Introducing Amy

Almost 10 years later, I've attended medical school at the University of Minnesota, graduated residency from Loma Linda Children's Hospital, and am now a full time pediatrician at a county clinic. So living the dream I had 10 years ago. But this blog isn't about me, it's about my kids. There has been a new addition to the group since December 2020. That's right, your girl had a Covid baby and that baby is 5 years old now. 

My biggest newborn to date

Amy Joy Cifuentes was due on 12/11/2020. I originally wanted to push her to 12/13 so she could have Taylor Swift's birthday but I was actually done being pregnant by Thanksgiving so opted to get induced at 39 weeks. The first three kids were born on a Friday and I was scheduled for induction on a Friday but it was covid times. So I didn't start induction until Friday night and Amy was born on a Saturday morning. 

Chill baby

Amy was a very chill newborn and infant overall. She was the first and only baby to be exclusively breast fed for 6 months and continued receiving breast milk until her first birthday (ok that was more of a me thing, excuse me for tooting my own horn). 

As a toddler, she was a lazy parent's dream, sleeping well into 9 or 10 am. I remember being a tired premed undergrad, wanting to sleep in on Saturdays but Dina and Abel would awake at the crack of dawn. Sleeping until 7 am on a Saturday was sleeping in back then. 

They are so cute when they are sleeping

Amy has been relatively spoiled compared to her siblings for a couple of reasons. #1 we love babies in this family. She always has someone to hold her, someone to give her little treats, someone to happy her up when she is upset. #2 I have money now, enough said. When I graduated residency, the increase in available funds was noticed by Dina (12), who asked "how come Amy gets to grow up in a rich family?" 

Amy enjoying the fruits of my labor in Hawaii as a 3 year old

Amy, like the other children, had a speech delay but was the first toddler to receive speech therapy because in addition to money, we now also had time to do things. I found out that speech therapy only works if there is not an attitude problem, which Amy very much had. Speech therapy would go like this: 

Speech therapist (ST): You want the cup? Say cuuuup

Amy: rolls her eyes and walks away

ST: umm....

 

Maybe it was daycare, maybe it was time that taught her how to talk.

The world may never know for sure.

This went on for a few sessions until Rudy decided it was a waste of time and stopped taking her. She talks now. Thank you Miss Rachel and/or time passing.  

The rest of this blog will be me remembering little things the kids did / said. The older kids are older now and I don't think I'm allowed to write about them anymore but I think I am allowed to write about their pre 3rd grade selves. Why 3rd grade you ask? I don't know, seems like a good cutoff for now.