January

It's been a pretty good month so far.  Boards are over HALLELUJAH!!!  I went and visited my husband at school the other day and that is what all the students in his class were talking about.  It's nice to get them over with so we don't have to stress about them the rest of the semester.  Now it's the waiting game to see how well he did...and I'm sure he did fine.

Visiting our daddy at school is probably one of our favorite things to do.  It lets us be a part of his world that we normally aren't a part of.  It's fun to see him in that setting and see what and who is in his life besides us.  I'm so proud of him and always so happy to be by his side when we go there.

The other nice thing about having a husband as a dental student is the free cleanings.  He brought home is perio kit and cleaned my teeth this weekend.  It was fun for him to get used to his tools and practice and it's a bonus for me to get my teeth cleaned...win win situation.

Hope you are all having a fabulous January...here's to another few months and then it's summer time!!!

New Year...New Attitude

Alright...I'm officially making it known I had my breakdown last night and feel refreshed and ready to tackle the next semester and new year.  We spent our Christmas Break away from each other so that Ernie could study for his first board exam.   It was very HARD, but in the end it will be worth it because he won't have it hanging over his head all semester like his other classmates.  He's heard from upper classmen that they wish they would have done that and gotten it out of the way...so we'll see.  He's scheduled to take the test this Thursday...so cross your finger, say your prayers and send some good vibes our way.

Not having a real break with Ernie was hard for me.  I wasn't ready for him to start school, and never felt like we got to recoup from last semester and get ready for this one...hence the breakdown last night.  It's amazing how much I need those little breaks in between semesters.  By the end of the breaks I'm sick of my husband milling around the house and can't wait to get him out so I can return to my normal routine...well I didn't get sick of him, I didn't even get him this break so here's to another semester with a baby on the way.

I'm getting all ready for the baby while I have the time and energy.  The baby is due April 11th, so right before finals.   Thankfully my mom is coming out a little before and staying until the 22nd, and finals end the 27th so I think we'll be taken care of.  My friends are all so great, I know I will be taken care of, but if you have any tips on having a baby while in dental school let me know...I need all the help I can get.

So CHEERS to another semester, and pray that it will go smoothly.  Good luck to all those who are starting again, may your next few months be fast and painless, and be grateful you got a break.

Mel

Finals coming....ugh

It seems like finals are starting so early this year.  We just got done with Thanksgiving and Ernie already has finals starting next week.  Seven finals in four days, YIKES!!!  I am so excited for this semester to be over, it seems like it has gone by so fast.   I'm not so sure I'm excited for next semester to start, I've heard it's a killer.

We do what we do though.  We've enjoyed having our daddy most nights this week but it's survival for the next two weeks for all of us.  Good luck to all who are going through finals as well.

Second Year Boards

I need to be a lot better about writing on this.  Sorry that I haven't kept up.  It's been a crazy semester.  I think this year has been a little bit busier than last.  The one big difference is that last year Ernie had every Monday off for tests so they were evenly spaced, and if he didn't have one he pretty much had the day off.  This year we experienced the "HELL WEEK" of midterms, which consisted of 6 tests in 4 days...My hubby didn't sleep more than 3 hours a night that week...poor guy.  He did awesome as usual so we are excited it paid off.

We have been thinking about boards already.  Ernie's got to take them by his 3rd year so we made the decision to leave him for Christmas and let him study for about 3 1/2 weeks and then he's going to miss the 1st week of school in January and take them.  I think this will be the best situation.  We can let him study in peace, and he won't feel guilty for not hanging out and the bonus is we'll get it out of the way  so we have the whole summer again. What's one Christmas right?  

Anyway, I can't believe that the semester is almost over.  We've got really only about a month left.  It's flown by (hallelujah!!)

I will try and post sooner and more frequent.  If you have any questions or topics you'd like to discuss by all means leave note.

Mel

Miss Daddy

My son has had a really hard time without Daddy home.  We were spoiled having him with us 24/7 for 6 weeks.  Everyday Roman asks "Daddy Go?" and everyday I have to tell him he's at school.  So we made a trip down to Ernie's school so Roman could actually see where he was going.  It has made all the difference.  Roman now says, "Daddy at school" "Daddy Dentist" I definitely recommend visiting Daddy at school every once in a while (for everyone's sake).  However...I feel bad he's eating the cafeteria food.

2nd Year

We're back from our extended vacation.  My husband got 6 weeks off in between years, which was AMAZING!!!  I forgot what it was like to have a second parent.  We took advantage of the time and went back to the west to spend time with family.  I have to say this was the best thing we could have done.

I was thinking about being in school and how hard it is but really and truly I think these are easy times as well.  I mean think about it, we don't work (at a place of employment), we don't have any huge bills, since we don't have anything the small things are even better and we can enjoy the simplicity.

I like being on the student schedule.  Christmas breaks off, spring breaks, holidays, and the break in the summer.  We won't have those once we are done.  So here's to another year!!!

My son is already asking when Daddy will be home...multiple times a day.  It's an adjustment but we'll get through it. We already signed up for swim lessons again, and lots of playdates coming up.  I've been bogged down with things to do, which is a direct correlation with being gone for so long.  BUT we're busy and that's always a good thing.

Good luck to all of you out there with another year...enjoy where you're at!!!

1st Year Down...2nd Here We Go

We've finally made it to 2nd year!!!!  YAY!!!!  I am so proud of my husband for doing so well his first year, as well as myself.  I was able to make it without any huge meltdowns (or so I think).  It was a lot harder than I thought but that might just be because my husband is so dedicated and actually goes to class as opposed to many other students.

Things I learned this year:

1. How to make girlfriends
2. How to entertain myself on the weekends
3. What Dartus and Craymaster are...you don't want to know
4. What formaldehyde smells like
5. More dental words than I know what to do with
6. How to live on a budget
7. How to say no to buying things I want
8. 4-6pm is the worst time of day for me and my little guy
9. How to go to sleep alone
10. How much I really love being with my husband

There were many more things I learned, and even though it was hard I'm so glad we are in dental school.  It will pay off one day. THREE MORE YEARS TO GO!!!