Blood work - normal
Urine analysis - dropped off this morning, will know results Monday
Symptoms - lower back pain, spotting, feel funky in general
Weekend plan - hand out candy to ghosts and goblins (note to self: don't give the Twix out); attend baby shower #1 (yay!); have Christopher fix wall color in nursery (don't ask); assemble furniture (thanks Jane and Zan for your help); put baby stuff in nursery; rest
Stay tuned...
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Medical Marriages
Last night was the second Matters of the Heart seminar of the year. For those of you who aren't part of Vanderbilt let me explain...
The VHA hosts a 4 part seminar series every year for members and their spouses that focuses on medical marriages. Since medical families have a unique set of challenges it provides our members the opportunity to learn from experts and mentors about how to cope with and survive times like residency, fellowship and beyond.
Anyway... last night we had Dr. Wayne Sotile speak about the balancing act that we as medical couples have to perform day in and day out to have a successful career, family and marriage all at the same time. His speech was amazing. Really. Amazing. I laughed a lot and got teary eyed a couple of times. This is my 3rd time to hear him speak and it was awesome. There were a few nuggets of truth that really spoke to me personally and I'm sure there were others that reached out and touched other people in the audience.
One of my teary-eyed moments came when he talked about the pictures in his study. Most are of his daughters, but he has two pictures of his wife. One that is a current picture that gets updated every year or so and the other is a black and white picture from her childhood. She has curly hair with a big bow and the frilliest dress I've ever seen. He said that when he and Mary are at odds or when they are dealing with some of their chronic issues (which God knows we all have) he always looks at the picture of a 5 year-old Mary because that is the person he's really dealing with in that moment. I think that's a really important thing to think about when you are fighting over dirty dishes or long hours or in laws.
I'm looking forward to reading the Sotiles' new book and highly suggest that everyone check out their literature.
The VHA hosts a 4 part seminar series every year for members and their spouses that focuses on medical marriages. Since medical families have a unique set of challenges it provides our members the opportunity to learn from experts and mentors about how to cope with and survive times like residency, fellowship and beyond.
Anyway... last night we had Dr. Wayne Sotile speak about the balancing act that we as medical couples have to perform day in and day out to have a successful career, family and marriage all at the same time. His speech was amazing. Really. Amazing. I laughed a lot and got teary eyed a couple of times. This is my 3rd time to hear him speak and it was awesome. There were a few nuggets of truth that really spoke to me personally and I'm sure there were others that reached out and touched other people in the audience.
One of my teary-eyed moments came when he talked about the pictures in his study. Most are of his daughters, but he has two pictures of his wife. One that is a current picture that gets updated every year or so and the other is a black and white picture from her childhood. She has curly hair with a big bow and the frilliest dress I've ever seen. He said that when he and Mary are at odds or when they are dealing with some of their chronic issues (which God knows we all have) he always looks at the picture of a 5 year-old Mary because that is the person he's really dealing with in that moment. I think that's a really important thing to think about when you are fighting over dirty dishes or long hours or in laws.
I'm looking forward to reading the Sotiles' new book and highly suggest that everyone check out their literature.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Anyone up for a Thanksgiving Baby???
Not to be an alarmist, but this is how my 32 week appointment went this morning...
Show up at 8 am, get weighed, have BP taken and give nurse a urine sample at her request. Wait FOREVER for Dr. Brown which I thought was odd given that I was his first appointment and I knew he was there. Turns out he was waiting for my urine tests. The ensuing conversation goes like this...
DB: How are you feeling?
AW: Good.
DB: How are you really feeling?
AW: Okay. Why?
DB: Well, you don't look good on paper. You have a lot of protein and ketones in your urine.
AW: Okay.
DB: I'm concerned you are getting toxemic before our eyes so we will need to do some blood work, do a 24 hour urine test and start seeing you once a week.
AW: Well, in three weeks I have jury duty, so we will have to work around that.
DB: I think things could be pretty complicated three weeks from now, so you might not be reporting for jury duty.
After my mini-panic attack (because the Dr. that is never worried seems worried) we proceeded with my exam. He did say when we finished that I looked better in person than on paper which was mildly comforting.
I left the office with a lot less blood than I came with (thanks Mr. Phlebotomist) and a big orange jug to carry around and put 24 hours' worth of urine into. Lovely.
We will just have to wait and see. In the meantime please pray that my little man's lungs develop as quickly as possible in case he arrives early.
Show up at 8 am, get weighed, have BP taken and give nurse a urine sample at her request. Wait FOREVER for Dr. Brown which I thought was odd given that I was his first appointment and I knew he was there. Turns out he was waiting for my urine tests. The ensuing conversation goes like this...
DB: How are you feeling?
AW: Good.
DB: How are you really feeling?
AW: Okay. Why?
DB: Well, you don't look good on paper. You have a lot of protein and ketones in your urine.
AW: Okay.
DB: I'm concerned you are getting toxemic before our eyes so we will need to do some blood work, do a 24 hour urine test and start seeing you once a week.
AW: Well, in three weeks I have jury duty, so we will have to work around that.
DB: I think things could be pretty complicated three weeks from now, so you might not be reporting for jury duty.
After my mini-panic attack (because the Dr. that is never worried seems worried) we proceeded with my exam. He did say when we finished that I looked better in person than on paper which was mildly comforting.
I left the office with a lot less blood than I came with (thanks Mr. Phlebotomist) and a big orange jug to carry around and put 24 hours' worth of urine into. Lovely.
We will just have to wait and see. In the meantime please pray that my little man's lungs develop as quickly as possible in case he arrives early.
Monday, October 20, 2008
A Great Weekend
The Wellses had a great weekend. It had all the right components... fun, relaxation, productivity, girl time, etc.
Friday night Christopher got home late (surprise) due to a 4 pm consult which he had to take. Nonetheless, I had anticipated this occurence and somehow timed dinner just right. We had a great meal and had time to chat and play with the dogs before bed.
Saturday included laundry, picking up paint supplies from Dad, going to Hunter's football game, having a yummy lunch at Casa Fiesta and a very long shopping trip at Home Depot. Hunter's team (the Una Bears) had their 6th straight shut-out beating the Wolverines 32-0. We got there in time to see a little pre-game warm up which was almost as exciting as the game. Go Bears!!! The Home Depot excursion was long, but went well. I got complimented on my color choices by a very artsy looking woman and we saw our neighbor Katie. We even got a new light fixture for the nursery.
Sunday was painting day. Glenn and Christopher got two coats of primer on the walls and sadly, it will need another. After painting and a quick lunch at Corner Pub Dana came over and we did the puppy photo shoot for the 2008 Christmas card. It went really well and we got some great pictures with minimal use of peanut butter. Thanks Dana for the wonderful shots!!! Last night was girls night with Dana and Jane. We had a great time hanging out, eating Mexican food, talking, and watching food challenges on Food Network. After seeing people try to build famous bridges out of breakfast cereal we all wondered what challenge would be next...
Next weekend... more painting!!!!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
I Heart Pioneer Woman
After one faithful meal at Alyson's house last year I came to know The Pioneer Woman and her amazing recipes. I have since tried MANY of these tasty dishes and started checking her blog on a daily basis for something new to try. I have also since turned MANY people onto her, and they now sing her praises as well. Here's why she's a success:
1. The food is delicious.
2. The recipes are easy to follow (thanks to her amazing step by step photography).
3. She's not afraid of butter.
4. She's funny.
5. The ingredients are simple and easy to find.
If you aren't familiar with Ree already and would like to embark on a culinary love affair here are my suggestions about where to start:
1. Dump Cake - 5 ingredients that got rave reviews at my recent Foyer Group dinner.
2. Chicken Spaghetti - a yummy casserole that everyone will love!
3. Chile Con Queso - sadly, we can eat this with chips for dinner and be so happy.
4. Mystery Rolls - these turned Dana into a lover of blue cheese (only 3 ingredients)!
5. The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever. - Truer words have never been spoken.
Christmas Gifts
This year I am faced with a Christmas gift dilemma. I have a burning desire to purchase and wrap all the presents for the 30+ people on my list by the first weekend in December, but I have no idea what to get anyone. The Xmas 2008 spreadsheet has been ready for months waiting to be filled in with good ideas but nothing comes to mind except for a few things for Christopher and the baby.
Friends have said "get everyone a gift card." I have two problems with this. First, gift cards aren't fun to wrap and don't look as festive under the tree as boxes of all shapes and sizes. Second, I'm afraid they won't get used.
I thought about getting a picture frame for everyone, wrapping it and then attaching a photo of our little man to the package once he is here... but that too seems kind of bland.
Any thoughts????
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Anniversary/ 28 week appointment
First... our anniversary. Yesterday was our 2nd anniversary and it was an overall great day. Poor Christopher was post call, but he napped before I got home and we were able to sit down for some yummy Frito Pie (Chili with Frito's, cheese, green onions, and sour cream) before he needed to crawl back in bed. We talked to family and friends all passing along their well wishes and had a great night. We decided to forgo gifts this year and put the money towards baby items. We did however have an amazing dinner out on Saturday at Maggiano's. Yum-O. I love Christopher more and more everyday and really feel cleaved to him. I can't wait to meet his son and see how many of his Dad's great qualities he's inherited.
Second... my 28 week appointment. Overall great as well. Weight hasn't changed, blood pressure was normal. I will go back at 32 weeks and then again at 34. After that I will come in twice a week for a non-stress test and then a biophysical profile. He will also repeat my ultrasound around 36 weeks to get an idea about size. Dr. Brown and I bonded over a love of Double Stuf Oreos and decided we should join the DSRL. I got to hear the fetal heartbeat (woka, woka, woka) which is always fun. I also noticed on my way out that his license plate says "WOOF" which makes me love him even more.
That's the week so far...
Monday - CW on call/make chili
Tuesday - Anniversary/eat chili
Wednesday - Dr. appointment/ make rice krispie treats for VHA meeting
Thursday - VHA meeting / try not to eat rice krispie treats before meeting
Friday - Foyer Group dinner at our house (more on this later)
Second... my 28 week appointment. Overall great as well. Weight hasn't changed, blood pressure was normal. I will go back at 32 weeks and then again at 34. After that I will come in twice a week for a non-stress test and then a biophysical profile. He will also repeat my ultrasound around 36 weeks to get an idea about size. Dr. Brown and I bonded over a love of Double Stuf Oreos and decided we should join the DSRL. I got to hear the fetal heartbeat (woka, woka, woka) which is always fun. I also noticed on my way out that his license plate says "WOOF" which makes me love him even more.
That's the week so far...
Monday - CW on call/make chili
Tuesday - Anniversary/eat chili
Wednesday - Dr. appointment/ make rice krispie treats for VHA meeting
Thursday - VHA meeting / try not to eat rice krispie treats before meeting
Friday - Foyer Group dinner at our house (more on this later)
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