Because they get it

Tonight Griffin and I went to an ice cream social that was sponsored by the Resident Support Network at the University of Michigan. The group is open to residents and spouses and offers opportunities to get together. The events range from playgroups to tailgating parties to wine and cheese events to movie nights. The group is funded by the house officers association, so most events are free, and some even include some cash to help cover the cost of a babysitter.

Griffin and I had a great time! There was even a little boy that Griffin used to go to daycare with who we found out whose dad is also a doctor. They ran around the playground laughing and chasing each other. It was a nice to talk to people who had kids and are going through the same struggles we are. I'm not saying that others don't understand what our lives are like, but at the same time unless you live this life, its hard to explain and understand. He can't call in the middle of the day to say "hi", he doesn't "get off early", being done at 7 really means he's done at 8 and taking a "sick" day doesn't ever happen. Mike's schedule is really busy with extremely long and changing hours. On top of that he works two other part time jobs to add to the chaos. When asked where Mike was tonight I said he was on night float and one woman just smiled and nodded. I didn't have to explain what that meant to her, she understood and it felt nice to be surrounded with people who just got it, at least for tonight!

Shorts

I think everyone should leave Michelle Obama's shorts alone! Do we really not have bigger things to concern ourselves other than the length and style of her casual wear?

Sick Boy

Griffin woke up with a fever this morning. We took him to the doctor this afternoon as every time he has a fever, he has an ear infection. This time he didn't. On the positive side, he doesn't have an ear infection, which means most likely his ear canals are growing in the right direction and we'll be able to avoid putting tubes in. On the negative side, we have a sick little boy with a 102.7 fever who can't go back to daycare until its been gone for 24 hours. Mike was luckily home today and will be tomorrow, and I'll have to take Thursday and potentially Friday off. I feel so bad when he's sick. I know he gets bored laying around, but he doesn't feel much like doing anything either.

And as always, I hate that even minor illnesses can have scary complications (although rare). I need to not look at Google any more.

Stopping at the store on the way home for some pudding pops and popsicles to make sure he stays fed and hydrated.

Healthcare Debate

I created a long post this morning that I decided to take down after I posted it. I'm not for universal health care coverage for a variety of reasons. If you want to know why, feel free to ask, otherwise that is all I'll have to say about the drama that is going on right now in Washington. Everyone is so heated about this topic and I don't believe they have all of the facts in hand to truly debate it.

Reflections on the past 16 months

Trying to bring my blog back up to date with a very large missing gap has been perplexing me for awhile. At first I was going to abandon it, but decided for a variety of reasons to keep it.

Motherhood - what an amazing journey it has been for me so far. It is unbelievable how quickly you can bond to your child, the depth of the love that you acquire and the instinct that developes to protect them at all costs.

Griffin has filled my life with more love, fun, joy and happiness that I could have ever imagined. I continue to be amazed by looking back at pictures of him from birth through current, all of the ages and stages we went through together, and all of the memories we've made. Every minute, every second with Griffin is a precious gift, and although it isn't always easy, it is the most awesome responsibility and honor I will ever have the opportunity to have.

There are lots of milestones of Griffin's I posted on his blog. Both as an easy way for friends and family to watch him grow from far away, but also as a psuedo baby journal to easily look back on pictures, events and milestones. Now I'm ready to restart my blog so that I can look back and continue to see how I've grown and changed.

Reflecting back over the last 16 months, aside from all of the wonderful things Griffin has learned and accomplished, I am proud of myself, personally, most for one thing the most. Breastfeeding Griffin for an entire year. This may seem like a no-brainer for a lot of people, and not something to pat yourself on the back for, but I'm giving myself a little pat. Pat, pat, pat. I was the one who got up for every night feeding, changing, rocking back to sleep (not that I would have had a choice with Mike gone a good percentage of the time, or wanted one because I LOVED our nights together), I was the one who pumped milk 3 times a day at work, I was the one that gave up alchohol, most over-the-counter medications (sorry - tylenol was necessary at times), nights out with friends. I did it for Griffin, and I did it for me. I believe the bond that we created during countless hours of nursing sessions is something that will resonante forever between us. I'm proud that I made a committment to do it for a full year and stuck through with it.

A return to blogging

Its been 15 months since I've blogged on this site and I'm ready to make a return to it. Motherhood has been the most awesome adventure and gift, and I've enjoyed every second of the journey so far. I've been fairly good at keeping Griffin's blog up and running, but definitely pushed mine aside to make time and room. There are only so many hours in the day, and as a result this blog stopped.

Now, what to write about?