I survived my first trip in two months. Fortunately, the first day was a red eye, which coincided nicely with my nocturnal lifestyle. It was a little difficult to adjust to a daytime schedule after that first night.
I had really gotten used to being at home and missed the kids and wife terribly while I was gone. This working stuff really gets in the way of life, doesn't it?
You will notice from the photos that I no longer look like "Grizzly" Adams. I kind of miss the beard. However, as soon as I shaved it off I got a lot more attention from my wife. She said that I was "kissable" without it. Had I known that I may have shaved it sooner.
I have included a picture of me with some of the new "staff." Hilda has been a huge help with the big girls during the day. The woman is a cleaning machine. She cleans everything, the windows are clean, the bathrooms sparkle, there is never a dish in the sink, and the kids are washed (which is nice, they were getting stinky).
We were a little worried about how she would handle the dogs, but she seems to be doing ok with them. Once she fed them a time or two they warmed up considerably.
Also in the picture is Kandy. She is a perfect fit with the family, both the big girls love her and she is wonderful with the twins. She is one of those people that you just like immediately. She makes a very good first impression. Even the dogs love her.
Mary Ellen is doing a fine job also. She seemed a bit overwhelmed on her first night, but now has the whole job wired. Her daughter runs the NICU at the hospital in the Woodlands, just up the road from us, and that seemed fitting.
Kari, Rylee, and I are all suffering from a cold. Grandmom got it too and said that she slept for almost 24 hours when she got home. We have been extra careful about hand washing, trying hard not to infect the twins. Reagan is cutting three more molars. And so the troops have been restless to say the least. Yesterday was a long day. Rylee was only happy if I was holding her while sitting on the couch. At least she insisted that I sit, there was a time when she was only happy if I was standing up and holding her.
Rylee seemed in pretty good spirits this morning and I thought she might be on the mend, but that did not last. By 8:30 she had switched from a lover to a fighter and her nose continues to run like a faucet. She has not figured out how to blow yet and the bulb syringe is not her favorite apparatus. She is napping at moment. She really needed the rest. Mary Ellen told me that she Rylee came downstairs to visit from about 2:30 till 4:30. It must have been around that time that she came up and crawled into bed with Kari and I. I didn't get kicked in the crotch till about 7:00. At any rate we are taking Rylee to the doctor this afternoon.
It has really been a lifesaver to get the help installed, and special thanks to my folks for helping us out with that. Although, I suffered a little bit of sticker shock when I added up all the wages and I think my Dad did too. We hope to be able to cut back on the night time nannies soon, but right now I don't know what we would do without them.
Latest minor catastrophes and fun behavior observations:
Rylee was helping me look at pictures on my laptop and spilled a whole glass of water on the keyboard. Shame on me for not seeing that coming.
At lunch yesterday, Reagan noticed that Rylee had eaten all of her food, so she took a few bites off of her plate and placed them on Rylee's highchair. I thought that was nice. It is funny how they can go from generous to possessive in such a short period of time. I guess that is the human condition for you.
We sure do miss having Grandmom around. I knew that she was doing a lot to help out, but it became abundantly clear just how much when she left.
The twins are doing very well. They are both eating more and sleeping longer.
I hear babies crying I better go.