As much as I loved our holiday, I must confess, I’m thrilled to be back at our house, our routine and mostly to our own bed.

One of my Christmas presents this year was a heated mattress pad with duelling controls. I say duelling because I’m certain Greg and I will ultimately shock ourselves by clicking away all night to ensure my side is as hot as it can be while his side remains determined to induce hypothermia.

Our first night home, I cranked my side up to 10 which I believe is the equivalent of suicide when ordering chicken wings. Around 5:00am (5:12am to be exact) I was almost convinced my back and head had caught on fire. A few minor kinks to be worked out but all things considered, a great gift.

Our hotel bedding situation in Buffalo was among the worst yet.

We all piled into a room with two double beds; one for Greg and I, one for the two older girls and a crappy, hollow, squeaky metal cage crib for the baby.

Those who have traveled with infants know that unless you are prepared to go to sleep at 7pm, you have a better chance at growing Rapunzel’s hair (which would have mended the broken heart of a little girl at Disney whose mother refused to wait over two hours to meet the woman in a wig, lengthy though it may be), there is no way a baby is going to lie quietly and fall asleep while others enjoy a televised hockey game or intense game of travel UNO.

We pulled all of our tricks from our travel bags including being very quiet, not making eye contact, turning off the lights, sitting very still. Still, she saw us, she heard us and as it turns out, despite doing all of those thoroughly sophisticated, hypnotizing movements, none of them made us invisible.

It was a long pre-flight night and the older girls didn’t make things any easier. All these years we’ve been getting upset with Hanna for pestering Ellie in her sleep but we witnessed something shocking in that smelly little room.

Ellie yelling: Hanna! Stop it! Stop it! Hanna!

Greg and I: Hanna, stop bothering your sister!

Hanna: zzzzzzzzeeeeee (Buffalo)

Hanna was sleeping soundly and Ellie was sleeping partially. Who knew she was ratting out her sister in her sleep for things that were never really happening?