The offical tally

Since moving to Ohio we've had:
- 4 out of 4 members of the household down for the count with various illnesses
- 2 bouts of homesickness (me and WA)
- 1 death of a sweet family friend
- 1 broken glass (not bad!)
- 80% of boxes unpacked
- 2 cookie deliveries by insanely nice neighbors
- 1 best friend b-day for which I still owe a present
- 3 snow falls (very light for the most part)
- 1 new major household appliance (go front loader go!)
- 1 new vacuum cleaner (thanks MB, I never believed in the power of the Dyson until now!)
- Many great holiday cards from friends and family (now gracing the fridge)
- 1 kids birthday party invite (already! I tell you people are so nice here!)
- Many visits to Facebook to see pictures of friends and family (again WA and I)
- 3 (ok, maybe 4) bouts of PMS
- Too many unbought X-mas presents to count
- 1 extremely happy kid now that we are all under the same roof again

For me, the first week was a long one, but I am feeling much better now that my environment is a little less chaotic. I am hopeful that once things settle and the holidays are over that this move turns out to be a good thing, especially for the kids. Transitions are always a little rough, I guess I just expected to be much more of a solid rock than I currently feel!

And in the spirit of my sister-in-law, AGF, leave mean comments so I don't cry:).

Welcome to Ohio!

Last night I had my first all-nighter in a looooong time. It wasn't nearly as fun as the all-nighters of yesteryear because this time I was up with a sick, puking kid. All. Night. Long. WA and IA started a new school on Monday and we have been phasing them in throughout the week, with help from my mother-in-law. So far things seemed to be going well, with IA hoping right in to the mix and WA being a bit more reserved. I think ultimately this new school was a great choice and once WA gets comfortable, he'll do well. The rooms appear very organized, the teachers are tough but kind and they have plenty of daily activities to keep the kids engaged (vs. it being a general free-for-all). The only down side so far, after 3 days, is that WA came home with a raging stomach bug (or maybe the flu?). When I picked him up yesterday he started complaining that his tummy hurt. My mother-in-law and I thought maybe it was his first case of real constipation since his poopies have been "sleeping" (his term, not mine) for a couple of days and he wasn't a complete wet noodle. Turns out he proved us wrong right when we stepped in the front door of our new house and proceeded to vomit all over the foyer (and me!). So we hunkered down for what ended up being a long night. He made it through and seems to be doing much better today. At the moment he's happily watching Charlie Brown's Christmas and dreaming of Santa's motherload.

I know this won't be the last night I spend nursing a sick kid, and I feel surprisingly good myself (however talk to me in 3 hours...), but I certainly hope this is not the way Ohio is gonna treat us, cause dang buckeye that just ain't kind!

1 year

Today I am completely and utterly wiped out. I have not been this emotionally tired in a very long time. It is the first anniversary of my mother's death. I attended mass this morning in my hometown and so many of my Mom's friends and family were there, it was extremely emotional for me. After mass I had to say goodbye to my close cousin and my aunt for the last time before we move to OH. That was very hard too. To top this all off I got a call from my mother-in-law after WA was nipped by their dog this morning. WA was pretty upset and kept screaming "I want my Mommy, I want my Mommy". I could tell he was shaken and scared and to not be near him was heartbreaking. With all the activity, packing, duel households and goodbyes I've goodbyed over the past couple weeks, I am completely and utterly wiped. Tonight I envision collapsing in a heap at around 8pm. Hopefully I will sleep well.