best-laid plans

This is my third six-month maternity leave in four years, and I look at each of these breaks from the office as my chance to play at being a stay-at-home mom.  I picture crafting, going on little day trips, having delicious meals on the table when Jon gets home from work, all of that wonderful stuff.  That's what staying home with little ones is like, right?

But then a couple of weeks ago, Jon came down with a combination of Lyme disease and two other tick-born illnesses (a lot like Lyme, but on steroids) that landed him in the hospital for two days and, between the pain and the painkillers, kept him in bed for about a week.  I haven't seen someone so sick since I studied in Cameroon during college and 11 of my friends came down with malaria.  That sick.  And I was not a very sympathetic nurse - it took about five days before I stopped thinking about how much his illness sucked for me, and started to consider the possibility that it might suck for him more.

But back to it sucking for me - I was operating in survival mode for that week, with no one to help me with bedtimes and grocery shopping and late-night baby wakings.  I was pretty proud of myself if I managed to get the boys breakfast (read: dry Cheerios in front of the tv) or out of the house to the library or playground once or twice.  Jon is much better now, and I have just started to feel like things are somewhat under control again.  Wah wah wah, I know.  But the first six weeks with a newborn are tough enough, without a major health crisis, a home purchase, surgery on the dog, and almost two weeks (!) of well-meaning house guests thrown in.  Last whine, officially.  I promise.  

And, still, my worst day at home is better than my best day at the office.  I mean, really:

 I get to hang out with these lookers all day.  Best job ever.  And we frequently have afternoon dance parties to Thrift Shop in our living room, which they frowned upon at my office.

Now I'm getting ambitious, and packing everyone (including the dog!  Who will hopefully be heavily sedated - maybe we have some leftover Percoset from Jon's treatment) in the van and going to NYC for the weekend.  Finn on the subway - that should be interesting.