It's a BOY

Oh my! What am I going to do? Testosterone is going to be flowing through my house. My imagination is filled with wrestling matches, broken windows, black eyes, and T-ball games. Yet, it all brings a smile to my face. Today, Jason and I found out the little life inside me is going to be a little boy. Even though less than twelve hours ago I would have told you I wanted a little girl, at this moment I couldn't be happier. Being able to see his little face and his hands and feet as he squirmed and dodged away from photos sealed the deal. That's my baby - Owen's little brother. I can't wait to meet him and hold him. And I can't wait for all of those wrestling matches, broken windows, black eyes, and T-ball games. He is going to look so cute in little white baseball pants.

What You've Missed

* Happy Birthday, O!

* Chomp. Chomp. Owen finally has teeth. (Even if they were late bloomers, I still swear that he has been teething since he was 6-months old.)
* Christmas. Done. That's about what I remember considering I was on call Christmas Eve and New Year's Day.

* One long long long month of Cardiology.

* Started and completed my first and last Family Medicine in-patient hospital month.

* Happy Birthday to me. One year closer to...??

* Slow month of Februrary with lots of time off. Yes! How will I ever go back?

* And some other stuff, too. I'm sure.

** Oh Yeah... in case you didn't hear, we're pregnant! Again.

I Am Alive

No I didn't fall of the face of the Earth. I didn't change careers either. And, believe it or not, I didn't want to stop writing either. So... here's a little explanation:

Around my last post a master email went out to all of the residents warning us about tweets, blogs, facebook, and myspace posts. While it wasn't targeted at me, I felt warned. Like a good girl, I didn't want to disobey and most of all I want to respect my patients. For the last few weeks I've been trying to decide where to go from here. My decision: keep going! I love writing so much, and it has been such a release. I promise to keep my commitment to my colleagues, patients, and myself; but I also intend to keep it fun and exciting. Can't wait!

New Month... and it's going to be a long 0ne

Wow, it's been a lot longer than I realized. There really aren't even any excuses for it being a month since there's been a new post. Seriously, wow! It is nearly mid-December!

To quickly get you back up to speed, it is a new month and a new rotation. November was wonderful!! The first two weeks were a crash course in Dermatology and it was awesome. There was so much I needed to learn, and it is good to finally have a decent grasp on the biggest organ in the human body - our skin. Then, the last two weeks of November was outpatient clinic, and some much needed vacation time. And can I just say: I love my clinic almost as much as I love my vacation!

But now... I'm not having so much fun. lub. dub. Cardiology. Known to be one of the busiest specialties at UNMC, it is living up to its reputation. What's worse is that our fellow who is running the service is terribly, I mean painfully, inefficient. My Type A, left brain is spinning. When we have a 2-page list of patients to see I don't think we need a meeting on the other side of the hospital to go over the same stinkin' thing three times a day. AHHH! My eyeballs hurt from rolling so much. And, by the way, I'm not the only one. The other residents on the service share my pain. The secretary that rounds with us said something. Even our attending made a comment. Yep, it is that bad. Oh boy... it is going to be a long month! We joked on day #3 that we needed to have end of the month margaritas. On day #4, we changed it to mid-month. By day #5, weekly. Say a little prayer for me and my sanity.

Dawn of a New Day

The day has come. The end is near. The fat lady has sung. Pigs are flying. The ship has sailed. The tide has come in. Extra, extra, read all about it. No matter how you say it, it is the dawn of a new era. At least a new era in the Newman house.

Years and years ago man invented fire. And then the wheel. And then an even more genius soul created coffee and chocolate. Yet, this moments sits far above these, on a baby blue throne that reigns in my soft mommy heart.

Months and months of training and preparing have brought us to this moment, and yet I was still not prepared for the vision before my eyes. Smile plastered across his face. Hazel eyes wide with pride. One hand with a tight grip on the plush basketball that just happens to be the exact size of his head and the other hand and arm straight out to his side creating that perfect 90-degree angle with his body. A little (okay, not so little) round belly out in front leading the way. Legs steady. Feet planted. Then...

wait for it...

wait for it...

One brave little foot leaves the ground. All of the muscles in his body spring into action as in that split second his frame is balanced on a single, size 3 foot. Just as quickly, that brave little foot hits the ground again. But this time it is the ground 4 inches ahead. Steady once again and the smile is bigger and the eyes are brighter. Mission accomplished. However, almost as if it's jealous, the other foot jumps off the ground, reaches in front of its partner, and leaves a teetering body on top. Plop! A gentle landing on a cushioned bottom. There is no break in the smile. And moments later we're going through it all again.

That's right folks. Step right up. It is the dawn of a new day. A new day in the Newman house.

Owen can walk!

Of course he wouldn't walk for the camera, but he did sneeze a noodle out of his nose. :) I'm a proud mama!

Derm

After months of busy hospital work, I finally have a much needed clinic month. Weekends off and no call! That's music to my exhausted ears. However, it isn't just time to relax, I still get to learn. Currently, I'm working with a Dermatologist at Offutt airforce base, and this is something I've really been needing. It may surprise you, but UNMC doesn't have a dermatologist. That's made it kind of difficult to get much derm experience in the last few years.

Now, after one week I'm feeling more comfortable with skin diseases than I ever have. Have acne, sun damage, a weird mole, eczema, or psoriasis? I'm your doc! Okay, I might not have learned everything yet... but I still have a week to go. ;)

Before you ask, if you're looking for some free advice here's what I have for ya':
1) Don't smoke.
2) Wear sunscreen. Seriously. Wear sunscreen!
3) Ask your doctor about Retin-A. It's great for acne and anti-aging.

Looking forward to next week already!

Happy HallOWEN!

Another first for our family... Owen's first Halloween! or as it is known at our house - Hall-OWEN. Our little lion took to the trick-or-treating streets like he had done this a thousand times. Instead of fussing and pulling at his mane all night long, to our surprise it stayed in place. He didn't even cry until the night was over and he was back in his jammies. It didn't take long for exhaustion take over and for him to fall fast asleep. (It also didn't take long for mom and dad to raid his candy bag.)