"Be the next lucky emailer, and you could get a residency spot!"

Hello, all, and welcome to our crazy world of awaiting residency interview offers. I will follow the example of my lovely wife in keeping our family and friends up to date through a blog entry (with a catchy, but true, title). Claudia has been incredible throughout this, and very supportive...the kids just keep making sure I'm not going to a hospital "far, far away" every morning that they see me. It's nice to be wanted (and to be on an easy radiology rotation). :)

Quick review of how this works: a residency is the specialized training after medical school, in my case 6 years of plastic surgery training (or, plan B: 5 years of general surgery hopefully followed by another 3 years of plastic surgery training...yes, that's why it's plan B). Plastic surgery is cut-throat competitive, and I'm going up against some of the most annoyingly competitive applicants in country. There are only 45 programs in the country with a total of about 95 spots, and usually there are over 215 applicants...yup, you read that right: more than half will NOT match into plastic surgery (that's why we're told to get a plan B). So, I've applied to 36 (didn't apply to all as we can't afford and don't want to live in certain cities in the country), and went on 3 away rotations to Washington University in St. Louis, Las Vegas, and Utah (on the job interview type things, usually get you an interview). The hospital I'm at, Scott & White, has a program that takes one applicant a year as well, and is a place we would love to get accepted to. In general, you're pretty awesome in plastic surgery if you get more than 10 interviews, though getting over 5 is also something to be positive about.

Next step after dishing out the $600 in application fees and getting all the wonderful paperwork together? WAIT...and wait...and wait. Interview offers didn't start until late October. I did get formally interviewed at Las Vegas while I was there in October, and it went very well. I hoped the interviews would just start rolling in after that, as I felt and was told by the program director at Las Vegas that I was very competitive. However, after 3 rejection emails in about 5 days (my first Ivy League School rejection! I was so honored! say it with me, "Haaah-vud"), and seeing on a webpage that has a forum updating what programs have already offered and NOT getting offered by those same programs, reality started settling in: I was going to have to wait patiently, maintain faith, and take what I could get. I have received 3 other interview offers so far (total of 4 with Las Vegas). The most interesting offer started like this:

After checking my email every hour last Friday and seeing nothing, I took a nap. Unfortunately for me, during that nap, I received an interview offer (explain in a sec). It went something like this, "Due to the high quality and competitiveness of applicants this year, to further facilitate our interview process, we are offering 70 applicants an interview for 40 interview spots. The first 40 to respond to the dates listed below will be interviewed, and other applicants will be put on a wait list in the case of any cancellations. Thank you...and GO!!!" I added that last part in for humor. As the title states, the lucky first 40 to check their email would get an interview. I was unfortunately emailer #42, and am wait-listed for the date I chose...lame! Can you believe that? Is this a radio call in show to win 2 tickets to a High School Musical 3 private viewing at your local theater? What the heck happened to professionalism? This is a process to decide our futures and it's "FIRST TO CHECK THEIR EMAIL?!" Anyway, I was grateful for the interview offer (which was followed by 6 other no offers then one more interview offer to make it 4 total including Las Vegas), but the manner in which they did it seemed infantile.

Anyway, that's our crazy world of checking email accounts and my application account webpage AND the chat forum page every hour that it's possible. Tomorrow I'll start my general surgery interviews...we'll see how that goes. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers and for reading through this. For those curious enough to have read this far, my interview spots so far are: Scott & White, The Ohio State University, Wake Forest (North Carolina), and University of Nevada School of Medicine at Las Vegas (NOT UNLV). I'm happy with that list, but there are still a few other schools I'd like to at least get offered to go interview at to have a few more eggs to put in a few more baskets...though I'd prefer one of these places to wink-wink-nudge-nudge me...nah, just kidding, that's not allowed. ;) Wait, did I just wink? I'm in trouble...

The ultrasound is in and we're going to have a...

...you thought it would be that easy, in the title? No, we like suspense and will let you search through the post. We got back a little while ago from the radiology department at S&W Hospital after dropping Nicky off at school. Ian was tranquilized with a lollipop and subsequent candy. :) Claudia changed into her gown and we watched intently as the technician went through the measurements and showed us all the different body parts...one thing was for sure, the little baby in Claudia's tummy (as we explain to Nicky) was sure active! All the dates put Claudia at exactly 18 weeks and 2 days. All we saw for a few minutes were legs and arms and a back flying all over the place. Anyway, the long awaited moment was here... thoughts about our future addition to the family crossed our minds, changes, etc. etc. Claudia had a dream months ago when we were deciding to get pregnant one more time before residency started, and in the dream she saw a little girl who came up to her and asked her why she didn't want to have her and why she didn't love her. This dream had bothered Claudia for some time, and she had hoped that the answer would come during the ultrasound exam. I had guessed it was going to be a boy, Claudia felt it was probably a girl, and hopefully the girl from the dream. The moment finally arrived, and as the technician zoomed in a bit and focused, it seemed quite clear and he confirmed it, we would be having another girl! We were both very excited, and Claudia was relieved that perhaps the girl from the dream would join our family. We're looking forward to the new addition and that Nicky and Ian will be happy with a baby sister. We just hope that all the wiggling around isn't an indication of any fussiness. :) If it is, we'll love her all the same, but our house will be more than full of over-active children. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the announcement and had to read through everything to fin it.

Glenn is back!

YAY!!! My hubby came home on Saturday. He missed halloween and my b-day, but he made it on time to celebrate Nicky's b-day.

Halloween started for Nicky at 8:00 a.m. on the 31st when she had her school costume parade. She had a blast, and so did Ian. He kept calling all the kids "pider man" (spider man), and he loved the parade.

Later on that day I took the kids to the ward trunk or treat. We were way too late so we missed it. The kids were so excited. I felt bad telling them it was over. So I took them to the neighborhood near the church. It was their first time asking for candy by knocking doors. They loved it. After that we came home and I let them eat 2 candies each. The next day Glenn came home and everything was so happy and full of laughter and hugs and kisses. The next day was so crazy. Nicky turned 4 years old, and Glenn and my brother-in-law Beto bar-be-cued hamburgers, chicken, and beef for us. On the other hand my sister Dina and I could visit and played with the kids. Nicky loved having other kids over specially if those other kids are realtive to her. Nicky didn't want a cake so instead I made my famous trifle and my delicious pear pie.The kids were eating everything especially the whipped cream. We sang for Nicky and let her opened her present. She was so content and so nice to share all her new toys.Next day at her school. She got to wear the crown for turning 4 yrs old. She felt really special. We got to stay and wait for her happy b-day song.

I'm so happpy to have Glenn back. He will be on vacation for a week. The kids and I are enjoying him SO MUCH!

My half (from Glenn):

After being in the barren wasteland that is the University of Utah medical center for two weeks, and then driving once again across a real desert to Las Vegas, I happily returned to my lovely wife and adorable children this past week. It was a wonderful feeling to be back home and in the arms of my family and in the warmth of our home (apartment). :) Those away rotations really take a lot out of you, especially when you realize that neither party is really interested in each other...on the second day! But anyway, to stay positive, I'm home and we're together. Nicky's birthday was a fun experience, and being with family and bar-be-cueing was great (and delicious). I still feel bad that I missed Halloween and my wife's birthday, but again, stay positive...I keep telling myself that a lot lately! I wonder why? Anyhow, seeing the kids and seeing their smiles was great, and being back with my sweetie pie is the best. The kids have gotten so much bigger since I left, or at least it feels that way. Ian is talking so much and Nicky is speaking so much more. It's just great to be back.