Long Over Due....

It's been almost 6 months since I've last posted....perhaps because the Osika Family has been quite busy. But, I figured now was a good time to update everyone since we just had Mackenzie's 2 year well visit.

Her current stats:

Height: 32" (10.5%)

Weight: 20 lbs 7 oz (0.37%)

Head: 18.19" (18.55%)

Needless to say....she is still a peanut. However, that doctor had nothing but positive things to say about our little girl. She was extremely pleased with how well she was doing. She is not only meeting all of the developmental stages of a 2 year old but doing things that they expect of 2 1/2 year olds. And although her weight is on the small side, she continues to follow the growth curve on the charts. So, no need to worry! She received her last round of HEP A shots and her annual flu shot. Next year she can get the flu mist which means no more shots until Kindergarten. Hooray! We head back in 6 months for another well visit and then not again until she is 3 years old.

From a parent's perspective, she continues to amaze us each and every day! She is growing into such a 'little girl.' It's hard to believe that she was once this 3lb 13oz preemie dependent on us for everything. And now she is Miss Independent with abilities I only dreamed of when I would hold her in the NICU just 2 short years ago. I love watching her grow every day--both mentally and physically. She is so precious. She simply melts our hearts!

So....you ask....what has been going on since my last post in July? Here is a short recap...

August....Mackenzie enjoyed spending Tuesdays and Thursdays through out the summer with her Aunt Katie and Cousin Carter. She also enjoyed her first friend birthday party. And thoroughly enjoyed having a puppy for a week when we dog sat "The Schlee" while Uncle Joey & Aunt Tara went on vacation.

September...Mackenzie enjoyed cheering on her Mommy as she broke 2 hours in the Philly Half Marathon. Later in the month she was excited to get away for a long weekend in Cambridge, Maryland as her daddy competed in his IRONMAN on 9-24-2011.

October....We celebrated Evan's 1st Birthday Party! We had a blast in Rehobeth for a long weekend. Mackenzie even made progress with sand....she walked on it (with shoes on). We also made a long over due trip back to the NICU to visit some of our favorite nurses.

November...We got Mackenzie's 2 year portraits done at Long Wood Gardens by M. Reed Photography. We are anxiously awaiting to see the results of our photo shoot. Mackenzie was a fantastic cheerleader as Mommy completed her first marathon on 11-20-2011.

Next up............

Mackenzie's 2nd Birthday. We will be celebrating with close family and friends on November 26th!

Another First!

Mackenzie & Carter got to experience their FIRST hair cut together on Satuday, July 30th at Gee Gee's Cutz in Lititz, PA. Mackenzie wasn't a fan of the Barbie Jeep seat so she opted to sit on Mommy's lap for her first cut. Carter loved Thomas the Train and didn't seemed to mind the cut as long as he was being fed gold fish. All in all it was a successful trip!

Tragedy Strikes...

And the story....

It was Saturday evening and Andy & I were doing our 'prep' for the Stone Harbor Triathlon on Sunday, July 17th. You know...just making sure we had all of our 'gear' and our bib number all in order for the big race. The last thing that we needed to do was to check our bike tires. Andy headed down to the garage to pump them up and to confirm everything was all set. Meanwhile, the Ziegler's and I were just hanging out (Carter & Mackenzie were fast asleep at this point) waiting for the Leidy's to arrive. My parents were out and about getting some food while all of this was going on. So, after a little bit I thought it was a bit odd that Andy had not returned from the garage. I headed down to the garage to check things out and to my surprise....no Andy and no (brand spankin' new) tri bike!! I was starting to get heated! I couldn't believe that he would head out somewhere without telling me. I had no clue where he was nor where to begin looking for him. Needless to say my mind started wondering and the pacing began. After some time the Leidy's arrived so we all chipped in to get them unloaded and help with the little guy (Evan). Katie then informs me that a police car just pulled up with Andy inside. That was all I needed to start freaking out. I ran downstairs to see what was going on and out comes Andy from the police car (bike in hand). He appeared to be ok so the first thing I did was yell at him for not telling me where he went (I later apologized). He then proceeded to show me his bike....his demolished (brand spankin' new) tri bike. After a few said words Andy started showing me his 'injuries' from his run in with a 19 year old driver of a Ford Explorer (driver's fault). With that we spent the evening at the ER. The doc said he was ok and just suffered a large hematoma on his upper leg. It could take a couple weeks before he is back to normal. We feared the worst....no Ironman.

We arrived home from the ER around 12:30am or so. We still had to decide what I was to do about the triathlon the next morning. We set our alarm for 5am and decided to make the decision at that time. Needless to say, I conquered the triathlon and rocked it for the both of us.

Swim 8:18
T1 2:39
Bike 40:02
T2 1:42
Run 25:31
Total 1:18:12

Now it's time to cheer my husband on to recovery so he can rock the Ironman on 9/24/2011.

Beach Bound

Despite the minor accident that Andy had with a Ford Explorer on our first night of vacation (post to follow), we made the most of our time in North Wildwood. The entire Horn clan spent a week at the beach...just one block from the ocean. The kids had an absolute blast together. It's great that they are all so close in age. The beach took a little adjusting before the kids decided what they thought of it. I'd say that Evan certainly didn't mind the sand as he found it quite tasty. Carter took a bit but before long he was on the move. He didn't seem to mind the water or the sand by weeks end. As for Mackenzie, I think she is still unsure. We all witnessed her dislike of the sand. However, she would have a blast in the water from time to time. It seemed as if one minute she loved it and the next she could do without. Perhaps next year will be the winner?

In addition to the almost daily beach trips, we also took quite a few walks on the boardwalk, some bike rides, a trip to the Cape May Zoo, and a morning at the playground.

It was great to get everyone together for the week. We are looking forward to the next adventure!

UNTIL NEXT TIME.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARTER!

It's hard to believe that it's been one year since my first nephew made his appearance into the world. I can still remember when Katie & Tim called to tell me that her water broke and that they were on their way to the hospital. And now, a year later, here we are, celebrating his first birthday. Time sure does fly by.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARTER MICHAEL!!

JULY 10, 2011

Family Bike Ride

We decided to take Mackenzie out for a family bike ride along the Valley Forge-Manayunk Rail Trail. We went with our good friends Magali & David on July 2nd. It was a great day for a leisure 20 mile bike ride. We took our time, stopped for a snack at the mid point and then headed back for a picnic lunch. Looking forward to the next one!

A Kingdom for Kids

We ventured to Dutch Wonderland on Saturday, July 1st with Roseanne, Giada, Dominic, Katie & Carter. It was a gorgeous day and we were looking forward to having a great time in the kingdom. We thought we would start off with the dry rides and then hit up the water park after we had our picnic lunch.

Mackenzie's first ride, the carousel. I've comed to realize that Mackenzie really isn't a fan of fake animals. This was our second encounter with a 'statue' type animal (the first being a turtle) and she wanted nothing to do with it. So, we quickly got off the horse and sat on a nice little bench as we went round and round on the merry go round!

Next up, "Off-Road Rally." This appeared to be the perfect ride to try out. The kids could sit in the front of these monster trucks and the parents were able to sit directly behind them. No sooner did I get Mackenzie and Giada in their seats did she start climbing her way out. I was leaning over the entire ride trying to convince her to stay seated and distract her with our surroundings. Thank goodness we only did one loop!

She did ok with the "Fun Slide" and the "Double Splash Flume." I wouldn't say she was begging for more. But there were no tears from her nor any nails marks on me!

The last dry ride we tried was "Lady Gay River Boat." I thought she would enjoy taking a ride on the boat. However, she only enjoyed it while we were sitting still. As soon as the boat started moving she was a cling on.

Once we hit the water park you could see that Mackenzie finally found her 'home.' She is a fish in water. She had a blast! The smiles on her face made up for the fear that she had earlier in the day. So, the water park was her Kingdom!

Osika Family Participates in Philly Triathlon

The weekend was filled with events that the whole family was going to participate in. First off, the Spring Triathlon on Saturday am. Later on in the day was the kids fun run (which Mackenzie napped through). Then, Sunday was the Olympic Triathlon.

Mommy participated in the Sprint Triathlon on Saturday, June 25th starting at 7:30am. The Sprint Triathlon consisted of a 1/2 mile swim (much to my surprise) in the Schuylkill River, 16 mile bike, and a 5k run. I was pleasantly surprised with how I finished. After all, this was my first triathlon since having Mackenzie.

Daddy participated in the Olympic Triathlon on Sunday, June 26th starting at 7:00am. The Olympic Triathlon consisted of .9 mile swim, 25 mile bike, and a 10k run. This was just a taste of what Daddy has in store for him in September when he participates in the Chesapeakeman IRONMAN (2.4m swim, 112m bike, and 26.2m run).

Pictures are far and few between now that we have a little monkey to keep an eye on during the races. But I've included a few before and after pictures to check out....

2011 Lancaster Red Rose Run

Well, it took 8 years but I finally did the Red Rose Run again this year. I did this race in May 2003. It was my first race and had never run 5 miles in my life. The challenging course made it for a rough first race and needless to say made me never want to do it again. However, 8 years later, married, a baby, and quite a few running races and triathlons under my belt and I gave it another whirl. My only goals were to have fun while pushing my daughter and running with my good friend Rosie and to beat my time from 8 years ago of 56:04. I think I shattered that time when I crossed the finish in 47:19. Go Us! Let's just say, I don't think I'll wait another 8 years to do the race again.

18 Month Well Visit

Daddy took Mackenzie to her 18 month well visit this morning. The doctor is extremely pleased with how well she is doing. She is happy to hear that she is talking up a storm and on the move. She said we should expect her to start saying phrases around 20-22 months. And it wouldn't be uncommon for us to see her hit or get frustrated as this is her means of communicating. She is definitely chatty and surely tries to tell us what she wants/needs but most of the time I'm only guessing at what she is trying to tell us.

The doctor did confirm that she does have eczema. We had noticed a rash behind her knees, behind her elbows, and on her neck (by her hair line). We thought it was due to the heat but have noticed some areas getting worse. So, we are to apply cortisone cream and lotion to help with the irritation.


The doctor noticed two more molars breaking through on the bottom. She said that since she is getting her 12 month molars a bit later she will most likely hit puberty later and also be taller than originally predicted (5'4"). Interesting tid bit!!

18 month statistics:
Weight: 18 lbs 14oz (0.49%)
Height: 30" (8.9%)
Head: 17.8" (15%)

The best things come in small packages!!

LAC Cheerleader

Mackenzie came out to support another race this morning. Her Daddy participated in the Oddyssey Half Marathon in Philadelphia, PA. Now that his Iron Man training is in full swing this is just like any other training day. But, this time we got to cheer him on. Mackenzie was a great sport the whole weekend. She is such a joy to have around and is loved by all of those that she interacts with. We couldn't ask for a better little girl! Love her!

Great job to those that participated in the race today. Lanchester Athletics was well represented as Andy, David, Magali, and Patty all pulled in great times today. Congratulations. Can't wait for the next race!

Philly Tri here we come (June 25/26, 2011).

-Patty-David-Magali-Andy-

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

I am what I am today because I have you. I am the best mother I can be, with some faults, but you always look over them. You are the reason I wake in the morning and rest my head at night. Because of you I have the whole world. I love you Mackenzie Reese.

Happy Mother's Day!

Annual Sauder Easter Egg Run

Andy and I have been participaing in the Sauder Easter Egg Run since 2006. It was Easter weekend, 5 years ago, that Andy swept me away to a B&B in New Hope and asked me to be his wife! So, we decided to make it a tradition to participate every year. This is the second year participating as a family. Mackenzie is a great participant. She loves people watching from the jogging stroller and even catches a few zzz's while Mommy pushes her along the 5 mile course. Despite the rainy weather on our drive to the race, it turned out to be a great race and a good time had by all!

HAPPY EASTER!!

Easter Celebration

I love being able to participate in Mackenzie's school activities. Today she had her Easter Celebration at lunch time. I was able to come in and help out the teachers and spend some quality time with Mackenzie and her little friends. The children enjoyed all of the yummy food that the parents brought in and even had a tasty dessert made by Andy & I. Knowing that Mackenzie is well cared for and learning so much makes it a little easier to go to work every day!

Happy Birthday Giada!

We were so excited to help Giada celebrate her 2nd birthday. It's hard to believe that it's been 2 years since Roseanne and Dan became parents. Mackenzie & I took Giada to Baby Mania (storytime) in the morning so that Roseanne and Dan could prep for the big bash. Mackenzie and Giada love each other dearly. They are always giving hugs and kisses. It's so cute!

Later in the afternoon we headed over for some good food, tasty cake, and the Tumble Bus! The kids had a blast doing their gymnastics inside the bus....tumble mats, rings, balance beam, trampoline, and a ball pit! What more could a 2 year old ask for?!?

HUGS FOR THE BIRTHDAY GIRL!!