Check Out My Interview on Pregnancy Perfect Today!

Happy Hump Day Peeps!!!

Please go check out my interview on Pregnancy Perfect today!

I loved chatting with the Pregnancy Perfect creator, Anabell Ingleton, about my experience(s) being preggers - during what she calls the "9 Month Marathon" (So cute! Right?!) I did this interview a few weeks before starting residency. It's so funny to hear me talk about my own pregnancy experience now that I have 6 months of OBGYN-ing behind me. I mean, I knew this already, but there is so much I didn't know...LOL

Anabell has created this awesome online space where future mommies-to-be can revel in the awesome highs and oh-so-relate-able lows of pregnancy. If you know any expectant moms out there, be sure to share with them the greatness that is Pregnancy Perfect!

Have an awesome day!

xoxo

Ultrasound Scans and Holiday Plans...

Is anyone else amazed at how fast this year has gone by?! This makes no sense.

Our Thanksgiving weekend was so nice. I mentioned in my last post that I was working on Thanksgiving day. That wasn't as sad as I thought it would be. The Labor and Delivery team stayed in the spirit throughout the day - including a mini feast hosted by the nurses. The workload was steady per usual, but things picked up quite a bit after most people had eaten their dinner...haha

My first block of nights is behind me and this month I am on an ultrasound rotation. It has been great to finally feel like I know how to do more than check for baby's position when I stick a probe on mommy's belly. This rotation is outpatient and primarily between the hours of 8am to 5pm so I also have time to read, see my family more than two days per week, and sleep. I even straightened up my house a little bit. It has been GLORIOUS.

Now that I am 6 month's into residency - GASP - I think I am starting to feel more like a doctor. I am more efficient with my time, more confident with my clinical decisions, and as a whole I can see myself growing. It is not perfect by any means, and I have a long way to go, but I am definitely the happiest I have been this year thus far. I think it is a combination of increased work-life integration and not feeling like I am constantly just treading water so that I can breathe. The last 6 months have been exhausting.....but now Christmas is herrrreeeee!

It is my absolute favorite holiday. The music, the smell of evergreen trees and cinnamon, the lights, the time with family, the message of baby Jesus all, make this the most wonderful time of the year...no pun intended ;-)

Of course, in true intern-fashion I am behind on all things related to my personal life including decorating the house, sending out cards, shopping for the family, and actual Christmas plans. Ah well... I am starting to just accept things like this, and a lot of what used to get to me, like cleaning, cooking, meeting deadlines, etc. does not drive me crazy anymore. I could see how this may not be such a good coping skill in the long run, but we'll go with it for now LOL

Hopefully I can knock some more items off of my most dynamic to-do list today because I am working tomorrow. If not, it will all get done at some point ;-)

P.S. This whole December-without-Snow thing is so weird but AMAZING!

Well Hello November...

Hey Friends,

I cannot believe it is November! October was topped off with a much-anticipated vacation week. I was determined to make it both productive and restful, but I realized on day one, that what I needed the most was rest. So, once I accepted that all the extraneous stuff I was so worried about getting done, may not get done all in one week, but would get done eventually, it made doing absolutely nothing during the day easier to handle. Sort of.

I know it sounds ridiculous that I had to accept "doing nothing" as a goal - or lack thereof. My "do nothing" this week also included morning kindergarten drop offs, time with Isabelle during the day, cleaning, laundry, random appointments, cooking (occasionally), and squeezing that all in before afternoon pick up. Big Nate was on B-shift all week so the evenings were just me and the babies.

We did a lot of this:  

By Thursday, I kind of like my old self was finally surfacing from the fog of tiredness, mommy guilt, and mental fatigue. And on Friday I indulged in some much-needed self-care. Never a good sign when your hair dresser calls you out for not combing your hair in between appointments. I know...But if you only knew....This mommy-intern life if not for the weak.

I have been thinking about what I wanted to write about over my vacation all week. I thought about a daily post to narrate my return to normalcy...I thought a recap of life since my last post - four to five weeks ago... But honestly, I have felt so drained all week [read the past few months] the thought of writing anything made me just shirk at the thought of adding one more thing – albeit volitional – to my to-do list. So, now with just a half a day left between myself and returning to the madness that is intern year, I think I am ready for some reflection.

On residency...

I just finished my OB2 rotation, which is 3-4 weeks of being the procedure intern on the labor and delivery floor. It was pretty cool to just have to do the c-sections, because repetition is the best way to improve surgical skills. I am definitely leaps and bounds ahead of where I was when I did my first section in July...

Tonight I start a three-week stretch of nights. Our nights rotation is 6 days for interns – Sunday through Friday. Monday through Thursday nights starts around 5:30PM. On Friday and Sunday it starts at 8PM. I’m not going to see much of the fam during the week since I will be coming and going while everyone is at work and school. I’m hoping that they pay me a few visits while I’m living the nightlife. I’m excited to work with my nights team, they are determined to make it a fun next few weeks with themed dinner party nights included.

Most days I am so thankful for this life that I have been given and this dream that I have been blessed to pursue. But some days have been guilt ridden and filled with questions of what I am doing to my family and myself.  I'm sure I am just going through what all working moms/wives go through. I haven't been leaning on my faith as much as I should. I realize that I have been so focused on not having enough hours in the day, I have forgotten to trust in the Creator of time...

We also start interviewing for next year's residency class this month. I cannot believe one year ago that was me!

On the littles...

My big boy!

Natey

- Lost another tooth!I think that brings us to 6 in total

- Was the cutest Optimus Prime for Halloween

- Got an "otustanding" on his first report card

- Ties his own shoes

- Loves to show us what he is learning to spell, add, read, etc. in school 

- Continues to be wise beyond his years. His favorite thing to say right now is, "actually..."

Isabelle

- Loves to give kisses to her family, her stuffed animals, characters in her books..

- Grew 2 inches in 3 months!

- Keeps popping out teeth! Shes up to 10

- Understands things we ask her to do like pick up books, toys, socks, etc. 

- Tries lots of new sounds and I know she will be talking our ears off soon enough

- Starts to try and throw tantrums when things don't go her way

In October Uncle Jordan's team played in NC!

 

Outside of that, we are loving our first Carolina fall. So beautiful and so much warmer than the Midwest :-) Did you peep the lack of coats on October 31st?!

Hope you all are well! xoxo

Exhausted but Thankful...

Tomorrow starts my last run of nights for this rotation. I only have TEN days left in this block!! But who's counting ;-)

Some time along the way last week I delivered my 100th baby and I am currently savoring the last hours of my second day off in a row. The term "golden weekend" was referenced many times as I interviewed for residency and I now know how truly precious the time is. Hours worth their weight in gold...sheesh.

I am going to make an increased effort to get back to practicing gratitude and finding joy in every exhausting day. So here are a few things I am thankful for....

1. For the littles, who are wonderful and thriving.

2.  For their daddy who has been an amazing support for all of us. And also, who takes so many pictures of their daily adventures so I don't feel so left out...

3. For days off.

4. For coffee.

5. For sleep. Man, do I love my sleep...

6. For all my loved ones and friends who always check in on me even when they know I probably won't respond in a timely manner...Sorry everyone!

7. For my great coworkers, who are quickly becoming great friends...

Lowe's Build & Grow

Being pushed around on a tricycle

Have a great week!

Status Check...

Every time I sit down to write a post, I realize I would rather be playing with the kids...or sleeping.

But alas, I don't want to abandon my one hobby (lol), so here are some quick updates...

I am halfway done with my second block and I have delivered over 50 babies in four weeks. 

This includes a handful of c-sections as primary surgeon. Which feels pretty amazing!

The hours are bananas and I am SO tired. Like all. the. time. *yawn*

The children are wonderful. 

Natey started Kindergarten in mid-August. And he has since then lost both of his front teeth. I cannot deal with all this big kid stuff! What a difference a year makes...

Isabelle has developed a very independent and sassy personality. You can find her walking around the house pretending to talk on the phone, playing with her brother's toys, or standing in the window spying on the neighbors... 

I am still trying to find my balance in our new, intensely fast-paced life. It's so hard being away from the littles so much, but we are taking it a day at a time and trying to make the best of it. 

Thank you everyone for your prayers, emails, calls, texts, and posts checking on me. All of your love means so much, and I am going to do my best to post more regularly!

Checking in!

Well, I knew blogging during intern year would be a bit more difficult than medical school... However, I did not think that aiming for at least a bi-weekly post would be a feat.

I have never worked this hard in my life.

The Gyn-Oncology service is so busy and my team and I are hustling ALL. DAY. LONG. Last week Natey sweetly asked me if I felt like I lived at the hospital :tear: Yes, yes I do...

Despite the exhaustion, despite still getting used to this "Dr. Johnson" thing, taking care of patients has been awesome. Being called to the bedside of a critically ill patient is humbling to say the least. I have a wonderful team and co-residents to lean on, and every day I feel more capable and confident than the next. In addition to being the so-lovingly-called "onc intern", I've completed two rounds of my very own OBGYN continuity clinic. And I've delivered four babies on my call shifts - two vaginal deliveries and two c-sections. The learning curve has been steep and I know God has been with me every challenging step of the way. 

In Johnson fam news...

Thursday our baby girl turned 1!!! I was forewarned that Thursday would also be a late day for our team, so we decided to celebrate early. I had planned to do this adorable pinterest-style princess party with our friends this weekend, but it was a crazy week, and by the time I got off on Friday night, nothing had been planned so it didn't work out. I was OK with that in the moment - hopefully my mommy guilt lets me live in peace with that decision :sigh:

I cannot believe Isabelle has been in our lives for a whole year. She stole our hearts from day one and it is a joy to watch her continue to blossom into a beautiful little lady.

Natey is savoring the last month of his summer doing big kid things like learning to ride without training wheels, hanging out at the pool with dad, and his usual "ninja training"...LOL I cannot believe it is almost back to school time, this summer has flown by. Kindergarten in less than a month!

The hubs is kicking butt at managing work and primary kid-duty. I had no doubts. I try and contribute as much as I can. So far it means having croc-pot meals waiting on them when they get home, and swooping in just in time to handle baths and bedtime. I'm determined to master the mom-tern life (Mom + Intern = Mom-tern. Yes, I just made that a thing...so fetch, right?) And even though we haven't had any official date nights, he and I are doing a great job of being cognizant of each other's love tanks. 

Life is busier than its ever been. It is not easy, but it's doable. I am so thankful for the beautiful grace He's given us to make it through each day.

It's Showtime!!!

The gorgeous ceiling in the lobby of the Women's Hospital

Hey Ya'll!!! (In case you were wondering, I'm a Carolina southern belle now...)

The last week and a half have been a whirlwind!

Pause. I'm still in awe at the fact that I am on a residency composite picture!!!

If you follow me on Instagram, you are probably up to speed on the most recent events. To summarize, my co-interns and I are now finished with our EPIC training, week-long OBGYN orientation, and tomorrow is the first day of "Buddy Week"!!!  Buddy week is like the best thing ever, because it allows the newbies to shadow the current interns on their last week as interns in order to see how things are done. Each one of us will be starting on different rotations/teams, and I am starting on Gynecologic Oncology. Even though I am super nervous, I am so excited to get started. My team already has reached out to me and they seem great!

This weekend flew by...per usual.  Friday evening was Chief Roast - when the residents honor the graduating class by recounting their years in the program with jokes/skits/great stories. It was a great event :-) Then Saturday evening was the program-wide graduation banquet. Although the fourth years and graduating fellows were the guests-of-honor, the new interns were recognized multiple times and were even presented with gifts (including our adorable new surgeon caps made by one of the second year's mom)! It was so sweet... I love my new intern class and the program as a whole is filled with great people I can't wait to get to know. It's going to be an awesome first year!

Me and my new boos!!!!!

Our new scrub caps!!!

My fine date and I ;-) 

This has been a busy weekend inside the Johnson home too! On Friday morning, Natey was feeling under the weather with a pretty high fever. I joke about how the kids seem to get sick usually when there are a million things going on at school for me - like this time... and this. But thankfully, it happened when we had some reinforcements. Nate's mom has been in town since Thursday and she will be with us until Tuesday. His aunt surprised us all when she flew in from Michigan on Saturday! Of course, we promptly took them to our favorite spot for lunch - i.e. chicken and waffles LOL...

Today has been some much needed chill time. Going to round it out with eating tons of Nate's delicious BBQ and soccer watching and a good night's sleep ;-)

Sidenote...this just happened!!!! Ahhhh!!!

Hope you all are having a great weekend! Talk to you soon!

Last Official Day of Pre-Intern Year Vacation...

So my last week of vacation pretty much flew by exponentially...

Last Tuesday, my dad drove up from Indiana and visited with us until Saturday. He was a BIG help watching the kids while I completed my advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) certification for intern year. It was also restaurant week in the Triangle, so we had a a blast trying out new places to eat, and took him to a couple of our favorites so far... :cough: Dame's Chicken & Waffles :cough:

Groceries with Grampy

Lounging around

On Monday, we began our morning routine "practice run". This meant that Isabelle and Nate started daycare and summer camp. I feel so rusty with getting us dressed and out the door before 9AM, so this practice was definitely just as much for me as it was for the kids. Some mommy-guilt induced sadness surfaced on Sunday because it was settling in that our extended time together is coming to an end. But thankfully, it has been a great transition into the kids' new schedules and they both seem happy with the daycare/camp that we chose. The coolest part is that Nate is at the same place as his sister for the summer, so he regularly "checks on her". I am sure Isabelle loves seeing his face throughout the day too. 

HAIR!

Today, my goal was to tie up any urgent loose ends as far as the house and family stuff - i.e. paying bills, errands, phone calls, etc...etc... (it feels like it never ends). However, my more important other goal was to treat-mah-self. I wanted to finally get to the mall because I have been daydreaming about meandering through the stores of my choice, on no one's schedule but my own, to buy things that I not only needed, but wanted just because. Not only did I manage to gift myself a few additions to the wardrobe for work, I scored some great sales on kids' and hubby stuff too, so everyone received goodies today :-)

The last big to-do of the day was an appointment at my first Durham salon! I found a place that specialized in natural hair - it was very similar to my salon in Indy. The stylist did a great job and I am excited to experiment with more natural styles to combat all the North Carolina heat and humidity. What do you think?!

:yawn: Alright, I am off to bed so I can be nice and refreshed for tomorrow... We are kicking off orientation with electronic medical records (EMR) training. Talk to you soon!

P.S. Totally had to laugh at this again..."It's the best day of the year!" hahaha

Chatting about the Residency Application Process with Accepted.com

Hey Guys!

Recently, I did a follow-up interview with Accepted.com about my experiences applying and interviewing for residency. I can't believe that it has already been almost one year ago I was just starting to apply...You can read it HERE.

Please pass it on to any medical student/future medical students you know :-)

Talk to you soon!

Settling into Our New Digs...

Eight days until orientation! We're all play around here...



Last weekend, our goal was to find the best deals and fill some of these empty rooms, so we ventured to the famous "Furnitureland South" in High Point, North Carolina.

Honestly, I had never heard of Furnitureland before my mom (beautiful furniture expert - among other things) informed me that it's kind of a big deal. Did you know North Carolina is where a lot of the big furniture companies have their factories? So the prices are much cheaper than the big chain stores in other states.

It's about an hour drive from our place in Durham.  Oh, I forgot to mention, Furnitureland is 1.2 million square feet of showrooms. Here's a video of us driving up because a picture just couldn't capture the huge-ness of this place...

As soon as we arrived, the Nates stumbled upon the fish tank we saw designed on one of our favorite TV shows Tanked!

Fish tank headboard anyone? 

Everything in that place was pretty gorgeous, and unfortunately, not as functional as we had hoped for a family with young kids. Izzy would have all those tabletop designer touches on the floor...haha

Testing out a showroom couch...

On the hunt for a nice statement mirror...

It was a fun adventure, and although we didn't walk away with furniture, we did get some design inspiration. Fortunately, over Memorial day weekend, we did some exploring in Raleigh (about 15 minutes from home) and discovered there are miles and miles of furniture stores.

In the end, we decided to stick to our original favorites, that ironically, were very close to home.

Dining room table? Check! Couch? Check! 

Hooray for no more standing in the kitchen!

Next up, baby-proofing because this is happening:

And this: 

 !!!!

Where do you go for design inspiration? I would love to hear about your own design projects!

"Moooovin' on Up..."

Our closing was scheduled for the Wednesday afternoon after graduation, and so we *planned* to be on the road to North Carolina by Tuesday evening (Yes, 48 hours after all our guests left our house) at the latest.

26ft Truck + Car Trailer + Car = A Long Ride 

Have you ever tried to host guests at your house while simultaneously trying to pack for your cross-country move? In hindsight this probably wasn't good planning but...YOGO (You Only Graduate Once. No? Oh ok.)  In all seriousness, even though it was a stressful process to say the least, we actually made a ton of great memories :-)

In the pre-move planning stages, we realized that movers was ridiculously expensive, so we decided to do it ourselves. Nate rented a 26 foot truck - HUGE! And we thought, "Surely we won't even fill this thing, especially since we filled a 20 foot dumpster with all our junk a week ago..." HA. Long story short, we filled the truck with our stuff, and filled my little brother's 12 foot truck with things that just would not fit (i.e. things for his college apartment).

He thought he was so cool in the truck

At 2AM on Wednesday morning, we were all set to hit the road (still determined to make closing), but Nate realized that the truck's trailer lights were shorted out -_- Honestly, I think it was divine intervention because we were exhausted and it was probably safest that we just went to sleep...

After some much needed rest, we pulled out of the driveway home for the last time, and said goodbye to Indianapolis. It was a rainy morning, which set the tone for continuing the crying outbursts I had been having throughout the evening prior as I listened to Miranda Lambert "The House That Built Me" on repeat. I know, I know...but I'm really, really good at being dramatic. Sure this wasn't my childhood home, but it had so many memories, and the bigger picture here is that I was moving the furthest away I've ever been from my parents' home. Don't judge me.

The drive was LONG. Normally it takes about 10 hours by car. However, by car following a 26 foot Penske truck towing a car, going 50 miles an hour (or less) the whole way, it takes about....16 hours.

We obviously did not make the closing. Fortunately, we prepared for this by having a power of attorney ready to sign in our stead. What we were not prepared for was that when we got to Virginia the lights in the truck would short out again - causing us to have to check into a hotel and finish the last 3 hours of the trip in the morning. This was seriously thee most anti-climactic trip ever.

So close!

Finally, on Thursday morning we made it! When Nate was packing up the truck in Indy, I helped a little with the really heavy stuff because I am so strong, he told me that he looked into having a moving company help us unload when we got to our place. I assumed that was the plan. However, when we got there, it was just us...

Trickery.

My mom came along for the ride and stayed with us for a week. This was immensely helpful because she was able to keep the kids while we unloaded and ran around town for Home Depot & Lowe's errands. She also unpacked our kitchen, helped me clean, and pretty much did anything I was too overwhelmed or stressed out to do.

Dame's Chicken & Waffles with my mom

Doing grown up things (i.e. trimming our bushes) 

We have been Durham residents for almost two weeks and we absolutely love it! The area is beautiful and everyone is so friendly. Not long after moving in we discovered that we live next door to another 5 year old boy. Couldn't have planned this any better if I tried! Nate started his new job the Monday after we arrived. It seems like a great fit so far and I'm so excited for him :-)

Residency orientation starts June 12th. Needless-to-say, I am in "try and get everything done while you can" and "try and do something nice for yourself too" modes until showtime.

Over the last year we have added Johnson child number two, got two new jobs, graduated, moved approximated 700 miles, and bought a house! I told the hubby we aren't allowed any more big changes for a while... Nothing wrong with some good ole' monotony ;-) 

Home Sweet Home!

Docta J: Graduation Weekend Recap **Warning: Awesome Picture Overload**

Over the next couple of days I am going to catch you up on everything that has been going on in the Johnson world. The first update being....drumroll please....

Ya girl is hooded!

Hood Status: Achieved. 

It is still surreal.

Graduation weekend was epic!

Friday night, our family and friends came into town from all over. I'm so blessed to have had so much unwavering support throughout this journey, and friends that didn't let me fall out of touch even though I am not the best at reaching out. The whole weekend was filled with so much love. I can't begin to tell you how good it felt to have so many people (who have been there with us every step of the way) come to celebrate with us.

Friday was also senior banquet. Nate and I got all dressed up like we were headed to prom and attended the event at the Indiana Rooftop Ballroom downtown. It was a beautiful evening in honor of our graduating class.

Saturday was the big day!!! One of my besties from U of M, Victoria, is a makeup artist in LA, and she hooked me up all weekend with awesomeness. She is so talented! If you need a MUA in the LA area, you can check her out here: V. Aje Artistry

Team Johnson!!

Grammy xoxo

The Parentals

Bros!!!

My U Mich Girls!

Sis-in-law & Mom-in-law

Michigan friend-family

My plastic surgeon boo. She's kind of a big deal ;-) 

Hooded!!

My GenSurg Love Ashley

After being hooded (whoot whoot!), we went back to our house, and hosted a BBQ for our guests. It was perfect because it seemed like the entire city of Indianapolis graduated that day, so it would have been so crazy trying to find a restaurant that could host our ginormous party of 30+.

Post BBQ we hit the town with my girls and brothers which was so much fun!!

My classmate Ty and his beautiful wife Sherron, our Indy couple friends 

Celebrating with the legal Ransone boys

Sunday, was brunch at one of my favorite restaurants close to our home. The food was delicious and the view from our party room was amazing. Before we cut the amazing cake Nate had made, I said a few words to everyone about how much it meant to me to have their support and how amazing it was to be living in that moment. You already know...ugly cry. I was so sad when the weekend ended because it was phenomenal.

The Ransone-McConico-Johnson Clan 

The McGraw-Johnson Clan

My Godmom & Godbrother :-) 

College Roomie Bestie/Newly-minted J.D.

Mommy looking HOT at brunch

Cutting the yummy cake (I was crying a little during my speech)

-------
Sidenote, for the weekend I decided to try Rent the Runway for the first time! My banquet dress (red) was Halston Heritage and my graduation dress (blue) was Monique Lhuillier. I will definitely be a repeat customer! If you want to try RTR for yourself, use my invite and we both will get a $20 rental credit! Click Here