Iron Intern

Well, we made it through intern year round #1 successfully.  Praise the Lord.   Last weekend was the annual chief residents graduation dinner and the new intern class has been in the hospital this week doing orientation.   I wish we weren't repeating PGY1 year, but that doesn't take away the fact that we are SO THANKFUL to be staying at UMass for the duration of Josh's general surgery residency.

At the end of every resident year, there are a number of awards given out to residents who demonstrated qualities that were above and beyond the normal expectations.  Most of the awards are for senior residents, however there is one award given to an intern called the "Iron Intern" award.  Now, Josh is not one to ever brag about himself but since I'm his wife and I write this blog, I'm allowed to brag for him.  Of the 11 interns this past year (6 categorical, 5 preliminary) all of whom were very hardworking and strong general surgery interns, Josh was awarded the Iron Intern award for outstanding service this year.

Obviously, we knew that Josh was well-liked and respected enough at UMass to be given a categorical spot for this coming year but it is so amazing that all of his hardwork and dedication to his job this past year was recognized by his co-workers, especially since he was only a preliminary resident which has a tendency to carry with it a negative connotation.  I know that being given this award had to make him feel good and it makes me very proud and makes the sacrifices that we have made over the course of his career feel worth it.

On top of this great award, we got to celebrate with a nice dinner out for the chief resident graduation dinner put on by the program.  My sister-in-law Kristin was actually out here from California and lovingly agreed to watch Ryan for us so that we could enjoy the evening.  We got to get all dressed up and even though I was 30+ weeks pregnant, huge, and unable to drink and Josh had to work the next day, we still had a thoroughly enjoyable evening out.

Dr. and Mrs. Joshua Scurlock

Ryan and her "Iron Intern" Daddy

It was a great evening and strange in some ways because I remember sitting at the same dinner last year, wishing and hoping that maybe I could somehow be there again the next year and the next and eventually be the wife in the room watching her husband be recognized as a chief resident graduate.  And God-willing, that will happen five years from now and it feels so good to know that.  Last year, so much was unknown, so many things were up in the air.  There was a lot of stress and worry and unanswered questions as I sat there.   And this year, though life is still filled with different kinds of stress and worry and questions, I was able to sit there with peace knowing that we did it, together, Josh and I got through this year and the ultimate goal of securing a permanent position at UMass was achieved.  The sacrifice of moving our family across the country was worth it.  I'm so proud of us.   I'm so proud of my Iron Intern.  And hey, maybe he can set a record for receiving the Iron Intern award two years in a row! :)

Give Me A "Break"

It's been an extremely busy, exciting, exhausting, and depressing last few weeks in our life.  For starters, we moved into a rental home in Paxton, MA which is a small (population < 5,000) town just outside of Worcester.  The commute for Josh isn't bad, only about 15 minutes.  Small town life will take some getting used to as there is no actual grocery store in Paxton nor is there a gas station but we have a beautiful home on a quiet, family oriented street with a big yard, garage, basement storage and more bedrooms.  After almost five years of apartment living, this home feels heaven sent.  It's absolutely perfect for a young growing family.

While this move was super exciting and needed, moving in and of itself is something I am SO OVER DOING.  Josh and I have moved every single year for the last five years.  Some have been big moves to different countries while others have been smaller moves to different apartments but moving is moving and it stinks.  Add in pregnancy, a toddler, and a resident schedule and let's just call it downright miserable.  We somehow survived packing, moving out, and moving in with the help of a few extremely generous friends who donated their time and muscles to our somewhat pathetic cause.

Home Depot with a toddler (and Dad).  Cause we all know this is NOT how it would have gone down with just Momma.

And just when I thought I could finally breath a sigh of relief and begin the slow process of unpacking and "nesting," and getting acclimated to our new home and town, S**T hit the fan.  Because that's how life usually works doesn't it?

May 28, 2015 in a splint

Ryan stepped off the single step of our new backyard and had a small (and I mean small) tumble.  But her left leg was at just the right awkward angle to fracture both the tibia and fibula.  Apparently, fractures like this are relatively common in toddlers but that doesn't make it any easier on her or I.  She is to be in a cast and non-weight bearing for 5-6 weeks which is hard enough on any active almost 2 year old, but being 29 weeks pregnant and having to carry a 30lb child around is definitely not an easy task.

And obviously as her Mom, I feel AWFUL that this happened.  I know it was an accident and there was really nothing I could have done to prevent it, but no one wants their babies to get hurt and we all know seeing children this young in a cast is not the "norm."  She's been in her purple cast for almost two weeks now and I have to say that overall, she's taking this whole thing like a champ.  She's slept pretty well at night and has gotten used to dragging her leg around or scooting on her bum around the house.  She really hasn't tried to put weight on her leg and other than a few moments of frustration each day, she acts as if nothing is different or wrong.  She didn't even cry when they put the cast on.  She just kept saying "I get purpuh. I get purpuh."

The fact that this happened in the summer definitely stinks.  They have waterproof sleeves for the casts, but with her dragging her leg around, she easily rips holes in the plastic and so I hesitate to let her take an actual bath or fully submerge her in the blow up pool.  However, we've still been able to  have some water fun outside.

We've also been to the park where she can at least enjoy some time in the swing.  Even though I know all she wants to do is get down and climb around with all the other kids.

Ironically, she's not the only toddler who has had a long leg cast in this family.  I had one on my right leg as a child to correct a foot that was kinked in during utero.  Though my leg wasn't broken, it's not exactly the childhood milestone of mine that I wanted her to emulate.

Mama and Ryan

So, life is what it is.  I wasn't expecting or hoping to break in the new house with a broken leg, but that's what life's thrown at us this month.  I know we aren't the only family that faces challenges and in the scheme of things, this isn't a huge deal.  It's sure to be a distant memory here soon.