being sarcastic earlier this morning at work when he told me I was a calming presence when the patient went apneic. I didn't think I did much, but I appreciated the compliment. I will remember that.

I drove to Tom Browning's house to chat a little bit since his daughters were in bed and his wife was on call. Ruth played with the toys in the house while we talked about various topics from health care to church small group. I love his honesty and commitment to the Lord. He mentioned a few things that opened my eyes and made me a little embarrassed of things that I need to improve on. We will definitely have to get together more often. At home, I ironed clothes for me and Amy so that we could look somewhat professional at TCEP. Ruth fell asleep watching me iron clothes. I called Matt Patlovany to chat with him while ironing. He told me how his ED experiences were like in San Antonio. We are looking forward to seeing them in a few days. I decided to move Ruth to the middle of the bed so that she wouldn't fall off and noticed she was burning up. She had a temp so I gave her some Motrin. She hasn't been coughing or having a runny nose so I'm not sure what her source is. I watched her sleep peacefully and thanked God for her. It has been a wonderful day.

-

1 Corinthians 11:18-19 "In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval."
-

This touches on some of the disagreements Tom and I may have. I will pray hard to see what Jesus wants so that I can desire the same thing. This is going to be difficult.

Doctor Visits

Amy had set Ruth a pediatrician's appointment this morning since she was running a fever and saying that her right side was hurting. She looked pretty good, but we didn't want to have her get worse before all the events of this week. I went to the gym for my personal training session and then met them at the pediatrician's office. Her urine and strep screen were negative so it was probably something viral. We then went for Amy's sono and ob appointment. I spoke to Clark on the way home. I got a short nap in once we came home. We had dinner at home before my overnight shift started.
-
1 Corinthians 10:12-13 "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
-
This is a good reminder that while things may be running smoothly, things can fall apart in a hurry. Temptations are all around, and we need God to help us identify and avoid falling for them.
-
My prayer today is that Ruth doesn't get sick, Amy and the twins continue to do well, and that my shift goes well tonight.

late entry for Sun, 2-29-09

Yesterday, I helped in Ruth's nursery room so I got to see her and the other kids play during the second service. Amy helped in the nursery during the third service so I went to small group prayer requests and ate lunch with them. Ruth fell asleep on the way home. Amy and I solidified travel plans for TCEP this next weekend as well as Nebraska in the fall. We watched MSU beat Louisville, and then Suzanne and Aunt Janie came over. We all headed to Elizabeth's birthday party at the Dahlmans. Ruth did great in the bounce house. At home, we just had some family time, ate dinner, and watched Curious George before heading to bed.
-
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."
-
This was a great set of verses speaking of competition and the one that really matters. I do feel like I am running aimlessly at times, but everything comes into focus when I put Christ first. I am thankful to be qualified for the eternal prize.

Productive Day(s)

So I failed to blog for the last 2 days. I guess it started on Thursday when I worked an early morning shift for the first time in awhile. It was busy, but I came home on time. We are very fortunate because Ben was willing to babysit Ruth on short notice. This was the 3rd time Amy and I left Ruth with a babysitter. The first time was when she was 2 months old when Amy's mom watched her while Amy and I went out to dinner. The second time was this past December when Suzanne watched her while we went to the small group Christmas party at the Kennedys. I guess there were other days where Amy and I both worked and her parents babysat and that was for six or seven hours before Amy came home from her shift. Suzanne also came to Chicago to watch Ruth in the hotel room for an afternoon while we both had oral boards. Anyway, I digress. We had a great dinner with the Kennedys and came home to watch some basketball (Mizzou held off a Memphis comeback). Uncle Ben had successfully changed a poopy diaper for Ruth so it was a landmark night. On Friday, we met with Steve and Lisa at the Firewheel Starbucks for a leadership meeting (Lisa in her work out gear and me in my bball attire). We had great discussions and prayer at the end. The Kahn family headed to church so that I could play basketball. Amy and Ruth were kind enough to watch. We grabbed Bubba's chicken on the way to Target where Amy got nursery decorations. It was such a productive day. Amy decked out the nursery/Ruth's room while I went through my Baylor inbox and through the new T-sheet materials that we will be implementing. The night ended with more March Madness (MSU came back to beat KU).

Today, I woke up on my own and finished looking at the T-sheets and typed my thoughts on the changes. Kimbell came over to play guitar. I learned some good things from him. The Kahns then went to hang out with the Arzes. We had a great time chatting. It worked out great and hopefully we can spend more time with their family. We then went to Suzanne's to see her, Tim, and Aunt Janie. I got to see the end of the Pitt/Nova game that ended in a game winning shot at the buzzer by Villanova. Did I mention that I love March?
-
1 Corinthians 6:19 "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

I forget daily that I was bought and redeemed. This body and soul belongs to Christ. We must treat it like a temple. I guess the key is remembering that the Holy Spirit is within us and connecting with this fact.
-
1 Corinthians 7:4 "The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife."

As it was mentioned in the previous chapter, we were bought for a price. In addition to belonging to God, we also belong to our spouse in an Earthly view. This is a wonderful gift of marriage and companionship that the Lord has provide for us. I am so thankful for my wife.
-
1 Corinthians 8 was a little confusing to me. I felt it was like Leviticus in that it was referring to idols, sacrifice, and food. I am going to move on now that I have caught up from the last few days when I missed out on my Scripture reading. I hear my guitar calling...

Rainy Day

Ruth and I got up to go to the gym while Amy slept since she was post night shift. We came home to pick Amy up for lunch. We also did some grocery shopping and found a toy guitar at the kid's resale store so that Ruth can rock out with me. At home, Amy and Ruth took an afternoon nap while I reviewed patients from my last night shift and did call backs. It has been raining constantly since we got home. I have enjoyed the sunny and So Cal weather so hopefully these days of rain will pass quickly. We went to church for dinner and small group to study the first half of Ephesians 5.
-
Ephesians 5:8-9 "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)"
-
1 Corinthians 5 didn't give me much that I wanted to comment on so I will talk about Ephesians instead. I want to live in the light. I want to be dead to the things of this world and only care about God's truth. My prayer is that I will try to do so.

Work and Family and Work

I had a good shift overnight and came home to sleep while Ruth went to her first swim lessons. We went to eat at IHOP for lunch where Ruth always eats a good amount of eggs. I went to the hospital for some meetings and continue to learn so much from Steve. I am not ready to be director, but perhaps over time I can take some valuable lessons from Steve and gain the experience needed to take that next step. I met Amy, Ruth, Angela, and Will for dinner at Bubba's which was featured in the recent Texas Monthly's cover story about the best affordable meals in the state. Amy drove to work the overnight shift while the rest of us went to the playground by White Rock Lake. It was a diverse crowd of families which brought up questions of what school environment is best for our children. I'll leave further discussion and debate regarding public vs private vs home school for another day. Anyway, Ruth had a bath and played with toys in her room. I think we will go watch the Curious George movie that we just bought and call it a night and look forward to Amy coming home in the morning.

-

1 Corinthians 4:3 "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God."

-

This is something that I would say ranks right behind wanting Ruth to understand the love and sacrifice of Christ. Once she understands that He died for our since so that we are saved, I want her to understand that everything in this world is rubbish and to not worry about what others think of us when they judge us. The greatest misuse of my time and the instigator of me taking the wrong path in life resonated from me trying to please other people or wanting the approval of others. "It is the Lord who judges me." If we could all just forget about the other wannabe judges and only care about Him, this world would be a whole lot less complicated. How can I convey this to my kids when I don't live this way myself? I must incorporate this belief into everything I do and then pray that my children will believe this when I try to instill this value onto them.

Cloudy, windy day

I woke up to go to the gym and saw Juleeta there. On the way home, I decided to stop by Target to get Ruth a soccer ball and goal. We all had lunch at her little table. Amy and I went put up the clothes that were now too small for her. We also pulled out all her old infant clothes (for the twins) which were good memories. After we took a nap, Amy cut my hair. We met the Kennedys and Keri and Eliot for dinner at La Duni at the mall. It was a nice patio where we could see the kids play in the mall outdoor courtyard. With bed holds at the ED, I didn't have to go into work until 10pm so we got to hang out a little longer. I am sure once RME and PCE close at 11pm, it will get busy along with a possible mass exodus after floor beds open for some reason.
-
1 Corinthians 3:3 "You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?"
-
The division of the church seems to come from quarreling. It reminds me of the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis where the demon and his apprentice are trying to get believers into trouble. My prayer is that I stand strong with my family, small group, our church, and fellow believers in our goal which is to glorify Him and live a Christ-like life. There will be disagreements and differences but we must be united in Him.