JuJuBee

Month Thirteen

Dear Jekyll (or is it Hyde?),

What changes you have gone through this past month. I left you for one week while Daddy, your brother and I went on vacation. There will be a time in your future when you see pictures from a trip to Disney World and you will be searching those pictures for your pretty little face and then you will wonder, "Wait. What year was this trip? 2006? I was alive, I know it. SO WHERE THE HELL AM I?" That is when mommy will have to explain to you that taking babies on week long vacations is not fun. It sucks and there was no way I was going to take you along. Sorry. We'll take you when you are older! I promise!

I was so worried about leaving you. I was worried for you because I did not want you to think that we had left you, forever. I was more worried for your grandparents because I know what a handful you can be with your temper and your not wanting to sleep at night. You had just started sleeping through the night the week before and I was fully prepared for you to forget all about that and wake up 4 times a night. Half of me would have felt awful if that had happened and half of me would have felt a bit appreciative that someone else would see what I had been going through for the past 12 months with you.

Of course you were just fine. You didn't miss us one bit and you slept just fine. Mommy thought about you every minute of the day and each time I saw a baby (roughly every 1.3 seconds) my heart would ache for you. I wanted to grab those babies and hug them and smell their little heads. I talked to you every day on the phone and the sound of your breathing was enough to rip my heart out. We got back after you had gone to bed and when you woke up in the morning, you got into bed with us and I had the best 20 minutes of my life just looking at you and remembering every expression and every tiny hair on your head. Then the novelty of your parents wore off and you cried to get down. Touching moment over.

Let's see. We are up to 7 teeth, cruising along the furniture faster than I am really comfortable with, saying "Dada, Mama, Nana, Kit (cat) and ight (light)" You drink from a cup, you are done with formula and drink whole milk, you point to your nose and belly when prompted, you brush your hair, nod your head and bounce up and down to music. There is not a food in existence that you will not eat. You feed yourself entirely independently. I'm waiting for you to potty train yourself and start earning your own salary. Should be any day now.

This time in your life is such fun for us. You make me laugh all day long with your temper and the funny faces you make and the way you hold your baby doll like a mommy. We couldn't imagine life without you. Yesterday your Nana asked me if I remember what life was like before you. I'm sure she expected me to say no but the truth is that YES, of course I remember life before you. It was easy, it was predictable. It was calm and ordinary. Honestly? It was boring. You make life more fun. You've forced me to be a little more patient and a little more easy going. You are making me a better person, day by day and I thank you. I do remember life without you, but I'd much rather concentrate on life WITH you. Happy Thirteen Months, Baby Girl. You make life interesting.

Love,

Mommy xoxo

Some Griswald Pictures Are Up!

We are better! The baby is back to her old self today, The Mister is back to work, The Boy is back to school, and I am, of course, back to...laundry. And dishes. And diapers. And sticking to the floor where the baby spilled her brother's gatorade. Ahhh. My life, it is glamorous. Don't be jealous.

I finally got some pictures up in an album over to the right. They are in fact, not even mine. The are my sister in law's pictures downloaded from her camera and they are also not edited (or rotated) in any way, and there are also a gazillion of them, so good luck! I will upload my own to an album throughout the day and put those up there as well. They include Mr. JuJu's drunky photos. Such FUN.

I just found some Easter candy of LittleJuJus that I had hidden and forgot about so I really need to go, ah, take care of that. Like, throw it away, or something. Yeah.

Edited to add: She was saying "Light"! Her first word was light and she loves to walk around the house pointing to all of the lightswitch plates and lamps and saying "IGHT,IGHT,IGHT" her next word was "Kit"...she says that when she sees the cat.

Ick and Eww and Ouch

No time to chat. Must get into shower. Take boy to T-Ball game in 40 degree weather. Husband and daughter taking turns with a stomach, intestinal "issue". Baby up twice screaming with red bum and diarrhea. So tired. Must forge ahead. Pray for me. Also must stock up on Purell.

Oh, You're Still Coming Here?

We're back! Actually I came back on Monday, but we'll pretend that I just got back a second ago and I COULDN'T WAIT to update the site! So much to talk about, no idea where to start. I think I've forgotten how to type.

So much has happened lately, mostly with the baby, some with The Boy so I think bullets might be an appropriate approach here to get you filled in quickly...

• The baby said her first word on Mother's Day!! I will tell you what she says and you can guess in the comments as to what the real word is. It's not too much of a stretch. She says (with extreme enthusiasm and repeatedly all day long) IGHT! IGHT! IGHT! It's her favorite thing in the world.
• Since we are on the subject, LittleJuJu's first word came right before his first birthday when he pointed to the top of the Christmas tree and said," DAR! DAR! DAR!"
• The baby sprouted another tooth while I was away.
• She is officially sleeping through the night since right before we left...she goes down between 7:30 and 8 pm and sleeps until around 7:00 am. I thought the time would never come. Thank Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
• The Boy has been named Student of the Month, complete with a picture in the paper! He didn't get his school finesse from his mother.
• I have my 12 week checkup tomorrow...so looking forward to stepping on the scale...
• Disney World kicked my ass. I felt so bad for all of the parents lugging around babies in strollers, screaming babies, sticky, hot babies, stinky babies, hell even the cute babies. I owe my mother the world for keeping the baby for us. I would not have been able to deal with a baby in Disney.
• I have a gazillion pictures and will upload them soon.
• The baby started to "brush her hair" this morning.
• I won't tell her that she is bald if you don't.
• She is a sippy cup master.
• I like to brag about my kids.
• I'm officially three months pregnant now and all that means really is that I can finally have that cavity filled.
• My husband is hilarious when he is drunk, even though he says he wasn't drunk...because who gets drunk in Disney?
• Peter Pan was one whacked out dude, he reminded me of a lighter skinned (it's a stretch, I know) Michael Jackson. I guess it fits with the whole Never Land thing?
• My cat was amazingly alive when we returned home...how long have you left a cat alone?
• You all missed my birthday...it was April 30th....thanks alot

Next up! Pictures! I will bore you to death with my family vacation pictures! Maybe you will even get a look at the drunky Mr. JuJu!

And DON'T read Between the Lines.

We've been letting the baby CIO (cry it out) this week during the night. Sometime around her first birthday my left eye began to twitch and I was seeing things moving about the house that were not there and I decided that, ok. Enough was enough. The girl is old enough now to sleep. All night. Damnit.

So Monday was not too bad. Only twice did she have to cry for any period of time. Tuesday was, well not good. No. It was BAD. Really really BAAAADDD.

I would not be stupid enough to come here and announce to you all that she sleep through the night last night, because I know what it means to jinx oneself, and I am not about to jinx myself. Oh no way, no how.

So.

To recap:

The baby certainly DID NOT sleep all through the night last night and I AM NOT full of sunshine and rainbows and happy unicorny leprechauns today.

So you don't have to leave a bunch of congratulatory comments for me.

He's Got a Heart of Gold, Folks

Jenny says:

Would you be upset with me if I were to shut Allie's tail in the window and maybe it broke?

Jeff says:

nah

Jenny says:

the tail, not the window

Jeff says:

either way

Jenny says:

cool.

Jeff says:

so do you need to go to a vet?

Jenny says:

nah.

Jeff says:

you were just wondering?

Jenny says:

i was kidding about the tail actually being broken

Jeff says:

oh

Jenny says:

not so much kidding about the slamming it in the window

Jeff says:

i see

Jenny says:

feel free to hold back on your concern for the cat

Jeff says:

no, i'm letting it all hang out

Jenny says:

cool.

No Point Whatsoever to This Post

I'm in that four day crunch time where I am completely overwhelmed with all that I need to get done before we leave to drop the baby at my mom's house and head to the airport. I have only drug my suitcase from the basement and dusted it off and threw it on my bed where it has been for days. The Boy is somewhat packed because he is easy. The Girl's suitcase has also been dusted off and I have managed to lay piles of her clothes out all over the bedroom floor. I need to finish all of our packing (which involves finding clothes that fit my ever expanding ass) and doing laundry so that the clothes that DO fit are actually clean. I'm soooo not ready to be wearing summer clothes. I tried on some of my bathing suits the other night. Still somewhat weepy over that dumbass idea.

I will be going to Disney World three months pregnant. This basically means nothing except that I won't be able to ride roller coasters and I might be quicker to tire than the rest of us. Do you think Mr. JuJu will carry me around on his back when I get exhausted from walking 14 hours during the day? It is supposed to be the happiest place in the world and we know that you should really make an effort to keep pregnant ladies happy. They should make Baby Bjorn in an adult size, don't you think?

Both of the children have decided that it would be a great idea to get sick. Sick. Four days before departure. Of course they would be sick. Why wouldn't they? It would be too easy to stay healthy for one more week, right?

This evening is LittleJuJu's first ever T-Ball game! Unless he comes home with a fever I will allow him to play. I'm really excited, so I can only imagine how he must be feeling. Do you remember your first game as a child, or your first dance recital or gymnastics meet? I remember being scared shitless to go out on that stage and dance. I was more than happy to wear my pretty tutu and felt so grown up with some lipstick and blush, but the dancing part had me terrified. The recitals became easier and easier, but looking back I think that being the center of attention for the whole evening was what really made it special.

This entry is all over the place...just like my brain. I really have to go get busy on this packing. Anyone want to come do some ironing for me? I'll make you some yummy coffee and you can play with my baby! She might get snot all over you, but she is totally worth it.