I am wrapping up my fifth week of maternity leave with sweet baby Eilish. When Murphy was born nearly three years ago, I took the same amount of time off, six weeks, but the shock of sleep deprivation, overwhelming new lessons and constant flow of visitors made the time off fly by and end up a complete blur. This time around has been a whole new experience. I was prepared for the sleepless nights and days. I learned quickly that the second baby doesn't draw the amount of visitors as the first (a blessing!) and when your baby is an expert at napping, you might find your usually busy self with, and dare I say, time on your hands...

 The laundry is caught up, dinners are planned and grocery shopping complete. Murphy is enrolled for swimming lessons in July and doctor's appointments are set through the summer. Eilish has already grown out of her newborn clothes (she has gained two pounds and grown two inches since birth!) and those are folded packed away and the next size clothes are washed and placed in her drawers. I have made the family budget through the end of the year and started thinking ahead to Murphy's third birthday party and my sister's baby shower. But while doing all this and learning Eilish's eating and sleeping schedule, I have also been indulging in one of my guilty pleasures - Grey's Anatomy re-runs.

 If there is one thing that can distract me from all my household chores, or at least entertain me while I complete them, it is a great medical television drama. Grey's Anatomy is on its 13th season, so there are a plethora of old episodes on Netflix to feed my need for the medical emergencies and complicated lives of the surgeons depicted.

As I was watching this week, Nurses Appreciation Week, I began to take note of the nurses in the show. They aren't the focus, but like in life, they are every where. During both of my deliveries, I spent most of my time with the nurse - not the doctor. Here at Meadowlark, we have nurses in many areas - healthcare households, Physician's office, transitional care, home health and assisted living. Our nurses are essential to Meadowlark's ability to deliver high quality care to our residents, guests, patients and clients.

Thank you to the nurses at Meadowlark and throughout the community who provide compassion and understanding to those in their care. You are all appreciated.

I am looking forward to being back at Meadowlark with you all. Thanks for stopping by and see you soon!