Non-traditional Traditions

One of the tricky things about Steve's career path is that sometimes we're not together when other families are. Like at night. Or sometimes on holidays. That's just the nature of the Emergency Department, and we knew that going in to this. Most of the time we're okay with it, but sometimes we just get really homesick for each other.

Steve is just finishing up a week of night shifts. Those are always hard. He's exhausted because he's tried to flip his circadian rhythms upside down, and I'm tired from handling most of the kiddo/house stuff solo, and we all just miss hanging out together. Sure love that man.

The nice thing is, since our kids are still so little, they are flexible. They are totally cool with their "normal," which sometimes includes Dad sleeping all day and working all night. (It is not unusual for Charlie to look up at me over breakfast and ask, "Is Dad sleeping or at work?") We just have to get creative sometimes.

Some things we've set in stone for them, so they have some day-based traditions to count on, like Family Night (Sunday or Monday--usually Steve can make it for one of those) and Friday Movie Night. They loooooooove movie night.

Movie night. (Notice the placement of Juliette's foot.)

Extra special sleepover movie night! (Only they didn't sleep so we had to put Grace back in her room haha)

And when we can, we improvise other little mini-traditions. Gracie leaves notes and treats (like two of her precious m&m's in a ziploc baggie) in Steve's inbox for him to find when he gets home. I write him post-it love notes on whatever dinner I've wrapped up for him in the fridge. Steve wrote everyone notes/pictures on styrofoam plates for almost a whole month last summer. Every once in a while we get a silly-face iChat going.

The reason the internet was invented?

Don't hate us because we're beautiful.

And of course (of course!) when the hubs does have a week or so of rough shifts, we do an informal countdown. Which typically includes Steve and I singing Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" ("OHHHHHHH WE'RE HALFWAY THERRRRE!") or Phil Collins' "One More Night" to each other as he heads out the door for his mid-way and final shifts of a run. Occasionally "The Final Countdown" sneaks in there, too.

And I don't want to say we both have killer falsettos, but you know, based on that iChat above I bet you can guess how good our singing sounds.