Weekend Wrap-up Wednesday

Yes, that's right. Weekend. Last weekend. You may or may not have noticed that I have been AWOL since almost this time last week. I work every third weekend at one of the hospitals an hour's drive from home. My shift is 3 12-hour nights, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. So Friday I didn't get to post any fragments because I was busy trying to pack four kids up, launder whatever we needed for the weekend, and get myself packed as well. I have to arrange for the kids to stay somewhere as DH works nights, too. Usually he can deal with them Friday on his day off, he brings them to his parents Saturday, and Sunday morning I retrieve them and come back home to sleep while he takes over. Since the baby I've most of the time had to find an extra sitter because there are just not too many brave people that will take all 4 with JC being so little. HE gets his own place, even when daddy keeps everyone else. Same with the in-laws. Apparently moms are the only ones who are allowed to completely exhaust themselves watching 4 kids all alone while most couples won't do more than 3 big kids OR one little one...

ANYWAY, JC and I left for work Friday night after packing the kids for tomorrow's overnight adventure (also falls under the "only moms can do" category I guess). I work in the birthing center and it was a busy, but not totally out of hand, night. I truly do have a wonderful job. One that makes you really experience the highs and lows of life. If you have ever scrolled to the bottom of my blog, there is a banner for Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, an organization that I participate in. I did not have any calls this weekend, but the threat is always there. If you are not familiar, NILMDTS is a non-profit organization that provides bereavement photos at no charge to families that have lost an infant or child. It is a wonderful group and I highly recommend donating if it is something you can do. The sessions can be very sad. Devastating. I seem to be able to handle that stuff. But like I said, they didn't need me this weekend, I only got to see the good stuff. New babies, new families, happy crying macho fathers and ecstatic mother-in-laws. The good stuff. I really do like my job. I think it's a job I'd still want to do even if we won the lottery.

SO I went to collect JC in the morning and I felt really COLD, I assumed because I was so tired because it was the first night. When I got to my friend's, she let me nap a bit and I just couldn't warm up. That's when I knew I was coming down with something. I went from freezing to feverish (101.2) so she gave me some drugs and I started to feel better. So much better, in fact, that I thought Taco John's was a good idea for lunch....NOT. Threw that up a few hours later. Note to self: when feeling ill DO NOT eat at a Mexican restaurant. Ever. Spicy is bad. Especially twice. Too long story short, I was sick, I called in sick to work. During that time it appears that everyone in the state came in to deliver a baby. We should be out of pregnant women for a few weeks. I watched 27 Dresses for the first time and let my other friend watch JC while I was lying miserably on her couch. This all worked out nicely (for me anyway, not so much for my poor co-workers), my friend watched the baby and my in-laws had the other 3. I am pretty certain that this was the first time in 7 years that I was allowed to just be sick. Sadly, it was great, if you like being in the bathroom alone (every 15 minutes).

I collected the rest of the kids Sunday morning and went home, my butt dragging like I had actually just worked the last shift and not slept most of it. DH let me sleep in the afternoon and I decided that although not 100% I'd give it a go at work. So I packed up JC again and headed out. About 7 minutes out of town I ran across some pretty large snow drifts and slid right into the ditch. Of course. I feel like an idiot. I knew as soon and I hit that there was not way we were backing out alone. I called my friend's hubby, a farmer, who has the big stuff. He got me out, I made several calls, and I got to work late. Busy night, my temp stayed around 99.5, blah blah blah, new babies, I made it through the night. Home.

Mostly I've just been trying to catch up. The house work fairy did not visit, so besides sleep and health, there is a lot of cleaning to catch up on as well. So my dear friends, I have neglected you all week, but I have returned. Slightly sleepy and grumpy, but at my keyboard. I will be visiting you all and catching up, so keep an eye out for week-old new comments!!!