A Little Epiphany - (and a newbie delurking)

[Dia]

H will have a house full of people during my next visit. My FIL will be there, as will my SIL with her baby, my 18-month-old niece that I haven't even seen yet!

Here's the scoop:

FIL is a decent guy. Compassionate, helpful, knows I want to reconcile with H.

SIL is a toss-up. She's made overtures to me before about being closer, and at the time of the sep she told me she hoped I wouldn't just fade away. I reached out to her a little while back and never heard thing one from her. Nobody would ever send me pics of the baby, so I sorta took that as not being welcome to see my niece and left it alone. Am planning to bring baby a small present. (I'm a sucker for babies.)

MIL - Once you get past the green nose and pointy hat.... (humor!!) she's manipulating and controlling bar none. Remember the D-'s, family friends who offered me a temporary place to stay if I needed it? Well, apparently MIL has said that if the D-'s take me in, they are choosing me over her and she will consider them disloyal. And now the D-'s have told me I can't stay at their place. She has also told FIL that if H reconciles with me, she will throw him out of the house and disinherit him by writing him out of the family trust. H's parents own the house that H and I were renting and H still lives in. FIL says he's not sure she actually would, but get this - he said he will probably go along if she does because if he doesn't it would probably mean a divorce for them. (Can you say 'dysfunctional'? I knew you could!)

MIL will not be there in person, but I am dead certain she will be there in spirit. SIL may or may not be her stooge.

Aside from setting up video cameras to capture these lovely family moments for my own personal reality show, does anyone have suggestions?

And just to cap it off, house is 3 beds, 1.5 baths, maybe 1200 sq ft and will be occupied by 4 adults, a 9 yr old, a toddler and 2 cats.

Um - Can I just stay with one of you lot instead??