Baby: The first week

So, as we've discovered during our journey through my blog, medical school is not terribly interesting to write and/or read about. While this semester is a bit different from the last few, I can bring everyone up to speed on what they have missed out on since my last post over winter break.

Last semester, medical school attempted to destroy me and my fellow students by way of memorization. This semester is much less horrific. Each lecture is given by a different doctor and has a different mini-subject encompassed by a larger section. For example, we had a cardiology unit and a doctor would talk about heart failure for an hour, then another would talk about heart attacks for an hour (or myocardial infarction if you're feeling feisty). We also get a coffee break thrown in mid morning which makes the whole day worthwhile. :)

As of now, the largest difference in school is that when I type at the computer I usually have a baby on my lap. And speaking of baby...

One of the best parts of my blog in Israel was the pictures I had to post to make my broken prose tolerable. Baby pictures should easily fill that gap and they are in high demand!

On the baby front, we are learning to get along and are establishing a good rhythm. Naomi lets me sleep when my head hits the pillow until maybe 4am, then she lays down and from that point on any cry is answered by me. If the baby needs to feed, she has to get back up, but after that I calm the baby and keep her comfy. This is largely leading to one of us sleeping in the recliner with a baby on our chest. I liken it to sleeping on an aircraft in business class - not necessarily over seas, where the chairs are essentially beds - but maybe a trip to the west coast because the naps last about three hours and I usually end up needed to pee but not being able to get to a bathroom.

The day is much easier because she sleeps like a retiree. :)

And a few more pics

Let's start at the beginning.

So my daughter has already gained quite a cult following, considering she is only 3 days old. I suppose I can post some photos to appease the masses. It's a good first post for the semester. :) Here's the action leading up to birth.

Easing

This break is all about transitions.

Once again, I am getting ready to say goodbye to breaks such as this forever. I'm pretty used to making these tear-filled fair-wells as I made them a few years back when I entered the working world. I had my last summer, my last spring break, my last winter break and all the wonderful free time you get as a student perk.

Since I re-entered the student world I've had a whole new round of fantastic breaks. I've managed to squeeze quite a bit of joy out of them but I knew when they were gone I would be able to survive without them. I crammed in a bunch of travel and house projects every chance I could but the inevitable end-of-the-road has been coming for a while now and I've made my peace. Sort of.

I've started the gradual process of easing myself back into school. So many diseases and drugs that I used to know backwards and forwards already have been reduced to that warm, itchy feeling you get in your head when you almost remember something but can't quite catch it. Luckily, the reboot process is much quicker than the initial loading time so I'll be ready for the next onslaught soon enough.

I've eased myself into the sleeping patterns of a twenty-year-old again, and now I have to reverse a bit to happy medium. Thanks to Naomi's awful schedule of late I tackled all of my finals material (see my previous blog for a picture of the stack) at the unwholesome hour of 5:15am. I've adjusted over break to a 2:30am - 1o:30am sleep arrangement and now I need to recalibrate. Thankfully I'm running out of things to do late in the evening so this won't be hard.

The biggest part of this break, however, is definitely my farewell to alone time. I realize that, beginning in March, I probably won't be alone for the better part of 20 years. I'm strangely comfortable with the thought. At least I won't ever be bored.

Break!

I once again have time to come crawling back to my blog after two-timing all semester with schoolwork. :)

I have had a fantastic break so far. I have no spectacular stories whatsoever. I have done almost no work. I have rarely added pants to my daily wardrobe. Everything is going according to plan.

I have accomplished a few small items. There is a List. This List contains things Naomi has been complaining about since last semester began. Things like:

• The hook by the door that falls off the wall in a spray of plaster and filth when you hang the dog leash on it.
• The closet door (her side) that takes the strength of Yoni the Great to open.
• The lights above the sink that actually melted (not my fault!).

There is also the small matter of the nursery, which is a shockingly boring place at present. Naomi's mom acquired a small baby cage from a garage sale with a matching Alter of Diaper Changing. As with all "mint condition" garage sale items, the furniture needed work. The tiny prison came with ill-fitting bolts and glides about the room on the most frictionless wheels I have ever used. The changing table was so unstable that merely placing our future tot upon it would lead to the collapse of both the changing table and the house around it. Both of these items have been repaired. We also slapped a coat of grey on the items; hoping to anchor down the room with some solid neutrals before color is allowed to vomit forth over the rest of it. Currently it's looking pretty stark and Bauhaus.

We had a fine New Year with our friends Mark and Kristin; we dressed up (a little) and went out to a fine meal. Naomi, in her schedule glory, had to work the next day at 6am so our evening was just past midnight, but overall a success. I've included some pics of us in our finery.