day 1 (again)

The first day never fails to intimidate the pants off me.  Feels just like the first day of med school, again and again.  Starting today and for the next 16 weeks, I am in clinic full-time.

I’m starting with pediatric dermatology.  As rotations go, it’s fairly chill and the hours are good.  Yet it’s only the first day and I am exhausted…happy, but tired.  I am optimistic that things will improve once I get back into the routine, and I already feel like my stress level has dramatically decreased because now I know that our childcare plan seems to be functional.  (Of course, this could all be thrown a bit next month when I’m on my sub-internship (sub-I) and the commitment and responsibilities are amped up.)

So here is what we’re doing to make the next 16 weeks possible:

• John has moved to night shifts only (normally starting at 11pm or 12am) so that he can have a regular schedule and be available for daycare pick-up in the afternoons.  I feel like I won the husband jackpot.  Though he assures me that the regularity of his schedule benefits him as well, his sacrifice is enabling me to really be a medical student, to not ditch educational opportunities and patient/team responsibilities in order to make it to daycare before closing.  This flexibility will be especially important on my sub-I month, when hours are longer.
• We’ve hired a morning babysitter before daycare.  If I drop Aurelia off at daycare when it first opens at 7am, the earliest I’ve ever made it to school in the city is 8:20am, not early enough when outpatient clinic begins promptly at 8am, and certainly not when I’ll be expected at the hospital at 6am during my sub-I.  The new sitter is a joy, Ari adores her, and we trust her.  Right now, she comes at 6:15am, but she’ll start at 5am in February.  In some ways, it’s the most painful job, asking someone to be ready to work at 5am.  On the other hand, Aurelia doesn’t wake up until 6:30, and we are more than happy to pay for our sitter to take a shower, watch a movie, read a magazine, catch some z’s while being available should our daughter need her.
• Due to John’s new schedule, there will be a lot of days when we’re all at home around dinner time (well, breakfast time for J).  It’s really lovely.  Phones are put away, TVs and computers are turned off.  Both John and I got to put Ari to bed this evening, which I’m realizing will be so much more tricky once we have a new addition.

And speaking of z’s…Thanks for listening to me being plan-y and insecure!