I apologize for my twelve-day absence. On the request of a couple of readers, I will add Blogging Blake to my list of Blakes when the multiplicity mission is accomplished. In the mean time, one can probably find the original Blake in one of two places: the lecture hall or an LRC study room.

Zoe’s Nana has graciously stepped in to help us with Miss Zoe while Gigi spends some quality time with Cap’n. (Gramps, you must miss her - she’s fantastic!) In true Mary Poppins fashion, she brought a bag of goodies for her stay with us. Included are magnet letters and numbers, several Hooked on Phonics cards, and lots of Play-Doh and accessories. Zoe is having a blast. Those things, coupled with going cold turkey from the Nuk, are having a pretty exponential effect on her language output. It’s way cute.

Tuesday I was playing Play-Doh with her (I must admit it that Play-Doh and Silly Putty are two of my most dearly loved media), and as it usually does, it gave me the urge to bite. You know, like chew. Who’s with me? It’s like when you’re kneading bread dough. You don’t actually want to bite it, but the urge is there. I was thinking that there must be some edible thing that has the same texture, and how great it would be if I could find that thing.

Well the very next day we had a master advisory meeting at school, a great mentoring opportunity during which lunch is provided. A brownie was involved. It would not be hyperbolic to say that it was just like eating Play-Doh, but in a wonderfully fantastic and chocolaty way.

I’m getting back into a more effective study pattern. In case it wasn’t clear before, much is required in medical school. I feel like the material in itself is not the most difficult part; it is the volume. By a long shot. I am SO grateful for my classmates who are keeping me on track and for all the help from our families. How many young Moms get this kind of help?! I know I’m lucky.

Going at warp speed finds me here into October. Amanda is coming for a visit and a football game in just a couple of weeks! I can hardly wait.

To the bed! I’m a very good kind of exhausted.

A few weeks ago, Chief and Sarge were placed into a new home. This decision was made after much consideration, mostly painful. On our list of pros and cons, the only pros were that 1. I loved them, and 2. They acted as good Hoovers when Zoe dropped food. As heavily as those weighed, the numerous cons and rationality won.

The family lives about an hour and a half outside of Houston, in the country, on three acres. One acre of that is fenced in and has a pond for swimming. Three kids are part of the family, two pre-teen girls and a teenage boy, who later slept with the dogs. The mom wanted dogs that would alert them when someone was approaching; Chief and Sarge are protective that way. It was a perfect fit. When I met the lady and her son at a gas station, we transferred all the dogs’ possessions and loaded them into the car. I cried and cried. (I now understand how my family felt after leaving me in the Fatburger parking lot in College Station. The dorm parking lot was swimming with cars and people, so we went a couple of blocks farther to say our goodbyes, and I walked back to my dorm. We laugh about it now, but I think it is one of my Mom’s great regrets.)

Generally I am not a crier. Crying was once my fallback cathartic mechanism for any overwhelming emotion, from joy to pain to sadness. I guess it was the experience of being a military spouse or watching my Granddad’s decline or having cancer or something during that time. Whatever it was, like a thickened scar, I became not only toughened, but insensitive to pain. I have become rather adept at accepting things and moving on. But for the next week, my heart actually ached, and I cried at the thought of them. It was a little bizarre.

As my birthday approached, Joel asked what I wanted. “Chief,” I told him each time, an answer that was met with pity and consternation. (I got an awesome camera instead, which I really appreciate.)

I called and emailed the lady who had taken them, getting updates a few times. The dogs were happy, she reported, and the kids loved them. I missed them, but as long as they were okay, I thought, I could accept that this was a better situation.

Fast forward to Monday. Having fled Hurricane Ike, we were in Garland at the Watts Homestead. I received an email from the dogs’ Garland vet. A lady outside Houston (in Jacinto City) had Chief and Sergeant Pepper; please contact her ASAP.

The dogs had been roaming in their neighborhood for “a couple of days” - the lady said they appeared after the hurricane. Her kids had seen them hiding in a neighbor’s garage and took them some water. She called the number on their tags and gave my name (which still had our San Antonio information on it), and the vet’s office contacted me.

The Jacinto City family already loved the dogs and would keep them, except for having a damaged fence from the storm and no way to get them food. My dear friend Rachel (whose praises I will sing forever and ever) got them supplies, drove to Jacinto City, and rescued them until we would get back to Houston on Tuesday. (The family wants to visit the dogs sometime.)

Now I’ll never know the details of the dogs’ journey. But the facts are that they were a good distance outside Crosby, Texas (the exact location is unknown), a hurricane hit, and “a couple of days” later they showed up, together, collars on, in a neighborhood at least 19 miles away, with kind people who took them in and tracked down their original owners. Joel made this map to illustrate. They were on a direct path to our residence.

So. The dogs are back with us. As much as I want to know more details, I haven’t called the lady who took them, though she and her kids may want to know that they are safe, depending on what happened.

Zoe has been hugging them and sitting on their backs; I think she missed them, too. The plan, and I expect to be held accountable for this, is to walk with them every night. They need it, and I need it, and our family could use the interaction. We could all benefit from a routine, some fresh air, and more exercise. It’s about the spin you put on things. I can say, “Ugh, the dogs should be walked.” Or I can say, “Let’s all get out there and enjoy the evening together.”

I’m learning that the trick to surviving this busy time is not to eliminate everything from my life. Certain things do have to be put on hold, yes. But as my long-time friend Jennifer (new Mom and pediatric resident) wisely told me as I applied to medical school, you really figure out what’s important, make room for that, and let everything else fall away.

We have a family, and it includes dogs. We’ll make it work.

Lately I’m finding myself being spread a little thinly. This is to be expected, and I’m trying to take it in stride. Still, I tend to daydream about the endless possibilities that likely never will be. One of those daydreams? I really wish I could mitote myself, my whole being and body, several times over. Right now, their delegation would be as follows (and once again my unordered list function is not working properly in WordPress):

• +One Mama Blake, available for most of Zoe’s whims, ready for cuddling and all aspects of child care and healthy development
• +One Good Wife Blake, available for most of Joel’s whims
• +One Loving Family Blake, who keeps up with all her loved ones and doesn’t miss birthdays and major milestones
• +One Lean Mean Cleaning Machine Blake, who keeps the house, clothes, and all other Blakes spic and span and looking their best at all times. This Blake would also attend to mundane household matters such as bills.
• +One Chef Blake, who does the grocery shopping and cooking of nutritious, gourmet meals and delectable taste treats for her family and friends
• +Six Student Blakes, one for each class (biochem, devo, anatomy, clinical skills, histology) and one for the organization of material, who study constantly and honor every class
• +Two to three Social Blakes, who attend meetings and volunteer activities, conduct all correspondence, and plan and attend activities which foster human relationships outside the nuclear family
• +Two more (and these are largely whimsical, but what about this idea isn’t?): One Best Shape of Her Life Blake, who exercises and promotes all aspects of health, resulting in a rockin’ bod, and one Happy Fatty Blake, who lives the sloth life, eating, sleeping, and doing little else

At the end of each period of time, perhaps a week, all the Blakes would merge their collective experiences into a floating Super Blake, who could participate in whatever she chose to dabble at any particular time. Wouldn’t it be nice?

How ’bout it, science?

With Joel at DjangoCon (read: Geek Convention) in California this weekend (I’m insanely jealous; mandatory attendance to anatomy lab won out though), and Gigi and Zoe on a grocery adventure, I have a few hours alllll to myself today. I spent some time making brownies, reading developmental anatomy by the pool, taking pictures of the aforementioned brownies with my new camera, and catching up on the many blogs I try to read. Why not more studying, you ask? Good question.

I had a fantastic birthday weekend and then birthday day proper, complete with a visit from Amanda, a Houston zoo trip, a gorgeous and tasty cake, numerous well-wishes, an early soup kitchen morning, and a riveting histology lab. I’m a very lucky girl.

School is rocketing by, and I’m keeping up, for the most part. I had one day of near overwhelmation (humbly submitted for your consideration, Mr. Webster) this week, prompted once again by over thinking. I just have to remember that the world is way big and way complicated, and no one will ever understand all of it. The good news is that we will keep asking questions. And right now I still care to ask those questions, pay attention to the answers, and do my best to comprehend them. I’m in awe of the people who discovered (and those who continue to make progress discovering) the information I’m learning - they are among the true geniuses of our time.

Zoe is about to bust out with full monologues. This week she probably has doubled her spoken vocabulary. It’s adorable. My sister tells a good story here.

I think I might organize a closet while the mini-me is unavailable to undo my every move.

At her 18 month check-up appointment Tuesday, Zoe weighed 21.75 pounds and measured 80.5 cm (31.7 inches). (I was not present and thus there is no head circumference measurement to report; she has a nice head, and it appears to be a reasonable size for someone of her stature.) She’s brilliant, so all her milestones are as expected for a budding genius. Many thanks to her Dad and Gigi for taking her in my absence and comforting her after two shots. By all reports she, again, handled that with grace.

The doctor was a little concerned about her lack of weight gain. She’s really too busy to eat these days, and a recent bout with teething didn’t help things much. Nevertheless, she must weigh more, says the doctor. The prescription? “Put butter on everything.” When Joel told me this, I balked. Butter?! I mean, I love butter. But butter? The object is to increase her calories, so we’ll increase the butter a little and the healthy fats (oils, avocados, peanut butter) the rest of the way. Let’s not clog the new person’s arteries.

Zoe has the sweetest little spirit. I love coming home to her these days - she is so happy to see me and very huggy and cuddly. When I’m with her I feel like I’m with a little friend now. I have always talked to her, but now she responds and communicates more with me. She says words. Her little face, boing boing curls, running on her tip toes, mischievous grins, and climbing everything are a few daily Zoe gifts that I love.

I did return to the Metro office, and I did obtain my student discounted Q Card. Now I ride the bus for a mere half dollar per ride, and for every 50 rides, I get five rides free. Huzzah.

I rode the rail to and from downtown before and after getting my card. Instead of getting off at the school and riding the bus home, I took it all the way down to Reliant. There I planned to walk from bus stop to bus stop until a bus came.

Well no bus came while I was walking. I had worn shoes inappropriate for walking more than a mile and began to get a blister, so I took them off and watched my steps. There was mud. I got squishy. It was kind of fantastic. Joel met me on the sidewalk a few blocks from our place, tennis shoes and socks in hand, to spare me additional foot harm.

Yesterday I had my check-up ultrasounds (would be a CT if I weren’t STILL nursing), blood work, and chest x-rays. For the ultrasounds I had to fast through lunch, which really was not a big deal, but since I snack all day long I complained more than I probably should have, and then there was free Chik-Fil-A and brownies available, the regrettable refusal of which felt like a cardinal sin.

Everything went fine; I expect to have results soon and will share them here, if for no other reason than to have a record later. I find that the things that are so important one minute are easily forgotten by the next appointment. I would like to reiterate, also for the record, that MD Anderson is a fantastically impressive monstrosity. Walking there from the school put a very fine point on that - I felt so small, but in a good way, like I will be protected by this huge, powerful thing. Who knows what will happen along the way, but I would love to be a part of that caring force some day.

Back to gross anatomy.

I’m out of tokens for my complex’s shuttle, and on principle I refuse to get more. Its schedule is unpredictable, and my time is at a premium right now.

I rode the Metro bus yesterday with maximal success. Today, however, I had trouble getting out the gate on foot. Eventually I was able to wedge myself and my 50 pound bag through just in time to see the bus take off.

So I waited for awhile in the bus-waiting hut, noting when my complex shuttle came and went, when I was attacked by a swarm of mosquitos. I decided to walk the two blocks to the next stop instead of sitting there. I had just reached it when the next bus flew past me.

I ventured that a brisk morning walk down to the rail might be fun. I have wanted to check out the rail anyway.

Fortunately, about the time I decided my non-athletic shoes and the aforementioned heavy bag were making my walk decidedly moist and unpleasant, a bus stopped at the stop that coincided with my location. Here I sit.

I recall my experience yesterday, when I attempted to get my student discounted Q Card, which cuts my bus fare in half. I arrived at the appropriate office downtown two minutes too late and must return today.

These are the trials and tribulations of a girl raised in the suburbs trying to navigate public transportation.

My school is worth it. I love love LOVE my school.

What a great first day. It’s the first first day in a long time in which I did not get lost or have something truly humiliating happen, usually resulting in tears. I met more of my classmates and professors, and I am even more convinced that this school is exactly where I need to be.

I have some new school supplies. Boy do I love school/office supplies. Pens, dry erase markers, and highlighters in every color, new syllabi, canvas binders, and a reflex hammer!

Now is the time of the first day evening when I survey the chaos of all the information I acquired today and try to put it into a sensible, usable format.

Thanks for the well-wishes!

Very quickly now because I need to get in bed…

White Coat Ceremony and my family’s visit were awesome. I’m so SO happy to be where I am right now.

Retreat was fun. I met many of my classmates and smashed my boobs during the human bowling portion of our version of Olympics. I really gave 100% and enjoyed most of the two days. Pictures on Flickr soonish.

Zoe is cute. Really, really cute. She had a great time with her Gigi while Joel and I were at Retreat. I love that child.

Today we had plans to go to the zoo, but then it rained all afternoon. So we’re saving it for another day and instead went to The Chocolate Bar for a sugar overdose while my crock pot roast finished cooking.

Medical school officially begins tomorrow. I can hardly wait. For once my excitement is not of the nervous variety. I’m feeling very zen about the whole thing.

Pre-entry is complete. I feel SO much more ready for school now. I’m kind of in awe that such a program was available to me, and that the past five weeks went by so quickly. The gears in my head are now turning. Props to Rachel and to my tank group for getting me through the rough patches.

Immunizations are done; now I just need to turn in the form.

SYTYCD declared a winner; I was pleased. Now what will I do on Wednesday and Thursday nights? (Oh, right. Study.)

We have registered and paid for retreat. Costumes have been decided. I have gone from 100% old, fogy, stick in the mud, “I’m not going to retreat” to a somewhat matronly, “I’ll go and even dress up, but no drunken debauchery.” Should be fun. And hey, if it’s a big Fish Camp-esque disappointment, there is, as Joel pointed out, much value in shared experiences.

I’m so excited because my family will be here next week! It has been too long!

Y’all noticed that ZoeTube went live, right? Much gratitude to Zoe’s Daddy, Aunt Ali, and Nana!