My Zachary

That man...geez, seriously don't know what I would do without him! This blog seems to mostly be about the "T" part of the A-Z, but I sure do love my Z. He is turning 28 tomorrow (that means our annual 9 days of being the same age are over)...so this post is about him.

We are coming up on 5 years of marriage and I feel just as lucky as I did 5 years ago, yet more grateful for my choice in a husband. I had no idea 5 years ago how perfect he was for me and how much I would need so many little things about him. I am lucky enough to know a goofy, somewhat crazy side of him that he only exposes around me and his mini-me. That side of him is one of the many I love...dance moves and all!

Zachary treats me like I am the most special thing to him. He is always concerned for me and encouraging me. He makes me feel beautiful every single day, even when I shouldn't. A day never passes without at least 5 "I love you's". He knows when I need a break and gives me my time, even though he is a busy, busy man.

My husband is a hard working fool. Bottom line, med school is tough, there is no way around it. He handles it like a champ and has totally and completely excelled in less than ideal circumstances. He studies, studies, and then studies more. I could not be more proud of Dr. Zachary Stevenson. I know he isn't a doctor yet, but when I listen to him talk, I hear doctor in his voice and see it all over his face. He is gonna make one handsome doctor :)

I will have to make this next part short to avoid crying all over my keyboard, but my husband and his son have the best bond. That bond has existed from the moment that tiny baby was cut out of me and wheeled to the NICU with his daddy following his incubator...pure love. I just love watching them and listening to them. Zach loves that little boy like crazy, talks about him all the time, and kisses his head at least a thousand times a day. The two of them sit together and just take things in, Zach tells him about the world and everything he sees. They wrestle and play and dance and laugh and give kisses to mommy. I am one lucky woman to get to spend my days with the two of them.

I am just grateful that 28 years ago my Zachary was born and that 5 years ago he asked me to marry him. Those two events have shaped my life more than any others and have blessed me in more ways than I can count. Because of him I am happier, more confident, and more complete than I ever was without him. Happy Birthday Handsome, I love you!

And I will forever be grateful that these 2 boys are mine forever!!

Maine to Milwaukee

My life confuses me sometimes, so I know other people don't understand it at all. I figured it would be nice to clarify what is going on for the faithful person or 2 who actually read my blog (might be pointless...this could be a family only reading blog)! But, for me to even remember...here goes!

We are back in the states, but Zach is attending a Caribbean Medical School. These school do all of the clinical part of medical school (2 years) rotating in hospitals in the United States. They have affiliations with various hospitals, mostly on the east coast, and for rotations it is a take what you can get kind of thing. Out time in Maine was for an intro to clinical skills, Zach was a little further along than most students there, so he was able to get placed into a rotation sooner than we expected...much sooner.

I need to stop right now and say that it broke my heart a little bit to leave Maine. I really fell in love with it there and made some great friends and have some wonderful memories there. I can say for sure that at some point, I WILL be going back for a visit!

Back to the story...We got an email 2 weeks ago that said there would be an open spot for a psyc rotation in Milwaukee starting in 2 weeks. It is at a strictly psyc hospital with a great residency program and we felt is was best to just get started...so we took it! The only downside is psyc is only a 6 week rotation and there are no other affiliations here in Milwaukee, so we get to move AGAIN in 6 weeks :( The good news is that the clinical coordinator is going to place us in Atlanta for an extended period of time after this.

I frantically searched for a place to live that wouldn't cost us a million dollars for such a short term and would give us more than 200 square feet. Drum roll please...we are living in a 1 bedroom corporate apartment in a Best Western Hotel! Don't be jealous, it is quite impressive, I know. Seriously though, quite the step down from the beach front Grand Victorian, but we actually love it...it feels much more "us". And, Tate, the kid is a fan of Milwaukee apparently (or he likes the close quarters) cause he is sleeping better, eating better, and acting better since we have been here. We do have access to a huge indoor pool with a little toddler play area and an outdoor sundeck, which help my water, running loving little dude!

And the road trip was not terrible, thanks to a few things. 1...I gave in and turned his car seat around. He was starting to get really fussy in the car and having to put his legs in all kinds of awkward positions. I really wanted to wait until 2, but 19 months will have to. I just couldn't make him scream through another 1,100 mile roadtrip (or put his daddy through that, he is not the most patient)! 2...A $10 iPad headrest mount from amazon along with a few episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Backyardigans on iTunes, Tate's 2 favorite shows. I also found some random free episodes of Sesame Street and Chuck, which were a nice break for mommy and daddy from the other 2 theme songs :)

Tate's reaction to being forward facing...thrilled!

Watching Mickey with his Backyardigan!

For now we are just taking all these changes and moves in stride and being grateful for the opportunities to see so many different cities...and also laughing at how many places Tate has not only been, but lived in his 19 months!