Lots of Stuff

Sorry it's been a while since my last post concerning Olivia, Amanda, and me. There's been quite a bit of stuff going on...not major events, just a variety of things going on. First, regarding the situation with Fiona...we're going to go ahead with the ACL repair surgery. Seeing Fiona hobble around all the time is just too much to take. Before doing the surgery, the vet is going to make sure to make sure there's nothing else going on (cancer, liver disease, etc.) with some blood tests. If there is anything else, then we'll re-evaluate the situation. It's pretty neat though...they don't repair a dog's ACL like they do in people. They attach a piece of nylon to the joint instead. I'll keep y'all posted on that process.

Now to Olivia...and for the most part, there's not much to report. I look at as no news is good news. Earlier this week (Monday), Olivia went to the doctor for her two-month checkup. She weighs 10 pounds, 9.6 ounces and is 22 inches long. Both of those are in the 50th percentile for her age. Her head circumfrence is in the 75th percentile though! Great, Olivia is already getting a big head! Just what we need, a baby with a big ego! Overall, Olivia is in very good health and we only have to treat a mild case of cradle cap. Those of you who have children already know what else takes place at the two-month checkup...the first round of shots. I'd say Olivia did very well. Of course she cried, but once she was in Amanda's arms, she quieted right down. Amanda had a bit of a difficult time with the shots though...she was riddled with guilt, but it had to be done. Here's a picture of Olivia getting the first shot then a picture of the Daffy Duck band aids they put on her legs after:


The rest of the day, we could tell Olivia was a little sore. She was cranky and went through several fussy fits that to this point we hadn't really seen from her before. The next day, she was much better. Also keeping us busy was the arrival of Grandpa Ron Swiatowy (my dad)! He drove down from Michigan, stopped over in Tulsa to visit our friends Damon and Laurie, then got to Amarillo Sunday afternoon. I had to work Sunday and some stronger thunderstorms kept me at work all evening, so I didn't get the chance to see my dad and Olivia interact for the first time, but Amanda was there and she said it was really sweet. Here are a couple pictures of Grandpa Swiatowy holding Olivia for the first time:


As many of you know, my dad has been battling Multiple Sclerosis for more than 30 years and the fact that he's even able to make it down here to visit is astounding. We've been really enjoying his visit and he's helped me do some tasks around the house. The biggest one was putting up sun-blocking film on our front windows. Although daunting, it's been so nice sitting here in the front room in the heat of the afternoon and not roasting to death.

Finally, I'll share with you a few of my favorite pictures taken in the past couple weeks. Beware, one of them contains nudity! Enjoy!