Christmas...ah, sweet Christmas

I don't even know where to begin. First off, I somehow listed my packing list like three times on my last post. It looks like I have ten million things to pack. Just bear in mind my craziness isn't THAT crazy. :)

Our trip to CT was fun, exhausting, eventful, exhausting, etc. Everything you'd expect from a trip with a toddler and a baby and staying in one room at the in-laws. A blow by blow, while Nate is sleeping...

Monday: depart early! We felt very proud of ourselves, despite forgetting the computer. We stopped for lunch and got to Greg's sister's house around 2:30. She was still packing so we hung out for a while and then got back on the road. That's when the screaming (Nate) began. It continued a. long. time. I sang, I nursed, I crouched by his seat (this is an uncomfortable thing, do not do this), etc. Finally, we arrived at Greg's parents house at 7 p.m., 8 hours after we'd left our house. I went to bed around 9:45 with Nate. James was up until 11:45 p.m. This was to be the theme of the week.

Tuesday: We hung out at the house. My MIL and SIL went shopping. I was at the house alone, randomly, for a long time, while they were out, Greg's dad was at work, and James and Greg were out at Greg's brother's house. I ended up cleaning the kitchen, unloading the dishwasher, and cooking dinner for 10 people. Bedtime that night was again VERY LATE. I believe that was the first night I cried in bed. Multiple reasons why but I don't need to go into them.

Weds: Christmas Eve. All started out well and was fine. Then at 3 p.m. Greg came to me with a concerned look on his face. His mom was still wrapping gifts (that we were to open that night) and there wasn't any food in the house for Christmas Day. There was a shopping list but if we were to wait then we'd eat dinner way, way, way too late. So I sort of offered/was asked to go grocery shopping. On Christmas Eve. At 3 p.m. Thankfully Greg's Uncle Michael (the one I wrote about back in October who came to visit us) came with me and Nate. We were a very effective team and got home within the hour. We still ended up eating dinner at 8 or maybe 9 and then opened presents. Nate was wired, as was James (who napped sporadially last week), and they were both up. Until midnight. AAAACCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKK. I believe that was night # 2 of crying. At midnight, I was swaying Nate to sleep, crying, and singing "Silent Night". I did have a moment of calm come over me, and did feel the peace of what was the time of Jesus's birth. And then I just felt physically so worn out, it was like I'd been beaten.

Thurs: Christmas. We just hung out. I took the initiative to begin the ham and veggies and made dessert so we'd eat on time. Greg's brother's wife has her own chiro practice in town and needed to get up super early for patients, so we had to eat early. We ate late. Just by an hour, but hey. More family showed up. It all went well.

Friday: Boxing Day. I'd been so beaten down by this point that nothing surprised me. I honestly can't even remember what we did, but suffice it to say when James and Nate started getting congested and fussy I wasn't even bothered. Their baby cousin Zoya had had a cold, so with the close quarters and toy sharing, it was inevitable (she is very cute, by the way). The crappy thing was that Nate's sleeping went from okay to bad to awful. At 2 a.m. I was in the shower with him giving him a steam. Then he slept on my chest as I sat in a rocking chair and watched TV for two hours. He had another steam at 6 a.m.

To top everything off, one of the fillings I'd had done last Monday (the day we left) started bothering me. Like, really bothering me. So I have to take Tylenol for the pain and now have to GO BACK TO THE GOSH DARN DENTIST tomorrow to have them check it out. What really sucks is that the tooth WASN'T BOTHERING ME before he said I needed it filled. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

The drive home was 8 hours full of sniffles, screams, and "Mommy, get me out!". I am still in a daze. Thankfully I managed to shower last night before bed (with Nate, who can't breathe lying down).

I want to pause and say that besides my complete grouchiness in this post (which is a good forum for me to vent), Christmas WAS nice. Here's why:

1) Greg's family is very fun and nice.
2) We all received very generous gifts. Far too generous.
3) Greg's brother and wife agreed to be Nate's godparents. They were so touched.
4) We all enjoyed the new desserts I made.
5) Greg loves being with his family and so I want to support that.
6) Jesus. 'Nuff said.

So there you go. I should go check on Nate. Any noise from his room is muffled by the loud humidifier Greg ran out to buy at Target yesterday. It's helping a bit. I'm just pleased as punch to be home, watching my soaps, on my computer, with dinner in my NEW crock pot (6 quarts bitch), and my boys sleeping. I look forward to putting up my new calendar and making 2009 an even better year. With A LOT MORE SLEEP.

Cheers!