Thankful

I've enjoyed reading bits and pieces of the "thankful game" that's been going around Facebook this month, but haven't had the time to play along. I know I have A LOT to be thankful for, so I've decided to do my own version on here! In no particular order, I am thankful for...

1. My healthy little bug
2. My husband
3. My sister
4. My parents
5. My husband's parents
6. Our huge crazy extended family

7. 24/7 Dunkin' Donuts in the hospital

8. Great nurses

9. Stormy and moe.

10. The best best friend

11. Supportive co-residents

12. My education

13. Summer trips to the mountains

14. JK Rowling and the entire HP series

15. Sleep

16. Live music

17. Digital photography

18. Fresh local produce
19. Comfortable shoes

20. Takeout from Karavali

21. My health

22. Hot showers

23. Attendings that want to teach

24. My home

25. Vacations in Disney World

I may have said the above list is in no particular order, but how can this little bug not be the #1 thing I am thankful for this year?

19 months

I took a break from this feature for a few months (to say I've been busy would be the understatement of the year), but I'm back with a bug update at 19 months.

• At her last doctor's appointment bug was situated right about the 45th% for both height and weight and 30th% for head circumference
• Also at her doctor's appointment she got her flu vaccine. Anyone with a baby over 6 months should call their doctor's office and schedule their little one for the vaccine as well - infants and the elderly are the populations most at risk for serious complications from the flu!!
• Bug still loves her fruits and veggies. She's finally expanded her veggie "likes" to include broccoli, but her favorites are still carrots and peas.
• Soup is the next big thing in our house. Bug has decided she loves soup - everything from won ton to chicken noodle to minestrone to potato and leek!
• After a slow start with her speech, bug's vocabulary is expanding on a daily basis and she often suprises us with new words.
• Bug still loves to dance, but her moves now include out of control twirling until she's so dizzy she falls over and mini bopping (not quite jumping) movements that she punctuates by yelling, "hop! hop!"
• Bug continues to love music. In addition to dancing, she also tries to sing ala "Boo" from Monster's Inc.
• "Cooking" is bug's new favorite game. She likes to fill her toy pots and pans with leaves (outdoors) or cereal (indoors) and pretend to cook. I think I've got a future top chef on my hands...

I have to say that although being a mommy to a 19 month old is exhausting, it's also just about the most fun I could imagine. There is just something about that little smile and voice that make life so much more meaningful. Her smiles and giggles make my day and her little cries break my heart. She's amazing and I'm so glad that her daddy and I get to go on this journey of growing up with her.

Mommy Power Hour

Anyone who went to college knows what a real "power hour" is, but I've found myself using this term to refer to the frenzied hour I spend trying to "catch up" on the rare occasions when I get home before my husband and baby bug.

For example, this past week I got out of work at 3:45pm. I have a 30 minute commute home, made a quick stop at Roma's for lunch supplies, and was in the door at 4:30pm - exactly 1 hour before daddy and bug were due to arrive home. That's right - it was mommy power hour time!

In a flash, I was out of my gross hospital scrubs and into my Disney "Kitchen Princess" apron. Within minutes, there was a salted pot of water on the stove heating up and a load of bug's laundry was sudsing up in the washer. As the water slowly reached boiling point, I attacked the veggie crisper digging out two bunchs of broccoli, a half dozen mushrooms, and a lone red pepper. Minutes later the pasta was happily bubbling away and, with the addition of a medium white onion and many cloves of minced garlic, my veggies were roughly chopped and ready to be doused in olive oil, salt, and pepper before making their way into the oven to roast.

With thirty minutes already gone, I forged ahead with the roux for my "grown up" mac and cheese (nutmeg and a dash of cayenne pepper added to the flour) by melting the butter while I furiously grated two blocks of cheddar cheese. As if I had planned it (trust me, it was sheer coincidence, I'm not that good), the timer on the oven and the washer went off simultaneously giving me a pan of beautifully roasted veggies and a load of perfectly laundered onesies and socks in a moment of domesticated bliss. Out came the veggies - in went the mac and cheese.

The poise of the situation was lost as I then loudly barreled down the basement steps to move bug's clothes to the dryer and scattered cat food across the floor as I attempted to fill the dish far too quickly. Alas, I had no time to cry over split milk (or bits of cat food) - my hour was drawing to a close! In a last ditch effort to finish on a high point, I scrambled from room to room picking up toys, straightening books, depositing dirty clothes in the proper bins, and wiping down sticky surfaces.

And then, it was 5:30. I heard the sounds of crunching gravel as daddy and bug pulled into the driveway. Hurriedly, I ran a brush through my hair and gulped a glass of water just as the front door opened and my husband's voice rang out, "Guess who's home?"

Now that's what I call a power hour!