A month of surprises

To say that I was gifted a dream-like month is kind of underselling the amazing-ness that has been the end of October/beginning of November. I really can’t believe how many wonderful things have happened and how little (comparatively) I’ve had to be at work recently! My belly is ever expanding and my mind is starting to get to the truly excited part of the pregnancy rather than just nerves about becoming a mom and having my life change forever.

It all starts with the simple fact that I was preparing for my elective time in Billings, MT. I can’t believe I managed to sneak that as an option, but I was given the opportunity to rotate through the gynecology oncology clinic at the Billings Clinic! One of the great things about this clinic and group of sub-specialists in particular is that they do outreach clinics to Missoula, Great Falls, and Helena. They take a private jet to and from Billings to the outreach clinics and there was plenty of room on the jet for me too! So, not only did it mean I got to stay with Kristi and Lawson while in town, I also got to got to go to Missoula to operate and see patients in clinic for a few days.

My preceptor asked me on the phone, “so, you know how to use the robot right?” I almost laughed audibly since I’ve had such amazing learning experiences with my research project in medical school with the robot. But, it’s been a while so I spent some time on the robot console doing simulation exercises at Brown in between OR cases just to freshen up.

I was able one day to have the entire robot-room to myself! I pulled up to the console, played my favorite tunes on my iphone and before I knew it, 2 hours had gone by!

 I was expecting to meet my mom and sister in Bozeman, MT as a “surprise” to my mom for her birthday a little early. Little did I know, the surprise was definitely on me! I finished up clinic on Thursday afternoon only to find them wandering around the main floor of the clinic. I took a double take and couldn’t believe my eyes!

 Not only did they bring themselves, they brought A TON of baby stuff so that our little kumquat will be all set up for life outside of the uterus 😊. 

It’s a good thing she doesn’t have too much longer in the uterus anyway, because my back is certainly feeling it! But, there’s relief in somewhat comic form with this ever-so-stylish maternity belt. Oh jeez…this is blackmail for sure. I think it’s also ammunition for any time our little kumquat decides to give me a hard time, I’ll just have to remind her what fashion tragedy I was a part of in order to remain comfortable.

 

While I was at work they worked like little elves to get things put together and organized in the nursery and even went on a scavenger hunt to find a good deal on a crib in town and get it all set up too!

 

 The surprises weren’t over yet though. I had to admit I was really confused why they showed up because I had just seen Kristi in Boston less than two weeks prior. They said they had “companion fare tickets that were going to expire” so they decided to come over on a whim so I wouldn’t have to carry all the baby stuff back to Providence when I returned from my elective. I thought it was a bit strange, but I didn’t complain. Once again, little did I know, they did this because they were planning a surprise baby shower with all of my residency friends! It started first though with another surprise. I joined them after clinic on Friday afternoon only to meet another friendly face at dinner—my aunt Vicky!! 

 

She was also in town for a conference with my uncle Rob, and it just was kismet that she could join in! Here I thought this was the only surprise. 

 

That is, until we found our way to Meri’s house where I think about 15-20 of my co-residents and their spouses were waiting for our arrival. You can see by the look on my face I was overwhelmed with surprise, gratitude, and all the warm-fuzzies.

 

 

 No Rhode Island celebration is complete without a doughnut cake from Ali's doughnuts either.

I couldn't believe it all night long that my family was there with me!

 

 

 

 

 We had a wonderful time together celebrating the little one to be, complete with an amazing “Dad” hat for Tom to wear while we opened all of the incredible gifts people gave us!

 Meri was an INCREDIBLE hostess.

 Here are just the residents (and spouses/partners) from my class:

 We got to sneak in some amazing treats in Providence before we left as well. Three sisters ice cream never disappoints…

 …especially after an incredible dinner at a new restaurant we hadn’t yet tried out called CAV.

 With all of that excitement it really was a dream come true to be able to continue my family time and head back to Montana with my two favorite ladies.

Kristi and I even got upgraded to first class for part of the trip! 

 

 We arrived in Bozeman exhausted but happy to be back in Big Sky country (even though it was cold!).

 

 I passed another milestone with them--on to the 30+ week category!

 We continued to dine like queens, trying out a new breakfast spot in town called Jam that was delicious. 

I mean, how could it be anything but delicious if they serve cocoa that looks like this?

Or delectable caramel sticky buns?

Or a “flight” of eggs benedict?

Our drive to Billings then felt like a short one and it was so nice to see the big sky and mountains (okay, they are hills in Billings, but they are better than what Providence has to offer!).

 When I initially called the medical director for the clinic to discuss the plan for my time there I kept thinking that it was too good to be true. It was like: “let me get this straight: I get to come to Montana to operate in a setting where there are no other residents to “share” the OR time with, I get to stay with my sister, then get to fly to Missoula in a private jet and stay with my parents and continue the fun in Missoula.” I kept thinking there had to be a catch
.

It turns out there was no catch. I literally got to snuggle with L-bug, then be within walking distance of work.

I got to participate in some pretty ground breaking surgeries and also got to operate with the robot independently! Now, in case you aren’t sure what that means, it means I sat and used the robot to perform surgery on a patient while my attending watched the screen and provided directions. There is no dual-console situation where it’s like driver’s education where your instructor can take over the instruments. It was incredible that she gave me that level of trust and let me tell you it was SO FUN!

Three short work days into my stint I was off to the tarmac to board the jet to Missoula.

I couldn’t believe it when I got to the airport, poured myself a cup of tea while sitting by the fireplace in the hangar waiting area until the plane was ready. Then, once on board was offered a refill of my tea before take-off. 

 

On arrival in Missoula there was a rental car waiting for me and my attending physician. It  was running and warm—complete with heated seats! Are you kidding me? I literally stepped off of the plane, was handed my bag as soon as my feet touched the ground, and then walked 5 feet to get into a warm car. No security, no baggage claim, no hassles, no stress. Then it was off to the hospital and within 20 minutes we were in the operating room! It was incredible.

 The incredible gifts kept giving as I got off work and got to enjoy dinner in my favorite place with my favorite people!

 The second day in Missoula brought about a great clinic experience seeing a record number of patients. These women traveled far and wide to get to Missoula to discuss their ovarian, uterine or cervical cancers and it really opened my eyes to the benefits and drawbacks of living in a small town.

 One of the highlights of the trip followed that evening with a group dinner with the whole gaggle of Velin’s, Bowler’s and Malikie’s.

 The cousins are all growing up and it was like watching pieces of my childhood as I watched them play together. Giggles, pitter-pattering feet, laughter and toy gun sounds filled the room.

 

 

 And what trip to Montana would be complete without a stop at Great Harvest after a romp in the snow?

 

 

 

I returned to Billings with Kristi (alas, no private jet for us this time) and had a few more wonderful moments and memories.

We dined like queens again as I try to boost my low iron levels during pregnancy with some good old-fashioned red meat 😊

It all came to an end far too soon, but I can’t begin to say how grateful I am to have had the experience in the first place. I keep saying it but it literally was like a dream come true. We even had the chance to finish up charting for the day in the same office. When do you get the chance to say that of your sister?

 Now we’re closing in on the two month mark before kumquat arrives and I’ve got a lot to accomplish in the mean-time. But, I will always look back on my pregnancy with our first little one as one full of love, good memories, good times, and amazing opportunities. I assumed that pregnancy in residency would bring to my breaking point, but in fact it has done the opposite. Am I more tired then I used to be after a day at work? Yes. But am I fully supported and loved and given many chances for respite? Yes!

 To all of you out there who made the surprises this month happen, thank you from the bottom of my heart. With every kick and squirm this little one gives me every day I am reminded of how much I am loved and how much she is loved already. Thank you!