Look Who's 2!!

Creighton turned 2 this past weekend and we had a fabulous time celebrating with friends and family.

We had a Curious George party and I loved watching Creighton get so excited as he realized all the preparing on Saturday was for his "Happy Birthday Party", which is what he called it.

We had fun decorating cookies and finger painting and of course eating cake.

I begin to remember what he was like a year ago and am still amazed by how much he has changed. A year ago we were cheering him on for walking. Now we cheer when he counts to 10 or names his colors. He sings us songs and recites nursery rhymes, which brings a huge smile to my face.

The best thing about how verbal he has become, is that he can for the most part tell us what he needs or how he feels. This has greatly reduced his frustration level, and ours..... I'm not saying we don't have our fair share of moments but maybe just maybe we have already been through some of the harder toddler times..... we'll see.

Creighton loves going to Aunt Jessie's everyday and playing with his cousins and the mommy helper we hired for my sister, Jennifer. Having him stay with family has really made going back to work much easier. Going back to work has been a love-hate situation. I hate leaving Creighton, and now he can tell me most mornings that he wants to stay at home with me- insert heart breaking- but I love my job, and he really dose have a good time with all the kids, going on field trips to musicals and the symphony, and library story time. I'm going to have to get busy finding things to entertain him with this summer or he may start to beg to go back to Jessie's, ha!

Greg is enjoying this year very much, being a Resident always comes with some stress but this year we are both enjoying a more manageable schedule and much more family time.

Father's Day and More

Last year Greg made me a Mother's Day video so this year I made him one of what Creighton has been up to. His energy still amazes me... and I truly don't know how Greg and I keep up some days.  We have hit the toddler phase of testing boundaries and throwing wonderful tantrums. Along with this age is also a fantastic curiosity that makes each day full of endless discoveries which has been really fun to participate in and watch.  One morning Greg and Crate woke me up because Crate was so excited to show me his bug. I looked over and he is holding a massive beetle beaming with joy....I cringed but to him it was the best thing ever. It's the little things at this age dirt, rocks, sticks, bugs, bubbles.....

We moved into a bigger home at the end of May, it has been nice to have an extra guest bedroom and play room. We have great big trees in the front and back, which has been the only way we can enjoy being outside in this heat.

I accepted a position as an elementary School Nurse starting late August. This is a perfect fit for our needs. The hours are great and I still get to work in pediatrics. I am enjoying getting to stay a home for a few more months over the summer.

We are less than a week away from Greg finishing Intern year and starting Radiology which is a huge step in this process. We are very much looking forward to this coming year... (In residency July always marks the start of a new year).... So Happy New Year!

Where did my baby go?

We have a toddler! Not to sound cliche and like every other parent, but where did this year go? Where is my baby?! There were times when I was wanting Crate to be older to get through some of our rougher months, but now that I see him so big I want everything to slow down. My baby is gone. He is walking, saying a few words/sounds, has a big boy hair cut, and he is doing something new everyday that shows me just how much he understands the world around him.

Here are some of my favorite things he can do:
He "woofs" when he hears or sees a dog. Now any animal he sees he woofs. I would count woof as his first word.
Sometimes he says dada and mama and mean it, but other times I think he's just babbling...
He points to his ear and looks at you every time he hears a plane. Which by our house is about every 30 minutes. Then he runs to the window to see if we can spot it in the sky. If we can his smile gets so big.
He can sign "All done" which he does for just about anything he doesn't want to do anymore or is finished with.... He also signs "milk" which he does sometimes when he wants to nurse or just wants attention...he knows I will pick him up...
He gives hugs and kisses which melt my heart
He loves to build blocks....we do this at least 10 times a day
He loves to pretend vacuum, wish it really worked!





Reflecting on this year makes me realize just how hard and rewarding being a parent can be. Again not to go on like every other parent before me....but it really IS a never ending job. This is something you just can't prepare for you just have to eventually adjust. And I am not sure you really ever fully adjust. Right when I think I have something figured out, it all changes.

Some wisdom I have learned is to trust myself and my instincts more. I have wasted (and at times still do) so much time wondering why my baby doesn't sleep likes the books say he should, or eat and nurse like the books say, or really anything. He does it his way and I am learning to trust that I can parent my way. And when's it's not working we keep trying until we figure it out.... which eventually always happens.

Other family news.... we have lived back in Texas for a year. We enjoy being so close to family and the abundance of great Tex Mex and BBQ. Having lived in Texas my entire life I wasn't expecting to have to adjust back to Texas weather. I use to feel like we had some resemblance of seasons in Texas, but my perspective has changed. It is just hot and hotter, with a few weeks of cool. I guess I use to not mind the hot weather, but now I am hot all the time! But I also don't want to go outside if it's below 60, it's too cold... whereas that use to be a warm day in Brooklyn.

Greg is over half way done with his Intern year. While the hours are still long and stressful, he has settled into his new job and is doing very well. I get to stay at home with Creighton a little bit longer than expected, at least until July...which is so nice. Then it will be back to work for me and daycare for Crate. But for now we are enjoying our lazy mornings...which start at 5 am! And our fun filled days outside and at playdates.

Creighton's Latest Tricks

Here is a video of some of the fun things Creighton has learned over the past month. He is almost 8 months and if he keeps up at this pace he will be walking soon!

The Intern Year

It's been a while since I've posted... so many things have happened in the past few months. But the most life altering event has been Greg starting his Intern year as a doctor. All our friends that are a year ahead of us tried to warn us and explain just how intense this year is for a new doctor and their family. We'd smile and nod and try to imagine it.... I would think to myself... "We've been through medical school and moving around the world, I've worked the night shift while Greg has worked days making it hard to see each other.... We can handle this". Well we can handle this year but the intensity and stress is beyond anything either of us could have ever imagined. Greg came home from orientation one day explaining that he had been counseled and given coping skills on how to deal with the lack of sleep and depression all new interns were inevitably going to face.

Now three weeks into this year the initial shock has subsided and we are facing our new reality. Greg is gone all day six days a week. The hardest part for me is he is completely unavailable for the most part, no phone calls to check in during the day, no calling to ask a question, ect. When he does get home he is exhausted mentally and physically. But there is still more to do, he can chart from home and he has boards to study for... On his one day off and if he should get home slightly early he soaks up Creighton as much as possible. The silver lining in all this is I get to stay at home this year, so we can work around Greg's hectic schedule.

Most days I feel like a single parent. But I am so lucky to have a great support system here. My older sister and her family are constantly helping me out. If I've had a rough night I scoot over there the next day and take a nap while she and the cousins entertain Crate. It has been wonderful to bond with Jess and get to be around her again. I don't think we've lived in the same city since high school! Our good friends the Abedi's live here and are a year ahead of us. They have a little boy as well making for instant play dates and venting sessions! And the program itself has a strong spouse group which always leads to weekly events and outings.

Other things to be happy about are that for the first time Greg and I are renting a home where we do not share walls with anyone, it is very exciting. We have a dishwasher, a new washer and dryer and 2 new cars. All of these things have improved our quality of life greatly.

And the best thing of all is Creighton. He can lift our mood with just one little smile. His latest tricks are rolling over, blowing bubbles non-stop, and sitting up all by himself. I love when people meet him for the first time. They instantly say "Wow his eyes are opened so wide." The next thing they say is, "He never stops moving how do you keep up!" He is a very active, engaged, and expressive baby and some days I don't know how I keep up....

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is my new favorite holiday! It's like a second birthday but even better. You get gifts, recognition, and everyone celebrates you and thanks for being a mom. What's not to love!
My Mother's Day was really a weekend long celebration. Friday Greg, Creighton, and I went out for brunch and Greg made me a video which I have included below. Saturday we went over and spent the day with my mom and grandma. Then Sunday we celebrated with Greg's family. I can hardly wait for next year.

In a Nutshell

A lot has happened in February and March. We decided to move to Texas early to be around family and save some money. Before we left Brooklyn we had a nice Farewell, Graduation, and Meet Creighton Brunch. It was so strange to really say good-bye to our medical school friends. Its been a long and memorable 4 years, with many great friendships.


We were also able to take family and newborn pictures when Creighton was just 2 weeks old. Here are some of my favorite.
It has been wonderful being back in Texas. We found out in March that Greg matched for a Radiology residency at his top choice in San Antonio, so after 4 years we will be Texans again. We are using the rest of this break visiting family and staying incredibility busy keeping up with Creighton. He is now a little over 2 months and is keeping us on our toes. We have learned to eat fast, shower fast, and fall asleep fast...

His latest tricks are smiling and cooing so sweetly that it melts our hearts and makes staying up all night completely worth it.