A Christmas Funny

The desperation of a kid and his spilled glass of Egg Nog.

The many talents of Mikey Jones, Jr.
Talent No. 53: How to drink a glass of spilled Egg Nog.

Enough said---or slurped!

I just want her home for Christmas

That was my secret, or not so secret prayer. I just wanted to have Baby J home for Christmas. It wasn't that I was done with being pregnant, although the thought of being able to move and sleep freely was enticing. It was this: I wanted to hold her and hug and kiss and love on her. And I didn't want to wait any longer than necessary. And what better day to have a little baby at home in your arms, than on Christmas? I prayed and told God that I just wanted her home for Christmas, but asked that He would send her to us when the time was right. Well, to my astonishment, Christmas was the right time. For once, my desires and God's timing were on the same path.

Starting about the 9th of December, I had been feeling "weird". Now, describing anything during pregnancy as "weird" doesn't necessairly mean much since everything that happens to your body during pregnancy is down right weird and akward. I was feeling a different kind of weird. A weird I hadn't experienced prior during pregnancy. Come to find out, my blood pressure decided to sky rocket for two weeks. I was tested for preeclampsia, but thankfully that came back as negative. On December 16, I met with my doctor. She diagnosed me with gestational hypertension. Never in my life have I had problems with my blood pressure. High blood pressure problems were a new experience for me--no wonder I was feeling so "weird". Any way, she decided to monitor me a bit more closely for the remainig three weeks of my pregnancy.

Little did we know...

When it all began: Friday, December 23, 2011.
7:30ish PM (shortly after a good meal, good lauhgs, and txting memories of college days with Allison).

Where it all began: Chili's on N. Powers

Another new weirdness set in as I was finishing my delicious dinner of fajitas. I stopped eating, stopped talking, stopped laughing...I just stopped everything but breathing. My back was experiencing an intense loss in comfort. My belly was experiencing an intensified contraction, one that prohibitied me form doing anything but sitting and breathing.

We left Chili's, Mikey and Catherine had not a clue as to what was happening to me. We barely made it home before the contractions set in. We pulled into the drive, I kicked the kids out of the car and started to cry. Michael got me in the house. From about 8:00-Midnight contractions were intense but sporatic. Some were 10 minutes apart, others were 30 minutes apart. Starting at midnight until about 3:00 AM, the contractions were five minutes apart and I was ready for the whole labor thing to be over.

Off to the hospital we went. They admitted me and pumped me full of something that totally and completley relaxed and knocked me out---within minutes. To make a long day of labor story short...Around 8:00AM they broke my water. I dialted quickly. Things were looking good. They gave me an epidural. It worked so well, I didn't even know I had a left leg. About 1:00 PM, I was dialted to 9.5 cm. Ready to get the shimmey-shake show on the road and have this baby....But no. I remained at 9.5 cm all afternoon and into the evening. The docotor finally suggested that I have a cesarian since things were not progressing and my risk of infection was increased to to my water being broken for so long.

They whisked me away to the operating room. I really had no idea what to expect. The child birth class didn't address c-sections at all. All I can say about that is: OUCH!!! Strange sensations of having my abdomen pulled apart and almost like they were kneading my insides like a pile of pizza dough. Michael was wonderful through all of this. He held my hand, talked to me, made sure I wasn't in a too much pain (apparently I was making some wretched noises and faces as they cut me open and pulled my insides out.

Around 6:40 PM, December 24, 2011...

FINALLY, I heard her cries and gasps.

Michael went to the baby warmer with the nurses while the doctors continued to knead my insides back inside my body and staple me up....Did I mention the fact that I threw up about a bazillion times througout this 24 hour labor experience? As I was lying on the table being stiched back up, a doctor held a puke bowl and suction thingy at my mouth as I gagged and dry-heaved the entire time they were putting me back together. Good thing I was all drugged up, otherwise, the pain from the suregery and vomitting probably would have made me pass out.

I could barely see Baby J while they were working on us. So, to help ease the discomfort and anxiety of not getting to hold or see my baby, I started singing "Joy to the world, my baby is here!" The doctor's laughed. Then I engaged them in a conversation about their favorite Christmas movies...Desperate to get my mind off what was happening to my abdomen on the other side of the blue screen.

I was all stapled back together, and Baby J was all cleaned up and swaddled, Michael brought her over for me to see. Then they took her to the nursery for baby things they needed to do and took me to recovery.

Finally, I was in my room and they brought my baby to me. She did not have a name. We still hadn't decided, and I refused to name her until I had a chance to see her and held her.

About 8:00-9:00 Christmas morning, Baby J recieved her first gift...Her name. We decided on Jocelyn Rebekkah Ilene.

My first breaths of life

All swaddled and warm after my first bath.

Mommy and Daddy loves

Big Brother and Big sister and Daddy adorations

At home. All cozy in my favorite blankie. Sleeping on my side with my hands folded in front of me. Life is good.


Thanks for the love and prayers everyone.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year---a little late, but not forgotten.

We love you all.

Michael, Katie, Catherine, Mikey and Jocelyn

I finally got a new camera!! Now I have no excuse not to blog a little more often.

These are some pictures of my family from Christmas.

Don't let these pics fool you though. Mikey really is a tad bit taller than his dad!

The nice family pose :)


The "do we really have to do this?"


The "who just farted" pic


The "you're so skinny" "you're so short" pic


The self-portrait at the Hoover Dam



Hope everyone had a blessed Christmas and fine and fabulous New Year!
May we find the love, joy and peace of Christmas every day.

Love you all.

Kaite

Uncle Michael and Austin and Nick and Mom

Michel loves my mommy.

Not sure what this was about, but I am pretty sure Uncle Michael won.

Nicholas' turn for a piggy back ride on Uncle Michael.

I am not really sure what this was about, but I am pretty sure Michael won!

Kelli LOVES her Uncle Michael

My family arrived at our home early afternoon on New Year's Eve. Michael was still at work, so mom and dad took a looooonnng nap, while Kim, Kari and Gedardo went to their cottage to shower and sleep. In the meantime, I entertained and spent quality time with Austin, Nicholas, Kelli and Karina.

When Michael came home from work, there was little seperation between him and the kids, especially Kelli. She absolutely adores him. Same was the case when her and Nick came out two summers ago to visit. Michael and I were just dating then, but she always found her way into his arms or lap.

Hold me! Hold me!

The long awaited embrace from Uncle Michael

Piggy Back Ride

Love the smiles!

Tickle Attack!

Kelli in Bare Minerals

A few pics of Kelli getting a make-over from her Aunt Katie. Please don't tell her that I am not a make-up artist, or that I really haven't much of a clue about the how-tos of giving a make-over! I love her youthful and innocent thoughts and actions..."Oh Katie, this is beautiful. Can I try it?" "This is so cool. I wish I had this." "Can I have this? Can I put this on?" "What else do you have?"

Christmas 09

I would post pictures from our second Christmas together as the Jones family, unfortunately, when my photos were transferred to the external hard drive, there was some miscommunication or some mis-placement of 90% of my photos and now I cannot locate them on my computer or hard drive....I spent several minutes weeping over it, but I fully trust my husband to find them. So, until then, I will just tell you all the wonderful things about our Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, Linnette came down from Vail to celebrate with us. Michael's family also came over. We opened gifts with Marlene, Dechelle, Ryan, Erik, Trevon, Mikey and Catherine. Thanks to Michael's accident settlement and good sales at Best Buy, we were able to purchase laptops for Mikey and Catherine. I made candle holders with pictures of the kids for Marlene, Dechelle & Ryan, Mikey and Catherine. Michael got his Blu-Ray player. Mikey also got a media player. Michael, being the loving most woderfulest hussybun that he is, purchased a week long honey moon cruse to the Bahamas!!!!

On Christmas day, Mike, Helen and their son, Chris came over. Tammy and Richard along with Audrey and Jordan joined us for dinner. Bryan joined us later in the afternoon. We moved our picnic table into the living room and ate lots of yummy food to include grilled steaks, pork chops and lumpia (an egg roll type food, very delicious). We played lots of Wii games and card games.

We are looking forward to my family coming out for New Year's weekend. I cannot wait to see my mom and dad on the Wii!

God is good.

Christmas in March

Ok, so we are not having Christmas in March, but I thought I would share some more photos and videos from our Christmas. Specifically, honky-tonks in dad's garage and Michael with my family.

My pop and hussybun playing Cribbage


Catherine Austin and Kari enjoying "McGoofy's Garage" music

Catherine Katie and Austin enjoying "McGoofy's Garage" music

Pop and Michael pickin' and grinnin' in "McGoofy's Garage"

Pop In-law and Son in-law

Got Michael to pick with dad, now just gotta get him to go fishin'.

Christmas with a new family

Because of the ice, we did not go down to Osceola on Saturday afternoon, as we had planned. Austin was not a fan of this. He was so excited for us to get there...Really he was excited and could hardly wait to meet Michael. He called me a few times and left messages asking us if we were coming down...One message he said that it wasn't bad outside...Which was quite untrue, he just wanted us to come down. What a funny boy. We went down to Osceola on Sunday. Austin met his new uncle and cousins and dad met his new son in-law.

Moments with my sister and nieces before the celebrations...
Kelli and me

Kelli, Kari and Karina

Kelli and her gymnastics moves

We opened ate, opened gifts, played BINGO for gifts (lots of lotions, candles and fishin' stuff). Mikey was hilarous during the BINGO game. His commentary kept us all entertained. Cannot tell you his funny lines, but I assure you that we were amused and had some good laughs.

BINGO TIME!!!

Catherine and Granny

Daddy and Daughter

Diverse son in-laws

Gedardo and Kim

Kari and Mom

GIFT TIME!!!

Catherine loves Japan

Bubble Bean opening her gift

Gedardo Kelli Karina and Kim

Dad and his westerns

Austin and Mikey and Star Wars

Dad and Kari

Nick and his dollar bill tricks

Bubble Bean and her puppy

The drive to Iowa

We left for Iowa on December 26th after Michael got off work. First things first...I will take a Colorado Springs winter over and Iowa winter any day!!!

In all the years I drove to Iowa solo, God showed mercy on me by giving me superb driving conditions through Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa! I think I hit a spitting of snow once, other than that, dry and clear from one state to the other.

This year, however, proved to be a little different. We experienced God's loving protection up close and personal....

We were just outside Adair, Iowa. Mom and dad called in a frightened panic and told me to listen to 1040 WHO...They had call0ins and were reporting adverse driving condtions that spanned pretty much the entire state of Iowa and down into Missouri and over into Illinois. They were reporting freezing rain, sleet, and ice qickly covering pretty much everything. Fortunately we had not seen anything of the sort. NOTHING but FRIGID COLD temps.
I pay very close attentions to mile markers and town/mile signs so that if anything ever happens, I know exactly where I am (a lesson I leared on a drive to Iowa about 6 years ago).

I made a mental note as we passed the "Des Moines 44 miles" sign. Within a couple wheel turns and clicks of the tires on the road...

"OH SH*T!!!! (I hit Michael to wake him up) What do I do? What do I do?"
No defensive driving skills and knowledge of getting out of a skid worked. I just saw the frigid world outside the truck spinning around us. We slid from one side of the road to the other. As we slid back to the other side of the road, we spun in circles a few times.

As I realized we were just going to have to ride it out, I gripped the steering wheel, closed my eyes and prayed, "OH DEAR GOD..." At that point, I heard some banging like rocks hitting the truck, some crunching and we came to a GRINDING HALT. I opened my eyes and where were in the median between the two interstate lanes.

Like I said, we experienced the almighty, loving protection of the Lord. No other cars were on the interstate...we didn't see an oncoming car in either lane for miles. We stayed on the interstate and did not descend the embankment when we slid to the right side of the road (there are a lot of places along the interstate that are in need of gaurd rails to protect cars from going off and into the rivers, trees, fields, streams and creeks found below). Michael and I got out of the truck and did not find any obvious damages, although we did find a lot of snow and chunks of ice torn up and strewn all over the road and median (the banging I heard).

We pulled back onto the interstate (heading West istead of East). The truck was working fine, we were fine and the kids uninjured but adrenline flowing! We turned around and headed East again and made it safely to Kari's place in Norwalk. There we relaxed and slept the day away....There was no going anywhere due to the ice strom that had set in.

No denying God's love and protection. He fulfilled His promise that He would send His angels over us to protect us.

Christmas

We got Mikey and Catherine Christmas day afternoon. We opened gifts and snacked on gifts...They posed endless questions about our tirp to Iowa and their new family. Mikey and Catherine were quite anxious to see their new grandma and aunts again and couldn't wait to meet their new grandpa and were curious about Austin.

Michael testing out the camera he got for me

Mieky and Cahterine waiting to open their gifts


Mikey and his buildy thingys

Michael passing out gifts

Michael and Catherine opening gifts