Sex Ed

I have had a few experiences where I am blown away by a patient's ignorance about her own body. I am always most amazed when girls are pregnant and they genuinely have very little idea how they ended up that way. Today I had a patient who was so perplexed by the fact that her urine did not in fact come from her vagina but from an entirely different orifice - the urethra. I gave a whole anatomy lesson to both her and her partner and imagine her surprise when she learned that the baby she was carrying was going to come right on out of that very same vagina. She just assumed that she would have a c-section because she wanted one and thought that was how babies were born. I mean seriously, how is it that we allow our children to become teenagers who do not even know how babies are born or the function of their vagina? No wonder this child ended up pregnant, she had no idea that sex caused babies. Really, this should be part of the basics of education. How can we expect girls to go to college or have jobs if they do not even know how to prevent pregnancy. How can we expect girls to contracept well when they have so little understanding of  their own bodies. Let's get back to the basics.

Virginia Apples and Wine!

As part II of our local Labor Day Weekend, we headed out to Stribling Orchard for some apple picking. I loved apple picking as a child mostly because my mom would make apple crisp, apple pie and apple sauce. Michigan has great apples. When I went to college in Maine there were great apples there too. Now that we live in Virginia we've found a great place to pick apples. We actually met some of the Stribling family when we went to a bed and breakfast for Kevin's birthday last year. It was March but when the mentioned that they had a family apple orchard I knew we'd be paying them a visit come fall. I will be making apple pie tonight!

On the way back we made a quick stop at Aspen Dale Winery at the Barn. It was a beautiful vineyard with  miniature ponies, a huge great dane and beautiful backdrop. It was a perfect spot for a wine tasting. They did a great job and offered a food pairing for each of their wines. Wine and cheese what more could you ask for!

Solomon's Island, MD

We took a day trip down to Solomon's Island, MD. It was a perfect day! We spent the morning at this amazing art museum Annmarie Gardens. This would be a really cool place to have an event. They have great outdoor space and some very interesting exhibits inside. The current exhibit is art inspired by nature. We loved walking around the grounds. They even had this sweet little scavenger hunt for fairy houses. More for the kids but they were really cute and it spiced up the walk a bit.

We then found our way to Solomon's for some crab cakes on the water. The cajun crab chowder was delicious and the crab cake was huge! It was a beautiful day for lunch on the water.

We then set off in search of a beach. We ended up at Calvert Cliffs State Park. We took the 1.8 mile trail down to the beach for a post-lunch nap by the water. There were lots of families at the beach and the water was very nice. We even saw a few crabs who were brave enough to share the beach with the kids and dogs. It was a great day at the beach. I am sure we will be back for another short trip to the beach! Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Applications are IN!

It only took me four days to work up the courage to actually hit submit to apply to residency programs. Kevin and I are back in Fort Washington on a beautiful day and I did it! I have officially applied to 21 residency programs in DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Boston and Michigan. We hope to stay in DC and are keeping our fingers crossed that GW or Washington Hospital Center will keep me! It feels crazy to be at this point. There is nothing left to do but wait for offers to interview. I am now one step closer to finishing medical school and starting residency. It has been a long and difficult road - one I would not have been able to do without all of the love and support of my family and friends. I am starting the countdown until March 17th (Match Day) and May 15th my graduation day!

The Daily Puppy

Theodore the Golden

Dana one of my best friends is a true puppy aficionado. She introduced me to The Daily Puppy. It is an amazing source of adorable puppy pictures. I really want one! But the work schedules of an ER doc and a soon to be Ob/Gyn resident are not too puppy friendly. I just have to click, drool, repeat on the Daily Puppy. Here are my two favorites from today. I wish Theodore could just jump right on my lap and give me some soft puppy kisses.

Kayla the Yellow Lab

Sushi!

Some Kanpai treats!

I am on my second day of being up for more than 24 hours straight in the past 5 days. I am fighting the urge to sleep because I want to switch back over to sleeping during the night so I can work during the day. The solution - date night at our favorite Sushi place in the DC area, Kanpai. I used to live one block away from this absolute gem. They owners know my order by heart and area always so happy to see me. I think this might be the one and only place I ever have been a "regular." I was amazed that they were featured last week on Groupon. I scooped that deal up ASAP. It is always amazing to get a great deal on something  you would have bought anyway. I am drooling right now just thinking about the fresh fish and my favorite STTR (Spicy Tuna Tempura Roll). Bring on the pickled ginger, wasabi and eel! Now to get myself off the couch, out of these scrubs and ready for dinner out! YUM! Let's Eat!

Babies Babies and more Babies

I just spent a week working nights on Labor and Delivery at the same hospital that Kevin works. This hospital is a baby factory. On a slow night six or more babies are born. It was so fun to be back doing what I love and getting to be a part of bring little ones into this world. As exciting as the actual delivery is, I also love checking in on the new moms and seeing how they are bonding with their little ones. There are plenty of young teen moms and I had so much fun teaching them the importance of a good swaddle. One mom couldn't get over how quickly her little one hushed up once swaddled tight like a little burrito. I am pretty sure that this will never get old. How can anyone not love bringing new little babies into the world. They are so cute. As exhausted as I am and I am EXHAUSTED, I cannot wait for my intern year to start so I can do this full time. Happy Birthday little ones!