Ian's 1st birthday party

Sorry I haven't updated the blog in 2 months!! We have been super busy, but as I have 4 dozen cupcakes baking in the oven for bake sale, I figured I could squeeze in a quick blog entry.
On October 27 our sweet baby Ian turned 1 YEAR OLD!! The year went by so quickly- it makes me so sad! But we had a great Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party at the Blue Marine pool in Maho!

Jordan grilled hamburgers and hotdogs at our friends Kerri and Dave's house, then we were joined at the pool by our closest friends. The weather was perfect- hot and sunny! My friend Kim with Black Cat Cafe made 4 dozen cupcakes and Ian's Mickey Mouse smash cake- they were amazing! And my friend Jackie surprised me with a high chair banner handmade with love! Several friends brought gifts which was so sweet (even though it was a no gift party!) 

At 6pm, when the sun went down, the pool lights turned neon so that was extra fun for the kids. It was a great party! and it reminded me how much work it is to throw a birthday party, but definitely worth it. My kids only get one birthday party during our time in St. Maarten, and since both of my boys birthdays are in the fall/winter this will probably be their only birthday in swimsuits! 

My experience with Zika

So since I posted on my FB that I had contracted the Zika virus I had a lot of people messaging me asking questions about it so I thought I'd just do a blog entry on my experience. Here is the CDC: Zika website with facts, but this is my personal experience. From what I read symptoms vary, but this is what happened to me:

So Thursday of last week I woke up with, what I thought was, a goose egg on the back of my head closer to my neck. It was pretty good size and very tender to touch so I spent some time trying to figure out when I had bumped my head! That afternoon I felt SO tired, like I could barely keep my eyes open. I decided to lay down and nap with Ian in the afternoon which I very rarely do. When I woke up I knew I had to get ready for my Spouses Org meeting, but I felt so achey that I just wanted to keep sleeping. I had to force myself to get ready. By the time I left for the meeting I felt like I was freezing and had a splitting headache. Our meeting was at an outdoor restaurant and I was shivering the entire time. I didn't last long, because I just wanted to go back home. I walked home, which in reality isn't a long walk at all, but it felt like it took forever. I was drenched in sweat, but freezing at the same time. I got home and immediately took some Benadryl and tried to fall asleep. Luckily Jordan had already put the boys to sleep. I could not sleep though..every joint ached, and I was shivering so my whole body just hurt. I took my temperature and it was 102 degrees. My fever finally broke around 4am and I was able to fall asleep.

 Thankfully on Friday Jordan didn't have class until 10:30am so he let me sleep in. When I woke up I felt better, but still had a headache. I had Jordan examine my "goose egg" on the back of my head in which he determined was a swollen lymph node. Obviously I was fighting some kind of infection, he figured it was either sinusitis or the flu because of the body aches. I carried on Friday and felt decent, until the evening I developed a fever again! Tylenol helped, but when I woke up Saturday morning I noticed I was itchy all over. I didn't think anything of it because I have sensitive skin anyway. It was a beautiful day so I took the boys outside to take some photos of them and that's when I noticed I had developed a rash everywhere. When I looked in the mirror I freaked out because my face was swollen, red and splotchy and radiated heat. I couldn't even capture on camera exactly what the rash looked like.

 I sent a picture to Jordan and he was like "umm yea you have some kind of mosquito borne illness" so we decided to go to the St. Maarten Medical Clinic to get checked out. I did labwork, but as soon as the doctor looked over my rash he said it was either Dengue, but 99% positive it was Zika. He even discouraged me to get tested, and I have a personal theory on why he didn't want me tested, but I will keep that to myself. For now there's nothing I can do except ride the virus out. I can't be out in the sun because it makes my skin swell and itch even worse so my poor kids are stuck inside with me :(
Oh, and I also had my broken finger x-rayed and it is still broken and I was referred for physical therapy because the finger doesn't bend, people. So yea, basically I'm a mess! Luckily the rest of my family is happy and healthy. Oh, island life.

Updates- beginning of 3rd semester

I can't believe it's already 1st block week! Being on the Spouses Board has kept me super busy so time is flying- which, to me, is a good thing. I have a quick minute so I figured I'd update with all that we've all been up to.

The first week The Spouses Org hosted a meet and greet for incoming spouses, I hosted playgroups and movie nights the past 2 weeks, and helped run a coffee cart shift where we sell coffee and breakfast items to students. This past weekend we hosted a luncheon for all spouses at the Sapphire Beach Club as a "welcome back." This week is the first bake sale of the semester, so I'm looking forward to that. So yes, it definitely keeps me busy, but in a good way.

Playgroup

Me and Ian at the luncheon- gotta love my broken finger!!

Bradley started his 3rd semester of preschool at the same place he's been going since we arrived in St. Maarten. He enjoys going so I will continue to take him. When we get back in the states next August I'm going to try to get him enrolled in a pre-k. He loves being around friends and learning. He's just like his dad- too smart for his own good. He makes me really proud!

Ian is now 10mos old and cutting teeth like crazy! He currently has 4, but his 2 front, top teeth have sprouted through. We have had a really rough turn in regards to his sleep the past month though. He only sleeps for about 2-3hrs at a time!! Yikes! I try to blame teething, but I honestly don't know what the issue is. He still nurses about 3-4 times a day and then 1-2 times throughout the night. He eats some baby foods, but still doesn't act all that interested in food in general. He crawls and pulls himself up on everything. I have also caught him standing alone, not holding onto anything a few times too. I've offered him a sippy cup a few times, but they just get used as toys :) He's such a sweetie.

I think that's all that's new with us. Jordan is still an anatomy Teachers Assistant (TA) once a week and joined the Emergency Medicine Student Interest Group (EMSIG). Studying is still his #1 priority, but still makes plenty of time for us too :)

Oh- last update: Blueberry, our car, is dunzo. Almost every week since we bought it there has been an issue..the last issue being the subframe is rusted/broken, leaving the A-Arms in bad condition and unsafe driving condition. In order for our car to pass the yearly inspection we'd have to get these things fixed and it is just way too expensive and unreliable at the moment. Being on such a tight budget, we've decided to just cut our losses and try to sell it to a local for parts. RIP Blueberry. We bought a new(er) car from another 5th semester student- a 2006 Hyundai Accent that should be more reliable for the next year we're here on the island.

2nd semester break

I can't believe we're already back to the 'ol grind :( Jordan started his 3rd semester (aka 2nd year) on Tuesday and is already back into his daily routine. We spent the past 2 weeks on break and it was awesome!
We celebrated Jordan's finals with dinner at Pineapple Pete's. Anyone travelling to St. Maarten I've found that Pineapple Pete's is one of the most kid friendly restaurants- they give your kids a toy car to keep and always bring their food first, and ice cream is included in the kid's meal..it's the little things..highly recommended!

Prior to break I had made a "to do" list of things I wanted to do so that we didn't end up just wasting time thinking "What should we do today?!" We surprisingly only went to the beach two times during the 2 weeks- once to Le Galion and once to Mullet Bay for a birthday party. We celebrated a lot of birthdays!! Bradley had 3 friends that had birthday parties so it was fun to get together with all the kids, and even meet some incoming spouses!

We ate out at least one meal per day which is such a rarity for us. We typically only eat out as an after block celebration so that was a real treat. One night we went to Caribbean Cinemas to watch Pete's Dragon which...was rough. Ian was pretty squirmy and Bradley ended up having an accident because he was so intrigued by the movie. We probably won't be doing movies, as a family at least, until Ian is quite a bit older. I also started watching Game of Thrones (Jordan actively watches) and we got through season II after the kids would go to sleep.

We went down to frontstreet in Phillipsburg for dining and shopping one day and got a flat tire so we had to get 2 new tires :( Jordan also had to do some car work on poor Blueberry. Sigh! Jordan and I were able to get in one date night over break thankfully! Special shoutout to Laura, Aimee and Gozzie for watching the boys. We ate at Jimbo's in Simpson Bay and it was delish. We went to the Princess Casino afterwards and didn't lose any money! Jordan and I were also able to have a Dad/Mom date with our friends Nicole and Ivan and their son Magnus (Ian's bff) which is always fun.

Overall, it was a great break and I was sad to see it end! But we've booked our flight back home for Christmas so I'm already looking forward to that!

**Edit!! I forgot to add that I broke my finger over break as well! I slipped down 3 slippery steps at a restaurant and my left index finger took the beating. Swelling and bruising is down significantly, but it's in a splint for roughly 3 weeks :(

Life Update

Wow, it's been a full month since I updated the blog! Sorry about that! I figured I'd take some time to update what we've been up to.

First of all..we moved! At the beginning of August we moved out of the 2 bedroom condo at Arbor Estates into a 1 bedroom apartment across the street at Rainbow Beach Club. Now, a family of 4 in a 1 bedroom apartment is definitely not ideal, but after 8 months we realized it was the best option for us. The main reason is that island living is expensive, way more so than we are used to in the midwest. Not getting too personal, but the budget was not working for our family. We will also have a lot of expenses coming up in the next year with moving back to the United States for clinical rotations and taking time off for the Step 1 exam. We figured we would take this next year to save as much money as we can. While we are a little more cramped in our new place, we are satisfied with our decision to move.

Secondly, we wrapped up Jordan's 1st year of medical school last week! Whew, what a whirlwind of a year it has been. Second semester, block 4 was the most challenging for Jordan, but he buckled down for finals and ended up honoring all three. Way to go, Jordan! Words cannot express how proud I am. Medical school, while personally challenging at times, has been the best thing for our marriage. It is so awesome to see your spouse really passionate about what they're doing. 

Thirdly, I've joined the Spouses Board! I knew I wanted to be involved with the organization since last semester, but wasn't sure if I could manage the time with the 2 kids. Luckily the past Board were all Moms so they were great examples. We have a great group of Spouses on the board and I'm sure it'll be a wonderful 2 semesters full of events and get togethers to support all of the incoming spouses and families. I'm the new Family Liaison so I will be coordinating the kids' playgroups and movie nights, etc. My friend Jackie was the previous Family liaison so I have big shoes to fill!

I think that's all to update on. Bradley is now 3.5 and gearing to go back to his 3rd semester of preschool, and Ian turns 10 months old later this week! We are currently on break between semesters and enjoying our time as a family. I will blog about some of the fun things we've done on break next week! Thanks for following along!

Pinel Island & Birthday Parties

I feel a little behind on keeping this blog updated! I can't believe it's already the end of July; it has really been a busy and eventful month.
July is a month full of birthdays!! A lot of our friends and island kids have birthdays and of course we want to celebrate them all! We started off the 1st week of July celebrating Bindi's 3rd birthday at Kim Sha beach in Simpson Bay. We love Kim Sha and Bindi so win-win! She had a great turnout at her super hero party- we have a really awesome group of kiddos and even more coming next month in the upcoming semester!

Then the 2nd weekend a group of us went to Pinel Island for Andrea and Bret's (Jordan's classmates) birthdays. We had been wanting to go to Pinel for quite a while so this was the perfect opportunity. Ok- Pinel is perfect. It is an island within an island so you either need to take a ferry boat for $12 or kayak (not sure on price) over there. We took the Ferry and rented chairs and an umbrella at Yellow Beach. There is another beach on Pinel Karibuni, and maybe a few more private areas, but we didn't really leave Yellow Beach. There are 2 restaurants, but we brought a cooler of sandwiches and drinks. 

We stayed at Pinel until they closed for the day and it still didn't seem like enough time, even though we were so worn out. Afterwards we went back to Porto for birthday cake. It was a really fun day with such a diverse and awesome group of people. This past Friday night we were able to get a babysitter for the evening (Thanks Nicole!!) to go to dinner at Bamboo in Maho for Robert's 25th birthday. We love Robert; he is a great friend of ours so we were so glad to be able to get away without the kids for a short amount of time. I tried sushi for the 1st time in Robert's honor and actually enjoyed it! Another awesome night in the books!

The celebrations are going to start slowing down a bit though as next week is block week then the week after is finals. Then a 2 week break before 3rd semester that we are desperately looking forward to!! 

Taste of St. Maarten + Parrotte Ville

Last weekend Jordan took a family day before block week. We headed out to Simpson Bay for the 9th annual Taste of St. Maarten at Topper's Beach Bar. There was a variety of restaurants set up offering a sample of their food for a discounted price. Bradley got some cheeseburger sliders, I got a pulled pork sandwich from Hard Rock St. Maarten and Jordan got some indian food. Everything was delicious! They had a kids corner set up with a water slide, dunk tank, face painting, etc. Bradley even went down the big water slide twice! If you know Bradley this was huge for him- he's pretty timid and anxious about trying new things, but he made it and loved it. We walked from Topper's over to Kim Sha beach and rented 2 chairs and an umbrella for the afternoon. We swam for a bit, then just hung out the rest of the afternoon. As we were leaving we saw some of our friends so we hung out for a little bit longer. We plan on going next year for the 10th annual as well!

On Wednesday we met up with our mom friends from the Spouses Org to take the kiddos to Parrotte Ville. Parrotte Ville is in Belvedere, close to the French side of St. Maarten. Luckily my friend Juliana and her two boys drove with us or else I would have been lost! I think every mom was able to come so we had a packed house in the bird enclosure. We were given cups to hold with bird feed then the bird would fly and land on your cup. It was really interesting! Bradley even held a cup with a bird on it- again, a big step in overcoming some anxiety. We had a great time even though it was super, super humid. We have a really awesome group of moms and kiddos. I feel really grateful to be a part of the Spouses Organization.

The rest of the week was training for the Spouses Board on coffee cart, hot food Friday, and bake sale, but more on that later ;)

7 year anniversary

Like I mentioned in my last blog, the boys and I made it home just in time to celebrate our 7 year wedding anniversary. I remember our wedding day June 27, 2009..it was probably the hottest day of the summer in Kansas and the air conditioner at the church we got married in was having a hard time keeping up with the temps. Like every other day in St. Maarten, it was hot and humid and there were power outages throughout the island. But it was a beautiful day, just like our wedding day! I told Jordan St. Maarten is the romantic, tropical honeymoon we were never financially able to take :)

 Jordan ended up skipping classes to celebrate our anniversary, which ended up working out because his Physio class was cancelled anyway. We went to Sarafina's for breakfast and then to Front Steet in Phillipsburg. We parked and walked, but it was like a ghost town in Phillipsburg because there were no cruise ships docked. We went to where we wanted to go- The That Yoda Guy exhibit and were able to actually meet Nick Maley, the creator of Yoda (and many other accomplishments), in person! It was really cool- kind of felt like we were meeting a celeb! Of course Jordan loved seeing all the unique Star Wars memorabilia while I enjoyed the a/c. Afterwards we grocery shopped and went back to our apartment complex to swim! We went to BarCode for dinner and Burger King in Simpson Bay for a little dessert, super fancy ;) We rounded out the night with Jordan watching Game of Thrones. It was a really nice day with my favorite guys.

Happy Anniversary, Jordan! Cheers to many, many more!

2nd semester blues + trip back to the states

Heyyy..long time, no blog!! Shortly after the break between 1st semester and 2nd semester, I started experiencing a sadness feeling that I've dubbed the "2nd semester blues"..I can't really explain it, but I missed my normalcy. I missed working, I missed my best friend, I missed my family. I missed random convenient American things. If you know me personally you know that I am usually a very positive person and almost always optimistic so this was not a good feeling for me. I decided to take a trip back to the states for a month. 

Let me tell you..travelling with 2 kids is not for the weak. I'm done with travelling for at least another 6 months! We first flew to Orlando to stay with my sister for 2 days. We went to Disneyworld's Magic Kingdom and had a blast. We were at the park the entire day and had a great time together! The next day we went to lunch, shopped and just spent time together. The next day we flew from Orlando to Wichita (our hometown) to stay for the next 4 weeks. We decided to stay in Pretty Prairie, KS with my aunt and uncle in law, and then randomly spend the night in Wichita during the week. Bradley loves Pretty Prairie and just being outdoors with Aunt Tiffy and Uncle Tom. 

We were able to do a lot of fun things in Kansas- we visited my bestie's brand new house she had built and stayed there for a weekend. We went to her co-worker's pool party, played at Chik-fil-a, met with my friend Maggie and her sweet kiddos at the McDonald's Playplace, went on a garage sale scavenger hunt with Aunt Tiffy and cousin Devin, travelled to Oklahoma City one day with my mom and grandma to visit my Aunt Karen and 2nd cousin Mason (2 years old), ate a lot of delicious food, went to Chuck E. Cheese, decided to bypass my 10 year HS reunion and just have a day out with my bestie instead, participated in a Home Depot kids workshop with Uncle Lance and cousin Isaiah, went to see Finding Dory with Aunt Lindsay, Uncle Josh and cousins Ari and Eli, had a family game night at Mom and Dad's, went to the zoo with my grandmother in law. The kids were babysat by Aunt Tiffy a few times while I ran some errands. This allowed for some ME time that I've been desperately needing and very thankful for. My sister also watched the boys while I got my hair done. I also met with my adviser at Wichita State to enroll in some classes to finish my Bachelor's Degree. This is something I put on hold when I was pregnant with Ian and we were gearing up to move to St. Maarten, but I'm so close to being finished that I just need to buckle down. Anyway, I was also able to do some embroidery which was much needed also. I sincerely miss running my business!! I'm sure I'm missing some of the other fun things we did, but the 4 weeks went by too fast of course. Overall, it was an awesome trip and I was so grateful to be surrounded by so much love and support. If you'd like to see pictures from our trip, search the hashtag #marshallsonthemainland on instagram. My personal instagram is: alliemarshall627

Blogger is not letting my upload any photos into this post for whatever reason!! Grr

We flew back to Orlando for a day then back to St. Maarten, just in time for me and Jordan's 7 year anniversary. I will do a separate blog post on our anniversary :)

I feel like my 2nd semester blues are lessening. I'm trying to take it day by day with a smile on my face, because it doesn't benefit anyone if Mom is down in the dumps. Instead I'll enjoy the sunshine and this time while my kids are little :)

Start of 2nd semester + Birthdays galore

Well we are back in the swing of things for 2nd semester and so far so good! Jordan has classes in the mornings from 8am-11:20am then on Mondays he's a Teacher Assistant (TA) for Anatomy in the cadaver lab in the afternoon. I can't believe it's already block week! His class will take their 1st set of blocks on Monday, May 24th. In the meantime we are staying busy with Bradley back in preschool Tuesdays and Thursdays, playgroups, meal planning, cooking and cleaning! Ian has hit so many developmental milestones lately it's been so fun to witness first hand. We have also been celebrating a lot of our island friends' birthdays!
Last week we celebrated Ugo's 2nd birthday at the Tradewinds Pool. He had a SpongeBob theme, and it was great celebrating such a fun boy!





Last weekend we celebrated Avery and Samara's 6th birthday  with a beach party at Le Galion. I've mentioned before that Le Galion is our favorite beach to go to, especially with the kids. They can run in and out of the water, and I don't have to worry about them being tackled by a huge wave. We had a great time with friends, and Bradley loved hitting the piñata. He has specifically requested a piñata at his 4th birthday party!

Later that night we invited some of Jordan's friends over for card games and pineapple upside down cake to celebrate a little early for Jordan's 31st birthday. We feel so fortunate that we've developed such a great group of friends that our apartment was FULL of people! We all just mingled and talked and laughed so much that my face literally HURT. I haven't felt like that in a long time. I also wanted to mention how thankful I am for the friendships we've made even though we have two little boys. Almost all of the friends we've made do not have kids, or spouses, but they treat us just the same, and understand that sometimes we need to keep the conversation a little kid friendlier or keep the noise level down. In fact we've been told that they're only our friends so that they can be around Bradley and Ian :)

  I headed upstairs early to get the kids to sleep so I missed out on card games, but it was still a fun time. Today is Jordan's birthday so here's a big Blog shoutout:

 

HAPPY 31st BIRTHDAY, JORDAN!!!!! We love you and appreciate everything you do for us! Enjoy your special day!

The rest of Break

The second week of break my parents and grandmother came for a visit. It was refreshing having a piece of "home" come to us. It was a very nice visit. We still went and did things around the island everyday, but it was also relaxed and not rushed. It's been about 2 weeks since they went home, but I'll try me best to recap their visit..
We waited all day Friday to pick them up from the airport in the evening. Of course it was so hard for Bradley to contain his excitement. He asked me about every 30 minutes when they'd be arriving. It just so happens that we walked into the airport the exact moment they walked into the arrivals section of the airport so it was super convenient. Problem- they were starving from their long travel day and almost everything was closed! We got them checked into their hotel at The Summit and luckily a restaurant nearby, BB's, was still serving dinner. 
The next morning we packed up our cooler, went for breakfast at The Green Monkey and then spent the afternoon at Le Galion beach. Sadly, I did not take any photos at the beach! But it was a GREAT time. We love Le Galion. We grilled hamburgers at the hotel for dinner that night. That night my mom, grandma and I went to the Starz casino nearby for some .01 cent gambling. I ended up doubling my money and my grandma won $100!!
The next day we got up early and got ready to head down to Front Street in Phillipsburg. We ate lunch at a familiar place- Hard Rock Cafe!! They had fountain Dr. Pepper!!...for $12.00, but...it seemed worth it :) Afterwards we did some tourist-y stuff on Front Street like pose for pictures with everything imaginable and look at endless booths of the same souvenirs.

That night we swam at our complex's pool and then the ladies went back to the casino, but this time we went to Casino Royale in Maho. After we left the casino we found that our rental car had a flat tire, which is another crazy story in itself! 

The next day we got up early to head to Marigot on the french side. We wanted to take my family to our favorite little spot to get some french treats at, Sarafina's. Everything there is so delicious- never disappointed!! Afterwards my dad, Jordan and Bradley went to hike up Fort Saint Luis while my mom, grandma, me and Ian checked out the souviner shops in Marigot. We all met back up and headed back to swim at our complex. It was such a hot day so the pool was perfect. We ordered pizza for dinner and back to the casino at night for the ladies :)

The next day we went to do something I've wanted since we got to the island. We went to check out the abandoned hotel La Belle Creole. It is quite the walk, but it is really interesting. There is quite the history with this hotel- the original owner started building in the 1960's, but ran out of money. It was then bought by the Hilton and wasn't completed until 1988. Then it was destroyed in the hurricane of 1995 and never rebuilt. There is a lot of urban legend that the land it was built on is cursed. If you're visiting La Belle be very careful- there's broken glass everywhere! 

That night we decided to go down to Maho for dinner at Cheri's. They do a show with a lot of audience interaction- it was a good time! Except the table next to us had some drunk ladies who were obviously having a good time, but quite obnoxious!! We stayed for about an hour after our meal to watch the show, but it's more adult oriented, not so appropriate for the children :) Afterwards we got ice cream.

Our last day together was spent at Kimsha beach in Simpson Bay. We rented chairs and umbrellas for $5 each and spent all day out there. At one point Ian and I even fell asleep on the beach! Pure relaxation. We packed our cooler with sandwich stuff and drinks, so it was a really affordable day. After the beach we ate dinner at Pizza Del Sol in Simpson Bay- it was really good! We ended our night with gelato at Carousel. Then we had to say good-bye to our family until next month! I will be traveling home with the boys for a month long visit in June so we are really looking forward to being back in the states for a bit to visit with family and friends in Kansas.

Again, it was a really nice visit. Thanks for visiting us Dad, Mom & B! We loved our time together!

Island Boat Tour

Over the break we decided we wanted to splurge and do one big thing we've been wanting to do around the island. Many people had recommended the Santino Round the Island Cruise through Aqua Mania. Luckily Aqua Mania gives a 20% discount to AUC students, spouses and children so it ended up being a really nice and affordable all inclusive day excursion with friends.
We met up with Alejandro, Duy and Aimee at Aqua Mania and were happy to see that another island family we've become friends with, the Hayden's, were also going on the tour. Once on the boat we were served Rum Punch, beer, sodas and water throughout the day. 

We set sail out of Simpson Bay and made our 1st stop on Long Bay Beach on the French side. It was just a quick stop to cool off. I stayed on board with Ian, but quickly regretted that, because it was a hot day!! Next we sailed to Creole Rock for snorkeling. Snorkeling gear was provided by Aqua Mania was nice and they had child sizes. Again, I stayed on board with Ian (I think he was napping by this time) but I was able to watch Bradley with Jordan. I actually welled up with some tears watching Bradley just out in the open water swimming..looking like such a big KID. So proud. Jordan was able to snorkel and see some cool underwater stuff! He saw a family of sea turtles, a sting ray and coral reef.

Next, we stopped at Grand Case for lunch. You can either bring your own lunch, or eat at one of the many restaurants available as soon as you get off of the boat. The restaurants are ready and waiting for you when you get off the boat! We ate...somewhere..don't quite remember the restaurants name, but I had bbq chicken, Bradley had spaghetti and Jordan ate a whole FISH! Grand Case is beautiful. I can't wait to go back for an actual all day beach day there.

Our next stop was at Tintamarre Island. This is where my calm, easy-going attitude changed a bit. I was finally ready to head into the water myself! I got into the water with a pool noodle and had Jordan hand Ian to me in his life jacket. Little guy was not having it. Ian just screamed whenever we put the life vest on him. He also wanted to nurse for comfort as soon as we got into the water which I just couldn't do. So I was getting a little flustered trying to calm my little baby down. Then I was totally out of breath from trying to tread water to keep myself above water with an infant. I may or may not have had a slight panic attack. I wanted back on the boat ASAP. So I got back on the boat with Ian and got him all calmed down, but if I'm being 100% honest with myself I was completely tense the rest of the boat trip after that experience. I still enjoyed myself, but quickly realized swimming in open water was not for me.

We stopped at Pinel Island quickly before making our way back to Simpson Bay. It was super shallow so I felt comfortable in the water. We ordered some ice cream to enjoy and then back on the boat to round out the tour. On our way back to Simpson Bay we went through some really rough water! Luckily no one on our boat got seasick so I can definitely understand why some do, especially if they've had a little too much to drink! The waves didn't bother Bradley though! He fell asleep on the last leg of the cruise- poor boy played so hard all day! The cruise was from 10am to 6pm so it's definitely an all day affair. By the time we docked and got to our car we were so exhausted! We were all asleep for the evening by 9:30pm! 

Ian Alexander- 6mos old

Half a year?!

Happy 6 months, Ian!

I could probably say this every month, but where does time go?! Seriously. I cannot believe Ian is already half a year old. Maybe because he was only 8 weeks old when we got to the island, but it feels like time has just been going by so quickly! I'm cherishing every moment. Ian, you are still wearing 6-9mos clothes. You are kind of in between sizes..some 6 month clothes are a little snug, and some 9 months are way too big. You are still in size 3 diapers..we're guessing you still weigh around 16 pounds!

This month we introduced some baby food. We gave you some rice cereal, and some jarred baby food. You didn't seem too interested, so no biggie. We'll keep working on it! I prefer the baby lead weaning method of feeding versus purees with a spoon anyway. We got you a little highchair that straps onto the chair at the kitchen table and you love sitting at the table with us. You can sit now! We are still working on balance a little bit, but I'd say you can sit up unassisted 80% of the time. 

One thing I've noticed this past month is how much you love your brother Bradley! He can get you to laugh better than anyone else! You track him everywhere in the room and always reach out to him. It is really sweet to watch. My wish, as your mom, is that you and Bradley's bond stays strong your whole life! You are also playing with toys! If there's one you like, you sure have a tight grip on it! We still have some attachment issues, but it seems like they have lessened a little bit. You seem to be getting more comfortable with your daddy- you stayed with him for 2 hours while I was getting my hair done, and you even took a bottle from him. 

Again, happy 1/2 birthday sweet baby! We love you so much, Ian!

1st Semester break so far

Now that our car is legal to drive on the road we have been taking advantage of it! Monday after Jordan's final we had lunch at BarCode and then over to our friend's new apartment at Rainbow Beach Club. They just moved into a 2bedroom apartment and it is beautiful! One of the things I love most about Rainbow Beach Club is the private access to the beach and caves. They had a get together of students celebrating the end of the semester. It started down-pouring, but it was still fun being out there. We stayed for an hour or so until the kids got tired. It was great celebrating everyone's success! It has been an awesome 1st semester at AUC.

Another fun thing we did earlier in the week was check out the Caribbean Cinemas. We went to see The Jungle Book, and really enjoyed it! Ian nursed and slept the entire time, which was awesome because that allowed me to actually be able to sit and watch the movie as well. We also to the Carousel in Simpson Bay for more gelato. This was our 3rd time to Carousel, but we love it just the same as the first time we went. Bradley rode the teacup all by himself!

We have had such a great break so far {still 3 days left!}. I'm going to do separate entries on some of the bigger days we had so stay tuned!

Block 4 + Riu Palace

Whoo-hoo! Block 4 wrapped up this past week which means 1st semester of medical school is nearly over! Jordan has one last final on Monday then he's on break for 12 days. It seems like most of our friends are going home over break, but my parents and grandma are coming for a visit, so a piece of "home" will be coming to us. We are excited for a break to really enjoy the island.
Anyway, after the Block we did our traditional eating dinner out. After every block we've tried out a new restaurant, and that has been just about the only time we've dined out. This time we tried out BarCode, which is literally right down the street from our apartment. Food was really good and fairly inexpensive. About 10-15 other classmates joined us at dinner so it was nice to have some company.

After dinner some friends came over for some card games after our kids went to sleep. Good times as always. I think I've said it before, but the friendships we've gained is my most cherished part of medical school so far.

 

On Wednesday, the Spouses Organization hosted a "5th semester send off" all inclusive day event at the Riu Palace resort. It was such an awesome day. We were at the resort for 8 hours, hanging out at the pool and Anse Marcel beach. I have to brag on Bradley a bit..he has really GROWN into a KID this past semester. He doesn't even seem like a toddler anymore. He swims without me and engages with all the other kids. He is polite and very well behaved..he makes my life as a mom pretty..dare I say..EASY. I am so proud. Anyway! Lunch was good, and drinks were flowing. I would definitely recommend the Riu Palace to anyone visiting St. Maarten. This past semester we have met some of the greatest 5th semester families, and are sad to see them leave. We will miss you and the kids, Marcie and Jillian!! Good luck on clinicals back in the states!

If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart!
The boys and I enjoying our day at the Riu Palace



Our new island car + Doctor's Visit

The best advice I got while looking to buy an island car was, "There's going to be something wrong with any car you buy here, so pick your wrong." It's true. There was something wrong with almost every car we looked at. Whether it's suspension, paint job, transmission, etc., the island is rough on cars. Roads are different here than in the states. There are speed bumps everywhere because there are no stop signs or traffic lights. It's just different. I decided I only wanted to buy a car from a student selling theirs. One reason is to help the student out and also I feel that a student would be more honest than a local. A lot of our friends knew we were in the market for a car with a MAX budget of $3k. Whenever a car came up for sale on the classifieds someone would tag me or Jordan..well, 40 minutes after I was tagged we went to look and test drive the car. Then we bought it. It's a 2005 Hyundai Atos and Bradley has named it Blueberry.

We had a bit of Buyers remorse because not even a day later the car was not starting. Luckily I married a jack of all trades and he was able to take an afternoon and get it back up and running. Jordan needed to tension the belt and replace the battery. So now we have the convenience of getting around the island. Now, if only my anxiety of driving around the island would lessen up...

In other news, Ian went to his first doctor's appointment on the island. I was a month late for his 4 month immunizations (oops). We went over to Mullet Bay Medical Clinic which is the closest doctor's office to us. Dr. Deketh is Dutch, and seemed very nice. We went into his office first for a consult. It may have been his culture, but he wouldn't even pick up Ian. I had to put him on the scale and straighten out his legs when he checked his height. He didn't listen to his heart or look in his ears or anything like we are used to. The office reminded me of like an old-time movie..everything was very old fashioned. For instance, he pulled out a very worn old chart to show me Ian's growth percentages and wrote out the immunizations on literally a sheet of notebook paper. Whereas in the states we are used to seeing all these fancy diagrams on iPads and whatnot. The nurse administered the shots in his booty and he barely even cried! I remember with Bradley he always had immediate reactions to shots- super fussy and feverish. Ian- no issues. Anyway, it was a fine experience! The immunizations were free under the Dutch government and I only paid for the office consult which was $33, so comparable to an office co-pay. I will take him back there next month for his 6 month shots.

Ian is happy and healthy!!

Date Night

When my friend Muna sent out an invitation to her birthday dinner, I was frantic to go! Firstly, I love Muna and wanted to celebrate her! Secondly, I was in dire need of adult conversation and alone time with the hubs. Block #4 is next week, then a cumulative final the week after so needless to say, Jordan will be pretty non-existent for the next 2 weeks.
One of my fears before we got to the island was no date nights for 2 years while we're in St. Maarten. Luckily I have met so many awesome spouses and students that I genuinely consider friends. My friend Juliana was willing to watch both boys while we went to dinner. I'm forever grateful! I was worried that Ian would have some attachment issues, but she just put him in the Ergo baby carrier and he slept the whole time. And of course, Bradley loved playing with her 2 sons.

Dinner was at Escape which is literally right next door to our apartment complex. It was amazing!! They just opened January 2016. It's a bed and breakfast upstairs and restaurant downstairs- beautiful chic decor, and the food was delish. Food is cooked fresh daily so expect longer wait times. We put our large group order in 2 days in advance for convenience sake. Definitely the best dining experience we've had so far on the island. I had teriyaki beef skewers and Jordan had a chicken mushroom dish. Our table shared 2 bottles of wine and oops I accidentally told 2 different servers I wanted the same drink so I ended up with 2. Don't worry, they were both consumed. It was a great evening. Thanks to all that made it possible!

Ian Alexander- 5mos old

Ian, you are 5 months old!!

Ian, you turned 5 months old on Easter! You are wearing 6-9mos clothes and size 3 diapers! I'm unsure of your exact weight, but I'm estimating right around 16 pounds, give or take a pound. You are still exclusively breastfed and nurse about 5 times a day for 15minutes or so, usually to fall asleep. You take a morning nap around 9:30am for about an hour, then a longer afternoon nap from about 1pm-3:30pm. Sometimes you take an evening nap around 7pm, and then down for the night around 9:30pm. You usually wake up around 3am to nurse, and then we end up co-sleeping into the morning. You are cuddly and affectionate!!

One thing we have been dealing with is attachment issues. You are a mama's boy for sure!! You do not like to be put down, especially by mom, and you will cry until you are picked back up..by mom only. We got you a little activity car that you sit in that you seem to like at least for a little bit. You've outgrown your activity mat because you roll all over!! For Easter you got a foam ABC mat that will be easier for you to roll around on. One other thing to note this month is your skin issues. You have super sensitive skin, like mama. We had to try out multiple sunscreens to find out what works for you. Your poor eyes would get red, puffy and watery and you'd get red blotches all over. Turns out just plain Zinc Oxide is the best for your skin. It is thick, but does the job.

Overall, it has been another great month with you. You really are a wonderful baby and make us so happy! You have officially lived in St. Maarten longer than the United States so I guess that makes you a true island baby :) We love you, Ian!!





Easter Weekend

Happy Easter from the Marshalls in St. Maarten!

 

Saturday the Spouses Organization put on a great Easter celebration for the island kids. There was egg dying, build your own peep house and finished off with an egg hunt at the school's playground. I feel so thankful to be a part of the Spouses Org, and like to participate in just about everything. All the spouses on the board serve a great role in making all spouses and families feel welcome here on the island. Holidays in particular can feel lonely..you're not around extended family, doing normal traditions, etc., but being around our new "island family" lessens that sad feeling.

Speaking of island family, our friends Robert and Gozzie came over Saturday evening for some card games, and adult beverages after the kids went to sleep. I may have had one glass of wine too many and serenaded our guests with country music with full on country twang. Good times ;)

Sunday morning Bradley and Ian woke up extra early (7am ouch) and we headed downstairs to see what the Easter Bunny brought. We are not a religious family, so Easter has become quite the commercialized holiday, but it's all fun.

The rest of the afternoon was spent down by the pool while Jordan went to study. We took the bubble wand that Bradley got in his basket and blew bubbles and enjoyed the sunshine. Our hometown of Wichita received 3" of snow for Easter morning! I'll take sunshine over snow any day.

Another great weekend documented on this medical school adventure on this beautiful island!

 



 



Zumba @ AUC

After 11 weeks of saying, "I'm going to go to zumba..." I finally made it..twice! Five (5?! Where does the time go?!) years ago I was going to Zumba religiously 2x a week. Two kids later...I decided to give it another go. I'm still uncoordinated, but it's still fun. I'd be lying if I said my knees didn't hurt this morning though!

AUC offers a Zumba class Mondays and Wednesdays from 7pm-8pm. Now, having 2 kids and a husband who studies 12+ hours a day it is challenging to get out of the house, but luckily Jordan understands my NEED for that hour. Ian is...well, to not beat around the bush, ATTACHED. And Bradley is three if you catch my drift. I NEED that hour.

I also need to lose weight. I'm currently 47lbs way from a weight I feel more comfortable at. It's definitely harder this time around postpartum to lose the weight. I had lost the weight plus some with Bradley in no time flat. It's hard, living on an island, where you're in a swimsuit at least 4x a week if you don't feel comfortable! I will get there though..one pound at a time.