Weigh In - Week 3

So this week wasn't quite as successful. I'm UP .6 of a pound. I really don't feel like I gained any weight, I sort of feel like its just a fluxuation, or perhaps I really didn't lose that much weight last week. Who knows, but I am trying not to get discouraged. I've been working out a lot (weight lifting 3 days a week and running about 2.5 miles 2 days a week) so I definitely feel like I am in better shape, perhaps just not any thinner.

If I'm not around the next two weeks its because I am trying to be more productive on my case, and I also managed to make lots of plans which leaves me less time around the house and for blogging. But I'll be here... just trying to adjust to working at home!

Shhh.... doctor sleeping!

The afternoon, post-call. (The afternoon after he was on call at the hospital all night).

If I had a money tree

For someone who isn't exactly working, I manage to stay pretty busy... so busy that I haven't been blogging as much as I thought I would be (considering my husband is gone so much).

But what I've been meaning to get around to is talking about "work." Last month I was offered an opportunity to do contract work - not contract law, but to work hourly under contract to provide legal services. It took a few weeks to get everything lined up, but I have officially started doing some contract work. While I am kind of on a trial or test for now, I am hoping that my work is to their satisfaction so that I can continue this work. There are some deadlines, but nothing intense. The best part is the flexibility. I can work whenever, wherever. It's great, I can work late at night after Mr. Dawkter has gone to sleep, or I can work during the day, or I can work at my parents house when I go there to visit. It is absolutely wonderful!

Today for example: The husband was on call last night, so I stayed up late doing things around the house, got up early and again did more things around the house, worked out and when he came home in the afternoon (post-call) I was able to take a nice nap with him. It was fabulous. Its little things like this that make this adjustment to residency, so much easier! Don't get me wrong it hasn't been totally easy, it's hard going from seeing your spouse every day, even all day (we had about a month between medical school and residency) to seeing them perhaps one waking hour a day - but it has been easier because I've been around. Being home (and now being able to work from home - hopefully) allows me to get everything done around the house, and to spend time with Mr. D when he is home. I've really been enjoying all the baking and cooking I've had time to do as well. For example, tonight he had a visiting resident over for dinner and I cooked ribs, corn on the cob, sweet potato fries, zucchini with eggplant and a chocolate sauce cake ala mode for dessert! Yum! None of this I would have had time to do if I was working 40+ hours a week and commuting!

So I am hoping and praying that this contract work will work out, because it would be such a blessing!

Although I have been on the lookout for a money tree - because despite what many people may think, residents don't make a ton of money (especially considering the number of hours they work). But my search has thus been fruitless, I have found no money tree, and so I need to work in order to make sure we can make ends meet. But if any of you happen to know where I can find a money tree, I would really really appreciate it if you could share that information with me.

Seriously, wouldn't it be nice if we had money trees?

Weigh In - Week 2

..... drum roll please.......



I lost 1.4 pounds! (That's like 6 sticks of butter!) I'm happy about this weeks weigh in because it was a bit of gratification for staying (mostly) on track this week.

Of course I wasn't perfect -I did have more than a bite or two of a macadamia nut brownie sundae on Saturday night - but I tracked (counted my points) all week!

And thank you for all of you encouraging words, it really helped me stay on track, it reminded me to make smart food choices! So thank you!

A New Favorite

As I mentioned, I've been on weight watchers before and I tend to find that three foods that are key to my success: vegetables, oatmeal and popcorn. All three of these things are low (or zero) points and tend to fill me up when I'm hungry.

I've been scouring the grocery store shelves for new healthy options and recently I came upon this wonderful gem:

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Dark Chocolate Oatmeal - I love chocolate (and anything sweet for that matter) and the oatmeal is "filling food," so it is what I consider a smart indulgence. It's three weight watchers points for 1 packet which allows for a very filling and satisfying sweet treat. I think it's a new favorite!

I'm also loving Trader Joe's light kettle corn - individual portioned bags are just two points -

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as well as the Vitamuffin chocolate muffin tops - which are only 1 sweet point!

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I'd love to hear some of your favorite "healthy" or light snacks!

Weigh In - Week 1

Down .6 pound. Not much, but its something. And considering I wasn't exactly on plan on Friday and Saturday I'm still happy about it. I had my cousin's fabulous wedding on Friday (and brunch on Sunday) and splurged to enjoy the fabulous food and drinks.

I know most of you don't really care about my weight-loss but this is more for me. Its a way to hold myself accountable. I think I am more likely to stay on track if I report my progress.

And .6 of a pound is the equivalent of 2 sticks of butter.

1 Month Down, 83 More to Go

So we've survived our first month of residency. And I say "only 83 more to go" somewhat jokingly. It will be a long road, but so far it hasn't been too bad so it's not like I am counting down because I am miserable. (Not that I don't expect to be miserable at times during this journey).

Month one of PGY-1 (Post Graduate Year -1/also known as Intern year) was Cardio Thoracic Surgery for the husband. CT is part of general surgery so it meant a larger call pool, so that Mr. Dawkter was only on call 5 nights the whole month of July. He also got 3 days off which wasn't too bad.

The first week was full of adjustments for the husband, but after that he seemed to do very well. There were however, a few administrative glitches or hiccups that were somewhat aggravating. For example for the first two weeks he didn't have access to one of the surgical hallways/floors. Seriously, how does a surgical resident not have access to one of the surgical floors? Luckily that only took about two weeks to clear up. None of the interns also had any money on the meal cards for the first few weeks (they get a small allowance to eat for the nights they are on call). We also struggled to get insurance figured out, but hopefully now, we have health, dental and eye insurance for both of us. And last but not least, Mr. Dawkter was not given a locker. And he still doesn't have one. Again, seriously, every intern needs a locker when they start, its been a month, how does he not have a locker yet? Which means that Dr. D doesn't have a place to put his stuff during the day, and he cannot bring any lunch or any snacks. The worst part is that the husband works from the early morning until well after 5:00 p.m. (or regular office hours) so he cannot even go and complain in person about any of these things or his lack of a locker. Every week we hope he gets a locker, but we're still waiting.

But I guess if not having a locker is the worst thing about month one of intern year, we really are pretty lucky.

Lu Lu

This week was another example of some of the wonderful blessings I have been able to experience as a result of not (yet) working. The past two days I have been able to watch my beautiful Goddaughter "Lu Lu."

Lu's Mom has been a dear friend of mine since 3rd grade, and her father became a good friend of mine in college. This week her sitter was on vacation so I offered to watch her for a few days so that I could spend some time with her.

She is such a happy, joyful little girl. One of my favorite things is that whenever we would go anywhere in the car, as soon as we had arrived, (the car would stop,) she would squeel with delight and cheer! She is such a joy, I was just so happy to spend two days with her.

I did a little photo shoot with her in my parents' and their neighbor's backyards, (again with my Mom's help).

Here are a few of my favorites.

In her tu-tu and wings






Taking a little break

Sitting so nicely on the bench

And last but not least... my favorite one of all

Confession... of a Chunky Blogger

So, I hate to admit it, but my clothes make it undeniable. I've put on a few pounds. Like 11 or 12. And no its not a huge amount, but my clothes don't fit. And while I have thoroughly enjoyed wearing sundresses and skirts everyday, eventually I will have to put on a pair of pants again. And I really cannot afford to buy another wardrobe.

I am actually back to what was my college weight, but about a year and a half ago I joined weight watchers and lost about 15 pounds. After I lost that weight (and kept it off for almost a year) I bought new clothes and got rid of my "fat" clothes so that I couldn't resort back to my old weight. Well, I put about 5-6 pounds on over November-December (the holidays) - and I could still squeeeeeeeeze into my pants, but now that I have put another 5-6 pounds on in the past month or two I simply cannot wear my pants.

So I'm back on weight watchers again, hoping to (again) make some lifestyle changes and make better eating choices. I know it works, it just requires some commitment and some patience. I'm hoping to do this for me so that I can be back at a weight at which I am comfortable, confident and healthy.

Poulet

One of the wonderful things I've been able to do since I'm not working yet, was watch my nephew. The little cutie is French - my sister met his French Father while working abroad. As a result he is bilingual. His nickname is poulet, which means chicken/poultry, in French and is an endearing term in France.

Two weeks ago when my Mom and I were watching him while his parents were on a mini-holiday, we took some time to take a whole bunch of photos of him. Of course I think he is absolutely adorable - not that I am biased or anything. But here are a few of my favorites.

Playing with sticks

Peek-a-boo!

Watering Grandma's flowers

My attempt at an artsy photo

Posing so well for the camera

On the swings at the park

I love this one because he looks angry but I'm pretty sure he was just intensely singing/yelling

And one final picture

A Millions and One Things to Do!

Ever feel like you aren't getting anything done? I have just under a gazillion things to do, and I feel like nothing is getting done. But I do know things are getting done, because I slowly am crossing things off my to-do list... but I also feel like I am adding items faster than I am crossing them off!

The husband has been quite busy with residency, and being that I haven't started working, I have been trying to do everything around the house. Laundry, dishes, cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, cleaning the cars, taking care of the yard, paying bills, etc. And its not that I mind, but I sort of feel like I am spinning my wheels, it's like I feel like nothing is ever done.

Some of this is due to the fact that we moved a month ago and there are still sooo many things to do to make this house a home. I've been pulling up ground cover, hanging decorations, painting, cleaning, organizing, shopping, returning items, etc. And also since I am unemployed (because ya, know we have so much money now that the husband is dawkter) I have time to help out some family and friends. For example, I was helping my sister get some items for her in-laws as she is traveling to visit them in France and doesn't want to go empty handed; and I helped my Mom when she was babysitting my nephew, and I have been able to do some things for my parents as well. And all this has been wonderful, but for some reason I feel like I am getting nothing done.

I cannot figure out if its because I haven't started working (yet, hopefully) that I just don't feel productive or what?

It also doesn't help that my parents and Mr. Dawkter's parents keep bringing us our crap out of their basement so that we can now store it on our basement. We've been finding all sorts of stuff like crystal, and platters and photos... things we either got from our wedding or put in boxes and stored at their house when we got married. And all this "stuff" needs to be gone through and organized.

And then this blog... I'm totally dragging my feet, I need to get it up and going, and get back to reading and following, but I just haven't had the time.

Seriously, how can I be so busy, even though I don't have a job? I swear I am staying busy, its not like I am watching t.v. or sitting on the couch all day. I don't get it. I wish I had more of a sense of accomplishment, but for some reason I'm not.

Favor - Please Vote

A good friend of mine is in the running for a Pepsi Refresh grant of $50,000. I'd appreciate it if you would go to the following link and vote for his organization!

You have to provide an email address or you can vote through facebook. You can vote everyday. In the past few weeks they have moved from close to 200 close to 110 - but they need to continue to move up!

Thanks!

End Homelessness

Not sure where to start

So, I've been putting off my first real post on this new blog. I guess I'm not sure where to start. Another thing is that I've gotten out of the habit of blogging. I was very busy in April and May, but I've really got no excuse as for June or even now in July. So, I confess, I've just gotten lazy and wasn't sure exactly where to pick up from.

Still unsure where to start from, I guess I am jumping in, right here, almost mid-July already!

It's still somewhat hard to believe that we've started a new chapter in our lives. On July 1, early morning, around 5:00 a.m., Mr. Dawkter started his first day on the job as a surgical intern. His schedule for the month of July provides for 4 days off; 5 nights of call; and 2 days of surgical bootcamp: all on vascular surgery. Below is the photo I took of him on his very first day. He didn't want to put his tie on until he got to the hospital and it was too early to disagree with him... so that's why he has no tie on.
(Part of me felt like a proud Mama, taking a picture of her baby on his first day of school). I was (and still am) so proud when to see him wear that long white coat. It may seem silly but it is somewhat of a status symbol as its how you can often determine who the doctor is, (similar to a fireman/policeman's uniform, it identifies who they are). As a medical student he wore a short white coat.

As far as residency: so far, so good. The first two or three days were definitely an adjustment. Much of this was due to the fact that the past two or three months have essentially been a vacation for Mr. Dawkter. Then you factor in that he was on call his second day, which led to some sleepiness. To explain he had regular hours his first day, starting at roughly 5 a.m. then came home exhausted that night and went to bed early. Then his second day he started at 5 a.m. but since he was "on call" he was at the hospital all night handling all the surgical patients. This meant periodic sleep, but only in about 30 minute increments. After being up most of the night he just had to see patients in the morning on day three and was able to leave by late morning/early afternoon. But having just started Mr. D was very tired and slept for several hours that afternoon... only to start again the next morning at 5 a.m.

But after the adjustment to the early hours and getting used to a new job and the fact that he is suddenly "a doctor" Mr. D is now doing quite well.

It's still kind of hard to believe he's actually a real doctor. I think its going to take a while to sink in!

*Please bear with me as I get back in the habit of blogging again!

You Found Me!

Yes, you're in the right place! This is the new home for Marissa of Married to a Medical Student's NEW blog about post medical school, life in residency, training and beyond!

We're currently under a little construction, but there will be a more eye-appealing layout coming soon thanks to Bloggy Blog Designz! And there will also be some real posts coming later this month!

Please feel free to start following me, as it will make it easier for me to become your follower as well!