Bike Trip

We went. We saw. We survived another Bike Trip with 2 kids.

Don't get me wrong. Bike Trip is an awesome experience, and the scenery/weather/location cannot be beat. I mean, come on: the Colorado mountains in early fall with changing leaves and 70 degree weather. Yep. Heaven.

But the trip is not exactly designed for kids. It ideally features days filled with Colorado adventures -- hiking 14ers (mountains of 14,000 feet elevation for the flat-landers), ridiculous bike rides (that, let's be honest, I'd never be able to do, given my extremely poor biking skills), and other such adventures. For those of us with kids (and there are plenty of us!), it's a lot of walking around town. Going to the marina or the playground or nap time.

Then, nights are filled with a) lingering dinners and time with friends or b) taking cranky and/or sleeping babies to bed and immediately crashing yourself or c) both.

We stay at condos, which is great -- fridges and food and snacks and a wee bit more space. 

Yep. Ugly.

Peter used the opportunity of us unpacking to gather up all of the remote controls, as he will.

Blurry because baby on the run.

Clare got to play with a view until Peter tried to start throwing toys off the balcony.

Sunny. Green. Gorgeous.

We did a little hiking. Clare did a great job of getting up . . . and a very, very whiny job of getting down. But she did it, and got a lot of praise for it.

Yes, I used Clare's backpack as as day pack. How else were were going to have snacks at the top?

The absolute best part of the trip was probably Mass on Sunday morning -- there was a big group of us at the early service, and then a few of us went to breakfast after. It just felt good to worship and fellowship with friends in a way we haven't lately.

The highlight/lowlight (as you will) of Bike Trip each year is the Sunday night dinner. It is a nice affair with dresses and courses and menus. It would be a lovely date night, but with kids, it's just hard. It is a bit much for them, and a runs more than a bit late. This year, the dinner was at this restaurant with a gorgeous setting in Vail, right on the creek (pics are, of course, on Charles' phone). There was lots of baby walking (walk alllllll the babies!) happening on the patio we strategically seated ourselves beside. Then, mid-way through the apps, Clare laid her head down on the table and just peacefully fell asleep . . . and basically slept all night. Peter pushed through entrees, but both were out by dessert. I should have taken a picture of Clare asleep, but was too busy keeping Peter calm/quiet/asleep.

Monday, we did some wandering around Breckenridge, complete with a pre-dinner visit to Breckenridge Brewery. 

Clare was really, really fascinated by the ducks.

Peter was going to town on his water.

Then, at the closing dinner, they have an "awards ceremony" with silly/fun awards. Thanks to her performance on Sunday, Clare won the "Sleeping Beauty" award, complete with a new blanket.

She has slept with it every night since.

Some other friends gave her their headband and star-glasses set, so that pretty much made her trip. "This (the headband) makes me a princess, and these (glasses) make me a rock star!"

Post-trip photo essay. No glow-in-the-dark action.

We made it home Tuesday evening after the windiest drive ev-er, and are happily getting back to the day to day. It was a good trip, but there's no place like home.

8 Tips for Surviving Intern Year (As a Doctor's Wife)

As of today, Charles' intern year is over. He worked nights the last three nights, is sleeping it off today, and will start PGY2 (post graduate year 2 -- i.e. the 2nd year after med school graduation) tomorrow. One down; two to go. Woo to the hoo! 

Below are some things that have helped get me through this year. I can only speak to my experience, but I think the principles are pretty universal, regardless of specialty or program. Heck, I think a lot of these are pretty great for any relationship!

1. Focus on the Present

Have you seen The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt? In it, there's a bit about surviving for the next 10 seconds. Can you survive for the next 10 seconds? Of course. So you just keep on keeping on, 10 seconds at a time. Sometimes, this year has felt like that. It's not always easy, having two little kids at home, far from family and established friends, with a husband who works more hours than you want to count. It is easy to get discouraged when I think about about doing this for another day/week/year/several years. But now? Today? I can get through today. I've got this. I'll worry about tomorrow when it gets here.

Living in the present also means enjoying the joys and blessings that you have now, instead of focusing on a misty, magical, hypothetical future when training is over and everything is rosy and perfect. Which may be true, and may not be. But regardless, it robs you of the joy that you can experience now.

2. Manage Expectations

My hardest times and biggest disappointments this year have come when I expected one thing and got another. Some people say to have no expectations of your intern spouse, but I think this sells everyone short. That said, I do a lot better when I expect Charles to work late and he gets off early (or on time) than when I expect him early and he gets in late. For me, knowing his schedule (so I know what "should" happen), communication (see #3), and some established "rules" and routines help everyone navigate the evening, regardless of what happens at "quitting time."

3. Communicate. Then Communicate Some More.

Figure out what works for you: talk, text, emails, phone calls, beers on the deck, Q&A sessions, whatever. Then utilize it. Often. Make sure that you and your spouse are talking about everything. Work. Home. The news. Sports. Movies. Your state of being. Your joys. Your victories. Your worries. Things that just aren't working right now. Things that are. Make/find time to enjoy each other's company, to work out problems, and keep things flowing nicely. Just not all at once -- that would probably be a little much for even my chatterbox tendencies.

4. Blame Residency.

Believe me, no matter how much they love what they are doing, no one wants to stay late on Christmas dealing with a terrible situation with a terrible outcome. (Yes, we know this from personal experience.) Charles certainly does not want to miss time with his family for work or to respond to another page. He doesn't want to hear that pager in the middle of the night. What he does want is to help people, and to do honest work to provide for his family and to make it possible for me to be home with the kids. What he does want  is to be with us. What is does want is the best training possible to be the best doctor he can be. Residency is a cruel mistress, but one we both accept for the good of our family. When your husband is gone, when you miss him, when you are just sick of it. Don't blame him. Blame residency. 

5. Make Time for Yourself.

Make time for yourself in ways big and small. I generally find it pretty easy (often too easy) to put myself last, but I learned the first weekend of motherhood than an unshowered Mama is a really, really cranky Mama (read: terrible Mama). As a result, I have no issues asking Charles to bounce a baby or letting Sofia/Daniel Tiger/Mickey Mouse help out so that I can take a shower every day. There is no shame in my coffee drinking game. I'm getting better at voicing my need for a longer break. It is so important for everyone to get some time out. And make sure that your spouse gets some down time, too. Charles hits the gym a couple of times a week, when he can manage, and I know that he needs that as much or more than I need my breaks.

6. Get Out. Make the Most of It.

Whether you've moved to a new city or are living in the same place you always have, GET OUT!! Yes, I'm shouting at you. Yes, getting the kids into the van is like herding cats. Yes, making friends is hard, but I try to get us out of the house every.single.day. Whether it is the playground, meeting up with friends, story time at the library, an activity like the zoo, or just boring old errands, we leave after breakfast and we come back for/after lunch. It makes the day go faster and smoother. It makes everyone happier, more socialized, and less stir crazy. I'm connected with a great group of fellow residents' wives, and while I don't make evening activities often, the kids and I go to play group and see our "play group friends" at activities during the week, too. I've also gotten to know people at Church and am friendly with the other spouses in Charles' program. Is it exactly like home? No, but we make the most of it anyway.

7. Don't Keep Score (Unless You're Actually Playing a Game).

If you are constantly playing games, it breeds anger and resentment. Who works harder? Who has it worse? Who changes more diapers? Who got the least amount of sleep? Who cares? No one wins those games. Instead, take it all on as a team. You'll both be happier.

And while you're at it, don't keep score with anyone else either. Maybe spouses in other specialities have it worse. Maybe it's worse to be a military wife. Maybe your problems are small potatoes compared to someone else's, but know what? That doesn't diminish your experience, your worries, your fears, or your struggles. You've got your crosses. I've got mine. And those crosses are heavy enough without adding score-keeping them.

8. Keep the Faith.

If you are a person of faith, you need it now more than ever. Giving it to God has never felt so good! This year, the blessings of Catholicism have really made themselves known. I'm so thankful for the variety of devotions available to us. I'm so thankful for the variety of Mass times that have allowed us to worship as a family somewhere, sometime every single weekend since beginning residency. Yes, I've nudged a tired, post-call husband a couple of times during a homily, but how wonderful it is to have him helping me wrangling kids and worshipping at my side?!? By making faith a priority, it keeps us both mindful of our real goals and what led us here (with all of its levels of meaning) in the first place. It also gives us stable footing when things feel rocky. It gives us hope when all seems lost. It gives our struggles meaning. It gives us a rhythm to life. Honestly, I can't imagine how much harder this would have been without faith -- for either of us.

But the biggest thing of all, friends, is to keep a positive attitude. Yes, things may be hard, but you will get through them. And looking back, you might just be living some of the best years of your life.

Crosses, Sacrificial Love, and the Facebook Article I Needed to Read

I've talked about it before, but night float is hard. It might not be the worst, but that doesn't mean that it can't still be hard.

Yesterday was hard. Wednesday was hard. I was struggling. I was lonely. I was all kinds of ready to spend my evening typing out a post complaining about how **** hard this round of night float was. Poor me.

But then, I scrolled past an article on Facebook. I had scrolled by it a time or two already, but, in a moment of hiding from all the hard in my life, I clicked through. And I was convicted. Thanks, God.

The article was written to address the future-focused mentality of many medical families, especially those still in training, but I think the message is good for any of us in the trenches of childbearing and rearing. Always waiting for the promise of a brighter day robs us of the blessings that are right in front of us now.

But this offshoot is what got me: the advice to acknowledge something as hard without getting caught up in it. Because I'm so not good at that. I tend toward the Pollyanna, because once I see the muck, it's like quicksand. I find myself sinking deeper and deeper, and not doing much to get out of it. 

It doesn't have to be that way. See, what the Catholic worldview gives us is the knowledge that things may be hard -- the crosses in our lives -- but they are also good. They are sanctifying. They teach us to die to self. They help us create hearts the are for God, not for ourselves and our worldly comforts and desires. 

Night float, for better or for worse, is a sacrifice. Charles sacrifices his comfort (believe me, he wants to work nights, well, not at all) for the good of his patients, and for the long-term good of our family. The kids and I sacrifice time with him for those same goods. Acknowledging that it's hard, and then moving on is a healthy point of view. Acknowledging that it's hard and then turning into a snippy, angry, shell of a mom is not.

Know what finally got me out of my funk yesterday? I said a prayer. I asked God to give me the grace to get through my day, to get through the rest of the week.

When will I ever learn?

It practically goes without saying that my attitude improved after that. I got some rest and was able to hit reset. And know what? If I'm honest, the rest of yesterday was still hard, but it was easier to get through once I stopped thinking only about myself. Go figure.

And if night float is a cross, so be it. God willing, it will be one I bear with grace.

Night Float

I've decided that I'm going to write the occasional post about my residency experiences. It's not about whining or bragging or anything really. I truly believe that residency is kind of like childbirth -- it is messy and painful but really, at the end of the day, you just get through it. And no matter how much people tell you what is will be like, you have no idea until you're there. Everyone's experiences are unique. [/bad analogy]

This is old and recycled, but I'm pretty sure it sums up Nights well enough.

So night float. It could be worse. In plenty of programs, people do a month of night float. In Charles' (and most?) family medicine program, they do it for one week -- really 6 nights -- each month on service, meaning their "core" rotations, if you will, in inpatient internal medicine, pediatrics, and on the L&D floor.  We're currently mid-way through the fourth of six weeks of night float this year.

But OH MY GOSH!! Night float. Many a tear, much ink, and plenty of liquor/chocolate have been spilled by medical spouses extolling the yuck that is night float.

Before residency, even when we did night shifts in medical school -- you think, how bad can it be? You have visions of early dinners or cozy breakfasts dancing through your head. At least I did.

Ha!

This is how it goes down for us. Charles leaves on Sunday night at about 4:30 pm. His shift goes from 5pm to 6am. He might admit 6 or 10 or something people, which means he works his tail off for 13+ hours. Meanwhile, I solo-parent my way through Witching Hour, dinner, baths, and bedtime. Then I entertain myself (Facebook, blog, book, Netflix) until my bedtime. I fall asleep with some kind of white noise, deal with night wakings (and usually end up with at least one kiddo in bed with me), and get up by 6 to drink coffee and have my morning quiet time.

Charles gets home when he's done with his stuff -- usually between 6:30 and 7:00 -- and we hang out for an hour or so. Most days, that one teeny tiny hour, is our only sliver of time together for the day, catching up, his decompressing from work, playing with the kids, everything.

At 8ish, he goes to bed in the basement guest room. The kids and I go about our day -- I try to make sure we get out of the house every day, but sometimes sickness, weather, whatever conspire to keep us at home. He gets up between 3:30 and 4:00, just in time to take a shower, drink some coffee, and head back to the hospital.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Survive until Saturday morning.

Most weeks of night float, on Sunday, I'm a super optimistic cheerleader. We got this! It's just 6 days! I'm going to write a ton! I'm going to read a book! I'm going to binge watch a show on Netflix! The kids and I are going to do so many fun things!

By midweek, I'm slugging. I'm getting weary of dinners with no conversation, of evenings with no companionship, but I'm still doing ok. The hardest part are the double good-byes. When he goes to bed and we'd all rather be together, and then again, when he rushes off for the night at work. But I still have goals -- writing, reading, whomp whomp.

By the end of the week, we'll be ready, so ready for the days "off" (post call Saturday and all of Sunday) that come at the end of night float. Yes, maybe Charles will take a long nap Saturday morning, but when he gets up, it will be over. At least for this time. And this weekend, the forecast is calling for warm, sunny weather. I can't wait.

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 76

Joining up with Kelly, who is so cool that I just tried to type her name with an extra 'e'. That's how I show my affection. Apparently.

1. This is totally going to be an update post. Sorrynotsorry.

2. Clare, probably like all toddlers, is an enigma. When we leave to go to a friend's house or the library or the store, she REFUSES a jacket like it is made of burning hot lava. "No no no no no do not want a jacket!!!!" Then, last week, we get some serious snow flurry action (only a dusting accumulated), and the very instant-second-moment she saw it, she was insisting on going outside. And very compliantly let me dress her in alllllll the layers, no questions asked, no sass given. Anything to run around in (falling) snow, I guess. Girl loves snow. Yes, there will be a collage of nearly identical "Clare in the snow" pictures at the end of the season. ;-) On the plus side, jacket issues aside, it seems that Clare and I have gotten over the 2 year old hump. Famous last words, I know. She's acting much more reasonable, and I feel like I've developed a better slew of coping techniques for getting through (most of) her unreasonable moments. I'm eager to see where I end up falling in the "which is worse, two or three?" debate. We even managed a little (very very simple) crafting this week. I'm not crafty, but she likes it, so I decided to "let go and let glue." No really, that's what I told myself when I relinquished control of the bottle of Elmer's.

Glue not pictured

3. Peter, meanwhile, is up to his usual tricks. He's finally regular crawling, though he sometimes goes back to his modified army crawl. Pulling up, cruising, bla bla bla . . . please don't walk! We also did a little sleep training a couple of weeks ago. He got with the program quickly and is still doing pretty well through the night. He broke his first front tooth a few days ago, and his second is right there. I'll honestly be a little bit sad when they're grown in, because he looks so stinking cute without them. He also turned 10 months last weekend. [Cliches about time passing here.]

4. At playgroup this week, we took valentines to the residents of a local nursing home. We visit them a few times a year to celebrate holidays. I love the opportunity to teach my children the value of service -- giving to people without an expectation of return. Giving to people they don't know. Providing sunshine to others. Corporal Works of Mercy and all that.

5. I know I wrote about Confirmation a couple of weeks ago, but it seemed flippant to mention another thing I have loved about having our Confirmation kids over every week: I thoroughly clean the upstairs every week. I mean, we clean regularly and put toys away at least every night anyway, but having people come over (even teenagers who probably don't care), always gives that extra push to make sure things just so.

6. Charles started his third (of three!) months on the medicine floor this week. These are definitely his hardest rotations, but this week, in particular, it is clear how much he has grown as a doctor this year. #proudwife

7. I'm unusually excited for Valentine's Day tomorrow, mostly because Clare is excited, but also because I get to celebrate my loves. I hope you have a wonderful day with those you love. But if you, for whatever reason, feel down this Valentine's Day, wear a pink sweater and eat something with sprinkles. It might not fix everything, but it might just brighten your spirits. :-)

Have a lovely weekend!

On Being Home for the Holidays

Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays,
‘Cause no matter how far away you roam,
When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze,
For the holidays, you can’t beat home, sweet home.

-"Home for the Holidays" by Perry Como

I am 33 years old, and I have never not spent Christmas with my family of origin in one way or another.  Charles can (pretty much) say the same.

Until now.

Clare was so excited to do the honors!

This year, things are going to be different. We live a long way from our families, and Charles is a resident. No, worse, he’s an intern. He’s working Christmas Day, beginning at the bright still dark hour of 6 am, and continuing . . . well, into the evening sometime.  Merry Christmas to us! (He’s on the OB floor at least, so delivering babies makes it better-ish.)

Honestly, things could be so much worse. You know you’re a resident family when the best Christmas present you receive is having your husband home . . . on Christmas Eve.  We’ll go to Mass and do most of our family celebrating that day. Santa will come as advertised, but we’ll feast and open presents over the course of a couple of days. We’re still working it out. Thank God for 12 days of Christmastide. (“We’re not accommodating Daddy’s schedule, we’re living liturgically!”)

In a lot of ways, it’s hard to wrap my mind around a quiet, different kind of Christmas. I could spend hours giving you detailed descriptions of my family’s Christmas traditions, and spend many more telling stories of things that happened one year or another. Growing up, Christmas was all kinds of a big deal.

But whenever my heart begins to ache for those family members and places and sights and sounds that I hold so dear; whenever I think about going home for the holidays, I look around. I see my two beautiful children. I see my amazing husband. I see this incredible life we are building together, and I know.

I am home.

So now is a time for new memories. New traditions.  On Thursday, we’ll celebrate and bake and read and play and eat and watch movies and sing songs and do our best to have the kind of Christmas that would make Grandma Roberta proud. My mom was the ultimate Christmas Elf.

That’s not to say that we won’t feel sadness that we aren’t closer to those people that we love; it’s saying that we are making the most of it. I’m not going to let a zip code steal the magic of Peter’s first Christmas or the even bigger magic of the first Christmas that Clare gets. And as those activities grow into traditions and the years fade into memories, I pray that our kids long to be home with us on the holidays, wherever we (and they) may be. 

Currently . . . (10.20.14)

Joining Hannah at Joyful Life for Currently.

Doing the hospital hang out. Yesterday, while Charles was working a slower shift, we paid our first visit to the hospital. We got a tour and had lunch in the hospital cafeteria. Believe me, nothing says "resident life" more than visiting Dr. Daddy at the hospital. In spite of nap time meltdowns at lunch, it was a fun visit.

Hospital chapel

Praying in the chapel

Cafeteria feast

Planning for a couple of rough days. Clare has a couple of doctor's appointments in the coming weeks -- nothing major, just follow-ups from the stuff last spring, but it is new doctors and new environments. And Clare is always challenging at doctor's appointments. Fortunately (?), she's getting more bribe-able, so there may be treats for good behavior happening. Even so, prayers would be appreciated, please and thank you. :-)

Remembering my mom. Today would have been her 64th birthday! Happy Birthday, Mommy! I love you always.

With Baby Me--just like she's always remembered, laughing and wearing red lipstick.

Wishing my allergies away. I have had a couple of rough days of allergy action, and managed to lose my voice over the weekend. Mostly, the histamine overload is expected, but when it gets going like that, I can't help but want to scream NOOOOOOOOOO!


Loving autumn. It is our first real fall in a long time, and the first I've really appreciated. The weather is perfect right now. Cool in the mornings and evenings. Perfect in the afternoon. The light is that shady, shadowy, slanted light of fall, but hasn't faded into the grey of winter. The leaves are starting to turn, but haven't fallen yet, so the light dances through them.

Currently, Vol. 7

Joining Jenna from a Mama Collective and Kenzie from The Ashcraft Bunch for Currently.

Thinking about . . . Fall. Yeah, I've been thinking about fall a lot lately. Charles told me the other day that he was ready for fall, too. I don't know if the humidity is addling our brains, or if it has been the busyness of the spring and summer that have us ready for change. Specifically, lately, I'm thinking about wardrobes. I have a decent set of basics for fall and winter, so I'll only need to add odds and ends to my wardrobe. Charles has some good basics (and will spend too much of the winter in scrubs anyway), so, again, should be able to get by with some odds and ends. But both kids will need clothes -- and with growing and stuff, they would need clothes anyway. But I've (surprise!) never dressed a kid for real winter for the long-term. So I'm thinking about what we need, in what sizes, and what quantities. I'm trying to start slowly picking up basics that I know we'll need so that we're not BAM! facing two whole new kids' wardrobes when the weather changes. Or maybe I'm using all of that to justify dreaming about fall clothes and fall weather. You be the judge.

Reading . . . A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it, but I'm also not very far into it. I have read Ella Enchanted like a million times, and some of her other books are good, but some of them just don't do it for me. Like they're trying too hard to recapture the magic. Anyway, I stumbled across this one at the library, and I'm giving it a shot. It's easy reading and Clare like to discuss the castles on the cover art, as well as the girl on the cover. I identified her as a princess, which leaves Clare asking on repeat where the girl's "headband" (tiara/crown) went.

Watching . . . Project Runway and Top Chef: Duels. I have to admit to being a longtime fan of both series, even though both have had their ups and downs. I'm really enjoying this season of PR (though nothing will ever touch the magic of Season 1 or the talent of Season 4). I'm not sure how I feel about TC:D, but I can definitely tell you that I'm not enjoying the editing. The freeze-then-fast-forward thing they have going is super annoying.

Dreaming . . . of Charles' upcoming Golden Weekend. Good grief. Prior to the start of residency, I'd heard of these "Golden Weekends" or weekends where a resident is off Saturday and Sunday. At the time, I was oblivious to how golden that time off really can be. We are both counting down the days. This has been one looooooong rotation. It's been good, because Charles has learned a ton and grown a lot as a doctor. But oh my gosh! are we both ready for some down time and some family time and some veg on the couch and just be together time.

Loving . . . dry shampoo. Okay, I know I'm more than a little late to the party, but I finally picked some up over the weekend after thinking about it for forever. I was so excited by the difference in made in my day-old dirty hair! I generally only wash every other day, but by the end of day 2, I always feel so greasy. With the dry shampoo, though, I felt so much better. As a bonus, I didn't feel like the only option for my hair was a ponytail, which often ends up giving me a headache, so double-win.

Needing . . . a hair cut. All this hair talk reminds me. It's getting long and limp and more difficult to manage. Blegh.

Thankful for . . . the fact that, in spite of Charles' crazy schedule, he was able to join us for Mass Saturday evening and dinner afterwards.  We always prefer to worship as a family, and it was close this week, but he made it!

Finding the extraordinary in the ordinary . . . I will never tire of having time in the morning to drink coffee, spend some time on the computer, and have it be quiet, peaceful, solitary. I talk about it a lot, because sometimes, oh, is it hard to get up. But once I do it, I'm so glad I did.

Praying . . . I'm actively seeking to add some prayer and scripture into that morning quiet time, beginning, simply, with the readings of the day, which always provide the perfect amount of text for reflection. So often, when I read scripture, I try to devour it like a novel. In that way, I get burned out and don't experience spiritual growth. Instead, I need to take it in small increments so that I can ponder and pray.

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 72

TGIF -- linking up with Jen.

1. It has been a heck of a week. Sick kids. Nights. My brother-in-law and nephew passing through on their way home to Colorado from their river adventure. After kayaking the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, they touched salt (water) in New Orleans!

2. I am so, so so, so thankful that Charles' program only does nights one week at a time, 6 times a year. 6 nights in a row? I got that. Another 3 weeks of this? I can see why it drives people to insanity.

Listening to Jordan Puppy's heart.

3. That said, I am vowing here and now to never use the term "single parenting" to describe my residency experience. Yes, I've done the bulk of parenting for the course of this week. Yes, that includes all bedtimes and mealtimes and dishes and whatnot. But (and it's a really stinking big but), I'm not actually alone in my endeavors. I'm not single at all. I am so so blessed to have an incredible, loving husband who has my back. He doesn't want to be gone any more than we want him gone, but he is with us every step of the way. And he's doing what he's doing, ultimately, to provide for his family. Nothing is more family-focused than that. I prefer the term "solo-parenting." Real single parents have their own set of challenges, and deserve much more love, respect, and support than to have their struggles co-opted by whiny wives in time-consuming fields.

Dinner time fun, night float style!

All I get are these toys? Really?

4. Meanwhile, Miss Clare has gotten some kind of summer cold. Her nose is running like a faucet, her eyes are trying to keep up, and she has a yucky cough. Poor kiddo. I am also pretty sure that the early phases of it are what has woken her up the past couple of nights.

5. So, of course, Peter and Charles are both trying to get it, too. Peter has the slightest bit of a runny nose, and Charles was feeling off when he headed to the hospital this afternoon. So far, I have managed to avoid it. Is there a novena for not getting the cold that is being passed around your house?

6. What I didn't miss out on was a nice case of hand foot mouth disease last week. Okay, it was actually blessedly mild, but it didn't change the fact that I went from feeling like yuck to feeling like my hands and feet were on fire and totally gross at the same time. Lucky me, I have now reached the skin peeling phase of this fun virus, meaning I feel like my 10 fingers are 10-skin shedding little rattle snakes. So. Blankety. Disgusting. Plus, I have tender, new, pink skin peeking out the tops of all my fingers. That's fun too. Somehow, both kids seem to have cleared the HFM hurdle and have this cold/respiratory system thing instead.

Sick of hearing me talk about it? Me too.

7. In sillier news, in spite of the runny nose, Clare's newest little thing has turned the princess love up a notch. Now, in order to play princess castle, she needs to also wear her tutu and her sparkly headband. That way, she's like her princesses with a "beautiful dress" and a headband (errr...tiara). She also uses that tutu to dance "like a ballerina."

'Grammed

Have a lovely weekend!

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 71

It's Thursday afternoon. Both kids are napping (even if Clare isn't quite sleeping yet), it's raining, and I'm sipping a cup of coffee while writing these for tomorrow. Bliss.

Linking up with Jen, and updating on the goings on around these parts in the last couple of weeks.

1. Last Thursday, we celebrated Clare's 2nd birthday. I have my belated reflections on my sweet 2 year old ready to publish next week (thanks to a busy week and unplanned blog break). We didn't have a big, crazy party, but I think we did a good job of celebrating her and giving her a wonderful day.

Blueberry muffins for breakfast

Eagerly (understatement of the century) watching dad put together her Cozy Coupe from grandma

Playing at her new water table.

Opening presents

Chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting for dessert

It was cool and rainy in the morning, but it cleared up so that we had a blast playing in the (now toddler-ific) backyard all afternoon. Charles, by dumb luck, got a short day, so he was able to enjoy it with us. I made some of her favorite Mexican food dinner, and we got to enjoy some yummy cupcakes. I might not have mad decorating skillz (cake or otherwise), but I can celebrate with love and joy and food -- and hopefully, that will resonate for many family celebrations to come.

2. ^^ That counts as two, right?!?

3. I love this picture of Clare doing stickers and Peter playing on the floor, like he's watching her. They already love each other -- you can tell from how much he smiles at her and how much she loves interacting with him. It makes me look forward to them growing up and, hopefully, becoming partners in crime.

Put Minnie Mouse here.

4. I never got around to posting this picture from Charles' first official day of residency!

There's a doctor in the house!

5. On that note, I've been thinking quite a bit about my blogging transition to residency. Mostly in that I'm probably not going to talk about it a lot. I'll talk about how it affects me, of course, but I'm not interested in turning this into a medical wife blog or into a complaining about residency blog. Of course, I won't be silent about it. It does affect my life, so it will linger in the background. It's just that I'm a lot of things and my life is a lot of things, and being a resident's wife is just a little piece of it.

6. Miss Clare had a bit of a cold Tuesday night/Wednesday. Thankfully, she is back to her goofy self now, and nothing much came out of it. After a winter and spring of freaking out over every.single. moment of ill health, and watching her spike too many fevers and spend too many days feeling poorly, it was such a relief to see her bounce back and experience a "normal" little cold.

Crazy Clare

7. And Mr. Torpedo has become interested in his Taggie Blanket . . . which is pretty adorable. He fell asleep snuggling it the other night, and, of course, I had to capture the moment.

A boy and his blanket.

Have a lovely weekend!