4 weeks and counting

My orientation is 4 weeks away. I haven't done a single thing to prepare myself for internship. I guess I'm still giving myself a break after Step 3.

First thing I gotta do is buy those books which I will do as soon as I publish this post. Then I NEED to learn Spanish! I have been meaning to do that since last year but things have always come up. Now there won't be anymore excuses. I just bought the Rosetta Stone CD and will upload it this weekend by hook or by crook :) My co-interns and I are planning a get together before the start of our training. I'm so glad we have been communicating via Facebook ( Yup. We created a private group ;) How cool is that?!).  It's soooo nice to start getting to know each other early on. I mean we'll be working closely for the next 3 years. We need to bond as early as possible :) I must say though that I really like my class :) Everybody was so supportive when I announced my pregnancy. I'm really blessed...

I have to do some modification on my wardrobe since I won't be able to squeeze a giant watermelon in my size 2 pants. I refuse to buy maternity clothes though. I will be buying those Bella Bands so I can just leave the pants unzipped without worrying about it falling to the ground.  Plus it's going to be VERY cost-effective :) We are on a tight budget people! My salary will be practically nonexistent once the baby comes. Let's just hope my butt won't grow as big as my belly. Now that will be a catastrophe coz then I won't have a choice but to buy maternity clothes.


Update on the pregnancy:

Today I am exactly 9 weeks. Hubby and I went for our first OB appointment. I wasn't expecting to hear the heartbeat thru the Doppler as I am still too early but we did! I was pleasantly surprised ;) Hubby said that it sounded like the baby was running on the threadmill ;) I chose an OB from the hospital I will be training at. That will be very convenient for my prenatal visits. And when I'm on call and the water breaks all I have to do is go to my suite up on the 3rd floor ;) Yes. I have it all figured out...

Step 3 down...What's next???

I just got done with the dreadful 2-day Step 3 exam. It actually wasn't too bad. I was prepared for the worst and I'm glad I conditioned myself this way. I think my secret weapon was to give myself ample breaks in between the blocks so as not to exhaust myself coz it was very exhausting.

Now comes the agony of waiting for the result...3 weeks. But I have so many things lined up to  keep myself busy for the next 4 weeks.

First I have to clean the house! It's sooo dusty that I've been sneezing a lot lately :(

Next is to focus on my pregnancy 100%. I think the first few weeks I was still too scared to allow myself to get too excited coz unexpected things can happen during early pregnancy. But now I can no longer deny it. I really am pregnant and a few months from now (well 32 weeks to be exact) I will be a mommy! Oh my! I'll be a mommy!!!

My first official OB appointment will be on the 20th. And I'm so excited coz my hubby will be coming with me this time :)

Next is to get ready for my training which is really just around the corner! June 21 is the start of our orientation. I plan on buying books for references which the program will reimburse me later. That's great of them to do that. But then again they should do that ;) I'm still in the process of searching for the best book/s for internship....Any suggestions? I hear The Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics is a good reference and The Washington Manual Internship Survival Guide is great as a guide for interns. So I think I'll start with these...

Then on Memorial Day weekend my husband and I are going to visit some friends in Florida. I guess this will be my last vacation before the hectic schedule starts...But it's a great chapter in my life that I can't wait to start....

So bring it on!

It's May already?!

Wow...days come and go so fast! With everything going on in my life (getting matched, getting pregnant, taking Step 3 next week) I hardly noticed the clock ticking. I did notice tho the change in the weather! No more winter clothes for a while! :)

Step 3 review is coming along. I haven't been studying intensively as my previous preparations. I guess it's because I don't feel pressured to get a super high score anymore. I just need to pass this exam then I'll be free of the USMLEs! May 12-13 here I come! Yup, it's a 2-day exam...

As for my pregnancy...so far not a whole lot of nausea. Just  small waves of queesiness here and there BUT I'm hungry ALL THE TIME! As in every 2-3 hours I have got to eat. My stomach starts churning as if I have not eaten in days! I learned how to portion my meals. I eat small snacks all throughout the day and I realized then that this is the best way to combat nausea.

Anyway, I went for a 2nd ultrasound this morning. The little bean has gotten so big in just a week! Heart reat: 147 :)

First glimpse

I had my first ultrasound yesterday. I was a bit nervous. I was thinking: "What if there's nothing in there?!" I guess part of me was still in disbelief of this awesome miracle.

But then I saw the little bean with its heart flickering. It was an awesome feeling :)

I informed my program of this life-changing event and I'm so happy that everybody was very supportive. The last thing I wanted to do was screw up the rotations. But I was reassured by the chief residents that there will be no problems at all and that there will be more than enough coverage. I'm really lucky to be in a big program.

My step 3 is in 2 weeks and I'm sooo relaxed and so ready to get rid of the USMLEs!

Letting go...

I am a self-proclaimed control freak. Everything must and should be according to my plan. I don't know where I got this attitude from. All I know is that I've been like this since I was 6 years old.

My life experiences these past 3 years have been a roller coaster ride but most of all, it has been an eye-opener and a form of self-discovery. I can no longer deny it: I AM NOT IN COTROL. God is the captain and He turns the wheel. I simple must let go and let Him take me wherever He wants. I must trust in Him.

As soon as I realized this great revelation, things started to unfold and all my dreams are slowly coming true. I got matched into a great program and now I am expecting a miracle baby....God is good. With Him everything and anything is possible :)

Yup..It's POSITIVE!

My husband and I have been trying to conceive for quite sometime. I was given a <1% chance for natural pregnancy due to Diminished Ovarian Reserve even though I am still at the prime of my reproductive years. We went through fertility treatments but all failed. We were devastated. But prayers kept me strong. All I asked from God was to give me the strength to accept my fate and not to focus on what I don't and can't have. My husband and I started talking about adoption during Holy Week. I was in the phase of acceptance. Life moved on for me.

Due to my upcoming exam and the excitement of starting residency I haven't been paying attention to my monthly visits from Aunt Flo. I looked at my calendar and she was supposed to be due last Thursday. It's now Saturday...I think she got lost. So I casually took a pregnancy test:

As you can see I took 2 tests just to be sure. I was in disbelief. Not in a million years did I think I could get pregnant....This is the greatest miracle God has ever given me :)

Everybody's out!

The weather this weekend was great! My sister-in-law and I went downtown for some shopping. Almost everybody was wearing shorts and flip-flops!

While driving by the lake we saw people jogging and riding their bikes, totally taking advantage of this short-lived 60+ deg weather.

 Shoppers were everywhere! Which of course made traffic really bad. But can you blame them?