A bit of time with JB

It was a wonderful weekend if only for the fact that JB was home (and not asleep) for a few more minutes than usual. He got off on Saturday morning, came home, and went to sleep. We had dinner that evening with Matt and Tiffany. Matt's parents own a restaurant in Texas, and he made one of the most fantastic steaks I have ever eaten. Add to that Tiffany's twice baked potatoes, salad, and chocolate bread pudding, and I was in heaven. It was fantastic! It also worked out nice as they live only a few houses away so JB was able to walk back and take Scrubs out periodically.

I went to bed about 10:00 on Saturday night. JB, in order to get his sleep correct, had to force himself to stay up until at least 4:00 a.m. So he borrowed a bunch of movies from Matt and spent the evening watching Band of Brothers. He also took care of the dog so I could sleep! He came to bed at 4 a.m. and I got up at 6 a.m. with a whining puppy. I then worked throughout the morning while JB slept. He got up at 11 a.m. and we were able to spend the rest of the day together. We ran to the pet store for a few things and finally found a rug for our living room that we liked at Lowe's. JB spent an hour working on the yard (which he wishes he had more time for as he really enjoys this), did the bills, and we worked together on an Annual Report he has been putting together for Faith Alive in Nigeria. He also made a fantastic chicken panini on the grill.

After dinner, we walked over to Tiffany's. Matt is on call so we stopped by with Scrubs and had some more of the bread pudding for dessert. It was just as good as it was the night before. It also gave Scrubs a chance to sniff around on their dog Wyatt and try to be gentle with their son William. However, it was sensory overload for the dog so when he started to get too overwhelmed, we headed back home. Speaking of movies, we watched Pursuit of Happyness. What a great movie and a definite recommendation Tante Jan. My only complaint was that it left me just feeling so frustrated so much of the time. It reminds you to be thankful for where you are in life but to also remember there are so many people who need your help.

I went to bed at 10:30, and JB managed to stay up until 1:00 a.m. He will sleep until 11:00 this morning and then head in to his half day of clinic. No matter what rotation he is on, he has a half day a week that he sees his own patients. That will be followed up by the first of five more OB night shifts.

I must be honest. I have not enjoyed this rotation much at all. JB hasn't enjoyed it that much either. He also said he will try to write a blog at some point about his experiences, but the poor guy hasn't had much free time. John's biggest complaint about OB is just how touch-and-go it is. He said that people have this idea that having a baby is something simple and guaranteed. But instead it is a very monumental event that doesn't always go as planned. He's had to deal with a lot of pre- and post-emergencies, sick babies, and sick moms. But he says he is working with great people and learning a lot. I'll have to let him tell you more about it since I'm not there very night and only know what he's doing through the bits he tells me.

It's also hard for me at home. You want to be strong and carry the load, but, well, put it this way. A normal person works 40 hours a week. John was gone more than 85 hours last week in about a six day stretch. That's double a normal working schedule. There are only 144 hours in a six day work week. You should sleep at least 48 of them. With 85 hours working and 48 sleeping, that only leaves 11 more hours in the week. If you add up showering, getting ready to leave, driving in to work, etc., you can see that there really isn't much time at all to hang out with your family. John does the very best he can but time together is pretty scant.

He will have two more times this year that he does nights. I plan to get out of town during this time. I think that will take the pressure off of him to feel like he needs to "worry about his wife". Instead he can sleep more and lounge more instead of taking his few free hours a day to run errands or help me with things I am unable to do (like issues with the car.)

As for me, I am adjusting to life in Florida. I really like it here. I like our house, I like our friends, I like the work I am doing from home. I like the fact that I can run on base and feel completely safe. I like the fact that the electricity goes out (which I've been told happens quite a bit on base), and I still feel very safe. I like the fact that I can walk one block and sit by the bay. I like the weather. I like the rain storms. I'm happy. There are still a lot of adjustments and things we have to get used to, but we are blessed to be here.