Todd

We almost have a toddler on our hands!

Steps

I probably should wait to write this post when I have video proof, but Luke took his first significant steps today. I previously reported that he took two steps a couple of times last week, but this was more like true toddling, comprised of about four or five steps before grabbing my leg for support. I cheered and clapped wildly, but he didn't seem to have any idea what the fuss was about. Since the time has come, I hope he picks it up quickly, because he's getting awfully heavy to carry around!

Stay tuned for a video sometime in the next whenever.

Home sweet home

We've had a busy week!

Last weekend we went to Salt Lake City to house hunt, probably for a rental because what are the chances we'd find something to buy in just two days. We saw ten houses and fell in love with one. It happens to be about 4 blocks from our old house. Good thing we loved the neighborhood. So, if all goes well, this house will become our home when we move back in July. There aren't many Cape Cod style houses in Salt Lake, so this will remind us that we're a New Englander and a New Yorker at heart.

Three new things

Three new things Luke did in the past few days (and three unrelated cute pictures of him):

1. Took two steps on his own (repeated twice, with a fall in between)
2. Clapped his hands with purpose
3. Climbed up a few stairs

Along for the glide

This is how you cross country ski with a 10-month old.

Keith did most of the hauling but I tried it out for a kilometer or two and, since Keith is a better photographer than I am, here we are:

A doctor... with a job!

It's official: we're moving back to Utah.

You already knew that, but just today Keith finally signed his contract with the Department of Dermatology at the University of Utah! He has a dual appointment as a dermatopathologist and a Mohs surgeon. Because it's an academic program, he'll also be an assistant professor.

It is the perfect job for him and for his unique set of sub-specialties. That's the good part about going back to a place where you trained -- they are more likely to do things like create a position just for you.

After 11 years of medical training, it's hard to believe that Keith's long road to this point is coming to an end.

All of the steps have been very, very challenging and I'm very, very proud of him.

Keith and I started dating when he was applying to medical school. That was so long ago that he had to fill out the applications with a typewriter... an actual typewriter, with a white-out ribbon. I vividly remember sitting in the kitchen of his crappy Brighton apartment helping him type those things... and using the white-out ribbon -- a lot.

And I fondly remember the day he was accepted. He was on the wait list and got the call a few days before classes started, so it was a happy, crazy rush for him to close out his praying-to-get-into-med school life in Boston and rush out to Syracuse.

Then of course there was the five years that we lived 300 miles apart, trading off on the 10-hour roundtrip weekend trips. And all of the stress about whether he could nab one of the highly competitive dermatology residency spots.

More stress around the two --also competitive-- fellowship spots. Countless hours of studying for important tests. Frequent car trouble. Frequent exhaustion. Lots and lots of our own money spent traveling to interviews and moving back and forth across the country. And millions of huge medical books that are getting really heavy to move around. An obscene amount of paperwork -- especially this year, with the whole Canada thing. Now, 11 years later, he [finally] has a job that I think will be perfect and very rewarding for him. Did I mention that I'm proud? And relieved :-)

To recap what he's been doing all that time, including the locations, here you go:

- 4 years med school (Syracuse and Binghamton, NY)

- 1 year post-sophomore fellowship in pathology (Syracuse)

- 1 year internship (Boston)

- 3 years dermatology residency (Salt Lake City)

- 1 year dermatopathology fellowship (Chicago)

- 1 year Mohs surgery fellowship (Vancouver)

Moving back to Utah (possibly for a long time) is a little bittersweet for me, as I'll be 2,000 miles from my family and closest friends.

But, what can I say, we really like it there.

So, to get you ready, I'm going to get a little Utah quiz together, which I'll post soon. You might want to start studying, though you won't need 11 years.

Whidbey Island

Yesterday we returned from an Easter weekend road trip to Seattle and Whidbey Island, a quiet country island off the coast of Washington. The trip started off a bit slow as we waited at the US/Canada border for two and a half hours on Friday morning. It turns out that the combination of the 4-day Canadian Easter weekend + the Canadian dollar inching ahead of the US dollar = tons of British Columbians flocking to Washington state to shop!

After a fun afternoon and night in downtown Seattle (including two fantastic meals!), we drove and hopped a ferry to Whidbey Island. We stayed in a neat little cabin with a deck and hot tub overlooking Penn Cove, which is known for spectacular mussels. And since we love hot tubs AND mussels so much, of course we had to get a big pot of mussels and eat them while lounging in the hot tub!

Luke enjoyed time at the beach, where he tried to touch every single smooth rock (and surprise! tried to eat a few). He also giggled his way through a short Easter morning hike riding in the pack on Keith's back.

It was a nice weekend and I'm glad we were able to explore another lovely spot in the Pacific Northwest.