Time flies when you're....

....in medical school and raising a toddler.
....chasing said wild toddler around the house.
....trying to figure out what to be "when you grow up" because school won't last forever (I hope).
And of course,
....having fun!


Time really does fly these days. I swear, I took Step 1 last week and we just moved into this new house - only that was almost 10 months ago. Wow. Someone has been slacking on the blog postings lately....oops! I guess a quick bring up to speed is necessary, so prepare yourself for the novel that comes.

Obviously, I took Step 1 and PASSED! It was a torturous day that I try to repress as far back into my memory as possible. I took it; I passed it, and I will never, ever have to take it again. Praise the good Lord! We packed up all our belongings a few days later and headed north. Although we both hate the long commute and the fact that PG's room does not have a door, we have adapted and love the space.

 P was so excited about moving closer to ole Grammy and Papa that she was more than happy to help unpack her stuff.

                              And arrange it and rearrange it until her room was juuuuuust right.

Needless to say, the last few months have been an adventure, an absolutely mentally and physically exhausting blast. There's really too much to put it all down in words. So, of course a few pictures to share the big moments.

There were a lot of boxes and new places to hide. Too bad PG is still finding places to hide so she can jump out yelling, "Boo, Mommy!" She is 85% her father.

We had a few holidays to celebrate - like Memorial Day and 4th of July. There was also Halloween, Thanksgiving and of course Christmas. (Bad Mommy hasn't uploaded those photos yet...oops?)

 PG discovered her love for sunglasses of all shapes, sizes and colors. She also likes to tell you which pair to where - even if you are driving and it's dark outside.

 There was a trip to D.C. for school. There was lots of walking, wet french braided hair, hotel slumber parties, tons of great food...and some lessons learned...the hard way.

 There was also that time my mom thought it was a good idea to dress PG up in one of my old dresses. You know, the one that I wore before I saw the light. She didn't seem to be all that amused.

However, much happier PG in those beautiful orange and blues. That's my girl! 

 We are teaching her how to shop right. Sunglasses on, sparkly kitty shirt and a purse full of necklaces, random phones, some keys and a few more pairs of sunglasses just in case.

 She loves, loves, LOVES the park. Especially the swings. Nanny Stephanie introduced her to swings when she was just a wee little one, and she still loves them. Like cries when you make her get out of it love.

Other noteworthy things in the life of PG:
She is quickly becoming a Disney Movie junkie - Cars and Finding Nemo are the current favorites.
She loves her school. And they teach her a lot of things. Like colors (even though everything is blue) and numbers (although she always starts counting at 2). And words. Her new favorite word/phrase, you might ask? Help me. Yep, help me. It's hilarious...until she screams it throughout the grocery store because she wants everything opened. Not so cute anymore, kiddo.

On the school front, I still have no idea what I want to be. I know that I do not want to be an OBGYN and I do not want to do only adult medicine. I do know that I love little kids! To be the one who always said she would have a farm full of rescued greyhounds and never wanted children, you can't pull me away from the little sticky boogers. My new found love for munchkins all started with my little pile of sticky kisses. They are so innocent and so loving. They are resilient and I love watching a (semi) sick kid be instantly better in less than 24 hours. It's truly amazing. I'm a huge proponent for patient education, and I love the opportunities that Pediatrics provides - you can educate parents, grandparents, and other care givers. But you also get to educate the kids. I think the hope of our nation lies in our youth. The hope for a healthier nation as well as a strong, hardworking nation that is full of people who are compassionate and caring. If we teach our children that dreams can come true with a little hard work. If we teach them that hard work never killed anyone and that the world doesn't owe them anything. If we teach them how to eat right, how to exercise and how to live life and love God, our world would be a much better place.

*Step off soap box that I didn't know I climbed on...*

School starts back tomorrow for me. And I have a lot of big decisions coming up. I'm supposed to "know" what specialty I belong in already, but I don't. I can see me fitting in many places, but I've got to start committing to a path. Hopefully, after the 8 weeks of Family Medicine that I am about to do, I will know how much I love, or don't love, managing adult chronic medical problems. A wise physician told me, "If you have to decide how much you like something, you probably don't really like it." And, I think he was right. However, I am going to give it a chance. I love people. I love all people so it is making this decision so much harder. It also doesn't help that I have about 4 brain cells that are telling me surgery. I LOVED surgery. It was amazing. I was dreading it for months, and it is honestly one of the only rotations I have missed. I fell head over heels for surgery and pediatric surgery was the time of my life. I love knowing that I fixed a problem. I like seeing results. And pediatric surgery, oh my! Talk about changing someones life. We operated on 2 day old babies who otherwise would not have survived. And now they will have a normal life and no one will know that they were ever sick. Giving parents a healthy baby that now has a chance is humbling. As you can see, I am very, very confused. Prayers appreciated. ;)


PG's birthday is coming up! Party plans are in the making...stay tuned for more updates months too late from this Bad Mommy!