The Doctors Wife

Happy Friday!

Oh Yeah, We Went To The Lake Last Week

Over fall break we went to the lake with my family. (It feels a little funny to write about this now, but I don't really want to advertise that we are out of town!) This year I tried to make sure I had lots of fun things planned for Hannah. I made her a little book out of zippy bags for her to put things in. (You know how children will gather up everything they can get their little hands on?!) Anyway, it was a hit! 

 

Here is the book, before she put anything into it, and it was only slightly mauled. (I just stapled the bags together and hot glued some ribbon over the staples- really easy!)

 

Here is my little cutie on a walk- she had such a good time and just loved spending time with her Grammy and Papa!

 

We saw lots of deer,

And deer tracks. Now any time Hannah sees any kind of indentation on the ground, she points excitedly exclaiming. "Deer tracks! Deer tracks Mommy!" (Oddly enough, there were "deer tracks" in our living room yesterday! Ha!)

 

We also took Hannah horseback riding for the first time. She was SO EXCITED! She did great and was so cute! She would say, "Yee Haw!" and "Giddy up horsey!" It was adorable and I will always remember how excited she was on her first ride.

This little cowgirl also got her face painted.

By the end of the day we had a very tired little "puppy" on our hands!

But the next day she was bright eyed and bushy tailed! She was ready to gather up more little treasures for her book. It was so funny, she kept calling the pine cones "acorns". 

And I can't forget this little monkey, he was exhausted by all of the activity, but had such a great time.

We had a great time and made some great memories. I look forward to many more years...thanks Mom and Dad!

Taming The Two's- Make A Ribbon Wand

Did you play with ribbon wands when you were little? I remember playing with them in gym class, and I just loved them. I looked around online trying to find one for Hannah, and I could never find exactly what I was looking for, or it was more than I was willing to pay. So I decided to make one myself, and it was so easy. 

 

I bought a bracelet and a bag of random colorful ribbon from Hobby Lobby, and simply tied them all to the bracelet. SO EASY! Hannah (and David) loves it! She runs with it, dances with it and tickles her brother with it. So...if you are looking for a fun and easy project, make a ribbon wand!

 

 

Medical Mondays- Beep, Beep, Beep

If you are a doctor's wife, you know exactly what I mean! Call, and all that comes with it, the pager...and the beeping. Mike's call has been pretty decent this year, so I really don't have any complaints. But there have been months (and I know that for some of you, there is never a break!) when his pager goes off a lot! (And can you beat being woken up in the middle of the night by your husband's pager going off, and your husband is out of state? Because the nurse failed to check the call schedule and see that your husband wasn't even on the schedule, much less on call for the entire month?) And even before your husband's pager ever goes off, there is the whole 20 minute rule. (most Dr's live within 20 minutes of the hospital, so they are able to take some call from home)

Call can be so tricky, it is a double edged sword- you don't necessarily want to count your husband completely out of your plans, but you also don't want to end up feeling disappointed when the pager goes off and your hubby has to head out. So how do you deal with call? During Mike's intern year, when call was much more unpredictable, we just took it month to month, some times we knew the likelihood of being paged was pretty slim, while other days it was simply a matter of time before he was paged. Now Mike's call is fairly predictable and generally we feel okay making plans (in town of course!) Mike was on call during Christmas last year, and after a mini rush on Christmas Eve, his pager was happily silent. We look at call as part of the job, and luckily for us, it hasn't been too intrusive on Mike's time at home. But for those of you who constantly hear the beep, how do you handle the unpredictability of call? And does anyone have a funny about the pager going off at an inopportune time? 

When You're The Little Brother...

You get dressed up in mouse ears...

 

And princess hats.

And you don't entirely mind because you are just happy that your big sister is playing with you. I look forward to many years of the two of you playing together, and hope that you are always so delighted to play with each other.

I am asking you to please pray for my friend Sara. She and I met while our husbands were in medical school and our children are the same ages, and her sweet baby Addison is in the hospital. They had a scare last week and she spent several days in the hospital, and now they are back and unsure of what the problem is. My heart is just aching for her, and I am asking that you please say a prayer for their family. 

Milestones

We have been checking off the milestones at our house lately. A couple of weeks ago, we switched Hannah over to her "big girl" (toddler) bed. It was an abrupt decision, as I was hoping to keep her in the crib a little longer. (Oh yes, I was planning to ride that pony as far as it would take me) But my little girl had other plans and after she climbed out of her crib and nearly scared me out of my skin (at night, while Mike was at work) it was decided that her crib was to be converted to the toddler bed post-haste. And over all she has done okay with the transition, she gets up several times before going down for good, and her napping is not what it used to be, but all in all, I can't complain.

That being said, I'm never quite sure what I will find when I go in to check on her. She has emptied the contents of her dresser multiple times, and this afternoon had the entire contents of her toy drawer in her bed. It's like she's a squirrel packing as much in as she can, it's funny really. I've decided that I'll have to keep my eye on her, as it seems she may have a tendency to hoard. She is also protective of her bed, Oliver tried to jump up and she. freaked. out. He looked so shocked, I was surprised because she is usually very excited when the dogs want to interact with her, but she was not having anything to do with a dog on her bed. One thing is for sure, she keeps me laughing, and motherhood is certainly an adventure. It's just like a box of chocolates, I never know what I'm going to get. But I know where it will be, squirreled away in Hannah's bed.

 So I want to know- what's the funniest thing you have ever found in your child's bed?

Medical Mondays- When The Doctor's Away

At some point during your medical journey, you are certain to find yourself with evenings to yourself. Call, night shifts, away rotations, conferences, training etc. will find their way into your schedule and you will find yourself alone. And being alone can be, well, lonely. So what's a girl to do to keep the loneliness at bay?

• Two words: Chick flick. Nights that Mike works are my evenings to watch movies/ tv shows that would make Mike roll his eyes. With Redbox, and the ever-growing selection at many libraries, even the tightest budgets can fit this in.

• Call up the girls and have a GNO. Have kids? Could you hire a sitter? If a sitter is not an option can friends come over after the kids are in bed for some dessert and catching up?

• If your spouse works the same night each week, could you use that evening to take a class or join a club? 

• Make the nights alone with your kids special- it's date night with Mommy, pick a favorite restaurant or make a special meal. 

• If the running bedtime by yourself stresses you out, have a "Pajama Party" Give the kids their baths, put on jammies, (while you have their full cooperation!) have pancakes (or cereal, could anything be easier than cereal?) for dinner, cuddle up and watch a favorite show or movie and put the kids to bed.

• Use your nights alone to pamper yourself- give yourself a pedicure or facial, deep condition your hair, etc.

• Use the time to catch up on something you love to do, but don't usually make time for. (sewing, scrap-booking, reading, exercising, etc)

• Go to bed early. (Ha! I always stay up much later when Mike is working, but I love this idea in theory!)

• Do nothing. Veg out and waste time on Facebook, catching up on blogs, etc. Sometimes you just need a break!

• Catch up on the house so when your hubby is home, you don't feel bogged down with things to do.

Those are just a few ideas to help make those nights alone go a little quicker! I want to know, what's your favorite way to spend a night alone?

Hey internet! It's amazing to me how fast the days fly, and before I know it a week (or more!) has come and gone! We have been busy, and can you believe it? David has a sinus infection! We were back at the pediatrician on Wednesday, and he is doing much better today! I really, really, have had my fill of sick little ones! We have a super busy weekend, but I am absolutely determined to get back on the bloggy band wagon next week and share some of the fun (between illnesses!) we have been having. Here is a peek- we have been doing lots of pumpkin activities. Ok, so more next week, David should be up from his nap soon! Have a great weekend!                                                        

Playing Catch Up

This week has been the first week in four weeks that I have not had a sick child. (Praise the Lord!!) I have been trying to get back in the swing of things, and get my house back under control. Fall always makes me feel nesty, and I have been trying to tackle a few projects around the house. If everyone stays well, maybe I will get something done and be able to share pictures! (I put up my fall decorations a few weeks ago, and am hoping to share pictures this weekend) I really, really hope that everyone in my little household will stay well, (at least for a few weeks!), I am finally starting to get things back to "normal" and would really like for them to stay that way!! If I can ever get my house back in shape, I have some fun things to share. Nothing too fun today, but I will leave a little tip- does your washing machine have a timer? My new one does, and OH MY it makes me love it even more! I stick a load of clothes in at night, set the timer and in the morning I wake up to my washing machine doing it's thing. No more forgetting to get laundry started until the afternoon! So if you have a newer washer, check and see if it has a timer- and if it does, use it!!