Match Day - Round 2

Match Day 2008

It's hard to believe it is already interview season again for Dave - it feels like we just did all of this! Dave is smack dab in the middle of interviewing for nephrology fellowship, which he will begin in June 2011. Unlike the residency match where we found out where we were moving a mere two months before we needed to be there, this time we get to know for a whole year where this next step will be taking us. So, just thought I'd go ahead and list our potential residences for the next 2-3 years (or longer, who knows??)

You may find the Bains clan living in...(in no particular order, of course)

1. Charlottesville, VA
2. Baltimore, MD
3. Durham, NC
4. Chapel Hill, NC
5. Winston-Salem, NC
6. Birmingham, AL
7. Atlanta, GA

As Dave is only about halfway through his interviews, he currently does not have any sort of rank-order list. Luckily, I visited most of these places with him during residency interviews so I have not been accompanying him this time around. I feel like we are really torn about where to move...we love living in Charlottesville but with Baby Bains on the way I do feel like I'd like to be closer to our families. However, with that said, I also want Dave to do his fellowship at the best possible place! We'll find out in June where he matched...so stay tuned!

Winter Wonderland

It has been way too long since I last updated our blog - where does all the time go? So forgive me while I back up a few weeks to get caught up...

I have to share some pics from the snowstorm we got before Christmas. Now, being from Alabama, I feel like we definitely live in the North now that we are residents of the state of Virginia. However, I would say this area is about 50/50 on the North vs South debate over the location of Virginia. With that said, when Mother Nature dropped 2 feet of snow in about 24 hours, the city of Charlottesville completely shut down! So maybe we are in the South after all. The snow started on Friday afternoon around 3:30pm and didn't stop until sometime late Saturday night. I skipped out of work the moment it started with the idea that I would get home and be warm and snuggly on my couch to watch the event. I was so excited! Fun things like this rarely happen in Alabama and I was ecstatic about the idea of playing in the snow. However, my excitement quickly turned to hysterics as I tried to make the drive home. We live about 15 miles from the hospital down a 2 lane road that has lots of hills....and the snow was falling so fast...and STICKING already! Everyone else had the same idea to leave work early (gotta get to the grocery store for milk and bread, right??!!) so the traffic was horrendous on top of the fact that everyone had to drive about 10 miles an hour on the suddenly icy roads. So I'm sitting in miles of traffic watching the snow ever-building on my car, the road, the grass...everywhere!!

And then my tires start to spin on the ice and I realize I've never driven in weather like this...

...and we didn't buy 4 wheel drive for my 4Runner because we lived in Alabama where you don't deal with this kind of thing...

...and (GASP!!) my gas tank says I have 30 miles left until empty...

...and (CRAP!!) my cell phone is beeping low battery...

I'M GONNA DIE!!

So with my last few seconds of precious cell phone life (of course I don't have a car charger...who needs one of those?) I frantically call Dave who is home asleep on the couch post call - completely oblivious that it is even snowing. I'm going to blame all these pregnancy hormones running through my body for my frantic, crying phone call. In the end, as the phone is dying, Dave is reassuring me...mentioning something about "if you start to slide, turn the wheel into the slide" (WHAT??!!) and then the best words I've ever heard "I'm putting on my shoes and starting to walk...I'll find you". THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! So I continue to creep along, hands gripping the wheel for all I'm worth, until finally about 45 minutes later I see Dave walking down the side of the road. My savior!!! My hero who walked 5 miles in the blizzard to climb in to the driver's seat and drive me the rest of the way home.

Well, almost home. About a mile from our house, the last hill we needed to traverse was so slippery we just couldn't make it up. We left the car stranded on the side of the road along with almost every other person trying to make it home. So pregnant, in paper thin scrubs and tennis shoes, I trekked up the hill with my hero for about a mile until we reached home sweet home. At which point we had to climb over a fence to get in the backyard. By this time (did I mention it is 9:30 pm by now??) the snow is already up to our shins and we are SOAKED by the time we make it home. And I have never been so glad to see my house. Or so hungry.

The last of the snow just melted this week!! I have never been so glad to see grass again. I'll be fine if I never experience that much snow again...

Needless to say I never even got out in the snow to play the entire weekend. It was a beautiful sight but the beauty wears off quickly when your fridge is empty and there is no way to get out of the driveway!! The city of Charlottesville finally got it together by Sunday afternoon and started plowing, but it took several days for the roads to be anywhere close to normal again.

So maybe Virginia is in the South ;)


Syd enjoyed the snow, but would only walk on paths Dave had already created

Dave and Syd trekking through the snow

The backyard - the first hump is the grill, the second is Dave's car

This is what I saw when I opened the back door...luckily all that snow didn't fall in the entryway!!

View from the front door

17 Weeks - Update

Well, today I am 17 weeks in to this pregnancy - and it's starting to show!!



I've had a lot of firsts these past few weeks...heard the heartbeat for the first time at 14 weeks (a kickin' 154 beats/min...it's ALWAYS 154!), graduated up to maternity pants at 16 weeks, and yesterday had my first stranger ask me when I was due. :) It has been so much fun so far and I just pray that everything continues smoothly. I would be a liar if I didn't admit that on occasion I sneak away from my nursing duties and doppler the baby's heartbeat :) Ahh, the advantages of working in medicine...

We have our 22 week ultraound the second week in December and we have decided to NOT find out the sex of the baby! We want to be surprised. Most people I tell this to think we are crazy (there are a few exceptions) but we just think it will be such a special surprise. So in the meantime, we get to pick out a boy AND a girl name, which is fun. Dave and I are each making a list and when we are done, we will compare names and go from there. I of course already have my completed list...Dave is a bit behind, but I'll cut him some slack since he works over 80 hours a week.

All of this is going by so fast...I guess April will be here before we know it!

New Addition!

We're having a BABY!!!


I'm thirteen weeks and due April 22. Of course we could not be more excited! Dave and I had been trying to conceive for quite some time, so I was ecstatic when I went to a doctor's appointment and she told me the good news! I have honestly never been so surprised in my life! It was so hard to believe and I still have trouble wrapping my head around it. However, now that we have a couple of ultrasounds under our belt and the belly is starting to expand, it's starting to become a little more believable.


And just to make things more interesting, my sister Marion is getting married May 29! So there will be another guest at the wedding - a newborn! We will have our hands full that weekend, so wish us luck!! Can't wait to see the baby sister walk down the aisle though!

The weather this summer in Virginia has been absolutely wonderful!!! Much different from the summer we experienced here last year, this summer has been warm but not at all humid...a nice change from Alabama summers. This excellent weather has gotten us searching for any and all outdoor activities we can find - and they are bountiful around here! A few weeks ago I joined some friends for a Sunday afternoon picnic and polo match at King's Family Winery (sadly, Dave was working). I was so excited about seeing a polo match for the first time. It was so neat! You definitely have to pay attention, as we found out the hard way. These horses do not slow down if the ball ends up near you so you have to be quick to your feet!! Halfway through the match, we got to stomp the divets. It totally felt like Pretty Woman!! Like always, I found myself in disbelief at how beautiful the mountains are around here. What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!!!






Dave and I also recently visited yet another winery with our bestest of friends Zach and Lindsey. We sound like a bunch of winos!!! This time we ventured to Veritas for Starry Nights. This is held once a month from June - September. Everyone brings a picnic, blanket, chairs, etc for a night under the stars with good wine and entertainment!! The night we went there was a Beatles cover band ("Abbey Road") performing so I absolutely loved that. Once it gets dark, a big bonfire commences! I was amazed at the number of people in attendance - it was quite the event. But the winery is huge and there was plenty of room to spread out. Hoping to make it once more this summer!

SUMMER!!!

Summer is here and we have had a great one so far!!! We kicked off the summer with a visit from Mom and Dad over Memorial Day weekend. Had a great time as usual! We didn't actually do too much sightseeing, but managed to make it to DC for a Nationals game. We spent the rest of the time eating good food and just hanging out. It was so nice to have them around for a few days. I miss living close by - we used to get to do that anytime we wanted!







Dave and I also recently went to Virginia WineFest with a group of our friends. There are tons of family owned wineries in and around Charlottesville. Before we moved here, I had no idea that Virginia was such a big wine producer! This festival was particularly cool because it was held at Ashlawn-Highland, which is the home of James Monroe. It's located just a couple of miles from Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson (or TJ, as he is fondly referred to around here). It was a beautiful day to be outside!!! There were several local wineries there for tastings and a few arts and crafts exhibits set up on the lawn. And of course, no festival would be complete without yummy food! We are just really loving living in Charlottesville - there is always something fun going on!!! And it doesn't hurt that the scenery around here is BEAUTIFUL!!!

Matt's visit to Cville

Matt came to visit us in Charlottesville a few weeks ago and we had a great time! Poor Matt - both times he has come to visit we have been moving so he has been forced to help us move twice. We did try to do some fun things while he was here. We went out to dinner with friends to celebrate Lindsey's birthday, hiked Humpback Rocks, and Dave and Matt finally convinced me to eat Indian food and I loved it! I admit it. :) Sydney definitely appreciated Matt's visit! She loves Matt and it was nice that he was here while she adapted to the new house while Dave and I were working. Here are a few pics from his visit as well as a couple of pics of the new house!