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....