Anyways, I did want to show you some pictures. I'll write about the pictures a little later.
Love,
Alan and Nicole
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Some more pictures
Hey everyone - we've had a busy 3 weeks and I want to tell you all about it. But, I don't have the time right now because I'm taking Nicole to the spa! (This is because she let me go to Andy's bachelor party a few weeks ago...) Our nanny will actually be babysitting today - the first time we're using a babysitter to go out. Yeah!
Anyways, I did want to show you some pictures. I'll write about the pictures a little later.
Anyways, I did want to show you some pictures. I'll write about the pictures a little later.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Hudson is 2 months old today!
Here are some pictures of Hudson, and some more pictures at this link.
It feels like time has really flown by....and at the same time, it feels like we've had Hudson for a long time. Things have been great overall, but I now understand that raising a newborn is hard work! Even with 2 parents raising one newborn, with wonderful and supportive friends and family, its no easy task. I just can't imagine being a single parent and doing it alone, and I really admire and respect those who have done it.
Wonderful things -
- Hudson is smiling when we smile, and sometimes coos when we coo. He'll even be crying in the middle of the night, and when I go get him in the crib, he stops and smiles!
- He tries to use his hands to grab at things, but it looks like wild flailing!
- He tries to use his hands to grab at things, but it looks like wild flailing!
- He loves taking baths...he wades around in the water like a tadpole...and always pees when he's in the warm water
- He's learning to sleep a little more...sometimes 4-5 hours at a time
- He's gone to his nanny for almost a week now
- He's cute as a button
- He can put down 6 oz of formula easy
- He's got big cheeks
Challenging things -
- He doesn't sleep consistently yet...arrgh
- His poops can go up (and out) of his diaper
- He spits up and occasionally throws up formula
- Where does the time go? Its hard to get things done!
We love him very much!
In addition, I just returned from Andy's bachelor party in Washington DC. We had a great time! Joe Bagierek, Andy's best man, hooked us up big time. He works for Bacardi, so we had free drinks all night wherever we went. He also had all of us stay for free at the W Hotel overlooking the White House and the Washington Monument. He arranged the festivities, which included the W rooftop bar, a stretch Escalade all night, mini-golf bar, cigars and pictures at the monuments, dinner, a trendy club, and other debaucherous activity. Good times! Great to see Andy, Vadin, Bryan, and Aarish - a high school reunion! Andy and Missy will be getting married at the end of September in Clearwater, FL.
=) Alan
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Update on our lives
Hey everyone,
Having Hudson is a great excuse to spend some time on this blog. I have to remind myself not to focus too much on Hudson. One of the pieces of advice I picked up before Nicole deliverd was for the parents to take time for themselves, and for each other, because it is really easy to focus all your time and energy on your new child and forget about yourself.
So...putting that into practice, I will be writing about my and our life in this entry. Yes...more boring text for those who like pictures. However, this blog actually has been somewhat of a journal for me, and its entertaining to go back and read my previous entries. I'm quite proud that it started back in 2005!
Life has been really good. Nicole and I are doing quite well, and really lucky that our parents have been so involved and helpful. Nicole's mom and aunt were here before Hudson's birth and first week of life, and then my mom came for the next 3 weeks and took the night shift - which helped Nicole and I SLEEP! Hudson is now on a formula that agrees with his GI system, so he doesn't fuss or cry much. He does have reflux, but we have added a tiny bit of rice cereal to his bottle, so now he seems less refluxy and more satisfied. He now eats and sleeps predicatably, which is the best thing a newborn can be - predictable!
Nicole and I are now relearning life and trying to fit in the time to take care of ourselves. After 6 weeks, Nicole is cleared for normal exercise again, so she can return to running, swimming, and working out. She's scheduled for a triathalon in October! I haven't touched a weight in months, and I've gained a little weight (never thought that would happen to me), so I need to get back in shape myself. We're going to try and do some 'date nights' and keep the sparks going (hee hee), and we have a wonderful nanny who I hope will babysit for us.
As far as work, my tenure as chief resident is going well so far. I really enjoy the job I have, where I can place a big responsibility on teaching. I love teaching - it forces me to prepare and study medicine topics, and I feel like I have a pretty good ability to explain things to others and have them buy into it. Teaching sessions for residents and students seem to have gone well so far - topics such as diagnostic calculations in evidence based medicine, urines and smears, hyponatremia, and acid/base/electrolyte disorders are examples. I've had the chance to attend in resident's clinic, which I find challenging since clinic medicine is probably my weakest field. I've also had the chance to "moonlight" as an inpatient doctor, admitting and taking care of patients in the hospital, which gives me the chance to get back to direct patient care - which is why I went into this field in the first place! The administrative part of the job, running the day to day concerns of the residency, is ok. Not the most glamourous - a lot of emails and meetings - but in doing so we take care of the residents and make sure they're on the right track, which is rewarding in the grand scheme.
Our next major life event will be our upcoming move to Atlanta! I have matched for a spot at Emory for cardiology, and really excited about this. It will be hard to leave this area - the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area has an awesome quality of life. Traffic is easy, living is cheap, the airport is nearby and not big but still international, people are nice, weather is great, and its nice and green here, and Nicole has a wonderful boss that she works with and we have some close friends we'll miss. We'll miss being a part of UNC - which I love, and I'll even encourage Hudson to come to college here! Emory was great, but UNC has this sense of camaraderie and school spirit, along with really great academics for a state school, that you can't really go wrong. Anyways, we'll be leaving all this behind, and going back to Atlanta for an equally wonderful, though totally different, experience. In Atlanta, we have some wonderful friends and family, a vibrant city with lots of flair, cuisine, arts and culture, and a medicine and cardiology training program that is among the top in the country. But, the traffic is daunting, the airport is far and crazy big, and houses are more expensive. But, for the next stage of our lives, our top 2 choices would have been Georgia or North Carolina. I don't know where we'll end up after all the training is finally over (4+ years from now). My guess is Georgia, NC, or back to Florida.
It's interesting to think about what I thought I would be doing at certain points...
Undergrad: premed vs meteorology
Medical school: primary care doctor and pole vault coach
Residency: gastroenterologist, then cardiology, possibly private practice
Chief Residency: cardiologist, probably academic cardiology in a University system, where I could be on faculty, teach, and see neat stuff, and hopefully have international opportunities to volunteer, then maybe retire to be a high school teacher and pole vault coach
Other updates on things going on:
- Nicole will be starting work in 2 weeks, working 1/2 time in the clinic, 1/2 time at home for another 6 weeks
- Amy is enjoying her internship with Air Products in Allentown, PA. She will be graduating from U of Florida with mechanical engineering, and right now weighing going to work vs going to grad school.
- Jenny, Tyler and Kaelyn are about to take Amtrak for the first time, to come up and visit for a long weekend!
- Ben Yin is on the hunt for a ridiculously cheap, luxuriously loaded house in intown Atlanta..right Ben?
- Amy and Nate just had their new baby, Sidney Montgomery York! Congratulations!
- Sarah and Alex are next! Along with Jason and Amy, who are pregnant with another!
- Dave's doing research this year, and he and Karen are moving to Tampa where he'll be an allergy/immunology fellow at USF next year
- Andy's bachelor party is August 15 in DC - I for one must control myself, as I will be taking my internal medicine boards 2 days later. Andy and Missy are getting married late September!
Everyone else who is reading this - fill me in!
Ok, need to feed Hudson...talk to you soon!
Having Hudson is a great excuse to spend some time on this blog. I have to remind myself not to focus too much on Hudson. One of the pieces of advice I picked up before Nicole deliverd was for the parents to take time for themselves, and for each other, because it is really easy to focus all your time and energy on your new child and forget about yourself.
So...putting that into practice, I will be writing about my and our life in this entry. Yes...more boring text for those who like pictures. However, this blog actually has been somewhat of a journal for me, and its entertaining to go back and read my previous entries. I'm quite proud that it started back in 2005!
Life has been really good. Nicole and I are doing quite well, and really lucky that our parents have been so involved and helpful. Nicole's mom and aunt were here before Hudson's birth and first week of life, and then my mom came for the next 3 weeks and took the night shift - which helped Nicole and I SLEEP! Hudson is now on a formula that agrees with his GI system, so he doesn't fuss or cry much. He does have reflux, but we have added a tiny bit of rice cereal to his bottle, so now he seems less refluxy and more satisfied. He now eats and sleeps predicatably, which is the best thing a newborn can be - predictable!
Nicole and I are now relearning life and trying to fit in the time to take care of ourselves. After 6 weeks, Nicole is cleared for normal exercise again, so she can return to running, swimming, and working out. She's scheduled for a triathalon in October! I haven't touched a weight in months, and I've gained a little weight (never thought that would happen to me), so I need to get back in shape myself. We're going to try and do some 'date nights' and keep the sparks going (hee hee), and we have a wonderful nanny who I hope will babysit for us.
As far as work, my tenure as chief resident is going well so far. I really enjoy the job I have, where I can place a big responsibility on teaching. I love teaching - it forces me to prepare and study medicine topics, and I feel like I have a pretty good ability to explain things to others and have them buy into it. Teaching sessions for residents and students seem to have gone well so far - topics such as diagnostic calculations in evidence based medicine, urines and smears, hyponatremia, and acid/base/electrolyte disorders are examples. I've had the chance to attend in resident's clinic, which I find challenging since clinic medicine is probably my weakest field. I've also had the chance to "moonlight" as an inpatient doctor, admitting and taking care of patients in the hospital, which gives me the chance to get back to direct patient care - which is why I went into this field in the first place! The administrative part of the job, running the day to day concerns of the residency, is ok. Not the most glamourous - a lot of emails and meetings - but in doing so we take care of the residents and make sure they're on the right track, which is rewarding in the grand scheme.
Our next major life event will be our upcoming move to Atlanta! I have matched for a spot at Emory for cardiology, and really excited about this. It will be hard to leave this area - the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area has an awesome quality of life. Traffic is easy, living is cheap, the airport is nearby and not big but still international, people are nice, weather is great, and its nice and green here, and Nicole has a wonderful boss that she works with and we have some close friends we'll miss. We'll miss being a part of UNC - which I love, and I'll even encourage Hudson to come to college here! Emory was great, but UNC has this sense of camaraderie and school spirit, along with really great academics for a state school, that you can't really go wrong. Anyways, we'll be leaving all this behind, and going back to Atlanta for an equally wonderful, though totally different, experience. In Atlanta, we have some wonderful friends and family, a vibrant city with lots of flair, cuisine, arts and culture, and a medicine and cardiology training program that is among the top in the country. But, the traffic is daunting, the airport is far and crazy big, and houses are more expensive. But, for the next stage of our lives, our top 2 choices would have been Georgia or North Carolina. I don't know where we'll end up after all the training is finally over (4+ years from now). My guess is Georgia, NC, or back to Florida.
It's interesting to think about what I thought I would be doing at certain points...
Undergrad: premed vs meteorology
Medical school: primary care doctor and pole vault coach
Residency: gastroenterologist, then cardiology, possibly private practice
Chief Residency: cardiologist, probably academic cardiology in a University system, where I could be on faculty, teach, and see neat stuff, and hopefully have international opportunities to volunteer, then maybe retire to be a high school teacher and pole vault coach
Other updates on things going on:
- Nicole will be starting work in 2 weeks, working 1/2 time in the clinic, 1/2 time at home for another 6 weeks
- Amy is enjoying her internship with Air Products in Allentown, PA. She will be graduating from U of Florida with mechanical engineering, and right now weighing going to work vs going to grad school.
- Jenny, Tyler and Kaelyn are about to take Amtrak for the first time, to come up and visit for a long weekend!
- Ben Yin is on the hunt for a ridiculously cheap, luxuriously loaded house in intown Atlanta..right Ben?
- Amy and Nate just had their new baby, Sidney Montgomery York! Congratulations!
- Sarah and Alex are next! Along with Jason and Amy, who are pregnant with another!
- Dave's doing research this year, and he and Karen are moving to Tampa where he'll be an allergy/immunology fellow at USF next year
- Andy's bachelor party is August 15 in DC - I for one must control myself, as I will be taking my internal medicine boards 2 days later. Andy and Missy are getting married late September!
Everyone else who is reading this - fill me in!
Ok, need to feed Hudson...talk to you soon!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
One month old (tomorrow)
Hudson's first real bath
We've been told he looks like a glowworm. A vintage 1982 glowworm was subsequently purchased by Barbara on eBay, from Canada!
Somebody is cool...
Natalie tending to baby
Avery visiting for a playdateNew developments in the life of Hudson:
- He tracks people and objects - his favorites are Mr. Thing and Rockin' Robin
- We think he weighs 10.5 or 11 lbs. Will weigh him tomorrow, his one month birthday!
- Mommy and daddy have figured out his poopy face - its the "o" face
- Hudson had his first playdate with Avery
- Hudson met the Great Greganti!
Hudson, smiling big for the camera!
Hope everyone is doing well. Hudson is a month old tomorrow. He sure is growing fast! My mom is about to leave on Saturday. Barbara, then Jenny and the kids will be visiting, but other than that we're on our own! No more sleep for us...
Soon I'll post another Picasa album so there are more pictures available.
Love, Nicole, Alan, Hudson, and Sofie.
Monday, July 06, 2009
Hudson's growing!
"Ly see" or lucky money, often given by parents to kids or other young ones. Hudson got quite a stash from Grammy and Grandpa - he needs his own bank account now.
Tyler and Kaelyn, Jenny and Jeff's 2 cute kids!
Hudson weighs 9 lb, 9 oz today! He's doing great, except for some mild problems with reflux, but overall no big problems.
He's starting to drink more, and track objects and toys a little bit. He definitely likes to be held (ie snugglebunny). My dad was just in town to see him over this past weekend. This weekend, Hudson had his first outings (not counting pediatrician visits). We went out three times! One to a new neighbor's July 4th party (who turns out to be a friend of mine from med school!), one to Mark and Andi's July 4th party, and then to Dave and Karen's house for dinner. He's such a socialite!
Hope everyone had a great July 4th weekend!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
10 days old
Nicole - before and after!
Dave and Karen visiting in the hospital.
Mark holding their son Avery- we'll be nanny sharing with Mark and Andi.
Our other nanny at home - Sofie!
Hudson is 10 days old today! Woohoo!
- Barbara left today to go back to Dallas. This is a huge accomplishment for her, and we're looking forward to her feeling well, being back at full strength.
- My mom is now here, and is really helpful in taking care of us!
- I go back to work Monday...aaahhhhh!
- Hudson is doing well - gaining weight, eating every 3 hours or so. He has now mastered the art of peeing while we're changing him...in fact he even hit his own face once!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Pictures here and elsewhere
Hey everyone,
I'll still be putting pictures and updates on the blog. Also, we're going to keep more pictures on Picasa, a photo sharing website.
I'll post links to the various photo albums, and hopefully this will get more advanced and presentable. In the meantime, here are two albums:
Hudson, album 1
Hudson, album 2
I'll still be putting pictures and updates on the blog. Also, we're going to keep more pictures on Picasa, a photo sharing website.
I'll post links to the various photo albums, and hopefully this will get more advanced and presentable. In the meantime, here are two albums:
Hudson, album 1
Hudson, album 2
Sunday, June 21, 2009
from Danielle, Mike, and Addison
...one of our most loyal blog readers! A gift from her daughter, Addison!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)