Randy and Dionne's Happily Everafter Story

Pics from a work Christmas party

2010-12-27T09:34:00.002-06:00

Videos of Micah walking

2010-10-03T15:14:00.005-05:00

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!

2010-10-02T18:56:00.004-05:00

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)

2010-09-11T22:35:00.009-05:00

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

2010-07-03T08:50:00.006-05:00

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!

2010-06-19T15:35:00.009-05:00

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

2010-05-12T15:12:00.004-05:00

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.

2010-05-09T16:31:00.003-05:00

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.

2010-04-26T21:24:00.004-05:00

Micah rolling over (4 months)

Micah trying to walk (4 Months)

2010-03-13T15:55:00.002-06:00

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.

2010-02-26T17:58:00.020-06:00

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.

2009-12-27T20:50:00.001-06:00

2009-12-10T17:20:00.002-06:00

Needless to say, this little one gets lots of kisses... how can you resist

Nana and Micah

My precious little angel

Micah Christian Sillik is Here!!! :)

2009-11-22T19:43:00.007-06:00

Born on Friday, November 20th at 1:02 AM
at 37weeks, 3 days
6lbs 5oz
19 inches long
The cutest little thing I've ever seen!

my week off- part 3

2009-10-11T18:13:00.005-05:00

Our little art project:
So last weekend, Randy and I went to a craft store and bought some white wooden letters. This Friday night, we sanded and painted those letters, each in a different color, which we placed over the crib. A few days before that, we also put up some vinyl lettering. Now, waking up and seeing my son's name makes me even more excited to see him.

It was fun painting with Randy

My wonderfully handy husband once again

AND HIS NAME IS:

"Every Good and Perfect Gift Comes from Above"

my week off-part 2

2009-10-11T17:43:00.003-05:00

So Wednesday October 7th was my 28th birthday, and my wonderful husband, after having taken me out to dinner and shopping on Saturday, left work early and while I was at a cafe studying, cleaned our messy living room and surprised me with this:

Please note the kisses filled with caramel on the table. I have always hated chocolate. Apart from my occasional indulgence in the caramel, nugget and peanut goodness of a Snickers bar, there is not much chocolate that I am able to tolerate. During the last trimester of this pregnancy, I have become a lot more tolerant of the different preparations of milk chocolate. I still need to have it made with something else like mint or caramel, but now I actually crave it and enjoy it. Once, about a month ago, Randy bought a bag of the Hersey chocolate with caramel for himself and much to both of our surprise, yours truly ended up eating a good bit of them. We could not find it again since then but on my birthday, Randy found it for me. I have an incredibly wonderful husband.

That night, we went out to dinner with some of my co-workers. It was a very nice birthday indeed.

My week off- part 1

2009-10-11T17:17:00.007-05:00

Tomorrow I go back to work after a much needed week off. With the third part of my board exams coming up, I did some studying, Randy and I did some home decorating and baby preparation. Most of all, I did a lot of sleeping and/or just being horizontal in bed. Needless to say, my ankles look great lol Being admittedly lazy (and I do appologize for not updating the blog on a more regular basis), I figure I will just put up a sample of pics and videos from my doings this past week.

One of our attendings hosted a party last Sunday. It was a Jewish tradition called the Sukkat
The pretty lady in the middle is one of my co-interns, Aroti.
I know, my face has gotten considerably wider with this pregnancy. ugh

About to leave for the Chestnut Hill Festival last Sunday

I think this was last Saturday. Getting ready to go out and run errands

This is part of one of the acts at the festival that we went to last Sunday. There were live bands and lots of food. The weather was perfect that day. Sorry for the weird camera angle.

The first installment in our baby readiness

2009-09-23T21:43:00.003-05:00

BEFORE

My handy husband. I am laying on the bed reading the instructions (a very important job :))

proud of his work, as he should be.

Tired, but happy

YAY!!! :)

We bought a crib that can convert to a day bed and then an adult full sized bed. It is actually also a changing table and hamper all in one with open shelves on the back and a trundle drawer for bedding underneath. We love it and are very excited to bring our little one home and see him in this space. I can't wait to buy the bedding and supplies, but the next expense on our priority list is a stroller and car seat.

29 weeks, only 11 more to go!!! :)

2009-09-23T21:19:00.003-05:00

The one day that I didn't wear scrubs to work

From my 28th week

I am getting bigger and more uncomfortable, and working 30 hrs at a time (and no we don't take naps!) when on call has gotten harder, but I have a good support system around me at work and my senior residents try to do what they can to prevent me from getting too bombarded with work. Actually, this weekend, my chief resident tried to find some time for me to rest for about 30 minutes but by the time I got done with doing a C-section and delivering 2 babies, our Triage filled up again and there went that. It was nice that she at least tried. Anyway, only 11 weeks to go. I am taking it one day at a time and trusting in God to give me the strength and the stamina that I need. He has never inspired me to do something that he has not given me the tools to accomplish, and I know that this is one of those things.

Twenty Six Weeks :)

2009-09-02T17:03:00.003-05:00

Long Time No See

2009-08-15T19:56:00.003-05:00

Ok Ok Ok, So residency is a time consuming entity that does not like sharing you with your bed further more blogging time. I am soooo behind on updating my blog and my family has been nagging me for weeks to put up more pictures.

(Me at 22wks and 4 days)
I actually had a day off and was able to try out our pool for the first time

I am now 23 weeks and 4days pregnant and doing well. Residency has been a crazy, new, overwhelming, exciting, educational and tiring experience thus far and it has only just begun. In less than two months, I have become a surgeon, an educator to women, present on the happiest and worst days of a woman's life. I am very blessed to be doing what I do. I just wish there was more time for rest and relaxation. My little boy is doing well; content inside my womb... probably wondering why I am never sitting still. It is very comforting to feel his life inside of me when I am delivering a baby, standing for 4 hours working in the Operating Room, writing orders, and especially when I am too tired or discouraged to want to go on. I always have a constant reminder of what I can be happy about and excited for, right there with me.

My first week as an Ob/Gyn

2009-07-03T17:06:00.002-05:00

I don't have much time to write. Strangely I got today off, if not I would not even have been able to put pictures up or write this right now. But, I felt it a good idea to put into words my experiences of the last few days.

Night before my first day, it was hard to fall asleep. I felt almost as anxious as the night before my 9hr board exams. Not wanting the sun to rise upon a day that you don't want to face, but wanting the torture of not knowing how it will be to come and get itself over with.

First day, woke up at around 4:15 am. Got to hospital bright and early with my blue scrubs, pager on hip, cellphone on hip, and white coat on. The day was busy, it was nonstop. Barely a moment to pee or eat without pagers going off and places to be. This month I am on the GYN service, which mainly means cases in the OR, preparing patients for surgery and managing them postoperatively and of course, running to the Emergency department, and the medical floors as a consult.

At the end of our first day, one of my fellow interns called me on the phone and we both celebrated that we had survived, that it was not so bad and that we were really really happy.

Upon embarking on each experience, at first I would feel the anxiety rise just a little. Going on my own to examine a patient who is bleeding or has had a miscarriage seemed daunting, and scary. But there was always a certain pt during each encounter when I looked at myself and realized that I was doing it right, that I was prepared for this and that I could be confident in my abilities. That was an amazing feeling. That and reporting to my senior residents and attendings and seeing the look of approval on their faces as to my thought process and knowing that if I did not know what to do that they were always there to help and guide me, were some of the most rewarding aspects of this week for me.

Everyone has been supportive of my pregnancy, making sure that I steal time to eat etc. When your chief gives up her seat so that you can sit down, you can't help but feel that you're in the right place.

Assisting on cases in the OR were great, keeping in mind that I will have to remember the names and functions of all of the instruments, not so much. I did a case with just me and the attending and afterwards he congratulated me for having my first one done. A rite of passage had been done. That was a great feeling. Sitting in morning report and learning from happenings that occurred overnight, being called on to answer questions and knowing that everything you don't know is something that you have to go home and read up on is part of the day. Coming home exhausted with only about 3 hrs of awake time left before you really should go to bed, has been difficult. Knowing that eating dinner, reading up on cases so that I can be prepared in the OR the next day, time with Randy, all have to come out of those few hrs is a challenge. But it is one that we are both up for.

Randy has been awesome, as usual. He sees me off in the mornings, makes dinner at night and lays next to me and tucks me in even when he isn't going to bed for another couple of hours. He has been my rock and my cheerleader.

This week has been tiring but I can honestly say that I have had fun. I am living my dream and touching people's lives each and every day.

2009-07-03T13:26:00.003-05:00

ITS A BOY!!!!

The goods :)

All ten fingers accounted for

Hanging out upside down

He has such a cute nose!!!

2009-06-29T13:34:00.007-05:00

Just some pics of me getting ready to go to the Park

as you can see, we painted some of the walls in our living room. (We also did an accent wall of a different color in our bedroom) I was going to do a before and after post, but laziness and busyness squashed that idea.

I am 17 weeks today, and yes, the belly is getting a bit bigger. I have been feeling the baby move a lot more now and loving every moment of it. Sometimes I wonder when he/she is getting any sleep lol. Randy has gotten to feel the baby move under his fingertips and even saw my skin jump up and down this past weekend. It is always nice when I can share with him something that feels like a private exchange just between me and our little one.
Hopefully when I get my ultrasound done within the next few weeks, I will finally be able to answer my family's nagging question of "Is it a boy or a girl" and "When are you going to finally find out the sex?!" :)

Some Spoils of the day :)

2009-06-24T21:39:00.004-05:00

Yep, that's me! :)

My White Coat

I had been meaning to do a post months ago, saying goodbye to my shorter, thinner medical student white coat, but never got around to it. Now, I get to wear the thick, sized to fit, personally embroidered long white coat that the doctors get to wear. This is an item that all medical students look forward to receiving when they start residency.

My Pager

We also got some cool goodie bag stuff, including a jump drive, a cute little backpack, etc. Tomorrow I pick up my ID badges. It was a long day, but a great day. I met a lot of residents of various specialties who were all excited and nervous like me. I even got to hang out with some of them tonight when Me and Randy were invited over to one of my co-OB resident's apartment. All in all a good day. Now for a good night's sleep and more training, etc tomorrow.