In which Niki cleans her bathroom floors...finally

I have discovered that the surest route to a clean bathroom floor is a good old-fashioned toilet overflow incident.

Ah, the squeaky-cleanness.

Once the kids' bathroom floor was scourged, I of course had to do my own. Procrastination is a lovely thing so far as my housework is concerned.

I am a mush of conflicting emotions today. Irritated because the kids aren't getting along very well and keep bickering, satisfied because I have clean bathroom floors, frustrated because of a missed connection this morning, happy to be off call. It is odd that I can't shake an uncommonly high nervousness today. I think what I really need to do is stop procrastinating, worry over when I am going to pull out the LOs and start studying in earnest is not helping me in the slightest. Procrastinating, though, is so much more fun.

Of course

Of course, primip births over the weekend that my MIL, my weekend "if-I-get-called" babysitter, is out of town.

Had my first experience with a placenta that just *would not* (not after an hour, or after a crapload of drugs, or after manual removal) come out. Finally extracted a gnarly-looking most-of-a-placenta that obviously had a cotyledon missing. And off to the hospital. Luckily the 9lb babe, postterm by examination, was happy and healthy.

And I officially hate prelabor rupture of membranes when the woman is GBS positive. UGGGHHHHH. Can I officially *detest* it when she lives over an hour away, so it isn't like I can just zoom in for a dose of antibiotics and a pep talk?

I'm not feeling quite so lost at this new place now. I suppose you could say I've settled in a lot more in the past week, having done a lot more and talked a lot more with my preceptors, but I remain uncomfortable there for a variety of small reasons that aren't particularly important, but add up. I'm also not sure whether it is about a mismatch on some level or about my complete readiness to be done with this whole schooling thing. I'm not saying that I don't need more experience; I'm just saying I'm tired and ready to be done living this way.

Head Above Water

Three births last week. Our "not busy, taking it easy" month. There are more women in dates, only one of them actually overdue, but I have felt curiously at ease about this weekend not involving any of them.

I am feeling like a real idiot at times in this new practice. A lot of that is about not knowing how they think some things should be handled and some of that is about getting thrown a few situations I've never seen before, but that are so common that my preceptors have assumed I'd know what I was doing.

Went to an NNR renewal course on Thursday, and school on Friday, but then got home early enough to go out with ~L~, something that pretty much never happens and was really great for my mental health. I did assorted house things and grocery shopping things and played tennis with the kids yesterday (Saturday), and today I am stubbornly refusing to leave the house until the Christmas stuff is properly stowed away in neat plastic bins. Currently writing while eating hummus and very salty chips. Listening to Bob Marley and packing away Christmas decorations. Entertaining.

I lost a chunk of my senior paper when my computer died (like, it won't even power on) last week. That hurts so bad that I'm not even wallowing about it, I'm just trying not to poke at that bruise until it is mostly healed.

Pondering whether I might manage to go to Vanuatu after all.

Busy beyond busy. School assignments are falling by the wayside in the desperate scramble to get enough time with my family to make this whole thing tolerable. Somehow managing to find time for most of the things I need to do, but no energy left to think about the future, something that I really do need to get around to.

Yum

I am making a massive batch of black bean soup and it smells gooooood.

Yesterday I canned apples and they smelled good, too.

I finished a bunch of school work, which didn't smell good, but was gratifying.

And I unpacked a few more boxes, which also didn't smell good, but was also gratifying.

My Christmas tree is up, and I think that's pretty pathetic. I still have school work I'm avoiding, also pathetic.

Girliness is back from Hawaii with a mystery rash (probably viral as her lymph nodes are swollen), a bit of a tan, and many happy memories.

I Don't Waaaaannnnnaaaaaaaa

After 12 hours of clinic a day, with a one hour drive time each way, I do NOT want to do schoolwork.

I just don't.

Bite me.

MWHWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

*silver lining* I like the new clinic building. A lot. *silver lining*

The weather sucks right now.

I have a massive headache and PMSy crampy hormoney issues, and came home after 8 tonight STARVING to find absolutely no prepared food in the house. ARGH.

/random headachey thoughts from Niki

Found my Camera! Christmas pics!

Well, we were snowed in - and others snowed in at their respective places - so BittyPrincess turned 4 with just our family and a little homemade heart-shaped cake. She was ever so thrilled, so I guess the fact that we had to cancel the BittyPrincess Birthday Solstice Superparty didn't hit her so very hard. I think our friends - snowed in for a week or more - were harder hit than the birthday girl was. I can't believe how big she's getting, how fast.

Girliness made her a snowman, and Boyness grilled her some salmon burgers:



Our Christmas went off without a hitch. It was nearly perfect. Despite the fact that we didn't bring out nearly all of our decorations (in particular, we only lighted the patio and we definitely had enough lights to have done up our front yard), the effect was lovely and very happy-making for us.





Christmas morning happiness:







A few days later, Girliness was picked up by my dad and they flew together back to Hawaii, where she is having a solo visit for a week. She's my independent one and I'm certain that she's fine. Building memories, having fun, probably missing her mom and dad only a little bit, enjoying lots of attention from her grandparents and aunt and uncles.

On Monday, I dive back into four days a week of clinic, 9-7. I learned this holiday season that it takes me approximately two weeks of normal life to recover completely from a big burnout. I am ready to go again. Not eager...but ready. I am wanting to be done working on other peoples' terms already. I know I'm not quite ready for that yet - so off I go. The practice moved recently and I hope the new location is better. *Sigh* I can do that. 1 month down, 8 to go.

Kid Snow Fun!

Miscellaneous snow pics

A bit of crazy

This insanity needed a post all its own. You would think that after a week of getting snow every day, it would get at least a little old. Maybe not "I hate snow" old, but not exactly "YAY it's snowing RUN OUTSIDE BAREFOOT!" anymore.

Well, that's what I thought anyway.

But I was wrong.

Deck and Backyard Trees, a week of snow

Front of the house, a week of snow

Zoolights!

This post almost doesn't need words. Except that it does, so that you can appreciate at least in part what a fucking godawful cold windy day we chose to do this. Otherwise it would just be the pretty. So, look at the pretty. And keep it in the back of your mind...freezing our asses off. Freezing.our.asses.off.