Finished

Troy came home from work today and said "I need to sit down for a minute and take a break.....  it's been a long...

10 years."

Friends, today was his very last day of training.

HIS VERY LAST DAY!

Four years of medical school.

Four years of residency.

Two years of fellowship.

10 years.

Not to mention undergrad.

And today, it ended.

I think we're both still in disbelief.  

So much of life has happened during these ten years.  

Professionally, it's been a busy but very successful ride for him. His accomplishments are too numerous to name.  Awards, publications, presentations, AOA inducted, a year as Cheif, and countless other feats.  He also prepared for and passed THREE board exams. Each exam took a year to prepare for, but he is Board Certified in Anatomical Pathology, Board Certified in Clinical Pathology & Board Certified in Transfusion Medicine. And today, he completed his last day of a Surgical Pathology Fellowship at Methodist Hospital, Houston. And though I know that it wasn't.....  he made all of this look so easy.

I'm truly bursting with pride for him.

But the last ten years haven't been all about medicine.  They've also been the years that we began our life together.  We got married, we traveled, we bought a home.... we made a cross country move.  We gained new life long friendships through medicine (we love you Heather, Adam, Mona, Silvia, Martin!)..

we were given two sister-in-laws...

we lost a father.

We became parents.

So much life.

It's no secret that our year here in Houston has been a hard one.  It's been very difficult for us to be away from home.  

But I remind myself often to not let that overshadow what a major accomplishment and gift this year has been. The fact that Troy obtained a fellowship with this top notch program speaks volumes of his success.  Here, he trained with the best of the best, and will walk away better in so many ways.  Coming to Houston Methodist was not something that we had to do.  Though some days it felt like it, it wasn't a misfortune or a mishap.  It was an achievement.

A huge achievement.

So tonight we celebrate!  We celebrate a huge chapter of our lives... a 10 year chapter...  coming to a successful close!

But that break that my husband wants to sit down and take tonight....  it can't happen yet.

Because we have an apartment to pack.

Because these 10 years are finished.

And we're going home.

Lovely

If you watched Juliet's introduction video....  or received a birth announcement by mail.... you'll want to skip these.

You're sick of looking at us.

For anyone else.....enjoy!


We think she's so lovely...

A very special thanks to Kelli of Kelli Nicole Photography in Houston, Texas!  Kelli, your talent is big, but your heart (and special way with little ones) is even bigger!  Thank you for being so good to us.  You will always be one of my favorite people in Texas!

Bringing Home Baby

Taking a break from packing, to share a few photos!

These are all from Juliet's first week home!

Getting ready to leave the hospital...

And a few photos from the first few days at home.  We have swollen tired eyes, and lived in pajamas all week....  but I cherish the photos.  I even snapped one (for my memory) during a 3am feeding.

Juliet couldn't be any sweeter.  She's made going from one baby to two, quite simple.  She sleeps through the night, rarely cries... truly a joy.

The only thing that makes her unhappy is the car seat.  These sleepy car seat days didn't last long.  She now often screams....  quite loudly....  until she is freed!

  

Walt welcomed Juliet home with a gift and note of "Baby sister, I can't wait to show you the elephants at the zoo!"

;)

I wasn't able to get a photo of every gift, but family and friends spoiled us with their deliveries!

I did get out of my robe a couple of times that first week.  We took Juliet to a doctor's appointment, and to her first photo shoot. 

And Aunt Kandice flew in to meet her new niece!

My parents stayed with us for two weeks and we loved every minute of it.  They fed us, did our laundry, let us nap, and entertained Walt around the clock.  We could never thank them enough for all they did for us.

And now sadly, those early newborn days are officially behind us.

More soon!

Thanks for reading :)

Juliet's Birth

This post is long overdue, and has way too many photos.

But you couldn't pay me to delete one of them.

They are the photos that will one day help me to remember the details of Juliet's birth.

Like this photo (taken right before surgery)....  it's a reminder of how huge I was at the end...

And these photos remind me of the hours leading up to her birth.  We were all so excited about the day ahead of us.  We had our bags packed, our cameras ready, and I thought everyone looked so sweet in their pink! 

But Walt wanted nothing to do with any of this excitement.  He was so clingy with me that morning, and wouldn't let me put him down.  Though I never showed it (to him), it was as if he knew that I was already sad and emotional about being away from him.  

Thankfully, by the time we all arrived at the hospital, he no longer needed Mommy and wanted to play with Grandmom & Grandad.

I was so relieved to see him play and dance around the room, while I was being prepped for surgery.

And these photos remind me of the last moments before we became a family of four.  They remind me of Troy praying over us,  and of how he was able to sit and hold my hands during the epidural..

And the delivery photos remind me of how time seemed to stop.  I was so anxious to meet her, to hear her cry, that I felt like the surgery was taking all day.

I also remember asking Troy to scratch my arms, hands, face, whatever he could get to, as I was itching like crazy from the anesthesia!

And this photo....my first glimpse of our daughter.

It will always be a reminder of how intense and emotional that moment was.

 When they placed her in my arms,  the first person I saw was Troy's father...

Everyone commented on how she looked exactly like me...   but that's not who I saw.  I'll always remember seeing her grandfather, first.

And though I thought of this moment my entire adult life.....  there's truly no way to prepare yourself for this...

I already wish that I could go back and relive it all over again...

And this photo reminds me of all of the worry that accompanied being pregnant without family near.  I was so nervous that I would go into labor before the planned c-section, and that we wouldn't have anyone to keep Walt for us.  I was worried that my water would break, and that she would arrive, faster than my parents could fly here.  So seeing this photo.....of my baby innocently playing in the waiting room ... and knowing he was safe and happy with his grandparents, is a beautiful sight to me.

Meanwhile, we were in recovery.  Photos of the first real moments with my daughter...

We had her meet her grandparents next...

And then Troy brought Walt to meet his baby sister.

I love that my mom captured his face as they entered the door.  His expression when seeing his baby sister is priceless to me..

And these next photos will melt my heart for many years to come....

And though it's not the best photo, this next picture reminds me of our first night together, Troy, Juliet and myself. I think it's the number one thing I'll remember most about her birth. It was such a beautiful night for me.  We were exhausted, I was vomiting every 20 minutes, and yet it was still somehow, perfect.  

We knew to do things a bit differently, this time around.  When Walt was born, we had hospital staff in our room every few minutes.  All night long.  It was mainly for breastfeeding issues, and was a terrible experience, that ended up in a (completely preventable) NICU visit.  We refused to let the same events unfold this time, and expressed our wishes to the hospital staff.  We would feed our baby the way we wanted, and when we wanted.  If Juliet was willing to breastfeed, that was wonderful (my every desire)....  but if she was having trouble, that was okay too.  We didn't want five different.. "lactation consultants" in our room every few minutes.  We would be making the rules (or lack there of) this time.

The staff at Methodist Hospital, Houston were such a gift to us.  They were so respectful of our wishes, and it made for such a special and intimate time for Troy, Juliet and I.  I will always remember that first night...cuddling our baby..... in such a peaceful setting.  Without a care in the world.

These photos from our second day will always remind me of how much we were missing Walt.  We couldn't wait for my parents to arrive with him that morning...

The second night at the hospital was as sweet as the first.  Very quiet and private.  Troy and I must have been delirious (lack of sleep) at this point, as we spent the entire night laughing, often uncontrollably.  At one point, we were laughing so hard that we both had tears running down our face.  It was just such a sweet and joyful time.  

Every momma loves to talk about their birth experience.  And I guess we all love to compare one child's to the next.  I love comparing Walt's and Juliet's.  

For my own memory, here's what I'll always remember most about her birth:

-getting to experience contractions (5 minutes apart!) in the hours leading up to her birth

-checking into the hospital that morning.  The lady at the desk said "please be sure to tell all of your family and friends that will visit to sign in here first."  I fought hard to choke back the tears.  I was missing my family and friends so much on this very special, important day.

-watching Walt play around the hospital room while I was prepped for surgery

-the conversation Troy and I had (mainly what he was telling me) while she was being delivered

-getting to hold Juliet chest to chest while still on the operating table

-the special, quiet experience that her hospital stay was, and of how outstanding Houston Methodist Hospital was

-my parents:  they were a beautiful part of Walt's birth, but their presence was immeasurable with Juliet's.  I will never forget all that they did for us and all that they gave to this experience.  It was very special getting to share this with them.

But mostly, I think I'll always remember the feeling of content and anticipation that came with her birth.  The feeling of "you, my daughter, have made us complete..."  and looking at her and continuously thinking..."I absolutely can't wait to do this.."  

Such a special feeling.

Well, I guess that's all for now....  I have a toddler peeking over my screen....

; )

Up next...

bringing home baby!

Thanks for keeping up with us.

Love,

Kristin