George and I just returned from church a little while ago and as we sat right in front of the manger, I was reminded of the comments Julia made at Christmas Eve mass and wanted to share the story.
Part of the processional to begin mass included a short "posadas" where Mary and Joseph went knocking from door to door for accommodations. The congregation replies, "no room at the inn" each time. Mary was carrying the statue of baby Jesus, but it was difficult to really see that very well because of the blue scarf around her head and neck. Julia strained to see what was going on throughout mass and was most interested in "baby Jesus" throughout the celebration. Right after mass, she wanted to go up to see baby Jesus. So Jennifer took her to the manger scene. When she came back, she was actually quite disappointed to see that there was only a statue of baby Jesus lying in the manger. Apparently, she asked Jennifer if Jesus was real (still expecting a real baby to appear...) Jen's response included an explanation about how he lived a long time ago and the statues are reminders of the story of his birth. Then Julia asked, "did the dinosaurs eat him?"
Hhmmm. I'm thinking its a good thing Easter is right around the corner to clear up some of this confusion! Maybe next year she'll catch on to a few more details about the Christmas story. Even Santa didn't cause too much excitement as she was the first to wake up Christmas morning, but simply played in her room until a few others were awake. One thing is for sure. She has the unwrapping of Christmas gifts down pat. Even the ones that aren't hers.
I have to admit, it was fun to carry out the Santa story this year. Its been a long time since the holidays have included believers!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas from the Leydons! And a very Happy New Year to all!We hope that your holiday season is filled with family and friends and that blessings abound in 2008.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
More interviews...
This was a particularly exciting round of interviews - I finally had my much anticipated visit back to Madison, WI this past week. It was sandwiched between an interview in Chicagoland and one in rural Baraboo, WI. The Chicago program is very cool, very well established (though they unfortunately are still using paper, without a real timeline to switching to an EMR, which I think is real bummer). Baraboo sounds and looks like a solid program, but involves lots of traveling to Madison and back (about 1 hour each way) and wouldn't really be practical for us.
Madison (drum roll) on the other hand, is in a great spot, has lots to offer, uses an EMR, and is just amazing in so many ways. I try not to get my hopes up too much about any one thing, but I think this place would be a great fit.
I mentioned it a few months ago when I was staying with one of their residents for a rotation. Bike friendly lanes (not used as much in December!), awesome places to eat, and plenty of ways to satisfy my bleeding heart! Grilled tuna steak sandwich with chipotle mayonaise, pico de gallo, and avocado. Yummy!
So, after much traveling through the Chicago traffic and long stretches of highway, I'm back to Michigan. Mary made the trip in from Iowa, and we're soon to travel to Grand Rapids to see the kids up there. Should be fun!
Meanwhile, I'm having another bit of a manic evening - after sleeping for 12 hours the night before, I can't sleep tonight and have decided that blogging is a good thing to do. That is, of course, after folding laundry and watching some quality tv (not).
(weird manic detail oriented story to follow - you have been warned)
[While Charlotte was at work, Mary and I went out for a drive to see Pewabic, and after our visit, had a bit of car trouble. The ol' 93 Saturn has been doing ok, and has been even better since a new battery went in 2 weeks ago. It was working swimmingly until we tried to make our return trip back from the store. Apparently the threaded bolt that attaches the wiring harness to the battery post had been buggered either when I removed the old battery, or when I put this new battery in, since it now decided that it wouldn't stay in place with a loose connection. No connection = no electricity to start the car, and apparently none to keep it running either. I thought the alternator would keep it going, but it didn't - obviously I don't know too much about the circuitry of Saturns...
So, I called everyone I knew in the area, and no one answered his/her phone, save our landlord (lady?) who herself was without a car that day - she ultimately got in touch with another neighbor couple who managed to give us a lift. They're good people, also from MA.
Long story short - we got the car running again by buying a new little bolt - for only 2 bucks. Funny though, since we ran into "out of stock" at 2 stores before finding it at a third store. And it's a good thing they come 2 in a package - I managed to drop the first one somewhere down into the abyss of the engine compartment. That one is now part of the car, though it's not attached! Good thing these hands won't be wielding a scalpel on a regular basis, eh? Here's what the stinkin' thing looks like.
So, car's good, we had a few laughs, and got back home just fine. Just glad this didn't happen last week when Charlotte was driving around by herself. It's almost like the bolt knew it had to hold up until I got int he car to drive it!]
Anyhow, we hope you all have a happy holiday, especially those we won't get to see.
Madison (drum roll) on the other hand, is in a great spot, has lots to offer, uses an EMR, and is just amazing in so many ways. I try not to get my hopes up too much about any one thing, but I think this place would be a great fit.
I mentioned it a few months ago when I was staying with one of their residents for a rotation. Bike friendly lanes (not used as much in December!), awesome places to eat, and plenty of ways to satisfy my bleeding heart! Grilled tuna steak sandwich with chipotle mayonaise, pico de gallo, and avocado. Yummy!
So, after much traveling through the Chicago traffic and long stretches of highway, I'm back to Michigan. Mary made the trip in from Iowa, and we're soon to travel to Grand Rapids to see the kids up there. Should be fun!
Meanwhile, I'm having another bit of a manic evening - after sleeping for 12 hours the night before, I can't sleep tonight and have decided that blogging is a good thing to do. That is, of course, after folding laundry and watching some quality tv (not).
(weird manic detail oriented story to follow - you have been warned)
[While Charlotte was at work, Mary and I went out for a drive to see Pewabic, and after our visit, had a bit of car trouble. The ol' 93 Saturn has been doing ok, and has been even better since a new battery went in 2 weeks ago. It was working swimmingly until we tried to make our return trip back from the store. Apparently the threaded bolt that attaches the wiring harness to the battery post had been buggered either when I removed the old battery, or when I put this new battery in, since it now decided that it wouldn't stay in place with a loose connection. No connection = no electricity to start the car, and apparently none to keep it running either. I thought the alternator would keep it going, but it didn't - obviously I don't know too much about the circuitry of Saturns...
So, I called everyone I knew in the area, and no one answered his/her phone, save our landlord (lady?) who herself was without a car that day - she ultimately got in touch with another neighbor couple who managed to give us a lift. They're good people, also from MA.
Long story short - we got the car running again by buying a new little bolt - for only 2 bucks. Funny though, since we ran into "out of stock" at 2 stores before finding it at a third store. And it's a good thing they come 2 in a package - I managed to drop the first one somewhere down into the abyss of the engine compartment. That one is now part of the car, though it's not attached! Good thing these hands won't be wielding a scalpel on a regular basis, eh? Here's what the stinkin' thing looks like.
So, car's good, we had a few laughs, and got back home just fine. Just glad this didn't happen last week when Charlotte was driving around by herself. It's almost like the bolt knew it had to hold up until I got int he car to drive it!]
Anyhow, we hope you all have a happy holiday, especially those we won't get to see.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Snow Day!
Here are some photos from our big snowfall. It appears we received about a foot of snow. Then after the storm had passed, the sun came out for a beautiful sunset.
Below, George is rescuing our car from the snowdrift that consumed it overnight.
Below, George is rescuing our car from the snowdrift that consumed it overnight.
Early December
hi y'all
I have been negligent recently in adding to this thing we call the blog (or blahhg, if you want to be really goofy) - the last few weeks have been busy and brought lots of changes for us! We've been traveling to New England and visiting lots of friends and residency programs. Charlotte commented on much of it already except for the programs. They all have their ups and downs, but I must say, Maine is very cool - very D.O. friendly too. Skiing, hiking, etc. are all close by, and with the munchkin on the way, short day trips are about all we'd be game for, I'm thinking! We still really like Wisconsin, but being back in New England and seeing friends, family, Red Sox logos and Dunkin' Donuts everywhere made us remember the stuff that we like about the area. We managed to bring back some Teddie Peanut butter, which has been completely consumed. Now that Mike's Donuts is gone, Teddie Peanut butter is officially the only good thing left in Everett! If you haven't tried it, get yourself some.
Unfortunately, our trip was cut short by a day because of a nasty ice storm that was making its way across the country. We missed out on dinner where we would have seen some extended family, and were pretty bummed about it :(
Our recent addition is a stroller / car seat combo deal. Walking into Babies R Us is like sensory overload, if you've never been there. To a person who has never had to look at strollers or car seats, the concept of this modular kid carrier is pretty cool. All new to me! We're happy with it, and very thankful to my mom for her generosity. Now we just need to come up with a name for this future -dare I say the word- grandmother. We'll worry about that later :)
We decorated our tree (and actually managed to put up every single one of the many glass angel ornaments that Charlotte's grandmother gives out each year) - our place looks quite festive now!
We're getting walloped today with snow. We walked to church, and had to stay on the street because the foot of snow had not been cleared yet. So, today we're having hot cocoa and listening to music! I'm getting ready for another trip to Chicago and Wisconsin for interviews. I'm hoping for uneventful weather this week. After that will be Christmas, which will involve us traveling up to Grand Rapids to see the crew up there. Charlotte's mom is making the trip to Detroit first, and then we'll go up there together. She'll be able to see the ridiculous lights the people in Grosse Pointe put up. We'll try to get some of those pictures up.
Talk about being thankful for stuff lately - I spent the last few weeks on a Neurology rotation, which included visiting a Muscular Dystrophy Association clinic. This was one of those moments when it puts things in perspective - I'm thankful for our health and an uncomplicated pregnancy. Life gives us curveballs that we need to deal with, but many pale in comparison to living with, say Friedreich's ataxia. It was a moving experience.
Well, we're off to brave the elements and get to the store and get some foodstuffs. Wish us luck in the snow - at least it's not ice!
I have been negligent recently in adding to this thing we call the blog (or blahhg, if you want to be really goofy) - the last few weeks have been busy and brought lots of changes for us! We've been traveling to New England and visiting lots of friends and residency programs. Charlotte commented on much of it already except for the programs. They all have their ups and downs, but I must say, Maine is very cool - very D.O. friendly too. Skiing, hiking, etc. are all close by, and with the munchkin on the way, short day trips are about all we'd be game for, I'm thinking! We still really like Wisconsin, but being back in New England and seeing friends, family, Red Sox logos and Dunkin' Donuts everywhere made us remember the stuff that we like about the area. We managed to bring back some Teddie Peanut butter, which has been completely consumed. Now that Mike's Donuts is gone, Teddie Peanut butter is officially the only good thing left in Everett! If you haven't tried it, get yourself some.
Unfortunately, our trip was cut short by a day because of a nasty ice storm that was making its way across the country. We missed out on dinner where we would have seen some extended family, and were pretty bummed about it :(
Our recent addition is a stroller / car seat combo deal. Walking into Babies R Us is like sensory overload, if you've never been there. To a person who has never had to look at strollers or car seats, the concept of this modular kid carrier is pretty cool. All new to me! We're happy with it, and very thankful to my mom for her generosity. Now we just need to come up with a name for this future -dare I say the word- grandmother. We'll worry about that later :)
We decorated our tree (and actually managed to put up every single one of the many glass angel ornaments that Charlotte's grandmother gives out each year) - our place looks quite festive now!
We're getting walloped today with snow. We walked to church, and had to stay on the street because the foot of snow had not been cleared yet. So, today we're having hot cocoa and listening to music! I'm getting ready for another trip to Chicago and Wisconsin for interviews. I'm hoping for uneventful weather this week. After that will be Christmas, which will involve us traveling up to Grand Rapids to see the crew up there. Charlotte's mom is making the trip to Detroit first, and then we'll go up there together. She'll be able to see the ridiculous lights the people in Grosse Pointe put up. We'll try to get some of those pictures up.
Talk about being thankful for stuff lately - I spent the last few weeks on a Neurology rotation, which included visiting a Muscular Dystrophy Association clinic. This was one of those moments when it puts things in perspective - I'm thankful for our health and an uncomplicated pregnancy. Life gives us curveballs that we need to deal with, but many pale in comparison to living with, say Friedreich's ataxia. It was a moving experience.
Well, we're off to brave the elements and get to the store and get some foodstuffs. Wish us luck in the snow - at least it's not ice!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Birthing Class
hee hee hee who.
hee hee hee who.
On Saturday, George and I attended a birthing class at the hospital. Though we both know what happens during the birthing process and have an idea of what to expect, it was good review. The more important details for us included information about where to park, what entrance to use, what to bring, a tour of the birthing suite, and rules about cell phone usage. They also talked quite a bit about relaxation techniques, breathing, and pain relief measures. We practiced some breathing, did a few exercises to relieve back pain, and watched some videos of vaginal births and cesarean sections.
Watching the videos is not exactly my cup of tea. I don't know why. As I write this, I'm realizing its not the first time that watching a video of a procedure has had a negative effect on me. When I went to have my wisdom teeth removed, watching the video made me queasy and I ended up requesting general anesthesia instead of local. The same happened with the video of childbirth. Seeing women in the pains of labor actually decreases my confidence for delivering naturally.
So I guess I'll try to put those images out of my head in the next few months. I figure, if I can tolerate the pain of a broken ankle, climbing back up along the cliff side to the hotel, I can handle labor and delivery. Maybe its similar to the phenomenon of handling needles all day as a nurse, but not wanting to watch if someone else draws my blood.
Anyway, I apologize if this was too much for everyone to read. I'm home alone because I have a few days off. So its just me and lappy -- and the thoughts and words just come flowing out...
:)
Everyone take a nice cleansing breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. It'll be alright.
hee hee hee who.
On Saturday, George and I attended a birthing class at the hospital. Though we both know what happens during the birthing process and have an idea of what to expect, it was good review. The more important details for us included information about where to park, what entrance to use, what to bring, a tour of the birthing suite, and rules about cell phone usage. They also talked quite a bit about relaxation techniques, breathing, and pain relief measures. We practiced some breathing, did a few exercises to relieve back pain, and watched some videos of vaginal births and cesarean sections.
Watching the videos is not exactly my cup of tea. I don't know why. As I write this, I'm realizing its not the first time that watching a video of a procedure has had a negative effect on me. When I went to have my wisdom teeth removed, watching the video made me queasy and I ended up requesting general anesthesia instead of local. The same happened with the video of childbirth. Seeing women in the pains of labor actually decreases my confidence for delivering naturally.
So I guess I'll try to put those images out of my head in the next few months. I figure, if I can tolerate the pain of a broken ankle, climbing back up along the cliff side to the hotel, I can handle labor and delivery. Maybe its similar to the phenomenon of handling needles all day as a nurse, but not wanting to watch if someone else draws my blood.
Anyway, I apologize if this was too much for everyone to read. I'm home alone because I have a few days off. So its just me and lappy -- and the thoughts and words just come flowing out...
:)
Everyone take a nice cleansing breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. It'll be alright.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Thursday, December 06, 2007
"Biggest Gainer"
This month was a big month for weight gain. Rather than the title of "biggest loser" (from the TV show) - I think I would have been a major contender in the category "biggest gainer." Or at least "quickest gainer." I gained 15 lbs since my last appointment 5 weeks ago. Yikes! That's 3 lbs per week, and I doubt that the baby put on all that weight. Though it may seem like it as my belly has really been popping out more!
I received a good report at my doctor's appointment, however. He wasn't really concerned with the weight gain. Quote: "your frame can handle it. "
My blood sugar test was normal, as well as my anemia test. Baby's heart rate was 135. The only new thing I've noticed lately are Braxton-hicks contractions. Though these are painless, they can be slightly uncomfortable. I'm truly amazed at the strength of the uterine muscle! And this is only practice for what is to come!
Baby continues to be very active. Sometimes I get kicked so hard it makes me laugh. Especially when it feels like there is a table tennis match going on -- ping pong from one side to the other.
Now I'll have appointments every 2 weeks, until Week 36, when I'll go every week. I'm so glad I live close to the hospital. I thought it was hard enough to find a time each month for an appointment.
I received a good report at my doctor's appointment, however. He wasn't really concerned with the weight gain. Quote: "your frame can handle it. "
My blood sugar test was normal, as well as my anemia test. Baby's heart rate was 135. The only new thing I've noticed lately are Braxton-hicks contractions. Though these are painless, they can be slightly uncomfortable. I'm truly amazed at the strength of the uterine muscle! And this is only practice for what is to come!
Baby continues to be very active. Sometimes I get kicked so hard it makes me laugh. Especially when it feels like there is a table tennis match going on -- ping pong from one side to the other.
Now I'll have appointments every 2 weeks, until Week 36, when I'll go every week. I'm so glad I live close to the hospital. I thought it was hard enough to find a time each month for an appointment.
Monday, December 03, 2007
Candid Camera
I thought I would post this self portrait because the last several posts have included pictures of just me. George should share the spotlight, too.
Week 28
Well, here's the Week 28 photo, post Mexican fiesta dinner. A different sort of pose, which seems to have had the effect of making the baby belly resemble more of a "spare tire" than I would like. I have a doctor's appointment this week and I'm very afraid of the weigh in -- I have a feeling the combination of the quantity of food consumed last week, and the amount of time spent just sitting idle in the car was a poor combination for increased weight gain. I bet if I added up the travel hours and submitted them as trucking hours, it would be a hefty check. Needless to say, my back and legs and ankles are still recovering from the journey! I can almost find my ankle bones again.
More to follow about the trip out east. Photos will be included!
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