Alisa Day

It was the summer of the San Francisco Five. My friend Alisa needed a ride home to San Francisco, and our friend Ann offered to drive her. Alisa met Johan, a recent transplant from Peru, and invited her. Ann invited her Bosnian refugee colleague, Irma. I also got invited. So the five of us took a little vacation to San Francisco. Alisa showed us around town--we had a blast. Then one morning, she told all of us, "Today is Alisa Day," and I thought, "Cool, we're going to do all of Alisa's favorite things today." Then she said, "I want each of you to tell me what you'd like to do today, and I'll do my best to make your wish come true." I can't remember everyone else's requests, but mine was to go to the Oakland Temple, and Alisa made it happen. She made all of us feel special and important that day.

It was during my Birthday 5K (this year I ran by myself) that I decided that I needed to make the day Alisa Day. Things are always so clear when I'm outside running. I wanted those around me to feel special and important. The people I live with couldn't care less if the house is a mess or the clothes are washed or I've run my errands. For them, it's all about quality time. They want to spend time with me. So I took Squeak to see the geese and pigeons. Then we went to the park. We colored together. What is Pip's favorite thing? He just loves to be held. So I held him as much as possible all day. He was such a happy boy! And D, if he can't have my time (like when he has to study all day), he loves good food. So I made him food (I hope it was good). I wrote a bunch of thank-you notes I've meant to write. I didn't take a nap and didn't even feel like I needed one. I didn't worry about washing the clothes or cleaning the house or going shopping. And I had a great day! And at the end of the day, I thought, "I need to do this more often."

Way to go, Piggy!

Pip's birthweight (7 lb. 9 oz.) was pretty average, but his weight gain since birth has been exceptional--four pounds in four weeks, putting him in the 95th percentile. Way to go, mother's milk!! We're kind of hoping it tapers off...I don't really want a 60-pound one-year-old!

So sleepy during the day...

The first thing I noticed after he was born were these two cowlicks--one on his right side and the whirlpool in the middle of his forehead

We also noticed that he got his dad's hairline. I hope all of our kids get their dad's eyelashes too.

There he is, snuggled up in his manly butterfly blanket in his manly pink bassinet

Squeak LOVES the new baby. I just have to make sure she doesn't hug too hard.

Our Mothers

Medical school is not a convenient time to have a baby. Black January is the least convenient time during medical school to have a new baby. Black January is January of the second year. This was Black January for D. He had around ten really hard exams which means he needed to spend lots of time studying and he also had to be rested in order to do well on his exams. Kind of difficult with a new baby.

We have survived Black January thanks to our mothers. They each came to help us for a week. They cleaned our house, did dishes, bought us food, changed diapers, held the crying baby, did laundry, helped me get organized, kept me company, and best of all, helped Squeak feel like she's an important person (she has thankfully had a remarkable adjustment to becoming the big sister). We are so grateful that they helped us in our time of need, even though it wasn't easy or convenient for them.

Our latest family photo--we're still sleep-deprived, but this time Pip isn't crying! We're smiling because D is still passing all his classes--hooray that Black January is over!