BCH Neurology & NDD Residency Graduation

Besides the last day of school occurring at the end of June, residency graduation was the same week.  That plus being on service made for quite a busy week.  As last year's graduation was virtual, being able to gather for this year's celebration was even more special.  This year was also the year in which Miya and I took over the child neurology and neurodevelopmental disabilities residency programs respectively.  What a crazy year to make that transition.  Miya and I had a mini-celebration before starting the ceremony to congratulate ourselves on making it through all in one piece.  

Traditionally graduation is held at the Harvard faculty club which was not an option due to the ongoing pandemic.  A department picture is always take as well.  This year that picture had to be outside though I now think this is a better option than in the faculty club.  Above is Miya (far left), myself, David Urion (far right - program director before us), and the graduating residents.  Below is all the residents and department faculty who were able to join.

 

A Time to Say Goodbye

Recently we had to say goodbye to Snickers, Izzy's beloved guinea pig.  She stopped eating one day which is never a good sign.  After no improvement and a lump found right jaw, I took her into the MSPCA.  It was either going to be cancer or an abscess.  A CT later we learned she had chipped a tooth which seeded an abscess.  While abscesses are common in guinea pigs, Snickers' abscess unfortunately pushed on / involved her facial nerve causing her jaw to be severally misaligned.  Because guinea pig's teeth constantly grow, they need to chew them down.  With her teeth misaligned, we were hoping that draining the abscess would resolve this issue.  We had no such luck.  Snickers jaw was not going to improve.  Our choices were to syringe feed her for the rest of her life and file down her teeth on a monthly basis or let her go.  This was one of the hardest decisions to make given the impact this was going to have on the kids. 

Dr. Noonan was a wonderful vet how walked the kids through the process.  When he brought Snickers to us after not seeing her for a week (she was hospitalized), Snicker immediately ran up Izzy's chest and sat in her favorite spot on Izzy's shoulder.  Izzy was given an option of staying with Snickers the entire time which she did.  She spoke to Snickers (I love you, I'm going to miss you) during her injection which was so heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.  Once Dr. Noonan pronounced that Snickers had passed on, Izzy began wailing.  It was gut wrenching.  I'm proud of how brave she was and know that she won't ever regret her decision to be present the entire time.  Snickers was such a sweet guinea pig.  She was Izzy's "soul pet" and helped her cope with life during the pandemic.  She will be greatly missed. 

Our last moments with Snicker.

 

Last Day of School

Opposite of the end of school last year, we finished school this year in person.  I'm proud of their resilience and flexibility.  They started out school fully virtual.  By the fall, Micah & Victoria transitioned into a hybrid model.  Izzy had to wait awhile before middle school was offered a hybrid option.  By the spring, all three were back in person full time.  It definitely wasn't the same as they were confined to their classroom save for recess.  With nicer weather, they were allows to eat outside in designated spots.  Each class had an arrival and dismissal door to decrease larger groups from gathering.  We still don't know what the next academic will look like.  But we are looking forward to a summer with more options and seeing family that we've been missing far too long.

 

Brookline Youth Baseball

Micah rejoined the Brookline Youth Baseball program again this spring after being out of any organized activities for over a year due to the pandemic.  As expected, the teams were given Major League names.  This year Micah joined the Cubs.  Not knowing what to expect, we found ourselves on a team that demonstrated great sportsmanship.  His coaches lead by example with the main coach, Coach Brian, being an wonderful role model.  Micah wasn't super excited at the beginning of the season.  But as his skills improved and his team continued to win, things got pretty exciting.

The Cubs ended the regular season with only one loss and two ties.  That meant they earned a spot in the Pennant game.  Unfortunately the were up against the Brewers who beat them by over 10 points earlier.  This game was a nail biter with the Cubs ultimately losing by one point in the last inning after coming back from a 6 point deficit.  The parents seemed to be more sad then the team which shows how proud they were at their performace.

At the end of the final game, Coach Brain handed out individual awards to each player.  Micah's was Most Improved Hitting.  Coach Brain worked with Micah one-on-one prior to a few practices to help him succeed.

Micah even got a chance to pitch one of the games.  Coach Brain made sure all players had a chance at any position they wanted throughout the season.

 

Memorial Day Weekend

With loosening up of travel restrictions over Memorial Day weekend, we headed south to Newport, RI to visit the mansions.  As long as we've lived up here the kids have not yet seen them in person.  The tour has morphed over the years.  Due to the pandemic, the tour has turned to an app on your phone that you listen to.  In trying to decide how to logistically listen with 4 of us, we headed to Target to get ear buds that allow each of us to have one while using my and Izzy's phone.  I'm glad we came prepared because there is poor service to download the app once here.  Your only other options were to simply wonder around or read a piece of paper for background.

Our first stop was The Breakers, the grandest of the Newport summer "cottages" and a symbol of the Vanderbilt family's social and financial preeminence.

I will always be stunned with this room as it is gilded with platinum. 

Izzy wants a kitchen like this!

The next stop was to Marble House which was also from a member of the Vanderbilt family.  What I liked most is that rallies were hosted for women's right to vote.

To help kids enjoy their time on the tour, a scavenger hunt was available.  I was informed by all three that they had no interest in playing when I went to grab a sheet.  I came back saying that maybe their mother wanted to do the scavenger hunt herself.  It didn't take more than one room before all three were searching for acorns, hexagons, and a man's hat.  We even got the volunteer's involved, who were happy to play along (I think they were bored of all the stuffy adults there all day), when we couldn't find one of the items.  But the find of the day was this unicorn.  Victoria was ecstatic to see that these mystical creatures were important even back then... well even later as this was the "gothic room" in which all items were from that time period.

Another gilded room but in gold this time.

That evening at dinner we decided to play a game of Opa's Sevens.  We couldn't figure out why this game was taking so long until we discovered that the deck was missing the 6 of clubs.  No wonder!

The next day we were to spend our morning lounging by the pool.  But this was not open yet due to the pandemic.  A change of plans had us head to the Newport Car Museum.  None of us knew what we were walking into except for knowing there were going to be cars.  All of us enjoyed our time here.  Our expectations were set low but ended with much talk about this car, that car, etc.  I probably looked out of place since this seemed to be an activity for father's and son, not mothers and their kids.  I had several folks talk to us out of the blue and was quite happy I had just watched Ford vs Ferrari which allowed me hold my own a bit.  My favorite person though was an older gentleman who worked there.  He said one of the things he enjoys about guests is which room they like most.  It tells him so much about the person.  I wonder what he thought of me as my favorite room was the 40s & 50's classics.

I challenged the kids to pick out their favorite car.  This was Victoria's which fits her to a T.

This was one of the fastest and most expensive car there.  MSRP was ~$535,000!  Nothing like a Bugatti but cool nonetheless.

Izzy insisted that this was her favorite car.  Again, what does this tell you about her personality!

I was torn on my favorite but stuck to the Dodge Viper as this was my dream car when I graduated from high school.  And, in the colors I wanted.

This Ford Shelby we were informed would sell for 2.5 million today.

This was Victoria's runner up choice.  Totally fits her as well.

This was my runner up and favorite section of the entire museum.

Aside from cars, there were artistic chairs scattered about with information plaques about the designers.  This spurred another challenge of finding the oddest, most comfortable chair.

The acoustics on this one were impressive... like wearing noise cancelling headphones.

For lunch we headed to the pier from some fresh seafood.

The weekend before and after Memorial Day were beautiful 80 degree days.  This weekend we were greeted by 50 degree, rainy days.  I wasn't sure if our Rail Explorers adventure was going to be cancelled.  When I called I was informed regardless of rain or shine, this would be a go.  Not knowing what to expect, we headed out hoping to stay warm and dry if only for a bit.

We were given tissue paper thin ponchos to help keep us dry.  I guess when they are free, we can't complain.  Since Izzy and I peddled the most, our ponchos were shredded by the time we reached our turn around point.  Luckily the rain was mostly a drizzle.

When we reached our turn around spot the rain turned to more of a down pour.  We found umbrellas on our cart and so I took these with me while we got off.  We huddled under these two umbrellas while the carts were turned around.  I felt like a mother hen shielding her chicks under her wings as the umbrellas where placed in such a way as the ran was coming in at an angle.  Then back on the carts we went to peddle the 3 miles back.  The crew must have thought we had no umbrellas as they put two more on the cart.  This allowed all of us to have an umbrella and create a sort of bubble.  Because the rain was coming directly in front of us, Izzy & Micah used theirs as a shield which meant we couldn't see where we were going well.  I could tell Micah was about to lose it which prompted Izzy to start signing and had us all going in rounds of any song we could come up with.  We must have been a sight peddling down the tracks!  The cart in front of us was SO slow we were stuck peddling at their pace creating a bit of back log.  The carts around us had to endure the singing as we rolled into the station.  I was impressed by Izzy's thoughtfulness and resourcefulness to get her brother through this ordeal.