Well Meghan, since you asked, here is how we spent 5 weeks of orientation:
Week 1: Intro to the kingdom of Mayo, ACLS training (emergency response, CPR, defibrillation)
Week 2: Computer training for the Electronic Medical Record, Neonatal (newborn) Resuscitation training, PALS training (CPR and such for children)
Weeks 3 and 4: OB bootcamp--learning in the simulation center how to deliver babies, deal with obstetric emergencies, sew up tears from childbirth, do circumcisions, suture and tie knots, check a cervix, do a pelvic and breast exam, and lots of other stuff related to OB/Gyn
Week 5: Family Medicine orientation--one day learning the ropes with family med OB service (where I delivered my first baby as a real doctor!), one day with family med hospital service, nurse orientation, secretary orientation, shadowing at family med clinic in Kasson (20 minutes from Rochester where we do all of our own clinic visits)
So there you have it! Our busy and very thorough orientation to Mayo. Consider us oriented.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
The time has come...
...for us to actually see our own patients. After 5 weeks of orientation, we will see our very own patients in the family medicine clinic tomorrow. Hard to believe that people will actually think we know enough to be their doctors... :)
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
A little bee told me....
...someone had a birthday!
The theme for her party was bees, because for some reason Charlotte really likes them. She calls almost all bugs a bee. And when she sees a bee she always wants to hold it. We did inform her this is not a good idea. However, we saw no harm in a little bee themed party, complete with a bee costume we got at a garage sale.
Aunt Lisa hates bees (and by hate, I mean really really really hates them). But she did not hate this cuddly little bee with a pretend stinger and bobbly antennae. I mean, how could you?
The little bee makes cookies with Uncle Travis (or Pavis, and Charlotte calls him).
A good year for presents for Charlotte--a package of cheese sticks and a tupperware of fresh peapods...what more could a girl ask for? Actually, she got some other very wonderful gifts that she loves--a school bus, a "waterpillar" sprinkler, a little bear-shaped rocking chair, art supplies, sheets for her new toddler bed, a train, and some books. She didn't quite get the concept of opening all the gifts one after another. She wanted to play with each one as she opened them, so it took forever. She was happy as a clam.
I love making fun shaped cakes. If you live near me, ask me sometime to make you a cake in the shape of something. I will gladly do it.
A little bee family picture.
Daddy taught Charlotte this face. It is modeled after a face our friend Mikkin makes.
Mama let Charlotte bite the side of the cake...
A piece for the birthday girl!
Charlotte turned 2 years old on Sunday, July 5! Hard to believe how fast the time has gone, yet it feels like she has been a part of our family forever. She has grown so much, and has learned so many things. I've seen some other people write a letter to their kids on their birthday, and I like that idea, so I'm going to steal it.
Dear Charlotte,
You just turned two last weekend, and we had such a nice birthday party with some family. Grandpa Mark and Grandma Cindy and Aunt Kate came from Byron, and Aunt Lisa and Uncle Travis drove up from Iowa. Aunt Laura/Uncle Justin and Uncle Charlie/Aunt Olivia couldn't make the trip out, but they all called and sent cards to wish you a Happy Birthday! Grandpa Randy drove down from Delano to celebrate with you. We missed Grandma Carol Ann so much. She would have loved to see you prancing around in your bee costume, showing off your singing. She would have held you in her lap and read to you, and she would have watched with joy the way that Grandpa Randy adores you. She always said with a proud smile, "Your Grandpa loves you so much!" Just this week you were talking about Grandma Carol Ann being sick, and so we talked about how she is with God in heaven now, and she's not sick anymore. Then I told you that she is dancing and singing now, so every time we ask you what Grandma is doing, you say "dance." Little Charlotte, we pray that you will remember your Grandma Carol Ann, even though you are so young now.
Charlotte, you are becoming such a big girl. You are fun and goofy, strong-willed and opinionated, but so sensitive and compassionate, too. This week you were running down the sidewalk and yelling, when all of a sudden you stopped, put your arms out in front of you, and started dancing and bouncing to a song only you could hear... I couldn't stop smiling. Your sensitivity is becoming more apparent too, as you will stop everything to make sure someone is ok if they look sad. You make a very empathetic face, ask "are you ok?" and come to give a hug. You noticed in church on Sunday that some people near us were crying and you couldn't stop watching them and asking me if they were ok. You have such a sensitive heart, and we pray that this will be a gift later in life.
Now that you have your own opinions, we have a lot of "disagreements" about everything from eating dinner to going potty to getting ready for bed to playing with toys. The words "no" and "mine" are frequently heard. Usually you can be easily distracted, but you certainly try our patience on a daily basis. Your Grandpa Randy likes to rate your tantrums on a scale from 1 to 10, just like he and Grandma Carol Ann used to for daddy and Uncle Charlie when they were little boys.
Your communication skills are improving by leaps and bounds. Every day new words are coming out that we didn't think you knew. Some of the better ones include: peanut bubbo (butter), peatods (peapods), cheese stick, funny car, funny papa, i feam (ice cream), school bus, pummer (cucumber), Bama Cinny (Grandma Cindy), Papa Ranny (Grandpa Randy). You also repeat just about anything you hear, so we have to be careful what we say around you now! We spell a lot of words too, because you listen carefully! Hopefully you won't learn for a while that when we spell something, it usually means something good that we don't want you to know about!
You can carry a tune! Your favorite song is Baa Baa Black Sheep/Twinkle Twinkle/ABC, since they all have the same melody. You just sing "da da da da" for the words, but you are exactly right on the notes. If someone sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, you can finish the last word of each line. You can also do that with Yankee Doodle, except you finish the lines "Stuck a feather in his....head, and called it....Daddy!!!" You know that Daddy isn't the right word, but you think it is so funny and laugh while Mama corrects you with "macaroni!" You also like the song Mary Had a "Yittle Yam," as the words go when you sing it. :) You surprised us the other day when daddy asked you to say "X" and you said "Y, Z." You are listening and absorbing everything!
Charlotte, you are a dear. I am trying to imprint your big blue eyes and silky blond hair in my memory forever, because I know you will be grown up before I know it. I know that you won't want to sit on my lap and "cuggle" or "wead" stories for too many more years. You will only pretend you are a slippery seal in the bathtub for a little while, and your speech will eventually become more clear and less funny. Your spontaneous dances will give way to self-consciousness and restraint. But we have so much to look forward to in the coming years, and I can't wait to see your sunny personality continue to develop, your compassion grow, your musical ability flourish, and our family grow closer together.
Daddy and I are so glad you are a part of our lives. We chose your middle name "Neema" because it means "blessing" in Swahili. We wanted your name to speak powerfully over you life, like names do in the Bible. Over the last two years, you have certainly been a blessing in our lives, and to all of your grandpas and grandmas and aunts and uncles. We pray that your life will continue to be a blessing to many, many people.
I love you Charlotte!
Love,
Mama
Two years ago...
We didn't know if you would be a boy or a girl, how big you would be, or if you would be healthy.
We didn't know how your birth would go, or how we would handle all of the changes in our life.
And then you were born, and you fit in our arms and our life just right.
The theme for her party was bees, because for some reason Charlotte really likes them. She calls almost all bugs a bee. And when she sees a bee she always wants to hold it. We did inform her this is not a good idea. However, we saw no harm in a little bee themed party, complete with a bee costume we got at a garage sale.
Aunt Lisa hates bees (and by hate, I mean really really really hates them). But she did not hate this cuddly little bee with a pretend stinger and bobbly antennae. I mean, how could you?
The little bee makes cookies with Uncle Travis (or Pavis, and Charlotte calls him).
A good year for presents for Charlotte--a package of cheese sticks and a tupperware of fresh peapods...what more could a girl ask for? Actually, she got some other very wonderful gifts that she loves--a school bus, a "waterpillar" sprinkler, a little bear-shaped rocking chair, art supplies, sheets for her new toddler bed, a train, and some books. She didn't quite get the concept of opening all the gifts one after another. She wanted to play with each one as she opened them, so it took forever. She was happy as a clam.
I love making fun shaped cakes. If you live near me, ask me sometime to make you a cake in the shape of something. I will gladly do it.
A little bee family picture.
Daddy taught Charlotte this face. It is modeled after a face our friend Mikkin makes.
Mama let Charlotte bite the side of the cake...
A piece for the birthday girl!Charlotte turned 2 years old on Sunday, July 5! Hard to believe how fast the time has gone, yet it feels like she has been a part of our family forever. She has grown so much, and has learned so many things. I've seen some other people write a letter to their kids on their birthday, and I like that idea, so I'm going to steal it.
Dear Charlotte,
You just turned two last weekend, and we had such a nice birthday party with some family. Grandpa Mark and Grandma Cindy and Aunt Kate came from Byron, and Aunt Lisa and Uncle Travis drove up from Iowa. Aunt Laura/Uncle Justin and Uncle Charlie/Aunt Olivia couldn't make the trip out, but they all called and sent cards to wish you a Happy Birthday! Grandpa Randy drove down from Delano to celebrate with you. We missed Grandma Carol Ann so much. She would have loved to see you prancing around in your bee costume, showing off your singing. She would have held you in her lap and read to you, and she would have watched with joy the way that Grandpa Randy adores you. She always said with a proud smile, "Your Grandpa loves you so much!" Just this week you were talking about Grandma Carol Ann being sick, and so we talked about how she is with God in heaven now, and she's not sick anymore. Then I told you that she is dancing and singing now, so every time we ask you what Grandma is doing, you say "dance." Little Charlotte, we pray that you will remember your Grandma Carol Ann, even though you are so young now.
Charlotte, you are becoming such a big girl. You are fun and goofy, strong-willed and opinionated, but so sensitive and compassionate, too. This week you were running down the sidewalk and yelling, when all of a sudden you stopped, put your arms out in front of you, and started dancing and bouncing to a song only you could hear... I couldn't stop smiling. Your sensitivity is becoming more apparent too, as you will stop everything to make sure someone is ok if they look sad. You make a very empathetic face, ask "are you ok?" and come to give a hug. You noticed in church on Sunday that some people near us were crying and you couldn't stop watching them and asking me if they were ok. You have such a sensitive heart, and we pray that this will be a gift later in life.
Now that you have your own opinions, we have a lot of "disagreements" about everything from eating dinner to going potty to getting ready for bed to playing with toys. The words "no" and "mine" are frequently heard. Usually you can be easily distracted, but you certainly try our patience on a daily basis. Your Grandpa Randy likes to rate your tantrums on a scale from 1 to 10, just like he and Grandma Carol Ann used to for daddy and Uncle Charlie when they were little boys.
Your communication skills are improving by leaps and bounds. Every day new words are coming out that we didn't think you knew. Some of the better ones include: peanut bubbo (butter), peatods (peapods), cheese stick, funny car, funny papa, i feam (ice cream), school bus, pummer (cucumber), Bama Cinny (Grandma Cindy), Papa Ranny (Grandpa Randy). You also repeat just about anything you hear, so we have to be careful what we say around you now! We spell a lot of words too, because you listen carefully! Hopefully you won't learn for a while that when we spell something, it usually means something good that we don't want you to know about!
You can carry a tune! Your favorite song is Baa Baa Black Sheep/Twinkle Twinkle/ABC, since they all have the same melody. You just sing "da da da da" for the words, but you are exactly right on the notes. If someone sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, you can finish the last word of each line. You can also do that with Yankee Doodle, except you finish the lines "Stuck a feather in his....head, and called it....Daddy!!!" You know that Daddy isn't the right word, but you think it is so funny and laugh while Mama corrects you with "macaroni!" You also like the song Mary Had a "Yittle Yam," as the words go when you sing it. :) You surprised us the other day when daddy asked you to say "X" and you said "Y, Z." You are listening and absorbing everything!
Charlotte, you are a dear. I am trying to imprint your big blue eyes and silky blond hair in my memory forever, because I know you will be grown up before I know it. I know that you won't want to sit on my lap and "cuggle" or "wead" stories for too many more years. You will only pretend you are a slippery seal in the bathtub for a little while, and your speech will eventually become more clear and less funny. Your spontaneous dances will give way to self-consciousness and restraint. But we have so much to look forward to in the coming years, and I can't wait to see your sunny personality continue to develop, your compassion grow, your musical ability flourish, and our family grow closer together.
Daddy and I are so glad you are a part of our lives. We chose your middle name "Neema" because it means "blessing" in Swahili. We wanted your name to speak powerfully over you life, like names do in the Bible. Over the last two years, you have certainly been a blessing in our lives, and to all of your grandpas and grandmas and aunts and uncles. We pray that your life will continue to be a blessing to many, many people.
I love you Charlotte!
Love,
Mama
Two years ago...
We didn't know if you would be a boy or a girl, how big you would be, or if you would be healthy.
We didn't know how your birth would go, or how we would handle all of the changes in our life.
And then you were born, and you fit in our arms and our life just right.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Hawaii
It has been kind of a crazy time in our family over the last month and a half, so we apologize for our lack of communication via the blog. With our trip to Hawaii, then Matt's mom's death, then moving, and then starting our new jobs at Mayo, we have not had many moments to take a deep breath. Now however, we seem to have a small break in the controlled chaos, and we would like to share some long overdue pictures of our wonderful trip to Hawaii.
As we said before, we were planning a trip for just ourselves to relax before the start of residency. Then Kristi's sister Laura and then-fiance Justin decided to get married in Hawaii, and a family vacation was born. Three flights and many goldfish crackers later, we were on the island of Oahu! We (Matt, Kristi, and Charlotte) stayed in an apartment on the east side of Oahu in a little beach town called Kailua, about a half hour away from Honolulu. Kristi's mom, dad, and sisters stayed in a condo in Honolulu. We were close enough to each other to do stuff together every day, but far enough away to feel like we were on our own vacation! The apartment was great; very private, a fenced in backyard, a giant kitchen, lots of space for Charlotte to run around, tons of geckos for her to chase. Since I am going to post about a million pictures, I will just let the pictures tell you about our trip:
Long plane ride, but Charlotte was very well behaved.
First morning in Hawaii, awake at 4am (9am Minnesota time), then on the beach before 6am!
Charlotte liked playing in the sand, but she was NOT a fan of the water.
Pretending we are on a romantic second honeymoon. Except our child is running away in the background...
Our little dog-lover will find a puppy anywhere, anytime.
Charlotte's spelling and handwriting skills are among the top in her age group. :)
Here is the living room of our apartment. The corner behind the TV is where the geckos liked to hang out.
Every morning Charlotte would run over, peek under the bookshelf and say "Hi Gecko!"
Here is our fabulous kitchen with our handsome cook (no extra charge for him, he came included with the rental fee).
Our dining room, nice and sunny in the morning.
We all went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, a well-known spot by locals and tourists alike. The secret is to go before 7am when you don't have to pay for parking or an entrance fee and you pretty much have the place to yourself. By the time we left mid-morning it was getting really crowded. All of the variation in water color is due to coral that you can swim around and see some amazing fish!
Grandpa Mark was helping Charlotte get used to the water by throwing rocks. Nothing gets Charlotte interested like throwing stuff. "Fro it!" she says.
Daddy and Charlotte retrieving the previously thrown rocks.
Again, here we are trying to pretend we are on vacation alone.
See, the beach is becoming more crowded.
Future photographer.
Just another cool shot from high up on the cliff above Hanauma Bay. You can see all the tiny people on the beach. They say that in the winter whales will come into the bay where there is deep water and you can see them from up on the cliffs!
Oahu has some of the most beautiful freeway landscape imagineable. Imagine a 30 minute commute looking at this the whole way... much better than a concrete jungle.
Going on a hike in a Jurassic Park type forest.
The fam.
Kristi and her mom hopping down the trail.
Again, not a bad route for your morning commute. This is driving up the east shore of Oahu to the north shore, slightly reminiscent of the North Shore of Lake Superior, except much much warmer.
Here we are at Shark's Cove where we had our best snorkeling (don't worry, no sharks).
Beach babe.
Just a few of the amazing fish-scenery we saw while snorkeling. Kristi's sister Lisa had a cool underwater cover for her camera, and took some pretty spectacular pictures with it.
Some of the snorkelers swam with this turtle! And one of the snorkelers (Lisa.....) illegally touched it. Tsk tsk...
Shave ice is like a snow cone, except way better because the ice is shaved very finely with a sharp blade. The name of the place is Aoki's Shave Ice, and Laura's new last name is Aoki. No relation to the shave ice people, because it is actually a common name.
Charlotte hogged all of Grandma Cindy's shave ice.
We visited a Buddhist temple, situated very picturesque-ly at the base of the mountains.
There were peacocks wandering around there!
Now for the wedding...not a bad place to get married, huh?
Waimanolo Beach has it all--turquoise water, powdery white sand, mountains, love birds.
The happy couple, Laura and Justin Aoki.
Laura and the mother of the bride.
And the father of the bride.
Another happy couple. Notice Matt's pant leg getting soaked by the rogue wave that crashed up unexpectedly.
Charlotte trying to copy the handstands that Justin's siblings were doing.
The four sisters, plus Charlotte.
For the wedding reception we all went to a Japanese restaurant.
The day after the wedding everyone who was not a newlywed hiked up Diamond Head. A strenous walk that should be done early in the morning before the hot sun makes it unbearable.
A nice steep staircase, with a pretty sweet view!
The view from the top was pretty good too....
Here you can see Waikiki and Honolulu from the top, as well as an old military lookout on the hill directly next to where we are standing.
Kristi and her dad at the top.
Because we burned off so many calories hiking up Diamond Head, we decided to get a Hawaiian special at the farmer's market. Can't believe your eyes? It's a scoop of white rice, with a hamburger, topped with a fried egg, finished off with a healthy serving of gravy. Some might call it a heart attack, we call it delicious.
Yes, this is a bunny in a stroller at the farmer's market. And yes, Charlotte was in love with it. She talked to it in her high squeaky voice that she uses for animals and babies.
Our little ukelele master beginning her training at the age of almost-2.
We rented a kayak for the day and took it out around a couple of islands. Matt and Kristi's dad saw a big sea turtle!
The last morning in Hawaii we had the family over for a nice pancake breakfast!
Goodbye Hawaii, see you sometime!
As we said before, we were planning a trip for just ourselves to relax before the start of residency. Then Kristi's sister Laura and then-fiance Justin decided to get married in Hawaii, and a family vacation was born. Three flights and many goldfish crackers later, we were on the island of Oahu! We (Matt, Kristi, and Charlotte) stayed in an apartment on the east side of Oahu in a little beach town called Kailua, about a half hour away from Honolulu. Kristi's mom, dad, and sisters stayed in a condo in Honolulu. We were close enough to each other to do stuff together every day, but far enough away to feel like we were on our own vacation! The apartment was great; very private, a fenced in backyard, a giant kitchen, lots of space for Charlotte to run around, tons of geckos for her to chase. Since I am going to post about a million pictures, I will just let the pictures tell you about our trip:
Long plane ride, but Charlotte was very well behaved.
First morning in Hawaii, awake at 4am (9am Minnesota time), then on the beach before 6am!
Charlotte liked playing in the sand, but she was NOT a fan of the water.
Pretending we are on a romantic second honeymoon. Except our child is running away in the background...
Our little dog-lover will find a puppy anywhere, anytime.
Charlotte's spelling and handwriting skills are among the top in her age group. :)
Here is the living room of our apartment. The corner behind the TV is where the geckos liked to hang out.
Every morning Charlotte would run over, peek under the bookshelf and say "Hi Gecko!"
Here is our fabulous kitchen with our handsome cook (no extra charge for him, he came included with the rental fee).
Our dining room, nice and sunny in the morning.
Out the sliding glass doors in the dining room is a deck and a big backyard. We had everybody over a few times during the week.
Charlotte in the backyard next to a giant palm-type tree.
This is the bedroom. Charlotte's pack-and-play is in the corner, covered in blue towels to block out the sunlight.
Charlotte in the backyard next to a giant palm-type tree.
This is the bedroom. Charlotte's pack-and-play is in the corner, covered in blue towels to block out the sunlight.
We all went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, a well-known spot by locals and tourists alike. The secret is to go before 7am when you don't have to pay for parking or an entrance fee and you pretty much have the place to yourself. By the time we left mid-morning it was getting really crowded. All of the variation in water color is due to coral that you can swim around and see some amazing fish!
Grandpa Mark was helping Charlotte get used to the water by throwing rocks. Nothing gets Charlotte interested like throwing stuff. "Fro it!" she says.
Daddy and Charlotte retrieving the previously thrown rocks.
Again, here we are trying to pretend we are on vacation alone.
See, the beach is becoming more crowded.
Future photographer.
Just another cool shot from high up on the cliff above Hanauma Bay. You can see all the tiny people on the beach. They say that in the winter whales will come into the bay where there is deep water and you can see them from up on the cliffs!
Oahu has some of the most beautiful freeway landscape imagineable. Imagine a 30 minute commute looking at this the whole way... much better than a concrete jungle.
Going on a hike in a Jurassic Park type forest.
The fam.
Kristi and her mom hopping down the trail.
Again, not a bad route for your morning commute. This is driving up the east shore of Oahu to the north shore, slightly reminiscent of the North Shore of Lake Superior, except much much warmer.
Here we are at Shark's Cove where we had our best snorkeling (don't worry, no sharks).
Beach babe.
Just a few of the amazing fish-scenery we saw while snorkeling. Kristi's sister Lisa had a cool underwater cover for her camera, and took some pretty spectacular pictures with it.
Some of the snorkelers swam with this turtle! And one of the snorkelers (Lisa.....) illegally touched it. Tsk tsk...
Shave ice is like a snow cone, except way better because the ice is shaved very finely with a sharp blade. The name of the place is Aoki's Shave Ice, and Laura's new last name is Aoki. No relation to the shave ice people, because it is actually a common name.
Charlotte hogged all of Grandma Cindy's shave ice.
We visited a Buddhist temple, situated very picturesque-ly at the base of the mountains.
There were peacocks wandering around there!
Now for the wedding...not a bad place to get married, huh?
Waimanolo Beach has it all--turquoise water, powdery white sand, mountains, love birds.
The happy couple, Laura and Justin Aoki.
Sisters Kate and Laura.
Laura and the mother of the bride.
And the father of the bride.
Another happy couple. Notice Matt's pant leg getting soaked by the rogue wave that crashed up unexpectedly.
Charlotte trying to copy the handstands that Justin's siblings were doing.
The four sisters, plus Charlotte.
For the wedding reception we all went to a Japanese restaurant.
The day after the wedding everyone who was not a newlywed hiked up Diamond Head. A strenous walk that should be done early in the morning before the hot sun makes it unbearable.
A nice steep staircase, with a pretty sweet view!
The view from the top was pretty good too....
Here you can see Waikiki and Honolulu from the top, as well as an old military lookout on the hill directly next to where we are standing.
Kristi and her dad at the top.
Because we burned off so many calories hiking up Diamond Head, we decided to get a Hawaiian special at the farmer's market. Can't believe your eyes? It's a scoop of white rice, with a hamburger, topped with a fried egg, finished off with a healthy serving of gravy. Some might call it a heart attack, we call it delicious.
Yes, this is a bunny in a stroller at the farmer's market. And yes, Charlotte was in love with it. She talked to it in her high squeaky voice that she uses for animals and babies.
Our little ukelele master beginning her training at the age of almost-2.
We rented a kayak for the day and took it out around a couple of islands. Matt and Kristi's dad saw a big sea turtle!
The last morning in Hawaii we had the family over for a nice pancake breakfast! 
Goodbye Hawaii, see you sometime!
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