Celie's surgery update

Celie had surgery this morning to have the metal taken out of her leg. It was a quick procedure but it didn't start out very well. As soon as she saw the hospital room (pre-op) w/ all of the beds she started to freak out. Bob had to hold her until we could get her a nasal sedative. Once that took hold, Bob gowned up and went back with her. 1 hour later, she was in recovery. She came out pretty quickly and we were back home by lunch time.

She is recovering on the sofa. We are taking it slow the rest of the day. All of us need that today.

Jake's 1st Zoo visit

The Cleveland Zoo is actually pretty nice. We had been given a family membership as an X-mas gift the year prior, but we hadn't renewed it this year, so far. When I was looking at the website for days/hours/etc. I noticed that Mondays are FREE if you are a Cuyahoga County resident - and we are. So, today being Monday, we decided Jake needed to have his first Cleveland Zoo visit.

I am glad that we didn't buy a membership and that we got in free today. The main Zoo part is going under A LOT of renovations so there wasn't very much to see. We did manage to see the Lions, like Alex the Alex (Madagascar humor), Zebras, like Marty, (no Melman or Gloria though, again, Madagascar references), leopard, Condors, Rhinos, and Koalas. Oh, yeah, a few Kangaroos. but that was about it.

We did manage almost .75 of a mile walk around the zoo. Celie started to get a little cranky so we decided to head to lunch rather than try to do anymore at the zoo. The only thing that we missed was the primate area which was UP a HUGE hill. They are redoing that as well, so I wasn't really quite sure that we would see much anyway.

Here are some pics from today. Jake slept through most of his visit to the Zoo. That is o.k. At least we have pictures of him.
Here is the Lion & Lioness.


Persian Leopard. He came around to the front of the cage and was eying Celie & Anna as if they were lunch. Thank goodness for fences.


Anna checking out the leopard.
Celie checking out the leopard.

Going on a Bear Hunt

Celie, Anna & Bob have been reading the book - Going on a Bear Hunt lately. So, on Saturday, with the weather breaking here, we decided to go to the Reservation. We all went. Jake fits nicely into the double stroller - so we managed to get about 3 miles in on Saturday - going on a bear hunt. Looking for wildlife and seeing others out enjoying nature. No bears, but a lot of dogs.

Sunday was even better than Saturday, so we headed to CVNP - Cuyahoga Valley National Park - and went for another walk - this time it was much flatter than Saturday's walk. We went about 2.5 miles yesterday. Another Bear Hunt day - but all we saw were Mallard's, geese, painted turtles and a lot of dogs.

I forgot my camera both days, so I couldn't capture all of the walking on film. I'm sure you are thankful for that. But I did capture our time at the zoo today. That is the next post.

Church Girls

Yesterday, Bob decided to be brave and take the girls to church with him. I stayed home with Jake. So, I dressed the girls up in dresses - they actually liked it. I had to take their picture because they did look so cute.
Bob was very pleased with how good the girls were. They actually made it all the way until communion. Bob didn't want to push it much beyond that.

Week in Review

The week has been a fairly good one. We continue to network and try to find jobs, etc. Bob has not had a follow up interview yet at Abbott, but is supposed to be having one soon.

I had a job interview on Thursday, which was good and bad. Bad because I had to go shopping on Wednesday to try to find a suitable suit to wear. I finally found something that would work, but it took all day to do so. My interview went well - at least I thought so. They have other candidates that they have to see so we will wait and see what happens. I know this sounds bad, but if I have to go back to work - this is the job that I WANT. It is a project manager position - managing all different types of events. So, it is something that I enjoy doing - yet a little of a stretch for me - so it will keep me engaged and interested. Most of the other jobs that I have applied for are for Executive Assistant positions - I haven't had any call backs on those. So, we shall see. I am hoping to hear something by the end of next week.

The kids are doing great. Jake is growing like crazy and Anna & Celie seem to change almost on a daily basis. Celie will be getting her hardware out next week. It will be good to have that done and out of the way.

The warmer weather definitely has brightened our spirits. It has been nice to get the girls outside and playing. I went for a walk around the neighborhood yesterday. It was nice to hear the birds and small the hint of spring in the air. We have daffodils and tulips coming up so that is definitely encouraging.

Hopefully, we will have some exciting news on the job front next week. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Job Hunting

Bob and I continue to scour the job boards and try to find job opportunities wherever we can. Everyone seems to be cutting back or at least filling their needs with people they already have.

I have applied for about 10-12 different positions in the area. I have heard back from 4 of them - all thanks but no thanks.

Bob had a phone interview yesterday with an HR representative from Abbott Laboratories. They are headquartered in North Chicago. He is supposed to be getting a phone call from the hiring manager. If that goes well, then there would be an in person interview in Chicago. So, that is a possibility but it would require a move. Not something that we are looking forward to - though it would be nice to be nearer the Chicago clan of the family.

We are keeping all of our options open. We will keep everyone updated on our progress.

2 Month Mark

Jake went for his 2 month check up yesterday. Bob took him and they were both good sports. Jake endured 4 shots, 2 each in his little thighs. The Dr. said that he is doing great. He is 75% in height and 52% in weight. He seems to be growing like a weed to us. He has grown 2 3/8 inches since birth and we are already in 3-6 month clothes and sort of going into the 6-9 month stash for some items. He was a little cranky yesterday, but is doing just fine today.

Bob & the Kids

It is weird to say "the Kids" now. It used to just be "the Girls." I wish there was a better term. If you think of one, please let me know.

Jake

Jake is growing like a weed and is 2 months old this weekend. The last couple of days I have been putting him in his high chair. It has a reclining feature so it is great for him because I can put him in it and I can wheel him around the house with me. He helps me cook dinner, search for jobs on the net and eats meals with us. Once he is stronger and can sit up, we can sit him more upright.

Here are some pics that I took of him in his high chair. His eyes are actually OPEN for a change. :)

Job Hunting

Both Bob and I are hunting for jobs. We are definitely making some progress with updating our resumes, searching the various job boards etc.

Bob went to an informational meeting at Kent State University to find out more about their nursing program. He wouldn't be able to start until August and it would be 15 months of full time instruction. He is interested in the program, but it would be a large investment both financial and in time. They said to expect to study about 15-20 hrs. a week beyond the 35-40 hours in clinicals. So, Bob is going to discuss the advance course work, etc. with a neighbor of ours to see what it is REALLY like. So, it may be an option.

Bob also has a phone interview with Abbott Laboratories on Monday. The position would be very similar to what he was doing at Pfizer. This position would NOT be in Ohio, but would require us to move to North Chicago area.

I have sent out about 12 resumes in total and have only heard a no in one case. I just sent out 4 yesterday. So, I am hoping that something will come through soon. If not, I am thinking about calling a temp agency just to see if I can make some extra cash.

Will update when we hear or decide on anything in particular.

Impossible

It is difficult to get a picture of the girls together, but NOW, it is nearly impossible to get a picture of all 3 kids together. However, I almost did it. There was some moving around by almost everyone at one point or another. So, though these pics are not perfect, they are as good as you are going to get for now.

Enjoy.

Week in Review

This week has been quite eventful and not necessarily in a fun way - so hopefully next week will be better. Here is what has happened.

Bob's great Aunt Alice passed away this past weekend. Visitation was on Monday and the Funeral was on Tuesday. Aunt Alice was 94. I had the pleasure of meeting her and speaking with her on a couple of occasions. She was a delightful woman. She had pancreatic cancer. She is in a much better place now.

We continue to job search for both Bob and I. There are some promising leads for both of us. We try to remain optimistic but realistic.

Today, all 3 kids had a check up with the Orthopaedic Surgeon. Both Celie & Anna had x-rays and Jake was just checked - a little torquing here and there.

Everyone is doing well. But here are a few more specifics:

Celie - did an awesome job having her x-rays. She did scream a little - Bob told me, he went in with her while I hung out with Jake & Anna. We had worked on getting her prepared by telling her that we were going to the Drs and that she would need to get pictures taken. She would have to sit like a frog and say Cheese and hold still. Her hip looks very good and is recovering very well. We are still watching the right, but seems to be good for now. As far as the hardware, the Dr. said that we could take it out at 1 year or maybe even sooner. We opted for sooner - so mid March, he will be taking out the hardware. Yahoo!!!!

Anna - her hips are doing o.k. Her right hip isn't cupping as much as her left but is still doing o.k. Nothing that would warrant surgery or anything - at this point.
Double Yahoo!!!

Jake - hip check went well. Dr. didn't feel or hear anything that would worry him. Jake will have x-rays at the next 6 month check up everyone.

The girls are not getting x-rays/check up again - until August. YEAH!!

That is the Ostroski week in review.

Baking the Blues Away

We are baking away the blues right now. Bob got laid off yesterday. It was a complete shock to him, as well as to me. There was nothing to have prepared us for it. But we are managing. We are both networking like crazy to hopefully find some thing for either one of us. We are hopeful that some thing will come our way, eventually.

So, to keep my mind off of things, I decided to make sugar cookies with the girls - baking the blues away. So, we each had our own rolling station and set forth to make some sugar cookies, but most importantly, make a nice mess. Both Celie and Anna did a great job of rolling out their dough. Celie even cut out some very nice cookies (see the baked row of Celie cookies on the right) but then ended up playing with dough as if it were Play-Doh.

Anna took a different approach. She wouldn't let me help her roll out her dough or help her cut shapes out. Instead, she pulled her dough apart to create her cookies. They came out quite well when they were baked.

I made up the difference and cut out a bunch of cookies.

Tomorrow, we are going to make mess #2 and frosting all of our yummy bake goods. Hopefully, the girls will not eat all of the frosting and candies, but we will see.

Aloha

Jake received a gracious gift from friends of mine that now live in Hawaii, the island of Oahu, to be exact. It was quite a surprise. And it was a beautiful and thoughtful gift. I am looking forward to using the blanket and burp cloth as they are very cheerful just like their givers, Rochelle & Mike. Now, no matter how much snow might be on the ground, we can have a little sunshine in our day. Thanks Mike & Rochelle.

It runs in the Family

I like to think of myself as a fairly organized person. (however, you wouldn't know it by looking at my house as of late). And there are many times, some of which I have posted, about how Celie would organize her "people" or toys in funny and interesting situations.

Well, it must run deep in the gene pool, because today, I caught a few things that Anna has done. I know that it was Anna because Celie is off shopping with Bob and Anna & Jake are here with me.

Here are her people, sitting in a line waiting to go somewhere. I am amazed at the precision and such. Mind you, these people were in a container - straight. So, she gave them their sitting position and lined them up.

Here are some Disney figures lined up - holding hands - if they have them. Notice the 2 minnie's together - Hmmmmm.

This is scary. No wonder some of my friends think I am crazy.

While Mommy is Posting

In trying to keep the many adoring fans of this blog happy, I am trying to post a few more pics and post more often. However, What happens while I try to post a few things to the blog? This:


The cushions off the loveseat and sofa. Toys EVERYWHERE and yes, taht would be the girls, still in their nightgowns and it is almost 3pm. (they view them as dresses and scream to high heaven if I want to put "clothes" on them. So, I have learned - to pick my battles, of which, I don't try to have many). Celie saw the camera and her first instinct was to say "CHHEEESE!!"

On the other hand, Jake is totally unphased by the screaming and comotion coming from the living room. Ahhhhhh!!!!

Jake's doggy bank

Since Jake's room is done in a puppy theme, I thought that I would continue the theme as much as possible. Prior to his arrival, I made him 3 puppy themed, flannel backed blankets. I also decided to make him a "piggy" bank in my ceramics class.

It took me a while to figure out what shape his bank should be. A puppy bank? A bone bank? A dog dish bank? Nope. I finally decided that a Dog House would be the best and quite frankly, the easiest. So, I made him a Dog House Bank. And yesterday, he got his first cash to deposit in it.

I am going to work on some castle turrets a.k.a. princess balconies, etc. for the girls in my upcoming classes. Watch for photos.

Oh, One other thing on my plate

I have been asked to be a Board Member for the Brecksville Center of the Arts.

I am actually pretty excited about this. The BCA - Brecksville Center of the Arts is an art center in our little suburb that offers showings of artists' work as well as classes for kids to adults. I have been taking a ceramics class there for almost a year now. I love my class. I am not making any "masterpieces." But I am enjoying learning some new things and all of my lucky family has gotten ceramics for x-mas. :)

I am going to try to keep my mouth shut the first couple of meetings. From what I understand, the Board of Directors does most of the fundraising for the center. Which, I am glad to hear that the Board is involved. However, they do pay a director for the center and I haven't figured out exactly what he does. And I have met him on a few occasions and he isn't the most friendly person either. So, we will see how this goes.

The first event - a Board Meeting tomorrow night - but also Art from the Heart - a HUGE fundraising event for the BCA put on by the Board. Isn't that fantastic? I am donating 4 dozen cookies for the event that I just heard about - where is the marketing? where is the publicity for this thing? Oh, yeah, I said I was going to keep my mouth shut. Hmmmm. This may be harder than I thought.

I must be Crazy!

Celie asked if they could paint. Even though I was dog tired, I agreed. I think that I may be crazy for agreeing, but I was hopeful that all would be fine.

I changed the girls into some "play" clothes and gathered the supplies.

Jake decided that he needed to supervise this activity and make sure they doing o.k. He was trying to get pointers for when it is his turn to participate.

Both Anna & Celie started out doing a great job with their paintings. Of course, they really haven't figured out when to STOP painting on their painting. Trying to convince them that they should move onto another canvas didn't work. I really liked some of their "earlier" creations - before they muddled all of the colors together into 1 big blob.


After each of them had painted 2 -3 paintings, I thought that it was time to clean up. I gave them fair warning that we were going to clean up in a few minutes. Jake started fussing because he was tired of not being an active participant and wanted to be fed. So, I announced that it was time to clean up. Both girls had a fit. Thank goodness that most of the paint that I had in the little cups were now mostly on the canvases drying in the dining room. Anna decided that she wanted to sweep her arms across the table to make the paint cups go everywhere. Thank goodness for my quick hands as none of the cups or paint reached the floor. By now, both girls are screaming/crying and I am quickly trying to remove all traces of paint from the table and the girls. With both girls crying, Jake joined in on the fun as well. I swept up Anna and took her to her room. She cried herself to sleep. Celie finally calmed down and I fed Jake and he was happy.

If I wasn't crazy before letting them paint, I think I am now.

No Sleep for ANYONE!

Saturday night was an absolute wonder. Jake only got up once throughout the night and both girls slept threw the night which meant - that EVERYONE actually got some sleep Saturday night. How naive Bob and I were to think that it might be an upward trend. Last night was a nightmare.

Jake was up from 12:30 am until about 4 am - that is when I heard him and told Bob that I would take over since I had been up since 2 am because Anna decided that she needed to be awake. Bob went to see if a change of person would calm her down and get her to sleep. I fed Jake and he fell asleep in my arms. So, I took him back upstairs and put him to bed and then I went into Anna's room to sleep (who ever is on Jake duty has been sleeping in there to hear him better). Then about 1/2 hr. later, Bob came in with Anna. She was still up & now Celie was up too. We put Anna to sleep in her bed, sent Celie back to her bed and Bob and I actually slept in the same bed for a change (that is a long story). It was hard for me to fall asleep because Bob was snoring, but we managed to send Celie back to bed 2 additional times. The time 5:30am. Bob and I managed an hour or so of sleep before he was up to go to work and Jake was waking up with Celie announcing his every movement. Anna was still asleep.

We are definitely hoping for a better nights sleep tonight.