Possible Baby Names for Poppy Seed

If it's a boy:	If it's a girl:
1. Draymond	1. Sadie
2. Martini	2. Bambee
3. Armstrong	3. Cherry
4. Marco	4. Jaaron
5. Polo	5. Jezebelle
6. Sauron	6. Mary Jane

If you couldn't tell...um, these lists are fake. We have decided not to tell anyone what our real lists are, since we don't want unsolicited opinions of the names. That's right - your opinion doesn't count!

In reality, we have heard some horror stories about people's reactions to beloved names. And we know what we like (and what we don't) and will introduce poppy seed when the time is right.

So don't ask what they really are. And if you do...expect to be referred to these lists.

But thanks for asking!

Things I've Learned This Past Few Weeks

1. I really don't like Equine Surgery. But I do enjoy the people in the department.

2. Horses still scare me, but some are really sweet. I guess just like people, they can also be weirdly unpredictable.

3. People come by to try and save our soul with their religion. And even when we declined (we already have our own spiritual beliefs), they were nice enough to return my stolen wallet. There really are nice people out there.

4. Thieves steal weird stuff. A list of things I had stolen from my wallet:

Two dollars in cash

All my loose change

Gap Visa card

Costco card...apparently they expect to buy a lot in bulk...with my $2.

5. Our baby moves a lot and I still can't feel a darn thing. This time...avoiding the doppler at the doctor's office.

6. Taking a 15 minute nap can really be the difference between grogginess and sanity.

7. People always look at your belly when you are pregnant. Even when you aren't showing yet.

8. My husband doesn't like to feel helpless. Especially when it comes to taking care of me. And that I love this about him.

9. We are crazy. Moving, new job, and new baby...three HUGE life-altering events and we plan to do them within the next 6 months. What were we thinking?!

10. I still like it when lists end on multiples of 5.

Vet School - Almost the End!

It's official - the countdown is now beginning to look more like a countdown and not just wishful thinking. I mean really: when there are three digits on a countdown it's not really counting down, so much as reminding you of the eternity there remains. I only have four more rotations (8 more weeks) before I finally get my DVM and officially become a doctor. The scary part is when I inofficially become a doctor, aka when I learn how to be a doctor on my own. It definitely has been fantastic to have the safety-net that is being a student.

Who doesn't love the ability to make decisions, but the comfort of knowing that the responsibility really doesn't fall on your own shoulders? Soon enough, I will gain the responsibility and the decision-making. And this scares the ____________ out of me (you can fill-in any appropriate/non-appropriate word). I definitely don't feel ready to be pushed from the proverbial* nest, but I know it's soon time to try out these wings. I keep getting told that I will be a good (at times great) doctor, and I hope to God these people are right. It definitely keeps me up at night, thinking about all those bad doctors out there who still get to keep the title doctor - even though they definitely haven't earned the right. I can only hope these people see something more than I can see in myself.

I have made some great friends here at school and hope we all keep in touch as we branch out across the country. I am happy to say that these are people who I know will do their best become leaders in their community. (As for others...well, I can only wish them luck and that they find their way.) They have been my saving grace and my sanity, both which run short when everyone is sleep-deprived, stressed, and running on a lethal combination of adrenaline & caffeine.

Vet school has definitely made me stronger and helped me to grow more than I ever thought possible (and honestly, at times more than I ever wanted). It has also broken my heart and tested my will. I am glad to say I have laughed more than cried...which is really all I can ask for.

And it has made me realize what my goals are. Wanna hear/read/see them? If not, skip to the end...there are some terrific definitions for you to learn!

Liz's Goals:

1. Have a freaking life outside of work.

2. Enjoy every day, as much as possible.

3. Become a surgeon. Seriously, I love it. Cutting, fixing, power tools. What more can a girl ask for?

4. Live my Gura's (pictured on the left) mantra: Let it go. Always let it go.

5. People are weird. (not really a goal, so much as a fact. But I had to have a top five list...top four list is just weird)

Alright, enough mushy blather. This is what happens when a person is tired and hopeful...as opposed to tired and cranky (that was me yesterday). Enjoy the following train of thought:

Definition of proverbial: characteristic of a proverb

Definition of proverb: A short pithy saying in frequent and widespread use that expresses a basic truth or practical precept.

Defintion of Pithy: Consisting of or resembling pith

Definition of Pith:

1. Botany The soft, spongelike, central cylinder of the stems of most flowering plants, composed mainly of parenchyma.

2. Zoology The soft inner substance of a feather or hair.

3. The essential or central part; the heart or essence.

4. Strength; vigor; mettle.

5. Significance; importance.

6. Archaic Spinal cord or bone marrow.

Based on this: proverbial nest really means - soft, spongy nest made of bone marrow. No wonder why people talk about leaving it all the time! Ew. And yes, vet school has made me more random (that's right, I'm blaming vet school for that).

Baby Dream

While this isn't my first baby-related dream, this is the first dream where I actually saw and held our baby. It was pretty normal dream, except for the part where Keith would put the baby in the cat tree for it to sleep. And the baby liked it there. Btw, in my dream the baby was a boy.

A Special Thanks

This week has been a crazy hectic one. Keith and I have been stressing about...well, everything: packing, moving, selling our house, finding a new place, figuring out Keith's work situation, and of course all the unexpected surprises with the lemon poppy seed.*

We have started packing and working on some of our anxiety-driven to-do list. But it's been hard to be super productive during the week, as Keith and I both have to work. And I get tired pretty quickly (actually, extremely quickly!), so my new bedtime is around 9pm. Pretty early, especially for this night owl!

Thankfully my dad came out this week to give us a much needed hand. He painted all the rest of the kitchen, which included all the cabinets and drawers. Keith's mom, Beth, had painted the walls a while ago. The thought was that I would finish up the kitchen. But since I'm always tired and am not supposed to be around those paint fumes, that plan had to be scrapped. So my dad came to the rescue! We are so lucky to have such a wonderfully supportive family.**

Now the kitchen looks fantastic and much more finished. The extra bonus: we got to celebrate his birthday together! His birthday present this year was a DVD (Rockford Files...I used to dance to the theme song when I was little) and a WSU Grampa t-shirt. His birthday dinner was at the wonderful Tokyo Seoul, where I was allowed to have some California sushi. Thanks FuPo!



*In my 14th week, the baby is the size of a lemon. So the new temporary name naturally has to be lemon poppy seed, the same name as my favorite scone!
**This includes all of our wonderful friends, who have been nothing but encouraging as we learn to grow-up.