A Ball of Germs

Our little Sophia is just a big ball of germs. It only took her one week (with a weekend inbetween) of daycare to come home with a stuffy nose. And now after 2 months she has had an ear infection and now RSV. Welcome to a daycare baby - AKA a big ball of germs! Now when people say "Oh I should wash my hands before I hold her" I always say "Well no, you probably want to wash your hands AFTER you hold her." The RSV has been pretty rough for her. She is losing her voice she coughs so much and she can barely cry. It's so sad to listen to her. It's amazing to think that in 4 short months, we know her little personality so well that we can immediately tell she isn't feeling well. Her mood has definitely changed. She is such a little cuddle bug and which makes me love rocking her to sleep. I could just rock her all day if I wanted to. She hasn't been sleeping well the past few nights because of her cough, so the pediatrician prescribed an inhaler and a nebulizer to help her breath better. Since it's a virus we just have to let it pass. Hopefully tylonal and the inhaler will make it a little easier on her. Here is our sweet girl on the nebulizer. Sometimes she doesn't mind it and sometimes she screams and fusses the whole time. The doctor said it's almost better if they are crying when getting the medicine because they breathe it in more.

Hubby has been taking her to all of her doctors appointments and staying home sick with her. That is one good thing about having him in school - he has a flexible schedule. I feel guilty but I'd rather save my sick time for when we really need it (like next year during his rotations). Lets just say I'm milking it for all its worth, because I know for the rest of her life I'll be taking her to the doctor and staying home sick with no other options.

Challenge Accepted

We have been very lucky in the fact that our little peanut has slept through the night at an early age. But ever since she started day care and the infamous day care germs have begun, she's woken up earlier and earlier from being conjested. It's like she refuses to breathe out of her mouth so you just hear how stuffy her little nose is. It's pretty cute actually. But every little thing she does is cute! :)

The other night she woke up at about 3:30 at night. Hubby decides to wake up with her because I have been sick for the past few days too. He picks her up and says "can I feed her?" Feeding her in the middle of the night is probably the last thing you want to do when she's just trying to break from her usual routine. I'm not jeopardizing the good thing we got going here! So I told him "not unless you want to feed her at 3am every day this week." he puts the bottle back and tries to get her to go back to sleep. changed her diaper, pacifier, and laid her back down but she just laid there squirming and never fully went back to sleep. then at around 4 she starts crying again. histerically. he asks again if he can feed her. I give him the same answer. I decide to switch with him and give him a break. and bam! I had her snoozing in less than thirty minutes. when she finally fell asleep, I felt a strong urge to shout Boo ya! and do a little dance. I laughed at how pumped I was (at 4am!) just from getting my baby to fall back asleep without feeding her. I felt empowered that I was able to do something my husband was so quick to give up on. If anyone knows my husband, knows he has to win at everything. So half the time it irritates me, but most of the time our competitiveness is an ongoing joke in our family. So of course, I go back to bed wake him up and rub it in his face. :)

Sometimes it's nice to have a sign that says "you're her mommy and no one else can do what you do". Especially when you are a working mom and have a loving husband who wants to help out as much as he can. I love that she is a challenge in our life and that every once in a while I can come out the winner. One thing that I've learned between us as parents is to make light of everything as much as we can. It can be frustrating holding a screaming baby that you can't calm down. So half the time we just try and laugh at her and the silly faces she makes. It's like we have formed an unwritten rule: if you aren't holding the lil monster :) than you help your partner find the fun in it. Sometimes it turns into a game and whoever gets her to quiet down is the winner. In this case... I won ;)

Be effective

Life is getting a little crazy. We are doing our best in learning how to balance everything with baby girl. Life certainly is not the same anymore and never will be. When we pick her up from daycare we just want to spend the rest of the day with her. We fight over who gets to feed her and hold her. "Here I'll hold her while you make dinner." "No, it's ok I'll hold her while you make dinner." She is very loved around here :) Everything else on the other hand is falling apart... dishes, laundry, cleaning, our to do lists, oh and making dinner. Our home can go from clean to dirty in less than an hour. It will be clean and the next thing you know there are dirty bottles, burp cloths, a random sock, headband, and pacifier everywhere. If something falls on the floor while you are holding her, you simply have to say "I'll get it early" to not bend down with her in your arms. At the end of the day, I am surrounded by unfinished projects and can usually go through and tell you exactly what happened in the middle of each (usually, her yelling at me or coughing, a feeding, or a diaper change).

I had a friend at work when Sophia was just one week old ask me "How has motherhood changed you?" I didn't have a good (or anything really) to say at the time. But this is what I would say now... Being efficient trumps everything. Anywhere from the clothes and shoes I wear, to shopping, to dinner. For example, online shopping has become my new best friend! I used to hate online shopping. I remember saying this when I would try and update or change something on her baby registry online. I just couldn't understand how you could buy something without seeing, touching, or wearing it. I'm convinced online shopping was made for moms. Being more efficient with my time is far more important than just "not liking online shopping" I got over my fear of it real quick! Today, I bought a friends baby shower gift online and bought a few things for Sophia as well. I spent enough (over $25) to get free shipping - which was another reason I disliked online shopping. Paying extra money for something pointless like shipping when I could go out and buy it myself was always a pet peeve. But now, even if I did have to pay a reasonable shipping price it would out weigh the headache and time needed for shopping.  Also today, I noticed it was time to order more heartworm medicine for Bossman. I decided to try the 1.800.petmeds I had seen online. Hubby said he felt more comfortable buying it from a vet. But then when I said "you know it will take us forever to make our way to the vet" he agreed and bought it online. It will be mailed here (free of shipping) in 5 days. Score! I also set up on amazon.com to have a package of genie diaper refills shipped to our place continuously every three months. Awesome! If my husbands class didn't throw us an huge diaper shower, I would have set up automated shipping for diapers and wipes. I will now be browsing online for good deals on things for Sophie as well.
Now with Christmas shopping coming up, my last minute gifts will probably be bought online. I still enjoy a good Friday morning shopping spree to save money. But maybe this year, I'll combine the two and shop online on Cyber Monday.

Another example on being more efficient with my time is cooking. I was never a fan of coming home after a long day and start cooking in the kitchen even before I was a mom. Now, I really don't want to cook dinner after I work and pick her up from daycare. My solution: frozen crockpot meals. I found this blog on pinterest about spending one day creating a bunch of crockpot meals and placing them in Ziploc bags and freezing them. Best idea ever! While my mom was here, we spent one day tackling this. It was a ton of food (9 meals) but very effective in the fact that they shared some of the same ingredients. It was so nice to put in the crockpot in the morning and dinner was waiting for us when we got home. The meals were all great - juicy and tender. This gave us more time with our baby girl each evening. That time with her is priceless to us.
http://melissafallistestkitchen.blogspot.com/2011/09/freezer-cooking-slow-cooker-meals.html

So how has motherhood changed me so far?.... I feel that there are not enough hours in the day. There is not enough time to get everything done and spend as much time with our precious baby girl. She is our priority now and everything else can wait. So learning to be more effective with my time so we can spend as much time together as a family is how motherhood has changed me.

Sophie's First Halloween!

I think everyone will agree that holidays are that much more fun with little ones! Even my husband this month said the words "Having a kid is SO awesome!" She is truly the joy in our lives! Here is our little trip to the Pumpkin Patch. At this pumpkin patch they had a petting zoo, ponies to ride, tables to paint pumpkins, food, hay ride, and a little train. We can't wait 'til she's older and can enjoy these thigns. This will be the beginning of our little family tradition.

 

Our little pumpkin was a bit fussy... :(

 

 

 

 

For Halloween, our little pumpkin was an adorable lady bug! Growing up my mom always made my halloween costumes. I am proud to say that I made Sophia's first Halloween costume.

 

 

 

 I found a black long sleeve onesie and ironed on a ladybug patch from Hobby Lobby. She's wearing red leggings underneath her tutu. I wanted to her to have antennas but knew she wouldn't be able to handle long ones. So I just glued black cottonballs to a sequined headband. Her tutu was made out of tule. I cut strips of tule and tied knots half way through around a piece of ribbon. Then I would tie the ribbon around her little waste. No sewing needing! My kind of DIY halloween costume! Then I hot glued some black cottonballs to her tutu. I got the original idea here: No Sew TuTu I was planning to make the tutu all the way around. But when I stopped halfway around, I thought that was good enough. It worked out better to have the tutu only in the front and made it easier for her to lay on her back, sit in a carseat, and let people hold her.

 

My little lady :)

 

 

We can't wait for halloweens to come!

C blood

Conversation after a preceptorship:

Husband - So today we were at the Sim Center... The blood made my fingers red because it was high C blood.
Wife - High C? What is High C blood? I thought there was just A, B, AB, and O.
Husband - haha, no they use Hi-C juice as fake blood on the dummies.
Wife - Oh...

Mat Leave

My Maternity Leave (or MatLeave) wasn't what I expected. I expected it to be this wonderful time getting to know my sweet baby and learning all about her. Don't get me wrong, I knew it would be long sleep deprived nights and difficult, but I also knew it would be a bonding experience. Well, our matleave was a little rough... Sophia has always been very loved from the beginning. So loved that we had at least two people visit her everyday for a about the first two weeks we brought her home. As much fun it was watching everyone hold her and get to know her and see how we were doing, at the end of it all I was ready to have some peace and quiet. I had some peace and quiet for about a week after that. I had her all to myself while Daddy was at school studying. We would take naps together, tummy time, and although it was hard being bymyself with her, looking back it was great. And then we found out my grandma passed away. After we got the phone call, we decided to pack and leave the next day. Packing for a 4 week old was a little intimidating. Not sure how many clothes, diapers, wipes, bottles, blankets, burp cloths, pacis, (and the list goes on) she would need. We stayed nights at the hotel, and days at my grandparents house. Again, she was surrounded by her family living in perfect bliss. Getting all the attention and was never put down once. As sad as the trip was, it was perfect to have her there. She was able to bring so much joy to everyone, even when she was making small noices in the back of the funeral.

The three of us the day of the funeral.

As nervous as I was to have her at the funeral, not knowing how she would do and what noises she would make, we received compliments afterwards on what a blessing it was to hear a baby whimper at a funeral. Life goes on. Sophia rode in the car (the longest in her little life) for 7 hours there and 7 hours back. She did perfect and we were stopping often to feed and change her. It was mommy and daddy who struggled. We both had two coffees each way just to stay awake. We were really missing our afternoon naps while Sophia was enjoying hers.


 

My grandpa with his great-granddaughter
on the day of the funeral.

The girl likes to sleep in the car apparently. Like I said, we spent the days with all of our family and nights with a non-sleeping baby in a hotel room. By the time we got back home, it hit me. Maybe a little bit of baby blues, but a whole lot of sleep deprivation and just a lot going on. I realized 'trying to get caught up on (just a little bit) sleep' with a newborn is downright impossible. It definitely took a while for us to recover from the trip. Then in the middle of matleave, a new position opened up at work. I went in for an interview, got the job, and before I knew it I was going in for halfdays to learn the new position while the previous employee was there to teach me. And next thing I know, I'm back at work full time. I had taken 8 weeks off (which didn't include the two weeks with half days here and there). A friend had suggested to me to take 8 weeks, not 6 because they grow and change so much in just those two weeks. Boy, was she right! Exactly at 7 weeks was when Sophia started smiling at us and cooing for the first time. And now she smiles and coos more and more everyday.
So if you ask me if I put her on a routine/schedule (walks in the morning/tummy time after a certain feeding/bath at same time everyday), the answer is no. We were always having to plan something around the day. If you are married to a student, then you know that their schedule is never the same either. Test weeks and preceptorships brought nights with me by myself and him coming home to allow me to take a shower. And I know I wasn't going to take away from his time with her. When he came home, it was whatever Daddy/Daughter wanted to do at that time. I feel like this will be an ongoing theme in our future.

Daddy/Daughter time :)

If I had to do it again, I would work hard to make matleave as less stressful as possible. Of course, everything was an unexpected turn of events and out of my control. But I think Sophia realizes that - she's a part of this family and she's going with the flow. And I already love her for that.





Here are some pictures from our sweet baby girl...

Sophia's first bath. Boss helped/watched.

Just a little over 1 month old.

Grandparents soaking it in

Sophie's here!!!

Here is the crazy story of how Sophie made her big debut! :)

On Tuesday afternoon we went in for our normal 38 week check up. I wasn't able to see my doctor because she was busy in labor and delivery. I saw a nurse practitioner who I did NOT prefer (for more reasons than I am about to list). At one point, she left the room to come back and say "Ok, here is what we are going to do... you are going to go have a few tests done because these are the things that are wrong: you have high blood pressure, protein in your urine, and your uterus was measuring small." Tears began to roll down my face.  I have never had any issues throughout the whole pregnancy. My doctor and nurses would make fun of me for being such a 'boring pregnant woman.' I was so confused. She hurried us out and we went to the desk to check out. The desk lady asked us "when" we needed to take these tests, and we had no idea. We were so lost and confused and didn't know what was going on. I had to go draw blood, do another urine test, and see an OBGYN at-risk specialist. When we saw the specialist he walked in the room and said "Do you know why you are here?" We laughed and said no idea. He was nice enough to take the time and explain to us why we were there. Basically, I had a restricted uterus. Meaning baby girl had stopped growing and fell below the size charts. He did all the measurements of her brain, different bones, her abdomen, and so on. As the different measurements for each were showing up on the TV, you can imagine the look on my face as I try and picture my sweet baby girl with a big brain, small forearm, normal femur bone, small tummy... I was thinking how deformed and un-proportional my baby will be! haha. The specialist then turns to me and says "are you ready to have your baby today?" I literally sat there thinking oh my gosh! is he serious? how do i respond to this? I shook my head in disbelief and he responds "is that a no?" in which I respond... "umm, no, that's just a really weird question!" He says "I'm sorry, but are you ready to have your baby today?" after this sinks in for a while and we confirm with the doctor that this is a done deal and there's no going back, we begin to call family (my parents who have to drive 12 hours) and my work telling them I'm not coming back this afternoon. We are escorted to labor and delivery. Hubby runs to our apartment and grabs are packed bags. Thanking God I had washed all her clothes and sheets and finished packing our bags just 2 days prior. We get settled in our room and start the pitocin. I'm at 1cm and say "this is going to take a while, isn't it?" yep!

Arrived to our room.

So here comes the meds... Due to the high blood pressure, I am diagnosed with preeclampsia. First I am givin pitocin (to start the induction) and magnesium (for preeclampsia so that it does not cause seizures during labor). I had multiple nurses come in and say, "Ok, so do you understand what's going on here...?" pointing at my IV stand. "pitocin is to have your muscles contract and magnesium is a muscle relaxer and we are hoping the pitocin wins" ohhhh, well ok. Yay for a chemical war going on inside me. The magnesium made me feel awful! Hot, dizzy, and nauseous. The nurses kept asking me if I was having trouble breathing (Apparently a side effect of magnesium). I just said no, but I feel like my hearts racing. They began to monitor my pulse which I was right and had escalated to 145. At this time I had 3 doctors standing there staring at me as I am feeling miserable like they were waiting for something bad to happen. I just remember telling my husband "I do not like the way this makes me feel." Then they gave me medicine for the nauseousness, which in turn made me sick (or I was still getting sick from the magnesium, whichever you prefer).

My IV stand

Then came the pain medicine. That made me even more sick and again some more medicine for nauseousness. Then the epidural. My anesthesiologist was really nice. Him and and my husband got along great talking about medical school. After he was done, he said "How does that feel?" I said good. He said "good I'm glad I did well on my first one!" not funny doctor! not funny! Hours later after the epidural I began feeling contractions on half of my body. It was obvious to me that one of my legs was much more 'dead' than the other. So I asked to have the anesthesiologist come back and fix it. My biggest fear was the medicine wearing off right before it was time to push. A lady came in, who didn't introduce herself, and gave me more medicine. A few hours later, the the epidural was wearing off on now the other side. I remember I kept saying to my husband "I don't want to be a weenie, I just want to get it fixed before it's time" over and over. So I asked an anesthesiologist to come back again. Apparently the previous resident that came in (and didn't introduce herself) didn't write down how much she gave me on my charts. So this doctor was a little hesitant giving me more and not knowing when I received the last dosage. Awesome! I think he called her and figured it out and ended up giving me more. He informed me that if this one didn't work, than I was out of luck because I was reaching my max amount. Looking back, I'm not sure why I wasn't freaking out to my husband by the doctors comment. Just a couple hours later I began pushing. I was pretty close to not saying anything because I didn't want to be 'that' pregnant woman constantly complaining. So glad I decided to speak up and have them come back a third time to fix it.
During the middle of the epidural, a resident came in to break my water. I will never forget this moment... a minute after my water broke, she says "Ok, well everythings looking really goooooo" And she stops and stares at the monitor and can't finish the word good. She pushes the emergency button, doctors and nurses come flying in, they lay my bed directly back and hook me up with an oxygen mask. My husbands head is in my face and I'm trying to stay calm. Apparently, when the water came out the umbilical cord tightened and was wrapped around her neck and her heart stopped. Her heart rate came back and everything was ok, but we were seconds away from a c-section.
I was in labor for 30 long hours (33 if you count all my tests that were done before labor and delivery). There's always that saying that night nurses are so much better than day nurses, which I didn't believe was fully true because I think I'd be cranky if I had to work all through the night every night. But I have to say it was 100% true for us. We loved our night nurse and actually had her twice! Ha! She came back the second night, and I look at her and say "We're stillllllllll here!" She was also the nurse there with us while Sophie was born and took us to post-partum. So thankful for great nurses!
Sometime during those 30 hours, I actually had to listen to someone else go through labor next door and she was a screamer. Can I just say that was the worst thing ever!!??!! Sitting there listening to someone scream and think "that's going to be me in a few hours" is awful. She was a bad screamer too! They should sound proof those walls better in the hospital, just sayin. Nobody wants to hear that. Hubby thought it sounded like they were killing her (that comment at the time wasn't helping either). We kept turning the volume on the TV louder and louder to drain her out, and I was trying to play mind games with myself and tell myself  "she's not having a baby, she's having open heart surgery and awake for it" anything to not believe it.
My doctor was actually at home when I started going into active labor. My nurse called her and told her it was time. And let me tell you... it took FOREVER for my doctor to get there (or it felt like it). I remember being able to hear my doctor through the phone as my nurse stood next to me, and turning to my husband saying "she better do valet !" Later we found out the reason why she was a little late was because she couldn't find someone to take care of her 4 kids (the littlest being a 5 month old and her husband being a doctor also). While we were waiting, I remember saying "I know she was at home spending time with her family, but she's my doctor and I need her here!" My husband kind of smirked and said "Ok, well remember this in the future when my patients 'need' me and I'm at home with my family." I remember grunting and thinking now's not the time to discuss this! But true statement, being on the other side and feeling the true need for my doctor to be there for me gives a new understanding. If my husband was smart, he'd use this moment against me in the future when I have a bad day and give him a hard time for leaving. And quick side note, I kid you not, while in active labor and a minute before baby girl was born, my doctor's cell phone went off. Her ringtone was a song and obviously she couldn't stop and reach in her pocket to turn it off so we all had to sit there and hear it out. Everyone laughed and I did NOT think it was funny at the time, but I do remember thinking "I guess that shows how she busted her butt up here and didn't stop to take the time and turn her phone off" which I was appreciative of.
...And then our beautiful baby girl was born! :) The first thing one of the nurses said to me was "It's still a girl!!!" Really? Was I supposed to be worried? That's a weird thing to shout out. The very first thing the doctor said when she held her up was "look at those long eye lashes!" She had a full head of brown hair and absolutely beautiful. NICU team was on standby and did there routine check up and she was good to go. So thankful she didn't have to go through NICU. She was born at 10:05pm 5lbs 9oz and 18" long. She was long and skinny and perfectly healthy.

Sophia's very first picture

Skinny and long

Footprints

Our sweet girl

I, on the other hand, still had high blood pressure and had to remain on the magnesium for another 12 hours and stay in the hospital an extra night instead of the standard one night. After being mesmerized by her beauty and in awe that she was ours, I stopped and thought... well wait a minute if she was perfectly healthy then why did we just have to through all that? Whatever. She's here, beautiful and healthy, and we're happy.

On our way to postpartum; swollen with 30 hours of liquids

For the grandmas...

This is an overdue post... but I wanted to share with you how we told the grandmas that we were pregnant. We found out a few days before Christmas so we ran around town on Christmas Eve trying to find something that we could wrap up and have them open on Christmas Day. And we came across this in Hallmark. I have to say this was the PERFECT gift. It was the perfect way for the grandparents to keep track of how far along we were and, in fact, I wish we had one for us because some weeks you just lose track because the weeks are going by so fast. I definitely recommend this as a grandma gift :)

Only 4 more weeks to go

I can't even fathom that we only have 4 more weeks to go! Crazy!!! Everything is going well and here are a few updates at 36 weeks:

Total weight gain so far - 26 pounds. Since I have been able to keep food in my stomach, I have been gaining about a pound a week at the least pretty consistently.
No stretch marks yet, but I itch my belly more and more and wouldn't be surprised if they appeared any day now.
I choose not to wear my wedding rings (too tight and uncomfortable), unless it's a special occasion or I don't feel like looking like a teen mom.
I snack all day non-stop. Don't mention food around me if you can't provide it. Even if it's not in a food context. For example, saying "that's just peachy" will make me want a peach.
At 35 weeks, I noticed my mood went straight to bluntness and rudeness. I no longer have a filter and can't believe some of the things that come out of my mouth. I no longer have a tolerance for 'dumb' people, whatever that means, and am easily annoyed. I have been ensured that this will pass because I was worried it was going to stay with me after being pregnant. I don't want to be mean forever :( Please bare with me, I only have 4 more weeks to go...
Heartburn comes and goes. It's not brutal, but is annoying.
My memory is awful! I can't even tell you what I ate this morning.
I get contractions a lot, but not consistent enough to send me to labor and delivery.
My little one is so active and I can tell she's getting bigger and bigger and feeling more and more cramped in there. This makes her punches and kicks a lot more painful!
Doctor confirms she's already head down. But of course she can change position.
We are done shopping and buying the necessities. We still have a few little things we have to do to her room, but in all honesty I'm saving those crafts for me to do while the hubby goes back to school in full swing. Nursery pictures to come!

Being pregnant and staying classy

Being pregnant is one of the things that seperates women from men. It's feminine, womanly, and so on. But at the same time, Being pregnant is the LEAST flattering, girly, lady-like things that can ever happen to you. Here is why: you're lucky if you can cross your legs, you sweat non-stop and stink because of it, you get swolen fingers and feet and can't wear jewelry or heels because of it, your hair is frizzier, acne, you can burp louder than anyone, you can barely shave your legs, you can't pick something up off the ground without awkwardly bending over, you constantly have dark circles under your eyes because no sleep is ever enough, you stuff your face with food non-stop, .... I think you get the picture. Being pregnant is not classy.

Small Town

My husband brought to my attention the other day that our little girl will have to say "Small Town", Texas when asked where she was born. For some reason, that never crossed my mind before! I'm so sorry baby girl.

And the winner is...

In honor of our 2 year anniversary.

When I was planning our wedding, I was allllll about doing things unique, making it fun, and memorable. One of those things being a guestbook. I remember I came up with an idea and searched and searched online (no pinterest back then!) to see if I could find something that mimicked what I was creating in my head... Something personal, memorable, similar to a scrapbook collection, and something that we would want to go back and look at for years to come. Although, I found a company that offered something similar, they wanted way too much money for what I was asking for (a common thread in planning a wedding), I was more than satisfied creating it myself so it would turn out exactly how I wanted. And I have to say this is the best guestbook idea ever!!!

The tables at our reception had a placemat/guestbook page that our guests could fill out while they were waiting for food or needing a break from dancing. It was also good in that the kids could draw all over it if they wanted to.

Here are the list of questions I came up with:
Name
Where did you travel from?
How did you meet the bride and groom?
What is your favorite memory with the bride and groom?
What is a "must do" for the bride and groom before their 10 year anniversary?
Your special wishes for the bride and groom.
Your predictions: Next city they will move to? Date of their first child? Number of children? One year anniversary plans?

I think our guest had a lot of fun coming up with answers to these questions! Some of the answers had alcohol involved and are hilarious to read! I remember the day after our wedding, sitting together, and flipping through this book. It was so fun to read. Remembering the very first time they met either of us, all their predictions, and their wishes for us.

Recently we re-organized our closet space (aka nesting) and came across our wedding box and ended up thumbing through our guestbook. And now for the fun part... WHO WON THE PREDICTION OF THE DATE OF THEIR FIRST CHILD???

The Winners

(drum roll please...)

First Place

Ron & Carrie - 11/15/12

Second Place

Dr. Zank - 11/2012

Tyler J. - 5/2012

Third Place

Mary and Enidio - 12/2013 

Jessica L. - 3/28/2012

Jason and Jamie - 3/15/2012

Hamiltons - 2/10/12

Paige - 2/21/12 

Courtney T. - 2/9/13

Honorable Mention

Ed and Veronique - 2012

Mama and Papa Ray - 2012

Jessica G. 2012

Erwins - 2012

I wish I had a prize for all of you! But instead you get bragging rights! For the record, no one guessed right on "Where we will move to next."
I definitely recommend this guestbook idea to everyone! It's so much better than just a signature :) It's always so fun to find and go back and read who was at our wedding and how they came into our lives.

Goodbye Second Trimester

We are now officially in our 3rd trimester!!! Woohoo! I thought I would take the time to sum up our 2nd trimester...

At the beginning of our second trimester, I was still having a rough time with morning sickness and still not gaining weight on the scale. Even though baby girl was gaining weight and growing just fine and started showing, the number on the scale was staying the same or even losing a pound. This bothered me quite a bit by myself and hearing people (not doctors) everyday tell me that it "was not normal" and I "don't even look pregnant" started to upset me. Nothing a pregnant girl wants to hear from friends/acquaintances/strangers. It truly is amazing how filters go away, input is given based on no experience, and you quickly feel judged for being sick and miserable! I was so grateful for those friends who had dealt with months of morning sickness and their comforting words. So, the second trimester were the months for me when I started showing more and I was a happy lady! The first time a stranger asked me when how far along I am was a great day!

I haven't had any crazy cravings. The only thing I would say is my new love for milk. I used to not be a die hard fan of milk, but now I can't get enough. I have a bowl of cereal for a snack at least once a day, maybe 2 glasses during dinner, and then maybe a small glass with cookies before I go to bed. Bring on the calcium!

Sleeping is getting more and more difficult. I look forward to the day when I can sleep on my stomach. I do not have a body pillow (or the special, expensive, for-pregnant-ladies-only pillow) because we have enough pillows on the bed. I simply have pillows all around me, including one inbetween my knees. For whatever reason, that really does work! My lovely husband the other night called it my 'crotch pillow' he couldn't even keep a straight face when he said it. We laughed so hard and now it's an ongoing joke every night - "babe, can you hand me my crotch pillow?" I know, we are real mature! :)

The second trimester brought on her kicks! And man, does she kick! The first time I felt her was at work and it just.. well felt weird. I kept rearranging my sitting position and couldn't figure out what it was. It was more of a tingling feeling in my stomach (some refer to it as popcorn popping). Only a few days later, came the jabs and hard kicks and she hasn't stopped since! I could lay in bed and feel her kick and punch all day. We had a moment one night where I would poke back and me and her could go back and forth. I wished so badly I could just grab her little hand or foot in there and kiss them and play with her! Now at the end of the 2nd trimester, they are more of rolls (shoulders and hips I guess) and what we like to call "body slams" which feel like large jolts and I have no idea what she's doing in there. If you stared at my belly from across the room you could probably see it spaz out if you're lucky. I look forward to the day where I'll be able to tell how she is laying, what's a foot, head, hand... Having my husband feel her move is definitely my favorite thing ever.

Retail therapy really does work! Getting dressed in the morning has become quite depressing. I should just pack away all the clothes and heels I can't fit into anymore and stop torturing myself. Luckily, I had a sweet friend (one of the students actually) loan me all of her maternity clothes. That was such a huge blessing and saved us a lot of money. But I got to a point where I felt like I needed to go shopping and pick out a few of my own clothes. It was amazing how I felt afterwards. You know how much better you feel after a huge shopping spree and you look forward to getting dressed in the morning because you have so many options. Just evidence that retail therapy really does work!

And here are a few things I couldn't live without during the 2nd trimester:

1.Belly Band - I was able to wear my pants that much longer! Better than having to go out and buy all new clothes.

2. Palmers Stretch Marks Cream - No stretch marks yet! Preventative action.

3. Water bottle - having a designated water bottle helps me keep tabs on how much water I'm drinking and is a constant reminder to keep drinking (which is hard because the more water you drink, the more often you have to use the restroom)

4. Pill box organizer - don't make fun of me. When I was sick, I couldn't remember for the life of me if I took my prenatal vitamins. I would never take them at the same time every day due to how I was feeling. This plus a forgetful mind, was not reliable. A little mini organizer that I could throw in my purse was perfect!

5. Old Navy's Fold Over Jersey Skirt - amazing! So comfy and perfect on the waist. I can wear it with a t-shirt or dress it up for work. I already have two and wish I had more. I'll definitely be wearing these after pregnancy too.

6. EAS Protein - my husband makes me a protein shake every morning (partly because he makes himself one and then leaves mine in the fridge). These have been perfect because I'm not a breakfast person. Ok, scratch that, I am a breakfast person, I'm just not a morning person and therefore do not leave myself time for breakfast. So protein shake on the way to work it is!

7. Consumer Reviews - I am constantly updating researching and changing our gift registry. I hate making updates online because I am a visual person and want to hold it right in front of me when choosing. Relying on other parents reviews have been so helpful.

8. my husband - he's been such a huge help and I love watching him care for me, because I know it's him caring for baby girl, not me.

We are currently getting her room ready. I can't wait to post all the projects I have been working on - Stay tuned for her nursery!

Look Who's Talking

The other day I thought about how I haven't gotten sick (as in a virus or something) during my pregnancy yet. And a few days later, BAM! Woke up with an itchy throat and stuffy nose and the next week was filled with sneezing, coughing, nasal spray, and benedryl. To top it off, I got sick the day before we left for our summer vacation to visit my parents in Santa Fe. Luckily, I felt fine and it didn't slow me down anymore than she already does. But everytime I sneezed, my funny father would scream "poor Sophia!" because he wanted to know what me sneezing must be like for Sophia. And the first thing that came to mind was the intro of "Look Who's Talking" where they film the baby in the uterus commentating alongside Kirstie Alley's every move. Remember this movie? And now I can't stop wondering what she might be saying/thinking in there. Well, I'm sorry Sophia for my outrageous sneezes, but I hope you are nice and cozy in there!

Other than being sick, we had a great time in Santa Fe. Filled with relaxation, good food, and time with the soon-to-be-grandparents! My mom and I are sewing a lot of things for baby girl's nursery, so we began working on those too. Stay tuned for those projects! Can't wait to share! :)

Living in the Moment

We can go hours day-dreaming about the future. When we were 16, we talked about what our lives would be like in the future and we still do. A lot. At least once a day we have one of these conversations. They usually start off with "I can't wait til we..." or "I look forward to the day when we can..." We have looked forward to getting married, starting a family, having a house, vacations, and even the smaller things. However, it's consuming our life. We talk and talk but sometimes forget to live in the now. We can talk about how we look forward to being more involved in the community, weekends away, having big gatherings at our home, and so on. But sometimes I catch myself saying, why can't we do that now? Sometimes we use medical school as an excuse. And then we will eventually use residency as an excuse, then fellowship, and then attending, then what? We're 80 and never accomplished the little things we wanted to. So, here is to living more in the moment. Talking about what we can do now and not years from now. Making our dreams a reality.

12 Types of Med Students

Summer and Freedom!

He made it!!! First year of medical school - done! Boom.

People keep asking us what are we going to do to celebrate. Celebrate?? I'm putting my man to work! :) He has a long overdue honey-to-do list. A lot of them are fun nesting things too! And he is excited to do them. (actually while i write this, he is sanding down her dresser that we are refinishing). I asked him a few questions last night - what was the hardest thing in medical school (a subject, a teacher, an obstacle, or an adjustment)? Was medical school what he expected? What would he have done differently. And although my husband isn't into self-reflection and for those of you who know him personally, know that he doesn't dwell (at all!) on the bad and just moves on. So he really didn't have too much to say. The only thing that I could get out of him was that medical school was more manageable (I would say easier but then you would get the wrong impression) than what he had expected. He thought that medical school would be set up where no one was allowed to get an A, if you are late to your test you fail your block, and you are forced to study 24/7 and still never be able to pass. Although it takes a student a few tests to figure out expectations or how to study, it is possible to get an A. If you are late to your test or have a family emergency (we have had 3 M1s lose a parent this year), they will work with you and let you retake it. You are an investment to them so they are always willing to help you do better in school. And you do get a life outside of medical school, it is just on your school's schedule not yours (basically you only get a life after Friday tests).

It's crazy to think how naive we were and where all we came from before we got here. You might remember this quick change of plans, which is actually funny because I work with the lady that called us in Boston.

What does a first year medical student do during their summer?
Most do research. For more competitive residencies, it's frowned upon if you don't. If you are wanting to do a more relaxed field, than travel and enjoy your summer off! A lot of students are having trouble finding research jobs. Let me re-phrase, they are having trouble finding PAID research jobs. Like with anything, there are budget cuts, less grants given out for research, and less a program can pay a student. In all honesty, they know that medical students will end up doing the work for free just because they need it on their CV. Some are lucky enough to find paid research - $1,000 to $2,000 for the whole 2-3 months. Also, there is the question what field do I do my research in? Are you supposed to already know what specialty you want to go into after first year? Again, for some of the competitive specialties that might be a question they bring up during your interview - Why did you spend your time doing research in this field if you were wanting to go into this field? On paper it may show indecisiveness. Some of the more competitive fields, want you to be all or nothing for their field. They don't want to hear how you flipped a coin at the last minute between two specialties. And other fields could care less. You can see how finding research or what to do with your summer has been a strain on some of the students the past few months during school. Budgeting to make that student loan last a few more months.

Diaper Bags

I am on the search for the perfect diaper bag! I have started looking online, but I refuse to buy one without playing with it first. That's where my girlfriends will come in! But why do they have to be so expensive?

Top Left: Isabel Grayson Chloe Tote
Top Right: Olivia Champagne from StorkSak
Bottom Left: Granada Tote Diaper Bag from BananaFish (available in August)

Bottom Right: Vera Bradley's Baby Bag in Watercolor

I did read a blog the other day that suggested having multiple diaper bags. Ok, twist my arm! But really, you have more than one diaper bag always packed. So if you need to run out the door you already have one ready to go. Plus you should always have one extra in the car. I made it a point that my husband will need to pick out a diaper bag too (because I know mine will be pretty girly/fashionable/purse-like and he will refuse to carry it). And he's not getting away with it that easy! :) This is what he picked out at the store:

Eddie Bauer Weekender Diaper Bag



Random people

Today was the FIRST day a random person pointed out my belly! :) We were waiting in line at the grocery store and she asked me how far along I was. Woohoo!

Here are a few recent pictures. Both were taken at 24 weeks.





Car seat covers

If someone wanted to start their own business, they should make custom baby gear accessories! They would make a lot of money off of me! I was talking to a friend the other day who was explaining to me how hot her son gets in the car seat. The car seat now stinks, and even though the fabric is removable and you are able to wash it, she said it was a pain to take it on and off, and quickly gained the stinch again. So, as we were sitting in church today the cutest little girl was sitting in a car seat that had a cover. I searched and searched and found hers online. It looked like this...

Brown with pink polka dots. She looked so cute in it with her pink dress and little bow!
Not only will this help the car seat not gain a sweaty stinch (which will leave your baby stinking too), when your baby starts eating solids it will be easier to get those crumbs out. Plus, this cover looks so much easier to remove and wash than the one it comes with. And it looks adorable!!!

Here are a few websites I found that sell custom car seat covers:
Baby Loves: Infant Car Seat Covers
Nollie Covers

Faith

They always say that being a parent grows your relationship with God. Well, I think I'm learning a lot already just through out pregnancy. FAITH. I'm learning to have more faith. It is very difficult to not be thinking about this baby girl every second of the day and I have no idea what's going on in there. On a bad day, it's hard to lie in bed and just hope that everything is going as planned and that God is creating her a little at a time in His perfect way. And at some moments, I just want to know if she is ok. But now, I just rub my belly and pray. I already know the moment I get to hold her in my arms a huge weight will be lifted off my shoulders (or hips if you want to be literal). And then at that point I'll probably be wishing she could go back in my uterus where I know she would be safe.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my husband!!! It was actually a week ago, but I am just now getting to this post. I wanted to share a few of the gifts I bought him...

My husband LOVES books (maybe a little too much). So me encouraging this hobby is a treat! It's similar to a wife buying her gamer husband another game. I asked a friend for a suggestion for a book on raising a christian family, a father raising a daughter, or something along those lines. And she suggested this. So I thought I'd share:

I'll let y'all know how it is when we are done.

And I threw something else in his birthday bag too... I'm sorry I couldn't help myself!

He opened it and said it was "really cute!" I laughed, because I don't think I have ever heard him say that something was "cute" before. Oh, how this little one will change him forever :) Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!!!

What will it BEE?

Our gender reveal party:
We had dinner with a few friends and family members and shared the gender of our baby! Boy, girl, boy, girl, boy, girl!?!?! Everyone came dressed in either pink or blue to cast there vote. We also have a Due Date pool for people to bring a dollar and guess the big day - Winner takes home the honey pot on the day!

Here are a few pictures of our dog before the event:

And here are a few pictures of the event:

Look at those happy grandmas!!! :)


 And...
                         

It's pink!!! We are welcoming a baby girl into the world!

My Walking WebMD

Me: My back really hurts. Like sharp pains.
Hubs: (starts thumping on my back) Does this hurt?
Me: Well, yeah.
Hubs: If it hurts than it's kidney stones.
Me: Oh great...
Hubs: I mean... it's probably not. I bet you don't have anything to worry about.
Me: Yeah, ... gee thanks!

Lucky me - I have a husband who tries to put all his knowledge to good use every chance he gets. Good practice for him, but he's like a walking WebMD. You know, where you type in one little symptom and the first thing that pops up is the worst thing you could have, like cancer. I'm so lucky.

Cadaver Ball

The Cadaver Ball is a medical school tradition. As strange as it sounds, it started ages ago at the IV league medical schools. First there is a Cadaver Memorial, where the students honor the people and their families of those who donated their bodies to science. Afterwards (or weeks away), there is a reception. Also known as 'medical school prom.' The Cadaver Ball holds a lot of significance as well. It marks as a celebration that the M1s are done with their gross anatomy. The M1s plan and host this event for the M2s as a thank you for helping them get through their first year. Can you believe that these students, on top of going through Infectious Diseases, make time to plan this event. They did mutliple fundraisers, the meal was catered, decorated, put together a video, slideshow, and MC'd. The theme was Miami Vice. Here are a few pictures of the event.

It was hard being surrounded by all the girls in their little skinny dresses and me and my belly... but it wasn't too bad and I just practiced my prego pose!

What to Expect When You Are Expecting

Everytime we see this movie preview, we laugh out loud.

I'm not sure if the movie will be good, but the preview is pretty funny. Watch for yourself:

Match Day 2012

Due to my job, I was able to attend a Match Day. What a neat experience. Match Day is a day where all 4th year medical students across the country find out, at the exact same time, where they matched for residency. Here is a little bit more information on the process...

During your fourth year as a medical student, you apply for your residency program. You spend a lot of the time researching your desired specialty and all of the different residency programs. All of them very different, some more laid back and viewed as a family, while others for prestigious and sought after. This is where my job description comes in... assisting students get ready professionally for their fourth year - choosing a specialty, creating their CVs, Personal Statements, interview skills, and so on). After students apply, they can get called for interview and then spend the next few weeks/months traveling the country. Some students can go on 50 interviews - which can get extremely costly on a student loan budget. Once interview 'season' is over, students rank (usually around 20-25) while all residency programs rank the students they interviewed as well. All info is sent, and after a magical algorythm, a match is created and this brings us to Match Day.

On Match Day, students receive their envelope and find out for the first time where they will be moving in a few months. Some are disappointed they didn't get their first choice and some are jumping up and down with excitement. Talk about an emotional day! To top it off, you are in a room with your graduating class (and everyones' family members) all opening your envelopes at the same time and your result is being displayed across the screen for all to see.

This is what our Match Day consisted of: as we are waiting for the clock to turn 11:00 to begin the passing out of the envelopes, the students perform perform a hilarious and well done flash mob to LMFAO Party Rock Anthem Shuffle. First, 5 students got up on stage and started dancing, interrupting another students speech. Than you have students sitting next to you who stand up and start doing the choreographed dance at their seat (in front of all of their families). We were all so impressed! Picture students dressed in their business clothes, some in heels, and the shuffle looked a little something like this (I found something similar on youtube). They all got pretty into it. After they were done, our Assistant Dean took the stage and said "Well, I know we have the most talentated class of 2012"; each student when they receive their envelope brings a dollar and puts it in a fish bowl, whoever is the last to be called - who had to wait the longest to receive their envelope - gets to take home the bowl (consisted of well over $100); when names were called the students chose their theme song to be played. These students were creative! Just a few songs included: "I can see clearly now" (he was applying to ophthalmology), the ER theme song, "tonight's going to be a good night," "don't worry be happy," "all I do is win," some superhero theme songs (captain planet, batman, superman), the TV show Scrubs theme song - "I can't do this on my own", Top Gun "Danger Zone", and the list goes on. I definitely had to hold back my hormonal tears when students walked up with their baby. A few walked up on stage with their 2 or 3 kids. All I could think of was my husband in 3 years walking up there with our baby. Uh, gets me everytime!

Nationwide here are the 2012 results:
38,377 medical students applying for residency
95% matched and do not have to scramble (the highest match rate in 30 years)
81.6% of students matched with their top 3 choices
56% of students matched with their number 1 choice

Check out this website for more statistics.

First Trimester

Overview: I lost about 8 lbs from week 1 through week 10. I can count on my hands how many days I have NOT been sick. It's been rough. The doctor was able to prescribe me some medicine, which worked like magic. Other than making me extremely tired and give me bad headaches, I'd take that over getting sick every day. Things in my head sound soooo good, but then my stomach says 'no way!' It's hard to find something that my stomach and head agree on. I have driven across town to a restaurant a few times and sat in the parking lot and then said "nope!" and had to drive away.

My "go-to" foods: protein shakes, bean and cheese soft tacos from Taco C, Schlotzkeys, chocolate milk, Gatorade,

Things that make me nauseous: uncooked meat - well all meat, eggs, opening our refrigerator (I have basically stayed out of the kitchen for the most part), pictures/descriptions of food (I was so shocked at how many food commercials there are! I have sprinted to the bathroom a time or two just because of a commercial on TV. Now I just have to change the channel each time)
Showing: only in the late afternoon due to being bloated. a friend called it my 5 o'clock shadow/belly :)

Sweetest thing hubby did: he made all my meals for me and even cleans the toilet for me!

Senses: there was one week where my  senses were so strong, I could walk in a room and tell you what was in the trashcan. It was a fun game to play at work (left over cup of starbucks, left over ramen noodles from the night before, chick-fil-a)

Things I miss the most: eating out with friends, going to the grocery store, wine, ramen noodles, eating a whole meal (it's sad when you go to Chuys and you are so excited to eat your "as big as your face burrito" that you have been eating the whole thing since you were 5 and you can only have a few pieces.)

What I look forward to in my second trimester: being normal again, getting my energy back, starting to show more, getting things done, and putting together our registry!

Goals for second trimester: drink more water!

I am so grateful for my sweet husband. He has been there for me every step of the way and trying to make it easier for me as possible. He makes every meal for me, going to the grocery store for us, taking me to work, and the list goes on. The good thing is he gets a lot of studying done at night or in the mornings because I sleep so much. I have already told him how I only want to have 1 kid, because I can't imagine being this sick and chasing a toddler around and having to cook for them (I mean I can't even open our fridge without sprinting to the bathroom!) At the end of my first trimester, I said to my sweet husband "ok, I'm tired of being sick and tired all the time. I need to start taking care of myself." and his response was "Let me take good care of you now because in future pregnancies you will have to do this all by yourself." Something I hadn't thought about. I definitely wouldn't have made it through this without him and so I said "ok, you can keep taking care of me then. :) "

brick by brick we build... OUR FAMILY!!!

Please welcome the newest member of our family... our little Bricklett!

He has made everything Beautiful in its time.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

Awkward moments

Being a medical student is FULL of awkward moments...

Every medical student is required to learn how to give a physical exam. Each student had to recently give a breast exam. Five students crammed in a room, performing in front of each other. If you mess up a small part, you have to start all over.

A few days after, my husband runs into his breast exam lady in line at the grocery store. He says he had three options: awkwardly get out of the middle of the line and leave, say hi and then if she doesn't remember you than you have to spend time explaining why you know her, or just pretend you don't recognize her. He chose to just pretend he didn't recognize her.

The funny thing is, his awkward moment wasn't the only one. A couple of students have mentioned that they recently ran into breast exam lady too. Here's to awkward moments and many more to come...

Have you ever ran into your doctor outside of the hospital before??? Some friends shared some awkward moments with me. And now we know why doctors live in small towns outside of their practice!

TEDMED

This year, my department is hosing a simulcast for TEDMED 2012. TEDMED is a large conference held in Washington, DC where all types of doctors, researchers, and others with a medical interest come together for sessions and networking. It's large purpose is innovation - sharing new ideas with eachother and coming up with solutions. It has such a large variety of people... Lance Armstrong, David Blaine, Steve Wozniak, Nobel Prize winner, and numerous doctors. I've watched a few videos and find them very interesting. I'm looking forward to hosting them on our campus! Enjoy!!

Lance Armstrong:

How David Blaine proved doctors wrong on how long he could hold his breath:

Exoskeleton: