JuJuBee

Directionless

I've got many, many updates for you. I don't know where to begin exactly, so I suppose I should just jump right in with both feet and get all random on your asses:

The kids are sick. The doctor thinks it is a case of RSV since it is "spreading like wildfire" in our area. It's a relatively harmless virus unless of course, it worsens "because if it worsens, they might need to be admitted to the hospital for treatment overnight, so keep a close eye on that baby and have a great weekend!". I can't tell you how much I hate that woman.

Some of you have asked about my mother-in-law, which I have to say, is SO sweet. Thanks for your concern. It means a great deal to Mr.JuJu and I. He has had a tough time with it as this is his first true experience with having to see one of his parents suffering. It's quite the wake up call to realize that your parents are not the untouchable superheros of your youth. Long story short...this is not an elderly, frail woman we are talking about. She is in better shape than many woman her age (56). She is a pilates queen and takes more vitamins before 7 am than most of you will take all year. In fact, the last time she had to take a trip to the hospital was because she got a vitamin stuck in her throat. No joke.

So she is opening a Ghirardelli square while heading toward the few stairs down into the family room. Her bright orange Crocs catch on the top stair and she goes flying, maybe smacks her head into a banister, who knows...lands at the bottom and blacks out. She comes to at some point and manages to drag herself over to the phone and pushes the special "911" button on her phone (note: My daughter also pushed that special button while we were visiting last week and called the sheriff...oops) and waits on the phone with Mr. JuJu until helps arrives. When Grandpa JuJu walks in the door, he takes the phone from her and tells Mr. JuJu that she looks like he had beaten the shit of her.

She goes to the hospital where she stays for almost a week. A bone spur is found in her neck and it is determined that it is the cause of most of her numbness. She has most of the feeling back in her arms and legs, but her hands are Slow to recover. She is home now, seeing an OT everyday and resting. She will have to wear a neck brace for some time, be out of work and may require surgery at some point. She tells me she looks ugly....somehow I doubt that. She is a beautiful person inside...I'm sure anyone who sees her during this time can only see a wonderful person who had a tragic accident. Be careful with your chocolate, people and for the love of god....don't wear the ridiculous CROCS. You could break your neck.

What else, what else....

OH!! We found a house! It was the first house we looked at! We made an offer on the first house we looked at and the offer was accepted (ok well, it was countered, but THEN accepted)! How unbelievably silly for us to make an offer on the first house we walk through! We don't care. We like it, we can't wait to get into it and paint it pretty colors and make it ours. Pictures at some point.

What else...

Today is Mr. JuJu's last day of work! He is busy emptying his work cell phone of contacts and his work laptop of porn ( or so I say) and is having a party at lunchtime to say goodbye. I wanted to go, as I have a few goodbyes I'd like to make as well, but you know. RS-fucking-V and all....

I think that is enough random for now. I'll pop back in for more as I think of it.

Before I forget, please go send your congrats to Michelle at The Peevery on her big news.

Since I've only posted two measly pics of this kid....behold! 3.0:

Boo-Boos All Around

Things are busy (are they ever NOT busy anymore?) around here. I wanted to throw a post up here and ask you all to keep my mother-in-law in your thoughts and prayers (if that's your thing) over the next few days. She seems to have blacked out yesterday and fell down a few stairs in her home. She fell flat on her face which indicates that she blacked-out before she fell, otherwise she would have used her hands to catch herself, no? She lost some feeling in her legs, arms and hands for awhile but she still hasn't gotten the feeling back in her hands. She has been in the hospital overnight. They found a fracture in her neck which may or may not have already been there before the fall and she may need surgery for it. She looks like she has been beaten up pretty badly and we are going to be making the trip to NY (Buffalo, for those of you who were asking) to see her this weekend.

We also are ready to begin looking at houses and we will start that on Sunday. I am a bit sad after talking with our realtor yesterday, that we won't be able to close on anything until mid-March, and that's if we found something we wanted like, THIS week. It's a long yucky process and I hate being in this "transition" phase. Whatever...it's a means to an end and I am still excited. Packing has been going SLOW. We are having someone come in and give us an estimate on how much we would have to shell out to just give it up and let someone else do it already.

Today I have my post-partum checkup (Weeee!) and then this evening we are having a little going away get-together with the folks that Mr. J works with. Should be nice. Tomorrow is 3.0's 2 month check-up! Including shots! (More weee!)

Off to pack...some more.

You Love Maddie More Than You Love Me!!

Posting this to avoid the inevitable jealousy.

And also to avoid the inevitable packing.

Photo and video editing at onetruemedia.com

Send Boxes and Ambien (CR)

Excitement has been replaced with overwhelming sense of dread:

How in the hell am I going to pack up this house with three children who WON'T NAP FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE GO TO SLEEP.

I Can Breathe Again

This past year of my life has been a whirlwind. As looong as my pregnancy felt to me at the time, truth be told, it flew by. Our family has gone through so many changes, good and bad. We've rallied each other through sickness, depression, financial turmoil, sleep deprivation and more. We've celebrated a new life, a new car, three healthy and happy children, our son's first love, new friends and a stronger marriage.

I met Mr. JuJu in 2001, which feels like yesterday. We've been through more in those years than most couples go through in a lifetime together. We are still in love and more importantly, we still like each other. In that time, I have only seen my husband extremely happy on a few occasions including the day we got engaged, the day we married, and the birth of our babies.

He's been in the same profession (media relations/communications type job....college athletics) since we met. Because of the thousands of different roles he plays in his work, he is never off of the clock. It's like being a doctor, but without the paycheck that he deserves, more notable: without the recognition he deserves.

Not seeing him wasn't the only problem our family had. We moved here to Ohio in November of 2002 after having one week to find a living arrangement (2 bedroom rental). The morning of our move we awoke to find that the world had been blanketed in snow as we slept. We should have taken that as a sign to just stay put, keep warm, stay familiar. We pushed forward and made the move far away from any family or friends. Away from any sort of support system. It was hard enough with one child.

Fast forward to the present. Still no family, very few friends, same shitty living arrangement, THREE CHILDREN, no support network, overworked and underpaid husband, sad and lonely me.

I'm very happy and excited to tell you that life will change dramatically in the very near future. Mr. JuJu has decided to accept a job offer in New York. He is so very brave. The job is a completely new concept for him. No more sports, no more travel, no more 14 hour days on the weekend. The job is in the same area as his family, so right away we will have friends, family, babysitters (!!!) and most importantly, SUPPORT in helping to raise three strong and happy children.

There will be times over the next few weeks that I will want to curl up and die as I try to pack up my house and make arrangements for a big move out of state with the babies at home. LittleJuJu will have a huge adjustment leaving his friends and school. My family in Pennsylvania will have to travel even further to see us. The road ahead will be bumpy and scary, but when I see what is on the horizon? It will get me through. We deserve this. Mr. JuJu deserves this.

Now I better get my ass away from this computer!

Also? It's almost the end of De-Lurking week, so those of you who read here and never leave a comment (I know you are there, I see you on my stat counter) please leave a comment, even just to say "Hi". Better yet, say congrats to Mr. JuJu, who incidentally has not yet written his birth story for you all. Give him hell, people!

Misery By the Numbers

Saturday Night/Morning 1:30am:

Number of trips to the ER after debilitating back pain and burning urination (TMI?): 1

Number of passengers in the minivan truck: 0

Number of cute little old guy valet persons wishing me good luck at the door of the ER: 1

Number of bitchy admission/nurse hybrids: 1

Number of pain relieving narcotics not received because I was driving myself: MANY

Number of needle sticks I flinched through until the nurse finally got my IV in: 3

Number of wuss-ass pain relieving shots of Toradal received through IV: 1

Number of hours spent in the ER thus far: 3

Number of urine samples collected: 1 (almost two since they lost the first...yes, they lost it)

Amount of blood in urine: "A ton"

Number of doctors who now take me seriously when I say I believe that I have a kidney stone or 30: 2

Number of CT Scans performed: 1

Number of hours spent in the ER thus far: 4

Number of text messeges sent home (against the rules! Shame on me!): 2

Number of droplets of someone's spattered blood on the floor beside my gurney: 32

Number of droplets of something I am not quite clear on: 3

Number of times I allowed my shoeless feet to touch the floor: Are you kidding me?

Number of underwear I had forgot to put on before leaving the house: 1

Number of prescriptions of sweet glorious pain relieving vicodin received: 1

Total number of hours spent in the ER all alone like a big girl: 5

Final Diagnosis: Kidney Stone (only 1 millimeter...uhm...yay?)

Final thoughts:

These two angels don't help the recovery effort much...sleep is but a dream.

Distraction

Just playing around here with some video, I can never seem to get them just right on my site. Also need to do something to keep my mind off of the kidney stone floating around in my body somewhere.

Heh. Emergency Room stories forthcoming...

Make video montages at onetruemedia.com

I Resolve to be a Tease

Listen guys...I'm not being dramatic in any way when I say that I have not had a minute, nay, A SECOND to sit down here and update this thing. Yes, I know I have been around to a few of your blogs and left a comment or two, but that is infinitely easier to do with a baby in the crook (Crook?) of your arm than it is to compose an entire post of your own.  Plus there's that whole Christmas and traveling thing thrown in for good measure, and also no sleeping...so yeah. Only one person (Hi Lori!) bothered to check on me anyway, so you obviously can skip right on over this paragraph since you have HEARTS OF STONE.

So it's 2007 now, or so I hear. A new year a new you, right? Well, I'm sitting on a doozy that I am bursting to talk about, but can't just yet. I will of course, the second that I can, but until then you will just have to chill and wait. Do some chilling for me while you're at it, because I could really use some extra chill. For those of you who just right this second considered that I might be pregnant again? Yeah you? Well you can just bite me, and how dare you presume such a thing. What do you think I am, a RABBIT? Noooooo way, not pregnant...but possibly just as life-changing, you know, without the extra thirty pounds (god, I hope!).

Christmas was hectic, but very enjoyable. Next year, presuming that the baby will be sleeping more than 4 hours at a stretch, will be even better. More Christmas tree policing, but I can deal with that. Especially when well rested. And also maybe well saturated in liquor of the hard variety.

Well, there's your update. Too many things swimming around in my head right now to be expected to post something of even remotely interesting content. You'll get over it! Now, on to the good stuff:

What'd you get for Christmas??