My Big Fat Greek Inlaws (One Year Later)

Six people in a two bedroom apartment is tough. Don't care how many of them don't actually use the bathroom. They still need attention, and far more than I would have expected.

Nikki ended up never going back to Chicago. The next morning, she had checked her messages and discovered, much to her chagrin, that her husband had been arrested the previous night after getting involved in a drunken brawl with her uncle in the middle of dinner the previous night. She had washed her hands of it completely, and started talking with Maria about the process for filing for divorce in California.

The two of them hit it off quite well, and Maria still visits from time to time with her daughter in tow. Not as often as I'd like, but Maria says she doesn't want the complications. She felt it was easier for all of us if she just stayed friends. With major benefits.

Nikki ended up moving in with us after it became apparent that our night together had resulted in something a bit more than just happy memories. I never actually got around to meeting her ex-husband, but that never really was an issue for me. Her daughter Katerina is beautiful, sleeping, and way too into pointing at people and saying "Bah" when she's awake.

As far as her family went, we were all shocked at their response. Once it was apparent that Nikki was not going to be coming back, their attitude changed from one of cold indifference to one of warm embracement. Apparently, they like having a relative in California that they can drop in on, and I've lost track of the number of times Nikki has dragged us out to see yet another third cousin who is only dropping in for a day or so. They always help out when they show up of course, and I think I've eaten more crazy foods than I ever have in my life, but it does get a bit overwhelming. They're still on me about converting to their church, but fortunately, Nikki has run interference on that. I've just learned the hard way never to trust anything that comes out of her brother's mouth without verifying it with her first.

Kaila looked beautiful pregnant, and with her sister and Nikki there to provide support, it went pretty smoothly. Didn't hurt that she also got her ink done at the same time, and it was incredibly enjoyable to watch the swirling eye feathers on her left arm come into shape as she swelled. We were a bit shocked that she was carrying a boy, mainly because the obstetrician apparently couldn't read an ultrasound. Which is why we ended up naming him Daniel, instead of a cool name. Wish we'd picked something better for a backup, honestly, but Kaila likes it, so there we are.

Carla wanted to get a tattoo as well once she saw how amazing it looked on her sister, and got one that's amazingly complimentary. It's funny really, seems people still can't tell the difference, even though to me it's incredibly obvious. Guess people just see a blonde with an arm sleeve and don't see much beyond that. Except one is flames and one is feathers. And it's the opposite arms. And strangely, I'm noticing much more differences between the two of them now that I know who's who every time. I still love Kaila, and I've forgiven her. I'll never tell her this, but I find that Carla and I have more in common.

Helen and Charlotte ended up having a beautiful daughter named Keto. I didn't get why they named her after a diet, and my joke about it wasn't really appreciated. They ended up forgiving me after about a week, so no lasting damage there.

Helen has got me in the best shape of my life. Straight up. Thought I was in good shape before, but it seems that all that soft civilian living had turned me into a bit of a marshmallow. She moved into our complex along with Charlotte because issues with their apartment in San Fran. When they had gotten back from vacation, the place had been broken into, and they just didn't feel safe. That had been an interesting couple of days, but fortune had been with us, and there was a spare unit at our place. Morning routine for me now involves PT again. I'm usually up anyway, since somebody has to do the midnight feedings.

My life is hectic as it's ever been. Fortunately with three incomes, I don't have to WORK work, but I am making up for it in spades with everything I do around the house and for the ladies in my life. Only thing that drives me nuts is trying to learn a new language. Seriously. Just hard to wrap my head around the new concepts. I just want to make sure that I was right about that look Nikki's cousin was giving me when she was over last week.