Wordless Wednesday

We're halfway to the weekend! That's reason enough to dance for us...

To Be Or Not To Be...

Today was our last ICM session - which was another patient history practice. My group was at Wishard Hospital. Basically we each get to go into a consenting patient's room (usually someone who is about to go home), and talk to them about what brought them into the hospital (history of present illness), what their health was like prior to their chief complaint (complete medical history), social history, and a review of systems (where you go from head to toe asking about any and every possible pain they might have experienced within the last year).

The patient encounters that I have experienced this year have always been good, and everyone has been really nice and excited to help you learn how to be a doctor :-) Though some times it can be awkward and you feel like you are being an annoyance since the real doctor already asked the patient all of the questions you are asking, or you just don't think the questions are really relevant to the present illness - for example, during my second interview (which was my most difficult to do), my patient had end-stage cancer, and I chose not to ask her about her sexual history.

At first it seemed extremely intimidating, but now that we have done it 4 times...it isn't half as nerve wrecking as it was before. We have a clinical skills exam during finals week in the simulation center where we will be tested on how well we can take a complete history on a standardized patient. Next year should be even more fun because not only will we get a chance to do it every week, we also have to do a physical exam...

I thought that after first year I might have more of an idea of what I will want to specialize in, but it has only made my list bigger. I feel like picking a specialty during third year is going to be like a season of the bachelor, because I fall in love with just about all of the one's I meet, and so far, just about everybody is getting a rose...LOL

My tentative list:
1. Dermatology
2. Otolaryngology
3. Internal Medicine - Pulmonology or Gastroenterology
4. Endocrinology
5. Urology (shout out to my dad!)
6. Adolescent Medicine
7. Opthalmology

And Jasmine is a good name for a pediatrician (What kid doesn't want to go to a doctor with the same name as one of the best Disney princesses? Okay, well, the boys probably wouldn't care, but still)...But I like babies, teenagers, and the elderly...sometimes middle-aged adults too... Hopefully this summer I can narrow it down a bit...

But thanks to physiology and gross anatomy, I'm pretty sure I DON'T want to be a cardiologist or an orthopedic surgeon.

Tis all for now...

The End of the Semester is Coming!!!

Today is such a beautiful day. Church was awesome, and I have been trying to keep my academic productivity up...Key word: "trying".

Just filled out our fridge calendar for April. Four weeks and I'm freeeeeee!!!!! :cue "Eye of the Tiger" theme song:

Saw this and I had to post it, because well, this just about sums it up...



Oh, and this...



Have a blessed week everyone!

The Baby Bucket List...

I'm a subscriber to "The Nest", a follow-up website to "The Knot" that does for newlyweds what "The Knot" does for brides and grooms (mostly, brides). Apparently there is this thing called a "Baby Bucket List" that couples make consisting of all the things they want to accomplish before they have kids. Now, don't get me wrong, kids definitely change your life in more ways than you could imagine, and there is a clear dichotomy between my life and the life of my early-twenties counterparts and BFFs, but this list is a bit much for me. It made having kids sound like the end of ALL civil liberties - not to mention the screaming baby picture for added effect on the title page...

If you don't feel like checking the link, here is a recap:
15 Things to Do Before You Have Kids

15. Go on a wine-tasting tour at a vineyard.
14. Go skydiving/bungee jumping/swimming with sharks...or whatever other crazy, life-risking thing you’ve got on your bucket list.
13. Make a list of all the restaurants and bars you've been meaning to check out -- and go.
12. Appreciate the bathroom -- alone.
11. Stop being so self-righteous. (Translation: don't judge those with screaming children in public)
10. Take a road trip.
9. Be spontaneous.
8. Spend an entire day in bed together watching movies.
7. Have boozy lunches with friends.
6. Feed your minimalist side. (Translation: have white furniture, rugs, walls, etc.)
5. Have morning sex.
4. Be the last ones to leave the party.
3. Fly first class.
2. Wear as much silk, cashmere, dry-clean-only clothing as you possibly can, while you still can.
1. Take a career risk.

Now I am the epitome of an uber-planner, and quite frankly, I was terrified of the idea of being a mother and student simultaneously - convinced if it was done, it couldn't be done well (I now know that couldn't be further from the truth). I think that if we hadn't had our son when we did, I don't know when we would have MUTUALLY decided that we were at a good place in life to start our family. Just bringing in my half of things in, I originally was thinking no babies until after my first residency year - so that would have been MAYBE 2016 (at age 29), and that is a big maybe without knowing what specialty I will have chosen.

I am 100% in agreement with the idea that if you are married and are not ready to have a baby because you still have personal and professional goals you want to accomplish, then don't (shout out to Beyonce and Jay-Z). If you are waiting for marriage stability or financial/professional stability - all things that will make you better equipped for parenting, that's one thing; I just don't think couples have to check everything off of their "enjoyable moments kids get in the way of" bucket lists to make the call.

The Hubs and I have definitely had the "what if" discussions about our lives - I think most parents do. But I can honestly speak from my own personal experience: Wine tasting tours don't end. Private bathroom time doesn't end. Spontaneity doesn't end. Oh, and you can still wear nice clothes (LOL). Even in the midsts of the "terrible twos" I told the Hubby if this is what we are missing out on, we aren't missing much... Plus, we'll be empty nesters by our mid 40's...Can you say "early retirement beach house"? WINNING. Take that Baby Bucket List!

I'd love to hear what you guys think...

Personal Assistant Anyone?

So I woke up today not feeling so superwoman-esque. I guess you can't be on 110% every day... The little one and I woke up late - 8:30. I know what you're thinking, but bear with me. His sleep schedule has been off all week. My mom thinks that he might be going through a new developmental phase and/or growth spurt. Usually we can have him down by 8, but lately he has been staying up until 9:30/10 and waking up almost every hour asking for something to drink. On Wednesday, he woke me up at 3:45AM, got out of bed, took my hand, and then lead me to the fridge because he wanted some yogurt. Sometimes I think I have a grown man for a son, and not a two year old. This week helped me to see how much I use post-bedtime time to just unwind and get things done, because I have been feeling high strung and tired all week :-/

Yesterday after my quiz, I crashed. The only thing I really remember doing when I got home was watching the much anticipated musical Grey's Anatomy episode - verdict is still out on that one, but it wasn't as corny as I thought it would be...

We don't have class today (thankfully) and I decided to come to school to ensure productivity - that's if I can get this migraine to go away by lunch. I thought that I might not be able to get a high-demand private study room since I woke up late and didn't get to campus until 10, but I guess not too many people were planning to spend their Friday morning here (surprised?) so I'm good...

In other news, potty training has been a HUGE success for Pumpkin and a lot of it has to do with his school. At home he has been telling us just about every time he has to use the potty. I think someone might be done with diapers by May. So proud of him!



I forgot to mention that last Friday I also attended my first Parents' Association meeting at the little one's school. I probably don't need to add another thing to my already-full plate, but this is something I have been talking about getting involved with for a while. The mom that just started the group is actually a Michigan Alum and the daughter of Pumpkin's teacher. She told the Hubs about it one day when he was getting Nate from school, and he told me. I decided a while ago that I definitely want to be have positions like "room mom" or "carpool mom", and be the "all in my kids' lives" type mom while I'm practicing medicine, so it was great to get my feet wet...

This weekend we have no definite plans. So we will hopefully get to catch up on lost sleep, have some good family time, and I'll be able to get ahead on my school work. I also started my dieting this week - well kind of...so I need to fine-tune the recipe for my meal replacement shake and develop a meal and workout plan. Dieting for me has to be treated like school, because if I don't have a curriculum, syllabus, or something...I'm going to free-style and that is usually all bad (thus this year's weight gain...) LOL

I keep thinking of random things I want to get done and errands I need to run today. I wonder if I could get financial aid to cover a personal assistant...probably not. Alright, time to work.

TGIF!