Thursday, September 27, 2012

1 year and few doctor visits later

Hi friends! Sorry for the delay, but we've had a busy week!
 Violet had her 1 year well check with her pediatrician on Tuesday and her monthly CF clinic visit yesterday.
 
 
Little Violet gained almost 2 lbs and grew almost 2 inches in her last month of infancy! She is 20lbs 10oz, 29 1/2 " and her head is in the 98th percentile at 19" ( room for really big brains)
 
Her pediatrician said she looks excellent, and after observing her said she is amazed how well she imitates and understands so much!
( She was showing off pointing to her hair, eyes, nose etc and even gave her a high 5)
 
Our CF doctor was so delighted with her weight gain, and even commented on her "little belly". He said her lungs sound clear and he is overall pleased. So he did another throat culture ( just precautionary to determine that nasty pseudomonas is still absent) and sent us on our way, telling us Vi graduated to  every other month appointments now! Yay!!!

 
 Now after two day of shots and throat cultures and doctors with scary lights looking in her nose and ears and eyes, she can go back to having fun and being a silly toddler! Some of Violet's favorite things to do are:
 Peek-a-boo
I'll find you
 Ha, there you are!
Making some tea
 Messing up Ava's animals she so methodically arranged
 Playing on the Ipad
Holding her lovey
Making more tea
and of course...eating!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Birthday re-cap

 
 
Hello friends and family! So the weekend came and went, and we had an amazing time. We celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary and Violet's first birthday!
 
Special birthday outfit
Big sister had to wear something special too
 
 Of course because she lives in a bubble she didn't get the typical huge 1st birthday, just dinner with our immediate family in town. We had spaghetti, one of her favorites, and she got her own Minnie mouse cupcake. We asked everyone to make donations to CFF instead of presents, (because that is of course a gift of life for her) but of course she still had a few small things to open. Boy was she excited, especially about the pretty colored tissue paper!
 Yum spaghetti
 Oooh are these mine???
 Yay puffs!!
 I love the pretty tissue paper
Get this stinkin hat off me Mimi
Ok fine I'm one, now get it off!
 Cake time
 " Hmmm what is this?"
 " Look no hands"
 " Ok the frosting is gone, now what?"
"ooh some more"
Nothing like a chocolatey kiss
 
It's so hard to believe in one year you have gone from
 This...
to this...
 
and now this!
Happy 1st birthday to our adorable, loving princess Violet Jane!
Mommy, Daddy, Ava & Kylie love you sooooo much!
 
Now for the next 3 weeks I have a 1 year old and a 2 year old,
how crazy does that sound?
 
 


Saturday, September 22, 2012

A Special Day of Love

Way back before our special journey with Violet and the world of Cystic Fibrosis, back before her birth, and Ava's, and even the thought of babies, we were just two people.

We were just Andy and Ellissa. Two people, in love, promising to share the rest of our life together. We had idea what kind of future we'd create.

Then it began with a ring..........
 
and the most beautiful wedding ever took place!
( I may be a tad bit partial)
 
Rehearsal Dinner
Sept 21, 2007
 Coming down the aisle
Our wedding party
Mr & Mrs. O'Leary
 
My brother Daaron, me, my sister Lindsay and my brother Eric
Andy and his brother Todd

Andy and his brother Thomas
 Our party
The reception
Toledo Zoo Nairobi
Our proud parents
 
 Just the two of us
 Personal cakes on each table
Our cake
 
Cake time
 

The beginning of the O'Leary clan
Andy, me and Kylie
 
Happy 5 year Anniversary to my husband! Hoping for at least 50 more!
Thanks for all the memories, and I look forward to many more yet to come!
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Simalarly different

Violet's 1st Birthday is rapidly approaching! Only 4 days now, and I'm still fumbling around,hoping to find that pause button! What's the big deal really? One momentous day can't possibly change my child that much...or can it???

Sleeping angel, only a few days old
Now at almost 1 year old
It's become apparent that my baby is going to keep growing and changing no matter how I feel about it. It is bittersweet every time I pack up another tote of her clothes and put them away. I'm sad that she's no longer small enough to fit into the pint sized clothing, but happy of course, that she is thriving and finally putting on some chub!
 
That brings me to an interesting subject, one that is often the (unintended) topic of conversation amongst us moms....."They" say you should never compare your kids, that no 2 kids are ever the same. Let's face it, many of us (probably most) break that cardinal rule. How can you resist? It's like having multiple rose gardens. Why wouldn't you care for your second one the same as your first and then compare the results?
I'm guilty...I do it..ALOT. and I know I really shouldn't but it just happens! It's harmless right now, and I know I'll eventually need to stop. I can see it being a problem if I ever start comparing their grades, or each's popularity or achievements. That's cause for (another great topic) sibling rivalry. Until the girls are old enough that the comparison is no longer innocent, i shall continue to indulge in my bad behavior. I love them both so, so much and so equally, which is what really matters.
Ava 1 day old
Violet 1 day old
Ava
Violet
There are almost as many similarities as there are differences.
Both girls were born on a Friday, after 14 hours of labor. Ava at 11:00pm and Violet at 2:52am. Ava was exactly 1lb heavier and  1/2" longer. Violet followed Ava's growth patterns for the first 2 months, but since then she has always stayed heavier and shorter then Ava. I can already tell Ava is going to have the O'Leary body type and Violet will be the Olczak prototype (my mom's side of the family) Ava's black newborn hair fell out and came back blond. Her eyes slowly changed from bright blue to hazel. Violet's hair has always been darker, at one point looking reddish, but none the less dark. Her eyes have always been blue. A blue that oddly enough almost looked violet for a while, but still blue. As a brown eyed girl I wished so badly for my kids to have blue eyes like their dad. Everyone told me I was crazy, brown eyes are dominant!
 
Ava 3 months old
Violet 3 months old
They smiled, rolled over, sat up, crawled and said their first words at almost the exact age! Ava got her first two teeth at 6 months old, and had 6 by her 1st birthday. Vi didn't get her 1st tooth til after 8 months old, but they have been non-stop since. She will probably have 9 by her birthday.
Ave feeding herself
Violet making a mess
 
Both girls were great eaters as babies.
Both were happy, content, peaceful babes.
Both were relatively easy and laid back, until about 9 months. Then their personalities really started to emerge.
 
Ava likes to be the boss.Period. end of story
She is funny, she loves to dance and sings quite well.
She is giving, and is learning to share so well, but unless it's with Violet or Kylie, it's on Her terms and Her time.
She LOVES pink, and all things feminine.
The other day she made me change her blue and white flowered shirt because " it is a boy shirt" (meaning although there were flowers and lace, there was no pink or purple or red)
Ava has a memory like a steel trap, and if you can't remember the day from 6 months ago she's referring to, watch out!
She is caring, and affectionate, and will do anything to make Violet laugh. She will yell at anything that makes her baby sister cry, parents included.
 
 Awesome big sister
 Helping feed Vi
 Being goofy
 Comforting her sister
 Princess Ava Rose
With her Hanna Montana purse, full of chapstick and nail polish
 
Violet is amazingly smart. She doesn't say many words yet, but she babbles a lot and looks at us wondering why we can't make out but 1 or 2 of the words. She uses a few baby signs and knows how to get what she wants already.
She smiles and laughs ALL the time, seriously, she does
She adores her sisters. She can't wait to kiss them, all the time! (wether they like it or not)
Violet loves animals. She is always chasing and petting and trying to lay with our dogs. Some of the words she can say are related to animals...Bel-Bel ( our dog bella) bunny,puppy and meow.
She has the Irish temper! If you dare take something or tell her no...run for cover!
 
 1st Halloween
 Smiling since she was born!
 Even smiles while eating
 "So Big" with her sister
 Little sister in big sister's chair
 Trying to cuddle with Gypsy
Giving kisses
 
At the end of the day is comparing two children really harmful?
I think the comparisons are what help identify not only similarities, but also uniqueness. This uniqueness is what helps shape a child's personality. While my kids may be a tad young to truly recognize their personalities and know what kind of girls they will be, I sure love the preview I've been seeing!