medicine //
- This month I learned that urologists occasionally use hand assist in laparoscopic surgery - the pictures are wild!
- Axonotmesis: damage to the peripheral nerves in the body. Peripheral nerves can regenerate, growing 1-2 mm per day!
- Half of all newly diagnosed STDs are in teenagers. Condoms are our friends!
on the internet //
- Dani shares quick and easy tips on improving your photography! (I wrote a similar post a few years ago with a few of the same tips, but she expands on them and adds so many clever new tips!)
- I love Anne's little boy room makeover - especially the wall prints and the nugget (something I'd love for Penny to have some day when she has a real sized bedroom!)
- Blair, one of the OGs of blogging, and usual person of few words, has a new Q&A that I found so interesting to read.
spotted for me //
- I have never found Henleys to be super flattering on me, but I kind of love the feminine shape of this version - I'll take one in pink and the striped one please!
- I have owned these Zella leggings for at least four years now, and still wear them constantly. Probably time to get a new pair since they are currently 33% off!
- I have been looking for a small case for jewelry for short weekend trips - ones where you only need to bring a few small pieces of jewelry and not like...the whole collection. Nothing caught my eye until I saw this adorable case from Loft of all places. I ordered it immediately.
spotted for penny //
- While we are more of Old Navy/Target people for baby clothes...I can't help but realllllly want this fair isle sweater for this holiday season. I mean...at 30% off this weekend, I'm tempted.
- I've actually found the cutest (inexpensive) items at H&M - like this cute bunny sweater...at 1/4 of the cost of the Boden sweater above.
- I'm usually anti-ruffle butts...but couldn't say no to these fair isle pants. so so cute!
ask me anything //
- What is your biggest advice for someone planning on going to medical school?
- This is a tough one to answer because there are so many ways to approach this question. My biggest advice for someone who wants to go into medicine? Explore all other fields to make sure being a doctor is the thing you want - there are so many other jobs in medicine and the medical field, from optometry to dentistry to pharmacy to nursing to social work to technicians, that you want to make sure the sacrifice and time that comes with becoming a physician is exactly what you want. My biggest advice for a pre-med? Start volunteering early and find something you are passionate about - doing something long term means a lot more than doing a bunch of little things, and it gives you something to talk about during interviewed. Tips for just getting into medical school? Apply broadly, and be persistent.
- I'm a social worker interviewing for a student wellness coordinator position at a medical school. I really enjoyed following you through your med school journey and I think it's given me a great insight into the joys and stresses of student life - so thanks! I know it's been a couple of years, but I'm curious - were there any resources, education or programming offered by your school that helped you stay sane and maintain wellness? If not, what would you have liked to have seen/known?
- Ohhh, such an interesting question! I think one of the biggest thing that would have made a difference is probably something you can't control, which was that we took exams every Monday...which meant that every single weekend was spent studying. It would have been so nice to at least have 1 Friday exam/month so you know you got some free time...but probably not something you can control from your position! Wellness has become such a big topic in medicine...and I know everyone is doing the best at providing events and resources to students and residents, but so much of being well (or unwell) is from the stress of the job that can't be solved with free breakfasts or yoga events. I wish I had a better answer and something that you can provide for your students, but the unwell in medicine is so inherent to the job that the whole game needs to change before people are really well.
- I know on Instagram you mentioned compression socks you love. I tried looking for them so i didn’t have to message you but I probably didn’t look hard enough.
- I've been very loyal to Sockwell, and have recently also started wearing the Comrad compression socks. I plan on doing a full compression sock comparison post in the upcoming months!
- on the blog: a review post on learning to dress my new postpartum body
- on the instagram: mommy&me saturdays
- on the twitter: having a hard time without my PCCB daily fix.
at home //
- Happy December! This was supposed to be posted over the weekend but my husband worked all weekend and I was home with the baby alone and I forgot my charger at work and basically I just spent all weekend holding my baby and I know you'll forgive me for posting a day late (kidding, I know no one was holding their breath waiting for this post). I'm still trying to figure out how to occasionally blog while focusing on work and my family. I also don't want to fall back into the trap of just ordering a bunch of clothes to try on, even though they are always my most popular posts. Just the never ending battle of trying to find some kind of balance point in life!
- This month was so good! I was on UroGyn, which deals a lot with urinary incontinence and pelvic reconstruction and I learned so much. I feel so much more comfortable talking with and managing incontinence, something that is extremely common but not something a lot of women talk about, and I'm excited to now have a better understanding of how to help my patients. So not only did I learn a ton, but I also had fairly normal people hours this month, which meant more time home with Penny, so that was amazing.
- As someone who is very typically a last minute present buyer, I'm trying real hard to stay ahead this year! I already got Chris's gift (...because we are buying the Nintendo Switch together so we can play MarioKart hahahaha), and my dad's and my Secret Santa's for Chris's family. Feeling accomplished while taking advantage of all these Black Friday deals!
