Uh oh... we're out of diapers!!!

"No one fist bumps anymore!!!"

According to Rachel, no one fist bumps anymore. The context is that we are sitting at Cloud 9, Aspen highlands' famous apres ski spot, to celebrate Rachel's first hike up to the highlands bowl. This is no small feat - this hike takes an average person not acclimated to altitude close to an hour (it's approximately 3/4 of a mile at 12,000ft)...and not only did she do this once, but we dragged her up a second time today before the snow cat was running (this is how hikers can catch a ride for the lower part of the hike) - which means her hike was even longer today. This accomplishment should not be rewarded with a fist bump though people!!! 

Dylan has been exploring the town with her new friend and babysitter in Aspen (she especially loves the dogs hanging out on the mall) and other days hanging with the other babies at Snowmass daycare.  She has a few words now: dada is her favorite and she says this in the sweetest voice...the kind of voice that will get her anything she wants from daddy. Sometimes she says mama, and she also says a version of "night night," especially when she's tired. She's learning so much so fast!



A few more pics of our adventures in Aspen...

Dylan's first protest

Today we joined the masses gathered outside the White House to protest Trump's travel ban. It is just despicable... but what is inspiring is to see all of the people out there making their voice heard. Let it be known that Dylan was out there protesting too!

Here are a few pics of her smiles to lighten the mood.

#lovetrumpshate

Christmas in Florida

The holidays were filled with lots of fun family time and a little bit of sunshine! 

Joshua Tree

For my first vacation week, we decided to visit some friends out in California. Part of that trip included some time in Joshua Tree. Here are a few pics!

twisted joshua trees, piled up boulders and dirt roads for miles...

 we stayed overnight at the funky mojave sands motel.
aside from the owners trying to sneak some extra charges on to our credit cards for having babies with us, it was a pretty cool spot.

super dad.

 check out the fancy carrier for little wilder. #gearjunkies

monica & monika...(& dylan)

cholla cactus garden

 never a dull moment with babies on board

Junker's scones

Today I attempted to make "Junker's scones." Dr. Junker is one of the ICU docs who I recently worked with on my ICU rotation. ICU was a difficult rotation for me, for many reasons. First, my patients were so sick. Fortunately the ICU is staffed with excellent nurses who watch their patients like hawks. But life is so fragile at that moment, and within an hour one can quickly turn from stable to dead without careful monitoring. As a new doctor, it's intimidating to be responsible for such critically ill people, especially when managing several at once. Some people live on ventilators with no chance of a functional recovery because their family members "believe in miracles" and other very young and sick people are "compassionately extubated" (the breathing tube is removed with the expectation that the patient will pass on his/her own) because their families recognize that there is no hope for functional recovery and any quality of life as the patient would have wanted - either way, its heart-wrenching stuff. As you might expect, those experiences forced me to think about what I would want for myself, or for Dylan if we were ever unfortunate enough to find ourselves in that situation. Some people are so concretely sure about this... I heard one doc say this week that once he could no longer watch and follow a Pats football game, that would be the time to "pull the plug." How do you define quality of life for yourself, at this point in your life? Dr. Junker said that his measure of life worth living would be whether he could come back to work and effectively do his job. Not that he's so dedicated to his job per say, but that this is his measure of function that would allow him a good quality of life. In addition to the mental exhaustion, it was also a physically demanding rotation with a difficult schedule and long hours...26 hour shifts and many sleepless nights. All the while I am still scrambling to find time to pump for Dylan! But if you are fortunate to be on weekend call with Dr. Junker, you get to try his homemade, incredible scones! He shares his recipe here. I had to order the ingredients for the cinnamon scones from King Arthur Flour - a nice company that re-sent me flour at no charge after the first package exploded on the way here. Anyways...they came out pretty good! (But not as good as the real deal). Next time I'll try the bacon cheddar ones!

Today I am 4 months old!

Not much more to say...4 months already! She's drooling like crazy, those teeth are on the way for sure. If you leave her on her belly she will roll to her back...and she can go the other way too! No more leaving her unattended on the sofa or changing table. And as you can see, she's growing up to be a girl of many expressions :) Lucky for us, she is mostly happy.