....and we are MS2!

Hello June! We have officially completed MS1! He rocked year one, per usual! We are so proud of him! He continues to amaze me with how he finds such a good family/school balance! I know it is far from easy and does have some stress mixed in, but he does it with such grace and with no complaints. Unlike how I would probably be. Another reason why I love him so much. Better him, than me! Pat is now doing his research fellowship over the summer (10 weeks) in the lab.  The reason medical students choose to do a research fellowship is to open more doors for residency options. It looks good on a residency application. Not mandatory, but is a good thing to have under your belt! It is so different having a hubby come home and not have ANYTHING to do. The word "study" has just instantly vanished! When he walks through the door at the end of his work day, he can sit and actually RELAX! It is such a nice thing to see. This is the only summer during his medical school career where he has some flexibility. We planned two vacations - San Diego and Michigan - both involving family.  We are taking advantage of the girls being able to fly free these last few weeks before they turn the big TWO. This summer is full of planned family fun! We have until early August of this transition, than it is back to medical school business! It is a very welcomed break!

After this crazy winter, it is so nice to be outside. The girls LOVE to play in the backyard. I swear they are outdoor cats. In the first week we set up their backyard toys, we were outside EVERYDAY for hours! Of course the girls and I love this! I would send pictures to Pat while he was in his finals week of the girls playing and I laying out in the backyard. Maybe cruel? At least he knows all of his girls are enjoying this beautiful summer!

Here is to Summer 2014! MS2 starts in just a few short weeks! He is 1/4 a doctor! Time is flying!

Black February

Now that we are in the final month of anatomy. Yes, I meant to type "we". The countdown has officially started! No more of the lingering formaldehyde stench that comes home on his scrubs and in his hair from anatomy lab. The odor is very thick and gross. There really are no words to describe the pure raunchiness of anatomy lab odors. When one of us in medical school, we are BOTH in medical school. This month has the nickname "Black February" among MS1s. Oh Joy! Hubby has 12 tests in 10 days. Yup! It is somehow possible. To say the least, this is going to be a mentally and physically exhausting next few weeks for both of US. This will include long hours in the library, late dinners, early mornings when it is still dark outside and before the morning news even airs. Spring break, where are you?

To help take some of the stress out of this, the lovely women who are not only support to their husbands/fiance's/boyfriends, we are each other's support. We totally get our unique lifestyles and offer support. It is so comforting to hang out and be so close to other women in the medical school bubble. When we all get together, we just laugh and talk nonstop, and most recently, dance! Holy fun! I was very surprised to see the moves these ladies have...we had an absolute blast!! To these ladies, thank you for being the awesome ladies you are! I have not laughed so hard in a long time!! haha! You ladies always make my day that much more brighter! How'd I get so lucky? We are truly blessed.

A Day in the Life...

The typical "normal" for most people is to wake up go to work, come home, eat dinner, spend time with the family, sleep. Our "normal" is a little more different and will continue to get a whole lot crazier, which is ok with us.

Hubby is out the door at 445am. I do not hear him. I am in deep sleep. Thank goodness! Pat will get his workout in during the morning hours to come straight home after his last class/lab is finished. This makes me happy, because he comes home at the "bewitching" hour (all houses have them with kiddos! More on that later..) I wake up with the girls between 830-9am. We start our day with a little breakfast and play with pretty much every toy in their possession before noon. Lunch and nap commence and that will bring me to 2. Usually, if I have any errands, playdates, adventures, I will do them at this time slot as this gives me the most time flexibility. As 5pm, dinner is served! Some days are better than others, but I am improving a tad bit with my cooking and enjoying it more than I ever have. This is a good thing as hubby usually is the cook of the house, but his schedule (most days) does not allow for this. Bath at 530 and girls in bed between 645-7pm. They are good until the next morning! I usually will do any shopping, meet up with friends, watch tv, laundry, or whatever needs to be done after 7pm while Pat is upstairs studying. It works out pretty well!

At 7pm hubby is studying. He has these noise cancelling headphones where he can't hear ANYTHING. Good or bad thing? Good for studying, I guess. haha! At this point of the day, he is in, what I like to call, his study zone. Usually he has quizzes/exams, and all kinds of randomness he needs to have material covered. There were a couple weeks where he had three exams in the same week! Stress city! I am pretty sure he was lost in studyland.

To give you some background info, medical school is made up of 4 years. The first two years are didactic (classroom) learning, the last 2 years are clinical learning. Hubby will be placed at a local hospital somewhere in the Chicagoland area and dabble in different specialties to find out what interests him the most. His hours will get a little more goofier during those years. Then, he will graduate! Following medical school, he will be matched to a residency program somewhere in the country. This is where we (as a family) will rank our top choices of programs based on the actual program and location. There is a computer program that will match him to a program based on who wants him and if he wants them. There is an interview process for this as well where hubby will be interviewing all over the country. The day we find out is called "match day". It is a day of celebration and relief as it is the start of the brutal training that lies ahead as now a titled physician. It sounds complicated, but it really is not. We will choose many programs and hopefully it will be one of our top choices. Only time will tell. You would think we would have more control on this, but not really.

Here we are in MS1. Life is pretty predictable at this point. Classes/Labs Monday -Friday. There are Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring breaks. We are loving them because we know they will be non-existent in a few, short years.

Also, a fun thing to know about Midwestern University/CCOM. They are very family-friendly! They hold many events that the whole family are invited to and not just the actual student. It is nice the whole family gets involved. Also, it allows students to have that family aspect outside of the classroom where it is common to have children, wives, etc. The idea of family is welcomed and supported. When applying to schools, we read some schools are better at this than others. It was important that this was the case for us.

“It is our task, both in science and in society at large, to prove the conventional wisdom wrong and to make our unpredictable dreams come true”
― Freeman John Dyson

Halfway Done with MS1!

Wow! I took a pretty long hiatus from blogging...so much has happened, but let's call a spade a spade....this momma has been busy! The twins are now 17 months old! Where did the time go?!

We are halfway done through Pat's first year of medical school! YIPPEE! I have to say it has not been all that bad. Yes, there are days that are better than others, but that is with any career. I blame the whole Pat working third shift and having newborn twins the year before school to thank, because anything and everything seems easier after that, at least on my end. hehe!  Pat is doing AMAZING as a medical student! He is humble and modest on this topic, but I can brag that my hubby is rocking it! I had no doubts to be quite honest. He has done a pretty decent job of finding a good school/family balance as well. We have our routine, just as any family does with children. Pat leaves the house at 445am and returns, most days at 5pm. We eat dinner and do baths with the girls, and by 7pm, the girls are snoozing and Pat starts studying. As for me, I usually do whatever needs to be done, laundry, shopping, whatever! (I always get the remote now after 7pm! haha) Pat is happier than I have ever seen him. We keep joking with each other that we really have it all now, but the truth is, we really do. Our dreams of having children and Pat wanting to become a doctor are in full swing. As of now, life is beautiful.

I feel that we have got a solid grasp on our new life. It's pretty crazy to think that life is kind of "still" for us right now. We had college, engagement, buying a house, wedding, babies, school (in that order), and now nothing...life can simply be enjoyed! We are loving watching our baby girls grow into little ladies. It is amazing and they make us laugh so much.

We have met a new circle of amazing friends who are also in the medical school bubble. Most have moved here from out of state. I have grown very close with a few of them and chat with them on a daily basis. It is fun to find humor in our unique, yet crazy situations. I am very lucky to be surrounded by such amazing ladies! There are engagements, weddings, babies all within our group! Always something big is happening! It is so fun! We will find any reason at all to throw a party, progressive dinner, game night, etc. Heck! We have even done grocery shopping together. It is that silly! It is a gift to know you have made some lifelong friends in just a few months. I do not know how we are all going to move away from each other in 2017. I do not even want to think about it right now...

2013 was a good year for the Davis family. It is such a lovely thought to think the best moments of our life are still ahead of us...

1st birthday

The girls are 1!!! Can you believe it?? They are such little pumpkin heads. They are taking steps. Avery can take 10-15 and Hannah takes maybe 5. Such fun milestones! I'm having a blast and the girls are so funny to be around. Hannah had been playing monkey see, monkey do to just about everything. She is so smart. Avery is walking around the room like its no big deal. She amazes me. I can't believe I have two 1 year olds. I'm so tickled. This next year will be full of even more fun and new adventures!

As fall rolls around, Pat started medical school. We are adjusting to this amazing change in our household. Before Pat worked night shift at the hospital, so this change (as a wife) lowered my anxiety. I love having my husband on the same sleep schedule again!! However, the demands of medical school is our new transition. We have met so many new people/couples through networking events through Pats school. We have all been having a blast together. Some have relocated here, some are dating, some engaged, some married, and some with kids. The beauty of it all is we all have such unique stories, but are all at the same point. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such fun ladies in the area!

Perfect Mom?

I have not written alot, but not to state the obvious, I am a mother of two babies. Spare time is a rare commodity in this house for me. My days are devoted to my little girls. They strive for my attention all day, every day. They are at that fun age where they enjoy the act of "play". They love when we start to chase them and they crawl away so fast that their little knees go out and end in a big belly laugh. These are the days that make my insides glow. Many other mommas wonder how I do it? How can you take care of two, when I can barely take care of one? I must get this question DAILY. I simply answer, you just do it.

It was brought to my attention today that some view me as "the perfect mom". I was not sure what to think of this. Sure, I was flattered that some viewed me as a role model, but I am FAR from perfect. I was tickled to be perceived as a good parent. Who doesn't like to hear recognition for all the hard work that goes into being a parent? The truth is it is hard work, especially in the beginning. I know my updates are usually always happy, but there are days where the days are so hard. I remember in the beginning being so sleep deprived and had to care for two little beings. The truth is there is no such thing as a perfect mom. I believe you just do your best everyday. My job is to give my girls the best life possible, full of new adventures. I want them to see everything; I want them to see the world. I am an active mom who leaves the house often. I have learned the sooner you start venturing out, you realize it was easier than you anticipated, like most things. It is finding the courage to tackle the new experiences and then every time after that seems so simple.

A few weeks ago, I was in Target walking the baby aisles - browsing. I hear a woman call "Hey miss!" I turn around and thought is she talking to me? It turns out she was. She had explained she was there with her daughter and her granddaughter who was expecting twins and asked if I could talk with her. I thought sure. I would love to not sure what we were going to discuss. She was around my age, maybe slightly older. She was pregnant with twin boys. She had explained how terrified she was of having twins as people are sharing horror stories of how difficult it is when they are born. I looked at her and said that is so wrong! Trust me, the babies do have their moments, but for the most part, other people have no idea. It was actually easier than other people had made it out to be when I was pregnant. I explained how fun it is to watch them play at such a young age. It's fun to see them already recognize each other before you even know they can recognize anything. It's fun to watch them smile and laugh together. I feel twins are born into a world that belongs to just the two of them. Not only are you giving birth to two babies, but you have two babies who are already best friends. It's been such a joy to watch them grow. My advice was to not listen to anybody and just roll with the punches. You will then see that you would do it over again in a heartbeat. Having twins is an adventure, but an exciting one.

Here are some pictures of my little ones!

2.5 months away!

Here we are 2.5 months away from the start of medical school!!! Pat, safe to say, is beyond excited! It's always on his mind. It's amazing when dreams really do come true.

We have prepared in every way possible. We have set a budget (thanks to mint.com). What a nifty online tool. I am an active participant in online forums with other medical wives who are or have been in my same shoes. It's nice to relate to others. Currently, Pat is shopping around for his new laptop that he will be using 14 hours a day. (Side note: I still can't believe my husband is going to be a doctor!) Hopefully, he narrows it down soon because school starts soon!

Meanwhile, the girls and I are are loving being out and about more with this beautiful weather we are having! I have always been a person who used to walk to clear my mind and do my best thinking. Now, I found something new. I love taking the girls to the park. It's walking distance from our home (which is AWESOME!) and free. I must go there everyday that it's not raining. Not only do I find it peaceful, but it's a place to socialize with other stay at home moms with little ones. I love that we are across the street from an elementary school where I watch the half day kindergarten come and go. I do not know what it is, but I love it.

Many people think I am ALWAYS out with the girls. I must say I do leave the house alot, but I love taking them places. I feel more "normal". I like being around other people. In fact, the girls love their stroller and are relaxed when we stroll. It's a win/win. It keeps getting easier in that regard.

Update on the girls - they are mobile and super funny! They are such little people who are full of smiles and love. They are great sleepers! I just love them to pieces. They make me want to have like 10 more kids. Motherhood is amazing and gets better each day. I love my little family and all we have accomplished as a family of four.