The 30 Hour Monster...

Right now Christie is doing her Pediatric Medicine rotation (or PEDS).  This has been the most demanding rotation so far.  Every 4th day Christie leaves at 5:30am and does not return until noon time the next day.  Obviously, this is a bit of a strain on everybody.  So we started a new routine where on the days Christie works "all day all night" as Caeley likes to say, I bring the kids down either for dinner or dessert at the food court at the hospital.  This has worked remarkably well for both the kids and for Christie, so it has become our little tradition. Today, we are in the middle of the 30 hour shift, so I took some pics to show you how our little tradition goes...

"Come on Caeley!!  Mommy and Ice Cream await!!"

Checking out the stuffed animals in the hospital gift shop window...

The first wave!!!

and the second wave!!!  (Look at the happy doctor!!)

Caeley giving Mommy a check up to make sure she'll be OK for the rest of her shift..

Now let's get down to business!!  I'll have the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough...

Mom catches up with how the day was, and gets to clear her head a bit....

Today was the hardest 30 hour shift so far according to Christie.  Before we saw her, she saw a co worker for just a minute and hardly had the chance to talk to her.  But by the time I got back from our dessert date with Christie, this co worker had left work, went out and bought Christie a beautiful card, a container of peanut butter cups and a copy of this co worker's favorite christian CD with a song on it that has helped her get through many a tough shift.  This was all left in a paper bag on our doorknob by the time I got home.  Many people have asked why we moved to Nashville.  THIS IS WHY!  While Christie has a lot of good friends who have been very kind and continue to be very kind to her, there is something very special about the people that she works with.  They are not just co workers, the majority of them are a small family, watching out for each other.  They can relate better than all the rest of us, including myself, who just don't know what it is like to be in the middle of that.  I am so very grateful and feel so blessed to watch how these people reach out to Christie and help her in times when I can't.  To the ones who go out of your way to be there, THANK YOU!!  You really don't know how much it means to me, and I'm sure to the family up north who are reading this right now.  I would name names, but they would surely kill me, because they just do this naturally and wouldn't want the fuss made over them......