Anna Turns 1

It is hard to believe that Anna Banana is 1 already.

How crazy are we? We just moved a week ago and we already decided that Anna needed to have a B-day party . It was small, but we did have a couple of people come. Bob's parents came up, Aunt Shirley and Aunt Viv came up, and Bob's cousins Rocco and Heidi came as well.

I fixed a very casual dinner, but was smart to order a cake for the event from one of our grocery stores . Here is the "adult" cake. It was a marble cake with a whipped frosting. It was very yummy.Because every 1 year old should have the joy of diving into their own little heaven, I ordered Anna her very own chocolate cake just for her. Below is her cake.
Here is Anna sizing up her cake. She isn't quite sure what to make of it. She was very much like Celie was with her first cake - very careful, just touching it lightly with her fingers and then licking them. No diving here.
She had had enough at this point. All the frosting on her face and in her hair was her own doing. The little patch gone on the side of the cake was a little help from Mama. I wanted her to see that there was some other goodies hiding underneath all that white fluffy goodness.
Here is a blurry picture of Anna on her new Walker/Trike that Mama and Daddy got for her. All of the pictures I took of her on it were blurry because she wouldn't stop moving while on it. That is the story of Anna at the moment - a girl on the move and a very tired Mama.

A long time coming

I know that a post has been a long time coming - but I have been waiting for some details before I posted anything in particular.

We have been very busy with moving - however, we have not moved to CT. We are in OH.

After a long soulful search, we decided that we really wanted to stay in the Midwest so that we could be near our family members - especially ones that are experiencing health issues. So, Bob decided to give his notice to Pfizer - and we also discussed things with our realtor out in CT. It was a very difficult decision, but it was the best decision for us, right now. We have been able to help with family members and be useful. That is a good feeling.

After we made our decision, Bob was given a job offer with a company in the Cleveland area. So, we set out to find a neighborhood and house that we could live in. So, we found a nice community in the south/southwest side of Cleveland. Our house is 35 years old, but is in a great subdivision with sidewalks, a community lake and park. We have been getting to know the neighbors and everyone seems really nice. We are going to slowly renovate the house. I will try to take pictures of some of the more "dated" and "decorated" rooms and you will see why we want to renovate.

We were very sad to leave Chelsea, our friends and our family, but Cleveland is only 2.5 hours away rather than 12. So, if you are in the mood for a road trip, just give us a call. We have a guest room waiting.

A bee in the couch and other funny sightings

Celie has taken to making sure that the various stuffed animals and play people that she owns are just as comfortable as she is. She makes sure that they have their naps on pillows and covers them with blankets. She was using up all of the towels and blankets that I decided to make some "creature" sized blankets out of scrap fabric. Some times she positions them in the most hilarious positions. One day I walked by the couch and started to laugh so hard I cried. Bob and Celie both looked at me. They had no idea what was going on. I pointed to the back of the couch and this is what I saw.
i have heard of a bee in one's bonnet, but not in one's couch.

Here are some other animal sightings.

Artistic Child

From the time that Celie was around 10 months or so, I tried to introduce her to the fine art of crayons, markers, and paint. All washable and easy to get out of things, but just allowing her to do what ever she wanted on the paper.

Bob has been working on shapes with Celie when they draw together. So, one day she decided that she was going to draw. ( I leave a small bucket of crayons and blank paper on her table so that she can do so any time she feels inspired.) Later on that day, I went by her table and noticed the drawing she had created - she had drawn a detailed face. It was so inspiring that I had to take a picture of it and of course, post it here. See?!

The Zoo

We went to Chicagoland for the week of the 4th of July to see our relatives there. This would probably be the last time we SEE them before we head to CT, so we thought it would be fun to try a bunch of activities.

So, on Monday, July 2nd, we headed to the Brookfield Zoo with Aunt Sue & Uncle Tom. It was a gorgeous day and Celie walked almost the entire 5 hours that we were there. Anna just hung out in the stroller watching all of the people.

Celie was totally fascinated by the polar bears. There was a cub with its mother and she just loved watching him.

Here is a pic of Bob, Celie, and Uncle Tom with a Polar Bear.While Bob, Celie & Aunt Sue went to check out the monkeys, Uncle Tom, Anna and I hung out in the shade at the entrance of the Gorillas. Anna was mesmerized by the big fella.

You really do read this?

I have found out that there are people that actually read this blog. I was sort of doing it as a way to preserve some of the funning things that the girls do that I forget to scrapbook about or write in their journals.

So, THANK YOU, for the readership. We appreciate it and I hope to be more prolific in the future.

Thanks again.

Anna in her cast

Thinking that some of you might have not seen Celie in her cast or Anna either, I thought that I would post a few pics of Anna in hers. One is Bob holding both girls - a challenge when Celie is a wiggle worm. And one of Anna being propped up to eat and be social.

Anna Cast Update

Anna had her post op check up yesterday. We have survived 3 weeks in the cast. Yeah!!!

After having her x-rays taken (and then they were sent to the Dr. digitally, no carrying films through the hospital), we had to wait awhile to see the Dr. The resident came in first and asked how things were going, etc. I said that they were fine but I was concerned that her cast might be on the icky side. The cast room technician (a younger, fun looking woman) said that if she couldn't smell it, than it isn't bad. She had seen A LOT worse ones. I also explained that I was concerned about how much Anna has grown in the last 3 weeks and didn't know if that would warrant a cast change at some point in time or if they thought she could make it through the next 42 days.

Then Dr. Farley came in with the resident and cast woman, she said that Anna's x-rays looked great. That her hips looked wonderful and that we can get the cast off in 3 weeks - August 1st. She said that with a closed reduction and at this age - it is really hard to predict how they are going to grow and respond to being in the spica cast. She said that she is going to recommend that we use a harness for sleeping and naps for a while. So, in 20 days, Anna Banana will be free!!!!

We are looking forward to it and are very thankful. However, we also know that we are not totally out of the woods. There is still a possibility that Anna will have to have surgery when she is 2 or 3. But hopefully, not.

Our Little Mermaid

Celie just HAD to try on her new Mermaid swimsuit that she got from her cousin Makayla. She absolutely loves it. She will come up to me and ask for Mermaid and start taking her clothes off. She will walk around all day in her new outfit. Too bad she doesn't really care for the water like a real mermaid.

Anna's Procedure & Update

Bob is a very brave man and a VERY patient father. I was out East making the selections for our new house and taking care of everything so they can just build it and we will come. Bob took the girls to Ohio for a couple of days for some R&R with Grandma O prior to Anna's procedure. Upon Bob's return, there was a message from the Dr's office saying that they would like to move the procedure to Thursday, yesterday, the day that I was returning from CT. After a couple of phone calls, we decided it was best to do it as soon as possible. So, Mrs. O ventured up to take care of Celie while Bob took Anna in for her procedure.

There was a back log of cases and the 12:30pm procedure really didn't take place until 4:00pm. Had I not spent 3 hours on the runway in PVD, I would have been able to see them at the hospital, but instead, we met each other at home around 9 pm. Anna looked tired and a little confused by her new found confinement. She is doing well. She is sleeping off the anesthesia and should really start to get cranky tomorrow or Sunday - just in time for Bob to go back to work and leave her with me, by myself.

We did receive some good news, sort of. The Surgeon called to say that she wants to only keep the cast on for 2 months and not 3. She wants to do a follow up visit at 2 weeks and then take it off at the 2 month mark. There is a possibility that she will have to have surgery to round out her hip pocket - like Celie, but that surgery wouldn't take place until she is 2 or 3 years old. So, I am thankful that she only has 61 days left in that thing. She will be free on August 22nd. YEAH!!!

The countdown begins.

Anna's Procedure

Anna will have her closed reduction procedure on June 25th. She will have a check up the week before just to make sure that everything is o.k.

We are anticipating it being an outpatient surgery and that it will only take a couple of hours, if that.

They are suppose to give us/rent to us, a car seat that will allow us to travel with her. We hope so. It will drive me crazy if we cannot go places now that I have become brave enough to venture out with the two girls. We will see though. All of the plans that we made for this summer will remain on edge until we see how things go. We will probably have to rearrange our sleeping arrangements too because I do not think that she is going to fit in her crib with the cast. We will see though.

More to come, when we know more.

Anna Update

Due to Celie having the issue with her hip, we have been monitoring Anna's hips since she was born. At 2 weeks, she had an ultrasound to look at the hips. They were good. We were then given an order to have x-rays between 6-9 months. So, on May 5th, when we took Celie in, we decided to have Anna x-rayed at that time too.

The x-ray was read by a radiologist and the results phoned to our pediatrician. She called us with the news. Anna has shallow hips. She wanted us to go see the Surgeon. I took Anna on June 1st. The x-rays, again, explain it all. Her hips are not in the right quadrant that they need to be in. They are NOT dislocated like Celie's was, but BOTH hips are out of place. Her hip pockets are shallow. What does that really mean? Well, if you think of your hip sockets as C's, there is a deep spot for the ball joint to fit in and not pop out because the tails of the C will catch it. However, Anna's hip pockets look more like ) a little more open and the ball joint has the potential to slip out of place. They do not know the cause for such a thing, but there are some things that we can do to fix it.

We could have Anna in a brace at night for many months to avoid any kind of surgery. However, my research on the net about the braces is that they do not work and then kids still need surgery and it just prolongs the inevitable.

The second option, is called a closed reduction. This is where they inject dye into the socket to make sure there are no obstructions, they then push the ball further in the socket and then put a cast on the patient. The cast needs to be on for 3 months, with a change in the cast after 6 weeks. This is the option that we are going for because Anna will not have to be cut and since she is so young, there is a possibility that this will allow her hips to form nicely around the ball without a future surgery in sight. HOWEVER, we are coming to a possible scheduling conflict. I am working with the scheduler at the Dr's office to make sure that we get in before we leave. We are cutting it very close. I have to call tomorrow to confirm a possible June 25th date. If it is past that week - we might have to seek alternatives because of our move date. So, this is the procedure we would prefer to do now, so that we do not have to do an open surgery later, but timing is critical and we hope that we can do it.

More on this when we know exactly what we are going to do.

Celie Hip Update

On May 5th, we went to see the Orthopedic Surgeon. Celie had X-rays taken and then we went to see the Dr. Both Bob and I were nervous about the meeting. When Celie had her screws taken out, the Dr. wasn't very pleased about the degree that her hip was at. It was at 30 and it should be 30 or below. They prefer below. Anything about 30 and surgery would have to occur, again. So, Bob and I waited.

The Dr. came in and prodded Celie a little bit. She had her run and such and then announced that her hip was at 26 degrees. YEAH!!! She said that it doesn't necessarily mean that Celie is totally out of the woods, but it does mean that for now she is doing great. She said that she should be checked on again in 6 months and referred us to an Orthopedic Surgeon in CT.

Bob and I were so happy. Celie had no idea why. It made for a very happy weekend.

Moving Update

Bob has not received official word of when he is expected in CT. However, we are not anticipating on having to move prior to our closing date of our new home in CT. That will not be until Sept. 30th. We are hoping that it will be sooner, but the builder has committed to Sept. 30th for sure.

We have met with movers on moving all of our possessions.

We have listed our home and have already received an offer. If Prudential accepts the offer, we will close July 9th and rent back from the owners until Sept. 21st. That way we do not have to move all of our things twice. That is something that we definitely do not want to do - especially with the girls.

I will be making a trip out to CT to choose the finishes, cabinets, flooring, and fixtures of the new house. I am hoping to have all of the choices done so that I do not have to make another trip later and the builder can just build. So far, everything looks pretty good. The foundation is in and back filled and they have started to frame it up. We will have a small backyard that is grassy, but it goes right into the woods, which I believe is ours as well. Very pretty. I hope to download and post the picture progress. I will also post pics from my trip.

Bob has been asked to change out of his original department into Obesity. He is excited about the new challenge and is interested to see what is happening in that department.

Many new challenges are ahead for us, but we remain positive and look at the future as a HUGE adventure.

Grandma Peggy Would Be Proud

From what I understand, Bob's Grandma Peggy was a HUGE sports fan, especially for Sox's. So, I think she would be approving of Ms. Anna's attire. This one's for you Grandma Peggy!

Smiley Face #2

We might have thought that Celie was a smiley face cutie pie when she was little, but Anna is definitely trying to compete with her sister. Here are some pictures of the little smiley face #2.

Play Doh Time

Celie & I got out the Play Doh to have a little creative time before nap time.

I made balls of dough and snakes and Celie would take them and smash them into the counter. She was very careful not to mix the colors. She accidentally put a pink piece on a green mass of dough. She shrieked in horror at her error and them immediately removed the pink piece and placed it on her pink abstract sculpture. I watched her preciseness of each placement of dough, very deliberate. That was until she decided that it was o.k. to mix the colors. We now have 3 masses of green, pink, and blue Play Doh.

This creative play kept her busy for 1 1/2 hours straight. So much so that she REALLY didn't want to take her nap. I had to carry her off and promise that she could play with it later - and she did for another 1/2 hour. Play Doh is amazing stuff.

Here is her sculpture of Totoro - king of the forest - a wind spirit in a Japanese cartoon that is now her favorite movie to watch.

Easter Egg Dying

I thought it would be fun to dye easter eggs when my mom was visiting us prior to Easter. I had waxed the eggs using a traditional Lithuanian method that Mrs. O taught me. They were ready for dying.

I stripped Celie down to her diaper figuring this would be a messy process, and I was right.

She loved dropping - yes - dropping her egg in the dye. She couldn't get past the red dye. So, the 2 eggs that she dyed were red with shattered shells. VERY RED eggs and a very red Celie.

Bob promptly took her off to get a bath. I must admit, I was scared that the dye wouldn't come off her, but it did. Next year, we will have to try gentle egg dying. :)

Here is Celie showing off her red hands and easter egg dying method.

Below, myself, my mom, Anna, & Cecilia - 3 generations of Easter Egg Dyers.

2:46 pm Today

That is when we finally made our decision of what we are going to do.

Reference information.

Bob interviewed with the Immunology Department at the UofM. His interview went well and he was told that he was on the short list of candidates. He found out that he didn't get the job, another candidate did.

Bob had a great time interviewing in Colorado. They really liked him. They did end up giving him an offer. It was competitive to Pfizer's offer. So, that is what we have been mulling over as of late. Do we go to Colorado or Connecticut? Each location has their positive and negative points. Last night we charted out the pros and cons and made a visual chart. After some further investigation, we made up our mind.

We are moving to Connecticut. We are not sure of exactly WHEN we will be headed out east, but we are hoping it will be in September sometime. The house we are putting a contract on is a new build, so it won't be ready until September and we really do not want to have to move twice or even have to live in an apartment until it is ready. But we will work that out when the time comes. Bob is working on a couple of high profile projects that they actually want to finish up in Ann Arbor, so it is a good possibility that we won't have to move until then. Watch, me saying that, and something freaky will happen like some one will want to buy our house and be in it by June. Who am I kidding? But it would be just our luck.

Our goal, however, is stay here for as long as possible. We will keep updating this site as soon as we get more information, pictures, etc.

The Pfizer campus is located in Groton, CT, but we will be living in a town called East Lyme. It is about 15 minutes from Bob's work. They have a great Library and a very active Parks & Recreation department - they offer fencing classes - how cool is that?

This has been one of the hardest decisions we have had to make and it has definitely been an agonizing 2 months (it feels much longer than that). We are extremely grateful for all of our supportive friends and family. And now everyone will have an excuse to come visit us out east. We will have plenty of room, so come on out, we would love to have you. :)

Anna Banana - 6 months old

Anna definitely is growing like a weed. She will not be a small child. What was I thinking? She is definitely tall/long for her age. I am not sure where she stands, but we will find out on Monday when she goes for her check up.

She is quickly growing out of her 6 & 9 month old clothes and I have started putting her 12 month onesies on her. They fit her perfectly in the length.

To the left, she is sitting in her sister's chair just hanging out and see what is going on.

She enjoys watching her sister be silly, teething on anything she can get her hands on and playing in her exersaucer. She hasn't rolled over or is sitting up on her own yet, but we are working on it.

We will be taking her in soon to get X-rays on her hips to see how they are doing. We want to make sure we keep on
them so hopefully we won't have to have surgery on them like Cecilia.

To left - she is hanging out in her exersaucer playing around in the cute PJ's Grandma O got for her.

Below, Anna fell asleep while being fed her favorite - sweet potatoes. She hated the cereal but is lapping up the baby food. So far, she really doesn't seem to hate anything. Hopefully, she will be a good eater like her sister.

Bob & Celie

Bob enjoys being silly with the Girls - especially with Celie because she can reciprocate the behavior. Here is Bob trying to take a picture when Celie is obviously more interested in Lady and the Tramp than posing for photographs.

Silly Bob.

Latest Pics of the O Sisters

Here are some pictures of Cecilia and Anna in Celie's big girl chair that she got from Aunt Sue and Uncle Tom for X-mas. Anna needs a little help sitting up and Cecilia usually does a pretty good job of helping out. However, the picture to the left shows Celie not wanting to be too cooperative. Below Celie is showing her silly side. She can usually get Anna belly laughing when she is being silly. The girls are great together. Hopefully, they will remain that way for the rest of their lives.

The O Sisters and together with their momma, they are the O girls. Lucky Bob!!!

Anna's Eating

I tried feeding Anna some rice cereal when she was 4 months old. She really wanted nothing to do with it. She was very content just to have her bottle. So, I tried the cereal a few weeks later - still same reaction.

So, I searched high and low for my book on the first year. I was religious about reading it with Celie, but have to admit, not so much with Anna. After searching some of the Q&A's, I realized that, duh, I could just try baby food. And I did. She loves real food - she just hates that cereal crap. But for peace of mind that her belly is getting a little more full, I add a little of the cereal to her food. She laps it up. She'll eat sweet potatoes, squash, and pears. She isn't so hot on bananas, but we will try those again.

She will be going for her 6 month check up next week. We will also be taking her to get x-rays on her hips to make sure hers are not dislocated. They look good, but they want to make sure because of Celie's incident.

Don't worry pictures are coming soon!!!

Job Status

We are still in limbo - sort of.

I received a call back for the project manager position for a 2nd interview. However, it hasn't been scheduled as of yet. It would be a full day process as you come in and work side by side a Project Manager on an actual project to see if you would really fit into their environment. Just the way they do the hiring.

I had a 2nd & 3rd interview with the company in Brighton, but I have not heard anything back from them. I met with my potential manager, the COO and the CEO. It has been over a week since I was in there, but I also know that they were going to have some other candidates come in. I did email my potential boss and let her know we are now on a time line for job offers.

Bob interviewed with Pfizer in 2 departments - Cardiovascular and Central Nervous System. He received 2 verbal offers - one from each department. Each department is located in Groton, CT. He accepted the Cardiovascular position and requested a written offer. We will have 10 business days from when we receive the written offer to either accept of decline it. We are trying to bide our time to see if any other offers come in because once we accept, we are going to CT. If we decide not to, Bob does not receive anything as far as severance, etc.

Bob flew out to Westminster, CO (a northwest suburb of Denver) for a 2nd interview with Gilead Sciences. He met with a lot of different people and thought that the science they were doing was great. He was definitely charged up by what they are doing. Bob let them know the timeline with Pfizer - so, if they want him, they are going to have to make a great offer and soon.

We are still exploring all of our options, but at least we now have peace of mind that Bob has a job if he wants it. He was very concerned about the prospect of not getting an offer and lucky him got 2. He doesn't know of another person who did get 2 offers and some people didn't get any offer.

We should definitely know what we are doing by April Fools Day! How ironic, huh?

O Girl Update

Celie continues to amaze us with her vocabulary. The things she picks up and we can better understand are growing every day. She is a great help with her sister, but still needs to master putting away her toys.

Anna seems to be growing like a bean pole. She is very long- almost gorwing out of her 9 month clothes already and she isn't even 6 months old. She is into this screaming thing - just being vocal and loud, but still adorable. Celie likes to join in. It makes for very loud days. I think that I need to get some earplugs. We think that Anna is teeting. I can feel small bumps on her bums and she is always gnawing on her fingers. I have tried teethers, pacifiers and toys but she prefers her fingers.

I will update the blog with pics of the girls soon.

Job Update

We still do not know what we are going to do but this is where we stand as of today.

I had a job interview for a project manager position for a software development company in Ann Arbor on Feb. 22nd. I haven't heard back about yeah or nay on a 2nd interview. I am very interested in the job, however, it would be as a sub-contract and not a full employee, so I wouldn't like that very much. Not for what we need to stay here. Benefits.

I had a phone interview with a company in Brighton for an Event Manager position. I have a second interview on Monday, March 5th with them. It would be a great job, something I love doing, but it would require some long days and travel. The pay would be o.k. but no where near what Bob was making - but we could make things work to stay here.

Bob had an interview with Gilead - a pharma company that bought Myogen - they are based in Westminster (Denver), Colorado. Bob thinks the interview went very well. They asked his availability for a second interview. He told them any time/next week. Why Gilead? They have a great pipeline of drugs coming down the line, and the old Myogen part of the company is heavily focused on Cardiovascular research, which Bob has the most experience in. We are finding that Bob's skill set is something that a lot of companies need, but is hard to find. Hopefully, that will be good for him. He is hoping that he will get a second interview and that he will be able to extend his time by a couple of days to see his buddy Kory that lives out there and possibily go skiing. What a rough interview process, huh?

Bob is hoping to have his interview with Pfizer sometime next week. He applied for 4 different positions within 4 different departments at Pfizer in Groton, CT. They haven't released the schedule for when those interviews will take place. They will happen in Ann Arbor. Bob is getting a little nervous about it because there are some people that have applied for positions and their names are not showing up on the list. But I told Bob not to worry, there are a lot of rumors and misinformation flying around right now. I told him not to read too much into it until he sees the information in front of him in black and white.

Bob is also going to meet with Kelly's friend Brady, who is a pharmacist. Bob is going to talk to hima bout the profession and about being a pharmacy tech.

Bob and I continue to scour the job boards ona daily basis. It is rather daunting but we don't want to miss out on anything.

We have concentrated our efforts in areas of the country that we would want to live. We have ruled out California (really too far & too expensive) and New Jersey (we have been told it is the arm pit of America & I am too afraid of the Sopranos) but just about any other place is up for grabs.

We haven't totally ruled out staying here either. The research jobs here are few and far between. There are a few positions at the U but they would be a HUGE pay cut for Bob and I can make more $$ than he could. However, it still isn't near as much. But the trade off is that we would remain close to family and friends. We all wish that we had a crystal ball to see into the future. But, hopefully, we will know our destiny in a few weeks.

Again, we thank all of our friends and family for their continued support, prayers, and advice during this time. It means a lot to us. Thank you.

Our Trip To CT

Everything went really well. Easy flights in and out of Providence. I know my way around Southeastern CT now, that is for sure. Bob was able to spend about 3 hours at Pfizer and got to meet and talk with a bunch of different people. So, that was good for him. Friday night we ate in Mystic, CT at the Riverwalk Cafe and then we ate at Azu's for breakfast in Mystic. While Bob was at Pfizer on Friday afternoon, I just drove around the areas that we thought we would want to look into. I was trying to get my bearings on the place.

On Saturday, we got up ate breakfast and then headed around the different areas. I showed Bob all of the places that I had been the day before - We had also bought a detailed Map of Eastern CT the night before which helped tremendously. Outside of the major cities, the countryside is beautiful. There are a lot of trees, boulders, and streams. The shore is beautiful as well. There are a lot of rivers, streams, and ponds around the area too.

After driving around and lunch, we met up with a realtor to see a few houses. We spent 3 hours with Janet, getting the lay of the land even more and seeing some nice houses. I think we definitely have a good idea of what is available in the areas that we are looking. We then met up with our friends Kim & Patrick for dinner at Paul's Pasta in Groton. It is a VERY small, Rachael Ray type of place - a VERY local type place. They make fresh pasta every day. We had to wait a little bit - because there were only about 15 tables in the whole place. But it was REALLY good. I had a small eggplant parmesean and couldn't finish it all. I also had the fried chocolate chip cookie dough sundae - now that, was good. After dinner, it was back to the hotel to crash.

On Sunday we decided that we would see if there were any open houses that we wanted to go to. We got the paper and there were VERY few. We drove by the 2 that were possibilities and decided that we didn't need to go to them. We drove around a little more and decided to head up to Boston for lunch/dinner in the north end. We went up through the eastern part of CT just to see what it was like. Very hilly and rural. We saw some of the only farms during our trip up there. We came into Boston via the south side and went in the tunnel - I wasn't quite sure what to expect with the big dig and everything, but we ended up missing the city and coming out by Bunker Hill, so we headed up toward 128 and looped back around. I took Bob through Lexington and into Cambridge. It took me a little bit to get my bearing, but once I hit the Charles River, I knew where I was going. I gave Bob a mini tour of the city, hitting Harvard Sq, up to Back Bay around the Commons by the Theater district toward the Government plaza around Faneuil Hall to the North End. I didn't realize that you couldn't park in the North End anymore - shows you how long it has been since I have been there. So, we headed toward Faneuil Hall and parked in the structure and walked over. We ate at the Florentine Cafe. It was good, but not the best I have had in the North End. Bob thought it was wonderful - so that is good. We then headed across the street to Mike's Pastry but once we got in line and it wasn't moving, we decided to head out - I was getting impatient. So, we tried another bakery - too crowded - so we ended up at Lulu's Bakery - very cute, very small bakery. We got chocolate covered cannoli's, a chocolate cheesecake and rugelach to go. We then did a loop through Faneuil Hall and headed back to the car. We then headed south through the city to the highway and back to Providence/Warwick RI to stay the night near the hotel for our early flight back to DTW. We tried to see if there were any other flights back to DTW that night, but there weren't. So, we had to stay.

We kicked back in the hotel room, ate our treats from Lulu's and then went to sleep so that we could make our flight back home.

It was great to see the girls when we got home. We missed them A LOT!! It was good to be home.

Both Bob and I are glad that we took the trip. It definitely gave us some things to think about. The land is really pretty there and the people seem very friendly.

We have a huge decision to make and hopefully, we will get some more information soon to help us with making that decision.

The best news would be if we won the Mega Millions tonight - 150 Million. You have to play to win and believe me, I'm playing.

O Girls

I have had the camera out on several occassions, but haven't always been able to capture the girls in the adorable poses that I am blessed to see almost every day.

Here are some recent pics of the girls.

This is Celie, gazed and totally absorbed by watching Elmo DVDs during her recovery from surgery.


Here is a picture of Anna, recently awakening from a nap. She is such a happy little girl. I am soooooooooo lucky.

What Are We Going to Do Now?

I have to admit that we are very blessed to have such caring friends and family that have inquired about our status since the Pfizer announcement.

We are still in limbo. We have come up with 5 different pathways to our future. One is to relocate with Pfizer to Groton, CT - hopefully. One is for me to find a job and Bob stay home with the girls. One is for Bob to go back to school, me back to work, and find child care for the girls. One is for Bob to work for another pharma company. One is for Bob to try to find a job in BioTech or Research at the U. All of these scenarios have their +'s and -'s. We have not made up our mind either way.

However, Bob and I thought that it would be a good idea to go to Groton, CT to check it out. I have been doing some research online and with the help of some friends been able to find some good information. We are going on our own dime and time, but we feel that it is the only way for us to know if relocation is even a possibility. I have lived in New England, but Bob has never lived outside of OH or MI, so it really is for him to see what it is all about. If we hate the area and such, then one path will be taken off the list. But we won't know unless we go and check it out. I think it is a small investment for our future. The girls will stay at home with Aunt Sarah and Grandma O tag teaming the effort. So, it will be a chance for Bob and I to be alone for the first time since Celie has been born. What a mini vacation!! CT in the winter. Yeah!!! Ah, that is being typed with sarcasm. I wouldn't mind the idea so much if we weren't having single digit highs around here.

Our spirits are positive and every day Bob learns more things. We are taking this one day at a time and remaining to keep a positive outlook for our future.

We will keep everyone posted with our ideas and such. And thank you to everyone you has emailed or called with your concern. You do not know how much it means to us to have support right now. Thank you!

Celie's Surgery Update

Celie's surgery took about 1 hour for them to complete. When we met her in the post-op area, she was still a little droggy, but seemed happy to see us. We asked the Dr if it was o.k. for her to crawl, roll around, etc. He said yes. He said that they just didn't walking for a month. Yeah, we laughed again.

Once we got Celie home, we decided to try to help her pain with just regular over the counter medication instead of getting the prescriptions filled that had made her ill in the past. We got home in time for some lunch, medicine and a nap. She slept for 4 hours.

That evening we decided to move everything in her room. We set up a TV with a portable DVD player and cable. We gave into the requests of Elmo. We set up all of her different activities on the dining room table so that we could easily switch activities, yet wouldn't clog up her room or her bed.

We have done pretty well keeping her off of her legs. We go for our 2 week follow up tomorrow. Originally, the Dr. had said to keep her off of it for 1 month, but wink, wink, parents have had their children walking by the 2 week visit. Well, she just started walking on it today. I don't think that there is any holding her back now. However, we will be taking the TV back and putting it back downstairs.

Hopefully, her 6 month follow up will be very favorable and we will not have to go through this procedure again.

Anna Update

Anna had her 4 month check up recently. She passed with flying colors and is definitely making up ground. I thought that she was going to be my "normal" sized child, but she is proving me wrong. She is in the 95% for height and 50% for weight. I think she may be the tall scrawny one in the family.

She is smiling, gurgling, and laughing. She is a delightfully happy little girl 98% of the time. Celie likes to talk to her at the dinner table. It is quite comical.

New Format

The Ostroski Observer has long been written in the tradition of a "newspaper." Stories being told in the third person and such. Well, it has been decided to mix things up a bit and change to the first person. Hopefully, those that are faithful to the Ostroski Observer will not mind the slight change. If you don't like the new format, please let us know and the editorial staff will take it under review.

Thanks,
Kelly

Bad news travels in 3

There is truth to the saying that bad things come in waves of 3. The Ostroski household has definitely experienced that as of late.

Bad #1
During the pre-op appointment for Cecilia, the Dr informed us that if Celie's angle got any worse, we would have to do the whole surgery over again when she is 3. However, the surgery to have her hardware taken out went very well and she is re-cooping just fine. Thank goodness.

Bad #2
Kelly's dad has had some tests done regarding blockage to his heart. There is blockage to his RCA and some blockage to his main heart artery. The percentages are not known at this time, but Kelly plans on going to the Drs. appt with her dad and step mom to discuss all of the options ahead of them and what the treatment and next steps will be.

Bad #3
This is probably the most mind boggling one, at least to Kelly & Bob. Bob found out today that he has lost his job. Pfizer cut the entire Ann Arbor/Michigan work force. Bob will not know specifics until tomorrow, but he does know that there will be a small severance package offered after his final day. He will find out tomorrow what the plan is for his projects, etc.

Kelly & Bob are working on several game plans right now. Both of them would like to stay in the area. So, if anyone out there knows of any jobs for either Kelly or Bob, please contact them. Kelly is actively searching to return to the work force and Bob is contemplating going back to school to become a nurse or a pharmacist.

Bob and Kelly know that there are others that are going through difficult times as well. There are about 4,000 people in and around Ann Arbor that are very upset right now, plus there are friends of Kelly and Bob's that are going through difficult surgeries as well. Kelly and Bob are thinking of everyone at this time and hope that anyone that reads this will keep them and all of the others in their thoughts.

Everything happens for a reason. Hopefully, the reason will show itself to Kelly and Bob soon.

Cecilia Surgery Update

Yesterday, Bob, Kelly, Celie & Anna went for the pre-op appointment for Celie getting her hardware out. Since, they have waited for 4 hours in the past to be seen by the surgeon, Kelly & Bob decided that they would drive 2 cars and if Celie got unbearable, he would leave with the girls and Kelly would stay to meet with the surgeon.

They arrived early to get x-rays prior to their appointment and then headed to the Ortho department for their appointment. They were actually shown back on time and a nurse came in to give Celie a physical. After that, the surgeon came in and gave us her diagnosis of the x-rays. She said that the angle of the hip is now at 30 degrees. They really want it at 30 or BELOW. So, she said once the hardware comes out and if it starts to go up, then they will have to repeat the entire surgery over again. Of course, this news devastated Kelly & Bob. They were told that it was a possibility from the beginning, however, there were a million things that began swirling around in their heads. But, of course, they didn't think about all of the things until the doctor was long gone. So, Kelly & Bob have written their questions down and are posing them to friends and family members to see if they can some other guidance. Kelly has done a lot of research on the web but a lot of the information is generic and the other information is very technical. It does take a while to sort through it all.

So, next week, Celie will have her hardware taken out and we were told not to let her walk for 4 weeks. Yeah right, when Kelly & Bob asked how they were supposed to keep her from walking, the doctor said to strap her in a wheel chair. Kelly & Bob didn't think it was funny. Bob asked why not a cast? The Doctor said that she really didn't want to do that and Kelly & Bob really don't want that either. So, I guess it will be another time of trial and error and a lot of posting to Kelly's other blog.

Because of this whole experience, Kelly has started another blog - www.dealingwithddh.blogspot.com She will be posting more personal feelings, ideas, etc. about the whole experience. She has actually had some comments from others in similar situations. "I am surprised that other people are actually reading it. I just started it as a theraputic outlet for my frustration, but hopefully, it can help others," states Kelly.

Celie's procedure should only be an outpatient procedure, but that they did say that she may have to stay the night - that was a new thing for Bob and Kelly as well.

Kelly & Bob are trying to find someone to watch Anna for the day. They have a few leads. Anna is very easy and would be o.k. to take, but if they don't have to, they would rather not.

Please keep your fingers crossed for Celie.

Happy 2007!!

The Ostroski Family would like to extend their Holiday Season Greetings to all of you Online Observer readers. Kelly & Bob have been busy, like all of you, and spent the holiday season celebrating X-mas 4 different times. Celie finally got the hang of opening presents by the last gathering and really enjoys doing it now. Anna was just going with the flow. She wasn't really into the whole X-mas thing, but maybe next year will be a little more exciting for her.

Hopefully, 2007 will be a good year for all of you as well as some closures for the Ostroski's. Jan. 4th 2007 marked Kelly & Bob's 4 year anniversary. Cecilia will be getting rid of her hardware next week and the Ostroski's are planning many great vacations, gatherings, and parties with family and friends.

Happy 2007 from the Ostroski's to you!!

Celie's 1st Haircut

After Bob's attempt at trying to get Celie's hair out of her eyes, Kelly thought it might be best to leave Cecilia's haircut to a professional. Kelly made an appointment for herself and Celie. Bob and Anna went along as well. Cecilia had the pleasure of going first. Sandy, Kelly & Bob's hairdresser, was great with Cecilia. She worked very quickly and occupied her with a lot of things. Cecilia hardly made a fuss and Bob got to see everything up close and personal, since Celie was sitting on his lap during this event. Kelly had brought and envelope to scoop up some of the hair. Kelly got some very gorgeous little locks to put in Celie's scrapbook. She will also be putting in a few of the following pictures of this momentous occasion.

Yeah to Celie's first hair cut!!

Celie's B-day Party

Celie decided to have a small get together to celebrate her 2nd B-day. Some of the immediate family members were stricken with awlful weather and where not able to attend, but the party went on.

Cecilia enjoyed a casual dinner with folks and then went about getting crazy with her cousins. After awhile, Cecilia gathered around the island so that everyone could sing to her while she blew out her 2 candle on the Elmo cake she helped Kelly make. Below are pictures of Celie blowing out her candle and of her helping Kelly make the cake.

After cake and ice cream, Celie opened up her gifts. She still hasn't gotten the hang of ripping open the presents. However, with a little help from Bob, she started to get the hang of it.

Below is a picture with Celie in motion with her new (real) golf clubs. Watch out Michelle Wie - Celie has a swing on her.

Celie had a great birthday and wants to thank all that came and all of those who sent there b-day wishes. It was all greatly appreciated.

Celie's 2 year Check Up

Bob and Kelly took Cecilia to her 2 yr Check up. They both went because they thought it might be a challenge, especially since Celie was up almost all night with her first cold. She woke up to a runny nose and chapped cheeks.

Bob and Kelly were eager to hear how she was doing. She weighed 351/2 pounds and measures 361/2 inches. The Dr. thought that Celie wouild probably end up being anywhere from 5'7/12" to 6' tall (the wide range is due to how short Kelly is). The Dr. asked Kelly if she would be OK with that. "I'm fine with it as long as she still listens to me," said Kelly "besides, everyobdy has always been taller than me."

The Dr. was very pleased with Celie's developments and was very impressed by her verbal skills. Cecilia is actually putting 2-3 words together. She is also saying part of the alphabet and counting to 10.

Celie has the go ahead to have peanutbutter and anything else we might want to give her.

As long as Ceilie is healthy, she doesn't have to be seen again until she is 3. Bob and Kelly are sure that she would like to take a break from the doctors for a while.

Oh Shit!

No matter how much Kelly and Bob have tried to be careful, it happened. Cecilia said her first swear word.

Bob was telling Kelly a story and he said, "Oh, Shit!" Cecilia was sitting right next to Kelly and without missing a beat, Cecilia sputtered out "ah, schit!" It took everything that Kelly and Bob had in them not to start cracking up. They kept their composure and have been trying not to swear anymore.

Bob & his Buckeye Babes

Bob was geared up (in more ways than one) for the Ohio State vs. Michigan game. Cecilia and Anna joined in on the fun as well, dressing up in their Ohio State gear.

Bob was very nervous about the game and really did expect it to be a one point game.

“They won because I was eating 3 buckeye candies per quarter,” says Bob. Kelly made her contribution to game day by making a large batch of buckeye candies. “I think Bob ate more than 3 a quarter,” states Kelly, “ I am just glad they won so Bob won’t be a grump for the next 3 days.”

Bob is looking forward to seeing who OSU will play for the National Championship. He really doesn’t want to see a rematch between OSU and Michigan. “It would make me too nervous,” says Bob. The final factors for the match up probably won’t be decided until next week’s games are played.

What does Kelly think about all of this? “I’m just glad, in a way, that my boys (FSU Seminoles – see earlier post – Are you ready for some football?) aren’t doing very well this year. That way, we don’t have to compete for TV time.” Kelly is hoping that FSU can upset U of F on Saturday to knock the Gators out of any chance of going for the National Title.

Go Bucks!

Go Noles!

Cecilia's Baking

Cecilia has expressed an interest in seeing what Kelly is doing when she is cooking in the kitchen. So, Kelly thought it might be good for Cecilia to help her bake some of the holiday cookies. Kelly decided to test a sugar cookie recipe. Kelly measured all of the ingredients out and placed each item in its own dish. “It looks like a food network cooking show,” said Bob. Kelly set up the mixer and ingredients on the island and pulled up a chair for Celie to stand on.

Cecilia helped spoon ingredients into the bowl and watched as the mixer did its thing. Celie did spill a little and then would say, “Ah Oh!.” But Kelly reassured her that it was OK. After they finished with the dough, Kelly put it in the refrigerator to let it set up. The next day Kelly and Cecilia tackled the job of rolling out the dough.

Cecilia enjoyed the rolling pin and plopping the cutters into the dough. Sometimes she got a whole image, sometimes she didn’t. Sometimes she made designs in the dough because she didn’t go all the way through to actually cut the image out. Kelly baked all of the cookies, just as Celie cut them out. (See pic below)

Cecilia has helped Kelly make banana bread and cornbread as well. “I think she enjoys helping me,” says Kelly, “I am just surprised by the patience I have with her. Hopefully, she will continue to love to help me in the kitchen. It would be great to have a sous chef or even someone to take over some of the cooking.”

Happy Halloween

Ghouls and Goblins lined the streets of Chelsea as Kelly and Bob drove to a southside neighborhood to meet their friends, The Lehmans, to go trick or treating. This would be Cecilia's first time trying such an event.

Cecilia went as a Bumble Bee. She wasn't quite sure of the costume, but on a nice, chilly day, she welcomed the warmth of the fuzzy costume. Anna went as a pink cowgirl. However, you really couldn't tell she was anything but a huge bundle of cuteness in her covered carseat.

Celie as a Bumble Bee in the double stroller with Anna.

Cecilia had a difficult time trying to grasp the concept of trick or treating. All she really wanted to do was to chase the other little kids, go pet EVERY dog (woof woof) she saw, and run through all of the piles of leaves. Thank goodness that both Bob and Kelly were there. Bob ended up running all around trying to keep Cecilia on task.

After about 45 minutes of running up and down the sidewalks and porches, Celie was ready to call it quits. She was hungry and tired and needed a warm break. Bob, Kelly, Anna, and Cecilia said good-bye to their walking partners, The Lehmans, and loaded up the van to come home.
Maybe next year Cecilia will get more out of it. Kelly will have to think of a good costume for her.

Unhappy Anna, the pink cowgirl. Focus on her feet. She is wearing cowgirl booties!!!

Anna's Hip Exam

Because of Cecilia's dislocated hip, it is advised that any subsequent children should be screened at 2 weeks and watched closely throughout their life.

Bob took Anna to receive her ultrasound on her hips. They took many picutres and Anna did very well. The radiologist said that everything looked good, but it seemed as if her hip pockets may be a little shallow. It was suggested that Anna get an X-ray between 6-8 months once her bones have calcified. Kelly & Bob's pediatrician confirmed everything that the radiologist said. She agreed that Anna would be getting X-rays at 6-8 months to see where her hips stand at that point.

When they are that young, 6 months or so, the treatment for a dislocated hip is to pop the hip into position and then use a brace or sometimes a cast until the bones and cartilidge grow some more.

Watching the hips of both girls will be a life long concern for Kelly, Bob, and the girls. But for now, everything is looking O.K.

Even Elmo has to Eat

Kelly is amazed by the way Cecilia loves to eat. She must take after Bob. Cecilia will eat just about anything, but one of her favorite finger foods in Cheerios. Kelly buys them in the largest box possible and usually has 2 boxes in the pantry at all times.

Kelly was picking up toys one day while Cecilia was napping and started laughing out loud. She was hoping that she wouldn't wake up Cecilia. Kelly grabbed the camera because she wanted to remember this moment. The moment when she realized that Cecilia thought that Elmos was hungry and needed a snack just like her. Because, even Elmo has to eat.

Cecilia - The Big Sister

Bob and Kelly cannot believe how wonderfully Cecilia is being with her little sister. She loves to hold Anna and is a great help whenever Bob or Kelly changes Anna's diaper. The one thing that Cecilia hasn't gotten used to is why Bob and Kelly feed Anna so many bottles. Sometimes she thinks she needs a bottle too. Kelly and Bob are trying to wean Cecilia from the bottle so it is a challenge.


Below is a picture of Cecilia clapping for joy over her little sister.


Cecilia looking adoringly at her little sis.



Bob's girls.

She's Here!!

Kelly, Bob, and Cecilia are delighted to announce that Anna Grace Ostroski has joined their family on September 22, 2006 at 2:25 pm. She weighed 6 lbs. 3 oz. and was 19 inches long.

How did it all happen? Kelly had been having some irregular blood pressures. She had gone into Triage the Friday prior to be monitored but was sent home. At her appointment on Monday, Dr. Long took a look at her and decided that they could wait a week to see her again unless she were to have some other symptoms.

On Thursday, Kelly was experiencing some other symptoms and called the office. They wanted to monitor her in Triage. While there, Kelly's blood pressures didn't come down and it was decided to induce the labor. Kelly was admitted to the hospital at 8 pm and the induction started.

Kelly's progress continued through the night and was relatively slow going. Finally, around 2 pm, Kelly felt contractions that were harder than the epidural would get rid of. She called in the nurse. The doctor on call - Dr. Archer - followed behind. Dr. Archer checked Kelly and said, "How about we have this baby, now!!" Everyone gowned up, Dr. Archer asked Bob if he wanted to cut the cord (he said yes), and Kelly was able to start pushing. From the time Kelly first pushed and Anna was delivered - 5 minutes. One of the nurses in the room said it was the fastest delivery she has ever seen. Bob was unable to cut the cord because when Anna first came out, her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck. Dr. Archer swiftly clamped it off, cut the cord and had plopped Anna on Kelly's chest in a matter of seconds.

Anna seemed to take an eternity to breathe, but finally did and wailed. Tears of joy filled Bob and Kelly. A beautiful girl has blessed Kelly & Bob.Kelly, Bob, and Anna Grace just after delivery.
Anna at home waiting for Kelly to stop taking pictures of her.

Spaghetti Face Cecilia

Dinner at the Ostroski Household can be a lot of fun, especially when Bob & Kelly allow Cecilia to have something REALLY good and MESSY!!! Bob thought that spaghetti with sauce would be a great dinner.

Here is proof positive that Cecilia loves to eat, she loves spaghetti sauce - Paul Newman's Sockaroo to be exact, and when she eats it, she gets VERY messy. Kelly thinks she looks like an oompa loompa afterwards.

It was definitely bath time after this dinner.
Celie really pondering the goodness of Sockarooni Sauce.

What? I have what on my face? Oh no!!

Oh Boy!!!! Spaghetti & a funny face!!!

Celie Medical Update

On September 1st, we took Cecilia in for X-rays and a check up visit. Kelly had purposely scheduled the appointment for first thing in the morning so that they would not have to wait as in times past. However, after being at the hospital for 4 hours and Cecilia having a meltdown that no amount of Animal Crackers, cookies, crackers, juice or milk would suffice, we finally got to see the Dr. ( for 6 minutes). She let Bob and Kelly know that she was sorry for the wait and that Cecilia's hips look good and that her hardware can come out anytime. Kelly and Bob were shocked that the hardware could be taken out so early. The Dr. thought it would be a good idea to wait until a few months after the baby would be born because (here is the kicker) Cecilia would have to be immobile - no walking - for a month after the procedure. The shock of that news floored Kelly & Bob. It wasn't until they had settled Cecilia down in the van on the way home that they were coming to the realization of how hard keeping Celie down would be.

Once they were able to calm down from the experience of the day and absorb the diagnosis, Kelly called and made an appointment to have the hardware taken out. Cecilia will be free of all metal inside her body on January 18, 2007. As for keeping her still, Bob and Kelly will try to do their best to keep her contained, but they are pretty sure that for the first couple of days, she won't feel like doing very much anyway from being sore. They are more concerned about her being able to take pain medication. Ever since her surgery, she has had anxiety when she needs to take pain medication. Masking it with Chocolate syrup doesn't even work anymore.

Is this condition hereditary? They really don't know. However, once a child has been diagnosed with a dislocated hip, they will screen subsequent children. Therefore, when Anna is 2 weeks old, they will do an ultrasound to view her hips and will continue to monitor her progress as they did with Celie.