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!!