Pics from a work Christmas party

Videos of Micah walking

Micah has been taking more and more steps each day, since he was just under 10 months old I believe, and Randy and I keep meaning to take some videos, but either we are too in awe to go get our phones or camera, or by the time we get what we need, Micah does not want to walk any more. I finally captured some of his moves today. Enjoy :)





Sometimes he gets so pleased with himself when he makes it long distances. Or other times, he'll be so much about his business that he acts like to him its no big deal. lol

YAY ME!

After a long Hiatus, and making it through Intern year, I have been finally able to return some attention to Doctor D's Women's health Corner. New Post is up ladies!! :)


I am once again taking requests for topics

Post-Call Day at the Park (last weekend)

After working 26hrs straight and sleeping for a few hrs, what made my weekend on call a good weekend, was going to the park with Micah, Mom and Randy

Getting ready to test out his new pair of shoes

Mom enjoying her fruit

Mom playing with Micah's hair...as usual :)

The loves of my life

The precious moments that I savor

We had a visitor

Exploring

Our visitor returns

My Son

I am actually off this weekend and able to enjoy waking up to Micah's beautiful face laying next to me as opposed to sneaking a peak at him sleeping in the crib before going off to work. Micah is 7months old, crawling and pulling himself up. He's had two bottom teeth for a couple months now and he loves to play and smile and laugh. He is such a sweet spirit, just as I sensed he would be when I was pregnant with him.

Here are a few pics of my beautiful son.....

Congrats Are in Order!

So this last week (Wednesday) my lovely wife had her department graduation. This is an event in which the faculty and staff of the OB-GYN department take the time to congratulate the graduating 4th year residents and award a select few of the remaining residents for a job well done.

So over the last few months leading up to the graduation I felt inclined to point out to my wife that I think she is in the top 2 for Intern of the Year Award. She dismissed me for all the same reasons why I thought she would win.

These might be a little biased but who cares I am married to the woman. lol

1. Dionne has never done anything half-way. Quite frankly, I don't think she knows how to.

2. We (She) had a baby in November and Dionne didn't miss a single call shift. Dionne also worked 2 full call shifts back to back leading up to the week she delivered Micah. (The weeks that she's on call average 111hrs per week no days off).

3. USMLE Step 3- the third part of a 3 part board exam series. Dionne studied hard, took it and passed, all while juggling readings and presentations for her program as well as being a mother and a wife.

4. Even with missing 6 weeks of work for maternity leave, Dionne was able to stay at the same level as her peers.

Even with all of the many things that my wife had to juggle this year, it could've been easy for her to fall behind. But she didn't. She came back from maternity leave ready to get back to work. I think that she and I both were concerned that her superiors and peers were not going to be able to put aside the politics of having a resident who decides to have a baby....

Good news is, she was wrong, and I was right that her hard work would not go unrewarded :)

So, I have a few photos to share. A brief snap shot of the last years events in my wife’s intern year of her OB-GYN residency.

Medical School Graduation

Prego!!!!

Doctor D :)

Micah is finally here :)

The Intern of the Year is.....

Dionne and her co-interns

It has to feel great to have all your dreams come true.

Congratulations, my lovely wife for Job well done and welcome to your 2^nd year.

My thoughts on the subject

I read a post today by a witty girl I used to go to High School with (Keiko) that simply came so much out of my mind, that I almost don't see the point of even writing this post.

What can I say to add to that? I do have a few thoughts:

1. Being a mother does not mean erasing yourself; your hopes and wants and dreams and desires
~ interesting parents make interesting kids
~ your children will not end up as horrible people because you did things that interested you outside of their lives while they were growing up
~ children are not going to be children forever. There has to be something else that defines who u are even after they have grown and don't need you to be there every second of the day
~basing one's happiness or sense of self around another human being is not only not a bad idea, but psychologically unhealthy. Our children bring us joy, but they (nor our husbands) should be our only source of fulfillment.

2. Why does it have to be all or nothing?
~It is not selfish to be multidimensional. We were individuals long before we became mothers and we should stay as individuals for as long as we live. I did not have to get rid of any part of myself in order to be a mother and I am confident that I can be a good mother even though I am also committed to other things.

3.I never understood the saying of "full time mom"
~We are always mothers, whether we spend the majority of time in the home or not. My responsibility as a mother is always full time.



There are many sacrifices that good mothers make for the betterment of their children and their future. My mother gave up a career that she worked hard to establish so that the five of us could come to the United States and become the Doctors and Teachers, Musicians and Dentists that we always wanted to be. But, mothers should never sacrifice themselves. Their essence, their passions.
I truly feel that if a woman feels like her path to motherhood had to be bought at the cost of important pieces of herself, that she will truly never really be able to enjoy motherhood.

God made us able to do many things, to be many things to many people. It is all about balance. Our children need to see the example of how one human being can balance all of life's joys and responsibilities with grace and strength.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, I will be taking the 3rd part of a 3-part board exam (The first two parts were done during medical school). It will last for 9hrs each day. It has been a challenge to study for that exam, keep abreast of reading for my specialty, and find time to sleep, enjoy my little one and spend time with my Husband. It definetely makes you good at time management. This past week has been especially taxing. I have been having to stay late at work either because of the barage of consults that our GYN team has been hit with, or being detained in the OR on a long complicated case. Through it all though, I thank God. As exhausted as this past week in particular has made me, I have to admit that it has given me a deep sense of satisfaction as well. All of the challenges, the interesting consults that I've had to figure out, have taught me so much. As one of my favorite anesthesiologists told me this week: "You don't learn from an easy residency. It's the busy days that teach you the most"

Before going to bed last night (or rather early this morning), I received a sweet card from Randy.

This morning, around 7am, I was able to enjoy the bliss of snuggling with my sweet baby boy, while smelling the delicious breakfast that my wonderful husband was making for me. I knew that more studying was on the agenda, but at least for those moments, I got to just be a woman enjoying her first Mothers' Day.

My beautiful son, how long I have waited to hold you and smell you and kiss your face

And now that you're here, I thank God daily, for giving you to me; how great is His grace

My beautiful son, you've made me a mother

Exactly what I've always wanted to be

You keep me complete, and grounded and joyful

Amazing how blessed one woman can be

My beautiful son, I'll love you forever

your father and I will always be there

To teach you of God, Faith, Love and Ambition

Thank You for making me a Mother, my Dear

Later on today, after a few sets of practice questions, I was treated to a little shopping spree at DSW, where I scored! :)

THANK YOU HONEY!! :)

He is growing up so fast.

Micah rolling over (4 months)

Micah trying to walk (4 Months)

How can a life be so fullfilling, so rewarding, so exciting, so full, and yet so frustrating, so challenging, so taxing, so draining?

I believe that my life will always be a dichotomy of the good life and the hard life all at once. Each day I go to work, I affect lives. I am but a servant of God, tending to and caring for his people. I keep people safe, I save them from themselves, I fix the wrongs in their bodies that have happened without warning, that have been afflicted on them, or that they've inflicted on themselves. I use my hands, my head, my heart each and every day on a level so intense that it can be nothing short of overwhelming. What an exciting place to be...... but there is a price for such a privilege.

~ To be able to do the right thing at work, I have to know what the right thing is, which means CONSTANT reading, CONSTANT studying. There is no cap on what I have to learn.

~ Never enough time to sleep, never enough time to just rest and do nothing. A movie watched is two hrs that I could have, that I should have spent reading on the etiology, pathophysiology, management and treatment of a condition that I will undoubtedly be faced with the next day at work. Not to mention board exams and being ready to be quizzed and questioned by a superior.

~ This field is wrought with pressure. Pressure to perform, pressure to achieve. Lives are at stake, and we all take it seriously

~ In a few months, I will have to be a part of the teaching and guidance of new first year residents. I have to know my stuff so that I do not lead them astray.

I sit here at my desk, with my textbooks in front of me wondering (as I've done so many times before), how I am going to withstand the pressure without crumbling under its weight?The price that I must pay is high. Only in this profession is so much asked for so little in return.

I know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I have always needed God, continue to need him and will always need him in my life. My heart says a silent prayer to God before going into the operating room, delivery room, emergency room, ICU, praying that that which I have missed sleep, rest, a movie, etc for in order to study, will come forth, out of my brain and serve me at that very moment.

When I sit at my desk, before these study sessions, I pray that I will be able to retain all that I read, for if not, the time away from other things would be a waste.

My life is full and still I want more. More children, more time, more knowledge, more wisdom. But to have all of that there is a price to be paid. I've always believed and still do believe that we can have it all. We just can't have it all easily.

Wow. We have been busy. :) Time to catch up with some pics.

I love this picture.

So first of all this is Randy :) as you all know my wife has been working crazy hours in her residency program and now she has to study for a 2 day test that she needs to take in April. So until then you are stuck with ME :)

The last post was at the end of December so I will pick up from there.

Micah is now 3 months and 1 week old and starting his My Baby can Read dvd's.

Micah is getting so big. Here are some of his favorite toys.





next is his Swing(Thanks Uncle George & Auntie Pam)



Ok now you can see how he travels in this freezing cold weather. The stroller/carseat.


So now on to the fun pics.

Here is a pic of the girls. (Dionne's Sisters and Aroti one of Dionne's Co-Residents)

Here is a pic of Micah and Hyacinth aka Mom or Nana

Too Cute


Micah's surprised face.


Micah in some big boy clothes.


Close up :)
One of my favorites. His model pose lol

Micah and Mommy
Micah and Daddy
Ok that is all I have for now I will add some more in a couple of weeks.