I'm really fed up with DH's rotation. He's super busy, doesn't make it home until 8 or 9, by which time we've all had it. The baby likes to go to bed early, like around 7:30, but it takes absolutely forever to put her down, so I can't do that while doing bath for the other kids, getting their teeth brushed, etc., etc...

Last night DH took call. When he got called in we still hadn't put the kids to bed, he was *in trouble* because the nurse screwed up and called the attending instead of DH, so it looked like DH was avoiding taking the call... And so DH rushed out of the house and we pretty much had to pry Luke off of him. It wasn't pretty.

I am firmly in the *I hate Residency* camp currently. It sucks.... And I hate at-home call or whatever they call it. All it means is that the day after taking call you still have to work a full day. That's the only difference. DH has been called in to the hospital over 80% of the time when he's been on "home" call... And not slept all night, then works til late the following day... It's a huge scam.

Pictures! I know... I know...

Some of the other things I mentioned earlier......

We went for Christmas to my parent's house. Their house is big, so we were able to take over the basement level completely. They also have an addition on their house which we call my grandparent's house-- it's completely attached, yet entirely separate... The kids sort of go between the two houses the whole vacation. I never know where anyone is, but that's ok. I don't worry about it now.

DH flew out with us, but left after 4 days there to make it back to work. He only gets 7 days off, max. They are *very* strict about it. Hoo Ah... Anyway, the whole time he was there he pretty much was catching up on sleep. I was up all night trying to get the baby "on schedule" and DH was sleeping on the couch away from the noise... *Sigh...* It's funny when he tries to put the moves on me. Funny or pathetic. I am like, Did you miss the part where I was just nursing for 1 hour? And that I've had this little thing attached to my breast for about 7 hours a day for the past 5 months?.... I know he feels *great* after getting his sleep in, but honey, I'm not there yet. And since we've almost been married 10 years, I'm not exactly sympathetic...

DH did take the big kids outside almost every day to go sledding. There was a lot of snow there, and every day they got a fresh coating of a couple of inches to keep things slick. We were so busy on this trip, it was insane. I am still exhausted just remembering it... The main thing was that I got to spend time with my grandparents. They are still hanging in there, even though Grandpa is just squeaking by by adjusting his meds every 3 weeks or so to deal with whatever new problem he has. He's on borrowed time, I'm afraid. I'm really glad he got to meet Josie. He really enjoyed seeing all the kids, and Luke, Steven and Isabel are at the perfect age, IMO. They were able to play quietly in their house, and at night were able to go and say good night with big hugs, etc., etc. They brought a lot of joy over to my grandparent's house, and that was great.

We also went to see DH's family. It was as dysfunctional as ever. The visit was only 2 hours long, so I can't complain. I just never know what to expect when we go there. This time there was a big feast, in DH's honor of course. There were no Christmas gifts, and there was nothing for the kids to do, but that's ok. The living room had a big dining table set up in it, and there were little toddlers everywhere. I don't even know where the kids came from. It was like a scene from Shrek 3 where the little Shreks came through the windows... We counted at one point and there were 12 adults and 14 toddlers... In a single wide trailer... It was an interesting visit. It sort of annoyed DH b/c when he visits he would just like to see his mom and be able to actually talk to her, but she feels the need to throw a big to-do, and as a result she's running around entertaining and he's making small talk with complete strangers... It's easy to prevent this- it's called call her to tell her you're visiting on the way over. Advance notice is a bad thing...

So, visiting family and squeezing in Christmas celebrations was how we spent the time when DH was with us. After he left, it was a little less chaotic, but it was exhausting. I had the childcare of my own kids to deal with, plus my niece and nephew who were over constantly. My sister works, and so I watched her kids so that the cousins could hang out. The kids all had a great time, but it's a lot of work...

And then the plane trip home. It was ok. I always feel like a freak show-- my 5 kids and me...

:huh: :huh:

At least the kids know what to do at the TSA checkpoint-- they're like little robots taking off their shoes, their jackets, putting their stuff in the trays, etc., etc. I don't even have to tell them what to do! Still... I am not eager to make another trip... Next one is coming up in August!