Julia Corrinne

Today, my oldest child, my beautiful daughter turned 9 years old... seems like there is no possible way that she is nine already... seems like just yesterday...

Julia's story really begins during Christmas of 1999. Joe and I had decided to take a trip that year and we headed off to Magic Mountain and Disneyland the week before Christmas. It was a great trip- we had so much fun- and really just enjoyed each other's company. We spent a lot of time talking about what the future was going to hold for us. We came home on December 23rd- just in time for all the Christmas festivities. On Christmas Eve, Joe gave me my present. He told me that he thought he was ready to 'start trying' for the baby that I so desperately wanted.

Needless to say I was over the MOON with excitement... I couldn't wait to go to my mom's house the next morning and tell her that we were ready to start trying!!!

It took a few months, but the green beer must have done it, because based on all calcuations, Julia was conceived on St. Patrick's Day! The due date was December 7th... I just couldn't wait. I was on the internet NIGHT and DAY talking to other pregnant moms, checking websites, and reading all that I could. Morning sickness was a huge challenge... I'll never forget the day I threw up all over myself in the car on the way home from work (it was like 115 degrees outside- not good!). The pregnancy was going along fairly well until I started having contractions- at 32 weeks. Since it was still a little early and Baby JC (we had decided not to find out the gender) wasn't quite cooked, I went on bedrest to try to keep him/her in for just a little while longer. Nana and Grandma Paulette stepped in to help out and keep life going. Everybody from work sent food and good wishes! About this time, we also discovered that the cord was wrapped around Julia's neck. This meant extra testing, extra monitoring, and extra concern. But we hung in there, knowing that the prize would soon arrive! I had two wonderful showers- one with folks from work and one with family. We got all of the the things that we would need (plus some!).

The doctor took me off of all of the drugs I had been taking to stop my labor on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving- telling me that the baby would be safe to arrive now- but not to expect anything to happen right away....

I woke up early on Thanksgiving morning and was having contractions. I moved downstairs to the couch and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and *thought* about waking Joe up- but eventually the contractions went away. Later that day we stopped by my mom and dad's house just to say hi and I told my mom about the contractions earlier in the day. She just smiled at me (she knew that I was probably going to have a baby that day, but didn't say anything...) We went to Joe's mom's house to spend the day. I was hanging out on the couch, reading a magazine and just generally being lazy when I decided I had to go to the bathroom. I stood up and .... my water broke. I went off to find Joe to tell him. He was sitting around with his step-dad Steve and his brothers talking math. (I know, only in our family). I stood at the doorway to the room for a few minutes, hoping to catch Joe's attention, but to no avail. Finally, Steve looked up and asked me if I needed something. I told them all that my water had broken and we were having a baby!

Having done Bradley classes, I knew that I didn't need to head to the hospital right away, so I decided that we should wait to go until after Joe had eaten his Thanksgiving dinner (figuring it was going to be a long night). I was having contractions- staying fairly relaxed- while the rest of the family just buzzed around. Paulette kept checking the turkey- and kept saying that she didn't understand why it wasn't done yet... till she figured out that in all the excitement she had turned the oven off! Needless to say it was a few hours before everybody sat down to eat. :)

I sat at the dinner table with everyone, but by this point I was having CONTRACTIONS. I remember just sitting there, looking at Joe, wondering if he really just couldn't chew FASTER. Eventually he finished his dinner and we were off to the hospital. My mom and dad met us there- after my dad had enjoyed his pie!

Labor with Julia was pretty quick and fairly hard. I was determined to skip the drugs and do it the natural way. Pre-eclampsia meant magnesium sulfate (which isn't pleasant) and that I had to stay in bed rather than walk around during the labor. My doctor was out of town and we ended up with a doctor who obviously didn't want to be working on Thanksgiving night. Let's just say that if I never see that man again, life will be wonderful. We had great nurses though, and Joe was a wonderful coach.

Around 10:30 p.m. things really started to change. Joe went out to get a nurse, but they were in the middle of shift change, and the nurse told him that someone would be in after awhile. Joe came back in the room with me... and a few minutes later I let out a scream that brought the whole nursing staff running. Joe had been right- I was in transition and ready to push.

It didn't take long to deliver Miss Julia- all 5 lbs. 13 oz. of her... and it was a her... so nice to finally know the answer to that question... I was so excited and proud to have delivered her without any drugs or intervention. I remember saying to Joe, "I did it!"

Julia had a rough go of it for the first few weeks... I just don't think she was really done cooking. She had jaundice and had some major breastfeeding issues. But... by the time she was about 6 weeks old she was growing and thriving and we haven't looked back since.

Since then I've had the joy of watching her grow and change each and every day. Julia can be a challenge for me sometimes... and truthfully that is usually because we are just a little too much alike! But I cannot IMAGINE my life without the blessing that she brings to it. So, on this 9th celebration of her arrival into the world... Happy Birthday Miss Julia Corrinne Furedy... you are loved more than you will EVER know.

Night all-
C

Furedy Family Update

Thought it was time to take a moment and update you on the medical/ general status in the Furedy household...

Joe’s last (hopefully!) procedure is scheduled for December 29^th. During this procedure they will go in to look at the vein and determine if any further steps are necessary- i.e. balloon, stint, vein repair. The doctor seems very optimistic that we will have a quick and positive outcome from this procedure. This will be done on an outpatient basis. Joe continues to go to physical therapy which is helping to reduce stiffness and increase his range of motion. His Coumadin level is finally back in the therapeutic range (still monitored with blood work weekly) and we are hoping that it will remain there! Once he has his next procedure we can start talking about taking him off of the Coumadin… which he is looking forward to!

On another front… I am going to have surgery on either December 14^th or December 15^th (we are waiting for the final scheduling from the hospital). I have been diagnosed with a condition called adenomyosis- which explains why the surgery earlier this year was not successful. The only cure for this condition is a hysterectomy. Joe and I debated for a long time about whether or not to do the surgery in this time frame, but we have decided that the best thing for our family is to just go for it, and leave all of our health issues in 2009. I will be in the hospital overnight, and will be off work for 3 to 4 weeks.

Our other medical update is that we have now all been vaccinated against the HINI as well as the seasonal flu, so we are hoping to be spared THAT little event! :)

On other fronts... Julia is OVER THE MOON excited about her birthday party which is taking place this Saturday at Gold Medal Swim School... she simply cannot wait. Colin is jealous (we do every other year for the birthday party, so he had a big party last year)... but knows that he will get his turn again next year... and is planning his family birthday celebration with a great deal of zeal!

Overall, both of the kids are really excited about their birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and all that comes with it. :) Ah.. to watch little ones around this time of year... nothing better! I am trying my hardest to stay ahead of schedule and get as much done ahead of time as I can so that we can make sure in the midst of all that is going on that we hang on to our holiday traditions... I think I am doing pretty well with this, but then I always think that...

Okay, this momma needs some sleep. Have a good night all...

C

Giving to Others...

One of my colleagues at work is currently holding a "Hygiene Drive". He is collecting toiletries that will be given to families in need along with their Thanksgiving food box. You cannot buy toiletry items like shampoo and soap with food stamps, and so for many families these items are a huge need.

I told Julia and Colin about the drive and asked them if they would be willing to help me shop for some items- so that we as a family could give to others. Normally, we would have just walked the aisles, talking about what the families might need, and putting things in the cart. But, I decided to really make it into a learning experience by giving each one of them a budget and allowing them to make their own selections.

Each child was given ten dollars to spend and was encouraged to get AS MUCH as they could to donate in the drive. We headed off to WalMart with the list of suggested items, a piece of paper and a pencil.

I was AMAZED at the thought that my children put into this project. They looked at prices, were thoughtful in their selections, sat on the floor and added up what they had spent so they knew just how much they had left. They worked together to try to purchase at least one of every item on the list, and in the end pooled their last few dollars to purchase the last item that neither one of them could afford on their own. At the end when we were checking out Julia commented that she felt good that she was helping another family be comfortable. I thought that was an interesting take on the situation... think about how uncomfortable it would be to not have the toiletry items that I am sure most of us take for granted.

For me, doing it this way took about 15 minutes longer than just zipping through the store and picking up some items to donate, but it provided my children with a true learning experience.

At the start of a season that can often become more about getting than giving- I think this activity set the right tone for our holidays. Now, I just need to keep thinking about other ways to keep that tone present in our minds and our thoughts as we move forward into the holiday season.

Night all-
C

Treasure Hunt Update

I know you have all been waiting with baited breath to hear if the Treasure Hunt Committee answered Joe's concerns about the scoring and fixed our status.

Today Joe received this e-mail:

"Car 37 is correct. I checked their emergencies, and they only opened 3 (not counting the starting emergency). Somehow we missed this twice - the hardcopy results from Sat that I have and retabulation on Sun both have them opening 4 emergencies. We really need to improve the tabulation process. With the new results they moved from 16th to 10th place."

I hope everyone can breathe a sigh of relief now that this error has been corrected and the team n'Emisis' status has been corrected to 10th place.

So, the treasure hunt has been put to bed once again... until next year!
Night all-
C

Yellow Belt!

Several weeks ago, Colin tested for his yellow belt in karate. Colin has been working for over six months to prepare for this test... and he was very nervous! He hadn't been training a whole lot prior to the test because Joe was in the hospital and things were pretty crazy. On top of that, Colin struggled with gaining the skills that he needed to pass this test. Karate, unlike most things, does not come easily to Colin- he really has to work at it!

Anyway, he found out last week that he had passed the test! Yeah! At that time they announced that they would present the belts this Tuesday. Colin didn't go to school today (thanks Nana for taking care of our little man) because he has been a little under the weather, but he didn't want to miss his moment to shine, so we took him to karate.

Our karate studio is an awesome place- really like another family. On the day when the kids get their new belts, all the adults come and applaud for them. It is a neat experience. Colin was congratulated by all the moms and other kids on the way out... you could tell how proud he was of himself. As soon as he came out of the dojo, he wanted to put his new belt on!

Here he is wearing his new yellow belt!

I am proud of my little man for sticking with something that is hard for him. It makes the reward all the more sweeter!

Night all-
C