JuJuBee

See Ya Blogger!

2005-07-15T21:33:00.000-05:00

Please update your blogrolls! You can find me here.

Blubbering Idiot

2005-07-15T09:43:00.000-05:00

BabyJuJu and I just spent about 25 uninterrupted moments staring at each other in the eye. Then she smiled, I melted and she promptly fell asleep (I just barely caught her as she began to roll out of my lap and onto the floor). It got me thinking. When do we start to become uncomfortable looking people in the eye?

I remember when LittleJuJu was a bit younger and we used to rock to sleep in the chair. He would stare into my eyes as he fell asleep. The older he got, the shorter the stare. Now, he fidgets when I try to kiss him on the cheek (he gave up kisses on the lips a long time ago). My little guy is getting so grown up. Kindergarten starts in August. I am dreading the first day I watch him roll away on the bus. I'm sure that I will be fighting back tears. I remember the first day I dropped him off at daycare when I was teaching preschool. I walked away from him, both of us fighting tears (one a bit less subtly than the other). First day of preschool was no easier but at least Mr. JuJu was with me. Can it be true that this new little baby will someday be old enough to go to school, and drive, and DATE? No way.

BabyJuJu found her hands yesterday. It's hilarious. She will hold (usually just one) up in the air in front of her face and just look at it like, "What the hell is this thing and when did it get here?" then she shoves it into her mouth like a rabid dog foaming at the mouth.

Please tell me that switching to WordPress is no big deal and I will not lose almost a year worth of posts and comments. Tell me this. I need a push because I am a big freaking wussy loser.

Calm Before the Storm?

2005-07-13T09:34:00.000-05:00

LittleJuJu slept until 9:30 a.m. and then he cleaned his room.

I'm afraid. I am so very afraid.

Always A Work in Progress

2005-07-12T11:51:00.000-05:00

I've been feeling like my site needs a change. I know I just changed it not too long ago, but I'd like to even change my platform. I've been playing around over at WordPress today and looking through the site to see if anything caught my eye. Anyone who has experience with WordPress, please fill me in on whether you like it and/or think that I might benefit from switching. The fact that it is free is a bonus...I'd love to switch to Movable Type at some point but right now FREE is my only option. A girl's gotta live, you know?

In other news? I'm really just trying to get back into some sort of a routine around here. Ever since the baby came, "routine" is not something I am familiar with. It's quite unfortunate as I thrive on routine. LittleJuJu does as well, so his trip to PA last week has him a little screwed up. My goal for the next two weeks is to get some sort of bedtime schedule down for the baby. I don't know how much longer Mr. JuJu and I are going to be able to function on the sore excuse for sleep that we get every night. After the two weeks we are off again to New York and Canada to visit family again...I hope that whatever progress is made between now and then is not lost. We'll see.

Looking over my blogroll, I cannot believe how many pregnant bloggers are out there! I swear half of the list is either pregnant, or new parents. Is ANYONE getting any sleep?!

Thanks for the anniversary wishes...Mr. JuJu and I finally got to sit down together with a glass of wine after 11 p.m. last night. Then the baby woke up. GOOD TIMES.

We Are Home

2005-07-10T20:42:00.000-05:00

This is BabyJuJu wearing Daddy's wedding ring. We have been married two years tomorrow.

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

2005-06-30T08:51:00.000-05:00

I know that my site seems a little funny the last couple days, I am working on that. Ignore it. I will keep trudging through the {sarcasm} gazillions {/sarcasm} of questions you all have for me.

CHRIS asks: 1) Aside from being a mom (which is quite noble), what would your dream job be?

I love make-up. I wear make-up. I buy lots of make-up and get excited to go home and try it on. I look at other women's faces and decide what I would do differently to their make-up, had I been the one to put it there. I only had my make-up done professionally one time. On my wedding day. I hated it. Had to go home and redo it myself. The crazy make-up girl's hands were shaking as she tried to swipe mascara onto my blonde, almost nonexistent lashes. Then she giggles, "Hehehe, I'm on HydroxyCut and it makes me SOOO shaky!". Wrong thing to tell a woman on her wedding day as you struggle to steady your hand. She could have blinded me, but she got by with a shitty make over. Where was I? Oh yes. I'd love to do make-up, maybe for celebrities and travel all over the world charging exorbitant amounts of money for my time. Shallow? Maybe. Fun? You betcha.

2) What are your top three guiltiest pleasures?

Good question. Ask anybody who knows me and they would tell you that I. Love. My. Showers. This has got to be a guilty pleasure. I don't know why I feel guilty being in there so long because honestly, the time I have in there is the only alone time I have ALL DAY LONG. True, I have always taken very long showers, even before I had children and no time to myself, but now the showers serve a purpose for me. They are my quiet time. I do my best thinking there. I also brush my teeth, apply face masks, give my hair deep treatments, exfoliate, shave, wash, moisturize...you can see why I take so long. My second guilty pleasure would be alcohol. I love wine and for some reason I feel guilty when I have a glass. I shouldn't. I will work on that. Third? Hmn. I am having trouble with a third one here. It might be sleep. I would kill someone for a full night of uninterrupted sleep right now.

3) What's the least talked about, most unpublicized secret with respect to being a parent? What do none of the books tell you?

If I told you, it certainly wouldn't be a secret now would it? You'll see soon enough...I will share one with you. Parents don't like to talk about it. Somehow if they do, it's as though they are admitting defeat, or they feel like it makes them less of a parent. The secret is this:

Sometimes you will wonder why in the hell you decided to have a child.

This is true of every parent. I challenge any parent to come to me and say that you have never felt this way, not even once. We all have these fleeting, and not so fleeting moments when the phone is ringing, the baby is screaming, your five year old is whining, the dog is barking, the doorbell is ringing and the water is boiling over on the stove and you just want to crawl into a corner and cry. You will want your old life back. You will curse the day you decided to have the sex that created these beings. You will feel this way and it is ok. You are human. The moment will pass and you will fall madly back into love with your children again. That is the secret. You will think that you hate your children at times. Obviously you don't, but it will feel that way. In the next instant, it's gone. Don't feel guilty about this. It comes with the job.

More later, I have SOOO much laundry to do, and the packing. My god with the packing.

Where I Actually Answer Your Questions As Opposed to Last Time, When I Did Not

2005-06-29T09:27:00.000-05:00

I asked for questions in my last post. Apparently noone really gives a shit, but I did get a few!! Let me address some of them while I have an extra minute or two here...

My MOM asks: Here's my question- Who is driving (the car, you know, that BIG shiny object that goes fast) on Friday? I'm not making fun of you, I just think maybe PaPa might like to drive Looking forward to sleeping late at our house?

Well Mom, chances are that I will be driving to your place since Mr. JuJu will be driving most if not all of the way to Philly. Since I am distracted easily by big shiny objects, we might have to pull over and switch, but maybe we can make a game of it! Like seeing how long I can stare at the shiny objects before the car starts pulling off of the road (mental note to get the alignment checked before Friday). To the second question? To quote my dear husband, "Does a bear shit in the woods?"...."Does the pope wear a funny hat?". OF COURSE I would look forward to sleeping in but I don't think we will have the opportunity as we will have to get up and get moving.

Chef asks: Write an essay 50 words or less on one of the following subjects.1) Darth Vader's Helmet in The Empire Strikes Back2) How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop.3) What you would rather be? A grasshopper or an ant and why?

Well Chef, I didn't like writing essays in school, and I'll be damned if I am going to write one here on my personal website, but I will pick one of your questions and give it a thought or two. I'm going to have to go with #2. My thoughts on the Tootsie Roll Question For the Ages can be summed up in three words. No fucking way. I'd like to meet the person who has the time and or patience to actually sit and count each separate lick until the very end. There is no answer. If there is? I don't care. I'm too busy shoving those lollipops into my son's mouth so that I can have 3 minutes of silence to make an important phone call. (By the way? WAY more than 50 words there)

Ok then. I have, WOW, one more question (three parts) that I will get to later in the day. Keep them coming!

Staring At the Keyboard

2005-06-28T07:43:00.000-05:00

I've got nothing right now. At some point, lack of sleep really begins to take it's toll on your brain function. Mine is performing at the borderline retarded level these days. Not quite Paris Hilton retarded, but getting there.

Oh lookey! Something shiny!

Oh sorry. I am just going to go ahead and flat out steal Chris's idea and ask you all for some questions. I've got a lot to do throughout this week to ready ourselves for travel with a new baby, and I also have to lose ten pounds and get LittleJuJu registered for kindergarten (shutup, I know it's almost July) so you ask questions, I answer. Maybe even truthfully. You can also request a photo of something. I might be able to operate small hunks of metal.

They are shiny!

I'm Thrilled

2005-06-27T13:54:00.000-05:00

You can upload images with Blogger now!

Whoa, Stick With A Topic, Woman

2005-06-24T15:09:00.000-05:00

It's Friday, and around our house as of late, this means....company. The grandparents have been taking turns coming to visit the new baby (and the boy) almost every weekend, with the exception of a couple. We have another friend visiting on Sunday. Then I have the week to prepare for a) LittleJuJu's week+ vacation in Pennsylvania with my parents and b) Mr. JuJu, BabyJuJu and my trip to Philly for a conference and c) a wedding in Cincinnati. We'll be busy, so you see. Any one up for guest blogging in my absence from 4th of July weekend on? Lemme know.

BabyJuJu was 2 months old this week! She had a great check-up and is putting on weight like a champ. I cannot get enough of the chubby rolls on her thighs and her big cheeks. She went from 5th percentile to 50th in one month. I am happy with this, as she was 3 weeks early. Must be all of those Twinkees and beer.

I leave you with another one of LittleJuJu's quips:

"Can I say 'balls' ?"
"Well, it depends. What sort of balls are you talking about?"
"..... points to crotch...."
"Ah, no you may not."
"Oh alright. I'll call them testics then."

Yes, he calls his testicles "testics". Don't ask me why. I do not know.

Do You Likey?

2005-06-23T12:47:00.000-05:00

Big thanks to Emily at Ciao! My Bella for the revamp of my site. If you are tired of your look go over and check out their portfolio...thanks so much, Emily!

Hold on to Your Hats

2005-06-21T12:08:00.000-05:00

My little girl laughed at me this morning. I know, I know...she is amazing. You don't have to tell me. I suppose it wasn't exactly a laugh, more like she was smiling REALLY HARD and some noise came out that faintly resembled a laugh, so in my world: she laughed. Shut up.

I wanted to call Mr. JuJu at his office to share the big news, but guess what? That's right. HE'S GOLFING TODAY. You snooze, you lose I guess.

(Not on the) Green With Envy

2005-06-17T07:39:00.000-05:00

My dear husband is playing golf today. Enjoying the gorgeous sunshine, with adults. I've no comprehension of what it is like to spend hours with adults having fun without children. I've made him suffer enough, dropping subtle hints of, "NO FAIR!" and "BULLSHIT!"...but he went anyway. Nevermind that (for now) this post is not about what irks me about my husband (how dare he have FUN without me?!) but rather what makes him the man I fell in love with and who stole my son's heart as well as mine.

He's always been unsure and a bit nervous about being a dad. Not in a way that you would ever notice, as he seems as comfortable with his kids as he does sleeping in our new soft as clouds recliner. He is unsure in a way that causes him to ask himself if he is doing a good job. Unsure in a way that makes you realize that, maybe that is what makes a good dad after all. A father who is constantly wondering if he is doing the best for his children. A father who agonizes over each interaction hoping that his child is getting the most from it. He sincerely wants what is best for them at all times.

I remember when we first started dating and we were at the mall doing some Christmas shopping with LittleJuJu, he was not yet 2 years old. It was one of our first outings as a "threesome" and can I just say that I have never seen someone carry a child as proudly as my husband was carrying my son? He radiated pride just by holding that child. I knew he would be fine with the new role he was accepting. I told him that if he ever felt overwhelmed, I would understand. He could run at any time...I knew it was hard. He never ran. I know now that he would never run.

Now I see him with our daughter. He stares at her and wonders aloud at her beauty. He came to find his own way of settling her when she is upset and you would think that he held the secret formula for cold fusion in his hands...he did it! He got it! He is a daddy who knows what to do! I'm so proud of him and so proud to call him my husband, but even more proud to call him the father of my children.

Happy (early) Father's Day, Sweetie...you enjoy your day on the course (and the one next week...CHRIST, is that all you do?!) you deserve it.

How About Another Picture!

2005-06-14T09:51:00.000-05:00

Typing with one hand is fun! Or not so much. BabyJuJu is taking all of my attention today and what she is not hoarding, I have to save for cleaning out my closet. Maternity clothes BE GONE!

(Edit: It's been said that she looks "grumpy" and "intense" in this picture...for the record, she ALWAYS looks grumpy and ALWAYS is frowning at me. She hates me, I know it)

You Can Skip This One

2005-06-13T09:09:00.000-05:00

I seem to be having a mundane sort of a day. Actually, to be quite honest, everyday seems mundane lately. I was so looking forward to the weekend, so Mr. JuJu could be home with us for two days, then we ended up fighting. Blah, blah. Oh! We did get alot done around the house, organizing closets and the basement and readying for a garage sale...are you as bored as I am with this post?

Enough, ok, gathering the kids and getting out of here! Maybe more later, how about a picture for now? BabyJuJu doing what she does best...stretching in her sleep.

Let Me Bend Over Here

2005-06-09T12:10:00.001-05:00

I'd like to take a moment to share with you a few of the charges listed in the itemized hospital bill that I received after BabyJuJu's birth. Those of you with children will not be surprised and those of you without, can you fucking believe this?! Bullet form, of course...

*Heel Hugger Warmer (basically a piece of warm padded velcro that fits snugly around the baby's heel to warm it prior to a needle-stick test) $15.00

*Generic Baby Wipes $5.00

*Oops! yet another Heel Hugger Warmer $15.00

*Diaper Rash Ointment (I don't recall them using any of that...) 5 mg. $4.54

*Private Room $2771.00

*Pharmacy $491.00 (the Percocet wasn't that good)

*Labor and Delivery $4666.00

*Emergency Room (I actually went in thinking I had a bladder infection with severe back pain) $242.00

*Laboratory/Pathological (huh?) $133.00

*All Inclusive Ancillaries $206.00

*Nursery $1466.00

*Pharmacy (?) $21.14

*Audiology $137.00

*More Ancillary Crap $7.00 (what is the point?)

*More Lab Crap $201.00

*More Nursery $1100.00 (Sale that day? Maybe Maddie used some Marriott points)

*More Lab Crap $56.50

*Take Home Supplies and Drugs $65.00 (for what? some motrin?)

*More Lab Crap $745.75

*Newborn Initial Care (visit from our pediatrician) $217.00

*More Lab Crap $237.00

*More Lab Crap $91.40

*Anesthesia (the epidural, I assume...the one I didn't want in the first place but was pushed into getting, the one that made me puke in front of my husband for the first time, or rather ON my husband) $1520.00

*Shitty shampoo and conditioner $1234.000

*Band-Aids that leave yucky goo behind for weeks $5678.000

*Flat Diet Sprite $9000.00 times 6

*Industrial Stop-a-flood-in-it's-tracks sized feminine napkins (I don't think I have ever wrote "feminine napkins" before) $5 gazillion dollars

I'll stop there, you get the point. To take the cake? They submitted all of the claims before Maddie was added to the insurance, so now I need to call 5 thousand people to resubmit claims now that she is insured. Otherwise, as you can see...we would need to sell our next child to pay this bill. (Did I say "next child"? Ha! That lack of sleep is really getting to me!)

(edit: why does Blogger refuse to publish my bullets?!)

(edit 2: all are accurate charges with the exception of the last four, I know it is hard to see the difference between my made-up charges and the actuals)

"W" is for Weary

2005-06-08T07:55:00.000-05:00

Dear BabyJuJu,

Do pray tell why on earth you have so much hatred for your beautiful bassinet? I'm not sure how much longer you will be able to sleep each night in your much loved Papasan. I suppose I must come to the difficult decision of which is better: actual sleep for the family, resulting in a more productive and cheery day, or having you utilize the expensive bed that will only accommodate your little body for a short time (thus resulting in a tired, grumpy, extremely unproductive day). Oh the trials and tribulations of parenthood.

I must say that having Daddy sleep downstairs at night, in order to get some sleep for work just plain sucks. The kitty seems to think that his absence in our bed is some sort of invitation for her to come take his place and sleep with her ass extremely too close to my face. I do not like this. Things need to change around here.

Please take some time today to think things over about the sleeping arrangements. A speedy decision on your part would be much appreciated. Just remember one thing...if Mommy isn't happy, nobody is happy. Sleep makes Mommy happy.

I Love you!

Want to Know What's Attractive?

2005-06-06T14:54:00.000-05:00

I'll tell you what's attractive. Nothin screams "Hot Mama" more than when the front of your body is sunburn-beet red and the back of your body is ghost white. Rawr!

Hugging Alittle Tighter Today

2005-06-05T21:26:00.000-05:00

A good friend of mine lost his little brother yesterday. He'd just turned 23 in April, three days before my Maddie was born. He died in a car crash. I come from a very small town, so when things such as these happen, they are felt pretty strongly by everyone. Even if you haven't ever sat down and talked with this boy (I was always think of him as a boy and was shocked to read that he was 23, when did he grow up!?) you still knew who he was, or have heard his name, or at the very least you knew one of his brothers or father or mother.

I've been thinking about life a lot today. About just how precious and fragile we actually are. We tend to think that we are invincible. We treat our bodies badly, we drink too much, or smoke too much or drive to fast, thinking that we would never be that one who would die as a result of our everyday carelessness. I wonder where he was going in that car and if he had told his mom that he loved her that day.

If you do one important thing today, do this: tell someone you love them and hug them tight. You really never know what the day may bring. Don't ever take for granted that your life is precious and the people around you would be devastated to see you go. Take care of yourselves.

We'll miss you Little Cory.

Just Playing with Flickr

2005-06-01T15:50:00.000-05:00

Boring
Originally uploaded by JuJuBeeJenny.

You wanted BabyJuJu Pictures...you got 'em.

Click on her for more.

Yeah, yeah...two posts in one day. Shut up.

I Fear That A Beehive is Forthcoming

2005-06-01T10:13:00.000-05:00

I just had one of those Oprah LightBulb Moments (TM).

I was ironing (gasp, I know...) but not only was I ironing, I was ironing with the baby on my hip.

Who in the hell am I?

Overheard

2005-05-29T11:43:00.000-05:00

LittleJuJu has a new love for volcanos. Ok well, not so much a "love" for volcanos, since he is deathly afraid that one will erupt in our neighborhood, so maybe more of an "interest". Every once in awhile he will start an hour long Q and A about the weather and will we be killed in a volcano eruption that particular day or will we, you know, have sunny skies.

Yesterday, the sky turned that intense shade of periwinkle and gray that you see right before a rainstorm. Of course he was convinced that a volcano or a tornado was eminent. I was listening to him talk to Daddy about the forecast...I don't know when the word, "VAGINA" came into play (Mr. JuJu?) but this IS what I heard, come from my 5 year old's mouth:

Vaginas are NOT volcanos. They are girl's penises.

OK then. We'll have to iron out a few anatomically correct details, no big deal. Later he was sitting at the computer with Daddy, checking the forecast on weatherbug ( I think when Daddy said there would be no tornado or volcano eruption resulting in our untimely death, LittleJuJu asked him to "prove it") and he said:

If the weatherman is wrong, I'll shoot my eye out.

Do you think he is getting enough attention?

What She'd Say if Only She Could

2005-05-26T21:52:00.000-05:00

I've taken over Mommy's computer (ok...really it's DADDY'S, see how I have already begun to side with my father?) to announce that I am now officially one month old. I know that you are impressed with my mad spelling skills. It's amazing what you can learn in a few short weeks sitting on Mommy's lap in front of her (his) computer.

The past month has been quite a trying time for my family. Mommy has had to deal with her body and her hormones struggling to get back to normal (as if her hormones were ever what you would consider "normal" in the first place) and my daddy has had to learn what it is like to be a father from the "start". You may or may not know that he became a father to my big brother during his 18th month of life, which was well past sleepless nights and little, teeny, tiny helplessness. I was born at 6 pounds 1 ounce...then I lost some weight, and now I am back up to almost 7 pounds. You can imagine that my family might be afraid of breaking me. Now multiply that times one million and THAT is how afraid my Daddy is of breaking me. Isn't he cute!?

My big brother might be having the hardest time of all, though he hides it extremely well. My parents think he has adjusted amazingly though I sense that he might be feeling threatened by me. I see they way he sulks when ANOTHER present shows up for ME at the door. He pretends to love me and will even give me hugs and kisses when the big people are looking, but I know the truth. I am afraid...that kid is smart. Oh, and he is LOUD. I think his plan is to demolish any remote chance of my ever hearing completely well. He's crafty like that. He's got these people so fooled.

Wait, I was wrong. It's not my brother that has the hardest adjustment to me...it is the cat. First she gets confused because Mommy and Daddy call her by my name and me by hers (don't deny it, Daddy, I heard you call me "Allie") and she is just plain old ignored these days. My presence has her completely confused. Lets face it, she is a cat. She has no idea what the hell I am or why I am here but she knows that since I came, her family has forgotten her. Poor thing. She better just accept that I am the baby now. Mwahaha.

I've heard them say that I am a good baby. I suppose I would have to agree. I sleep all day and only wake a couple of times each night to eat, usually falling right back to sleep. I have started to fuss and get on my parents nerves a little more these past few days, but I think they had it too easy there for a few weeks. Need to keep them on their toes, you know? Just wait until I am a teenager.

If you are reading this, Mommy? I'm thinking that if I don't grow into my clothes soon, we are going to have to go shopping again for more preemie clothes...I am really getting tired of the same old pajamas. Also, Internet? Thanks for all of your kind words and pretty presents for my family. I can't wait to have my own website and embarrass my mommy the way she will inevitably embarrass me here. Looking forward to month 2!

Posting on 2 Hours of Sleep is Challenging, At Best

2005-05-19T10:18:00.000-05:00

I can't wait until all of those pregnant bloggers catch up and have their babies so I don't feel like the only one with nothing to talk about but ALL BABY ALL THE TIME! Also wanted to thank Jazzy for sending the baby a beautiful gift...please go and visit her. She has some crazy news to share! Thanks also to Beth and Chris for sending a gift...You guys are the bestest ever.

So the little one turned 3 weeks old yesterday. Coincidentally she was also DUE yesterday...so you do the math. It seems like the 3 weeks that she was to still be floating around in my belly, she spent sleeping. Since her due date is upon us, things have woken up a bit. She's all like, "Wha? Huh? I'm DUE now? So I have to wake up? Ohhhh, noone told me...damn....ok, I'm up. I'm up." (I like to think she has a bit of a trucker mouth on her, it gives her character) And believe me, she is UP. Mostly between 2 and 5 a.m. but whatever. My mom is coming this evening and staying through the weekend, maybe we'll have to schedule some quality Nana/BabyJuJu bonding time. Preferably between the hours of 2 and 5 a.m.

Pictures...I know everyone keeps asking for pictures. I'm trying to but everytime she does something cute we are nowhere near the camera and you all know babies who are 3 weeks old don't do a whole lot of "cute" so my photo-ops are few and far between. Now if you want a whole bunch of pictures of sleeping? That I can do. Except that Mr. JuJu took the digital camera on a business trip with him today and won't be back until Saturday night. So, send him hate mail if you like.

Thanks For Sticking Around

2005-05-16T12:59:00.000-05:00

It happens, you know? It happens even to the best of friends. Something happens in your life, something big. I don't mean something like you had a date with the guy you have had your eye on for two months, or that you finally finished that book you have been struggling through for a year. I mean big things...marriage, moving, birth, death. You don't mean for it to happen but eventually the visits stop, the phone calls shorten until they trail off altogether. Birthdays go unnoticed, emails are few and far between. It's ok. This is part of life. People intertwine themselves into your world for either long or short periods, you never can tell which it will be. If you are lucky, you can still run into each other a year or two down the road and be able to embrace one another and ask how things are going, rather then averting your eyes and pretending not to notice.

So this blog was my friend, one of my best friends. Then something BIG happened. Something HUGE (if you can call 6 pounds 1 ounce "huge") and I fell back. I ignored it, hoping a post might write itself and publish without my fingers being present. I hovered over the keyboard willing an idea to come to me. There is so much to write about, so much involving this HUGE part of my life but I have no idea where to start. Do I start at the beginning, with the torturous pain and long hours of labor? Do I start when the pain was over and the beautiful baby became a very real part of our lives? Do I begin where we thought we were home-free only to realize that we were not allowed to bring our little angel home, that the doctors were not quite done with her yet? I don't know. I've decided to just leave that all in the past. Leave that extremely difficult and scary journey in my mind and concentrate now on the present.

The present is glorious. Our angel is home and healthy and beautiful and we have begun our lives as four instead of three. She sleeps, she eats, she poops. Just as she is supposed to. She is perfect and for now at least, life is perfect. Forgive me friend, for my absence. I'm back and I am stronger having gone through what I (we) have. I've missed you!!

BabyJuJu & Her Proud Big Brother

2005-05-03T13:23:00.000-05:00

We are finally home and getting settled into life with our new sweetie pie. More pictures and lots of stories to follow...thank you for all of the comments and emails!

Fatherhood Has A Scent Like The Top Of A Newborn Baby's Head

2005-04-28T08:01:00.000-05:00

Mr. JuJu reporting, live from the scene in Haiku:

An arduous jor-
ney. Madeline Grace arrives
April 26th.

Mommy and Baby
JuJu rest comfortably.
Return home today.

Weighing six pounds, one
ounce and measuring eighteen
inches, healthy she is. (read stanza in Yoda voice)

A most beauti-
ful baby. Wait you must how-
ever for photo art.

Desperate Times

2005-04-24T15:08:00.000-05:00

Calling for desperate measures. I'm usually somewhat of an optimist. I don't like to worry or dwell on negative things. Of course being pregnant? All bets are OFF. I felt really good yesterday. I told Mr. JuJu that it was kinda weird to feel so good and that it must be the calm before the storm so to speak. I could not stop to enjoy the way my back was not aching or the way I could sit in a chair for more than 5 minutes without having to shift or just get up out of sheer uncomfotableness. Nope. I spent the day thinking that something must be wrong for me to feel so good for once. I even made the mistake of saying,"Hey! I wonder if this means I will get a good night sleep!? That'd be great!". Jump to 2 a.m. when I am laying in bed WIDE AWAKE and ready to crawl out of my skin. Not so much pain, just nerves pulsating all over. I could NOT lay still to save my life. Another night on the couch. I am beginning to hate the couch and miss my husband. Oh right, and I had one or two good contractions that meant nothing at all.

In other news...not ONE of our mothers have called yet today and it is past 4 p.m. ARE YOU OK MOTHERS? Just worried about you is all.

Ok, Mr. JuJu is home from the grocery, going to raid bags for chocolate...just a quick post to keep you all updated.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

2005-04-22T07:38:00.000-05:00

Nevermind the whole 3 centimeter deal...BabyJuJu doesn't care. She'll show up at around 42 weeks. Obviously no news here. I have been feeling much better in the back area since I have been on the antibiotics for bladder infection. No contractions but some weird sharp pains in my girly regions. I guess she wants to put on a little more of the chubs before we get to see her. My bags are packed and ready should she change her mind. Hear that little lady?? Mommy is waiting patiently, if by patiently you mean being mean and grumpy and miserable.

I thought it might be a good time to address those questions you all asked me a while back that I just kinda ignored and pretended didn't exist. See how I like to surprise you!? By the way, my birthday is only a mere 8 days away and I like surprises too. (Note to baby: I don't necessarily like to share my birthday) Ahem.

Ben asks: Hmmm.... Okay, to get your mind off of this pregnancy... what is your favorite memory from your College Days? (That time period if you didn't go to college.) I really cannot put my finger on a particular memory. Nothing special jumps at me on this one but I do know that the time period in my life from age 18 to age 21 (ish) is a blur. It was filled with parties and drinking and trying to figure out who I was and what sort of people I wanted to surround myself with. Sadly I was not picking the right sort of people at the time but looking back, I think I needed to go through that period to become who I am now. If it weren't for those years, I would have much less patience and tolerance for people of different types of lifestyle. What might be the best thing about those years is what I got out of them, certainly LittleJuJu was worth it!

Mr. JuJu asks: On a typical day, how long is your shower? Oh wait, a nice question and an honest answer... Your hubby, he's a helluva guy? Glossing over the whole shower question (can't we just let it GO?) I would have to say that yes, yes indeed my hubby is a helluva guy. Most people pick their partners when they have found that sense of "completeness" but I have learned through my journeys that you must be complete before you come into a relationship. You must bring yourself as a whole and the person you fall in love with can add to you but certainly not complete you. You are two separate beings...my Mr. JuJu adds to me and helps me to be a better person. That and he is cute as hell.

MJR asks: The Velvet Revolution was neither a revolution, nor was it about velvet. Why? Discuss and explain your answer---AND in put in the form of Haiku. Now, for those of you who don't have the distinct pleasure of knowing this "MJR" character, Hopefully you will have the opportunity to be blessed with his presence at some point in your life. If not just to say as he walks away, " What the hell was up with that guy?". All kidding aside, great guy and funny as hell. Unfortunately I will not be answering this question as I have already assigned the task to Mr. JuJu and apparently he is still working on it...stay tuned.

I'll stop there for now and get to the others later in the day. What? I promise! Unless of course I go into labor, then all bets are off. I can only do so much, people.

The Beginning of the End

2005-04-19T13:57:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time there was a beautiful baby. (I am of course speculating that this baby was beautiful because in fact, the baby had not been born yet and therefore we really would have no idea as to the general appearance of the baby, but come on, of course she MUST be beautiful what with the parents being so damn cute and all) This beautiful baby was cause of much heartache and misery for her mother (and consequently her father as well because he indeed had to listen to her mother bitch and moan about how miserable she was) for most of the last three months of her life inside this mother's womb. Yea, there was much bitching and complaining.

This mother couldn't wait for the time when this baby was to be born. She imagined what the baby would look like (again, beautiful without a doubt) she imagined taking long walks with the baby in the glorious summer sunshine (after of course applying SPF of no less than 75+ to insure the baby would always have lovely skin). She was not naive to the fact that it would be hard at first...with the sleepless nights and the nursing and the screaming crying. She was okay with this. She just wanted this child OUT so that she could appreciate it's beauty and presence. So she prayed that her due date would come swiftly.

One day, the mother awoke (or rather just kinda got up and showered because she never really went to sleep in the first place, yet another reason this mother prayed for the misery to end) and readied for her 36 week prenatal checkup. She was feeling quite well and happy that the sun was shining and the air was warm. She arrived at the doctor's office and was pleased to see that she had not quite yet reached the 30 pound gain mark yet. She greeted the doctor and complained some about it not being May yet. He understood...there, there...not much longer.

As the doctor did his doctor things down under he chuckled under his breath. "Well, welllll. Looks like you are much further ahead of the game than we thought...".

What an odd thing to say, the mother thought. "You are three centimeters dilated!", the doctor told her. "at this point we wouldn't stop labor and everything looks great. So, no intercourse for you and if you think it's time, get moving!"

The mother caught her breath. She didn't even realize that she'd been holding it. She thought of her husband sitting in the waiting room and how pissed he'd be about the no sex rule (ok, just kidding...but he wouldn't be happy about it, for sure). A gazillion things flashed before her eyes, things she had been putting off, things that needed to be done before the baby came. She now had a window of more like 1-2 weeks instead of a window of a solid 4 weeks to get it all done. She promised herself not to worry about it. The baby will come when she is ready and screw it if the house was not. No bother. It'll work out.

Then the mother freaked out for the rest of the day. THE END.

Sick Update...or How My Birthday Month Continues With the Suckage

2005-04-16T08:24:00.000-05:00

I decided I call my Ob/Gyn yesterday morning because of the back pain and fever, etc. I see them next Tuesday but thought they might like to see me sooner than that in case of, who knows. They finally got back to me in the late afternoon and told me they'd like to send me to the labor and delivery triage to figure out why I was running the fever. You know, to be safe and all that. I really just felt kinda flu-ish and thought it would be a big waste of time but I couldn't exactly say, "Well, nah. I think I'll just hang out here if it's all the same to you."

It actually turned out to be quite beneficial for us to do a dry run as we have never been to the hospital before and need to iron out a few kinks in our route. I liked the maternity ward and the nurses but the parking, construction, traffic, etc. was just SHIT. When I went into labor with LittleJuJu we had the whole "Christmas Day" thing on our side...no traffic at all and I was sharing the whole maternity department with like, one other woman in labor. Maybe BabyJuJu could hold off until...what holiday comes next? Oh nevermind, I'd rather stick needles into my eyes than hold off longer than I need to here.

So we get there and go to the regular old ER, which we were not supposed to do (who knew?) and so I got to have a fun wheelchair ride up to maternity which I think freaked my boys out alittle bit. I don't look right in a wheelchair, I didn't exactly NEED the wheelchair, but hey it felt a bit like pampering. They should have wheelchairs in the day spas to wheel you from pedicure to facial to massage, right? Walking is for the peons.

They got me all set up in my gown (that I took years to figure out, all those damn snaps and ties, what the hell?) and got the fetal monitor going. I gave a nice urine sample that didn't drop into the toilet (practice makes perfect!) and gave some blood. Yada, yada, yada. It went like:

Lay and wait
explain symptoms to nurse
Lay and wait
explain symptoms to intern
Lay and wait
explain symptoms to resident doctor
Lay and wait
explain symptoms to my own doctor on call
Lay and wait forever and ever
fuck up fetal monitor by actually MOVING (oh my, so sorry for MOVING)
Lay and wait

Finally a new doctor came in and explained that I have a virus (probably a flu strain) a bladder infection and I am dehydrated. Here is your prescription...DRINK MORE FLUIDS!...go home...see you in a few weeks.

I knew I felt kinda wrong! All that complaining was not in vain, people! Justified at last!

My lovely husband took the boy out for breakfast, so I need to go enjoy the quiet and DRINK MORE FLUIDS!

Great Timing

2005-04-15T08:06:00.000-05:00

Fever, aches, chills, SICK.

Fun With T&A ! Errr Q&A...

2005-04-13T08:06:00.000-05:00

Ok so I thought I'd better start addressing those questions before I get any more that I will never have time to answer. Some I am still thinking about and will get to those later today. One you all are wondering about was the neighbor and why I might think he is dead. I'm sure you will all be disappointed, as the story is not chock full of crime and suspect. Nevertheless, I believe he has gone to greener pastures, bit the bullet, bought the farm, {insert your favorite deadly cliche here}.

I think I posted in the past about our neighbors and their not so "neighborly" ways. They are an older couple but if you held a gun to my head and asked me to estimate their ages, I'd have to die. They are those type of people that could just as easily be in their 40's as be in their 60's. The husband, who I believe to have left this earth looked to be about 103 years of age. When we moved in here a few years ago we found out that he was suffering from oesophageal cancer. This did not stop him from smoking like a chimney. If I felt like finding the post I wrote about him, I think it would have mentioned that he mows the lawn, WITH AN OXYGEN TANK STRAPPED TO HIS BACK. We have volunteered to do it for him but the man is so stubborn and proud that he would not give it up. Eventually he would be mowing and have to stop every five minutes to lay in the yard, gasping for air and mercy. He scared the shit out of me. His wife ultimately took over the task of mowing. Ah yes...the wife. She is a peach. I won't get into it, but these two people are the grumpiest, meanest bastards I have ever run across. Forget about trying to make small talk with them, even waving seems too much effort. ANYWAY....

We haven't seen the hubby for most of the winter months, only his wife coming and going in the car. All of the sudden last weekend their driveway was full of cars ( they never have visitors) and people were coming and going for days. I think he is gone, Mr. JuJu thinks he might still be kicking but the family is holding a sort of vigil over there for him. It creeps me out to be honest but I am too nosy to just let it go. I NEED to know if this guy is alive...

Will keep you updated as I'm sure you are all waiting with baited breath. Ok, will post more answers as they come to me.

ENT, Honey...not EMT.

2005-04-12T11:58:00.000-05:00

Uhm...hi! Remember me? I used to write stuff here. Maybe not regularly, but somewhat often. I don't know what happened with that so don't ask, ok? Ok then. I will blame it on the beautiful sunny and warm weather we have been having...and my mom and stepdad visiting over the weekend. That is that. Moving on...

LittleJuJu went to the doc this morning for a recheck of his ears (if you recall, he had an infection and went through two rounds of antibiotics) and they are MUCH better but still a bit red and swollen. Lucky us! We are off to see an ENT sometime this or next week to see what he thinks. LittleJuJu did have tubes as a toddler and this is his first infection since they fell out a couple years back. Let us all cross fingers and other assorted body parts that he will not need tubes again. It was awful watching them take him away from me the first time ("Oh, it's actually better if he cries hard! Then the medicine will knock him out quicker!" Yeah ok, fuck you Nurse Betty) and the time it took for the surgery (which was pretty damn quick) seemed like years. I was a wreck and I hate to think of him going through that now that he is 5 and not stupid.

In other news...35 weeks pregnant now. For those playing at home, this means only 5 weeks to go (if we are lucky) and this is freaking me out. I am of course ready and have been for the last, oh...7 months or so, but still. I keep thinking of all the things we need to do yet. Nothing major, but you know. I like to obsess. I need to get LittleJuJu registered for kindergarten which is somehow much harder than I anticipated. We have to pick a school and actually GO THERE or something. I know! TOUGH stuff! Mr. JuJu is also playing phone tag with a lawyer to adopt LittleJuJu so I am worried that he will have to change his last name after school starts. He is already confused about that as he kinda learned his name one way (with my maiden name) and then he learned it another way (with Mr. JuJu and my last name) and when asked what his full name is, he always kinda hesitates but ultimately goes with the Mr. JuJu name. Ah, what issues.

Lets play a game, since I obviously cannot post anything of interest to save my life. Ask me a question in the comments, whatever you like and I'll post my answers. Be nice and I might answer honestly.

P.S. I think my neighbor died, but we aren't sure. Just throwing that out there.

What Did You Do With My Wife?

2005-04-07T12:07:00.000-05:00

That's what I hear floating around in the Mister's head.

So I have been in this weird sort of twilight zone place lately. I know it has sooo much to do with the baby coming. Your mind can do weird things when you are severely lacking in the sleep department. Add to that the anxiety of childbirth looming in the very near future and you can see maybe why I have been "not so much myself" as of late. Some days start out pretty well and I feel somewhat normal in my skin. As most of those days grow on I do start to lose myself, or at least the self that I am familiar with. I'm sure my husband would agree with that. It's just that I am so uncomfortable much of the time...I am ready for this part of the journey to be over and get so frustrated with myself when I am too tired to put a load of clothes in to the dryer or walk up the stairs as quickly as I used to be able to. I miss carrying my son to bed. I miss my old wardrobe. I miss breathing. I miss NOT COMPLAINING all of the time. I feel like such a whiner and I don't like to see myself that way. I like to be a pleasant person to be around and I don't know what happened to that person. She is somewhere deep inside of me with that mocking voice of hers, "Stop complaining...noone cares that your ankles are swollen or that you can't sleep. Join the club! There are nothing special about your problems so get over it and just enjoy this time you have left..." I do wish I could listen to that voice. I really do.

OK! Here's where I apologize for complaining again! Sorry folks! Why do you keep coming back here, anyway ?!

No Time To Waste Actually Thinking Today

2005-04-05T08:37:00.000-05:00

This MeMe was stolen from Jazzy because I too lacketh the creativity this fine Tuesday.

Accent: I know Pittsburghers have a distinct "accent" that most people like to make fun of (as though theirs isn't mildly ridiculous) but somehow I managed to escape the signature Pittsburghese...might have been the traveling, or the living with a New Yorker (talk about "accents"!) who knows, so no accent to speak of that I notice.
Bra size:I agree that a man must have started this meme, and to give you my bra size right now would be a bit unfair as I am 8 months pregnant...PASS
Chore I hate: Cleaning the shower and tub
Dads name: Raymond
Essential makeup: Just ONE thing?
favorite perfume: I like a few, no favorites here...Estee Lauder's Beautiful, Victoria's Secret Very Sexy, Kenzo's Flower, Egyptian Musk, lots of them I like.
Gold or silver: I am partial to silver though my wedding bands are platinum
Hometown:Just a little town in Pennsylvania...
Last job: A nanny gig
Kids: LittleJuJu (5) and BabyJuJu on the way
Living arrangements: Mr. JuJu, LittleJuJu and myself (one cat, lotsa fishies) looking for a new "home"
Moms birthplace: small town in PA
Number of apples eaten last week: A ton...a few whole but I have been a fruit salad kick, so I have had a gazillion cut up and thrown into that
Overnight hospital stays: 2 nights with LittleJuJu
Phobias: I never put these things into writing
Question you ask yourself a lot: When is this baby coming?
Religious affiliation: I'm working on this one
Siblings:1 brother age 28,1 half brother age 5
Time I wake up: When I see LittleJuJu in my face or hear Mr. JuJu's alarm go off
Unnatural hair color: Light Blonde
Natural hair color: Medium blonde
Vegetable I refuse to eat: Again, just one?
Worst habit: 20 minute showers
X-rays: I've had a lot
Yummy food I make: I tend to be modest about tooting my own horn...I make good banana nut bread I suppose?
Zodiac sign: Taurus the Bull

Update: LittleJuJu's ear infection has not cleared and he is on another round of antibiotics, will go from here...

Bitching and Birthdays

2005-04-04T11:36:00.000-05:00

I had a rough weekend with the BabyJuJu making me miserable and with LittleJuJu seeming to have another (if not the same) ear infection. Noone in our home slept on Saturday night and Sunday seems like a blur. I remember the times, not long ago, when I could easily pull an all nighter. We'd stay up well into the morning partying, sleep for a few hours, and do it again the next night (I sowed a few "wild oats" right before LittleJuJu came along) but now...if I miss a good night's sleep, I am a zombie for the whole next day. I get mean and grumpy and pale and blah. We did manage sleep last night and are all feeling better today. LittleJuJu has a doc appt. at 4:25 this afternoon. I dunno what's up with the ear. Poor kiddo.

Onto better news. April marks the beginning of the celebration of my "Birthday Month". Yes. One day is certainly not enough time to fully enjoy all that my birthday has to offer. I prefer to be selfish and obnoxious and celebrate all month long. In fact those running shoes I bought last month were a "birthday" present from Mr. JuJu (that I picked out and ordered before he knew he was even getting them for me). It's funny, my birthday isn't even in say, the middle of the month...it's on the very last day. So really, I should celebrate well into May as well, don't you think?

Inutero graffiti

2005-04-01T11:57:00.000-05:00

Last night Mr. JuJu and I were getting LittleJuJu tucked in to bed. LittleJuJu was being crazy as usual...and loud.

Mr. JuJu: Do you think the baby already knows she has a brother out here?
Me: Yeah, probably! (thinking about how loud the boy can be... there's no doubt she hears him a lot)
Mr. JuJu: You know, like he wrote "LittleJuJu WUZ here" in there somewhere for her to find.

God I love that man.

Exercise Has Left the Building

2005-03-31T09:00:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Dear Internet for letting me vent yesterday and thanks for the emails and well wishes. It means a lot to me that you care, you really care! Sniff.Sniff.

The day brightened quite a bit for me and I owe that to the weather. It was the first beautiful day in over 5 months and it just made all of the difference in the world. Granted, I cannot wear the cute little springy outfits I saw all of the girls sporting yesterday on campus and in the mall...but this is something I will just have to deal with. I am 26 now, I am pregnant and I don't have options like I did last year. I will only be sporting tent sized shirts and pants this spring. Bite me.

It was so nice that I even put on my big tent-like exercise clothes and went out for a jog (ok, a WALK) last night. I was feeling SO good with my music blaring and my new running shoes walking along...then BabyJuJu said, "What in the hell do you think you are doing? This is SO NOT happening", and halfway through my walk I got a few BH contractions and had to head back home in pain and pissed off. Thankfully LOST was on last night and it rocked and I even got some sleep.

Off now to start the day and enjoy the warm temperatures before the snow rolls back in.

You Can Opt Out of this Post at Any time

2005-03-30T10:44:00.000-05:00

Let me first preface this writing with an apology. I have not had a good night's sleep in so long that I really can't even remember. A perfect way to spend your last 7 weeks of pregnancy, I know. Way to kick her when she's down!!

Last night was the worst sleep yet. Mr. JuJu had planned on an all nighter to finish a work project that had to be done today, so he got comfy in the big new chair and set to work on his laptop. I had been having a rough day so I layed down on the couch around 9 or so (sorry I never called you back, mom). I would have went to bed, but I hate going to bed alone. I decided to stay on the couch for awhile and be close to the Mister. I was miserable. I have slipped into this pattern at night that only allows me 15 minutes or so of being in one comfortable position. Apparently I am "carrying the baby high" and this is really causing some major discomfort. The doctor was very surprised since this is my second child...I swear she is seriously stuck in my rib. Like her foot or something has lodged in between two bones in my rib cage and she is stuck there. It hurts. It hurts bad and if only I could BREATH again. I have heard of women having bruised or even broken ribs after pregnancy. I feel as though I may join the ranks. This sucks.
I seem to be ok when I am not sitting or laying down...some cruel twist of fate as I am supposed to be getting adequate rest and sleep. May can not come soon enough.

Stay with me. I know this part will be over soon and I will have some positive things to talk about here. Until then...I just can't muster the happy face. Come on BabyJuJu, drop...please?

In Which I Share Too Much About My Urine

2005-03-23T13:56:00.000-05:00

So, pregnant women tend to be asked to share their pee a lot, right? I am asked for a urine sample each and every time I go in for a prenatal check-up. They would prefer that I bring one with me, but really, I am not all about peeing in a little plastic jar and then actually bringing it in the car with me to the office, and THEN sitting in the waiting room with it while people stare and point and say mean things about the chic with the piss. Anyway, I was in the bathroom attempting to pee in the cup (the bathroom in this joint is essentially a 2 foot by 2 foot square box in which they have shoved a toilet, a sink, one of those nifty safety handle bars and a garbage can) when my morning took a turn for the worse. I decided that taking my coat off was just not going to work, so as I was trying to hold my coat up over my big butt to sit down, I was also putting the toilet lid up with the same hand my purse happened to be in. Yeah, I know you know.

You totally know what happened by now.

Yepper. My purse slipped out of my hand in PLOPPED! right into the toilet water. PLOP. Somehow I managed to save it in time (in time for what, you ask?!) just in time to avoid letting the water soak through the fake leather outer shell and into the interior where my phone, wallet, make-up and all things important to me are stored. Son of a bitch. See Honey? See why I own 200 purses? You can't predict when a sudden purse/toilet related accident could occur.

THEN! I dropped the little pee-cup into the water MID STREAM and had to wait until after I saw the doctor to try again. This is my life people, seriously.

To top things off...Doc says that I am measuring kinda small (about 30 1/2 weeks as opposed to the 32 weeks that I am) but she says not to be concerned because you can go a couple centimeters either way and still be fine. I swear that if I don't deliver this child AT OR BEFORE my due date, which is currently standing at May 18th, I may just lose it. Good thing that chair comes today. Ima gonna need it.

Being mentally prepared is not the same as being physically prepared

2005-03-22T09:36:00.000-05:00

Well, I think we are done. Done with buying the baby stuff that is. Ok, ok, ok. Done buying the baby stuff that we NEED to buy. The last item on the list of things that "We Need to Have to Ensure That the Baby Survives" list has been purchased. Said item will be arriving at some point during the day tomorrow. I tried finding a picture of it online but you know how these internets can be...no go. I believe I described it in the store as "like rocking on clouds". I cannot wait to sit my ass in this chair for round the clock baby soothing. Bring it on...I have clouds to sit on. Thanks, Mom!

I spent the weekend in Pennsylvania. My last shower (I only had 2, so "last shower" sounds funny, like I had soooo many...) was on Saturday. I (we) got lots of beautiful presents, and it was nice to catch up with some people that I haven't seen in a long time. I even got to meet a friend of my mom's and faithful reader of my blog...Hi Tammy! A really nice weekend.

Home now. Home ready to rip my hair out. Spring break week is upon us and LittleJuJu is home from preschool all week long. It's funny how you don't realize that the 2.5 hours, three days a week really is a life saver. Pray for me.

What else? I am 32 weeks today! Things are getting uncomfortable in this body of mine and I am so ready to just see BabyJuJu. No more car trips for us until she comes, my back is just not having it. So? Looks like it is nesting time! I am off to tackle the closets in LittleJuJu's room today...so exciting is my life!

Let's Smoke em Out!

2005-03-18T15:33:00.000-05:00

I try very hard not to judge others how they raise their children or how they live their life. I'm actually the last person that should be casting stones. Today I caught myself wanting to strangle a parent.

Driving back to my office from lunch, I had to stop for a light. I looked over at a small compact car and noticed that the windows of the car were a little foggy almost dirty looking. Then to my horror, I spied a very small baby in a car seat, facing forward I might add, and I noticed that the fog was moving. The driver, a younger woman most likely in her early 20's, the passenger, a woman nearly the same age and "VERY" pregnant, and what appeared to be a high school boy in the back seat, all with a cigarette lit and smoking like chimneys.

The fog was cigarette smoke.

I then thought about the babies, the one in the car seat, and the poor unborn soul, and their exposure to this toxic air. I don't mind smokers, and I too used tobacco for a number of years, but those children have no choice but to breathe that air that those people have created.

The light turned green and the smoke bomb drove off. I then realized that what I thought was a pounding in my head for the disdain for the way these people were treating the situation, I soon figured out that they had the radio turned up so loud, it was the bass that was shaking my windows. I'm certain that was great for that young baby as well.

If you ask me, I say parental license 'REVOKED'!!!

~Genuine

The Sex Change

2005-03-18T11:11:00.000-05:00

Now that you are completely confused let me introduce myself.

I am a man. I know nothing of the trials and tribulations that a woman goes through either physically or mentally. I have heard it described, I have read about it and it has been explained to me in more ways than I can possibly imagine. The truth is, none of this has helped me grasp the fact that I have no idea what it is like to be a woman.

Why is it that women were chosen to be the gender as host of our babies? If you laughed at that question, then I am certain you are a woman.

Why men don't have babies.....

1. Pain, we don't do pain, at least not without our mommies.

2. 9 months without a beer?

3. There is something fundamentally wrong with strippers showing up to a baby shower.

What reasons can you come up with why the men in our species don't have babies?

~Genuine

We Need A Cough Minivan Cough

2005-03-18T09:14:00.000-05:00

So we're off today to Pennsylvania to spend the weekend at my parent's and have one final shower before BabyJuJu makes her appearance. Did you all know how they make their appearances, anyway? Yuck. I'm thinking that if we BARELY got everything in the car from the last shower, with 15 guests bringing presents, we are going to have to leave some things behind this time with the guest list at 25 or more. Who cares, though...more presents!! I am also excited to see friends that I've not seen since Christmas (and a new baby boy I've not yet met!).

We'll be back Sunday at some point in the day. Until then I believe I've got a guest blogger set up for today, if he remembers and doesn't lose the log in information, which he has been known to do...Ahem. So, talk amongst yourselves and enjoy the weekend!

Orgasmic Snack of the Day

2005-03-17T16:33:00.000-05:00

Ok people: H0ney Maid Cinnamon Sticks...dipped in Honey Nut flavored cream cheese. Oh.My.God.

When The Cats Away

2005-03-17T11:36:00.000-05:00

When Mr.JuJu is out of town, LittleJuJu is in no hurry to wake me. Yes I would suppose that this seems nice and all, but actually it is a bit unsettling. God knows what he is up to when I am asleep. Sometimes I will come downstairs to find him quietly coloring in a coloring book, he will look up at me with a sweet smile and a," Good Morning, Mama. I'm making you a picture." It's the other times that freak me out a little. Like this morning we had installment number 2 of "Breakfast in Bed" that consisted of: Two spoons, a good yogurt, an expired yogurt, one M&M cookie, one generic peanut butter cookie, and a banana. Not bad considering last time. Everything seemed ok until I realized that the plate he used to carry this all up to me was a plate that I keep on the tip-top cabinet shelf. It's usually buried under about five glass bowls. How he got the plate down is a mystery. When I asked, all I got was a shrug, "I dunno, just got it." Ok then. Fortunately I will have no choice but to be awake before him when the baby comes. Wait. Did I say "good thing" ? I really am losing it.

Pick A Thought, Any Thought

2005-03-16T09:35:00.000-05:00

I do believe that this will be one of those posts where I am all over the place. Seriously I have about eleventy-gazillion thoughts running through my head this morning so I'll just go with it. For starters, I am the "mommy helper" in LittleJuJu's preschool co-op this afternoon. Oh JOY. He just loves when I am in there, mostly because he gets to be the leader for all activities and help set the tables for snacktime (we mommy helpers are also responsible for bringing in the day's snack) and he just eats it all up (not the snack, the attention). He also gets to be the weatherman and give us all his opinions of what the weather was like yesterday, today, and what is to come tomorrow. He is a very optimistic weatherman, always reporting lots of sun and hot temperatures. Hey, it IS 26 degrees here today which is a warm-up if you ask me. We will be having a fake birthday party in school today for LittleJuJu since his birthday falls on Christmas day and we obviously missed school that day. Pictures I promise! {UPDATE: Forgot Camera}

Mr. JuJu is in Kentucky staying up late playing poker in strange hotel rooms with lots of men and probably liquored up hookers. Though we did lose our game in the first round of the tourney, somehow they got a bid in the NIT and will be playing there tonight. If they win, he will travel straight from there onto either Houston (poor baby, I feel so bad for him *eye roll*) or Wichita. That would also mean that he would not accompany me to Pennsylvania for my (final) baby shower this weekend. So...we'll see.

In other possibly fatal news...I have been waking up on my stomach in the mornings. Don't overlook here that I am now 31 weeks pregnant. 9 more weeks to go. I should certainly NOT be waking on my stomach. It can't be good for the baby but I seriously can't do anything about it. I haven't slept well in over a month, I just can't get comfortable enough to sleep in one position. Everytime I wake I am inching closer and closer to my belly until morning when I am finally there. Don't ask me where the baby goes...she must have carved out a nice niche in my back somewhere. It's really no wonder my back hurts, she is probably in there kicking my spine crooked and I will have to wear some brace for the rest of my life. Someone said how not being able to sleep in your final weeks of pregnancy was about as cruel as dieting to prepare to starve. It's not fair. I need my sleep and my sanity for the weeks ahead of me. So BabyJuJu?? Enough of that, young lady. Wait until you see all the cool stuff we have been buying you. You'll be sorry for making me stay up all night.

It's never too soon for Mommy Guilt Trips.

She's All Growed Up

2005-03-14T10:53:00.000-05:00

Isn't it funny how differently we perceive our parents when we actually become parents ourselves? Thinking back on the sacrifices that my mom made for us leaves me in awe. We had a tough life...I can see that now. The funny thing is, I never realized that growing up. It never occurred to me that not EVERY child was enrolled in the free lunch program at school. It was never an odd thing to get a box full of government cheese, butter and canned vegetables for free at the food bank. I got pretty excited to see what sort of cereal they were giving that month! My brother and I never felt as children that we were less than fortunate. Money didn't weigh on our minds. I can't imagine how it affected our parents, but they did a superb job of keeping that issue away from us. I don't remember arguments about money, yet surely there had to be a few.

My mom taught us to appreciate what we had. As children I know that we didn't take care of things the way we should have. Toys were broken and lost. I made a habit (at a very early age) of getting into my moms make-up and doing god knows what damage to it. We didn't have money to throw around and I'm sure that it was tough to see us ruin things. As I grew up, that lesson sunk in. I take great care of my things now and hope that I am teaching LittleJuJu the same. That is only one lesson that I took from my mom. There are many. She taught me to see past the color of one's skin. This could not have been easy in the small town that I grew up in. There couldn't have been more than two or three African-American families in our area, and only a handful of different ethniticities in our school. She taught me to forgive. This one she taught by example, as she has forgiven me over the years many more times than should have been asked of her. She taught me to love unconditionally, to be compassionate. She taught me that you can accomplish whatever you want if you put your mind to it. When my parents divorced, I watched as my mother went back to school, while raising two (one more difficult than the other) teenagers. She worked her ass off and her grades showed it. She didn't have much help, this I know.

I hope that the long journey from childhood to her 35th birthday (35 today, right Mom??) finds her happy. I hope she knows that her children think the world of her and will always know the sacrifices she has made for them. I hope she realizes the positive impact she has had on their lives. Sometimes it may not be so apparent, but she has done a wonderful job. The hardest job in the world.

Wishing you a wonderful birthday, Mom! We love you so much! Enjoy your day. You won't be 35 forever (wink,wink)!

Eight Versus Nine....Glass Half Empty?

2005-03-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

Hey! I think it's time for some Random Bulletness!!

Things That I Am Happy About (or...Things That Don't Make Me Want to Weep)

LittleJuJu is on day 2 of antibiotics and seems to feel alot better (I could do without the energy boost though...)
The sun is shining (isn't it GLORIOUS?)
I am 30 weeks pregnant today!
Two words: Tax Return! "Greatest Aunt" of mine is a tax accountant and got us a beautiful refund. I hope you are all related to an H&R Bl0ck employee in your next life
New shoes (I hated them at first but am too stubborn to send them back and wait for a different pair...they are growing on me)
Mini-vacation at a hotel tomorrow night, sort of
Finding a ten dollar bill in my coat pocket
Getting a phone call from an old friend

Things That Do Indeed Make Me Want to Weep or Hurt People

Waiting in the doctor's office for 45 minutes before being seen
Being told to come right in, the doctor will be just a minute, then finding that OOPS! the rooms are all full, you'll have to go back out and sit down for another 10 minutes.
Not getting an apology for waiting so long for your sick, deaf child to be seen
March Madness
Finally getting to that point in pregnancy where sleeping is a pipe dream because you are only comfortable in one position for 2 minutes at a time
Children who take an hour to finish their breakfast (YES, I mean YOU LittleJuJu)
Sunshine lasting only an hour then turning to clouds for the rest of the day. Don't tease me like that, it's not right.
15 degrees
Stupid holier-than-thou college students walking right in front of your car while it is in motion, then looking at you like you are crazy. I won't feel bad when I hit you, sweets.

(well, "bullets" are not showing for some reason...add BLOGGER to my shit list)

Trying to Hold it All Together

2005-03-07T11:35:00.000-05:00

Can't we all just be healthy for once? Poor LittleJuJu has had this cold for like 2 months now. He was at the doctor in February for a well-child visit (maybe you recall my post about his booster shots?) and the doctor told me we'd have to wait it out and that there was just a tiny bit of fluid in his ears. Fast forward to now: he coughs in the morning for a little while and at night for a little while and his nose runs all day. Now we have added a pleasant earache. He was up crying in bed at 2 a.m. that his ears hurt and for the last few days the majority of his vocabulary has been made up of, "WHAT?" and, "HUH?". He has even come up to me and asked me to talk directly into his ear so that he can hear me. Ok then...that's enough of that. First we thought it was just his normal ignoring us, but now I am worried. He is going to the doctor again this afternoon. He is breaking my heart. In other LittleJuJu news, I had a conference with his preschool teacher and he is doing really well. Her only concern is that he seems to be quite the "follower" and sometimes that can be trouble for him. Especially considering the other boys in his class.

Mr. JuJu is a bomb waiting to explode. This "March Madness" time of year is bound to have him rocking back and forth in a white padded room soon. Sure it would be great if we won tonight and went on to the tourney, but honestly, don't hate me for praying that we lose. It's really only for my husband's sanity, I swear. BabyJuJu needs to know her daddy come May.

As for me and my mental/emotional/physical health? Well, I feel pretty good. I have my days when pregnancy takes it's toll on me. Days when you wouldn't want to come within an inch of me because of the complaining and general bitchiness, but I feel like those days are few (shutup if you disagree). I'd feel better if my boys here at home were better. I can't wait to get outside and go for a run, or even a warm walk. My birthday is soon (next month is SOON) and I ordered myself some new running shoes to motivate and keep me looking forward to springtime. They should arrive today! Yay! Thanks for sticking around through this time of blogging bullshit. I know I'm delivering bullshit, but soon you will be sick and tired of my everyday posts being,"Guess what the baby did/ate/saw/said/wore/threw up/today!!!" so stick with me.

Update: LittleJuJu has bad ear infections (both ears) and we won last night, so....off to Cleveland Thursday. Might not be here to blog this weekend!

Dailing MENSA Right Now

2005-03-05T13:54:00.000-05:00

LittleJuJu: Mama?
JuJuBee: Hmn?
LittleJuJu: I wanna play that game, pwease.
JuJuBee: Ah. M'kay, and what game would that be?
LittleJuJu: You know that game, I forget what it's called.
JuJuBee: Well you have so many games upstairs, I have no idea which one you mean.
LittleJuJu: I wish I could remember. It has cards.
JuJuBee: Cards, huh? Well that certainly narrows it down.
LittleJuJu: Cards that sorta...match? You match 'em up. Upside down.
JuJuBee: *laughing* Do you mean, Memory??
LittleJuJu: Oh yeah, I forgot.

This is Your Brain on Drugs (or prenatal vitamins)

2005-03-03T15:31:00.000-05:00

I suppose it's about time to get something up here that does not involve death or dying. Things have been tough around here with the sad death of Papa Joe and all of the traveling and being sick and LittleJuJu having been possessed by the devil (AGAIN!) the car not starting for me while Mr. JuJu was out of town, yada,yada,yada.

Sunshine! Yep. it only took a simple act of sunshine to brighten my spirits today. I really find it amazing the way the weather can affect my mood. Funny how pregnancy affects mood as well, but not so much of a mystery. Speaking of pregnancy ! 29 weeks! 11 to go! Hopefully less than that, but you know. Also? All of my bathrooms are spotless and disinfected! That has also done wonders for my mood. It's the little things, really.

I am all over the place with this post here. No sense in interrupting the theme so here is another random thought just flying through my brain: lurkers. Every once in awhile someone will comment with something starting with,"I'm usually just a lurker here..."or,"I've been reading you for sometime now..." and I have been wondering why people read for so long without commenting? I love comments, damnit! Stop lurking you damn lurkers!

I really should have just titled this post Random Bullets and just had at it with everything running through my head in a nice neat bulleted fashion. Forgive me. I should stop now. I promise something that makes some sense soon.

Mr. JuJu's Eulogy For His Grandfather

2005-02-27T15:23:00.000-05:00

We are all here today to celebrate the life of my Grandfather, Joe . And I am fortunate enough to get to share a few memories of the man who was described by many at last night’s wake as a wonderful person, who loved life.

In my work, I deal with numbers. Here are a few I’ve noticed:
Grandpa was the last of six children.
He had one beautiful wife.
Three wonderful children.
Four fabulous grandchildren.
One great grandchild, with another on the way.
And of course hundreds and hundreds of lives that he impacted along the way.
The one thing I’m wondering about, though, is the head of hair he had as a young man. His wedding picture or the photos of him in military uniform show a luxurious head of hair. I thought your hair genes were passed down through your mother’s father? I guess I was wrong.

My grandfather, born August 1922, was part of the greatest generation of Americans that came of age during the Depression, volunteered so willingly to protect our freedoms and built the nation we have today. You could not have known my grandfather and not heard him recount a story of his days on the waist gun of a B-17 during World War II. Following the war, he settled in and carved out a niche in the landscaping business. He was a man who was passionate about his convictions, who probably shortchanged himself when he admitting to knowing two things in his life: fertilizer and football.

While, I’m not so sure about the football, we all know Grandpa knew his fertilizer. His yard was a shrine to tulips and evergreens and peat moss and he was always at the ready with his snippers.

My memories of my Grandpa are of a man who was hard-working and at least to me, took on a larger-than-life quality.

In 1987, Grandpa took me on my first and only trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. He and I spent a glorious day together, with Grandpa walking me through the Hall and talking about all of the great players that played when he was just a boy. He played catch with me in the driveway and pitched in the backyard on long weekends at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. It was one night for dinner, though, that I remember so vividly. We ate in the garage on Southgate during the summer and Grandpa tried cajoling me into eating beets – something, by the way, I have not done before or since. He said, don’t you want to be a great baseball player? I of course said yes. And he would follow with, well Babe Ruth ate his beets and he was a great home run hitter. I could have told him that it’s more likely Babe Ruth was eating hot dogs, drinking beer and smoking cigars than eating beets, but let’s just say Grandpa was right and the reason I’m not on my way to a Hall of Fame career was a few red beets at age seven.

I was never more in awe of my Grandpa than I was at an airshow I attended with him and my Dad. We had not been at the show long when we came upon a B-17. After showing us how they climbed into the plane back in the 1940s, with a full pack on, Grandpa recounted in vivid detail what it was like to fly over Germany in the heat of the war. As we moved through the plane, Grandpa held court. He mesmerized the folks in front of and behind us with stories from the war. My eyes were wide with interest and it must have been at that moment I gave my Grandpa a new label: Hero.

Of course, he was a hero to all of us in different ways. He took me golfing, made us apple pancakes on Sunday mornings, always had ice cream in the freezer and never let me win at horseshoes.

However, time has a strange way of causing things to fade. Over the years, the mind failed, then so did the body. But along the way we discovered other things about Grandpa. He had the most radiant blue eyes that seemingly no one knew about. He had an infectious, ever-present smile. And he just loved people.

But it was my sister, Julie, who pointed out the one thing that didn’t fade, and I’m sure many of you noticed this: his hands. Those big strong hands were there until the end. Hands that cradled each of his children and grandchildren. Hands that turned a patch of dirt into art. Hands that crafted the finest Christmas wreaths Western New York has ever seen – the wreath business has taken a serious hit with his passing. Hands that threw ringer after ringer at the horseshoe pit. Hands that guided two daughters down the aisle. Hands that you all took in greeting and peace. And now, after 15 years, those hands are back where they belong, hand-in-hand again with his beloved Jeannie.

On behalf of my family, I want to thank all of you for being here today to share in the life of our grandpa, father, uncle and friend. I want to leave you with the following blessing:

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sunshine warm upon your face
And rains fall soft upon you fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Godspeed, Grandpa, Godspeed.

No, You Can't Have That Thing You Asked Me For

2005-02-27T13:29:00.000-05:00

I had intended on filling this space today with thoughtful and emotion-provoking sentiment. I was going to weave you through the life of someone that I love dearly, with all of my heart and soul. Someone who is the backbone of my family, of my whole being. Someone who keeps me grounded and reminds me that I am a special person with qualities that are actually likeable, if not even a bit admirable. I was going to tell you all about this guy who, if I am lucky enough, my son will grow to be just like. I'd have told you about how I tease him mercilessly on a daily basis and am quite certain that my picking and poking are grounds for divorce...yes it is that bad. I'd tell you how he holds my son and makes my heart swell, how he is a celebrity gossip whore, how he buttons his pants before he puts his shirt on, therefore having to unbutton them all over again to get the shirt inside. That drives me crazy. I'd have told you how I like to watch him when he works on his laptop at the couch, running his thumb fingernail over the smooth part above his top lip...he has these cute and quirky little things he does that make me smile. Yes, I would have told you all of these things and more if LittleBabyJuJu had not stolen all of my brain cells for her own use. She better be damn cute and damn smart.

This man...this backbone of mine, is my husband. You know him as Mr. JuJu. I know him as a few other names that I won't share here because some are just plain naughty. Please help me in wishing him a wonderful birthday filled with love and peace and happiness and all of the things that he deserves. He will read this when he fires up his computer to WORK ON HIS BIRTHDAY. Put the computer away, sweetheart, and enjoy your day. I love you.

Happy Birthday !

So much In My Head, I Don't Know Where to Start

2005-02-25T11:36:00.000-05:00

A whole week has passed since I wrote in this place. Gadzooks. I don't believe I have ever written the word "gadzooks" before, let alone said it aloud. Since we found out about Papa passing away things got sorta crazy. We left to go back to Buffalo on Sunday and returned yesterday. I am home all day! I am thrilled to do laundry and clean! Honestly...I am. Is that sad?

I'd like to post the Eulogy that Mr. JuJu wrote and gave at the funeral on Wednesday later today. It was so beautiful that I really feel like I need to share it with you all.

Until then, I'll leave you with something light...LittleJuJu brought me breakfast in bed this morning. I'll have to send the menu to all of the finest restaurants in the country:

One fork
One bag of baby carrots
One bag of turkey lunchmeat from the deli
One cookie
One bottle of water
One Shaklee Chewable children's multi daily vitamin

Prayers For Papa

2005-02-18T12:35:00.000-05:00

Mr. JuJu's grandpa is not doing well today. He has been in a nursing home suffering from Alzheimers for years and he has been steadily declining. Please keep him in your thoughts. I am so glad I have had the chance to know this great man, whether it be the sick version of him or the healthy.

Update:

PaPa Joe passed away last night around 12:45 a.m. Thanks for your kind comments. We will be traveling back to Buffalo tomorrow afternoon, so it might be quiet around here for a few days (like I'm such the regular poster, right?) Anyone interested in posting just drop me a line...my space will be free for alittle while.

Crazy Love

2005-02-14T11:10:00.000-05:00

I was thinking about love today...how appropriate, no? It occurred to me that this Valentine's Day is quite possibly the best I have ever had. Not because of some fancy gift or a bouquet of flowers or candy (though the chocolate does have a way of making my knees buckle with love) but because of all of the love that I'm surrounded by. This year might prove to be tough in certain areas...money, swollen ankles, renters remorse, etc. These things don't define who we are. Take them all away and we still have this unyielding love for one another. My son, my husband and I can still cuddle on the couch and giggle for an entire afternoon and I can't imagine ever having that go away. Soon we will have even more love in our home when BabyJuJu makes her debut (note to BabyJuJu: I'm ready! Anytime now!) even my stupid cat gives me a feeling of the warm fuzzies. I am blessed to have so many people in my life to love and who love me in return. Happy Valentine's Day to all of those people, you know who you are.

Happy Valentine's Day to all of the bloggers out there who have made my days go by a little more quickly, I do have a certain love for you and for this little corner of the world that we have all carved out for ourselves. You all truly do make my life a little sweeter. Thank you.

We are off to Buffalo this afternoon. My baby shower is tomorrow evening and we will return home on Wednesday (hopefully with a car full of new presents! Yay for presents! Pink presents!). If you are here, leave a comment...no lurkers on Valentine's Day....leave me some love.

2005-02-14T10:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day to my best knuckleheads

Welcome to Mommy's Blog!

2005-02-05T13:07:00.000-05:00

Madeline Grace (25 week ultrsound)

Guess What!?

2005-02-03T10:11:00.000-05:00

It's A Girl !

Ankle Update

2005-02-02T18:35:00.000-05:00

They are much better today, I know you were all waiting for that little update, so there ya go.

In other news, I completely forgot to tell you about our night out on Sunday. The printing company that Mr. JuJu uses at his office will occasionally come up with really good tickets to events...you know, like, "Hey! Stay with us! We'll take you out and pay for your seats!" Last spring we went to an Indians game and got to sit in the box seats where they stuff you full of free food and get you drunk in a warm room while people are freezing outside eating 5 dollar hotdogs.

This time we went to a Cavs game with Mr. Printing Company Guy and his wife. LittleJuJu went to a friend's house for the evening and HOT DAMN we were child free for like, 5 hours! If only I could have taken advantage of free drinks. The game sucked so we ended up leaving at the half and going out for dinner. It was really nice (except for the part where I almost spilled coffee all over Mr. PCG's wife's lap, it missed her by millimeters) and we definitely needed a night "out" with adults.

So tomorrow morning around 7:45 am (EST) we will finally be finding out what is making a comfy home in my belly! Not comfy for me, by the way....I digress. THINK PINK, PEOPLE!

My Ankles Are Swollen

2005-02-01T19:51:00.000-05:00

This is SO completely and totally not cool.

Operation: Find a Competent Doctor

2005-01-31T13:12:00.000-05:00

Mission completed.

I had my week 24-25 prenatal check-up this morning. The practice that we chose is group care as opposed to a one on one doctor/patient relationship. This has it's drawbacks, such as never really getting to know your doctor personally since you basically see a new one each time you visit the office. One the bright side, you need not worry about going into labor just as your doctor has boarded a plane for summer vacation. There will always be someone that you have shaken hands with at least once who is going to see you south of the border and have his or her face in your crotch for hours on end.

We have not had a very pleasant experience with this group thus far. For starters, the incompetent bubble gum chewing 12 year old that they have scheduling ALL appointments just happened to sorta, kinda FORGET to schedule me for my 16 week check-up. No, I never realized this until my 20 week check-up when the doctor was all, "So, what happened? Why haven't we seen you since week 12?" Blink. Blink. What do you mean? Then there is the whole deal with my ultrasound. My 20 week ultrasound that I still have not had. Refer to the bottom of the page to see what week I am into now. No, go ahead, I'll wait.............Back? Did you see? Ok, then.

The first doctor I saw seemed nice enough. Maybe in his late 50's, early 60's. Mr. JuJu and I both seemed to get the vibe that he was an old pervert. Then we went for a 12 week ultrasound and only saw the sonographer. My next appointment (the one at 20 weeks) the doctor I had was some dorky kid, like Doogie Howser only without the personality. He didn't give a shit that I missed a visit or that it was not my fault. He brushed off my questions with half-assed answers. Just a general asshat.

Then the clouds parted, the sun came shining through and I met Doctor Jasullahatrujdnhd. This really is not a far stretch as far as his name is concerned. No matter...his name could be John Jacob JingleHeimer-Schmidt for all I care. He was friendly, he joked with LittleJuJu, he SAT DOWN AND CHATTED with us. He addressed my concerns about scheduling problems and even called the dipshit receptionist on her mistake. He apologized. He scheduled us for our ultrasound in three days! He is our savior. He is a Steeler fan in a city that I have felt ostracized in for being a Steeler fan.

He had damn well BETTER not be vacationing in May, that I know.

The Shrink Is In

2005-01-27T10:30:00.000-05:00

I have been attempting to be a sounding board for a friend of mine who is having, shall we say..."lady troubles". I find myself in this odd situation trying to be friend/giver of advice/shoulder to lean/voice of reason, etc. WHILE at the same time trying to defend our gender. While on one hand I need to be supportive of the friend, on the other hand I can totally relate to what the girlfriend is saying and find myself thinking, "Yeah! I know what you mean sistah!". Not exactly helpful. It is funny when you have to try to relate to a man exactly what a woman is feeling and thinking. I see how different our two opinions as sexes can be and it really does amaze me. She says he is distant, he thinks she is crazy. She thinks he has stopped doing all of those sweet little things he used to do to woo her, he thinks she is psycho. Here is the clincher...when I asked if they have talked today he said,"No, I have tried calling and have left her three messages, she won't answer. Come to think of it, she is just getting interesting!"

Uhm. WE are the crazy ones?

Exhibit A

2005-01-25T21:34:00.000-05:00

Sorry I am taking so long on the pictures, remember when I told you about ruining these beautiful cuff links of Mr. JuJu's? Jazzy asked for a picture of the end result. Here you are...still taking suggestions on how to maybe get the shine back, or...maybe I should just give up hope.

Not a Bad Day Except For the Fat Thing

2005-01-25T10:56:00.000-05:00

Can I just say that you ladies can take your expensive jewelry and flowers and sexy lingerie...take your trips to exotic islands and candlelit cuisine. All mean nothing to me. My husband knows what I like and it didn't even break the bank. Say hello to my little friend. Thanks Baby. It makes all the difference.

The weekend was Chock Full O' Fun. Snow, actually. Chock Full O' Snow. Mr. JuJu's parents came Friday evening and left yesterday morning...boy were we lazy. The weekend consisted of eating and watching movies. LittleJuJu got some Grandma-Grandpa playtime in of course. His new favorite game to play is called "Store" and it basically means that you go to his room, pick out a few items from the shelves and plastic totes full of toys and he charges you an arm and a leg for them. Then he yells that it is closing time and you need to get out. Rather rudely in fact. So when you get halfway down the stairs with your new purchases he will throw open his bedroom door and scream, "Good morning! Open for business!" and you have to turn around and do it all over again. Poor Grandma endured the game of "Store" for way longer than a grandparent is required to play. At one point Grandpa actually wore a mask and using a flying disc shooter,robbed the boy blind. Good times.

Today I am watching the LittleGuy That Screams and Cries A Lot...BUT!...UPDATE!...he is playing with LittleJuJu! In the next room! Not crying! This is big people....huge. I am celebrating by of course, finally updating this blog. Go in peace and I hope your day is filled with as much quiet and serenity that had been bestowed upon me.

P.S. Fatness is starting and it is not pretty. Send cute fat clothes for me, STAT.

Grab A Broom and Get Over Here

2005-01-21T09:49:00.000-05:00

Well, I better post something now so that I don't get any more picture requests, I'm going to be busy! Mr. JuJu's parents were to be coming tomorrow late-morning-ish, but since we are supposed to get some bad weather ( OH THE SHOCK!) they have decided to come tonight instead...so I really need to get my ass in gear as my home is a mess....after taking Christmas stuff down, I put most of the house on the kitchen table, and YES, it's still there. Ugh.

It's a balmy 7 degrees here today, isn't that great? At least I will be inside working up a cleaning sweat and probably won't even notice.

Oh! I need to welcome Jacob Robert into the world! My girlfriend had a little boy a few days ago and is home with him now...I can't wait to meet you, Jacob!!

Might be MIA for the next couple of days, but I promise to get cracking on those pictures as soon as I can and post something of substance as well. Stay with me!

I'm Still Awake? Do I Get a Cookie?

2005-01-19T08:30:00.000-05:00

First things first, go congratulate these two fellow bloggers on their awesome news! I know they have had a long struggle to get here but who knows, maybe that makes it even better. All I know is that I now have someone to share the months of huge assdom with! She also said I can keep that twin now too, so really it's a win/win situation.

Woke up to another day of snow blanketing the road...really, come on. Can we just have some sunshine!? Some temperatures above 20 degrees? Is that too much to ask? Ok then, I will expect blue skies and a heat wave of 22 degrees tomorrow, thank you.

The sleepiness of pregnancy seems to be creeping back (unwelcomed) in to my life. "Sleepiness" of course being the biggest understatement ever uttered here at Casa JuJuBee. For anyone not familiar with the tiredness that accompanies being "with child", let me just say that for starters, waking up refreshed is a thing of the past. I don't care if you have slept for twelve hours straight without moving once, you will wake up and want to go right back to sleep. After you have managed some food, your bed will be calling your name...showering is like running a marathon, reading without drifting off is a thing of the past. Typing, sans typos? Yeah right, whatever that is.

So as I was saying...ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I'll be back later. Good idea...an old MeMe coming back out to play here...leave a comment with something you'd like to see a picture of and if I can stay awake, I'll try to oblige.

Just Another Example of My Ineptitude

2005-01-17T11:57:00.000-05:00

Let's just say HYPOTHETICALLY that Mr. JuJu has these gorgeous cuff links and I ruined them by leaving them in a container of sterling silver cleaner all night long. Demolished them to the point that they turned a nasty pewter color and the blue ovals turned a lavender color and fell right the fuck off. Am I an awful person? Anyone have any ideas as to how I might be able to at least save the cuff links/minus the blue oval part? I'd love your thoughts on this and thank god I would never actually be stupid enough to have actually DONE that. Heh.

Aging Gracefully

2005-01-15T10:39:00.000-05:00

As I have mentioned here before, my LittleJuJu has an issue concerning his sense of time. The concept would blow his mind if he were to grasp it completely. As further proof that he isn't QUITE THERE yet, while I was looking through pictures at Que Sera Sera this morning, he noticed a picture of an older woman (Sara's mom) modeling old fancy dresses in her dining room. He says:

"Is that my Nana when she was older?"

The longer I think about that sentence the more baffled I become.

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

2005-01-14T22:10:00.000-05:00

So? Well? What do you think? Do you love the new look as much as I do? A huge thanks to Emily at Ciao! My Bella for her help...ok, back to the slacking now.

The Return of Slacky Slackerson

2005-01-14T14:41:00.000-05:00

I should be doing a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i and j right now. Instead I am going to lay on the couch for a bit and read my new book . Stay tuned for the new and improved JuJuBee look...coming soon!

We Smell Like Fresh Air Now!

2005-01-12T17:31:00.000-05:00

Guess what we did this evening? It was a balmy 60 degrees here in Ohio so we decided to make use of one of LittleJuJu's Christmas presents.

Shhh! Do You Hear That?

2005-01-11T15:28:00.000-05:00

Listen! I hear....CRICKETS!

Eww, Bleck, Yuck and Ick.

2005-01-10T14:41:00.000-05:00

If you live anywhere in the Eastern part of these United States, you might be saying the same thing. It is such a cold and dreary, nasty and ugly day. What I would not give for a day of sunshine...or an hour of sunshine. I'm not asking for much.

Thanks to all of you who helped out with ideas for the baby. I ended up registering at three different stores (Pottery Barn Kids, Walmart and Babies R Us) since there will be two showers I figured I could cover all of the bases with three stores. Everyone has a different budget and I know that one shower is located in an area that may not be easily accessible to some of those stores. It was so much fun but not as much fun as registering at Target for our wedding with that awesome little gun/scanner gizmo. Yeah...THOSE were good times. So if you know my name...go buy the baby pretty things! Yay!

I still have not found out the sex which is a sore subject for me since I though I would be having the ultrasound at my last visit before the new year. "No", they say. I will be scheduled to find out at my next visit which isn't until Jan. 31st. So it would seem that my ultrasound may not happen until mid-February. Needless to say, everything I picked out is either green or yellow. Bastards. In happier news...22 weeks tomorrow! The baby has really started kicking my ass at night (well, not my ass, but my belly) you understand.

Happy Monday to all of you internet people!

Also...I will be changing this Christmas look soon...I think.

Calling All Parents

2005-01-06T13:30:00.000-05:00

Ok, ok, ok...thanks for all of the sweet comments about the last picture but in case you missed my comment...I WAS NOT PREGNANT IN THAT PHOTO! Boy, it'd be nice to look that way 21 weeks into pregnancy wouldn't it? I assure you, I don't. Now then...any and all chocolate shipments are welcome now and after the baby is born. I like white and milk chocolate...dark chocolate (though better for you) sucks. Okeedoke.

I am calling on all parents for some help. I am starting to check into the baby registry deal this evening and I need to know what are your favorite baby things: from diaper bags to highchairs to toys to bouncy seats to nipples. Heee...I said nipples. I never had a shower with LittleJuJu as times were just strange then with, well, with things... so I am excited to have a shower (or possibly two!) and be able to pick out some things that we need. So spill it! I need your favorites! It's been 5 years since I had a baby in the house so I have no idea what is out there.

Oh yes...also....I gained 50 pounds with LittleJuJu and it took 4 long years to get it off. I am being as cautious as my appetite will allow this time around so the ten pounds in 21 weeks? Just fine and dandy with me.

Now...help me!

Patience Is A Virtue

2005-01-04T21:53:00.000-05:00

For lack of anything interesting to say... I wanted to post this picture. The baby belongs to friends of ours, the boy belongs to me. I try and look at this when I am really getting down on the whole "being pregnant" deal. It reminds me of what is to come. He will be an awesome big brother.

I Have A Kid

2005-01-03T11:45:00.000-05:00

One thing that I cannot stand is when I am trying to talk to someone on the phone and LittleJuJu interrupts me. I am not talking about being on the phone with a girlfriend and obviously just gabbing away about nothing important...I can tolerate an interruption in that case. It is when I am on an important call that necessitates my full attention and quiet. I am not naive to think that my child will just sense when I need this quiet time for the phone. If I know I will be making or receiving an important call I make sure to sit him down and explain that I need quiet time and no interruptions unless there is an emergency. Then I find something that will keep him busy for the amount of time I need. I also will usually go into another room. Today I tried to call American Express to find out why a gift card I had received as a Christmas present was not being accepted.

Me: *talky-talky-speakity-speak to obviously annoyed customer service rep*
LittleJuJu: Mommy! Allie is playing with your bottle cap!"
Me: *whispering* Shhh!!! I will talk to you when I am through!
LittleJuJu: Mommy! She is taking it away! Do something!
Me: *turning red and whispering loudly* Be quiet! On the phone!
LittleJuJu: BUT MOMMY SHE IS TOUCHING YOUR BOTTLE CAP!
Me: I'm sorry ma'am, could you please repeat that number? I am having trouble hearing you over the demonic child who has forgotten the house rule of no talking to mommy when she is on an important call.
LittleJuJu: JUST TELL HER YOU HAVE A KID!
Slightly Less Annoyed Customer Service Rep: *laughing* Oh I can't wait to have kids!
Me: Uhm...yeah, ok. What was that number again?

Edit: Allie is the cat...not a child. Come on people.

The One Where I Break Him

2005-01-02T10:44:00.000-05:00

"LittleJuJu, I don't understand the Toy Story obsession anymore."
"What's O'simpson? Is it a bad word?"
"No...obsession...it means that you like your Toy Story stuff alittle too much maybe."
"Yeah. I'm upsessed with them. I like them."
"Do you think we should bag up some of these? You have four identical Buzz dolls and four almost identical Woody dolls."
"NO! Don't you ever do that! Well, you can take that one Buzz away. It has a broken hand. He was upsessed with doing search and rescue down the stairs. He can go."

Let us hope that should a time come when I am ailing a broken bone, my son will not give up on me so easily.

Complete Nonsense, No Really.

2004-12-30T01:16:00.000-05:00

Isn't it sorta funny how your brain just flows in and out of that weird way of thinking when you have some free time on your hands? Like that commercial they have for adult ADD and they attempt to give you a glimpse into the brain of someone suffering from the disorder and it's all jumbled and things jump from one thought to the next without ever fully completing a thought? Yeah, well sign me up for that shit. I need me some meds. I ought to be feeling a bit tired. I am pregnant and under the impression that we "with child" like to hit the hay early. It is well past midnight and I am nowhere near sleep. I talked to Mr. JuJu a bit ago and he was heading out with the guys, or to the hotel bar or restaurant or whatever and I just realized that I am sitting here so lonely and bored ( not your fault mom...I'd be bored at home too) and how can I sleep?

Heading back to Ohio tomorrow to unpack and organize the house. The after-Christmas organizing is about as time-consuming as the before...especially when you have been traveling for two weekends in a row and are bringing your dad and little brother home with you. Mr. JuJu will be off again on Saturday so it will probably be just LittleJuJu and I alone for the day which will be nice...we haven't had alone time in awhile it seems. He will bring me back to Earth, even if only for a day or two.

It's a strange feeling being away from home for a few days...I keep thinking of all of the things I need to be doing at home and then I stop to remind myself that I am actually forced to relax here! No housework...someone is playing with the boy...I can sleep in...then those ADD thoughts start in. Usually they are snippets of home. Is the cat okay? Is someone stealing our mail? Are bills due? Did I leave anything on? The iron? HAHAHA...like I iron. Maybe I should try to get some sleep.

Greetings From Pennsylvania, Yinz Guyz!

2004-12-28T11:02:00.000-05:00

Here I am internet....Her Royal Slackness of Slackerhood. Boy oh boy do I miss this here bloggy blog! I am presently stationed at dear ole mommy's house in the comfy homeness of home. "Home" of course in this case being Pennsylvania and not my "regular" "home" in Ohio. Enough quotes for ya? I and the little man will be here until Thursday and then we will journey back to our poor lonely kitty. Mr. JuJu is in Boston for worky-type things so I figured there was no sense in going home and being alone when we could just stay here (where they are willing to wake up with my child and feed and play with him while I SLEEP!!!) and visit.

Hoping everyone had a wonderful holiday. We woke up and did our mommmy-daddy-LittleJuJu Christmas (pics to come, I promise) and then we got cleaned up and traveled to PA. Mr. JuJu could only stay for a day and was then off for the Boston trip. So here we are! I have been fighting swollen glands, chills and body aches for the last couple of days...so fun. Today seems to be better but my voice is coming and going and I sound utterly ridiculous in a sort of non-sexy throaty way. Mr. JuJu sounded sexy last week when this happened to his voice...I DO NOT. Life can be cruel.

I miss you all and I miss reading your blogs but here in the land of Dial-Up (sorry mom) I just don't have the patience to let each of your blogs pages load and hell...someone important could be trying to call! I promise to catch up when we get home and spend all day Friday in front of my computer. Ssshhh....don't tell.

Merry Christmas!

2004-12-25T10:50:00.000-05:00

or...Happy Birthday LittleJuJu !!!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy and healthy (not so healthy in the JuJu household) Christmas! See you all soon...

Whadja get for Christmas?!

MOVE!

2004-12-22T16:52:00.000-05:00

I can never seem to be able to make it up or down the stairs without the boy or the cat in my way. DON'T YOU KNOW I AM PREGNANT AND COULD TRIP OVER YOU?

Why Is It So Difficult to Think of a Title Today?

2004-12-21T10:12:00.000-05:00

It occurred to me just the other day while in NY and having small anxiety attacks about not blogging and/or checking my email that I should have arranged for someone to guest blog for me sometime during the last 6 (GASP!) days. Oops. My bad. Hehe.

Let's see here...phew...what's been happening for 6 whole days? We had Mr. JuJu's staff over on Wednesday evening for a little christmas party and it really turned out nice. Lots of food (read: way too much food) some board games and friends...a nice little gathering lasting about 5 hours. We didn't expect people to stay that long so hopefully it meant that they were having a good time.

Thursday was Little JuJu's Christmas program at preschool which was so damn adorable I wanted to bottle it up to save in my memory forever. Mr. JuJu spent the majority of the play/program convincing himself that the school needed to stop adhering so strictly to the old gender roles and have a little girl play the part of Baby Jesus. I think had the "roof flown off the place" he would have been quite smug.

Thursday evening we attended a party at Mr. JuJu's boss's home which was quite lovely. That's all, just quite lovely...yummy food served up by "help" and drinks flowing freely into everyone's mouth but my own. Our sitter had to cancel on us because her little boy was sick so LittleJuJu ended up with two of Mr. JuJu's staff (both 25 year old guys/roommates) and he had a blast jumping on beds and having dinner at Damons with the Big Boys. What I wouldn't have done to be a fly on the wall during that. he assured us that he wasn't offered any funny cigarettes.

Friday was spent babysitting and packing and then off to NY to celebrate the holidays with the in-laws. We had a great weekend and arrived back home yesterday afternoon. Seems now that you are up to speed!

Spending today shopping for last minute birthday gifts for LittleJuJu ( his birthday is on Christmas, did I mention that?) and running errands...I promise to have a fun and or interesting post up soon! Hope I didn't lose you all!

Send Your Productive Vibes My Way

2004-12-15T09:46:00.000-05:00

Holy Shit...I'm busy! Might not see me for a bit...

It's That Time

2004-12-12T13:00:00.000-05:00

Ok...going grocery shopping today for some party food. Anyone have some good recipe ideas for QUICK AND EASY (and preferably yummy) party food? Spill it...

Bullets

2004-12-09T22:20:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I pulled out the old bullets. Speaking of bullets, I sure coulda used one this evening. For me of course. My first bullet list shall consist of things I heard come out of my first born child's mouth this evening between the hours of 4 and 8 p.m. EST. Keep in mind that he has been possessed by the devil himself and if I were Santa Claus, I would definitely be flying right past this house. I digress:

No
I said no!
I want a new mommy
You are a mean, mean mommy today
Don't talk to me
I am done talking to you
Why won't you just buy that (blahsy blah...insert unreasonably expensive and unearned toy here) for me!
Listen woman... (yes, he said this)
I am not listening to you
I want to live in the car and not with you, mean momma
No
No

I'll stop there before I tarnish the boy's reputation as a sweet, quiet, loving and mindful little cutie pie. Let him tarnish that for himself.

My next bullet list will outline next week's activities for which I am not prepared and probably will never be prepared for. My Christmas wish involves a maid coming over next week to clean the house and pack my bags for me.

Clean the house
Grocery shop for party
Buy and wrap presents to take to New York on Friday
Babysit Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday
Throw a party for Mr.JuJu's employees at our home
Attend LittleJuJu's Christmas program at school
Attend a party at Mr. JuJu's boss's home
Pack bags for LittleJuJu and myself
Do laundry so as to have clean clothes to pack
Find clothes that I still FIT INTO to pack
Get LittleJuJu a haircut
Eat
Sleep
Bathe
Breathe

Those last four are completely optional as food, rest, cleanliness and a pulse are for the weak.

Sunday Night Blues

2004-12-05T21:42:00.000-05:00

Wow, when was the last time I wrote a really cheerful post? Did anyone else have a pretty blah weekend? Yeah...those are no fun but I suppose we can all look forward to the rest of our weekends leading up to Christmas to be too busy to be blah. Lots to do and not much time to do it. I read a letter to the editor in our local newspaper today where the man describes how frustrating this time of year can be and how noone has any patience. How he can go to the grocery store and see that everyone is in such a rush to get this done and get that bought and get home to get other things taken care of and everyone is pushy and grouchy and just plain frustrated. He then goes on to talk about how this really is not the time to be rushing around in a mad flurry because the things we are trying to get done are meaningless in the end. The things that matter this time of year can't be bought in the store or wrapped up in a bow or cooked to perfection in the oven. Theses things help to put our minds in the moment, but the things that matter are love, family, togetherness...the things that will always be there if you really LOOK for them. Remember this.

Tomorrow Mr.JuJu leaves again for Nebraska. LittleJuJu and I will wake up at the asscrack of dawn to drive him to meet the bus and go away. WEEEEEPPPPIINNNGGGG. Nah, this trip should go fast. He will be back Wednesday and we have lots to do to keep us busy while he is away...so don't feel too bad for me. That's not to say you couldn't send presents and chocolate. Hope you all have a happy Monday. Bahahaha, yeah right!

P.S. I'd love to have a Christmas-y themed template, any ideas on how to do that without losing
anything?

Feels Like Home

2004-12-03T14:22:00.000-05:00

I have spent all day (well, not ALL day) trying to post here. First I could not get into Jazzy's blog to post...then I finally got in there and when it was time to come back and actually post to my own blog, I couldn't remember my username or password so had to have those mailed to me and then clear all of browser/cache thingy-mabobs....UUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHH. Ok so, here I am and I am so happy to be home!

I would suppose you are expecting in interesting read now that I have taken all of the trouble to get here, aren't you? Well that is just plain selfish...you greedy people. I will say that today was one of the best days in my entire life, sort of. I accomplished something today that was ten years in waiting. It is something that would not mean much to you so I will not go ahead and say what it was, I will keep that joy to myself but know that it will change my life and I am a better person/citizen/samaritan/mom/wife/friend for doing it. I shall take today and reflect back to how badly I have been waiting for this and how much easier life will be now that it is here. I will also periodically kick myself (not too hard) for the procrastination. Thank you.

Now, I know I ask you all to drink for me WAY TOO OFTEN and someone did comment that by May you could all develop a problem, but really...today deserves a celebratory drink in my honor, so bottoms up!

Also I do have to note that when using spellcheck, Jazzy is recognized as jackass. Hehehe.

Come Home Mr. JuJu

2004-12-01T21:39:00.000-05:00

I am sitting here at the computer as my LittleJuJu sleeps (he sleeps!?) and Mr. JuJu is off at another basketball game. He isn't traveling on the road, but he is gone until late tonight. It usually takes some time before I get used to his being gone a lot around this time of year. It never gets easier, but I do get familier with it. He will be in town until Monday! Woo Hoo!

Friends of ours lost their sitter recently and have been looking for someone to watch their almost one year old little boy...so of course I volunteered, or did Mr. JuJu volunteer me? Whatever the case may be I will be keeping him two days a week while his mommy is taking classes toward her masters. I'm very excited and LittleJuJu will get to spend some time with a little person and get used to being gentle and sweet and all of those things he will have to do come May. I will in turn get to remember what life is like saving glass objects from falling to the floor and keeping little fingers out of light sockets. I certainly could use a refresher course there. So we all win in the end.

Oh, I get to guest blog over at Jazzy's, place! Come visit me there soon and wish her a safe trip to New Mexico!

Is There Such Thing As A Happy Monday?

2004-11-29T14:56:00.000-05:00

I'm here! We had a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend here at the JuJuBee abode. Fam arrived Thursday afternoon and left yesterday afternoon. Here it is Monday (already!) and things are getting back to normal. Mr. JuJu arrived home last night from his trip to Texas. Lotsa leftover Boston Market to eat...and pie and junk food. Thanks for filling my home with junk, mom! I shall be eating for four now instead of two.

We went out Saturday and hit the mall and a few stores...while looking at pregnancy books in Borders I came across a book about being pregnant and miserable and thought,"Aha! Finally a book that doesn't make pregnancy seem so glorious and wonderful. A truthful look at pregnancy from someone who isn't exactly enjoying it and isn't afraid to say so!" Now, I do have to say that while I am ready for it all to be over, that would in no way imply that I am not grateful to be in this position. there is a difference there. I am thrilled that we were able to create this life and I know that we were incredibly lucky to have it happen as quickly as it did. That being said...come on already, May.

Today had started out so nice and has quickly taken a turn for the worse...but never fear! Superwoman will just pull out her trusty mask and leotard and pretend things are nifty! Must. Trudge. On.

A big thank you to all of those who had a drink for me over the holiday...now could you have another for me today? When I really need it?

Over the River and Through the Woods...

2004-11-27T19:40:00.000-05:00

When Jujubee Jenny invited me to guest on her blog I was thrilled because I am jealous of all you out there in Blogland and have always dreamed of having my own blog.
It's me, Juju Mom. Nice to meet you. I am spending Thanksgiving weekend here with the Juju's (minus Mr. Juju, sadly). My daughter is the ultimate hostess. We arrived here on Thursday to a lovely Christmas-decorated house and were thrilled to see Jujubee and Little Juju as we have not seen them in over a month.
We had a great dinner, courtesy of Boston Market and Debby, you were right, the sweet potatoes were yummy as heck. No one would share them with me so I had three helpings. They were even better than the pumpkin pie. And YIPPEE! we didn't have pots and pans and roasters to clean up afterward. *grin*
Shopping on Friday and more shopping today. :-) :-)
I'm afraid I'm keeping Jujubee up way past her bedtime, which is rude of me, considering she was kind enough to surrender her "most comfortable bed I've ever slept in" to my husband and me.
Snow greeted us here in Ohio on Thursday but it's all gone now and it was sunny and beautiful here today.
Mr. Juju has been calling frequently. I suspect a bit of homesickness. We miss him ferociously.
I'm loving chatting and spending "girl time" with Jujubee. I'll never quite recovered from the trauma when she moved away from home. It's like old times when we get together.
I want to take this opportunity to wish all Jujubee's blog buddies a terrific Holiday Season. I'll keep enjoying your entries and comments. And Beth honey, there's really only one Baby Juju in there!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2004-11-25T10:49:00.000-05:00

Guess what? I woke up to snow! Glorious beautiful snow blanketed over the trees and grass and rooftops...it was just so pretty. I love the first snow and start looking forward to it around October 1st. Last year I was bummed because the first snow came while I was at work and I couldn't give Mr. JuJu a big hug. Just last night I told him that I was going to be pissed if it snowed while he was traveling...He woke me up this morning and told me to look out the window and there it was! And there HE was! Great way to start the day.

My family is on the way and Mr. JuJu has arrived safely at the airport so I am off to get clean and pretty and get our Boston Market feast...I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving. Please be safe and smart and have someone else drive you around after you have had all of those drinks in my honor.

P.S. Officially in my second trimester!

A Lot About Nothin

2004-11-24T11:12:00.000-05:00

The baby doesn't like McDonalds "food". We all know it's not exactly food and somehow this genius baby knew too. We were out last night to pick up the new U2 CD and stopped at McDonalds on the way home as LittleJuJu requested, or demanded, however you'd like to look at it...and I have been sick ever since with stomach cramps and other things with which I will not discuss with the internet. I can just hear my little angel in there saying, "What is this shit you are trying to nourish me with? Oh no you didn't." Because we know this baby has attitude and flavah. She or he will get it from daddy who I swear I overheard saying,"Hells no." yesterday in the hallway. Wha?

Today shall consist of cleaning. I really ought to find somewhere for LittleJuJu to go today since I cannot clean my house with that boy around. Tomorrow morning Mr. JuJu will be off traveling AGAIN until sometime Sunday. My mom and stepdad are coming to spend a few days with us to keep us company and make sure I don't go apeshit from loneliness. We will be having a blast so if you are in the area, stop on in and have some of the yummy food we have slaved over all day long in a hot kitchen...we call it Boston Market. Mmm. Don't call us lazy, call us smart.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving and please...if you do anything for anyone tomorrow: Have a drink for me? PLEASE?

Come On Already...GAWD.

2004-11-23T01:52:00.000-05:00

Mr. JuJu is due home any minute! I hate waiting! La la la la la.

2000

2004-11-21T22:43:00.000-05:00

So I would suppose showing up at Genuine's party last night and pimping myself out (not like that, mom) gave the old blog a push over the 2000 mark today! Thanks to whomever is responsible for that...sorry, still no prizes for you.

I am tired. I am drained. I am confused. I am sad. I am blank. I've got nothin. Talk amongst yourselves, I'll return a more interesting read. I hope.

2004-11-20T18:21:00.000-05:00

Guess what I did today !!! I don't care how early it is, I am bored and lonely. I will save the ornaments and other decorations for another day...as a compromise to the early decorator-haters.

There's A Tear In My...Tea?

2004-11-18T08:41:00.000-05:00

Mr. JuJu has just left me for five days. I am so not ready for basketball season to start.

*sobbing*

Fourteen Weeks

2004-11-17T10:15:00.000-05:00

Today marks fourteen weeks of pregnancy. I seem to be trapped in some sort of time-warp-space-continuum-Bermuda triangle type place. If you are confused, I believe it to be rightly so. I make no sense and have not made a lick of sense in about....fourteen weeks. What I am trying to say about time is just that I cannot decide whether the past few months have gone quickly or dragged on forever. At first thought,"Hey! Fourteen weeks already? Wow that just flew by!" and when I think harder I realize that no, it did not fly by. It has taken ages to get here and I am still nowhere (see honey..."nowhere" is just one word) near the end of this journey.

People ask how I enjoy being pregnant. In all truthfulness, I'd really like it to just be over. I want to meet this baby and see my LittleJuJu holding his BabyJuJu in his arms. I have no patience and I do feel crummy much of the time, which makes my impatience that much more intense. I understand that I do not want to rush along the sleepless nights and screaming and exhaustion and all of the not-so-fun and pretty much MISERABLE parts of being a new parent. I am willing to overlook those things and I would gladly take them to just see my baby now, or tomorrow or even next week. Fully developed of course...

So I had my uber-fun vaginal sonogram on Monday afternoon. Yes. As Mr. JuJu and LittleJuJu sit excitedly beside me watching the little screen, the sonogram person ( what are they called?) hands me a huge stick, not unlike something you would find at a "toy" party and asks me to "insert this until I tell you it is far enough". In front of my family. Right. Uncomfortable was not even close to being the word here. Thank god the lights were off.

Everything looked great and baby is growing right on schedule and so beautiful (in that dark shadowy sort of way) and will be due May 18th or hopefully tomorrow, we'll see on that one. Unfortunately for Beth we didn't see more than one baby in there. I promise we shall look closer next time ;)