We Have a Pediatrician In the Family!

After four years of college, four years of medical school, and then three years of residency--we now officially have a pediatrician in the family! After our youngest son's wedding, we hustled back to Kansas City for the graduation ceremony of our oldest son. Our family has been busy this spring, and we are very proud parents of all of them!

This signals the final step in a very long journey for Luke and his wife. We took some pictures of Luke and Jordan, and our precious granddaughter Carter, before heading to the ceremony. You might notice the look of admiration in little Carter's eyes as she looks up at her Daddy. She's one lucky baby to have her own personal pediatrician father, plus a PA mother. She's in good hands!

Luke has been Dr. Engelman since finishing his M.D. degree three years ago. But it is the extra three years of rigorous training (with those crazy schedules and long hours at the hospital) that gives him the title of pediatrician. But the on-the-job training of being a Father for the last five weeks has given him some special intensive training that will be helpful in his pediatric practice for years to come.

When they flashed his picture onto the screen as he walked across the stage, we could see that he has matured some since his application picture three years ago.

Jordan's parents were also at the ceremony, doing most of the baby-sitting while we got to enjoy the program. We got a picture of all of us together before the evening was over.

We were seated on the edge of the tables to make it easier to calm baby Carter if she got fussy.

This was Carter's first big event, and she looked darling in her flowered dress and head band. This baby has been handled by a record number of pediatricians since she was born just five weeks ago.

After a late night at graduation, we were packed and on the road for yet another trip to Oklahoma. That means that we will miss the graduation cookout and party scheduled for the next day. We include a picture of some of the decorated cookies for the party--the symbol of Children's Mercy Hospital and a doctor's white coat.

If you're keeping count, we're making our fourth trip to Oklahoma since we've been visiting Kansas City. In fact, we have spent more days living out of suitcases than staying in our motor home. Now we're heading to the panhandle for a family reunion. That will be followed by Denisa traveling on to Oklahoma City to start the annual girls' trip. But just for a moment we will stop and enjoy the accomplishments of our children as we celebrate one of the newest pediatricians in the world. We end this blog with the outfit that Carter was wearing before graduation that proclaims--"My hearts belongs to Daddy."