College Football lures the fam to Miami

 After 6 weeks of 12 hour/day study periods and 2 years of intense medical school academics, Emmet finally sat down for 8 hours last Thursday and took the STEP 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exams. As per our routine with all his tests, I was waiting at home with cold beers and Doritos to welcome my man home.

 Victory! I think it will take him a week to realize it's finally over!

The best thing was that I wasn't the only one ready to celebrate with Emmet after his big test- Rosalie and Tom and Kate and Tony arrived in Miami just in time Thursday night to kick off the weekend.

 Friday afternoon on South Beach

  Rosalie, Emmet and Kate on Ocean Drive

Saturday was Emmet's dream day of relaxation- a round of golf at the Biltmore and sweet tickets from Kate to the U of Miami/ Ohio State football game. The Buckeyes struggled the entire game, but the tailgate was a blast.

 Tom, Tony and Emmet (Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables behind)

 Finishing up on 18

 Best set up in the parking lot :)

 Tony, Kate, Emmet and Me at 37 weeks prego, busting out of Kate's Ohio T shirt. I got a lot of high fives and hollers on the porta potty line for "carrying a future Buckeye in there"

Thanks Kate!! So glad you guys came out!!

Home to New York

 The ten year anniversary of 9/11 has had me very reflective on the last decade of my life. I left my hometown of West Babylon, NY in 2001 to go to college at Holy Cross and it has been one adventure ever since, exploring every corner of the country and globe since then.

2001-2005- Worcester, MA & St. Petersburg, Russia

2005- 2006- Bashkortostan, Russia (Emmet- Denver, CO)

2006-2007- Palo Alto, California

2007-2009- Boston, MA

2009-2011- Miami, Fl & Dominica, West Indies

I had always dreamed of going out and seeing the world, and doing that with Emmet was better than I could have imagined. But in the past two years, I started to feel the urge to settle down, and I wondered if living in the Northeast would ever be in the cards for us. I started to feel an intense desire when we got pregnant for "home" and not "home away from home."

As I sat in tears this morning watching the opening of the September 11th Memorial, listening to the names being read aloud one by one, I felt choked up and homesick like never before. I thought of my Dad, my hero, standing at attention, mourning the loss of all his friends in the FDNY. I thought about how fortunate I am that by mere chance, by the grace of God, everyone is my own family is still alive despite the attacks that came so close to us.

Photograph of my Dad (center without hat) at the Fireman's monument in Riverside Park taken 9.11.11 (Wall Street Journal)




I thought about my daughter, weeks away from coming into this world, and how much I want all of our relatives and friends to be a part of her everyday life. And I found it incredible and hard to believe that Emmet's medical school program is taking us right to the heart of New York City for his next two years of rotations, as if we were destined to finally be there. 

 After all the trips I have been on since 2001, nothing will make me happier than to board that New York bound plane in November, landing me with my husband and baby girl in the Big Apple where we belong. I look at the Memorial Grounds and I'm overwhelmed. I think about tragedy and grief and all the lives lost. I think about the pain that so many have endured. But most of all, I look at those new buildings and I am in awe. I think about hope and resiliency and perseverance. I think about love and honor and redemption. And I think there is no better city to show our daughter to demonstrate the power of good over evil. I have always been proud of New York, but now, more than ever, I am grateful to call it my home.

35 weeks!

Here's the bump on September 4th, one month before due date :)

This past Tuesday marked by 35th week of pregnancy! Emmet and I are getting more and more excited by the day, and the belly is growing fast. Thankfully, we got good news from our final ultrasound this past Tuesday: baby is facing down and knows which way is out! Also, she's weighing in at 5 lbs and 10 oz. and will prob gain about 1/2 a lb. a week until delivery leaving her at about 7 and 1/2 lbs. on her birthday, they predict. We shall see how comfy she is in there and how long she wants to keep on cooking! Most importantly, she is already practicing her breathing and her heartbeat is strong. Fun remarks were that she has long femurs and narrow torso, which the Doc says means she will be built like me and a big head, which Emmet takes full credit for!

Thank God for Taylor, whose been keeping me company these past few weeks while the boys prepare for the STEP 1!

 

With Emmet hitting the books hard, I am getting in my last bit of rest and relaxation before Baby F comes, reading and painting up a storm. One thing that has been really incredible for me on my daily outings has been the way strangers have treated me since I entered my third trimester. Twice this week, someone offered to carry my bags to the car, once at Winn Dixie and once at Michael's. Everywhere I go, from church to the supermarket, people smile at my belly and say "Felicidad Mami!" It's been a beautiful thing to experience, and I am really touched by the kindness of the Latin population here and the goodness I see in everyone when I'm on my errands.