Sie-rah

La Norita, mi vida, mi hijita

2012-02-19T08:59:00.003-08:00

Life with Norah is always a surprise and always fun. Well, usually fun. She is unusually determined with a lot (A LOT) of energy. She has a strong sense of self and at times can be quite aggressive and at others quite sweet. Below is a picture of her getting ready to decorate our gingerbread house before Christmas.

Norah loves pink, sparkles, ballet, princess dresses, hearts, cupcakes and ice cream cones. In fact, these topics comprise about 90% of our conversations. She wanted to make pancakes one evening and I thought it might be cute to try to make shapes. (a la Mike Hurst after sleepovers way back in the day.) Well, she was the one who thought of using the cookie cutters! Then she decorated them with sparkly pink heart stickers and put them on her sparkly pink heart plate. We weren't allowed to eat any of them.

One morning she was bored of her breakfast cereal and started drawing on the table with her spoon and milk.

As I mentioned above, Norah really loves ice cream cones! She seems to do everything with passion. I know all toddlers live at the extremes of their emotions but Norah particularly seems to be driven and have an opinion about things. We went to the doctor the other day which Norah is terrified to do. She was really afraid but instead of clinging to me for help, she put both hands on her hips and leaned forward shouting at sweet Dr. Cathy, "NO! I the doctor. You not the doctor, I the doctor!" I, of course, try my best to not allow this behavior but sometimes it is so funny to see such a little person with such spunk that I have to turn my head and laugh so she can't see me before I correct her. Another example is when my parents 130lb dog Porter got a hold of one of Jonas' bottles. I hear her start yelling at him so I turn to find him slinking off with the bottle. Norah looks at me a says, "No, I get it." Then turns to Porter and while tackling him yells, "Porter, you a bad dog! Don't take Baby Jonas' bottle!"

Norah was determined to be a ballerina in this picture. I guess she already knows the importance of pilates to a dancer?!?

Norah is a challenge. She tests my every last nerve. But, when she strokes my face as I tuck her in bed I am filled with a deep rooted love and joy that resets me for the next day. My little Norah, I love you! Thank you for being my daughter!

los hermanos

2012-02-05T13:59:00.001-08:00

I think my favorite thing about being a mom of two so far is seeing how much my kids love each other. Even at just 10 weeks, Jonas' face lights up when he sees Norah. And whenever Norah hears Jonas cry, she drops whatever she is doing and runs as fast as she can to him yelling, "Baby Jonas, I coming, I coming Baby Jonas!" And once she arrives, she strokes his little face and tries to calm him, "Baby Jonas, you okay, you okay. I here, I here."

Jonas Abraham Read

2011-11-19T20:35:00.000-08:00

Our sweet new baby was born on November 11! We are all doing really well and the past 8 weeks have flown by. Norah is adjusting well and things have settled into somewhat of a routine again.

This sweet baby is simply a gift. He is a great little nurser and sleeper. From some of you who may remember my little Norah as a newborn; she was neither of those things. Everything this time around has been so much easier. Its hard to say if its due to experience or circumstance; probably both.

His arrival was a great blessing. I woke up early Friday morning with some mild contractions. I was elated to have gone into labor on my own this time. I made Noah miss his bus because he hadn't packed any of his things for the hospital bag yet. Labor kept progressing and by 4 o'clock I called Noah and told him to catch the next ferry home. He arrived home and was a little frustrated with me that I hadn't called my midwife yet. Especially because my contractions were 5 minutes apart and we were at least an hour away from the hospital because of the ferry! Noah called the midwife for me but when I down-played things she suggested we wait a bit longer. I think Noah was listening to the spirit (and my mother) because this made Noah very, very nervous. He insisted we catch the next ferry right after dinner. So off to the ferry we went, which left about 10 minutes late.

I didn't want to walk about the ferry in labor so we stayed in the car. (Not a great idea either.) With each contraction I would breath so hard that the windows completely fogged. They would clear just in time for another one. We finally arrived in Seattle at 7:55pm. My labor was really starting to pick up by this point with contractions coming every 3-4 minutes. I compared this labor to my previous pitocin labor, and hoped I would be at 5 cm at least. We got to the hospital and I was so shaky I could barely walk. Thankfully the ER triage nurse recognized the urgency of the situation, allowed us to skip the paperwork and called for an orderly to hurry us up to the child birth center in a wheelchair. I have no idea who the man was who took us up, I never saw his face. But I remember the urgency with which he walked. And I remember him reaching down and rubbing my arm during a contraction on the way, as if to say that I could do it and that we were almost there. I really appreciated his gesture then and now.

We got to the room at 8:23pm. The nurse told me to get on the bed. I had a good case of the grumps and responded "I don't want to", but knowing she was going to check my progress I did anyway. Much to our surprise I was at a 9 1/2! My midwife Robin hurried in. I remember feeling very scared and overwhelmed by how fast everything was going but Noah was a great support. I couldn't have done it without him. So, holding Noah's hand a few minutes passed and one more contraction then it was time to push. (Mind you no one was gowned or sterile; and I was still in my street clothes!) Once I felt the urge to push, I think something took over my body. It was pretty remarkable. My water broke with my first push and just a few pushes later Jonas was born. Just 13 minutes after we got to the room at 8:36pm.

Part of me feels slightly embarrassed that we cut it so close. But honestly, my pitocin-induced labor with Norah was so different than this labor; I truly did not appreciate how far along I was. However, Noah was inspired that night to get us to the hospital. If he hadn't looked so worried I wouldn't have conceded to go when we did. (I was determined to avoid being sent away and have to labor at my brother Dickson's house.)

But the rest of the night was almost magical. We were both so relieved and shocked that it was over so soon. Little Jonas was perfect and I felt fantastic. (Mind you with this labor I didn't have an IV, a foley catheter or an epidural!) Little Jonas looks just like Noah to me, with blonde hair, darker blue eyes and Noah's triangle nose and square little jaw, my handsome little prince.

yes, but how

2011-11-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

I found a quote the other day that I wish I could turn into a tea. I would distill it and force my daughter to drink it everyday. I want her to understand what this quote means. It has taken me 30 years to understand this. I want to teach her so many important things, but I am not quite sure how.

I suppose no one is as handsome or as beautiful as he or she wishes, or as brilliant in school or as witty in speech or as wealthy as we would like, but in a world of varied talents and fortunes that we can't always command, I think that makes even more attractive the qualities we can command— such qualities as thoughtfulness, patience, a kind word, and true delight in the accomplishment of another. These cost us nothing and they can mean everything to the one who receives them. —Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

For me what this quote is really about is self acceptance and service. Its about not being perfect and doing our best anyway. There have been so many times in my life when I wanted to do something but didn't because of some fear of inadequacy. Only now in motherhood am I recognizing my own misgivings for the true threat that they are to my personal growth and happiness. Because how great is it when we are unsure but try anyway! However, it is more than likely that Norah already knows this. I just need to help her not forget as she grows up.

Halloween

2011-10-31T18:30:00.000-07:00

Norah wanted to be a ballerina, a princess and a fairy. I think she is swayed by anything pink.

defeat in the name of balance

2011-06-01T21:43:00.000-07:00

Today, I felt defeated.

For lots of reasons but these are the big two.

I have three weeks left of my third year. For those of you unfamiliar with the endurance obstacle course that is medical school, third year tends to be the hardest. I get tired a lot, and with so much to do, more often than not I find my focus is not quite as sharp as it should be.

For example; today my patient was found to have inoperable pancreatic cancer. I came home and told Noah about it. Then I laughed because he didn't notice he was jaundiced. Strike one.

I gave Norah a bath before bed. Afterwards she started shouting at me, standing naked and wet on her changing table, that she did not want to wear a diaper. I told she she had to and she hit me on my face. I was furious. We have been trying SO HARD to keep her from hitting. (Luckily though, so far she only hits me.) I went to put her in her crib, still naked and wet, for a time out. I wasn't gentle enough in my fury and she bumped her head. I'm not sure she was actually hurt as she was frightened by my reaction. Strike two.

I had a fantastic attending on my medicine rotation who shared a piece of wisdom with me. He said the best indication that you have found a balance between family and medicine is that you feel like a failure at both.

I'm not writing this post for sympathy. I just want to express that everything is not always bright and shiny. Sometimes it just sucks. And sometimes I like to let life suck just for a while before I shut down my pity-party and force myself to keep smiling until I actually feel like it.

Dear Ms. Barney,

2011-05-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

Cassandra Barney is my all time favorite artist. (Aside from my cute husband, of course.) I dream of acutally owning one of her paintings many days down the road, after medical school and loan repayment. But for now, I satisfy myself with the few images I can find online and then post them occasionally on my blog. I love this painting, entitled "Pearl and Paloma" because it reminds me of me and my little redhead Norah. My predicament now is that I need a new favorite painting. One with a redheaded mother and two children. But I guess we'll have to wait until November 19 to have one commissioned to see who this second child will be.

Making Christmas Bread

2010-12-21T23:14:00.000-08:00

psychiatry

2010-12-17T19:48:00.000-08:00

My psychiatry rotation was from November thru December. I developed a whole new respect for mental illnesses. Some patients can literally be off the walls and with a little medication be totally normal. I think that is what impacted me the most. To see how debilitating mental illness can be and at the same time what a difference some medications can make. The other thing that struck me was the clustering of tragedy around the mentally ill. These patients are raised by mentally ill parents (unmedicated most of the time) and have such disrupted childhoods that regardless of whether or not they have a mental illness themselves, they have such behavioral problems that they seem to attract more unstable personalities. So they are prone to develop some mental imbalance just from living their lives. The other major obstable for the mentally ill is substance abuse. Drug abuse is practically synomous with mental illness. Of course there are exceptions but our downtown homeless population are almost all using drugs instead of taking anti-psychotics. I almost think they should just put it in the water. Anyway, overall I learned how to not be weirded out when someone starts talking to someone who isn't there and how to not burst out laughing when my patient tells me there are aliens with lasers who are lasering her brain.

There was one thing that really bothered me though. Often psychotic patients become hyper-religious. They often ask for a bible and spend hours reading it while taking copius notes on the messages they are receiving from God. I had one patient that took a red marker and drew a cross on her forhead, claiming that this helped her feel closer to God. This bothers me because they are cleary psychotic and yet what they are doing is so close to what I do. I read scriptures and claim to receive messages from God through the quiet promptings of the Holy Spirit. I claim that God has a special purpose for me just as many of my psychotic patient's do. But, perhaps this hyper-religiosity is helpful for them. Perhaps as their mental illness worsens and it overcomes there agency, they are sent the presence of the Holy Spirit to help them. Perhaps what is disturbing to me is how they manifest the promptings. But regardless of why they tend to hyper-religiosity, surely God is just as willing to help them as anyone else.

I got to go down to a state run psychiatric facility for adolscents. There was a terribly awkward 14 year old girl. She was the youngest of 7 children to a mother who was mentally ill and couldn't quite keep track of everything. She was starting to show signs of early schizophrenia. She was excited to have us there because she was going to sing a solo in a choral performance that day. I have to admit, I didn't think much of it. A few hours later the kids put on their performance. In the middle of the program this awkward young woman, acapella and in perfect pitch, sang three verses of In the Bleak Midwinter. Here are the words she sang;

In the bleak midwinter, frost wind made moan,

earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;

heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign.

In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed

the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ

What can I give him, poor as I am?

If I were a sheperd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

yet what can I give him: give my heart

I was so grateful for the spirit this little girl brought. She has no one in her life, she is institutionalized and a ward of the state and within a few years will be a full blown schizophrenic. Just as the song states, she has nothing to give but she gave Him her heart by baring testimony of Him through her breathtaking rendition of this song. I was so honored to be there.

surgery

2010-11-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

I did my surgery rotation for 6 weeks over September and October. It was fantastic. I got up between 3-4 am almost everyday for 6 weeks, which is the surgery way and I actually did get used to. I saw some of the most disgusting things that were at the same time completely amazing! It was cool to see such heroic efforts to save someones life or make their lives better. The first surgery I got to scrub in on was a huge 16 lb pancreatic tumor. (I think... it was 16cm x 11 cm x 10 cm) The surgeon literally cut the patient in half. It was amazing. And disgusting. I was mesmorized the entire time. The surgery lasted longer than 12 hours. I had to leave before it was completed so I actually don't know how long it lasted.

Surgery is incredibly meticulous. The surgeons make tiny cuts and then spend 5 minutes to stop the bleeding, then make tiny cuts and spent 5 minutes to stop the bleeding, repeat. In all honesty, I think I would be a kickin surgeon. And there are some diseases that only a surgeon can fix. And I wonder, what if I am in Africa and someone has a small bowel obstruction or needs an emergency c-section and I am the only doctor around! So I am realizing that whatever speciality I chose, there are going to be populations of patients that I won't be able to help. And this totally bums me out! Any suggestions?

pediatrics

2010-09-17T21:35:00.000-07:00

I am currently on my pediatrics rotation. I have loved it so far and would like to share a particularly special experience. I live close enough that I get to walk to the hospital every day. I usually listen to a talk from General Conference to help set a good tone for the day. As I walked one morning I was reminded of the importance of listening to the spirit and said a quick prayer that I might see God's hand in the lives of my patients that day. A few days before a baby was admitted to our service who was really sick. After consulting a few different specialties we had a long list of possible diagnoses, not many of which had a good prognosis. In fact, there was only one disease on our list that predicted a normal recovery at all. The rest were full of special diets to minimize mental retardation, severe disability or early death. Well on this particular day while we were visiting with the family I remember feeling the Spirit of God in their hospital room. I'm not saying I knew that the baby would be healed but just that the Holy Spirit was present and providing comfort to that sweet family. Well, fortunately this story has a happy ending and though the baby will need to remain in the hospital for another week or so, in a few months the baby will be totally fine and show no sign of the disease.

I believe that there is a God, that he loves us and blesses us. I feel gratitude knowing that our Father in Heaven is blessing this family. Not just because their baby will be okay but because it seemed like they were willing to appreciate however much time they had together. That is often a greater miracle, to have your faith tried but still maintain it.

I think medicine would be harder if I thought death was the end or if I didn't know the power that comes from prayer. So the moral of this story is, I am grateful that I prayed for greater awareness so that I might see this miracle for myself.

Here are some recent pictures of my little pediatric miracle.

This is Norah and her best friend Evelyn. They kept picking up my yoga ball together while laughing between Evie's exclamtions, "it's too heavy!"

Norah loves feeling the wind on her face! There are perfect spots on the ferry where the wind tunnels up the stairs. I think we spent almost the entire time just going up and down these stairs!

Grandpa let Norah experience the cold puget sound for the first time! She loved it and didn't want to get out! Sometimes I wonder about her ability to feel cold or pain...

Norahisms

2010-07-02T22:47:00.001-07:00

milestones

2010-06-25T16:22:00.000-07:00

Last month my medical school class celebrated our transition from the classroom to the wards. There is a defined social hierarchy in medicine, based on your coat. Medical students in their 1st and 2nd years of school don't get a coat at all. 3rd and 4th year students get a short white coat, lest we get cocky, which easily distinguishes us from our longer-white-coated superiors, residents and attendings. (Who also have those coveted two letters behing their names.) So we had a ceremony where they called us all up on stage, gave us our short white coats and a pat on the back. Anyway, even though it only signifies I have as much to go before me as I have already endured, it still felt fantastic. It felt good to finally recognize all of the hard work I have put in these past years. I have stayed up late, gotten up early, studied during nap times instead of doing the dishes, ignored my dirty bathroom for weeks on end, and loved and hated every second of it.

Norah loves the slide by our house. She hurries up the ladder and launches herself into the tube so quickly I hardly have time to make it to the end of the slide before she comes shooting out.

This last picture her Grandpa Mac took of her running down at the Ballard locks. She is a mover and a lover.

Perpetual Motion

2010-04-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

Rachel stood up! She has a special hard brace she wears but she was able to stand on one foot. She is such a trooper! She still can't sit up because of her sacrum but she is able to stand up and move around a little on one foot. (little = a few feet to use the bathroom, which is a blessing too) So while the pictures of Norah embody perpetual motion, it applies to Rachel too. Rachel's injuries were so severe and yet she is doing miraculously well. Her neurosurgeon told her that even the dura which surrounds her spinal cord was sheared off. (Which is a big deal, epidurals don't even get past the dura, which shows you how close she was to being paralyzed.) Little Rachel, we love you and are cheering you along every step of the way. Keep working hard!

Congratulations Dickson & Mindy

2010-04-09T20:17:00.000-07:00

On Friday, our family welcomed its newest member, Mindy Preston. Dickson and Mindy were sealed in the Salt Lake City Temple. It was a wonderful day, full of happiness. I don't have any pictures of them yet but I do have a wonderful one of Norah with her Grandpa Dave.

Norah was really great on the plane on the way home. (She was a little monster on the way there, the flight was past her bedtime.) This is how she spent most of the flight, being creative like her daddy, while sitting on her daddy.

still worried, but not distraught

2010-04-06T17:43:00.001-07:00

Rachel is doing better but will probably still be hospitalized for the next 1-2 weeks. Her injuries are quite severe but she is extremely lucky they weren't worse. She sustained a burst fracture of L1 (which caused the disc to press on her spinal cord), multiple other fractures of various spinous processes, several fractures on her sacrum, a broken tibia, a shattered ankle and two collapsed lungs with lung contusions. (Lung contusions are like bruises except they can trigger Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome which is sometimes fatal). Right after the accident she was taken to the ER in Baker City Oregon where the doctor who cared for Rachel and Garett happened to be a bishop in our church. He and Garett gave Rachel a blessing, which I am certain is the reason she is one of the few who will have no permanent injuries following such a devastating car accident.

Rachel had surgery on her spine last Saturday, had her chest tubes removed today and will likely have surgery on her ankle on Thursday, during which time they will also do a closed reduction of her sacrum. (Which means they will use their fingers to move the pieces back into place.) Her neurosurgeon told Rachel that she basically broke in half, but that the pieces fell back together correctly so as to spare her spinal cord. She can move her toes but is still missing some sensation on her right leg, which they think will return once all of the swelling subsides. Garett was discharged yesterday and is grateful to be able to spend his time next to his wife, instead of one floor below. Their little dog Moody was traveling with them and doesn't even have a scratch. He was found a mile away from the accident. He stayed at the fire station until my mom and brother were able to drive up and get their things.

We are all so grateful that God protected Rachel that night and continues to inspire those who care for her. It is hard to understand why some are so blessed while others aren't. All I know is that God blesses as many of us as he possibly can, as often as he possibly can. And we are truly grateful for this blessing and for our Rachel.

Worried

2010-04-04T00:07:00.000-07:00

Norah could tell we were worried. She could sense it all day long. We have been worried about my sister, Rachel. She and Garett were in a really bad car accident on their way to visit family last night. Their car rolled several times and Rachel was thrown from the vehicle. She was flown to Boise. By nothing short of blessings from heaven, Rachel appears to have no permanent damage. We feel extremely grateful that she is doing as well as she is. We force a smile, and talk about how blessed we are, but it is still hard to not let the worry show through.

A Reason for Sunglasses in Seattle

2010-02-14T19:25:00.000-08:00

No, it isn't sunny outside. Ever. There isn't an eclipse or heavenly visitor or other bright celestial event. But Norah's joy radiates. She loves being big and doing what I do, wearing what I wear. Have you ever seen a little bug so happy?

This is the face that gets me to let her stay up late to watch the Olympics with us, play with my iPhone even though she deletes some of my applications and give her a bite of my cookie!

Let them eat Cake!

2010-02-04T22:44:00.000-08:00

Let Norah eat cake! My little buggaboo turned 1! So, in the grand American tradition of endemic juvenile type 2 diabetes, we gave her a piece of cake. And she loved it! Here are a few snapshots of our cake-eater. Thanks to my sister for making the cake for her so I could study for my midterm. Rachel, you are a fantastic aunt and sister!

Here are a few things that keep Norah busy these days;

clapping
walking around the house with a blanket over her head
sliding backwards down the stairs; but stopping every couple stairs to look down and make sure she isn't at the bottom yet
handing blocks to Daddy
carrying giant books
wandering wherever she wants when we are outside; she has no sense of self-preservation
sliding down slides
carrying random articles of clothing from one room to another
trying to climb up into the fridge

Here is the video of Norah eating her cake. The beginning is a bit slow as we sing her Happy Birthday but it picks up after that. And don't worry, she still loves her beads, we just took them off for the feast.

Fabulous!

2010-01-29T23:18:00.000-08:00

Norah has started showing her absolutely fabulous fashion sense. She is obsessed with these beads. She always has a pair on, and frequently, puts on all of them. In the morning she walks over to her toy bin, fishes them all out and puts them all on. All by herself. At times when I really need her to be distracted for a minute, I take her beads and put them all over the house. She proceeds to walk from strand to strand putting them on. When she climbs up the stairs, she holds the beads in one hand so she doesn't trip. She won't even glance at other necklaces. I showed her another kind at Target and she would have nothing to do with them. These are her love. These beads are the basis of her signature style.

A Vice of Berries and Swings

2010-01-16T20:29:00.000-08:00

Norah loves berries. She loves raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. This is an average morning in our house. Berries smeared everywhere over the smile of a happy, full, baby girl.

We also love to swing. Everyday it is sunny out (and sometimes when it's not), we try to go swinging before I leave for school.

Having Norah has taught me many things. One of the most poignant is how to have fun. Norah has such a great perspective on life. She loves everyone, has an unquenchable sense of adventure and always wakes up excited. Quite wise for 2 weeks shy of one year old.

Maybe

2009-12-07T14:25:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we took Norah to the Children's Hospital Emergency Department for the second time.

The first time Norah was two days old and had some mild jaundice and dehydration. Oh yeah, and there was the intense, irrational crying on the part of all of us. I remember feeling more exhausted than I ever had my entire life. The first couple days we had her home, I would cry every night at 7:30pm, exactly. As soon as we arrived at the Children's Hospital ED, I felt calm. All my emotions went back into their compartments and I was a reasonable person again.

So yesterday, when we had to take Norah in again, I wasn't surprised when all of that same excitement returned. Norah pulled a can from our shelving unit onto her toe. The force was enough to split her right big toe open! The laceration even went under her toenail! In the end, she didn't need anything and after a nice long nap was back to her normal chipper self!

So the point of this post is to report that Norah is a trooper and that I am considering a subspecialty in pediatrics. I love working with kids for lots of reasons. They are resiliant! They still believe in magic and fairytails. Other reasons I am currently considering peds are 1) I loved my pediatrician. He always made me feel special. and 2) I get super jealous everytime I see someone carrying around a bag with the logo for Seattle Children's Hospital! Maybe that is Noah rubbing off a bit!

Norah Abigail, Angel Unaware

2009-11-27T23:11:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures that Noah took of Norah on the ferry home from my parents after Thanksgiving. He got a great new lens for his birthday. Norah is so much fun these days. She loves cheese, blueberries and jumping up and down on her knees. She is truly the joy of our lives.

Bathing Beauty

2009-11-13T22:30:00.001-08:00

Peru, te quiero!

2009-11-13T20:44:00.001-08:00

We had a fantastic time in Peru. We initially went down for a wedding in Lima. This is a picture from the roof of the home we stayed in.

Here are Carlos and Diana on their civil ceremony wedding day. Also in the picture are the mother and grandmother of the family we stayed with, Gladys and Mommy Chela. Nobody cooks better than Mommy Chela.

And here they are in front of the temple the next day, the day they were married not just for life, but forever. I have never seen two happier people, ever. I know it's hard to see in the picture but this was the best one I have where you can see the temple too. You'll just have to take my word.

After 1 1/2 weeks in Lima, we went south to visit other friends. Our first stop was La Villa. La Villa is 1.5 miles inland from Pisco, which was the epicenter of the August 2007 earthquake. Japan first registered the earthquake at 8.4 on the richter scale. However, according to the locals, the Peruvian government rated the earthquake at 7.9. A reading of 8.0 is the threashold requiring the government to declare a national emergency. Here are some pictures of La Villa (top) and the homes of those who moved there after the earthquake destroyed their homes in Pisco (bottom).

After our trip down South, we flew from Lima into Cusco. Here is a picture of my brother, Dickson, flying Norah around La Plaza de Armas in Cusco.

While in Cusco we toured our way through the mountains to Aguas Calientes. Here is a picture of the Sacred Valley.

This picture was taken at the top of Ollantaytombo. The bottom picture was taken of us at the bottom waiting for others to come down. Norah entertained herself and everyone else the whole time.

This is a picture of the hotel room we stayed in. They didn't have a crib for Norah so my brother engineered this "hammock" between the two beds. I was surprised by how great she slept!

Here is the view from our hotel room in Aguas Calients.

I love this next picture. We spent 4 hours hiking around Machu picchu. My mom took a quick break at the bottom of a long staircase. The rocks were quite uneven, which made going down harder than going up!

Here is a fantastic picture of the view of the surrounding mountains from Machu Picchu.

Sleepy Halloween

2009-10-31T20:19:00.000-07:00

Norah was absolutely adorable in her first Halloween costume. She was a snugly orange & pink dinosaur! We had such a fun time at the Trunk-o-Treat. I know she can't wait to run around like crazy next year! Even though she hates wearing hats, she permitted us to keep the hood/head part up the entire night! She did poop out early though. Here she is asleep on Noah's shoulder.

a skirt disaster!

2009-10-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow bloggers!

I am in desperate need of some new skirts. So I need some new places to shop—
Where is your favorite place to buy skirts/dresses?

A million THANK YOUs!

Jungle gym, jungle Norah!

2009-10-14T22:14:00.000-07:00

fireworks

2009-09-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

for a long time
there were only your footprints and laughter in our dreams
and even from such small things
we knew we could not wait to love you forever

Peru, je t'aime

2009-09-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

We went to Peru in August. It was fantastic! We originally went down for the beautiful wedding of Carlos and Diana. However we realized that we probably won't get down to Peru very often so we extended the trip and went to Cusco and Machupicchu as well. We had SO much fun and Norah did great. It turns out Peruvians love little red-headed girls!

Defiance

2009-08-02T17:20:00.000-07:00

We spent yesterday hiking around Point Defiance. We had a great time and Norah loved playing with Daddy's hair.

Here is a picture of me and Norah before we left. Norah wasn't quite sure what to make of the carrier pack but she loved it in the end.

I just can't help myself

2009-07-06T11:58:00.001-07:00

I found this garden yeti on sale in the in-flight magazine when I flew to Salt Lake City last month. I couldn't help but laugh. Out loud! Oh, Skymall, where else would we waste one hundred perfectly good dollars without you? And where would my garden be without a yeti to protect it?

My New Favorite Sound

2009-05-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

Norah laughed tonight! We were eating dinner and she started to miss our attention in her swing so Noah picked her up and held her in his lap. We continued our conversation and started laughing about something together and she started squeaking! I hurried to grab the video camera to capture this milestone and this is what we got. Enjoy! She is so much fun!

norah borah, she's getting so big...

2009-05-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

Norah loves being big-- doing big things, like big kids do. She loves to try and sit up, stand up while holding hands and reaching for things. She smiles a ton, talks to me all the time and is started to giggle. She doesn't seem to like her pacifier much anymore but loves to gum on her hands or anyone's who'll let her! She is such a joy these days.

Por fin!

2009-05-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

Finally, I was able to catch her smiling with my phone! Everytime I try to take her picture with Noah's nice digital SLR she just looks curiously at the camera instead of smiling at me!

Norah and the Dog

2009-05-12T15:17:00.000-07:00

12 weeks old

2009-04-29T21:58:00.000-07:00

The Girl Effect

2009-04-16T23:17:00.000-07:00

When women and girls earn income, they reinvest 90 percent of it into their families, as compared to only 30 to 40 percent for a man.

Medical complications from pregnancy are the leading cause of death among girls ages 15 to 19 worldwide.

Out of the world’s 130 million out-of-school youth, 70 percent are girls.

75 percent of 15 to 24 year-olds living with HIV in Africa are female.

When a girl in the developing world receives seven or more years of education, she marries four years later and has 2.2 fewer children.

An extra year of primary school boosts girls’ eventual wages by 10 to 20 percent. An extra year of secondary school:15 to 25 percent.

Research in developing countries has shown a consistent relationship between better infant and child health and higher levels of schooling among mothers.

A survey in India found that girls who married before age 18 were twice as likely to report being beaten, slapped, or threatened by their husbands as were girls who married later.

I have always dreamed of changing the world. It looks like the Girl Effect actually might.

...because she gets cuter every day

2009-04-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

Truth and Fiction, and Fiction and Fiction

2009-04-05T22:43:00.000-07:00

In a recent issue of Women's Health Magazine there was an article ranking the best US cities for women. I was proud to see Salt Lake City ranked in at #1 and my lovely Seattle at #3. I got my undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University, a short drive south of Salt Lake. I was somehow satisfied with knowing that I had lived in two of the best cities for women. Because, that must mean I am healthy.

My contentment, however, was short lived. The article also included an illustration depicting elements of each of the ranked cities. I quickly noticed the Space Needle representing my current home. What would the magazine choose to represent Salt Lake City? Perhaps the Salt Lake Temple, skiing, the mountains or even the Great Salt Lake. If you look hard enough, the temple is present, behind the cartoon polygamist. As a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is headquartered in Salt Lake City, my heart fell. It saddens me that the first association of an organization that has done so much good is a cheap shot at a practice that was discontinued over one hundred years ago. It also frustrates me that this magazine would risk alienating LDS readers and propagate the false notion that Mormons practice polygamy.

Whether or not those at Women's Health Magazine intended this subtle prejudice, it is in poor taste and inflammatory at best. While the controversial Muhammad cartoons were intended as satire, this illustration was intended to inform and to those of us who know better, is frankly offensive.

Those of you who don't know much about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please feel free to check out this website to learn more. You will find that Mormons strive towards building happy homes and communities, serving the poor and living each day in emulation of Jesus Christ.

Tolerance

2009-04-05T21:59:00.000-07:00

I am grateful for Noah's tolerance. He is often more patient than I deserve. Here are some pictures I find hilarious that illustrate a time when I helped him develop more patience. You're welcome Noah!

The Missing Link

2009-04-05T16:26:00.001-07:00

Norah's Uncle Kelan bought her this little Link doll from the Legend of Zelda. He has taken the oath of the nerdy uncle to do his duty to nerdify her. Apparently I was the wrong kind of nerd, no twelve sided dice or hours wasted playing video games. I guess I was the productive type? Anyway, thanks Kelan! As you can see, she already loves it!

Her Eyes Smile

2009-03-31T19:42:00.001-07:00

When she smiles, her eyes smile. When she smiles, my heart smiles. When she smiles, I don't mind the up all night, the crying and refusing nurse. When she smiles, my heart soars. She just won't smile for the camera.

Rollie Pollie Baby

2009-03-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

I took these pictures with my phone, so though they aren't the best quality, they describe a day in my life with my Norah.

We spend lots of time nursing. Many times its a battle, if she doesn't fall asleep then she often gets mad when the milk runs low or if it begins to flow too slowly. And though I say mad, it may be that she is sad and trying to cry. But without tears, she just seems angry! However, when we're in the groove she often covers her face while she eats. Norah also loves to cross her legs while she nurses. I knew she was polite!

This is the face she gives me when she's done and wants me to stop trying to get her to eat.

This is how she loves to sleep. We don't let her sleep like this anymore though because we've discovered her free arms like to wander and wake her up-- this translates into less sleep for mom! So though she often fights being swaddled with her arms tucked in, she likes it in the end!
And so do I.

Feminine Goddess

2009-03-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

Who wants something for free?

My friend Chelsy is going to give me something for free. I don't know what it is and I don't know when in the next year I'll get it, but she's going to make it for me.

So, I am offering to give some of you something for free, in the next year, that I have made.

The first 5 people to respond win. However, those lucky 5 have to be willing to do the same on their blogs. So, who will the lucky 5 be?

Let the contest begin!

I'm a Mom!

2009-02-10T14:29:00.000-08:00

Norah Abigail Read
February 4th, 2009 at 11:06 am

It was 8 o'clock in the morning when my water broke. I hurried and called Labor & Delivery and once they told me to come in soon to confirm the rupture, my mind began scrolling through the list of people I could call for a ride to the hospital. Noah had the car on the other side of the Sound (the Puget Sound, at least a 35 minute ferry ride and 25 minute drive away!) Luckily my friends Lindsey and John came to my rescue. Once L&D confirmed it was indeed amniotic fluid running down my legs, I was admitted and couldn't leave the hospital! I didn't even think to bring the hospital bag with me but I did have my laptop in case I could sneak away to class (it was just one floor down!) This is a picture of Lindsey with Norah.

The problem with your water breaking early is the race against the clock to prevent infection. My midwife wanted to use a cervical effacer to augment labor but the attending OB wouldn't sign off on it since it would have to be inserted into a place we were trying to keep sterile. By noon I was hooked up to a pitocin IV without the slightest hint of a real contraction! This was not how I'd imagined my labor! Not much happened over the next several hours. Around 9 o'clock I took some ambien to get some sleep. By 1:30 I was awake and contracting! Wow, they were coming fast and strong! I'd hopped into the birth tub but wasn't getting much relief. My midwife checked my cervix around 3:30 am and, much to my dismay, I was only dilated 2.5 cm! You've got to be kidding, I thought! I only had about 30 seconds of down time between each contraction and I decided it was time to throw in the towel, bring me the meds!

Fortunately, anesthesiology came quickly. I had three contractions just while the attending was trying to explain the risks. At that point, does anyone care? Actually, the reason they were able to come so quickly was because there was a woman in line ahead of me who said that they could come place my epidural first! Thank you mystery woman! Once the epidural was administered I felt great. I could still feel the contractions but they were painless relative to what I'd just been through.

I was able to get a couple more hours of sleep. By 9 o'clock the morning of February 4th, my midwife checked my progress and I was completely effaced and completely dilated, which was a surprise to everyone. We decided to let me rest a bit longer while they got things in order before we started pushing. (My nurse was training a newbie as was my midwife, yes that is 4 people telling me what to do in addition to my mom, sister and Noah) We started pushing around 10:15 am and Norah was born at 11:06 am. Today, she is a week old. As soon as she was born they put her on my chest. I was so surprised! When my midwife told me I was doing a good job of pushing I didn't really believe her. I thought my support team was just being encouraging. So when they started to gown up, I said, "already?" And once Norah was born I just looked at Noah and shouted, "Look, at our baby! I just had a baby!"

The next little bit was a blur. Noah learned how to bath and swaddle her while I was stitched up for the next hour and a half. I ended up tearing in three places. I labored more quickly than they anticipated so they didn't have time to take measures to prevent the tearing, which made my mother furious. But, no pain, no gain and I have gained the most precious thing in the world. I had no idea how much I would love being Norah's mom.

Little Norah is doing well. My milk seems to be taking its sweet time to come in, but other than that we are doing great. She has brought me all these new feelings, of confidence and doubt, of responsibility and dependence on Noah. It has been a wonderful journey so far. I have already learned lots. And more surprising, I discovered that I never really liked my nose, until I saw it on my daughter.

So, all you wonderful moms out there (and those of you who think you know anyway) bring on the advice!

NEWS FLASH!!!!

2009-02-03T17:12:00.000-08:00

This is Noah. Sierra's water broke this morning and we're in the hospital at the moment on a Pitocin drip. The induced contractions are just starting to be kind of painful. This baby is coming one way or another, keep us in your prayers. I will probably update as I'm able until we have an arrival.

Mixing motherhood and medical school

2009-01-26T21:44:00.001-08:00

For me, the most important things happen quickly. I think God plans it this way so I don't have time to change my mind. I received my mission call one month after deciding to serve. I met Noah and three months later we were planning our wedding. But my decision to have a baby produced the speediest turn around yet.

Each spring the medical school sponsors a night called "Maybe a Baby" when students share the pros and cons of having a baby during school. This past April the Maybe a Baby night fell on a Wednesday. We knew we wanted to have a baby during medical school, but I assumed we would wait until my fourth year. However, we walked away from "Maybe a Baby" thinking "maybe now!" Thursday we decided to go to the temple to ask for confirmation of what we were feeling. Friday morning I called the clinic at 7:30am to have my birth control removed. They had an opening in 45 minutes, could I come over then? I showered and hurried to the appointment that would leave me completely vulnerable. It was all happening so quickly! One week later I was pregnant. We didn't officially know for another month but from idea to conception, this decision took a week.

My pregnancy has been a faith filled gauntlet. The Monday after I found out I was pregnant I started my summer research project, which was thankfully modified to avoid mutating my baby. The nausea hit a week later. I would eat breakfast just in time to throw it up and catch the bus down to the hospital each day. But the researchers I worked with couldn't have been more understanding. They were all women and most had been pregnant! Luckily, the worst of it was over by the time school started again and I needed to resemble a living person for more than eight hours a day.

Deciding how to expand my schedule was another miracle. My school allows students to expand their second year of classes over two years to allow extra time for research or children. However, because of some rescheduling of classes between the second and first year curriculum, it turned out that I would not be able to take off the quarter my baby is born. The culprit was the musculoskeletal anatomy class. In previous years it had been taught for 8 hours once a week. I cried. How could I possibly leave my newborn for 8 hours? Heavenly Father intervened. Now, the 2 hour lecture is taught on Tuesdays and the 2-3 hour lab is taught on Thursdays. My mother was quick to my rescue. She just happens to have Tuesdays and Thursdays off and is a physical therapist. (For those of you who don't know, living with her is like living a musculoskeletal anatomy lecture every day.) She volunteered herself as the perfect baby sitter and tutor in one excited blonde package.

Housing was a headache too. Due to an annoying rule that is no longer in force, I had to move out of my previous apartment once I reached my third trimester, but was however uneligible to move into family housing until I was in my third trimester. And here's the rub, my third trimester began in the middle of a quarter, when no one is moving. Well, Heavenly Father must have had this one in the works for a while because two weeks before we were supposed to move out, the tight lipped family housing lady called to offer us an apartment. We could move in on October 31st, technically a week before my third trimester began.

So, seeing this pattern of divine intervention, it's understandable that I thought I could pray my baby here, right. She isn't due until the 31st but I wanted her to come on the 23rd. There is a research conference in California so I don't have any classes this week and I thought the 23rd would be perfect. So why isn't she here yet? Then finally it hit me. Finally, after 9 months of miracles I understand. Heavenly Father is perfectly willing to help me mix motherhood and medical school. However, motherhood comes first. He isn't helping me just so I can check two boxes off on my list of life accomplishments. It will still be a sacrifice and it will still be difficult. But, if I put motherhood first, He will increase my capacities and help me fit medical school into the gaps between.

Enduring the Miracle

2009-01-23T06:32:00.000-08:00

I lay awake, my Noah is softly snoring next to me. My daughter nudges my ribs inside of me. Time is ticking by. Everyone says to sleep as much as possible. My mind traces the branches and divisions of the brachial plexus, the network of nerves that innervate the arms. I miss my once normal median nerves that are now pinched as they pass through the carpal tunnel into my hands. The internet tells me it should go away when I deliver my baby. In the meantime I wear black braces. My due date is still a week away. I lay here and all I can think about is scrubbing my bathtub. Which is weird because I hate cleaning my bathtub. I should just get up and do it, I'm not sleeping anyway. I start to think about my daughter's brachial plexus. The extensor and flexor muscles that we are studying right now are so little in her. But they will all work, a perfectly woven masterpiece of differently differentiated tissues. My mom says that I need to have a heart-to-heart with her, that she is probably afraid to come because birth is unknown and scary. She says that I need to explain to her that it will be hard for her and for me but that we will get through it together. My mother has always been the strong and courageous one and now it is my turn to be strong and courageous for my daughter. But if she could just come soon, I wouldn't be awake thinking about her. I would be awake with her. Oh, I hope she comes soon! Then my miracle would be here, in my arms, the same arms whose nerves were pinched while I was waiting for her to come.

I am the Lion

2009-01-10T17:11:00.000-08:00

If I were a character from the Wizard of Oz, I would be the Lion. I could never be Dorothy, I like adventures that take me away from home. The Tin-man is out because all my pregnancy hormones have proven indisputably that I have a heart. And, I have too much pride to admit wanting a brain like Scarecrow. Nope, I am Lion and just like our cowardly, cuddly friend, I wish for courage. I wish I had more courage. I still have a hard time talking to people I don't know. Asking a questing in class is almost impossible for me. I even rarely answer questions in relief society. Why am I like this? You see friends, I love to be right and I care what others think about me. So, I tend to stay quiet instead of exposing my fallible face. Also, I often have lots of ideas of things to post that never make it into the web-world because I worry that some readers would disagree, judge me or care about my opinion at all. I have gotten into some bad habits and I want my daughter to be better than me. I want to be a good example to her. So, my first step in developing courage is to practice courage in my blogging. I am going to post this without worrying about what people will think or asking Noah to check it for content and grammar. (Even as I sit here and nervously chew my nails.) And, this is the kicker, I am even going to post a pregnancy picture, something a Sierra-Lion would never do. So, pat on the back to me. I am taking my first steps to develop more courage.

If you give a dog a carrot

2008-11-13T16:17:00.000-08:00

A while ago my mom read a book called "The China Study." It talks about the health benefits of a vegan diet and the increased disease risk associated with consuming animal products. She decided she wouldn't want to subject her beloved dogs to heart disease, cancer or diabetes. Instead of giving them bones made of pig skin (yuk!) she would give them carrots. So what happens when you give a dog a carrot? He brings it to you when you come over to visit!

My Precious Alien Pirate

2008-10-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

Six weeks ago I had my first ultrasound. It showed that we are having an adorable healthy little girl. Doesn't she look perfect in this picture? So agreeable and content floating in her amniotic atmosphere, patiently waiting for birth. Already we could tell she would be the perfect child, the perfect addition to our already perfect life. However, a few minutes into the ultrasound her true self was revealed, she's no perfect daughter, she's an alien!

Now I am fairly certain of my origin but it looks like Noah's just came into question! She looks a little reminiscent of those unwelcome visitors from the movie Signs that scared me for two weeks. One of the scarier things is she looks like she only has one eye. Apparently the sound waves get reflected off of the nasal bone making her look like the fiercest and more feared of alien fiends, an alien pirate! Arrr! Oh no! With the combination of my normal compliment of chromosomes and Noah's apparently aberrant number, we might have actually created a little monster! But isn't she a cute monster? She's even polite. As she yawned, her little alien hand came up to cover her little alien mouth. Who knew alien pirates were so well behaved?

Exciting News!

2008-06-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

We found out the same day I aced my parasitology final! How ironic!

The story of hairs, furs and fun.

2008-03-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

Hello again world! It's time for an update!
- Noah's hair is awesome! Well, was. Now he is buzzed and shaven.
- This week I am starting my last quarter of my first year of medical school! This really isn't saying much but it does feel good to have done well so far!
- I am taking a class called Spanish for Health Professionals. Tonight was our first class and our teacher made it very clear that we were going to learn how to help a Latina deliver a baby. Que padre!
- We dog sat for some friends in our ward this last week. I think it was a good practice run for kids one day. Noah would even ask how the "girls" were when he called on his way home from school.
- My sister Rachel and her husband Garett bought a house! None of the other siblings are really surprised that she turned out resembling a true adult first. Also, Rachel graduated from college! Huzzah! Go make some money!
- One of the water lines in our apartment broke today and Noah and I came home to two huge drying machines in our apartment. Luckily, we can't seem to find anything wet. I guess that is what the two huge drying machines were for. By the way, we are loving our apartment in Seattle. We have tons a great cheap Indian restaurants within walking distance. What else could a young poor married couple want?

Well, that's the update for now. Blessings and well wishes to all!

If I close my eyes, I think I'll make it

2007-12-01T22:53:00.000-08:00

There were a couple second year medical students that attended our orientation retreat this August. They seemed so wise, so capable. They gave us study tips, told us which books to buy and told us to not try to live a normal life until anatomy was over half way through our first quarter. All we had to do was hold on and keep breathing. Anatomy has been over for almost six weeks now. They were right. I made it. And in two weeks I'll have finished my first round of medical school finals. So why are my knuckles still white? Maybe one stress has simply replaced another. In anatomy, I was cracking through the floor of the anterior fossa and pulling out the orbital fat to learn the muscles and innervations of the eye. Now, I am learning how to recognize signs of sexually abused children and the steps of calling Child Protective Services. Sometimes I wonder if I really knew what I'd signed up for. Sometimes I don't.

I should be studying right now. It's 11pm on a Saturday and I was studying the histology of the endocrine system. Noah is in the next room drawing and watching an old Led Zeppelin concert. But I keep thinking about other things. I keep thinking about how naive I was before medical school. I wonder how naive I'll think I am now when I'm done. Will I be the one to tell an old woman her husband died and she now has to live alone? Will I neglect a battered woman's signal to me during a visit because she was too afraid to be obvious in front of her husband and I was too rushed to notice? I think about these things now. Sometimes I wonder if I really knew what I'd signed up for. Sometimes I don't.

Because I also think about other things. Everyday there are miraculous recoveries. I've met patients with lifelong debilitating diseases who soak up everyday, grateful to be alive. There is good and bad in everything and medicine is no exception. So I'm resolved to look for the good. To be thankful for the blessings in the lives of my patients. The more I learn about medicine, the stronger my testimony grows of my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. With them, I think that I'll make it. If I focus on the good, and close my eyes when its scary, I'll become a blessing to my patients. Now, if I can just get through lymphatics.

Medical School Amnesia

2007-11-24T13:12:00.000-08:00

Back in August I decided to start a blog. As you can see. Well, the next week or so I started medical school. A lot has happened that I would have wanted to post. The ironic thing is that the times when you have a lot to share, are the times when you have no time to share them. So, seeing as it is the last day of my Thanksgiving break, it is a good time for me to try and remember all of the cool things that have happened.

My sister's boyfriend/fiance returned from his tour in Iraq and they are getting married December 13th! Hooray for her! (He is in the Navy.)
My brother Dickson started his MBA program at Seattle University. He is going to night school while he continues to work full time as an Engineer for Boeing.
Noah continues to amaze everyone with his art. He is working really hard and has straight A's!
We found another apartment and are moving! This is a huge deal for me since I was in school 40 hours a week and then commuting another 20 hours a week. Now I might have half a chance at keeping up with all of the coursework!
I assisted on a c-section of a beautiful baby girl. That was amazing!!!
I dissected an entire human body. A very weird experience at first that slowly grew into a constant state of awe. For a couple of reasons: 1) the human body was fantastically engineered and 2) my cadaver had enough forethought in life to give behind an incomparable gift. She gave us her body so that we might learn from it and apply the knowledge to help others. Now thats charity that never fails.

We have much to be grateful for, especially me. May everyone also feel that same gratitude this season and afterward too.

Rav 4 Woes

2007-08-18T21:39:00.001-07:00

As many of you already know, Noah and I are in Salt Lake visiting family before the big school year starts. This will be my first year of medical school and our first time playing the game where we only see each other for two hours each evening! Well, it looks like our comfortable two car family is down to one. The timing belt on our Rav 4 broke and since we don't have an extra $3,000.00, my old Toyota Camry will be our trusty vehicle for the next forever. So, good bye dear Rav, you were great.