After the Boards

For quite some time now I've been saying, "I'll do that after the boards." Well, life after the boards is here! After a very long day at the Seattle Airport Hilton, I am done. I don't know how it went--the first half I was sure I failed. The second half went relatively well. The good news is that I don't find out until January, so I can live in ignorant bliss until then.

Thanks to everyone who sent me your prayers, good vibes, karma and thoughts. It helped.

A sampling of the things I am going to do: read Healthy Sleeping Habits, Happy Child and start working on Ella's sleeping; read a book for fun; buy new jeans; clean out some drawers; post the pasta bit for the food storage website; go walking; start working out; cook; get my hair done; make Ella a Halloween costume...or just let her wear the "I Want My Mummy" onesie; go back to work. I finally feel like residency is over, and am excited to live a grown up life.

Double Tag

I am officially saturated from studying (at least for today...) and Ella is sleeping, so I thought I'd catch up on my "tags."

Quirks

1. I have fingers of steel and a self-preservation instinct that isn't very strong. It is not uncommon for me to grab a pan without a hot pad, try and fish something out of boiling water with my hands, or some other silly maneuver that involves high heat and bare hands.

2. I drink hot water. Plain hot water. I'm often cold and find a hot beverage a quick way to warm my core. I used to make hot chocolate, tea, or some other socially acceptable beverage but eventually I learned that all I really needed was the hot water. I got more than a few odd looks when I filled my Nalgene with the red tab in the resident's lounge.

3. I edit my blog obsessively. I almost always change something after I've posted. They are typically small edits: I'll add or remove a comma, change a word, adjust the spacing.

4. I remember what people wear. I'm not as bad as I used to be, but I can almost always remember what someone was wearing when I visited them. (Example: When I visited with Thayer last she was wearing a purple tee with a silver horse on it over a long sleeved grey shirt, khaki pants and running shoes. Chris was wearing a Block Island sweatshirt and jeans.)

5. I am horrible with names, even people I know well. But I am good at remembering their stories. I recently had to take role in Relief Society, and it was filled with things like, "Recently went and visited a ranch" instead of names.

6. I have poor spatial awareness. Ryan can't stand to walk with me because I don't walk in a straight line. For this reason I don't let Ella sleep with me--I just might roll onto her without even knowing it.

Well, Ella is now awake. I'll have to get to the other tag later.

Big Day

So on Monday I take the American Board of Pediatrics Certifying Examination, affectionately known as "the boards." I am really excited to be done with this so I can stop spending every spare minute studying (well, not every minute...I guess I am blogging right now.) The thing is, I'd really like to pass. It would be really great if I didn't have to retake this thing next year. And seeing as the national pass rate is in the 70s, I thought I'd call in a few prayers to boost my odds. In exchange I'll tell you some of the useful, and not so useful, things I've been learning.

• If your water heater is set to 150 degrees it will only take 2 seconds to cause a 3rd degree burn
• 80% of toddlers tantrum once a week
• Proteus causes an elevated urine pH and is found with kidney stones
  
• The formula to calculate the correct endotracheal tube size is as follows: age in years/4 + 3 for a cuffed tube and age in years/4+ 4 for an uncuffed tube
• If you happen to have a liver abscess, and you've recently been in the Amazon, consider Entamoeba Histolytica as a likely cause.

A big thanks to everyone who has helped me out already. I am actually feeling mostly okay about the test. And I am very grateful for all the prayers and babysitting that has helped me calm and prepare.


In other news, Ella continues to grow. She's turned into a little fatty, but we love her anyway. She had her 2 month visit yesterday and weighs in at 9 lbs 12 ounces (40%ile) and is 21 inches long (20%ile). Like I said, a little fatty. But she's been a happy little girl as of late, and sleeping much better, so I'll take it.

We almost captured a smile here. Almost.

First Friends

Ella has made some new friends. She is very excited to get bigger so she can play with her new pals.

Avery and Ella are 4 months apart, which is fun because Avery's Dad and Ella's Mom are also 4 months apart, and were friends from the beginning.

"Big Trav" giving "Baby Al" some Easter cookies.

Ella and Lily are only a week apart. Ella's jealous of Lily's gorgeous hair and her ability to sleep for long stretches during the night.

There are a few more buddies that Ella is sure she will be friends with...Kate, Ethan, Bea, Ros, Ty, Cole and Beck. Here's to many a playdate!

Good Eats

Per request, here are the recipes for the Lasagna and the Raspberry bars we had at Ella's blessing. Thanks, Mom!

Lasagna
1 T olive oil

1 minced onion

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 garlic clove

28 oz crushed tomatoes

28 oz diced tomatoes

1/4 t oregano

1/8 t red pepper flakes

1/2 lb ground pork--I think I used 1 lb of each meat

1/2 lb ground beef

Cook tomatoes until acid cooks off. Add everything else and simmer.

Filling

15 oz ricotta

1 1/4 c grated parmesan

1/2 c minced fresh basil

1 egg

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1 pkg no boil lasagna noodles

1 lb shredded mozarella

Mix ricotta, parmesan, basil, egg, salt and pepper.

Spread 1/4 c tomato sauce in 9 x 13 pan. Place 3 noodles on top. Then 3 T ricotta mixture on each noodle. Spread. 1 c mozzarella. layer 2 more times. For final layer--noddles, sauce, mozarella and then parmesan. cover with foil and bake 15 min at 375. Remove foil and bake about 25 min--until cheese is brown and sauce is bubbly. Let set 10 minutes.

Raspberry Streusel Bar with Lemon Cream Filling

1 c unsalted butter, softened

3 c flour

1 1/2 c old fashioned oats

1 1/2 c brown sugar

1 t salt

1 t baking powder

1 egg, separated

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 c fresh lemon juice

2 t lemon zest

2 1/2 c fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil, leaving a 1" overhand. Lightly butter foil.

Combine flour, oats, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut in butter. Reserve 2 c of crumbs for topping.

Blend egg white into remaining crumbs and press into bottom of the pan. Bake the crust 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the condensed milk, lemon juice, zest and egg yolk. Let stand for five minutes until thickened.

Sprinkle raspberries evenly over hot crust and then drop spoonfuls of the lemon mixture over the berries. Spread gently with a spatula to distribute a little more evenly. Be careful not to crush the berries. Bake until the lemon mixture begins to form a shiny skin, 1-8 minutes.

Sprinkle reserved topping over the lemon raspberry layer, pressing the streusel between your fingers into small lumps as you sprinkle. Bake until filling is bubbling at the edges and topping is brown--about 25-30 minutes.

Let bars cool in the pan for about an hour. Refrigerate until firm. Lift out using the foil overhang and cut into squares.

Dressed in White

We had a big day on Sunday--the first snow of the year and Ella's blessing. She was a perfect baby for most of the day, and didn't make a peep during the blessing. We had a great dinner after church with family and friends (minus those who had to beat the snow so they could get back to Idaho). Thanks to everyone who came!

Family Photo

We had a nice Conference Sunday, spending it with Grandma Sue and Grandpa Paul. We decided to take the long way home, over Guardsman Pass. It was absolutely beautiful and we took the opportunity to get our first real family photo. You can't see Ella as much as I'd like... maybe next time.