Doc, Dad, Fan day

Saturday, May 12 was the all time Doc, Dad, Fan day

As the clock struck midnight I was at work on my night job. I admit patients from 6 pm to 6 am for a hospitalist group in Houston. I had just finished the 8th admit. So from midnight to 2 pm I was helping out a resident, entering patient information into the computer for patient care purposes, and entering patient care information for billing purposes.

From 2 am to 6 am I attempted to sleep, Every 20- 30 minutes I get paged, so I can't say I got good rest. I got enough rest to be able to be mildly coherent by 6:15. I saw 2 of the 4 patients I had been assigned from the Emergency Room and left the hospital by 7:30 am. Normally I see all of my admits, but May 12 is.....

My daughter's BIRTHDAY!!!!!! My Larissa is 5. She makes sure to remind us of this fact every 12-15 minutes. And she was having a big party at Bounce U- a place where kids bounce around on inflatable objects while their parents make sure kids stay on the inflatable objects while the parents discuss how we will pay for college when our 5 year olds are 18. Before getting ready, I watch SportsCenter with my son to see who won the Jazz/Warriors game when the see Baron Davis THROW DOWN on Andrei Kirilenko. I think the poster is available in Oakland as we speak. My son voiced his pleasure at seeing such an awesome sight. So then, a quick eat and shower leads to.....

10 o'clock- go pick up the cake from the Cake Lady in Friendswood (note- the best cakes as far as decoration and taste in the Houston Area. I'm getting hungry right now). I take my 2 year old son with me, because my wife is taking the now 5 year old to get her hair and nails done for the bounce party. So Adam Jacob "The Touchdown Maker" (TTM) and I go to pick up the cake, load up on a few groceries, vote in a bond election, get a nice bottle of wine (or 3) for Mother's Day, drop off a Mother's Day card for Granny (my mother-in law, who was working a 742,007 hour shift because she is a florist), and get lunch at McDonald's. All of this while I arrange a hospitalization after getting a call from the lab regarding a patient I saw in the office who had anemia so severe, she needed a transfusion.

Whew.

Back at home my wife and I get TTM and the birthday girl (TBG) down for a nap as we continue to prepare for the party. Of course, TBG is too excited to nap, so she helps clean out the car. I also pass out for an hour or so.

Just before leaving we go across the street to see my neighbor so they can wish TBG a happy birthday. I catch a couple of holes of the TPC Golf Tournament to keep the fan in me happy.

Now it's 4:15 and we arrive at Bounce U with a load of balloons, gift bags for party favors, a cake, and 2 kids. Back when I was a kid, we didn't have all of this pomp and circumstance. We had dirt, rocks, and hard times. Oh, wait- I'm channeling my parents- we had the same crap, I'm just a complainer. Soon, nine 5 year olds arrive with their posses (parents and siblings) and the bounce-a-thon is on. There are no casualties, although TTM may get food poisoning from eating off of everyone's plates (and the floor for good measure).

We leave the party with some leftover pizza, gifts that take a lot more space than the gift bags, and 4 kids. We're keeping my 2 nephews (aged 7 and 2) for my brother-in-law and his wife so they can celebrate their anniversary. So at home my attention is divided between gift opening, the 4 kids, and the Spurs/Suns game. We may have lost a kid or 2, but the game was FANTASTIC. I love playoff basketball. And my family, yes my family. The best part was when Manu Ginobili got hit in the eye, grew a black eye in, like, 15 seconds, and responded by scoring the next 8 points of the game. oh, and the look of joy from my daughter. which may have been sleepiness because she never took a nap while consuming cake and lemonade while playing like a screaming Banshee for 6 hours. Fortunately for the Spurs, the Suns cried about the officiating before the game and got absolutely no love from the refs.

Of course, I missed the end of the game to help give 4 kids a bath and help brush 100 or so teeth and get 3 people to bed. My 2 year old nephew refused to go down easy. So I went back to the hospital to see the patient with the anemia. I met the spouse and we talked for about 15 minutes. It's a little weird to meet someone one day and tell them the need an urgent transfusion the next day. Especially when the person does not have an obvious source.

Finally, I get home, take a shower, and find another male in bed with my wife (my nephew). I respond by getting in bed with them. I spend about 10 minutes in bed when I notice my nephew curled under me, snoring like a freight train, and kicking me like a young Pele. I call this the "baby Hat Trick". In honor of this achievement, I go to the couch so I can sleep.

I think that sums up Doc, Dad, and Fan.