It's the middle of August, and my first semester of Med School is over. Hooray! I did very well, better than I thought I would (second in my class of 90+ students on the Standardized National Anatomy Final), I hope I can continue into next semester. I will have a different looking class next semester, as a variety of people have dropped out, failed a course etc... By the way, the passing grade for each subject is 75%, which is the highest in the Caribbean. It means that if you can make it through Saba, you should do well on the Board exams. We also will have quite a few people from the semester ahead of us, joining our class because they have failed a second semester course. It's tough to see, but it's good to know that the school will give you a second chance.
We have decided to stay on Saba during my 2 week break, while the entire rest of my class have gone home for the break. The island seems very empty and quiet. I'm enjoying the time I have off with my wife and Cally.
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| Cally likes watching her Dad play indoor hoops. |
Cally is becoming so smart! She is understanding so many phrases and words, such as 'walk', 'stroller', 'bottle', 'outside', 'goats', 'chickens' and 'basketball'! I'm sure she understands a lot more than we think. She is pointing and waving all the time to communicate. She is getting so much better at feeding herself too. Her pinching skills are pretty good as well, especially on Dad's nipples.... She easily gets from sitting to crawling stance and back, but still no crawling action. I really don't know how we are going to babyproof the house. I'm just so proud of her development and personality. She is usually very calm and quiet and has excellent concentration. She still loves her jolly-jumper but her new favourite toy is her walker. She has learned that being mobile is great for her independence. Her new game is to move up behind Julia on the couch, pull her hair, then run away. It's pretty funny.
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| Cally in her favourite toy and second favourite jersey |
Julia is also doing well, she's pregnant again! We'll come back to that. She has adapted well to island life, except for the temperature. It's hot here, especially in the house (usually 28-30 degrees). And using the air conditioner racks up the electricity bill like crazy. Electricity, groceries, internet are very expensive here. She has been terrific as a stay-at-home parent. She makes sure that both Cally and I are fed and happy. I am so thankful for her. However, Julia does get a bit lonely sometimes when I'm busy with school. There are not too many other spouses living in The Bottom right now. Despite the size of the island, it is quite hard to travel with a baby. It's so hilly and rocky, and hitching to Windwardside can be difficult. I am hoping that some of the new students and their families will live in The Bottom and that Julia can make some closer friends.
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| Updated Family Portrait |
So I knocked up Julia. Surprise! We are kind of in disbelief, because of our fertility issues in the past. But it's exactly how we joked about how it probably would end up happening. We figured that we conceived just before school started, two weeks after we got here. Julia had just stopped breastfeeding and it was obvious that her hormones were recovering back to normal levels. I was concerned about how she was feeling, and we decided to start her back on birth control to regulate things. We were dumb. She was already 6 weeks pregnant when she began taking them again, which is a HUGE no-no. The first ultrasound shows no physical abnormalities, but we will find out for sure in a few weeks when an Ob-Gyn is visiting Saba and will repeat the ultrasound. We are also very surprised about how far along she is. We had thought that the pregnancy was only 10 weeks along but the ultrasound showed that the baby was much older and that we are closer to 18 weeks pregnant. Which puts the due-date in mid-to-late January.
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| 17 weeks pregnant (not 10) |
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| Computer time with Dad on his birthday. |
That means that we will not be coming home for Christmas because Julia will be 36-37 weeks pregnant and won't be allowed to fly. We are keeping in contact with family and friends via Skype and Facebook (if you are reading this, please get a Skype account and call us sometime, Cally loves to talk!). Julia's parents are coming for a visit in October for three weeks, which is going to be awesome! Julia's mom, Lynn, has also said she will be coming to stay with us when the baby is born for a few weeks. I can't explain how much of a help that is going to be for us! We are so thankful for the support that Lynn, Kerry and the rest of Julia's and my family has meant to us. I would not be able to pursue Medicine without them. Thank you guys!
