The final stretch

My poor husband is on day 20 of a 21-day working stretch. It has been a little on the brutal side. When he was a resident and a fellow, this was par for the course. It was hard then, too, but we were younger and had fewer children. Maybe we've just gotten soft, but we're feeling the strain of too much work and too little rest.

Obviously, he's the one working and I"m the one at home. He's the one dealing with critically ill patients. My responsibilities basically stay the same whether he's here or not (except when he's home, I get a lot of help). I'm fighting battles such as negotiating the amount of honey you get to spread on your bread when you just ate a donut hole and probably don't need any more sugar. But, I get tired, too, when his schedule is like this (hence, the donut holes). It stinks not having your husband around as much as you'd like, just to hang out with. I'm glad that our marriage is based on a friendship that I really miss when he's gone more than usual. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?

Anyway, I write this not to whine (although it sure sounds a lot like whining, doesn't it?), but to explain a few things that are happening at the moment.

For one, the baby is eating paper. She found a sheet of finished copywork and is eating it bite by bite. I"m letting her. On a more energetic day, I would probably take it from her hands and replace it with something more nutritious. Today, she gets to eat what she wants, as long as it's not poisonous, filthy, or a choking hazard.

Victor's on his third 'Henry's Amazing Animals' video. By the way, I sure wish these were out on DVD. But, tonight there will be more movie watching while I count down the minutes to bedtime.

Tonight's dinner menu is 'Lucy's Best Tuna Salad' (yes, she named it and made it) and frozen pizza. Yummy.

Well, the good news is, a few days off are on the way, and just in time for Holy Week Liturgies. Then we can ponder how insignificant this trial compared with the suffering Jesus endured for all of us.