Growing up...

Wow, where did April go? We’ve had a busy month of celebrating and getting ready for Spring! On the weekend we held a BBQ for my husband’s med class and also celebrated our oldest daughter’s 10th birthday. I can’t believe she is ten years old, although I can’t really remember life without her.

I’ve watched many of my little cousins and friends’ children grow through the awkward preteen years of 9 through 12. Now I’m right in the middle of it with my own daughter. She is becoming more independent and hopefully more confident in herself. Which are excellent qualities to be building and I am so happy to see her grow into a strong girl. But with this comes stubbornness, moodiness, strong opinions, and attitudes; this has been a hard battle for us to get through. I know this is “just” the beginning, I can’t even allow myself to think of the teenage years but I believe we are in training now. Some days I have no idea where my sweet little girl went but the next day (or minute) we are back to normal and moving on.

The hardest part for me has been the decreasing time she spends with me (selfish of me, eh!). It seems like I see her at meals, when we are driving somewhere, and when I tuck her in at night. We don’t have as many quiet times together doing crafts or reading together anymore. We do get our moments but not as often. I knew these times were coming but when you are faced with them head on it kind of hits harder. I’m sure we all go through it many times in our children’s lives. It’s just not easy to take some days.

I am so proud of our daughters and hope that we’ve done a good job raising them so far and that they will make their good choices as they become more independent in this big world. There will still be moments when I just want to sit and snuggle them and pretend that they aren’t really growing up.

The storybook “Love You Forever” makes more and more sense as your child grows up ( I remember the first time I read this book I thought it was one of the nuttiest stories but it’s one of our favourite stories now).

Cherish every special moment with your little ones (and big ones!) because they will grow up in the blink of an eye!

“I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always
As long as I’m living my baby you’ll be.” Robert Munsch

Love you my sweet girls!

Life So Far Being Married to a Med Student

So we are 7 months into our adventure of Medical School. Notice I stated “our” since it really has been a family adventure in all aspects. Our lives have all changed in some way or another and we have adjusted well, with a few bumps along the way. I thought I’d make this post about what life has been like since my husband started med school. I haven’t really taken the time to think much about it since we are always running full tilt ahead, so this will be interesting for me to take a minute to reflect.

The first few months are now a blur for all of us. One thing I do distinctly remember is eagerly waiting to hear about his day and the exciting things he learned. He works with a Doctor each week for 4 hours (electives) and it is always interesting to hear where he has worked each time; without the “confidential” details of course. In the fall he did some interesting rounds in the OR, paediatrics, psychiatry (eye opener for him), and obstetrics. It was a great way for him to really get to see different areas of medicine. Then came the 1st exam and the preparation for it, he began studying for the exam 4 weeks before! It was a tremendous amount of information to study and I was overwhelmed with the amount of knowledge one has to cram in…and this is just the beginning. But he pulled it off and did very well!

After Christmas we all began to get into a better routine, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights we never saw much of him as he was in the “dungeon” preparing for his week’s work. By Wednesday night he’s wiped out and exhausted and needs to take a break, which we all welcome. Friday nights are our family nights typically when he is home. We get to enjoy a movie or games on the wii with pizza and popcorn! We may have less time as a unit but we still really enjoy those times and cherish them.

Now (after 7 months of studies) when I ask about what he learned each day or for an explanation about various medical issues, I am reminded that he is definitely absorbing and learning from all the hard work because I have a hard time pronouncing let alone understanding some of the things he tells me. I’m sure that will make him smirk just a little.

As for his recent elective he’s been working in the ER department and he loves it. He gets to learn and see so much there. In school part of this semester he’s learning about human reproduction. How convenient is that? Recently I’ve also been his mock patient for various things, the latest one was gathering patient information (which was simply annoying) and getting a physical done. After hearing what next month’s lessons will be I’ve informed him he’ll have to find someone else to be his mock patient!

All in all life has been great being married to my med student and I couldn’t be more proud of his hard work and dedication. I know busier, tougher times lie ahead. I miss him sometimes but know that he’s working hard to become the best physician he can be. I have no doubt that he will be amazing just as he has been as a husband and a Dad to our children.

We just take things one day at a time and keep trucking!

Decisions, Decisions

We make them every day, little and big ones. Sometimes we don’t even have to think about it. We’re constantly making decisions that may not feel like a big deal at the time but some have a huge effect on our life! Lately my husband and I have been facing more tedious decision making with the upcoming new addition to our family and all the changes involved.

Due to my “age” I am considered on the cusp of being a high-risk pregnancy which opens the door to additional testing and increased complications. One decision we both agree on so far is that we don’t want to know the sex of the baby until he/she is born. I always thought I’d want to know when having a third child but after a very short discussion we both wanted to keep it a surprise, call us old fashion.

The latest upcoming decision is whether or not to have an amniocentesis test done. We’re leaning away from it as I don’t like the idea of sticking a needle near my baby and the fact that it really won’t change the outcome. We’ll have this baby no matter what issues he/she may have. But the question I have is, if we do have it done and an issue is diagnosed, is there something that can be done in utero to help improve the child’s life/outcome? We will be meeting with our new prenatal Doctor this week and hoping she can provide and guide us with some more information. We put so much trust in these professionals.

In writing this entry I had a discussion with my daughters about decision making and it was interesting to hear their responses to my question of “When you are faced with a decision how to you decide what to do?” Both responded similarly saying they think about what will happen, how they will feel, and how it will affect others. One also said they make some decisions with their heart. I think those are reasonably good responses for 7 and 9 year olds.

For now we’ll just do our research and keep moving forward as usual and hope for the best.

Parenting is one of the most difficult jobs in the world! But the most rewarding job ever!!

March here we come...

The countdowns are on…none to a great southern warm destination though. We are looking forward to a March break for the three Wood girls. We have no major plans but do plan to relax and have some fun. My husband has another major exam coming up that week too. So he will be studying pretty intensely, and unfortunately his break is the following week.

We’ve had a couple major snowstorms over the last week and ended up with an early school closure today. The girls are still enjoying the outdoors sliding and playing with our neighbours. I haven’t ventured outside too much over the last few weeks and am ready for Spring!

We wrapped up basketball last weekend, well I thought we did. The girls are starting a 5-week clinic with the local premier basketball team Mill Rats starting this week. They both plan on playing in the local Spring League too. This makes me so happy to have 2 girls that love my favourite sport!

I’m starting to feel better pregnancy wise…but have been battling an annoying sinus infection that’s wearing me down. Hoping that I beat this soon so we can move forward and get feeling great! I am so fortunate to have such an amazing sweet family to help me out. My husband is buried in school work but has been helping when he can and the girls have been sweet and understanding about my newfound low energy lifestyle, not the norm for me!! Each week I have to let the girls know what size the baby is in comparison of a fruit…this week it’s the size of a large peach!

Well well it’s been too long since I’ve made a post but I truly don’t think there is anyone out there checking daily to see my latest news : ) So I think I’m safe.

It’s been a blurry last month and a half, everyone is back to school including me! I am working at a local elementary school until June. It’s nice to finally get out of the house and be with people every day even if they are children!

We found out in early January that we are expecting our third child!! And a few weeks later I began to get pretty sick as expected. My other two pregnancies I was extremely nauseated and sick for months so it’s only fair that this one gets the same entrance! I’ve been extra exhausted but I’m hoping I’ll be feeling better in weeks to come so I can begin to look forward to these exciting times.

We waited a few weeks to tell people including the girls. The girls were getting worried about their mom constantly resting and feeling sick since typically I don’t stop running around all day. My oldest was worried that my Lyme disease was coming back or something so it was more important for them to understand the cause. We told them by playing a game of hangman…”We’re having a baby” They were pretty shocked but very excited. That pretty much sums up everyone’s reaction so far.

While this is a surprise to our family we know we are very fortunate and are cherishing the fact that we have been blessed with another child. Times will be busy as I’m due shortly after the girls go back to school and my husband begins his 2nd year of Medical School!

So my apologies for no entries lately but hopefully in future months my energy will increase and my nausea will decrease. For now though it’s getting late and I must get some rest.

Night night!

Happy 2011!!

Well the crew is back to school and we’re happy to get back into the routine of life. We had some great winter weather and we all got outside and enjoyed it.

We celebrated New Years Eve at home with the girls, my favourite way to spend it. We made pizza for supper, enjoyed chocolate fondue, played some board games and had some fireworks.

We have a special tradition we started a few years ago, each of us write something special about each family member and we read these to each other at dinner on New Years Eve. It’s a lovely way to wrap up the end of the year and make each other realize how much you appreciate them. Here is what I wrote to my super family members:

Oldest daughter– you bring smiles to my face when I see you outdoors playing and when I see you enjoying a good book. You enjoy the little things in life and care so much about others. You bring so much happiness to our lives and to others. I love your jokes and the detail you bring to your stories. When you smile you light up a room. I love you!

Youngest daughter – your laugh makes me laugh. Your common sense makes me chuckle, because you are so young to understand things. I love how you care for others and get to know people. You bring smiles to so many people by simply saying hello or telling them a little story. When you smile you light up a room. I love you!

Husband – you make me proud to be your wife and your best friend. You work so hard and never need anything in return. You don’t complain, you move forward and focus on the good things in life. You teach me how to handle things in life just by being who you are and being comfortable with yourself. Thank you for being the amazing, funny, loving, and handsome husband you are! I love you!

Charlie (our Dog) – you drive me bonkers with your dog hair and barking but I love your cuddles and the way you hang out with us. You still have lots of spunk and remind me that even when your old you can make snow angels (his fav pastime outside)! I love you Charlie!

They all wrote some pretty special things and it truly puts a smile on your face. I even shed some tears, we are so thankful for what we have and love cherishing the great moments. Like any family we have our spats and chaotic times so it’s those little moments when everyone is smiling and content that I love!

I hope you all have a wonderful 2011 filled with great moments!!

-Never say Never-

We had a fantastic Christmas with our family. We were fortunate to have both sets of parents spend Christmas at our home. What a gift it was to have them get up with the girls Christmas morning and share in the excitement. Even though it was 6am and we’d all like to get another 3-4hrs sleep it was a wonderful memory we will cherish forever.

Today, December 31, 2010, we all look toward what the New Year will bring and also reflect on the last year. For 2010 it is going down as the year I learned to “never say never”! So many lessons learned this past year and so many wonderful experiences and some not so lovely experiences have brought us to this day. In each experience we learn something, even if you don’t realize it at the time.

Here are the highlights of our year (definitely a year to remember):

• January – We enjoyed a lot of outdoor time building snow forts and snowmen, skating and sliding.
• February – My husband attended his med school interview on my birthday. We packed our bags and headed to Florida with my parents!
• March – We received my husband’s acceptance to Medical School!!
• April – Celebrated our oldest daughter’s birthday. We began to try and figure out our next steps in life…move, commute, accept?
• May – I ran my 1st Half Marathon (1st never say never teaching moment “I’ll never run farther than 10kms”)
• June – Listed our home for sale and made plans to move to another city (2nd never say never moment “I’ll never live in this city”)
• July – Sold our home and took a trip to see a Taylor Swift Concert (The concert was a nice distraction at the time. A 3rd never say never moment “I’ll never take my kids to a concert”)
• August – Moved into our new home and spent the first 3 days cleaning and painting the whole house.(4th never say never moment “I’ll never buy a split level house in half acre lot again”)
• September – Sent my 3 students off to school and attended my husband’s “white coat ceremony”.
• October – Celebrated our youngest daughter’s birthday and my husband’s. We also mourned the loss of a dear Uncle.
• November – Celebrated my husband being the recipient of a very generous bursary for med school (what a huge relief!!!) (5th never say never moment. “We’ll never win this!”)
• December – Held a family open house with 57 guests! Had our first Christmas in our new home!

We’ve all had some crazy years, good and bad. The last few years we’ve had a share of not so great ones; from being laid off just before Christmas (both of us) to various health problems. But we’ve always remained strong as a family unit and that is largely due to the people we are surrounded by. Our families are strong and have always been supportive, in an unbelievable way. Our friends new and old have been encouraging and given us great strength.

We want to say thank you to our amazing family and friends that have supported us in our recent adventures, even when we’re sure some may have shook their heads in confusion. Thank you for your continuous encouragement and we wish you all the happiness possible in 2011. Happy New Year, bring on 2011. We have so many great adventures to look forward to.

As Gloria Swanson stated “Never say never, for if you live long enough, chances are you will not be able to abide by its restrictions. Never is a long, undependable time, and life is too full of rich possibilities to have restrictions placed upon it.”