Monday, March 24, 2008

Reverse peristalsis

I was going to write something pleasant and funny, but the veritable barf-orama continues at casa d'iglesias. It has now moved on to Jackson who recovers remarkably after a bout of retching, but really doesn't like to throw up (he'll never make it in modelling). It is really more sad than disgusting, which is hard to believe because it is really disgusting. [Origin: 1590–1600; (v.) < MF desgouster, equiv. to des- dis-1 + gouster to taste, relish, deriv. of goust taste < L gusta (see choose); (n.) < MF desgoust, deriv. of the v.]

I'll write something more entertaining tomorrow, but in the mean time this is what having children will do to you...

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Odorific!!

My children smell like vomit. Seriously. All the time. I'm thinking of using Febreeze or something. Maybe Axe Body Spray. Any suggestions?

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Psych

I have turned down two jobs in the past week and a half for more money than I ever imagined I would ever make. It is a very odd and unsettling feeling, particularly because I haven't accepted another position yet. There is one in the works, and I feel fairly confident, but still, very unsettling. All of my doom and gloom will soon come to an end and financial freedom (or something closely resembling it) will soon be mine. What will I write about? Perhaps you'll get haikus or limericks instead.

Aside from the job and sleepless baby front, I have transitioned to a Psychiatry rotation. This is an area where I feel I have some insight, but have traditionally been quite lost at how to make optimal treatment strategies for my patients. The Shrink that I am working with is fantastic and interestingly more of a biological model psychiatrist as opposed to the Freudian or behavioral type. All of those transmitters and neuronal pathways I have managed to forget since the beginnings of medical school are coming back to haunt me. If I had paid more attention, I might have even been able to understand what some of my grad student friends were studying. Anyway, the learning is great, and I get to meet crazy people all day(in the field we discourage the use of the term "loonies" - this also avoids confusion with the Canadian currency of the same name). There are also some fantastic descriptive terms which I will toss out occasionally. My favorite discussions today perseverated around "the raven and the wolf coming down from the mountain" and "that cockeyed cherokee that I love, but still buy her liquor." Good times.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Segue

This seems to be the end of my obligation. My project, to write more about the kids, parenting, and some of the issues that we have faced. I have written more here than I have told many close friends (sorry, nothing personal - just not something I ever really planned on sharing) and feel pretty good about how it has all come out. It has been a little depressing at times, and I hope it has acted as birth control for those who need it. I found myself in Kodiak this past weekend with a lot more time on my hands than usual. I worked a little, but mostly I basked in the silence. I am not really sure what I did before the kids came along. I am sure I had a lot more free time, but don't know what I did with it. I hope that I was productive, as that is rarely the case now. I had a hard time laying down to sleep, and a hard time staying in bed when I awoke in the morning. I am not sure my life is my own these days, but I am okay with that.

I will continue to write about them from time to time, but I will add back the important stuff, like the fact that Lute Olsen is coming back to coach the Arizona Wildcats, and to lament the fact that I never capitalized on my four degrees of seperation from Bret Favre before he retired. Anyway, thanks for reading and now back to our regular programming.

PS-Never. Never. Never take a 9 hour road trip with three children under the age of three.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Bittersweet



I fly to Kodiak to work for the weekend, tomorrow night. I am kind of looking forward to it. Does that make me a bad father/husband? I am helping to provide for my family, so they know it is a necessary lapse in my parenting contribution (at least Jana knows that it is necessary). The selfishness found in being a parent to three young children is hard for me to get past. Maybe things would have been easier if we had kids when we were 18, 20, 25, or 30 (not to date myself). We had a little time to ourselves before they came along and probably got a little spoiled. I try not to harbor resentment at the demands of my children, as I know that my life, in some ways, is no longer my own. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but an adjustment just like any other. When we get married, we compromise (right Dave and Angela? Congrats!). When we get a dog, we have a responsibility to feed, love, and find a housesitter when we travel. When someone close to us dies, we have to do without the known gap and more surprising subtleties that they filled in our lives. I have a hard time with people who have only joy from their children, they must have nannies. This is not to say that I don't love my children, but sometimes, thus far, I don't appreciate them very much. I feel like a bad person when the scores of people who have said something along the lines of "Twins, you are so blessed," and I had to bite my tongue to refrain from a reply regarding my lack of sleep, odor of milk vomit, or general lack of a personal life.


I know I am blessed and someday I will likely appreciate it, but don't rub it in. The babies are starting to smile and say cute baby things. There is hope for them yet. Jackson is being a brilliant, talking, playing machine. He is the superstar out of the bunch right now. Just don't tell Ella and Jonathan that I like him a little better. You should have seen him at the wedding. In his tuxedo, running with the other kids like there was no tomorrow, holding the hand of Alyssa was they carried the faux ring set up to the front of the church, and the silhouette of his elephant on his otherwise empty chair as he had to return to the nursery to prevent an energetic disruption of the wedding. Beautiful. Ella and Jonathan were beautiful too. Please enjoy the pictures and don't think about the 9 hour ride home.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Trains, planes, and automobiles - Part 1

Every parent has a story about that trip they took when the kids were little that ends in crying/vomitting/disaster/family turmoil/all of the above, resulting in a truncated visit. This was nearly that trip.

We were down in Oregon and Idaho this past week for the wedding of my favorite brother, David and his new wife Angela (new favorite sister-in-law). Not a wedding that we would have/could have missed. Oddly enough, we have been invited to 11 weddings this year. In light of our burgeoning family, this may be the only one we make it to. Ever again.

The trip down was surprisingly uneventful. The most impressive part is the transition through security and I honestly felt that the TSA simply took pity on us. (Note to terroists:show up with lots of children. That'll throw them off. PS-they didn't make us take Jackson's shoes off.) Just to let you know, all items must be broken down and pass through the xray. The two strollers break down. The car seats come out and ride the belt upside down, the shoes and jackets go in the bucket, the laptop rides on its own, the bags follow, Rob carries two babies, all in their bare feet, and Jana coaxes Jackson through the maze. Then it all has to go back together again. Oh yeah, then we have to gate check everything once we get to the plane. FYI-don't forget anything on the jetway-more on that later.

We left on the red-eye, apparently the only flight available out of this state. Our flight was only half full (the pessimist would say half empty) and we had a good two rows of three seats for our team of five. This was a good situation. There was minimal crying and gnashing of teeth and the babies hardly cried either. The boy fell asleep almost instantly, also good. Sleeping while hanging onto a sleeping baby is a trick unto itself. Jana buckled hers into the seat next to her. I didn't drop mine.

The key fob (there didn't appear to be a real key, it was some sort of computerized nubbin') to our Town and Country was dispensed by a particularly disinterested nineteen year old, and we fit the entirety of Team Church (Grandma, Grandpa, Me, Jana, Jackson, Jonathan, Ella, and all our accoutrements) into the minivan. We are so getting a minivan when I get a real job. Sweet.

The remainder of our was was to be simple. Relax, visit the grandparents, a couple of days at a conference downtown, a short 8 hour drive to Boise, 9 hours back, and another flight back to Anchorage. Simple. I'm not sure anything will be simple for the rest of my life.

Monday, March 03, 2008

A contraction about travelling with children...

Don't