Hello- it's me!

My oh my... it sure has been a while!  I feel like life has gotten in the way of my blogging- but here I am!  2 whole months have gone by and a lot, I repeat, A LOT has happened in the past two months!  I am now 6 months pregnant with our little angel and I truly couldn't be happier... it really is amazing how life and your perspective on life changes when you're expecting a baby!  We have been through our fair share of scares and worries and are beyond thankful to our almighty creator for seeing us through all of it.  And no- sorry- I won't be getting into any of those details.  Through our rough patch at the doctors we were informed that we would be needing monthly ultrasounds of the baby to ensure that things were still 'going as they should'.  The hubs and I found this to be a little silver lining to our gray cloud!  Now- every month we get to see the progress of our little munchkin... and see those cute little facial features... and all the wild movement.


Movement... now this is the motto of our peanut!  I swear that this child only sleeps a few hours a day.  Every other waking minute is used to move baby move!!  I am so in love with the kicks, punches, rolls, and twirls that this little one is making inside of me :)  I was 19 weeks pregnant when we could feel the baby moving externally.  I was actually lying in the OB's office and the doc was attempting to obtain the FHR when, BOOM, the baby kicked the doppler straight up!  We both laughed out loud!  She informed me that our baby was "Very Strong!" and that he or she would only get stronger yet :)


Gender... Snuff and I decided right off the bat that we were NOT going to find out the gender of our baby.  Oddly enough, this is such a controversial topic!  My view: A) I LOVE LOVE LOVE surprises! If you can surprise me, I'll be your best friend. B) There are only a few times in your life when you truly can be surprised- this is one of those times. C) There really is no reason to find out.  We are bigger fans of the gender neutral items anyway.  The only time when I kind of sort of wish we knew is when I'm looking at clothes.  Then I remind myself that I can go crazy once the baby is actually here :)  


Family... we come from very tight knit families and are clearly longing for the presence of our loved ones.  We have been so very fortunate to have already had my parents, Snuffs parents, and Snuff's sister-in-law & new nephew down here for a week+ visit!  Soon- we will have a great deal of visitors again- along with me going back home in a few short weeks!  We are so blessed to have such a loving family and are so excited to bring our baby into this family.  This tiny life is loved so much already!


Work... I have personally been working since the age of 14.  When we found out that we were moving to FL and having a baby we had decided that I would stop working and that we would live solely off of Snuff's salary.  This sounded fabulous!!  I couldn't wait to stop working and be a 'homemaker' and mommy!  This all came to a halt about 3 weeks ago!!  I have a natural desire to work and am now on the hunt.  We have discussed that we both want me to be home to raise the baby considering we are so far from family and I do not want the baby in daycare.  So long story short- I am looking for an at-home work position.  Anyone have any ideas? Leads? I'm open to just about anything.  Qualifications: Registered Nurse with 5 years experience and very good with the computer.  We have been praying about it a lot and trust that the Lord will put something in my path if it is meant to be :)


Until next time...
   

SURPRISE!

Well- after keeping it a very very tight secret for 14 weeks I am now shouting it from the roof tops, 
"WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!!" 


I hate having to keep secrets yet I am very good at keeping them.  We had been planning on starting a family for a little while yet we never told a soul about our thoughts or intentions.  We had decided in May that we were going to go on one last vacation "before snuff started residency" (which yes, was the case. However, we knew that it would more than likely be our last vacation as just husband and wife).  We came home from the beautiful Atlantis, Paradise Island on a Friday night- we found out I was granted a nursing license in Florida on Saturday- and we found out the most exciting news, we're going to have a baby, on Sunday morning!


Luckily, we were both on the same page way before we got pregnant.  We wanted to wait until AT LEAST our first ultrasound to tell our friends and family.  But we had a curve ball that we needed to address- we were moving over a thousand miles away to Florida in about 2 weeks!  How were we going to dodge this huge bullet???   Only by the grace of God did we manage the whole move without anyone suspecting a thing!
Soon after everyone left I had my very first doctor's appointments and 4 weeks later, we had our first ultrasound.  To say that that day was so surreal is truly an understatement.  I could not believe my eyes... as soon as the tech placed the probe on my belly there he/she was!  Bouncing all around!  It was as if our little peanut was saying, "Hey mom and dad! Look at me! I'm doing great in here! WEEEEEEE!" I couldn't help but shed a few tears.  Not that I hadn't seen/known it before, but at that moment I felt like, "Wow how incredibly awesome is our God? There is a person growing inside of me! Not just any person, THE person that God wants Snuff and I raise!"  It truly was amazing and I will never forget those early moments with my baby.


Fast forward just over a week- we were heading home!  Our families simply thought that we were coming home to visit- however we had ulterior motives.  Snuff and I had created a fun way to tell our families about our big surprise... a video tour of our house that ended in the baby's room (yes- we already bought all the furniture!).  It was so much fun to watch the video play out and every time Snuff was about to open the door to the baby's room my pulse went through the roof!
We had such an amazing time with our families and we were sad to leave them- but we're going to be having visitors soon- which makes everything better :)


I can't wait to share my experiences with everyone back at home!  And as soon as the 'bump' starts to sprout I will be sure to post some pictures!

Human Interaction

It seems so absurd- but human interaction is an amazing gift!  It's like anything else- when you have it, you don't think about it- when you don't have it, it's all you want!  After being down here in Florida for almost 6 weeks, Snuff and I were fortunate enough to actually hang out with the other resident's and their wives/girlfriends.  When I tell you how absolutely amazing it was, I truly mean it!  I went into the evening with no real expectations only to be surprised with how nice these people really were!  I am excited knowing that the next 5 years will be 'easier' having a good group of people to surround us.


On another note- we are going home in 4 days!!!!  We cannot wait... I am so excited to see friends and family and hang out for a few days.  Say a prayer for safe travels and a fun couple of days!  

Life's Getting Busy!

Well- it sure has been a while since my last post!  Not because I haven't wanted to write but because things have been crazy!  Besides finishing unpacking and buying little odds and ends as well as furniture- we have been in and out of the house running around.
One of the biggest hurdles that we needed to jump was finding Pudzi the perfect place to stay while we go back home in August.  We had toured a place very close to our house- but we didn't get the warm fuzzies.  It was a nice facility- but certainly not good enough for our little boy.  A few days later we took a 30 minute drive north to a phenomenal place called, "The Lodge".  Now let me tell you... this place is pure paradise for any four legged child!  Upon walking through the entryway you are greeted with a genuine sense of warmth and love.  The entire facility is designed to make your baby feel like he or she is truly at home.  In the main lobby were couches, throw rugs, and a fireplace!  There was a zero entry pool in the back- and even wainscoting and a flat screen t.v. in the pup's "bedroom"!  The tour took Snuff and I a good 2 hours to complete... the people who run the place take this VERY seriously!!  At the end of the day- we will both feel very comfortable leaving our little boy in these good, loving, nurturing hands.  It'll cost us a small fortune but he's worth it :) 


Another fun venture that we were able to accomplish was hitting the beach!  We have been here for an entire month and had yet to dip our toes into the clear waters of Florida's west coast.  Snuff had Friday off and so we were determined to get ourselves to the shore.  Through friends- Snuff heard about Anna Maria Island (just north of Sarasota).  This beach is supposedly a quiet place where you won't find many tourists.  When we got there both of our jaws hit the floor!  This place is absolutely beautiful!!  It almost felt as if we were in the Caribbean... powder soft sand and clear turquoise waters.

                                         

Dare I say we found our favorite Gulf Coast beach?!

So- many people might not think anything of what I'm about to say- but my o my you cannot find a decent pizza here in the Tampa area!  We have been aimlessly searching for a pizza that will remind us of home.  I did not think for a minute that that would be so difficult.  I could list an abundant amount of pizza shops up north that make a 'normal' pizza.  No such luck down here.  All of these pizzas are fluffier and remind me more of Papa Johns.  So what gives?  Do they not know HOW to make pizza correctly?  Or is it that they CHOOSE not to?  Well- whatever it is- we're getting frustrated!  But we're not giving up hope!  We will find that yummy 'northern' pizza!
Tomorrow is a big day- we are finally getting our fence installed!  Pudzi has been looking forward to this day since we moved in (and so have mommy and daddy!).
Until next time!

So This Is Saturday Night?

Well, it's just after 10:00 on Saturday night.  Snuff is on call at the hospital so it's Pudzi and I here at home holding down the fort.  And so is the life as the resident's wife...
So as if life wasn't changing enough- now I am faced with the reality that my evenings will more than likely consist of the pup and I keeping each other company when Snuff's on call.  I have never been big on 'going out' or 'partying' but I use to be able to get up and go without thinking twice.  My car just so happens to be in the shop so lo and behold- I'M STUCK!  The truth be told, where would I go anyway??  Maybe walk around the mall- or- something along those lines??  I know nobody and nobody seems to want to know me.  Thank God for cell phones and free mobile to mobile!  I have been burning a hole in side of my head talking to friends and family A LOT!
I knew from the beginning that things were going to be very very different down here in Florida but seriously I had no clue just how much!  There is such a huge difference between the 'Northerner's' (where I grew up and established much of my character) and the people down here!  I am not use to this pace of life and the lack of sense of urgency. 
I am very much looking forward to meeting the fellow residents' wives and hopefully becoming friendly with them.  After all we are in the same boat!  I can only imagine that some of them are feeling the same exact way.  This is just the beginning of a 5 year journey... things will change... I just know it!

Happy Anniversary

            I am so excited to start this blog!  I have been wanting to do this for quite some time now and with the help of mama dub from EB Design Studios, here it is, my blog!  The purpose of this blog is to A) Keep in touch with friends and family & B)Hopefully be a resource to spouses who are along for the med school/residency ride! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!


          On a very exciting note, today marks three years of marriage for Snuff and I!  I can truly say that I am more happy today then I was yesterday and tomorrow's looking even better yet!!  I can not imagine my life without him and 2 years ago we welcomed our son, Pudzi (pictured with us above), the love of our lives. With Snuff's busy schedule, it's getting difficult to spend serious time together.  However, he is post call today which means he should hopefully be home in the next couple of hours! We'll be enjoying dinner tonight in Orlando... can't wait!