Ho, Ho, Ho! Happy Holidays everyone. I can't believe I haven't blogged since August. I feel like I've been bored more in the past few months than I have been my whole life, yet I didn't use any of that bored time to blog. Anywho, we're getting ready to embark on Ella's 3rd Christmas. I can't believe she's 2 1/2 already and it's amazing the difference between this Christmas and last and even between now and 6 months ago at her 2nd birthday. She is soooo into presents. We have a few under the tree already and every morning she asks if she can open them. So, we're counting down the days until our early Christmas arrives. We are leaving for a short trip to FL on the evening of the 23rd, so that morning we're going to have our own Christmas here. So, Ella will be visited by Santa twice and hopefully that won't be too confusing for her. She will be getting some of the gifts that she asked Santa for here and in FL. :)
As for other things, I've been trying to get on the ball with studying for the GRE so I can go get a Masters degree by next Fall. But, it's slow going, especially after taking the diagnostic test and feeling like an idiot for all the things I didn't remember (or didn't know in the first place). I've also been thinking about starting Ella in preschool in Jan. instead of waiting until next Fall. I really think she's ready besides the fact that she's not potty trained yet. But, the place that I have in mind doesn't require that, so maybe they can actually help with it! Anyway, I really think Ella thrives on being around other kids and getting attention from other adults. Since the cold weather has set in Ella and I have been getting on each other's nerves day in and day out and even though we loves each other to death, I think both of us need a change of scenery and I don't think it's going to get better once it gets warmer because she'll be older! :)
As for Stephen, he's on his worst rotation yet, which we weren't thinking would happen. He's on his pediatric cardiology and genetics rotation. And like I said before, it sucks. He's on-call again every 4th night and when he's not on-call, he doesn't get home until 6:30pm or so. So, here's hoping that the 23rd gets here fast and that his Hem/Onc rotation won't be THIS bad when we get back from Christmas break!
Well...more complaining from me. I'm going to try and blog more and hopefully things will brighten up in 2008!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Long Time No Blog
Hey Y'all! Sorry it's been so long since I last blogged. Things this month have been pretty nonstop. We've had visitors for the past few weeks starting on August 2nd. So, Ella has had a blast with her family and friends starting with her great-grandma and her Aunt Angela. They flew up here and stayed for 5 days and we all enjoyed seeing each other. Aunt Angela had a gift for Ella for every day she was here and Ella still talks about all the stuff that Anglea brought her. G'ma brought Ella a Curious George Goes to the Hospital book and a Wee Sing book. Ella is really enoying learning all these new songs. Her favortie right now is "Deep and Wide". She is awesome at doing the motions!
G'ma and Angela flew back to FL on the 7th and Josh and Trish arrived that evening. We were all excited to see them. We've definitely missed our Kantor time! Unfortunately they were only able to stay a few days and the time flew by!! But, we were able to get some babysitting for the last evening they were here and the four of us had an adult dinner just like the old days.
Then, for Stephen's birthday on the 17th, his dad flew up from Daytona and Ella was super-excited to see him, too. They sang songs together and Ella picked up a few more sayings from Papa like "Let's get in the bus!" when we're getting ready to leave. Dad was also busy painting our whole basement! The basement was formerly red and yellow and every time I went down there I craved McDonald's! :) We now have it painted a taupe color and have grey-blue accent walls. It looks very beachy.
So, we are now back to our little family and Stephen is starting a new rotation..unfortunately his next two rotations require him being on-call every 4 nights. I'm not looking forward to the next two months. The first month we were here was like that and it was very hard on call three of us. Maybe we'll be better at managing this time around - I hope so anyway.
For more of an Ella update as I said before, she is REALLY into singing lately. Her favorite songs are "Hey There Delilah" by The Plain White T's, "Irreplaceable" by Beyonce, and "Gold Digger" by Kanye West (the clean version of course). But, like I said, she's also learning new bible songs and I'm enjoying them, too. I haven't heard these or sung these since I was in Sunday School so it's cool to teach them to my daughter. We're still looking for a church in AA. Unfortunately, the task is really up to me since Stephen is rarely able to go to church. Ella has enjoyed all the nurseries/sunday schools that she's attended, so I don't have to worry about that at all.
We're still working on the potty training. She knows what to do, but I think she's having a hard time stopping what she's doing in enough time to tell me she has to go. So, when she tells me she wants to go on the potty, she's already done it in her diaper. I guess it's a start, but after having actually gone a few times in the potty and gotten her reward (M&Ms) I just thought it would be easier for her to know what to do and/or remember when to do it. But, again, I'm not pushing her.
As for other news: We have decided to rent our house in Southwood due to the fact that the market just sucks right now no matter where you're trying to sell. Thankfully we found renters almost instantly and they seem like responsible and professional people. Anyway, hopefully this time next year we'll be in a better position to sell, maybe even to the renters.
Well, until next time, I hope every one is well and hopefully it won't be as long between blogs next time.
G'ma and Angela flew back to FL on the 7th and Josh and Trish arrived that evening. We were all excited to see them. We've definitely missed our Kantor time! Unfortunately they were only able to stay a few days and the time flew by!! But, we were able to get some babysitting for the last evening they were here and the four of us had an adult dinner just like the old days.
Then, for Stephen's birthday on the 17th, his dad flew up from Daytona and Ella was super-excited to see him, too. They sang songs together and Ella picked up a few more sayings from Papa like "Let's get in the bus!" when we're getting ready to leave. Dad was also busy painting our whole basement! The basement was formerly red and yellow and every time I went down there I craved McDonald's! :) We now have it painted a taupe color and have grey-blue accent walls. It looks very beachy.
So, we are now back to our little family and Stephen is starting a new rotation..unfortunately his next two rotations require him being on-call every 4 nights. I'm not looking forward to the next two months. The first month we were here was like that and it was very hard on call three of us. Maybe we'll be better at managing this time around - I hope so anyway.
For more of an Ella update as I said before, she is REALLY into singing lately. Her favorite songs are "Hey There Delilah" by The Plain White T's, "Irreplaceable" by Beyonce, and "Gold Digger" by Kanye West (the clean version of course). But, like I said, she's also learning new bible songs and I'm enjoying them, too. I haven't heard these or sung these since I was in Sunday School so it's cool to teach them to my daughter. We're still looking for a church in AA. Unfortunately, the task is really up to me since Stephen is rarely able to go to church. Ella has enjoyed all the nurseries/sunday schools that she's attended, so I don't have to worry about that at all.
We're still working on the potty training. She knows what to do, but I think she's having a hard time stopping what she's doing in enough time to tell me she has to go. So, when she tells me she wants to go on the potty, she's already done it in her diaper. I guess it's a start, but after having actually gone a few times in the potty and gotten her reward (M&Ms) I just thought it would be easier for her to know what to do and/or remember when to do it. But, again, I'm not pushing her.
As for other news: We have decided to rent our house in Southwood due to the fact that the market just sucks right now no matter where you're trying to sell. Thankfully we found renters almost instantly and they seem like responsible and professional people. Anyway, hopefully this time next year we'll be in a better position to sell, maybe even to the renters.
Well, until next time, I hope every one is well and hopefully it won't be as long between blogs next time.
Monday, June 18, 2007
I'm a doctor's wife...
OK...I know the title of my blog has been "Experiences of a doc's wife...." for a while, but I'm officially the wife of a doctor and I'm in the process of adjusting to that lifestyle - in a new state no less. I have to say I can't complain about MI so far. The neighbors are all wonderful and Ella and I have already made friends with a family a few doors down and look forward to our friendship growing. The weather has also been pleasant. We've had a few 90+ degree days, but not back-to-back like they are in FL, so it's easier to bare.
But, I will say that I'm having a hard time adjusting to Stephen's new life. I can't really say that it's been bad so far. It's just that we've had him around constantly for a while now and all-of-a-sudden he's busy with orientation and coming home tired (feels like the beginning of medical school again). His first month which officially starts this coming Sunday, he will be on call every fourth day. So, a week from today is his first night on call which means he'll go in Monday morning at 6:30am and not getting off until Tuesday at 12:30pm...and assuming that he doesn't get much sleep at the hospital, I'm sure he'll sleep when he gets home that afternoon and then gets to go right back to work at 6:30am the next morning. Again, this isn't horrible - it could've been a lot worse if he would have stuck with surgery. I could easily be worrying about nothing and I'm sure I am. It's just a matter of getting used to a new schedule. But, I'm starting to lose sleep and I'm having bad dreams. Without getting too detailed they all play on my abandonment issues. They're pretty much the same dreams every night with a little differences, but they are so real and I wake in a panic and then can't get back to sleep. If I do get back to sleep, the dream continues and it just gets worse. I will then think about this dream as if it were real for the rest of the day. I know it's not real of course, but what really bothers me is not the dream, but how it makes me feel...scared, lonely, worried about the future, etc.
I truly feel like I have no one to talk to about this. I have had dreams like this before although never this frequent. I've mentioned them to Stephen and he's getting sick of it because he thinks they're so absured. Yet, what I really need from his is reassurance, not just hearing that I have "nothing to worry about." I can't imagine this going on for much longer. I really feel like I could easily slip into depression or need to seek counseling if this continues. I'm trying to snap myself out of it and realize that I'm just stressing over new situations and circumstances and it takes everyone time to adjust. So....
...I will continue to blog about my new doctor's wife experiences and maybe even share some stories (even though I'm probably not allowed to). All I ask is that whoever is reading this will keep me in their thoughts and prayers or offer any advice you may have. I know it might be hard to understand what I'm talking about or where I'm coming from if you don't know my past and that's OK. I just needed to share my feelings.
But, I will say that I'm having a hard time adjusting to Stephen's new life. I can't really say that it's been bad so far. It's just that we've had him around constantly for a while now and all-of-a-sudden he's busy with orientation and coming home tired (feels like the beginning of medical school again). His first month which officially starts this coming Sunday, he will be on call every fourth day. So, a week from today is his first night on call which means he'll go in Monday morning at 6:30am and not getting off until Tuesday at 12:30pm...and assuming that he doesn't get much sleep at the hospital, I'm sure he'll sleep when he gets home that afternoon and then gets to go right back to work at 6:30am the next morning. Again, this isn't horrible - it could've been a lot worse if he would have stuck with surgery. I could easily be worrying about nothing and I'm sure I am. It's just a matter of getting used to a new schedule. But, I'm starting to lose sleep and I'm having bad dreams. Without getting too detailed they all play on my abandonment issues. They're pretty much the same dreams every night with a little differences, but they are so real and I wake in a panic and then can't get back to sleep. If I do get back to sleep, the dream continues and it just gets worse. I will then think about this dream as if it were real for the rest of the day. I know it's not real of course, but what really bothers me is not the dream, but how it makes me feel...scared, lonely, worried about the future, etc.
I truly feel like I have no one to talk to about this. I have had dreams like this before although never this frequent. I've mentioned them to Stephen and he's getting sick of it because he thinks they're so absured. Yet, what I really need from his is reassurance, not just hearing that I have "nothing to worry about." I can't imagine this going on for much longer. I really feel like I could easily slip into depression or need to seek counseling if this continues. I'm trying to snap myself out of it and realize that I'm just stressing over new situations and circumstances and it takes everyone time to adjust. So....
...I will continue to blog about my new doctor's wife experiences and maybe even share some stories (even though I'm probably not allowed to). All I ask is that whoever is reading this will keep me in their thoughts and prayers or offer any advice you may have. I know it might be hard to understand what I'm talking about or where I'm coming from if you don't know my past and that's OK. I just needed to share my feelings.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Happy 2nd Birthday Ella!
Today my little girl turned 2! Unfortunately, Ella had to spend her birthday in a new town where we didn't have anyone to invite for her party. So, it was the three of us opening presents that our family and friends sent a long with us and a few that we bought her and then we ate cake!! Ella's birthday theme was the Disney Princesses and she new every one! She got a lot of Play Dough stuff, a new kitchen, wooden beads that you string, and some puzzles. She's also going to get a playground in the backyard from Papa, but we haven't had time to get it just yet. Ella also got big girl furniture for her room and and new decorations that I'm sure she'll enjoy.
As for an update...she had her 2 year checkup this past Monday before we left FL and she weighed 24.14oz and is 33" tall. I have yet to look up the percentiles since our ghetto-pediatrician and her office doesn't tell us that! Anywho, we're enjoying talking to her more and more and as loves to have conversations and point out things al the time. She's also starting ask, "why" a little bit and I'm really dreading when she asks it constantly! One thing that's really adorable is when Stephen or I seem to be having a problem or is getting frustrated, she'll say, "What's the matter" (while putting her hand on our chin) and then says, Come here, I'll help you." It's the cutest thing in the world and her enunciation and emotion that she puts into it makes it even better!
As for a Michigan update, we're enjoying a lot so far. Besides the first two days when we were here and the weather was just like FL, it's been in the 70's for highs ever since. I'm loving that! All of our neighbors came by and introduced themselves the first day we were here and they're all very nice! And there are TONS and I mean TONS of kids around and Ella has already made a few friends. We are sure we are going to love this place more and more. I'm just sick of unpacking! When will it end?!?! No seriously, I've already got the kitchen done and our room will be done by tomorrow and hopefully we'll work on Ella's room soon after.
I hope everyone is well and we have a place for you in MI if you ever want to visit!
As for an update...she had her 2 year checkup this past Monday before we left FL and she weighed 24.14oz and is 33" tall. I have yet to look up the percentiles since our ghetto-pediatrician and her office doesn't tell us that! Anywho, we're enjoying talking to her more and more and as loves to have conversations and point out things al the time. She's also starting ask, "why" a little bit and I'm really dreading when she asks it constantly! One thing that's really adorable is when Stephen or I seem to be having a problem or is getting frustrated, she'll say, "What's the matter" (while putting her hand on our chin) and then says, Come here, I'll help you." It's the cutest thing in the world and her enunciation and emotion that she puts into it makes it even better!
As for a Michigan update, we're enjoying a lot so far. Besides the first two days when we were here and the weather was just like FL, it's been in the 70's for highs ever since. I'm loving that! All of our neighbors came by and introduced themselves the first day we were here and they're all very nice! And there are TONS and I mean TONS of kids around and Ella has already made a few friends. We are sure we are going to love this place more and more. I'm just sick of unpacking! When will it end?!?! No seriously, I've already got the kitchen done and our room will be done by tomorrow and hopefully we'll work on Ella's room soon after.
I hope everyone is well and we have a place for you in MI if you ever want to visit!
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Stephen is a doctor!
Just had to let everyone know that my wonderful husband of almost 6 years has officially become a doctor. Stephen graduated from Florida State's College of Medicine yesterday with 47 other graduates and will be starting his pediatric residency on June 15th. I am so very proud of him and looking forward to the new journey we're about to embark on. Thank you for all your well wishes and your support over the past years!
Ella's 23 Month Update
It's May already?!?! We only have a few more weeks left in FL and I'm starting to get really sad, yet excited about our new journey. Ella doesn't know that anything big is getting ready to happen and I'm starting to worry about her adjusting. She was barely one when we moved back to FL last year and I didn't even give it a second thought, but now I'm concerned. We'll definitely make sure her room is put together first and will go ahead and put her crib up just so she's comfortable the first few weeks and then we'll get her new bed and furniture delivered.
As for a real update - Ella amazes me more and more EVERY day. She LOVES counting and can do so up to 20 and she'll even throw a few spanish numbers in there thanks to Dora, but we aren't necessarily teaching her that. She's also got the whole alphabet down, now we're trying to teach her the song to go with it, but that's not catching on very well. One thing new that she does that I absolutely love, is when she wakes up in the morning and comes downstairs, she says, "Morning mom"...and then proceeds to say that to whoever is there whether its the dogs or Stephen. I still have no idea where she picked that up.
Ella still loves the outdoors. She loves to 'mow' with her bubble-blowing mower, she loves her slide and her sandbox and she loves watching the cows in the pasture across our street. Yes, I know it's weird to think we have cows in our neighborhood, but we do. We live in the back of Southwood and there is pasture across the street where cows roam and eat grass twice a day, so we usually catch them early evening before dinner. All of us will miss the cows a lot!
Ella has also remembered her love for water. I was worried early on because she was very timid the first time we took her to the pool, but we've been a few more times and she's back to her normal self. She even started jumping off the wall into the water!!! I was shocked when she started doing that. :) She also learned how much fun the beach is. I can't wait to take her back. She had a blast in the ocean after she realized that the waves weren't out to get her. So, after a few minutes of running away from the waves, she got right in and let them knock her down, but for the most part, she kept her balance really well while the waves went by. She also loves collecting shells. We were trying to get her to build sand castles with us, but she just destroyed everything daddy and I built!
We also took Ella to Disney a couple weekends ago. The last two times she's been she went with her Aunt and cousins, so we were excited to go with her this time. We split the day up between Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Epcot wasn't really for her and the only reason we wanted to go was because we hadn't been in forever and were curious about the new rides, but we only went on a couple ofthe new rides...we'll have to do the Test Track next time. By the time we got to Animal Kingdom Ella was getting tired, but we still had fun. But, I'm looking forward to using up our special passes that we got and take her back to the Magic Kingdom and MGM before we leave FL for good. We'll be getting on that soon after graduation.
Speaking of graduation...I can't believe it's almost here. That weekend will be whirlwind with all the people who will be in town and everything we have going on, but I'm looking forward to it. I'll probably be giving you the next update a few days early due to our moving around the 5th and Ella will be getting her two year check up earlier that week. So, until then, hope all is well and keep us in your thought and prayers as our lives in the next few weeks will be very hectic and changing very quickly!
As for a real update - Ella amazes me more and more EVERY day. She LOVES counting and can do so up to 20 and she'll even throw a few spanish numbers in there thanks to Dora, but we aren't necessarily teaching her that. She's also got the whole alphabet down, now we're trying to teach her the song to go with it, but that's not catching on very well. One thing new that she does that I absolutely love, is when she wakes up in the morning and comes downstairs, she says, "Morning mom"...and then proceeds to say that to whoever is there whether its the dogs or Stephen. I still have no idea where she picked that up.
Ella still loves the outdoors. She loves to 'mow' with her bubble-blowing mower, she loves her slide and her sandbox and she loves watching the cows in the pasture across our street. Yes, I know it's weird to think we have cows in our neighborhood, but we do. We live in the back of Southwood and there is pasture across the street where cows roam and eat grass twice a day, so we usually catch them early evening before dinner. All of us will miss the cows a lot!
Ella has also remembered her love for water. I was worried early on because she was very timid the first time we took her to the pool, but we've been a few more times and she's back to her normal self. She even started jumping off the wall into the water!!! I was shocked when she started doing that. :) She also learned how much fun the beach is. I can't wait to take her back. She had a blast in the ocean after she realized that the waves weren't out to get her. So, after a few minutes of running away from the waves, she got right in and let them knock her down, but for the most part, she kept her balance really well while the waves went by. She also loves collecting shells. We were trying to get her to build sand castles with us, but she just destroyed everything daddy and I built!
We also took Ella to Disney a couple weekends ago. The last two times she's been she went with her Aunt and cousins, so we were excited to go with her this time. We split the day up between Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Epcot wasn't really for her and the only reason we wanted to go was because we hadn't been in forever and were curious about the new rides, but we only went on a couple ofthe new rides...we'll have to do the Test Track next time. By the time we got to Animal Kingdom Ella was getting tired, but we still had fun. But, I'm looking forward to using up our special passes that we got and take her back to the Magic Kingdom and MGM before we leave FL for good. We'll be getting on that soon after graduation.
Speaking of graduation...I can't believe it's almost here. That weekend will be whirlwind with all the people who will be in town and everything we have going on, but I'm looking forward to it. I'll probably be giving you the next update a few days early due to our moving around the 5th and Ella will be getting her two year check up earlier that week. So, until then, hope all is well and keep us in your thought and prayers as our lives in the next few weeks will be very hectic and changing very quickly!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Ella's 22 Month Update
I can't believe my little girl is almost 2 years old! I know I say this all the time, but it's really scary how fast time flies. Since our last update, Ella has continues to broaden her vocabulary and can pretty much say anything. It's so nice to have her tell us what she wants or needs and it's also nice to be able to tell her anything and she understands it (whether she pays attention to you or not)! One thing I've really enjoyed is how much Ella is singing now. She sings herself to sleep or will just start singing in the car. I will say that her favorite songs are the theme song to Dora, Elmo, and The Backyardigans, so those songs are getting old, but we're trying to branch out and learn new songs.
Ella has also gone to Disney for the fourth time in her short life. The past two times have been without us and it's kinda sad that we're missing those times with her. But, she stayed with her cousins again last week while Stephen and I were in MI looking for a house. So, Ella went to MGM Studios and loved the Indiana Jones show the best! That's my favorite, too. I wish I could've seen her face when all the pyrotechnics went off!
Ella also enjoyed her first Easter egg hunt(s). She went with her cousins to their church this past Sat. and then we had one out her great-grandmother's house after church on Sunday. She definitely knew what she was doing and enjoyed opening all the eggs to get her prizes and candy! I'm not sure how many eggs she got with her cousins, but Stephen hid 48 eggs in my G'ma's backyard and Ella found every one of them!
So, back to our MI trip. Stephen and I were up there for 3 1/2 days and on Good Friday we found our house. Thankfully, the couple selling the house took our first offer! We aren't used to not getting a counter-offer, so we knew this was the place we were supposed to live in next. We're really excited about having a basement, too! The house in good condition for it being 7 years old and the paint that's on the walls are to our liking so we won't have to paint. WooHoo! I'm also very excited that we have an IKEA about 25 mi away. You know where I'll be the first few weeks in MI!! Anyway, it looks like we'll be moving up there around June 6th and closing the next day. Hopefully it will be warmer in June. It didn't get past 35 degrees the whole time we were in MI and it snowed the whole time, too!
Back to Ella, I really hope that she adjusts well to MI and can understand what's going on a little bit. I want to make her comfortable first and foremost and let her realize that this is her new home. Her room is smaller than the one she has now, but the finished basement will make up for that and she can have a play area down there. Well, I feel like there should be more to Ella's update, but she's really just building on things that I've talked about previously. I'm sure there will be a lot more to talk about in the next couple months!
Ella has also gone to Disney for the fourth time in her short life. The past two times have been without us and it's kinda sad that we're missing those times with her. But, she stayed with her cousins again last week while Stephen and I were in MI looking for a house. So, Ella went to MGM Studios and loved the Indiana Jones show the best! That's my favorite, too. I wish I could've seen her face when all the pyrotechnics went off!
Ella also enjoyed her first Easter egg hunt(s). She went with her cousins to their church this past Sat. and then we had one out her great-grandmother's house after church on Sunday. She definitely knew what she was doing and enjoyed opening all the eggs to get her prizes and candy! I'm not sure how many eggs she got with her cousins, but Stephen hid 48 eggs in my G'ma's backyard and Ella found every one of them!
So, back to our MI trip. Stephen and I were up there for 3 1/2 days and on Good Friday we found our house. Thankfully, the couple selling the house took our first offer! We aren't used to not getting a counter-offer, so we knew this was the place we were supposed to live in next. We're really excited about having a basement, too! The house in good condition for it being 7 years old and the paint that's on the walls are to our liking so we won't have to paint. WooHoo! I'm also very excited that we have an IKEA about 25 mi away. You know where I'll be the first few weeks in MI!! Anyway, it looks like we'll be moving up there around June 6th and closing the next day. Hopefully it will be warmer in June. It didn't get past 35 degrees the whole time we were in MI and it snowed the whole time, too!
Back to Ella, I really hope that she adjusts well to MI and can understand what's going on a little bit. I want to make her comfortable first and foremost and let her realize that this is her new home. Her room is smaller than the one she has now, but the finished basement will make up for that and she can have a play area down there. Well, I feel like there should be more to Ella's update, but she's really just building on things that I've talked about previously. I'm sure there will be a lot more to talk about in the next couple months!
Monday, March 19, 2007
Match Day!
So...should I say right way where we're heading in June or should I make you wait? I guess I'll start off by saying that for the past week I have not been nervous or anything. I was at complete peace even though Stephen's #1 choice was CHOP. Stephen, on the other hand, was having a hard time sleeping, he was making himself sick, and was constantly stressed out! We had a few talks to see what the REAL issue was, because I couldn't imagine that anxiety/excitement would make him feel this way. So, I truly felt like he was having second thoughts about CHOP...he was talking a lot about Michigan and I truly felt like he was afraid to tell me that he was having second thoughts about CHOP since I was really nervous about it.
Well, noon yesterday finally came around and there was a poker theme for the day. Every student got a playing card and the card would randomly be picked by a previous student who just matched....so Stephen was a wreck waiting to get his Ace of Spades picked. He was picked about halfway through the 50 students and Ella and I went up with him (we were the only fmaily members that went up - kinda odd, I thought). Anyway, he opened the letter and showed me first before he announced it and....we're going to Michigan!!! WooHoo! So, technically it was Stephen's second choice, but after everything, it really turned out to be his #1. We are very excited and will be moving the first week in June since Stephen's orientation starts June 15th. It will be very rushed, but I'll just keep depending on God as I did with Match Day. I hear Ann Arbor is a great town and we've already started looking at houses on Realtor.com and we're excited about the prospects. We hope to have many visitors during our 6 year stay there! :)
Well, noon yesterday finally came around and there was a poker theme for the day. Every student got a playing card and the card would randomly be picked by a previous student who just matched....so Stephen was a wreck waiting to get his Ace of Spades picked. He was picked about halfway through the 50 students and Ella and I went up with him (we were the only fmaily members that went up - kinda odd, I thought). Anyway, he opened the letter and showed me first before he announced it and....we're going to Michigan!!! WooHoo! So, technically it was Stephen's second choice, but after everything, it really turned out to be his #1. We are very excited and will be moving the first week in June since Stephen's orientation starts June 15th. It will be very rushed, but I'll just keep depending on God as I did with Match Day. I hear Ann Arbor is a great town and we've already started looking at houses on Realtor.com and we're excited about the prospects. We hope to have many visitors during our 6 year stay there! :)
Ella's 21 Month Update
It's March already! I can't believe it. Two and a half more months and we'll be leaving FL for at least 6 years...tims is really flying by and I'm realizing it more and more as Ella is changing and growing up so quickly. This past month has been unreal for me in the motherhood department mainly because I've been amazed at Ella's progress. I know I've said about the same thing every month for the past couple months, but Ella truly learns a ton of news things every DAY...forget every week! She literally copies everything we say and do (which keeps us in check) and we can't go out in public without her starting a coversation or someone coming up to her to talk to her.
The most amazing progress to me is her vocabulary. I was happy with her progress a month ago, but now I'm just flat out in awe. She is talking and singing constantly. She tells us what she wants/needs and can tell us more how she's feeling and it makes things so much easier and less stressful. One of my favorite things that she's says now is 'sorry'. We've been trying really hard to get her to grasp the meaning of 'sorry' and why we say it. Sometimes she gets rough with the dogs and we tel lher to say 'sorry'...well, I think she's about got the concept, because she has started to say 'sorry' to me and Stephen when she does things that she thinks 'hurts' us. It's really cute. Another cute thing is when we do hurt ourselves (i.e., stub our toes pr bump into things) and we say 'ouch' or however we show our pain, she'll make sure we're OK and she won't be satisfied until we tell her that we're OK.
Another big accomplishment is that Ella finally went to the bathroom in her potty. It wasn't anything specific that I did, she was just sitting on her potty after she had asked to go potty and she was reading a book while I was in the kitchen and she came running in saying, "uh oh". I followed her in the bathroom wondering what she had gotten into when she led me to her toilet and pointed in it and said, "uh oh" again. I smiled and said, "Yeah! That's what you're supposed to do! I praised her for what seemed like forever because I wanted her to know that she had done a good thing. She seemed a little confused, but she's always up for praise.
Ella has also been enjoying her new slide that her Papa bought her when he was down last weekend. So, now she has her own sandbox and slide in her backyard. She loves and we go out every afternoon after her nap and play for about an hour. I love the slide, too, because I don't have to help her up it or down it. The steps are sturdy and wide enough for her to climb up and the slide reaches all the way to the ground, so she lands on her feet...or her butt...whichever she prefers at the moment. :)
This time next month our house will officially be on the market and we'll slowly but surly be preparing to move again. Where you ask? Well, we'll find that out this Thurs. around noon. You know I'll post another blog to update you...I will say that we'll most likely match in Philly or Michigan (keep your fingers crossed for Michigan). Until then, hope all is well and I would love to hear from you!
The most amazing progress to me is her vocabulary. I was happy with her progress a month ago, but now I'm just flat out in awe. She is talking and singing constantly. She tells us what she wants/needs and can tell us more how she's feeling and it makes things so much easier and less stressful. One of my favorite things that she's says now is 'sorry'. We've been trying really hard to get her to grasp the meaning of 'sorry' and why we say it. Sometimes she gets rough with the dogs and we tel lher to say 'sorry'...well, I think she's about got the concept, because she has started to say 'sorry' to me and Stephen when she does things that she thinks 'hurts' us. It's really cute. Another cute thing is when we do hurt ourselves (i.e., stub our toes pr bump into things) and we say 'ouch' or however we show our pain, she'll make sure we're OK and she won't be satisfied until we tell her that we're OK.
Another big accomplishment is that Ella finally went to the bathroom in her potty. It wasn't anything specific that I did, she was just sitting on her potty after she had asked to go potty and she was reading a book while I was in the kitchen and she came running in saying, "uh oh". I followed her in the bathroom wondering what she had gotten into when she led me to her toilet and pointed in it and said, "uh oh" again. I smiled and said, "Yeah! That's what you're supposed to do! I praised her for what seemed like forever because I wanted her to know that she had done a good thing. She seemed a little confused, but she's always up for praise.
Ella has also been enjoying her new slide that her Papa bought her when he was down last weekend. So, now she has her own sandbox and slide in her backyard. She loves and we go out every afternoon after her nap and play for about an hour. I love the slide, too, because I don't have to help her up it or down it. The steps are sturdy and wide enough for her to climb up and the slide reaches all the way to the ground, so she lands on her feet...or her butt...whichever she prefers at the moment. :)
This time next month our house will officially be on the market and we'll slowly but surly be preparing to move again. Where you ask? Well, we'll find that out this Thurs. around noon. You know I'll post another blog to update you...I will say that we'll most likely match in Philly or Michigan (keep your fingers crossed for Michigan). Until then, hope all is well and I would love to hear from you!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Ella's 20 Month Update
The past month has again flown by and brought along a lot growth for Ella. She's a little taller and has officially reached the 24lb mark. She has also had a lot of growth in her vocabulary. It's hard for me to tell you every thing that she's saying now, but I will say that she has clearly said her first two sentences which were: "What did you do?" and "Where did daddy go?". She has finally started saying 'yes' appropriately, so now I don't have to guess when her no means no and when her no means yes. It cool to be able to understand her more and more every day. Before I know it, we'll be having mini-coversations!
Potty training is still going slow, probably because of me, but she has yet to actually go in the potty. She just sits on it and laughs. She likes to sit ducky on it, too! If only I could get ducky to use the bathroom to show her what to do. For some reason she doesn't get what I'm doing when I'm using the bathroom, but that may be TMI for most of you. Anyway, I'm not pushing anything either, so it'll be a slow process.
This past week I left Ella for the first time. Needless to say, I was a mess! Ella was great and had a blast with her three cousins, especially Rebekah who is 4. They played outside for hours at a time and they also went to Disney this past Wed. Ella finally got to meet the characters since it wasn't very crowded and she hugged and kissed every one of them. Hopefully I'll be getting some copies of the pictures soon and I'll post them ASAP. Anyway, Stephen and I went to Philly to check out the city since that's Stephen's #1 choice for residency. So, Angela (Stephen's sister) watched Ella for three days. I knew she would be fine, but it was hard for me and I missed her terribly. It might have been a little easier if I was in a warm location sun bathing or swimming my worries away, but instead I was freezing my butt off and wanting to be with her!
Ella has also started going to KidCare for about and hour or so in the morning at our YMCA while I work out. She had a rough time letting me leave her the first time, but I soon found out that she was enjoying herself and loved the adults watching her. I'm looking forward to that being a daily routine if not at least 3 days a week.
And unfortunately Ella came down with a bad cold yesterday and is running a fever. I don't know exactly how bad it is because we're in Daytona for the weekend and I don't have her thermometer with me, but we're just giving her Tylenol Sinus and Cold for Infants and suctioning her nose all the time...fun, fun! I hope she gets over this quickly! As for the rest of the month, we'll be laying low and trying to enjoy our final months in Florida.
Potty training is still going slow, probably because of me, but she has yet to actually go in the potty. She just sits on it and laughs. She likes to sit ducky on it, too! If only I could get ducky to use the bathroom to show her what to do. For some reason she doesn't get what I'm doing when I'm using the bathroom, but that may be TMI for most of you. Anyway, I'm not pushing anything either, so it'll be a slow process.
This past week I left Ella for the first time. Needless to say, I was a mess! Ella was great and had a blast with her three cousins, especially Rebekah who is 4. They played outside for hours at a time and they also went to Disney this past Wed. Ella finally got to meet the characters since it wasn't very crowded and she hugged and kissed every one of them. Hopefully I'll be getting some copies of the pictures soon and I'll post them ASAP. Anyway, Stephen and I went to Philly to check out the city since that's Stephen's #1 choice for residency. So, Angela (Stephen's sister) watched Ella for three days. I knew she would be fine, but it was hard for me and I missed her terribly. It might have been a little easier if I was in a warm location sun bathing or swimming my worries away, but instead I was freezing my butt off and wanting to be with her!
Ella has also started going to KidCare for about and hour or so in the morning at our YMCA while I work out. She had a rough time letting me leave her the first time, but I soon found out that she was enjoying herself and loved the adults watching her. I'm looking forward to that being a daily routine if not at least 3 days a week.
And unfortunately Ella came down with a bad cold yesterday and is running a fever. I don't know exactly how bad it is because we're in Daytona for the weekend and I don't have her thermometer with me, but we're just giving her Tylenol Sinus and Cold for Infants and suctioning her nose all the time...fun, fun! I hope she gets over this quickly! As for the rest of the month, we'll be laying low and trying to enjoy our final months in Florida.
January 16, 2007 - a day that will live in enfamy...just kidding!
So, today is my 26th birthday. Not a big deal really...26 doesn't really get you anywhere. You're not old yet and you don't get any new responsiblities or priviledges. But, it is more fun because of Ella...this time last year we were in Boston. Ella was 7 months old and it was cold and dreary. The day pretty much sucked. As for today, it's cool and dreary again, but Ella is lighting up my day already.
As I look back on the update that I wrote a week ago, it's amazing the stuff that I forgot to put in and stuff that she's picked up since then! The big thing (that is also a scary thing) is that Ella can open doors now!! Uh-oh, is right!!! I have not been looking forward to the day that we had to put on those stupid door knobs that no one can work...they're not just kid-proof, I think they're human-proof! So, that was her big "accomplishment" in the past week. But, as I read my good friend's blog, I forgot to mention a lot about what Ella has started saying and doing. I was so wrapped up in her ability to turn her dependence on and off...
...One thing that we are so happy about is that Ella has started to say 'love you'. It just melts our hearts and then getting a big kiss makes it even better. Ella can also say her ABC's up to 'G'. She can't really get 'H' yet and then she can say I-L. She got a Blue's Clues doll that sings Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and sings the alphabet and it's so cute to hear her try and sing with it. She hasn't really mastered her numbers yet though. She can 1-3, but that's about it. When I try and count things with her she could really care less.
Anyway, I'm amazed more and more at how big she's getting and how fast she picks up things. She's constantly repeating everything we say which has kept us in check! :)
And I'm sure you've noticed that I haven't posted a picture yet, well I'll try and get on that ASAP. I've yet to download pics from the past few weeks because I haven't been on my home computer in a while. But, hopefully I'll get to that this week!
As I look back on the update that I wrote a week ago, it's amazing the stuff that I forgot to put in and stuff that she's picked up since then! The big thing (that is also a scary thing) is that Ella can open doors now!! Uh-oh, is right!!! I have not been looking forward to the day that we had to put on those stupid door knobs that no one can work...they're not just kid-proof, I think they're human-proof! So, that was her big "accomplishment" in the past week. But, as I read my good friend's blog, I forgot to mention a lot about what Ella has started saying and doing. I was so wrapped up in her ability to turn her dependence on and off...
...One thing that we are so happy about is that Ella has started to say 'love you'. It just melts our hearts and then getting a big kiss makes it even better. Ella can also say her ABC's up to 'G'. She can't really get 'H' yet and then she can say I-L. She got a Blue's Clues doll that sings Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and sings the alphabet and it's so cute to hear her try and sing with it. She hasn't really mastered her numbers yet though. She can 1-3, but that's about it. When I try and count things with her she could really care less.
Anyway, I'm amazed more and more at how big she's getting and how fast she picks up things. She's constantly repeating everything we say which has kept us in check! :)
And I'm sure you've noticed that I haven't posted a picture yet, well I'll try and get on that ASAP. I've yet to download pics from the past few weeks because I haven't been on my home computer in a while. But, hopefully I'll get to that this week!
Ella's 19 Month Update
What whirlwind this past month has been! It's been very chaotic and we've barely been home at all. Christmas has come and gone and it was bittersweet this year as we spent our last Christmas with Stephen's mom. Sadly, she lost her battle with breast cancer on January 1st. We've all been going through and array of emotions as we are glad that mom isn't suffering anymore and is home with her Lord, but of course we're also sad because of the obvious reasons. Stephen has lost his mom, Ella has lost her Nana, and I've lost my second mom...again, to cancer. We returned home from WV where mom was buried and Stephen has since then been busy with interviews. It seems like life will never be 'normal'.
Thankfully through all of this Ella faired pretty well. She traveled pretty good and slept better than she usually does when we're not at home. She enjoyed her Christmas' with Nana and Papa and with her Great-Grandma in Gainesville. She got some really great gifts from cute outfits to books to a Dora the Explorer Power Wheels Jeep!!! She really enjoys riding around and surprisingly caught on very quickly when it came to pushing the pedal to go.
So, with 2007 already upon us Ella is continuing her race to independence. It is so amazing at how INDEPENDENT she is when I don't want her to be and how DEPENDENT she is when I don't want her to be. She loves to feed herself and unfortunately I probably don't let her do it as much as I should because I never feel like cleaning up messes! :) She also loves to UNDRESS herself. She's getting a little better at brushing her teeth but more often than not I have to intervene and she HATES that! She's still a great eater and will not eat Gerber Graduates anymore. I don't know if she finally realized that they taste bad or what, but she only wants what we eat.
On the annoying side, I'm trying to grow her bangs out so they're the same length as the rest of her hair and she does not like keeping barrettes in her hair, so they're ALWAYS in her eyes and it drives me nuts! She also like to come ito the kitchen while I'm cooking and open all the drawers and just leave...so I'm banging my hips against the corners (and quietly cursing) while I cook.
We're also getting ready to venture into potty training. My only problem is that Ella still doesn't know 'yes'. She can say it when I tell her to say it, but she still just say 'no' to everything. I hear that's not good when it comes to potty training because she won't tell me that she has to go or what not. So, I guess we'll be starting slowly. :)
The next month, Lord willing, will be a little more normal and a little more fun. Ella will be starting gymnastics at our YMCA and hopefully Stephen and I will be able to play racquetball a little more since they offer free child-care!! The weather is nice and I'm hoping to be outside a lot more and be more active. That's my New Year's Resolution(s). I'm hoping since I have a kid now that those will be easier to stick to since Ella always wants to be active!
Wishing y'all a great 2007!
Thankfully through all of this Ella faired pretty well. She traveled pretty good and slept better than she usually does when we're not at home. She enjoyed her Christmas' with Nana and Papa and with her Great-Grandma in Gainesville. She got some really great gifts from cute outfits to books to a Dora the Explorer Power Wheels Jeep!!! She really enjoys riding around and surprisingly caught on very quickly when it came to pushing the pedal to go.
So, with 2007 already upon us Ella is continuing her race to independence. It is so amazing at how INDEPENDENT she is when I don't want her to be and how DEPENDENT she is when I don't want her to be. She loves to feed herself and unfortunately I probably don't let her do it as much as I should because I never feel like cleaning up messes! :) She also loves to UNDRESS herself. She's getting a little better at brushing her teeth but more often than not I have to intervene and she HATES that! She's still a great eater and will not eat Gerber Graduates anymore. I don't know if she finally realized that they taste bad or what, but she only wants what we eat.
On the annoying side, I'm trying to grow her bangs out so they're the same length as the rest of her hair and she does not like keeping barrettes in her hair, so they're ALWAYS in her eyes and it drives me nuts! She also like to come ito the kitchen while I'm cooking and open all the drawers and just leave...so I'm banging my hips against the corners (and quietly cursing) while I cook.
We're also getting ready to venture into potty training. My only problem is that Ella still doesn't know 'yes'. She can say it when I tell her to say it, but she still just say 'no' to everything. I hear that's not good when it comes to potty training because she won't tell me that she has to go or what not. So, I guess we'll be starting slowly. :)
The next month, Lord willing, will be a little more normal and a little more fun. Ella will be starting gymnastics at our YMCA and hopefully Stephen and I will be able to play racquetball a little more since they offer free child-care!! The weather is nice and I'm hoping to be outside a lot more and be more active. That's my New Year's Resolution(s). I'm hoping since I have a kid now that those will be easier to stick to since Ella always wants to be active!
Wishing y'all a great 2007!
Monday, December 11, 2006
Ella's 18 Month Update
Christmas is but two weeks away and yet it seems like I haven't had time to enjoy the season. We've been very busy these first 11 days of December. We just got back from a trip to NC where Stephen had an interview at UNC - Chapel Hill. Thankfully he loved it because that's where I really want to go. But, other than that, the trip was very stressful and exhausting. We left with our daughter on Thurs. and yet a few hours into the trip she was replaced by someone else's daughter. That's the only way I can explain what we put up with for 3 days. I have NEVER seen Ella be so high-maintenance and so demanding. She literally screamed for three days straight no matter what her mood and no matter what she needed or wanted. Somehow she forgot that she could talk and refused to used her words to tell us what was wrong. But, most of the time nothing was wrong, she just wanted to be difficult. I say this not to complain or to be mean to my child, but I seriously think she's already starting 'the terrible twos'! I remember reading something before Ella was born saying that this period could start as early as 18 months but didn't think about it because hey, she wasn't here yet and I was going to have the perfect kid, right?!?! I will say that she's been traveling so much lately and I know sitting in your carseat for 9 hours can't be fun even though we stopped and let her run around as much as we thought she needed to. And I will say that as soon as we got back home (early Sunday morning) she was back to her 'normal' self. But, the screaming has got to stop! I don't understand why she won't use her words since she knows how to communicate most things to us.
Anyway, now that we're back we are getting ready to go see Santa sometime this week. I've been trying very hard to get her to recognize Santa so she won't be afraid when I pass her off to him. She seems to know who he is and can say 'santa', but we'll see how it goes when she sees the 'real' thing. She'll also be getting her hair cut again. It's growing like weeds and it needs shaping really bad and then we'll go get her 18 month/Christmas pics taken Friday afternoon. So, y'all should be getting some updated pics real soon.
As far as new things she's doing...these updates are starting to get monotonous in the fact that now that she's getting older she doesn't have as many 'firsts' and is really just building upon things. I will say that she has an afinity for jumping. She loves to show us how high she can jump and she loves landing on her butt and saying 'uh-oh'! In fact, she says 'uh-oh' so much I never really know if something is really wrong! She's also playing with the dogs more and in a rougher way. Most of the time they just lay there and take it, but I truly think she thinks Gator is her oversized stuffed animal.
Another thing with Ella is that she's getting way more independent and wants to do everything herself which makes certain situations difficult because I don't necessarily WANT her to do it herself at that time. But, overall, she's feeding herself with utensils pretty well and helps me dress her. She also loves brushing her hair - if only I could get her to like brushing her teeth!!
Until next month, I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and we hope that we'll be seeing you soon, too!
Anyway, now that we're back we are getting ready to go see Santa sometime this week. I've been trying very hard to get her to recognize Santa so she won't be afraid when I pass her off to him. She seems to know who he is and can say 'santa', but we'll see how it goes when she sees the 'real' thing. She'll also be getting her hair cut again. It's growing like weeds and it needs shaping really bad and then we'll go get her 18 month/Christmas pics taken Friday afternoon. So, y'all should be getting some updated pics real soon.
As far as new things she's doing...these updates are starting to get monotonous in the fact that now that she's getting older she doesn't have as many 'firsts' and is really just building upon things. I will say that she has an afinity for jumping. She loves to show us how high she can jump and she loves landing on her butt and saying 'uh-oh'! In fact, she says 'uh-oh' so much I never really know if something is really wrong! She's also playing with the dogs more and in a rougher way. Most of the time they just lay there and take it, but I truly think she thinks Gator is her oversized stuffed animal.
Another thing with Ella is that she's getting way more independent and wants to do everything herself which makes certain situations difficult because I don't necessarily WANT her to do it herself at that time. But, overall, she's feeding herself with utensils pretty well and helps me dress her. She also loves brushing her hair - if only I could get her to like brushing her teeth!!
Until next month, I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and we hope that we'll be seeing you soon, too!
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Ella's 17 Month Update
Another late update...sorry y'all. Things are getting more chaotic and I'm beginning to think this is how the rest of my life is going to be. We've all been through colds and this past weekend I was diagnosed with a kidney infection and also found out that I still have a kidney stone lingering in my left kidney. It's about 5mm and I'm not looking forward to passing it, so I'm going to get lithotripsy done and just get it taken care of before it starts moving even though it's been there since the last time I had a bout with kidney stones. So, the last few days I've been dealing with naseau, pain, lethargy...you know all the fun stuff that you can't really deal with when you have a toddler running around! Anyway, I'm feeling a little better today and I've actually been able to get some things done...this blog being one of them!
On to Ella...she has turned into an independent, stubborn wanna-be 15 year old. The girl knows what she wants and when she doesn't get it she has a full meltdown! Thankfully she gets over it pretty fast. When Ella IS getting her way or occupying herself with things she's allowed to play with she is a total delight and is amazing at figuring things out and making us laugh. She is still in love with the outdoors. She loves raisins. She loves Sesame Street and The Backyardigans. She loves her great-grandma. She loves her Nana and Papa. And she still loves her duckie!
Speaking of duckie...Halloween was a blast! Ella was a duck and she waddled around the neighborhood knocking on doors and saying 'thank you' after she got candy. About halfway through she got clingy and wanted me (and only me) to carry her. I couldn't take that for too long, so we were out for a little over an hour. But, Ella filled her candy bag and mom and dad and our neighbors enjoyed the candy for the next few days!
Besides Halloween, our past month has been uneventful since we've been dealing with illnesses and Stephen has been traveling a lot between here and Daytona visiting his mother and also traveling to interviews. So, Ella hasn't had a lot of adventures lately. But, we're all looking forward to the holidays and can't wait for the new memories that will be made. This time next month I'll have sent out our Christmas cards and decorated the house...hopefully you'll feel our Christmas cheer through my next blog.
Again, sorry for the unusual update, but things are unusual around here. Hope all is well with those of you who read these and I hope you are getting into the spirit of things, too!
On to Ella...she has turned into an independent, stubborn wanna-be 15 year old. The girl knows what she wants and when she doesn't get it she has a full meltdown! Thankfully she gets over it pretty fast. When Ella IS getting her way or occupying herself with things she's allowed to play with she is a total delight and is amazing at figuring things out and making us laugh. She is still in love with the outdoors. She loves raisins. She loves Sesame Street and The Backyardigans. She loves her great-grandma. She loves her Nana and Papa. And she still loves her duckie!
Speaking of duckie...Halloween was a blast! Ella was a duck and she waddled around the neighborhood knocking on doors and saying 'thank you' after she got candy. About halfway through she got clingy and wanted me (and only me) to carry her. I couldn't take that for too long, so we were out for a little over an hour. But, Ella filled her candy bag and mom and dad and our neighbors enjoyed the candy for the next few days!
Besides Halloween, our past month has been uneventful since we've been dealing with illnesses and Stephen has been traveling a lot between here and Daytona visiting his mother and also traveling to interviews. So, Ella hasn't had a lot of adventures lately. But, we're all looking forward to the holidays and can't wait for the new memories that will be made. This time next month I'll have sent out our Christmas cards and decorated the house...hopefully you'll feel our Christmas cheer through my next blog.
Again, sorry for the unusual update, but things are unusual around here. Hope all is well with those of you who read these and I hope you are getting into the spirit of things, too!
Ella's 16 Month Update
Sorry this is a few days late. This week has gotten away from me and I'm finally getting able to sit down and blog about Ella. She is keeping us going and most of the time that's a good thing because it keeps us entertained with all her shenanigans and her story-telling. She still loves to dance to any music she hears. It doesn't matter if it's on the radio, if it's a commercial, or the stinkin' weather channel, if it's music, she'll stop what she's doing and dance!
Some fun things that Ella has done this past month...we took her to Chucky Cheese with her friend Chloe and she had a blast. Unfortunately this CC was a bit ghetto and a lot of stuff there wasn't working, but Ella and Chloe were too young to realize that and still had the time of their lives. Mommy also had fun as I played every game that worked and won tons of tickets to win Ella some nice bling and stickers and a Winnie the Pooh magnet! And of course, Ella's favorite part was the music and concert that CC and his friends put on (every 15 minutes)! She also had her first pizza and loved it!
Ella went swimming for the last time this year a couple weeks ago. The water has already cooled down a lot with the temperature change. We were all freezing, but Ella didn't care. She was still having a blast and jumping in, but once she started turning blue, we figured we should go home. Our pool is officially closing on the 15th for the winter and I hope that Ella doesn't forget her love of the water!
Ella also accompanied us to a med. school get-together at a doctor's farm in Cairo, GA. She got to see 8 horses and we even got a carriage ride, too. There were tons of chickens and three dogs, so Ella was very happy to see all the animals. There was also a big lake and I was just waiting for her to jump in, but we were able to keep her out of it thankfully.
The biggest change this past month has been the weather and we're all enjoying it. We're actually missing Boston a little bit...but then we snap back into reality. Ella loves being outside and gets hurt pretty much every thime we're are outside, but after she's recovered she wants right back out. She loves picking flowers and playing in mulch. By the end of our time outside she looks like a 'mulch monster' because it's stuck all over her! She could be a new character on Sesame Street! She also loves to run. Unfortunately, she hasn't really grasped how to stop when she wants so she's either running into one of us or randomly falling down to stop herself.
As any mother knows, this point in time kids are learning so much. More than we really know. And I couldn't even begin to tell you all the things that Ella understands. She obviously understands more than she can say which is normal, but it's just amazing to me all the things I can ask her to do and she does it or the things that we can talk about and she understands me. But, she is learning more words weekly and it's fun to add a new noun or verb to our conversations. Her favorite word right now is 'toe' and I think it's because she hurt her toe a few weeks ago and we had to go to the doctor to get it cleaned up. Hopefully she doesn't have to learn all her words due to traumas. :) Ella can also show you where all the parts of her body are and we're trying to get her to do it to the song 'Head, shoulders, knees, and toes". And we've finally gotten Ella to say 'down' when she wants to get down from her high chair or if she wants us to put her down from carrying her.
Her favorite food is still green beans and I've been making them fresh lately and she loves 'em! She also likes bananas...A LOT! She wasn't really into them when she was getting them out of a jar, but she loves them now. She actually went into the kitchen this morning (after she'd already eaten breakfast) and told me she wanted a banana.
We've been busy getting ready for Halloween and Ella is enjoying all the decorations. In the process of us putting up decorations outside we met some new neighbors who moved in a couple months ago and Ella made a new friend named Elizabeth. She's 2 and is riding a tricycle now and Ella just loves watching her do all the things a 'big girl' can do. They also love to chase each other and laugh at absolutely nothing! I think we're going trick-or-treating together, too!
Well, next month I'll put up Halloween pics and tell you about all the new things Ella has grasped this month. Hope all is well and have a safe and happy Halloween!
Some fun things that Ella has done this past month...we took her to Chucky Cheese with her friend Chloe and she had a blast. Unfortunately this CC was a bit ghetto and a lot of stuff there wasn't working, but Ella and Chloe were too young to realize that and still had the time of their lives. Mommy also had fun as I played every game that worked and won tons of tickets to win Ella some nice bling and stickers and a Winnie the Pooh magnet! And of course, Ella's favorite part was the music and concert that CC and his friends put on (every 15 minutes)! She also had her first pizza and loved it!
Ella went swimming for the last time this year a couple weeks ago. The water has already cooled down a lot with the temperature change. We were all freezing, but Ella didn't care. She was still having a blast and jumping in, but once she started turning blue, we figured we should go home. Our pool is officially closing on the 15th for the winter and I hope that Ella doesn't forget her love of the water!
Ella also accompanied us to a med. school get-together at a doctor's farm in Cairo, GA. She got to see 8 horses and we even got a carriage ride, too. There were tons of chickens and three dogs, so Ella was very happy to see all the animals. There was also a big lake and I was just waiting for her to jump in, but we were able to keep her out of it thankfully.
The biggest change this past month has been the weather and we're all enjoying it. We're actually missing Boston a little bit...but then we snap back into reality. Ella loves being outside and gets hurt pretty much every thime we're are outside, but after she's recovered she wants right back out. She loves picking flowers and playing in mulch. By the end of our time outside she looks like a 'mulch monster' because it's stuck all over her! She could be a new character on Sesame Street! She also loves to run. Unfortunately, she hasn't really grasped how to stop when she wants so she's either running into one of us or randomly falling down to stop herself.
As any mother knows, this point in time kids are learning so much. More than we really know. And I couldn't even begin to tell you all the things that Ella understands. She obviously understands more than she can say which is normal, but it's just amazing to me all the things I can ask her to do and she does it or the things that we can talk about and she understands me. But, she is learning more words weekly and it's fun to add a new noun or verb to our conversations. Her favorite word right now is 'toe' and I think it's because she hurt her toe a few weeks ago and we had to go to the doctor to get it cleaned up. Hopefully she doesn't have to learn all her words due to traumas. :) Ella can also show you where all the parts of her body are and we're trying to get her to do it to the song 'Head, shoulders, knees, and toes". And we've finally gotten Ella to say 'down' when she wants to get down from her high chair or if she wants us to put her down from carrying her.
Her favorite food is still green beans and I've been making them fresh lately and she loves 'em! She also likes bananas...A LOT! She wasn't really into them when she was getting them out of a jar, but she loves them now. She actually went into the kitchen this morning (after she'd already eaten breakfast) and told me she wanted a banana.
We've been busy getting ready for Halloween and Ella is enjoying all the decorations. In the process of us putting up decorations outside we met some new neighbors who moved in a couple months ago and Ella made a new friend named Elizabeth. She's 2 and is riding a tricycle now and Ella just loves watching her do all the things a 'big girl' can do. They also love to chase each other and laugh at absolutely nothing! I think we're going trick-or-treating together, too!
Well, next month I'll put up Halloween pics and tell you about all the new things Ella has grasped this month. Hope all is well and have a safe and happy Halloween!
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Ella's Stats
Ella went to her doctor's appt. this morning where we waited for 40 minutes before we were seen...but anyway...
Ella passed with flying colors. She weighs 22 lbs. (40th percentile) and is 30 1/2" long (60th percentile). She also got three shots. Apparently she was supposed to get one of them during hr 12 month checkup, but for some reason she didn't (they say they were probably out of it at the time). So, it was the first time that I had to hold her down during her shots instead of just being the one to comfort her. It definitely wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I still felt bad for her. Thankfully, she recovered quickly and went straight home and took a nap!
Ella passed with flying colors. She weighs 22 lbs. (40th percentile) and is 30 1/2" long (60th percentile). She also got three shots. Apparently she was supposed to get one of them during hr 12 month checkup, but for some reason she didn't (they say they were probably out of it at the time). So, it was the first time that I had to hold her down during her shots instead of just being the one to comfort her. It definitely wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I still felt bad for her. Thankfully, she recovered quickly and went straight home and took a nap!
Friday, September 15, 2006
Ella's 15 Month Update
Wow, this last month has flown by! I feel like I open every update with that, but time seriously seems to be flying by, I guess because once again we're in a chaotic time in our lives where there are tons of things going on and some major decisions being made that will affect our lives for years to come. Stephen is currently in the middle of his first away rotation at the University of Florida where he's working on a surgical oncology rotation. Shockingly, Stephen has come to find out that surgery is not for him. Not because he doesn't love being in the OR or that he wouldn't be a great surgeon, because that is far from the truth. But after the first week of working nonstop, getting only 3-4 hours of sleep a night and not seeing his wife or daughter (and he's not even a resident yet), he truly feels that life is too short and to be honest, his passion for the uninsured (especially children) and his MPH from Harvard just doesn't fit with the surgical lifestyle. He feels bad that he didn't realize this 6 months ago because he feels like it's so obvious now. I am obviously supportive of whatever he does and I'm just happy that he's happy now that he's going back to his first love in medicine - Pediatrics. Now, if you know Stephen, you'll know that he's not the one to 'just be a Pediatrician', so after his three year residency in Peds, he'll be doing some type of fellowship. Now, what exactly the fellowship will be, he doesn't know. It could be anything from Peds ER, to Critical Care, to Neonatology, etc. So, he will reapply to residencies as he has to cancel his previous application tha the sent in on the 1st. The number of schools that he applies to will decrease dramamtically. He applied to 39 school for surgery, but it'll be closer to 20, possibly less, for Peds. I will definitely keep you informed as he hears back for interviews.
Now, for my usual mothly udpate, Ella is....well, I don't know how to describe her anymore. She is the light of our lives and keeps us going even when we want to slow down, which is a good thing and a bad thing. She's talking more and more and even if she can't pronounce a word right you know she's trying to have a conversation with you and wants you to understand what she's saying. I don't even know if I can remember all the new words she says, but some that she says all the time are ball, balloon, blue...I guess she's working on her b's, now that's she's conquered her d's. Ella's 15 month checkup is Fri. and I don't remember how many shot she has to get this time, but it'll be the first time I'll take her to a checkup by myself, so I'll get to hold her down this time!
Ella is still eating great, too. There's not one thing that I put on her plate that she won't eat (I wish her father was that easy to please)! Her swimming improves every time we get in the water. She's jumping off the edge into our arms now, and she thinks she can swim all by herself and gets pissed when we don't let her! She also loves running. I think in my last update I said she had started to run, but she runs a marathon every day now it seems. She could run back in forth all day long if she wanted to. Her favorite cartoon is still The Backyardigans and she also likes Veggie Tales. Every time the theme songs come on to those shows she squeals with excitement and starts to dance. Ella also loves being outside. She loves the way the grass feels on her feet and she loves picking flowers for her mommy. She's already gotten her first scrapes on her knees and I'm already worrying about her having scars!
I will fill you in on her stats when we get back from the doctor's on Fri. and maybe I'll remember some more of the many different things she's doing and getting into these days!
Now, for my usual mothly udpate, Ella is....well, I don't know how to describe her anymore. She is the light of our lives and keeps us going even when we want to slow down, which is a good thing and a bad thing. She's talking more and more and even if she can't pronounce a word right you know she's trying to have a conversation with you and wants you to understand what she's saying. I don't even know if I can remember all the new words she says, but some that she says all the time are ball, balloon, blue...I guess she's working on her b's, now that's she's conquered her d's. Ella's 15 month checkup is Fri. and I don't remember how many shot she has to get this time, but it'll be the first time I'll take her to a checkup by myself, so I'll get to hold her down this time!
Ella is still eating great, too. There's not one thing that I put on her plate that she won't eat (I wish her father was that easy to please)! Her swimming improves every time we get in the water. She's jumping off the edge into our arms now, and she thinks she can swim all by herself and gets pissed when we don't let her! She also loves running. I think in my last update I said she had started to run, but she runs a marathon every day now it seems. She could run back in forth all day long if she wanted to. Her favorite cartoon is still The Backyardigans and she also likes Veggie Tales. Every time the theme songs come on to those shows she squeals with excitement and starts to dance. Ella also loves being outside. She loves the way the grass feels on her feet and she loves picking flowers for her mommy. She's already gotten her first scrapes on her knees and I'm already worrying about her having scars!
I will fill you in on her stats when we get back from the doctor's on Fri. and maybe I'll remember some more of the many different things she's doing and getting into these days!
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Realities of first-year residents and being on-call
So, you may be wondering why I'm writing about this subject since Stephen is not a first year resident yet. Well, the past couple of weeks he's been on his Asvanced Family Medicine rotation which is the only residency program here in Tallahassee, so instead of him working directly under a seasoned physician, he's working under residents who in turn answer to an attending.
Anyway, two things have been brought to my attention in the past couple weeks. Being on-call sucks and there are first-year residents who don't know squat. Those two things are really scary to me. First, being on-call for Stephen has been very frustrating to me in the past couple weeks because even though it's only be twice a week, it was scheduled very close together the first week which ended up running into this week. Like last week he was on call Thurs. and Sat. Oh, and for those of you who don't know, his on-call hours are 8am-8am. And even though his rotation may start at 8am he'll obviously get there early in case he needs to rounds, etc. and even though his shift ends the next morning at 8am, that doesn't mean he'll leave right at 8am due to a number of reasons. So, as I was saying, he was on-call Thurs and Sat. last week and then on-call again this week on Monday and will be on-call again tomorrow. Thankfully his on-call day on Monday was nice becaues things were slow and the resident he was with sent him home around lunch and he didn't have to be back until 5pm so he could do rounds on patients and check-in with the new attending that was coming on duty. And then came home around 10:00pm, instead of staying overnight. This was vastly different from his first week when he was working with a resident who, um...I don't know how to say this lightly, but, pretty much needs to be back in medical school, or maybe just not be a doctor at all. He is very disorganized in the sense that he doesn't know how to manage his time to get things done in a certain amount of time. He's also very unsure of himself. If he would fake some confidence, I'm sure it would help him immensely! Anyway, I just felt really bad for Stephen last week because he wasn't learning anything and at times was teaching himself!! There were a lot of slow times which he did nothing and Ella and I would come visit him.
So, my point in blogging about this is to vent my frustation in the facts that I've mentioned above because it's really scary to think that all doctors aren't on the same level and it's also scary to think that Stephen is going into surgery which requires a lot more time on-call and away from home in general the Family Medicine. And after this year, being on-call will definitely not be like this year in the sense that Ella and I can go visit him OR that he'll be able to come home if it's slow. It's also going to be real hard for me to keep my mouth shut when I hear about interns who just shouldn't be doctors or are just incompetent in their areas. I'm assuming that since surgery is so competitive it'll be a lot different than Family Medicine in little ol' Tallahassee, FL. But, then, if stereo-types are right, you get to deal with arrogant pricks in surgery residencies.
Wow, this has turned into a lot of rambling. I'm sorry for that. Just needed to vent.
Anyway, two things have been brought to my attention in the past couple weeks. Being on-call sucks and there are first-year residents who don't know squat. Those two things are really scary to me. First, being on-call for Stephen has been very frustrating to me in the past couple weeks because even though it's only be twice a week, it was scheduled very close together the first week which ended up running into this week. Like last week he was on call Thurs. and Sat. Oh, and for those of you who don't know, his on-call hours are 8am-8am. And even though his rotation may start at 8am he'll obviously get there early in case he needs to rounds, etc. and even though his shift ends the next morning at 8am, that doesn't mean he'll leave right at 8am due to a number of reasons. So, as I was saying, he was on-call Thurs and Sat. last week and then on-call again this week on Monday and will be on-call again tomorrow. Thankfully his on-call day on Monday was nice becaues things were slow and the resident he was with sent him home around lunch and he didn't have to be back until 5pm so he could do rounds on patients and check-in with the new attending that was coming on duty. And then came home around 10:00pm, instead of staying overnight. This was vastly different from his first week when he was working with a resident who, um...I don't know how to say this lightly, but, pretty much needs to be back in medical school, or maybe just not be a doctor at all. He is very disorganized in the sense that he doesn't know how to manage his time to get things done in a certain amount of time. He's also very unsure of himself. If he would fake some confidence, I'm sure it would help him immensely! Anyway, I just felt really bad for Stephen last week because he wasn't learning anything and at times was teaching himself!! There were a lot of slow times which he did nothing and Ella and I would come visit him.
So, my point in blogging about this is to vent my frustation in the facts that I've mentioned above because it's really scary to think that all doctors aren't on the same level and it's also scary to think that Stephen is going into surgery which requires a lot more time on-call and away from home in general the Family Medicine. And after this year, being on-call will definitely not be like this year in the sense that Ella and I can go visit him OR that he'll be able to come home if it's slow. It's also going to be real hard for me to keep my mouth shut when I hear about interns who just shouldn't be doctors or are just incompetent in their areas. I'm assuming that since surgery is so competitive it'll be a lot different than Family Medicine in little ol' Tallahassee, FL. But, then, if stereo-types are right, you get to deal with arrogant pricks in surgery residencies.
Wow, this has turned into a lot of rambling. I'm sorry for that. Just needed to vent.
Ella's 14 Month Update!
This past month has been a complete blur! I'm sure there will be many things that I forget to put in this update and it may seem like I'm jumping from one thing to another, but I seriously am just amazed at how time is flying by. It seems like Ella's 1st birthday was ages ago and I'm getting sad that we'll be leaving our new house before I know it!
So, as for Ella, since she has learned to walk she is a completely different child. She is very independent and seems like she's jumped to her terrible-two's at times in the sense that she has her moments when she purposely pushes your buttons to see how much she can get away with and then she doesn't hesitate to throw a fit if she doesn't get her way! But, even though we've had to deal with those issues, her spunk and smarts and newfound abilities far outweigh those few moments. She gets more fun every day and I enjoy being a mom more and more. And I enjoy all the new things we can do together now that she can walk...ok, I guess there's not really a lot of NEW things we can do together, it's just more adventurous all the way around now that I can let her walk on her own and just follow her. She's starting to run, but that's when she starts falling more. But, I'm sure she'll have that down soon and then the dogs will really have something to worry about!
Ella is also very much into eating! Not that she eats all the time, but when she does, she'll eat anything! And she only want to what daddy and I are eating if we're all eating at the same time. But, I'm very proud of her that she's more like me in the sense that she'll try anything at least once and has a good pallet for food. She likes everything I put on her plate...or I should say on her highchair tray. I have not yet felt ready to give her food on a plate or in a bowl because she still likes to throw things on the floor. So, right now she gets her sippy cup with her meals and likes to chuck that onto the floor when she's done drinking from it. That in itself is annoying, so I'm not ready to clean up after her when it comes to food being everywhere. She already gets it on the walls around her highchair!
Ella has started to try and put our shoes on her feet. She loves trying to wear our shoes, but hasn't mastered walking in them yet. I think Stephen's shoes will be to hard for for a while, but she'll get up in my sandals and walk a few steps, but then trips over them. She also likes to wear hats! Especially daddy's Harvard baseball cap. I need to get a picture of it and post it, it's so cute!
Ella is also very much ready to have full conversations with people...or anything that will listen (she tries to have conversations with our dogs, but they usually leave her before she's done talking)! She has mastered her first sentence: "Where did (fill in the blank) go?" This all started when Stephen and I would ask her where the other one of us would go if we would leave to use the restroom or something. She quickly caught and started asking us first. Now, she asks where the dogs went or where her ducky went. Granted, every word isn't clear, but you know exactly what she's trying to say. She's still obsessed with the word "baby" and every time we say something that starts with the letter 'b', she says "baby". She has also learned to say 'thank you'. She won't say it automatically when she should, but when you tell her to say it, she says it perfectly. But, 'you're welcome' seems to confuse her at the moment.
Also, since my last update, Ella finished swimming lessons and got her first certificate! We hang that proudly on the refrigerator. Unfortunately, soon after she finished her swimming lessons we were out of town and then she got sick and had a bilateral ear infection! So, yesterday was the first day swimming since her cold and I was worried that she might have forgotten some things that she learned, but she didn't. She was still as confident as ever and walked around that pool like she owned it! She still likes going under water and she and daddy jumped in the pool together a couple times. It's so funny to see people watching us and thinking we're crazy, which with most little ones, it probably would be a little much. But, Ella LOVES the water and she doesn't mind it at all. And as most people know, I could care less what other people think, especially other mothers (but that's another blog)!
So, as for Ella, since she has learned to walk she is a completely different child. She is very independent and seems like she's jumped to her terrible-two's at times in the sense that she has her moments when she purposely pushes your buttons to see how much she can get away with and then she doesn't hesitate to throw a fit if she doesn't get her way! But, even though we've had to deal with those issues, her spunk and smarts and newfound abilities far outweigh those few moments. She gets more fun every day and I enjoy being a mom more and more. And I enjoy all the new things we can do together now that she can walk...ok, I guess there's not really a lot of NEW things we can do together, it's just more adventurous all the way around now that I can let her walk on her own and just follow her. She's starting to run, but that's when she starts falling more. But, I'm sure she'll have that down soon and then the dogs will really have something to worry about!
Ella is also very much into eating! Not that she eats all the time, but when she does, she'll eat anything! And she only want to what daddy and I are eating if we're all eating at the same time. But, I'm very proud of her that she's more like me in the sense that she'll try anything at least once and has a good pallet for food. She likes everything I put on her plate...or I should say on her highchair tray. I have not yet felt ready to give her food on a plate or in a bowl because she still likes to throw things on the floor. So, right now she gets her sippy cup with her meals and likes to chuck that onto the floor when she's done drinking from it. That in itself is annoying, so I'm not ready to clean up after her when it comes to food being everywhere. She already gets it on the walls around her highchair!
Ella has started to try and put our shoes on her feet. She loves trying to wear our shoes, but hasn't mastered walking in them yet. I think Stephen's shoes will be to hard for for a while, but she'll get up in my sandals and walk a few steps, but then trips over them. She also likes to wear hats! Especially daddy's Harvard baseball cap. I need to get a picture of it and post it, it's so cute!
Ella is also very much ready to have full conversations with people...or anything that will listen (she tries to have conversations with our dogs, but they usually leave her before she's done talking)! She has mastered her first sentence: "Where did (fill in the blank) go?" This all started when Stephen and I would ask her where the other one of us would go if we would leave to use the restroom or something. She quickly caught and started asking us first. Now, she asks where the dogs went or where her ducky went. Granted, every word isn't clear, but you know exactly what she's trying to say. She's still obsessed with the word "baby" and every time we say something that starts with the letter 'b', she says "baby". She has also learned to say 'thank you'. She won't say it automatically when she should, but when you tell her to say it, she says it perfectly. But, 'you're welcome' seems to confuse her at the moment.
Also, since my last update, Ella finished swimming lessons and got her first certificate! We hang that proudly on the refrigerator. Unfortunately, soon after she finished her swimming lessons we were out of town and then she got sick and had a bilateral ear infection! So, yesterday was the first day swimming since her cold and I was worried that she might have forgotten some things that she learned, but she didn't. She was still as confident as ever and walked around that pool like she owned it! She still likes going under water and she and daddy jumped in the pool together a couple times. It's so funny to see people watching us and thinking we're crazy, which with most little ones, it probably would be a little much. But, Ella LOVES the water and she doesn't mind it at all. And as most people know, I could care less what other people think, especially other mothers (but that's another blog)!
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
4th year
It's been a couple months since Stephen started his 4thg year of medical school and I could've sworn that people (including Stephen) told me that this was the easiest most laidback year of medical school! Silly me...things that are supposed to be easy and laidback never are when it comes to Stephen. The story now is that the first 6 months are the worst for us because of the way Stephen scheduled his rotations. So, he's been through ER, OB/GYN, and is now on his Advanced Family Medicine rotation. Tonight he is on-call at the hospital which means for 24 hours he's in-house (at TMH) waiting for something to happen. Even though he's on his Family Medicine rotation, he's working with a resident who is on his OB/GYN stint of Family Practice, so they're hanging out in L&D waiting for someone to give birth. I've been home all day dealing with Ella as she gets over a cold and bilateral ear infections. I did not mind being at home all day by myself, but it gets me wondering how things will be when it's constantly like this. Stephen intern year of general surgery will be like this all the time, most likely 7 days a week. It's scary, but at least I know that he'll be just down the road. Unfortunately, after these 4 weeks in Family Medicine he'll be leaving us for 7 weeks to do away rotations at UF and UNC-Chapel Hill. Of course Gainesville isn't far away and I'll be able to be there as much as I want, but I can't really see myself staying at my G'ma's for 3 weeks straight! And I have no clue what I'll do when he's in NC for 4 weeks! I don't know if I'm more worried about me or Ella. She'll take it really hard, too. Right now, having three dogs is a bear because I can't just follow Stephen around because I can't take them everywhere and I can't afford to board them that long either! This is my life. I'm trying to remember that it will pay off....someday.
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