Calvin's Kicking and Yelling Still But Still a Sweetie Most of the Time

Calvin's learning to read this year and developing a love of sports as well.He's also learning to defect his icecream from parental encroachment. At Left picture of Calvin at the cabin reading from the Bug Bingo Card--no doubt some terrifically difficut thing like Ichneumon Wasp. Running in the underwear in the rain to cool off on a prematurely hot spring day. He's still a terror when he's tired, but thankfully he puts himself to bed. To our great amusement even when he's in the middle of a temper tantrum he will declare he's going to bed and march upstairs. His screams abate and he turn on the water and starts brushing his teeth, then puts himself into bed.  It's a small thing to be thankful, for and something I wish more grumpy people would do--go sleep it off!!  

Here' some pictures of him at his best. 

Team Hubble

Contra dancing has continued to be great fun. About a month ago Isabel stayed until the last dance and we went out with a group of people afterwards and we named ourselves Team Hubble, which felt very fitting after the inspiration talk I went to by Neil Degrasse Tyson, the amazing Arican American Astrophysicist. Isabel and Oliva have become experts at it and Calvin has a growing appreciation too, although he's a bit young to deal with the complexities. I took him last week to give him a taste and it was hard convincing him to go home at the break. Isabel and Olivia sometimes get a bit tired out by the end and find other diversions--in this instance a bit of mischievous tandem ride in a wheelchair, which at leat provided lessons in cooperation. We have met some interesting folks through the dances including a young woman named Jay who works for the red cross as an educator, and another artists/engineer, Mark who made this amazing installation at Syracuse University. Isabel enjoyed exploring it. Mark and I are talking about doing a project together sometime in the next year where we build on his forest of pinwheels. I was thinking it would be fun to make two sets, one made out of his old engineering overheads (shown) and one made out of the old discarded textbooks from the Medical School library. We shall see if I can get anyone at the medical school interested in letting us set an installation up somewhere in a place where kids could have fun exploring it.

Adventures of Isabel Spring 2009

How many positions can you take in the course of the afternoon? Even if you're captain of the debate team, probably not as many as Isabel who is incredibly strong and flexible. I can't stand to watch her bend her elbows because they're so loose she can nearly turn them inside out.

She's been taking everything from academic to acrobatic poses. I was proud of her researching calorimeters for her science project (above). Here she is in the midst of my projects and medical school textbooks.

She did a great job helping Dave out building the addition on the pirate fortress (over the fence and into the neighbors' yard -- not sure if we've annexed their yard or they've annexed ours, but we both have a double-sized back yard now, anyway, big enough for kids to run in circles in.)

Isabel has been having lots of fun in her more formal gymnastics classes after school, but also really likes hanging out in the backyard where Dave has set up some interesting improvisational swinging ropes and platforms to swing from. And here she is practicing hanging upside down like a bat--after taking lessons from the best of them. >

Art and Shadows in Hudson

Isabel and Luca visting in Hudson. Isabel confided in me that Luca has gotten much more interesting to her now that he's a little older. We had a great little get away to Hudson about half way through the Surgery clerkship, about the time I was starting to feel like I was not getting to see enough of my kids. It's amazing how fast I can feel out of touch with them. In February whe I took a couple of weeks off to help Dave through his knee surgery and I was doing more to get them around and put them to bed, I started to feel closer to them again and I love it so. I'm not sure I agree with Pauline Chen's assessment of balancing motherhood and medicine. THat is I'm not sure I will feel either more satisfied in my medical career because I am a mother, or more satisfied at home becuase I am a physician. And I guess until I'm a full fledged MD in another year I won't be qualified to know for sure.

What I do know is that when the time is sliced thin, I appreciate the moments of connection because they are exquisitely sweet. This day and night in Hudson with Isabel was one such juicy slice of time with my daugher. Isabel went with me and Carrie Waldman to an art opening in Hudson. Here's isbael getting her picture taken by the artist. The shadows on the was were in perfect focus so that every hair could be seen in detailed outline. I'm not sure how that is done, but would like to find out.

Science Fair Fun

Isabel and Olivia did a science project this year with alittle help from their parents. It was a roaring success--even calvin got in on lighting the peanuts on fire. 

Where did the winter go?

So Long Winter--The snow castle shrank into a snow pile which got made into a snowman which shrank into a snow blob and away he went underground. I feel like I nearly missed the onset of spring, I was so busy with the surgery rotation, up before dawn and home after dark. My consolation was the occasional glimpse of the moon as I drove to the hospital. When it was full and just setting one day it almost made up for how tired I was all day to see the giant orb hanging over the hospital. It was another magical moment that made the day worth living for.

I just got through a gruesome 8-week surgery rotation, which despite my best effort resulted in a mediocre exam score.  I'm not sure if it's because I was so tired, or if it was trying to organize the community art project that made it so hard to do both well. Sometimes somthing has to give and I guess I wouldn't give up the time I spent with the kids at Blodgett School for a better exam score. As Sarah Greenberg in the class ahead of me said--sometimes you have to take charge of your own education.

As tired as I was in surgery I was amazed at how much I liked parts of it. I'm not sure I'm cut out to be a surgeon, at least not in this lifetime, but all the tools and the creative inventions and strategies that people have come up with over the last hundred years are very impressive.  I also I really loved the variety of things surgeons get to do from seeing patients in clinics and offering advice, to cutting and sewing and patching broken bodies back into functioning units of humanity.   I was most wowed by watching a modified radical neck disection on a man with neck cancer.  I could not believe the incedible intricacies of the surgery and the depth of knowledge and expertise brought to the operating table.

I was, however, at times falling asleep on my feet--something I didn't think was really possible before I experienced it myself.  The other thing that I was really amazed by was pediatric surgery. Kids absolutely astonish me with their honesty and resilience. Two days out from a very major abdominal surgery one kid simply didn't want any more pain medication and he was up and at it, ready to get back to life. The same surgery on an adult would take weeks of recovery.  There is a lot of hope in it.

The week I spent in pediatric surgery was my favorite, although Ear Nose Throat was close behind.  Perhaps I can take it up in the next lifetime. For now, I'm terribly torn between a residency with a global/preventative medicine focus and radiology, which appeals to the academic in me.  Here are some picutures from the last few months.

Calvin and Isabel skiing at Salmon Hills about an hour north of here. I was so impressed by Calvin's perserverence despite his frustration skiing. He made me laugh till I cried racing Isabel tot he bottom of the hill on his hands and knees, skis still on, after he fell down. He has an incredibly competitive streak, fortunately tempered by good humor most of the time.

My friends Woinam and Yorum at Alison DesForges' memorial in  Buffalo.   This was an incredible shock. The most recent information from the investigation suggests that sleep deprivation among the crew members may have played a role--not news to me given how I feel when I'm getting under 6 hours most days.

Isabel at the All City Orchestra rehearsal. She has made great strides on the cello this year with her teacher David Ledoux. I can actually recognize tunes and she seems to be taking more initiative to practice. It helps when Dave plays dulcimer with her.  Do I see family duets in the future--only if Dave can find more time to practice too. We shall see. We are hoping that when I start residency he can cut down a day from work, which hopefully won't just fill up with annoying housework.