Things Little Nate Says: 4 Years-Old Edition; Volume 1

Eating PB&J like a boss...

This post is long overdue. I'm sure I am biased, but this kid gets funnier as he gets older. Here are some of the hilarious things Natey is doing and saying these days...

The very first thing he says as he's walking into before-care at school a few weeks ago (for the first time since Christmas break):
"Guess what? I'm four now and I'm going to get a brother and a sister and a dog...well, a dog after we move into a bigger house..."


Natey: "What are you eating?"
Me: "A salad, want some?"
Natey: "No, no thank you for that..."


"I missed you so much :big hug: So how was your day mommy/daddy?"

"Is your baby sleeping? Can I talk to your baby?"

"Is my baby awake?"

Natey: "Where's daddy?"
Me: "He went to Sam's Club."
Natey: "He went without me?!"

Natey: "How old do you have to be to be a grown up?"
Me: "18 years old"
Natey: "No, I think you need to be a thousand..."

"I want to name the baby Ellie." (he keeps referring to his little sibling as a girl)

Natey: "Can your baby come out?"
Me: "Well the doctors are going to help mommy get the baby out this summer"
Natey: "Are you going to open your mouth like this? AHHHHH!"

My husband's mom came to take care of Nate when he had a short break from school. Natey hadn't seen her yet since she arrived when he was sleeping. In the morning when his dad was getting ready for work, I guess Natey thought we were just gonna let him chill at home alone and he told his dad: "Have a good day. Don't worry, I'll be brave..." HA!

Natey every other day: "How old are you now?"
Me: "25 still..."
Natey: "I think you're a thousand!"
-_-

Natey while eating an oatmeal cream pie: "These cookies don't make crumbs...Did you know that mom?"
Me: "Oh really, who told you that?"
Natey: "Myself."

Natey: "I have good news and bad news..."
Me: "What is it?"
Natey: "Nothing."
Me: "You shouldn't tell people you have bad news because it will make them sad or worried."
Natey: :blank stare: "Mom, I have good news and bad news..."
Me: "What did I just say?"
Natey: "The bad news is I can't find my stickers. The good news is I have my horsey."

While the husband is making his coffee...
Natey: (looking disgusted) "Are you putting eggs in your coffee?"
Dad: "No, it's coconut..."
Natey: "Ooooh, when did you go to the beach for that?"


One day I picked Nate up early from school because I had an early afternoon...
Nate's teacher: "Nate! Look who's here!"
Natey: "Mom?! What?!..."
You would have thought he won Publisher's Clearinghouse haha


One night I was getting Natey ready for bed and he coughed and then quietly said: "Bless me God"
Then he coughed again and said, "bless me God. Hallelujah!" (with appropriate praise hand raise)
Me: "What did you say?"
Natey: "I was talking to Jesus. We did that at Lita's church."



Hope we brought a smile to your Tuesday!

It's Friday!!

Heading home from school without a care in the world...

Happy Friday everybody!

Anesthesia has been a dream. I have been home by lunch time on most days - which gives me enough time to study, take a quick nap, and pick the kid up from school at the regular dismissal time - i.e. no after school care. I  have even been making dinner like 3x/week. This is definitely the good life... :cue music and dance break:

My next OB appointment is this Monday and it's the big ultrasound! (You really only get two or three ultrasounds per pregnancy if everything is going according to plan - right at the beginning, in the middle to check out "anatomy" and find out sex if the parents so choose, and at the end to assess almost-birth weight.)  Time is flying by, and I'm so excited to see how Baby J is growing!!! The husband and I have decided to stay on team green throughout this pregnancy.

After Nate was born, I always thought about how it would be cool to experience finding out the sex of our baby for the first time on his or her birth day. This is easier said than done because most days I want to know!!! Being the planner I am, it's been hard to fully commit to the idea because I want to start buying all things pink or updating our baby boy nursery reserve, but I have my shopping list locked an loaded for last minute gender-themed things (like bedding and extraneous clothes outside of the essential onesies and sleepers) to order once the baby gets here :-) Luckily our crib, travel system, and pack and play are all gender-neutral so really there are no big ticket items we are lacking. However, there are a few updated things I want to get like a high chair and swing - both of which can be gender-neutral as well.

Natey keeps referring to the baby as a "she". I keep telling him it could be a girl OR boy, but he keeps making that distinction on his own. Maybe he knows something we don't ;-)

This weekend, not too much on the agenda outside of studying for my anesthesia exam and going on a Valentine's Day date with the hubby.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Salivary Glands & Life Plans...

Photo Credit

Cute title right? haha

Just got out of surgery and was sent home for the day because our last two cases cancelled. Today we took out someone's submandibular gland (thus part of the title). Well, the residents did, but I retracted chin skin to keep things visible, cut sutures, and suctioned...so I think I can be included in the "we" too...haha

Did I mention how much I am enjoying my time in the OR? < I know I did, but I just wanted to say it again... And I think Baby J likes it too because I felt some little kicks when I was bending over the patient looking into the neck (pictured). Pretty awesome :-)

I'm starting to panic a little bit because now that I've started subspecialty surgery and I like it a lot, I really, REALLY don't know what field I am going to go into. I still love the idea of primary care and having a long term relationship with my patients, but now I realized I couldn't let surgery go completely :le sigh:

In other news, overall I am still feeling pretty good during the day. My body is getting used to not eating every second without getting nauseous which has been helpful for normal person functioning. When I get home I do get hit with some nausea though. I started counting my calories yesterday just so I could see where I am at as far as food intake. I am gaining weight a lot faster with this pregnancy than my first so I really am trying to be conscious about at least cutting out the junk food and drinking mostly water so that the calories I am taking in are at least better choices for my body. Cutting the pop and coffee was the easy part, but this kid has an affinity for ice cream so we just need to find some balance. I wish it was a bit warmer out, because I think a nice walk sounds fun - especially because I need some stress-relieving endorphins. To all the mamas out there, if you know of any good healthy lifestyle + pregnancy resources, please share!

My Surgery Block & My Most Pregnant Day Yet...

Yes, I'm reading this book again. I've forgotten so much!

Yes, today was by far my most pregnant day yet...

Yesterday, I started my sub-specialty rotation with ENT (which I am really enjoying so far), and our hours have been super light this week. This has allowed me to have a day like today spent looking at nursery designs (I can't decide on anything), rescheduling my ultrasound, going to Target to refill my prenatal vitamins, buying some more maternity clothes, brushing up on some non-medical school reading, and even doing half a prenatal yoga video.

 I am so happy to report that even though I still feel totally pregnant and sore, I am starting to get some energy back. And it couldn't come a moment too soon. Yesterday, the surgeons let me use the mallet in a sphenoplasty (fancy word for repairing a deviated septum) and cut teeny, tiny stitches. It was AH-MAZ-ING!

See the 1:12 minute mark if you are curious about what I did and not squeemish...

How to rebreak the nose during rhinoplasty | Seattle Rhinoplasty Surgery from Thomas Lamperti on Vimeo.

Today, I got to help retract the orbit while they did an orbital blow out repair. The surgeries are so quick, it gives me just enough time to spare in between cases to inhale eat a FiberOne bar so Baby J and I don't get hungry and we start feeling all icky. I did have one near-faint episode yesterday, but thankfully, it didn't last too long. I'm starting to think that surgery is what I have been missing all school year ;-)

Driving in this morning, I was thinking about the fact that Natey was in my belly when I was sitting in my senior neuroanatomy and sleep behavior classes. Natey loves hearing about how he "went to college with mommy".  And now this little one is in my belly while I assist on my first surgeries. Even though being pregnant and simultaneously going to school can be totally draining, it makes for some pretty awesome stories years from now.

Reflecting on My Clerkship Experience: Internal Medicine

From the AAMC Careers in Medicine Clinical Evaluation 

Photo Credit

1. Name and Location of Clinical Rotation: 

Inpatient Medicine at the Veterans' Hospital (1 Month) and at Wishard Hospital (1 month).

2. What did I like most about this specialty? 

I felt like on this rotation, more than ever before, my suggestions for taking care of my patients were taken into consideration. For example, if I mentioned a test, the team might order it. Or if I suggested a steroid/antibiotic regimen, my patient might really get it. This could be directly related to the fact that I knew more and felt more comfortable to suggest things, but it was cool none-the-less.

3. What did I like least about this specialty?

Sometimes I felt overwhelmed by all there was to do and know when you are practicing inpatient medicine. Our patients were all really sick, and although quite a few pulled through and went home, we couldn't actually cure them. Also, you didn't get to follow up with those patients to see how they would  do long term.

4. Did this clinical rotation give me a good sense of what practice in this specialty would be like? 

I think it gave me a good idea of inpatient medicine, but I did not get any insight into the outpatient experience.

5. Did my interests, values, skills and/or personality "fit" with this specialty? If yes, in what way did they "fit"? If no, why might they not be compatible? 

No, I don't think so. I think that I really want to be involved in the long term health maintenance of my patients. For example, if someone came in whose diabetes or hypertension was uncontrolled, we could get it controlled while they were on the wards, but when we send them back home, things could go south again quickly if the patient does not have good follow up. I think this is why I enjoy preventative medicine so much, I want to stop my patients from needing to go to the hospital.

6. What are the possible practice settings for specialists in this field? Which of these settings interest me and do I know enough about them? 

In the hospital (Hospitalist) or in a community office setting

7. What information do I still need to find out about this specialty? 

None. I think I spent more than enough time checking it out :-) 

8. Has my perception of this specialty changed based on my clinical rotation experience? 

I think that my time on this rotation was really helpful in seeing that although being a Hospitalist may sound appealing schedule-wise, I want more of a long term relationship with my patients.

9. Did my clinical rotation experience influence the likelihood of choosing a career in this specialty? If yes, how did it influence me? 

I think it helped me to see that medicine may not be a good fit for me.

10. Right now, on a scale of 1-10, how interested am I in this specialty as a career option? 3

11. Other comments or reflections about this rotation or specialty: 

A lot of my patients were older (65+) men. Although I feel more than comfortable and capable working with all patient populations, I think that this rotation helped me see that I would miss not seeing women and the kiddos too.