One month

Technology is not on my side. For some reason my blogging website is only showing pictures in code and not as the actual images so in order to add appropriate captions or thoughts, I'd have to go through and separate lines of code. And, let's face it, "ain't nobody got time for that" (especially a mom of two who magically had both children napping at the same time which is bound to last less than 30 minutes). 

Also my phone decided to stop working after I exposed it to the VERY RAINY day at the zoo this weekend. 

So...alas, I can't edit the blog post on my phone either. Suffice it to say then, that I am done with technology and I'm just going to write a few words and post this wit a lot of photos of Riggs and call it a day. 

We are officially at the 6 week mark with Riggs in our lives. I really feel so fortunate for all that we've been able to see, do and pack into this short time. We've been so grateful to have been able to see my parents, Tom's sister, Tom's aunt and cousin, and go visit Chi and Karen. 

I'm not going to lie though, I'm now quite pleased that I have a little time with just me and this little family of ours before I go back to work to soak in all the snuggles I can. I told work back before I delivered that I would be returning on June 7th, which would be 7 weeks from his due date. So, I cheated a little from the advertised promise of 6 weeks of maternity leave. But, since I delivered one week prior to my due date, it will be 8 weeks when I return. Now, this is far better than it was for residency but it is truly amazing how the thought of going back can cause me so much hurt without actually happening yet. But, I'm choosing to taper my return and starting my return in a virtual setting for a week, then absorbing some call shifts the next week while continuing virtual work, then returning "for real" the week to follow. 

So, when all is said and done I'll get more like 10 weeks at home with him with a slow and steady increase back to life. 

Now I'll attempt to narrate the photos that are going to follow this text First and foremost is Riggs at his one month doctor's visit where he weighed in at a whopping 11lb1oz! He's a BIG kid. Just over the past 48 hours he has grown up and I really don't think it will be long before he's moving out of the bassinet in our room and into his room, adorned with dinosaurs. 

Adler is growing into her big sis role quite well and frequently can be heard saying "Do you want to see your big sister?" or "mommy, he's crying, I think he wants to see his big sis!" or "It's ok bud, your big sis is here." It's adorable. 

She hugs him as gently as she can in her own excitement and he tolerates it far better now than I'm sure he will in a few months, but we're embracing it. I remind myself daily that second siblings are tougher inevitably :). 

Adler is also looking more and more grown up as you can see from her "class photo" down below (she's on the far right in the denim dress with a white skirt). 

We enjoyed a picnic in the park for the first time with both kinds and our wagon and Addie and Tom earned their dinner by running "hills" -- the only hill we know about in Houston, located in Hermann Park. 

You'll see somewhere in the line of photos a letter drafted by Adler as well. It was sent to #9 on the University of Washington volleyball team. While my parents were here, we watched the NCAA playoffs and UW went to the final four. There was one player, Samantha Drechsel that caught Adler's eye because she had a "pink pony" (aka hair tie) and Adler was set on watching her and talking about her for the weeks to follow. She wanted to send Drechsel a letter to tell her how good of a job she did and that she wants to be like her when she grows up. Talk about a cute moment for us all! We'll see if the communications department at UW found a way to get the letter to her..... (because no, we're not that creepy to try to track down the personal address of someone!). 

Over mothers day weekend we ventured to Chi and Karen's house in Wellesley, Mass for a much-needed reunion. It was needed for me as much as it was for the girls, Addie and Ali. They were nearly inseparable the whole weekend and had so much fun with their sleep over, their playground time and their time at the "beach" together. It was as if no time had passed between our last visit and now, even though it is just shy of one year since we've seen them. It was so incredibly comfortable to stay with them and we're so grateful they could tolerate adding another toddler and a newborn into their household! Traveling at 3.5 weeks of age may not have been the wisest thing to do in a lot of people's minds (which, by the way, they were not shy about telling me that with their body language - and sometimes verbally - at the airport. But what might not have been wise sure did feel good for the soul and we came out better for it and with a lot of memories on the other side. 

Then we got a visit from Auntie Katie which included a trip to our usual favorite hot spots: the zoo, the museum, and Herman Park. We snuck in a photo shoot at the park in Seahawks gear to make for some pretty great family photos. Last but not least in the photos you'll see Tom and Riggs sporting a lavender cowgirl hat compelte with tiara -- an amazing "big sis" gift compliments of my co-fellows Sarah and Melissa. Adler loves it and also loves to share it with the boys in her life :). 

All-in-all, it's been a month full of memories and LOTS of tex mex, BBQ, and zoo trips. Let's hope that the next two weeks move as slow as molasses and I can pretend I never have to go back to work because being a mom of a this new little man is pretty much all the work I want to do for a while. Don't get me wrong, I still want to be a gynecology oncologist (I didn't go through all this training to get here for nothing!) but I just want to do it a little bit later....sigh. 

The life of a woman in medicine--it's not like it used to be, i's getting much better, but it's not as good as it should be! Here's to working on changing that culture moving forward for mother's everywhere! We love you all and we send you love from the (currently-soggy-because-it-hasn't-stopped-raining-for-four-days) city of Houston.