long day on Long Island

So, here I am in Long Island and I am exhausted!!I had one of the worst parenting days of my career today and I haven't seen the sun since I got here- which many of you know makes me unhappy. But, I am confident that things can't get any worse, so I look forward to a better day tomorrow and a whole weekend with Dave home. Since I am so used to days without him, I feel like any time he is around is just an amazing bonus in life. That month apart was good training for me on how to survive residency.Anyway, this morning I tried to go grocery shopping with the kids and I barely survived. James was the worst he has ever been and my arm hurt so bad by the end from trying to hold him and push the cart at the same time. I had to hold him so tight cause he was squirming and wanting to get down, but every time he got down he was either running away from me or trying to open something or pull the bottom item off a beautiful stacked display. He also was eating ice off the raw meat freezer and turning and running the other way every time I said "please, come here James." I was one of those pathetic moms chasing their kid down the isle at the store and then once I finally picked him up, he would hit me in the face and yell "NO!" It was awful. It took all I had to not do the same to him. The whole situation was worse because I couldn't stand looking at the price tags in the store. I paid $4.40 for a gallon of milk and yogurts were $1.00!! (I didn't buy those ones.) I need to do some grocery store research 'cause it cost a pretty penny for what I bought today. Then, to make things even better, I accidently went in the isle where you have to bag your own groceries. By this time, James was laying on the floor by the bags in everyone's way while I bagged everything and tried to get out of there as fast as a I could. After strapping him in with a fight, we were on the road and when I pulled up to our parking lot I realized that I didn't have the parking pass that lifts the arm-thing to get into the close parking lot. So, I headed to the main entrance of the hospital to see if I could go grab it from Dave, who was having an awesome shift in the ED. I ended up leaving the kids and the groceries with the valet parking guy who said I had 10 minutes or else I would have to pay $5. Well, I had no idea where I was going, and after winding my way to the Emergency Dept., which is huge, I finally found a second year resident who knew Dave and led me to him. I had to interrupt a class to get the parking pass, and everyone's first impression of me is the sweaty, stressed-out mom who leaves her kids with total strangers in New York! Anyway, it took me 14 minutes to get back to the van and I had to talk my way out of the $5 bucks, because that is a whole gallon of milk! They let me go and James had fallen asleep so I was a little relieved since he always transfers well to his bed, and I just couldn't wait for nap time.Well, not today. With James in one arm, and load of groceries in the other I head up the path to our building and the sound of the elevator woke him up and by the time we are to the apt. he was fully awake asking for food!! AHHHHHHHH! So, I send him and Zanna inside and tell them to stay inside since I have to go back down to the car to get the rest of the load. My arms are aching by this point and the humid, thick air is not helping the situation or my hair, for that matter. Anyway, when I come back up there are James and Zanna at the elevator and he has spilled a whole bunch of pretzels on the floor outside the elevator. I gave the bag to Zanna and told her to go to the apt. While James and I clean up his mess. Zanna obeyed, but set the bag of pretzels on the edge of the counter and the whole thing falls over and empties onto our kitchen floor. I was so done at this point and sent them to their room for "quiet time" so that I could calm down and not yell my head off. I told them not to talk to me for a little while and I just relfected on everything that happened and thought- this couldn't get worse. It didn't, I got a few minutes to myself, and them we had a fun wrestling/tickling match to become friends again. I made good dinner for them and after threatning early bed time many times, they finally ate all their food. I think they are adjusting well- NOT!!!! They were spoiled and entertained for 6 weeks in Utah and now they just have us (usually just me) and a whole new home. I'm sure it will get better, it has to.Really though, it is so wonderful to be back together as a family and the reunion at the airport was a lot of fun. James told Dave about his party the whole way home and Zanna never stopped talking until she fell asleep. I think Dave was a little surprised how much energy it takes to be with them, but he loved all the attention he got too. He has done so much cleaning, organizing, and arranging and the apartment looks really great and will be a great home for us. We still have some decorating to do, but I really was impressed with how set-up and ready the place is. We look forward to any visitors!Well this is a marathon email, but I had to write to get it out and to look back on when we are all settled. I am making it a goal to never go grocery shopping with both of the kids again, we'll see if that works!Anyway, thanks for listening and it was so wonderful to be with most of you and we miss you all like crazy.I'm going to bed-Melanie