IT TAKES TWO
But we managed , and I guess we were so sleep deprived that we thought it was a good idea to have a second one . When James was born , we knew it would be impossible to raise two kids without the help of family . We moved back to Louisville and started new jobs with a newborn and a 2-year-old .
Now we are married to each other , our kids and to our patients ( over 1,700 between the two of us ).
As our kids got older , schedules became busier . We have a Google calendar , color coded for when and where the kids ’ activities are and who is taking them . It has our clinic , on call and hospital schedules . We have built in calendar reminders in case we get busy at work . This reminds us of the activities of the day . We are lucky that my dad helps us with our kids throughout the year . We plan our vacation around our kids ’ vacation a year ahead so we can make sure to be off . And when the stars align that Brandon and I are both off work on the same day , we spend our time hiking , running or swimming , go on lunch dates , or plan house projects , before picking up our kids for some after-school end-of-the-week ice cream .
The good part of being married to another physician is that we understand each other ’ s lifestyle . There are sacrifices that have to be made because we are also committed to our work and the patients . But we are first committed to our family . We tackle life with kids as a team . The con is that you have to plan ahead and communicate schedules ahead of time to make life simpler and manageable . Our best advice is to pencil in some date nights .
Brandon and I still talk about goals , plan our future , and how we want to live our lives as we navigate being physicians , parents and spouses . The demands of these roles can cause burnout . What we have realized though is that one of us can ’ t be 100 % in all of these roles all the time . One of us would have to give more time as a parent while the other would give more time as a physician , and vice versa . It ’ s a dance that we continue to learn how to do . And if you ever ask our kids , yes , we do enjoy the occasional family dance party at our house .
Dr . Brandon Kellie is a pulmonary / critical care physician at Louisville Pulmonary Care PLLC .
Dr . Lesley Kellie is a primary care / lifestyle medicine physician , a life coach and owner of Life Fulfilled Through Wellness Coaching LLC .
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