WHO?? ME?? Hee hee hee hee!! :)
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Monday, April 8, 2013
Medical Speak
Sorry I haven't been very good at blogging lately. I think I'm averaging about once per week. Last week, Dave and I went to Monterey and he golfed at Spyglass and Pebble Beach with his friend from internship/residency. I hung out at the spa and we had dinner with his friend and his wife. Fun, relaxing times!
However, I missed my babies so much! I was happy to get home and see them all again. Special thanks to my parents and my in-laws for watching my kids and dogs.
Jacob has been studying the human skeleton in 2nd grade. Today in the car on the way home from school, he was quizzing Joshua (who is only 5) on the bones in the human body and then he was asking Joshua if certain body parts were bone or cartilage. Joshua actually got a lot of the bone vs. cartilage questions right (not sure how he knows that!) and got the skull right! Jacob was getting irritated because I kept blurting out "Phalanges! Patella! That bone is something funny- humerus! get it ha ha! Ulna! Radius! Femur!" before Joshua even had a chance to answer most of the questions! Yes, I was a bit proud of myself for still remembering all of the bones. I was so proud of those boys for being excited about learning Elementary Anatomy 101.....my gosh, is it starting already?! My future doctor sons?
When I was about 6, I decided after seeing a female doctor at my pediatrician's office, that I was going to be a doctor also. I used to have a sign hanging on my bedroom door that said "Dr. V. and my last name, OB/GYN". I worked my butt off from that day to become a doctor. I worked my butt off at work taking great care of my patients. I loved to "run" cases with my BFF Missy from medical school on the phone. When we were finally out of residency (and had erroneously convinced ourselves that the good life was about to begin), we used to call each other on the way to our first jobs at 7:00 AM every single day (after we had already dropped the kids off at daycare) and run cases (talk about cases and see if the other person agreed with our medical decision making too)--never mentioning patient names or identifying info, of course--I couldn't get enough of it. I love medicine like I love all those crime detective TV shows. Solving a medical problem....reviewing patient labs and MRI results and their symptoms and findings on physical exam, etc. and trying to solve the case, crack the code, whodunit, it was exhilarating. Another friend from med school occastionally runs cases by me when I ask her if she has seen anything cool lately at work. It is funny how easily I can solve cases from my family room couch...secondary syphilis without even seeing the rash, atypical presentation of lupus, compartment syndrome, metastatic cancer in a patient presenting with back pain... that had initially stumped them.....but only because I am comfortable at home and not under the pressure of being at work. Had I been working, the answer probably wouldn't have come to me so easily, either. So you're probably wondering why I quit working to stay home with my kids? Funny thing~ in med school, Missy always said she wanted 4 kids--all boys. I told her she was f-ing crazy, and I was only having 2 kids (if that! And girls, BTW.) So how ironic it is, 18 years later, that she has 2 kids (a boy and a girl), and I have 4 kiddos! The majority of them being boys!
Anyways, why am I home all day with kiddos instead of working and solving the medical mysteries of my patients? Did you catch that sentence above, about dropping Zack off at daycare before 7:00 AM? And guess what, he was picked up from daycare at 6:00 PM everyday. 55 hours a week in daycare. Lovely. And when I got home, I used to bring work home with me. Things to look up, sick patients to worry about, charts to finish online, and that damn beeper going off ALL. NIGHT. LONG when I was on call. It wasn't fair to my kids to have a mother that was half there, half with her mind on work-related things. I'm lucky that we can afford for me to stay home with the kids and tend to all of their needs. And volunteer in their classrooms and with the PTA reading program at school. And bring homework assignments to school right then and there that were forgotten at home. And stay home with them when they are sick and have to miss school.
Somebody asked me the other day when (if) I was going to go back to work. My plan was to go back this August, when Joshua was in kindergarten. Then Cambria arrived so that has kind of changed things a bit. Someone that I went to elementary/middle school asked a mutual friend of ours why I quit work when I could make 6 figures. I simply said, "It's not about the money. It's about time with my kids." Oh sure, don't get me wrong- there are days when they drive me crazy! The younger two boys bicker like an old married couple! But then todaythey melted my heart quizzing each other about the human skeleton and cartilage.
Missy's birthday is this week, so that brought back memories of my former life. Equally busy as my current life, just not as much fun as this new one.
And as for my kids and their futures? The sky's the limit. :)
However, I missed my babies so much! I was happy to get home and see them all again. Special thanks to my parents and my in-laws for watching my kids and dogs.
Jacob has been studying the human skeleton in 2nd grade. Today in the car on the way home from school, he was quizzing Joshua (who is only 5) on the bones in the human body and then he was asking Joshua if certain body parts were bone or cartilage. Joshua actually got a lot of the bone vs. cartilage questions right (not sure how he knows that!) and got the skull right! Jacob was getting irritated because I kept blurting out "Phalanges! Patella! That bone is something funny- humerus! get it ha ha! Ulna! Radius! Femur!" before Joshua even had a chance to answer most of the questions! Yes, I was a bit proud of myself for still remembering all of the bones. I was so proud of those boys for being excited about learning Elementary Anatomy 101.....my gosh, is it starting already?! My future doctor sons?
When I was about 6, I decided after seeing a female doctor at my pediatrician's office, that I was going to be a doctor also. I used to have a sign hanging on my bedroom door that said "Dr. V. and my last name, OB/GYN". I worked my butt off from that day to become a doctor. I worked my butt off at work taking great care of my patients. I loved to "run" cases with my BFF Missy from medical school on the phone. When we were finally out of residency (and had erroneously convinced ourselves that the good life was about to begin), we used to call each other on the way to our first jobs at 7:00 AM every single day (after we had already dropped the kids off at daycare) and run cases (talk about cases and see if the other person agreed with our medical decision making too)--never mentioning patient names or identifying info, of course--I couldn't get enough of it. I love medicine like I love all those crime detective TV shows. Solving a medical problem....reviewing patient labs and MRI results and their symptoms and findings on physical exam, etc. and trying to solve the case, crack the code, whodunit, it was exhilarating. Another friend from med school occastionally runs cases by me when I ask her if she has seen anything cool lately at work. It is funny how easily I can solve cases from my family room couch...secondary syphilis without even seeing the rash, atypical presentation of lupus, compartment syndrome, metastatic cancer in a patient presenting with back pain... that had initially stumped them.....but only because I am comfortable at home and not under the pressure of being at work. Had I been working, the answer probably wouldn't have come to me so easily, either. So you're probably wondering why I quit working to stay home with my kids? Funny thing~ in med school, Missy always said she wanted 4 kids--all boys. I told her she was f-ing crazy, and I was only having 2 kids (if that! And girls, BTW.) So how ironic it is, 18 years later, that she has 2 kids (a boy and a girl), and I have 4 kiddos! The majority of them being boys!
Anyways, why am I home all day with kiddos instead of working and solving the medical mysteries of my patients? Did you catch that sentence above, about dropping Zack off at daycare before 7:00 AM? And guess what, he was picked up from daycare at 6:00 PM everyday. 55 hours a week in daycare. Lovely. And when I got home, I used to bring work home with me. Things to look up, sick patients to worry about, charts to finish online, and that damn beeper going off ALL. NIGHT. LONG when I was on call. It wasn't fair to my kids to have a mother that was half there, half with her mind on work-related things. I'm lucky that we can afford for me to stay home with the kids and tend to all of their needs. And volunteer in their classrooms and with the PTA reading program at school. And bring homework assignments to school right then and there that were forgotten at home. And stay home with them when they are sick and have to miss school.
Somebody asked me the other day when (if) I was going to go back to work. My plan was to go back this August, when Joshua was in kindergarten. Then Cambria arrived so that has kind of changed things a bit. Someone that I went to elementary/middle school asked a mutual friend of ours why I quit work when I could make 6 figures. I simply said, "It's not about the money. It's about time with my kids." Oh sure, don't get me wrong- there are days when they drive me crazy! The younger two boys bicker like an old married couple! But then todaythey melted my heart quizzing each other about the human skeleton and cartilage.
Missy's birthday is this week, so that brought back memories of my former life. Equally busy as my current life, just not as much fun as this new one.
And as for my kids and their futures? The sky's the limit. :)
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Happy Easter!
Happy Easter to everyone! This year was extra-special for us because it was Cambria's first Easter! God, that girl is so cute! I love her sooo much. And it melts my heart to see the way my boys love her too. And Sophie la dog (not to be confused with her toy Sophie la Giraffe--that's it name for real, Google it!) loves her too! We now have to differentiate between Sophie la dog and Sophie la giraffe! lol
We went to Scottsdale for the weekend. It was really packed full of fun. And we wrapped it up with church and then dinner today with both of our families at Maggiano's-- YUM! And we were there for 3 hours!
Phoenix Suns game last night, fun trip to the bookstore as the one here in my town closed down- bummer! Boys got to swim at the hotel pool, and dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. Friday was no school because of Good Friday....I let the kids have fun playdates and then they had baseball practice.
Cambria weighs 14 lbs and 13 ounces as of her 6-month check-up last Wednesday! She has rolled over several times, but doesn't really love it. She does love to scoot around the room on her back. She digs her heels into the carpet and scoots around! I love her laugh.
I talked to her birth mother on Friday, and she was telling me a conversation she had with a friend of hers....the friend asked if she regretted her decision to place Cambria for adoption. Her birthmother said, "No I don't regret my decision. I could not have picked a better family for her."
How sweet is that?! I am so happy that she is happy with us as her choice of adoptive parents of her daughter. Which let Cambria become my daughter.
God is so good. I praise him and thank him, especially on this Easter day, for listening to my prayers and lined up things perfectly to let this little girl come into my life and the lives of all of my family members. When we were at Maggiano's today at dinner, my uncle looked at Cambria and said, "That baby is so loved by everyone." I'm glad. I'm glad my family loves her as much as I do.
And I've only eaten one piece of Easter candy today! Amen.
We went to Scottsdale for the weekend. It was really packed full of fun. And we wrapped it up with church and then dinner today with both of our families at Maggiano's-- YUM! And we were there for 3 hours!
Phoenix Suns game last night, fun trip to the bookstore as the one here in my town closed down- bummer! Boys got to swim at the hotel pool, and dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. Friday was no school because of Good Friday....I let the kids have fun playdates and then they had baseball practice.
Cambria weighs 14 lbs and 13 ounces as of her 6-month check-up last Wednesday! She has rolled over several times, but doesn't really love it. She does love to scoot around the room on her back. She digs her heels into the carpet and scoots around! I love her laugh.
I talked to her birth mother on Friday, and she was telling me a conversation she had with a friend of hers....the friend asked if she regretted her decision to place Cambria for adoption. Her birthmother said, "No I don't regret my decision. I could not have picked a better family for her."
How sweet is that?! I am so happy that she is happy with us as her choice of adoptive parents of her daughter. Which let Cambria become my daughter.
God is so good. I praise him and thank him, especially on this Easter day, for listening to my prayers and lined up things perfectly to let this little girl come into my life and the lives of all of my family members. When we were at Maggiano's today at dinner, my uncle looked at Cambria and said, "That baby is so loved by everyone." I'm glad. I'm glad my family loves her as much as I do.
And I've only eaten one piece of Easter candy today! Amen.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Weekend Wrap-Up
1004 page views on this blog, and only 2 followers! Really?? I mean, really?! Come on, you guys! Show a girl some love and become a follower! You can follow privately/anonymously.
Crazy busy, but fun weekend over here. Jacob's birthday party was Friday night- sleepover and Saturday pool party. Then my parents and Dave's brother and SIL came over and hung out for a while. Today was church and guitar lessons for Zack, swimming lessons for Jake and Josh and then batting practice for Zack, and Jake went too for a while- Dave was throwing some fly balls for him to practice catching. Then our friend T and her kids who used to live here came into town and we met them for dinner tonight along with another friend and her kids who still live here. SO. MUCH. FUN!! T- come on, you can become a follower on my blog! ;)
Tomorrow I'm going in for a much-needed hair appt. I had to miss my appt on Tuesday because Jacob was home with the stomach flu. Cami has her 6-month check up appt tomorrow- I can't wait to see how much my little petunia weighs! Then the kids and I are meeting up with T and her kids again. Her daughter was Zack's first friend when we moved here 7.5 years ago. We used to hang out with them a lot before they moved. It's fun to see them again!
Zack was 3 years old and Jake was 3 months old when we moved here. I can't belive we've lived here for that long, and I can't believe how old my kids are getting! Hard to believe, because I'm not any older than I was when we moved here back in 2005! Lol!!
I still have to post pics. It's late and I still have tons to do since I was having fun all weekend and not doing many chores! So I'll post them another day.
Goodnight! Sweet dreams! Follow me! ;)
Crazy busy, but fun weekend over here. Jacob's birthday party was Friday night- sleepover and Saturday pool party. Then my parents and Dave's brother and SIL came over and hung out for a while. Today was church and guitar lessons for Zack, swimming lessons for Jake and Josh and then batting practice for Zack, and Jake went too for a while- Dave was throwing some fly balls for him to practice catching. Then our friend T and her kids who used to live here came into town and we met them for dinner tonight along with another friend and her kids who still live here. SO. MUCH. FUN!! T- come on, you can become a follower on my blog! ;)
Tomorrow I'm going in for a much-needed hair appt. I had to miss my appt on Tuesday because Jacob was home with the stomach flu. Cami has her 6-month check up appt tomorrow- I can't wait to see how much my little petunia weighs! Then the kids and I are meeting up with T and her kids again. Her daughter was Zack's first friend when we moved here 7.5 years ago. We used to hang out with them a lot before they moved. It's fun to see them again!
Zack was 3 years old and Jake was 3 months old when we moved here. I can't belive we've lived here for that long, and I can't believe how old my kids are getting! Hard to believe, because I'm not any older than I was when we moved here back in 2005! Lol!!
I still have to post pics. It's late and I still have tons to do since I was having fun all weekend and not doing many chores! So I'll post them another day.
Goodnight! Sweet dreams! Follow me! ;)
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Yoga Funny
HA!! I saw this on Facebook, and it made me laugh! The curse of the stay-at-home-mom....wearing loose, comfy clothes day after day!
I used to work out with my trainer twice a week and this past year hasn't been going so well with all of my medical ailments and ankle sprains and being sleep-deprived from a new baby! But I am supposed to start working out with my trainer again this Thursday. Wish me luck!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Reflections on This Night Before Jacob's Birthday
8 years ago tonight I was in the hospital being induced with my second son Jacob! How exciting is that! And I had a great epidural, too! I had a ton of pregnancy complications, so I was induced at 36 and 6/7 weeks. I have never experienced spontaneous labor. I was induced all 3 times. With Jacob I had hyperthyroidism, tachycardia, pre-eclampsia and low amniotic fluid. I also had horrible carpal tunnel, and willingly went to the hand surgeon for injections in my wrists to ease the discomfort from the carpal tunnel. I also had low blood sugar episodes, and had to monitor my blood sugar. And I willingly got pregnant again with Joshua after all that!
Cambria's birth mother did NOT get induced with her. How interesting is that? I was induced all 3 times, and my daughter's birth mother was not induced with her. Maybe partly because she was young and healthy?
Anyways, I keep thinking about that night....8 years ago tonight. Such sweet anticipation....anxiously waiting for him to arrive. He is such a sweet kid. He had the biggest blue eyes!
I remember driving to the ultrasound appt saying to myself, "I really want a girl, but what if it really is a girl??!" Almost like I was afraid if it was a girl. Jacob is a sweet, sensitive child. Before Cambria came along, I used to say that God didn't give me a girl because he gave me Jacob!
Dave and I always say that if Jacob was a girl, we'd only have 2 kids. God totally had a plan in mind for us. He put us on this special path to have not one, not two, but three boys. And then we got our girl! And if Jacob was a girl, then we would totally miss out on Joshua and Cambria. God wanted us to have Jacob and Joshua and Cambria all after Zachary. In that order. I'm so glad (obviously) that Jacob is my son and I get to be his momma and raise him.
I hope my adoptive momma friends won't be mad at me for saying this. I love my adopted daughter. But I am glad I got to experience pregnancy and childbirth first-hand. It changes you. (And I don't mean the stretch marks and hemorrhoids and bladder issues- HA!) And I never had to worry about a birth mom changing her mind about placement with my 3 biological children. I just got to enjoy their pregnanciess and births and infancies without worrying about adoption issues and people changing their minds and relinquishments getting signed and home studies and post-placement visits and court finalizations, etc. etc. By the time Cambria was in our lives, I realized just how special an experience her birth was, and how meaningful it was that her birth mother placed her with us. I'm not sure if I would have appreciated her selfless act as much as I did if I hadn't experienced growing a baby in my uterus and delivering her and the instant bond of mother and child beforehand. I knew quite well what Cambria's birthmother was giving up by placing her for adoption. And so did she-- because she already had children that she was parenting. I am glad that I got to grow my family thru having biological children and the miracle of adoption. :)
Happy 8th birthday to my sweet middle son Jacob Ryan at 5:20 AM on March 11th! I love you sooo much!
Cambria's birth mother did NOT get induced with her. How interesting is that? I was induced all 3 times, and my daughter's birth mother was not induced with her. Maybe partly because she was young and healthy?
Anyways, I keep thinking about that night....8 years ago tonight. Such sweet anticipation....anxiously waiting for him to arrive. He is such a sweet kid. He had the biggest blue eyes!
I remember driving to the ultrasound appt saying to myself, "I really want a girl, but what if it really is a girl??!" Almost like I was afraid if it was a girl. Jacob is a sweet, sensitive child. Before Cambria came along, I used to say that God didn't give me a girl because he gave me Jacob!
Dave and I always say that if Jacob was a girl, we'd only have 2 kids. God totally had a plan in mind for us. He put us on this special path to have not one, not two, but three boys. And then we got our girl! And if Jacob was a girl, then we would totally miss out on Joshua and Cambria. God wanted us to have Jacob and Joshua and Cambria all after Zachary. In that order. I'm so glad (obviously) that Jacob is my son and I get to be his momma and raise him.
I hope my adoptive momma friends won't be mad at me for saying this. I love my adopted daughter. But I am glad I got to experience pregnancy and childbirth first-hand. It changes you. (And I don't mean the stretch marks and hemorrhoids and bladder issues- HA!) And I never had to worry about a birth mom changing her mind about placement with my 3 biological children. I just got to enjoy their pregnanciess and births and infancies without worrying about adoption issues and people changing their minds and relinquishments getting signed and home studies and post-placement visits and court finalizations, etc. etc. By the time Cambria was in our lives, I realized just how special an experience her birth was, and how meaningful it was that her birth mother placed her with us. I'm not sure if I would have appreciated her selfless act as much as I did if I hadn't experienced growing a baby in my uterus and delivering her and the instant bond of mother and child beforehand. I knew quite well what Cambria's birthmother was giving up by placing her for adoption. And so did she-- because she already had children that she was parenting. I am glad that I got to grow my family thru having biological children and the miracle of adoption. :)
Happy 8th birthday to my sweet middle son Jacob Ryan at 5:20 AM on March 11th! I love you sooo much!
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
A Little Bit of Everything
I haven't blogged that much lately. (Some of you are saying to yourselves, "Thank God!" lol)
I haven't had anything too interesting to share. I was sick for 3 weeks and ended up with pneumonia, which knocked me down on my behind. I am better now. I am busy with my 4 kids and all of their activities and my hubby. Life is good in that respect. My oldest got hammered with multiple projects at school which were tough and a pain in the ass. Dave has been working a lot lately. Yes, I know~ it's a good thing that he has a job in this economy.
Basketball season just ended. My oldest had to try out on Saturday for baseball for the majors division. Dave is going to coach Jacob's minors division team. Joshua is going to play T-ball. 3 kids playing baseball on 3 different teams...each kid has 2 games and a practice per week. That is 9 total practices /games per week! With a husband who works a night shift 1-2 nights per week. But we'll do it....we always do!
Cambria is 5 months old. She rolled over and is loving baby food. She just ate her last day of peaches today. Tomorrow we start vegetables. Should we start with carrots or sweet potatoes? hmmm....decisions, decisions. I love that little girl so much. I miss her the few times that I am actually not with her! She and I are connected at the hip, and I love it!
Tonight is the kindergarten open house at school for Josh, and Thursday night is the middle school open house for 6th graders for Zack!
My oldest son Zachary has a new friend whose name is Jacob. He is a middle child, like my Jacob. He has a younger brother named Joshua, like my Joshua! They have 3 sons too! His mother said to me "Oh, you got your girl!" I laughed and said "yes, we adopted her."
One of my adoption friends- she is a birth mother- has experienced some heartbreak lately. The adoptive parents that adopted her baby closed the adoption on her. My friend and her BF seem like really good people. I am crushed for them for this loss. Their daughter is just turning 3, so they have to wait for 15 more years to have a relationship with her, unless the adoptive parents come to their senses in the meantime. I've read a few blogs where the adoptive parents basically did the "grab and run" once they got the baby and I feel so bad for them. Their pain is palpable on their blog. It is soul-crushing. I try very hard to respect Cambria's birth parents, and not shut them out like these birthmothers have had done to them. Two of these blogs are probably my most favorite blogs, they are written with real and raw emotions and feelings, and I wish they didn't have to experience that.
On that note, I spoke with Cambria's birthmom the other day. She told me she'll never regret her decision to place her baby for adoption. She loves her, but did what was best for the baby. I admire her strength. She told me lots of her family history, and I love that I have this info to pass along to Cambria when she is older. I never want my daughter to feel in the dark about her biological family. She sent me some ultrasound photos, and I put them into this frame that was for an ultrasound photo. My friend commented on the picture on Facebook, "You are so lucky you got this!" Yes, I am very lucky that I got some ultrasound photos.
Well, I'm off to Target now. I got Cambria this cute Easter outfit- a onesie with bunny rabbits on it, and a hot pink tutu! It's too small. So I'm going to exchange it!
I haven't had anything too interesting to share. I was sick for 3 weeks and ended up with pneumonia, which knocked me down on my behind. I am better now. I am busy with my 4 kids and all of their activities and my hubby. Life is good in that respect. My oldest got hammered with multiple projects at school which were tough and a pain in the ass. Dave has been working a lot lately. Yes, I know~ it's a good thing that he has a job in this economy.
Basketball season just ended. My oldest had to try out on Saturday for baseball for the majors division. Dave is going to coach Jacob's minors division team. Joshua is going to play T-ball. 3 kids playing baseball on 3 different teams...each kid has 2 games and a practice per week. That is 9 total practices /games per week! With a husband who works a night shift 1-2 nights per week. But we'll do it....we always do!
Cambria is 5 months old. She rolled over and is loving baby food. She just ate her last day of peaches today. Tomorrow we start vegetables. Should we start with carrots or sweet potatoes? hmmm....decisions, decisions. I love that little girl so much. I miss her the few times that I am actually not with her! She and I are connected at the hip, and I love it!
Tonight is the kindergarten open house at school for Josh, and Thursday night is the middle school open house for 6th graders for Zack!
My oldest son Zachary has a new friend whose name is Jacob. He is a middle child, like my Jacob. He has a younger brother named Joshua, like my Joshua! They have 3 sons too! His mother said to me "Oh, you got your girl!" I laughed and said "yes, we adopted her."
One of my adoption friends- she is a birth mother- has experienced some heartbreak lately. The adoptive parents that adopted her baby closed the adoption on her. My friend and her BF seem like really good people. I am crushed for them for this loss. Their daughter is just turning 3, so they have to wait for 15 more years to have a relationship with her, unless the adoptive parents come to their senses in the meantime. I've read a few blogs where the adoptive parents basically did the "grab and run" once they got the baby and I feel so bad for them. Their pain is palpable on their blog. It is soul-crushing. I try very hard to respect Cambria's birth parents, and not shut them out like these birthmothers have had done to them. Two of these blogs are probably my most favorite blogs, they are written with real and raw emotions and feelings, and I wish they didn't have to experience that.
On that note, I spoke with Cambria's birthmom the other day. She told me she'll never regret her decision to place her baby for adoption. She loves her, but did what was best for the baby. I admire her strength. She told me lots of her family history, and I love that I have this info to pass along to Cambria when she is older. I never want my daughter to feel in the dark about her biological family. She sent me some ultrasound photos, and I put them into this frame that was for an ultrasound photo. My friend commented on the picture on Facebook, "You are so lucky you got this!" Yes, I am very lucky that I got some ultrasound photos.
Well, I'm off to Target now. I got Cambria this cute Easter outfit- a onesie with bunny rabbits on it, and a hot pink tutu! It's too small. So I'm going to exchange it!
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