b-b-b-back again

Hello lovers,

How have you been?

Oh you know, I'm doing well. Busy is all.

This past week I started my new job so I thought I'd fill you in on some little deets as to what I do and all. I know your immediate thought of a 'crisis nursery' is where the wahmbulance brings all the whiny boys and men to one place so they can be treated for the common cold or minor cuts and bruises because they are the biggest babies when they are sick, but it's not. They have wives for that.

I don't know where that came from, sorry guys.

The Children's Cottage Crisis Nursery. CCCN not CNN. Here are the official details:

http://www.childrenscottage.ab.ca/Programs/CrisisNursery.aspx

Here are the unofficial details of my job (yet accurate) recounted by yours truly:

My job is to care for children (and families, in a way) who are admitted to the program. Some children are brought voluntarily by their parents for a short term stay of up to 72 hours. Other children are apprehended by social services and are brought to the crisis nursery because foster care is unavailable. These children stay until a placement is found for them so they may be at the Children's Cottage for weeks. The nursery is basically this really big house that accommodates up to 12 children at one time from ages 0-8. 0? Yes, I've seen it all even in my first week there.

There is much to do in a 12 hour day shift (7 am to 7 pm) or a 12 hour awake night shift (7 pm to 7 am). Answering crisis calls, spending an upwards of an hour admitting children which includes gathering stats from the parents, offering resources or goal setting, collecting information on the child(ren), drawing a genogram (a symbolized family tree), doing a health check (viewing the child's body to chart any bruises, cuts, scrapes, rash and the like), bathing/feeding/playing with/diapering the babies and children and cleaning (those dirty diapers don't throw themselves away).

Maybe reading all my friend's facebook status re: only their children every.single.day or listening to them all talk about which formula they've chosen and why has benefited me in a way.

I'm basically a part time mother and it is slowly convincing me that I may not have to become a mother at all since I get my fill at work. There are so many children who need care, why make a new batch. I foresee adoption in my far off future.

The days/nights are long but the work is worth it. Tantrums occur often, screaming babies is the music to my workday and hard questions like "is my mom ever going to come back for me?" are answered frequently but never easily. I have a huge deal of respect for the women (because there are no men, yet) who work there and have been for years. I also am IN LOVE with volunteers who make my day ten times easier even if just holding a child.

I'm the rookie who still has a lot to learn and is internally shocked while holding a baby who is looking at me like "you aren't my mom" and I don't pretend to be. That's why I feel like "go ahead and have your tantrum. It's alright. You deserve to be thinking about you right now". This past week I've felt like having my own little tantrums outside of work but if the worst thing that's happened to me in a day is that my shower is cold or that I don't want to get up at 5:30 a.m, I'm doing pretty good.

Sometimes I stare at a sleeping baby and pray over them and into them a fulfilled life. I am blessed to be where I am. I am hoping to remember this when the excitement of a new job has worn off and my whits end is frayed.

The best news about my job is that because we work such long hours, we get a lot of days (and every 7th week) off. I'm hoping to spend more time in Edmonton, Canmore and even your local city if it's neither of these two. I'm also hoping on my days off I can take up some sort of sport. Maybe like virtual basketball or something. Actually, I'd like to get fit so I can pursue more outdoorsy activities in the summer like hiking and kayaking. Another current goal is save money to travel and travel to save. I had a few tricks up my sleeve waiting to see the daylight of reality. I also am hoping working at the Children's Cottage will help me decide if I'd like to go back to school or not.

There you are! So by day I'm a child support worker and by night I'm ....a child support worker...because my that's how my shifts work...

Questions? Put 'em in the comment box and I'll answer 'em.

Love.