Any Day Now
If you haven’t noticed from our Ecuador babymoon pictures, Irene and I are expecting our first baby soon! Irene is now at 38 weeks, which is considered at term, and so we’re preparing for our little girl to come any day now!
For the past few months, Irene and I have been living in two different cities. I’ve been working on-and-off at my dad’s pediatric clinic in my hometown of Macon, Georgia, taking off to travel around the country to interview at different residency programs, as well as volunteering at the Macon Volunteer Clinic whenever I can. Irene has been in her hometown of Valdosta, Georgia, working as a PA at the pulmonary clinic of the doctor she used to shadow. Irene absolutely loves her job and the people there, as she always has a story to tell, and so she feels very sad to be leaving it. I tell her she may feel differently when the baby comes.
As for me, I’ve recently moved down from Macon to Valdosta to be closer to Irene, and I plan on staying here throughout the rest of the pregnancy, through birth, and for the next few months (before residency starts) to work as a full-time dad. Therefore, I will not be able to make it to AUC’s Matching Ceremony in Michigan or New York, nor the Graduation Ceremony back in St. Maarten in May. Once we find out where I match for residency this coming Friday (tomorrow), we will make plans to find our little family a new home for the next three years and beyond.
We’re both very excited to become new parents. I know it’s going to change our lives completely, with new challenges and joys, but we’ll stay positive so our daughter will stay positive, and that’s part of the excitement.
Let me share with you some of our pictures from the past nine months!
Visiting Crystal and Simon in Atlanta, Georgia
Running the Honey Bee Festival 5K in Hahira, Georgia
At the OB/Gyn’s in Valdosta, Georgia
Benji, Irene, Meow Meow, and Baby Gung-Ho in Irene’s Backyard
Photo courtesy of Alice Park
Meeting a family in Quilotoa, Ecuador
Pebble Hill Plantation in Thomasville, Georgia
Gung-Ho Baby Shower
Photo courtesy of Alice Park
Congratulations!!! I’ve been following your blog for years and I just read on AUC where you matched! This blog is a blessing to all of us! God bless you, Irene and your baby girl on the way!
Thank you Tatiana! Yes, it has been an amazing day, with my birthday, matching into my first choice, seeing my friends match, and my family coming into town rolled all up into one day. Thank you for the blessings. I’ll post an update shortly.
Benji
Hi
I absolutely love your blog. I am a senior in college and a school outside the US is honestly my first choice. I wanted to comment on this post because you live (at least in this post), in my home town (Valdosta) and I currently attend college here! What a coincidence! Love your blog and congrats on your entire medical experience! I am learning a lot through your posts and I hope that I can get to where you are one day!
Hi Keisha! Thanks so much for reading my blog and it is so cool that you are from Valdosta! My wife Irene and daughter Lyra are from Valdosta too and I was staying there with them the past few months. We only recently moved back to Macon to start my residency soon. We got a new apartment and are setting up our new home here in Macon. I’m pretty excited and a little nervous to be starting residency this coming Tuesday. I will be going from being a full-time father to a full-time resident physician, and hope I will also be able to have some time left to spend with my daughter Lyra. Good luck in the rest of college! My wife and brother also went to VSU. Beautiful campus. If you like Japanese food, go check out Ichiban on North Ashley Street. That’s my wife’s family’s place. 🙂
Benji
Awwwn this is inspiring, All the best man