And We're Back...to School!

I'm sure your timelines these last few weeks have been similar to mine - flooded with pictures of smiling little ones donning backpacks.

My sweet Natey is now a first grader!

He is at a new school, and I was really concerned about him starting over, but it went great. His teachers are very sweet and the other parents were so welcoming, I think it is going to be a fun year!

This mommy may have cried...just a little...

Isabelle and I got some one on one time for a few days when her big brother went back. She was really missing him by the second day - which was fully expressed in her crying "Nateyyyy!" all the way home from morning drop off. As much as they bug each other, their love for one another is so special to see.

I know it is such a cliche, but I feel like time is flying faster than ever. I was so blessed to have my vacation this week so we were able to soak in the last remnant of summer and the the big events of the week together.

Classroom visit with baby sis

Below is the annual first day of school picture over the last few years:

2013

2014

2015

I had a great recharge this week. Back to the grind tomorrow! 

That's Right, TWO Posts in ONE Month!

Photo Credit

This week is my last week of nights!!! ...at least until my nights rotation in May. As much as I have learned over the last four weeks, I am so looking forward to returning to the light of day and scheduled surgeries.

I have walked away from this rotation with invaluable experience taking care of some of the most critically ill patients. It is both nerve-wrecking and fascinating at the same time. The GynOnc services reignites my love for the hardcore electrolyte-trending, acid-base calculating, pharmacokinetic, and critical care-type medicine that you don't get on a routine laboring patient - granted we have our fair share of complicated obstetrics patients too...

My next rotation is benign gynecology. I'm really excited to do my first hysterectomy and get regular experience with laparoscopy. Stay tuned ;-)

On the home front...

My almost first grader!

Naters starts 1st grade at his new school soon! I have a vacation week planned for the week he goes back to school. My goal is to be really visible and involved out the gate, so that his teachers know I exist. And then the hubby will carry on the rest of the year in his usual basically-a-single-dad fashion. Joking...but also serious. Granted, second year has already been a wonderful change in pace, I am still a resident, and have to defer to my better-half for most of the day-to-day parenting duties like drop offs, field trips, and weekday playdates. I think my my guilt has really lessened because I've accepted these limitations as only temporary. One day I will be able to regularly be a part of the everyday stuff, and I am thankful for such a supportive hubs who feels this way too.

Little Miss IzzyBee got her two year old pictures taken this past weekend. I'm so excited with how they turned out, but by the way she acted in the studio, I thought it was going to be a big waste of everyone's time. I literally was standing barely an arm's length away from her IN.EVERY.PICTURE.

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In the un-cropped version of this photo, you can see me
lying on the floor beside her. trying to not be in the frame..

In other semi-related news, I've been obsessed with getting family pictures on our walls. My first roadblock to achieving this goal was the fact that most-if-not-all of our pictures are in a cloud online....and we had like one empty frame. So in between my weeks on nights, I have launched this massive effort to print pictures and buy frames... Ya'll, these are the joys of adulting.

My usual go to is Snapfish, but I tried out Groove Book this month too. I'm all about not re-inventing the wheel so please share any of your great ideas for picture-hanging, printing, etc.

What sites do you guys use for photo printing? Where do you like to shop for frames? 

Hey There August...

My beach babes :-) 

Is it just me or is summer flying by?!

I still cannot believe intern year is over....talk about a whirlwind of a year.

Second year of residency for us at UNC means that you switch gears completely and spend the majority of your time on the gynecological services - Family Planning, Gynecologic Oncology, Benign Gynecology, Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (MIGS), and Urogynecology. Needless to say I went from really feeling like I was getting into the swing of the obstetrics thing, to now, back down to square one... That's right med students, it still happens...

I spent my first 4 weeks of second year on Family Planning, and now I am in the middle of my Nights rotation. On nights, we primarily manage the inpatient Benign and Gyn Oncology service, and any patients who come into the emergency department with a GYN complaint. 

One of the well-known residency-ism, is talking about a resident and the "cloud" that they bring in when they are working - i.e. a "white cloud" being an easy shift and a "black cloud" being not so fortunate. I must say, after my first two weeks I think I am falling into the "black cloud" group. The positive to that is that it has been good learning...Now, as I start week three, I am feeling more confident than ever that I can handle juggling lots of things and many different clinical scenarios. 

Things on the home-front have been good...

We had lots of family in town in July, which was awesome. The kids had a great time with their grandparents and cousins. We even snuck in a quick trip to Wilmington! 

Isabelle and Grampy (my dad) 

One of my dear friends from Michigan and his beautiful girlfriend and daughter 

Cousins!

On July 17th, Baby "Belle", as she calls herself, turned 2! I have been mommy-guilting myself over the past year, because I did not have a big party when she turned one. So this year, in normal Jasmine fashion, I threw together a *very* last-minute birthday party for the little lady.  And, of course, she was so uncooperative pretty much the entire day. 

Isabelle welcoming her guests... :side eye: 

This face means she is so excited for her party... 

But it was a great day!

August 1st was my 28th birthday, and despite working overnight on the 31st, my sweet resident friends put together a celebration on L&D. It was awesome!

And then when I got home, I was able to relax all day with my littles and Big Nate :-) Later, we got together with friends for dinner. I feel so blessed...

Partay!! 

I have the sweetest co-residents and team...

As an intern, everyone says, "just hold out until second year and things will be so much better".  I have to say, everyone was right.  Only seven weeks into second-year, and I have had so much more time with my family and for myself. Not kidding. I've read books for LEISURE and started working out again. It's been great for my mental health. 

Hopefully this means I will be blogging more regularly again too ;-)