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Family photos

At Turquoise with Papa, Deb and Adam

Savta braved the cold to join us for a visit to "Horse" Park

Expecting

Exciting news!! Deborah and Adam are expecting a little boy this June!! We are all super excited and can't wait to meet him. Deborah is feeling great and looking fabulous, can barely tell that she's five months pregnant. I recently accompanied her to register at Babies 'R Us and was seriously worried that someone would mistakenly think I was the pregnant one. It's been fun to watch Deb get into Mommy-mode. She and Adam have been busy researching cribs, strollers and carseats. I know they will be fabulous parents and look forward to snuggling my new little nephew.

Happy New Year

Wishing you a happy, healthy 2010! Here are a few photos from our recent trip to Florida. It was a wonderful little getaway, and I am already fantasizing about my next vacation week in March.

Visiting Auntie Susan, Grandma and Cousin Jon

Elijah loves his Gigi

We stayed at Wright by the Sea in Delray Beach. Our little apartment had an ocean view and was just a steps from the beach. It was a charming little place and we can't wait to go back!

Boy with English muffin

Boy with Daddy

Mission completion

Congratulations are in order. After four long weeks, I have completed my first month of medicine wards. My house is breeding dust bunnies and my consumption of frozen food is at an all time high, but I'm happy. I have learned a lot and starting to feel somewhat competent. My second medicine month is off to a good start though I will be thrilled when it ends. I miss my boys and am looking forward to vacation in December.

My good looking boys

Cross-cover

In the world of medicine, cross-cover refers to the job of keeping tabs on another team's patients while on overnight call. In the case of my current rotation (internal medicine at the VA), the cross-cover team is responsible for approximately 70 patients. Those patients are divided between the cross-cover team's two interns who respond to any urgent needs that may arise overnight. In other words, I am assigned to oversee the care of 30-40 patients when working nights. I am paged about anything from a sore throat to a hypertensive emergency, and the nurses are looking to me to determine a plan of action. My senior resident is in the building (likely fast asleep in a call room), but I am the one who determines if something is complicated enough to require his assistance. It's a bit scary, but kind of exciting too. Prior to starting this rotation, I felt somewhat like a glorified medical student. I was accomplishing useful work, but there was always someone near by to help make decisions. Taking cross-cover has required me to develop a sense of autonomy and has made me feel more like a 'real' doctor than ever before. I wouldn't call this rotation enjoyable, but it is definitely getting better with time. Regardless, I am almost half way through my first year of residency and I suppose that is something to feel good about. I only wish the weekends were longer and the workdays were shorter. Much shorter.

The big reveal

Happy fall

Here are some photos of our visit to Wagner Farm in Glenview. How sweet to see Elijah hugging a mitten that belonged to my Mom.

Almost three

I tell Elijah that his birthday will come when most all the trees are covered in red, yellow and orange leaves. It's just a few weeks off now, and we are all anticipating the big hair cut (upsherin). When I agreed not to cut Elijah's hair for three years, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Wherever we go, strangers comment on his gorgeous hair and are subsequently shocked to discovered the Elijah is in fact a boy. It has never bothered me, and Elijah doesn't even seem to notice. We are now in the process of growing out his bangs (I cheated and trimmed them on several occasions), and we recently started using a small clip to keep them out of his eyes. It makes for a particularly cute look.

In accordance with Jewish tradition, the age of three marks the end of babyhood. Apparently Elijah agrees. I recently referred to him as "my baby" and he immediately said, "I am not a baby, I'm a boy." I then asked if he's a big boy or a little boy, to which he smiled and said "Big boy!"

The self-proclaimed big boy has yet to show an interest in potty training, but that is quite fine with me. He still loves stuffed animals and spends long stretches of time playing with them on the couch. When I go to make dinner, I love listening to him chat with his band of furry friends.

He is increasingly goofy and definitely has a wild streak. A week ago, he bit my leg without provocation or warning. I'm told that my mom and I went through biting phases as children, so I like to think that such outbursts are unrelated to my parenting and primarily attributable to genetics.
Yesterday marked Elijah's greatest feat of mischief to date. After returning from a neighborhood walk, Amiel and I went to hang up our coats. As I left the closet, I was flabbergasted to discover Elijah aiming a broom handle towards a collection of wine glasses on the counter. I called out for him to stop but was too late. Two of the glasses flew to the wood floor, and shards of glass scattered in every direction. Amiel witnessed the incident and insists that Elijah was curious to learn what happens when glasses are knocked to the floor. Apparently Amiel was a particularly 'curious' kid, so I guess he would know. Despite our recent challenges, I do appreciate some of Elijah's more clever antics. This afternoon, I caught him scoping out my desk, a firmly established No-Elijah-Zone. I shot him a look, and he promptly scampered away from it. A moment later, he approached me with his head cocked to one side. "Mommy, could you please turn around?" I eyed him suspiciously, "Do you want me to turn around so you climb onto my desk?" A devilish grin spread across his face, "Yes." I could have feigned disbelief, but instead I just laughed.
But Elijah is not all mischief. He is creative, inquisitive and endlessly entertaining. He is curious about the concept of day and night, and he likes to hear about the sun visiting Israel when it leaves Chicago for the night. He randomly bursts into song and rarely misses a note. His new favorite word is "actually," but he can't seem to get the pronunciation right. He recently told me to "Drive Safely!" on my way to work, and when I told him that I loved him he replied, "I love you too and I love you."