Derek's White Coat Ceremony

Pictures at bottom of post if you don't want to read.

Now that the trauma of this experience has worn off I think I'm able to write about it. I don't want to forget this experience, mainly just so that I can look back and remember (remember what? hmm...) I don't know if I really want to remember, but oh well.

To begin I need to say that I have been excited for this. Derek has worked so so hard to get into medical school, and this is one experience I really wanted to see. For those who don't know what the white coat ceremony is, this is where all the new medical students get to receive their white coat to wear for medical school, take the hipocratic oath, and they get basically initiated into medical school. It is a formal occasion, so I got to get dressed up a bit, exciting again.

As excited as I was for this, it really isn't that big of a deal. But, yes, I was excited.

The reason I was so excited was because Derek worked so hard so far to get to this point and it was exciting to see the beginning. I have been his biggest cheerleader through this process and so I feel a little bit of accomplishment myself. Selfish, yes a little. ;) However, I really just wanted to be there to support Derek. To be able to tell Kael and Eden someday they got to be there, and I could tell them about how hard their dad worked to become a doctor.

Now, the story.

We have known about this date since May and invited several people. As the months went on the numbers trickled down to who would be able to make it. I knew I was going to need help with 2 little children. I knew that Kael wouldn't last 1 1/2 hours sitting still and quiet, and knew I would have to walk with him in the halls for basically the entire program. I was prepared. My brother Josh and Derek's mom turned out to be the only 2 who could make it. The day of the ceremony came and we decided it was a big hassle and didn't want to make Josh drive all the way out here. I would have enough help with the kids with Derek's mom being there. Well, less than an hour before we had to leave Derek's mom got sick and wasn't able to come.

I was a little devastated. No HELP. I REALLY didn't want to just stay home. I was already all dressed up, and got the kids in their cute little outfits. Months of anticipation to be canceled an hour before it began. So, I did what any crazy person would do. I got the kids packed up and told Derek I wanted to come and if I had to leave early , then I had to leave early. I was prepared to chase Kael in the hall with Eden in a carrier, I was prepared for crying, I had doodle boards, snacks, juice, change of outfits, I was prepared. I was prepared to leave early as well. I just wanted to see Derek walk in that room and stand up with his class. I wanted to take maybe ONE picture of him in his white coat.

Derek had to be there 30 min early and parking was really far away and I couldn't walk with both kids, so we decided to take the bus. Kael LOVED the bus! It was so exciting for him. He liked how it was so bouncy, and it was a fun new experience for him.

When we arrived Derek went to get in line and Eden of course needed her diaper changed. I was prepared, so I was able to handle this. After she was all cleaned up I put her in the carrier and had a lion leesh backpack for Kael so he could still run around before it started. We went and found seats. I chose the very back by a friend Raquel. Her husband is in Derek's class and they have a little boy who is about 15 months old, so this was perfect. They were so sweet and let Kael borrow toys and helped us out.

The chairs were just rediculous. They were like movie theatre seats that fold up. Poor Kael was just too little and didn't weigh enough to keep the seat down. I had Eden in the front carrier so I couldn't hold Kael on my lap. He kept getting smooshed by the seat, or his feet caught. Every time it made him cry. A man brought in a big booster cushion for the seat, and that really didn't help either because Kael was too wiggly and it kept smooshing him too. So, we were in the hall waiting for the ceremony to start and Kael really liked the up and down arrows on an elevator. It was really cute actually.

The ceremony was about to start and I knew Kael was still really wiggly, but I wanted to see Derek walk in, so I rushed Kael back in and sat him on the big smooshy seat. He had already drank all of his juice at this point. Eden had her pacifier in her mouth because every time I had to pick up Kael she would get smooshed herself and start crying.

Right before the medical students were to walk in line poor Kael's leg got smooshed in the seat. I tried to get it out and Eden got smooshed by Kael and so she started crying. So now both kids are crying and smooshed and not happy. Then students start walking in and I'm trying to look for Derek and stop both kids from crying because it is fairly quiet at this point.

At this point a rather RUDE lady came up and grabbed me on the arm and said, "You need to leave now. They want it quiet while the student's walk in." So, I'm super embarrassed already because of my crying children, and now this lady of all things. So I try to pick up kael with eden, and the lady wouldn't let go of my arm and she starts pulling on me. I couldn't even grab my diaper bag or anything and as she is twisting my of course Eden's pacifier goes flying out of her mouth and bounces to who knows where. I hurry out as fast as I could mortified.

Kael noticed the elevator arrows and started to calm down. I couldn't see Derek walk in even though he was one of the first in. I missed it. I got the kids calm somewhat and had to look away from the ushers. If I would have looked at them I probably wouldn't have been able to control my emotions. I just stood there while Kael pointed at the arrows. The lady who grabbed my arm was now gone. There was one lady still at the door. I didnt' know what to do. My bag and Eden's pacifier were still in the room. I didn't even know if I was ALLOWED back in. At this point I wanted to just disappear magically.

Soon, Kael decided to throw another tantrum when I wouldn't let him go down the stairs. This set Eden off and again my children were crying. All of my preparedness was in the room holding the ceremony. I do have to say they had awesome television setup showing the ceremony in the hall, but it didn't matter anymore. I was already kicked out. I just wanted to go home. I was planning on watching the ceremony from those TV's in the first place. Like I said, I just wanted to see him walk in.

This usher lady was kind and asked if she could hold my baby. I just asked if she could grab my bag and I would leave. She did this. However, it doesn't change the fact that I lost my favorite pacifier!!!! That made me just as upset as everything else probably. ;)

Kael really liked the bus ride home. I was glad to be gone. I called my sister Shannon and just bawled when I got home. It took her a while to understand what I was saying. I was trying to laugh at the same time as bawling.

I'm just glad it is over.

I grabbed these few photos from Raquel's facebook. Thanks Raquel, I'm glad I got a few pictures with Derek even if I couldn't be there.

Derek's name is on the bottom of the list.

Derek is the first student to go to the University of Utah Medical School who graduated from Dixie State College. This is a picture with him with all the student's who came from Southern Utah University. They should be doing an article on him in the spectrum down in St. George.

Derek's medical school class (University of Utah Medical School class of 2014). I should have made the picture bigger. He is on the bottom row on the left. There are 82 medical students in his class. At the white coat ceremony each student was given a really nice stethescope from the alumni of the school.