Easter at Mill Creek

This year for Easter, we decided to go to the golf club for brunch and to see the Easter Bunny.  This was little Alex's first Easter with the Easter Bunny and I was sure he would be scared to death of it.  As it turns out, we had a wonderful brunch and little Alex wasn't at all scared of the Easter Bunny.  Here are some pics of little Alex on Easter morning and his basket from the Easter bunny.  There are also some pictures of his cute Easter basket he made at daycare and of him with the Easter bunny.

It's a GIRL!

Well, on April 15th, most people are happy because they file their taxes and hopefully are getting a refund.  We were happy this year because we were finding out the sex of our second child.  We had an appointment mid-morning and I was planning on them telling me it was definitely a boy.  My pregnancy at that point had been completely the same as with Bubba and I was sure baby #2 was a boy.  As the ultrasound tech started searching for the sex of the child, she stopped short and goes, "Oh!", to which I quickly responded, "You see a penis, don't you??!!"  She quickly responded, "I didn't say that - I'm still looking."  A few more minutes passed and then she goes, "It's a girl!"  Both Alex and I were speechless and of course, very excited!  In the upcoming months, I had a couple more ultrasounds for growth and with every one of them, I asked the ultrasound tech to re-check that it was still a girl:)  Here are some pics from the ultrasound.

Poor Brodie!

In April, our dog, Brodie, tore his ACL.  Now, the biggest question I get when I tell people that is, "How does a PUG tear his ACL??!!"  I completely agree and can tell you I have no idea.  Since Pugs aren't super active dogs, it's very rare that this happens to them.  My only idea is that Brodie normally runs/falls down our back stairs and probably twisted it while running down the stairs to bark at one of the golfers driving by.  Anyway, a couple hours of surgery and $1,500 later, Brodie's leg has been repaired.  He had a cast on for a week and then, was restricted from using the stairs for 2 months!  It wasn't that hard since he spends most of his time on the first floor and sleeps in his crate in the kitchen. It's now been many months and I can happily say that Brodie is doing much better and you can't even tell he ever had surgery!  Here are some pics of Brodie with his cute green cast on.  We all signed his cast too!

Trip to the zoo!

In the beginning of April, we baby sat my brother's kids - Ben, Jack and Grace for a weekend!  My mother-in-law, Suzanne had been visiting as well.  As it turns out, that weekend was at an all time high for April's temperature.  The entire weekend was between 70-80 degrees - which is quite warm for April in Chicago.  I think we actually had snow a week later:)  Anyway, we decided to go to the zoo with the kids and Little Alex had a GREAT great time!  He enjoyed the zoo and the time with his cousins.  Here are some pics!

Family Photo Shoot

Back in March, we decided to do a family photo shoot with friend, Georgia Torcasio.  She used to live in LA and did many portfolios for famous celebrities.  She now lives in Glen Ellyn and does a lot of family photo shoots.  She also does a video of photos and live shots and puts it to music.  Attached are some pics she took as well as a link to the video.  To see more of Georgia's work, check out her website - http://www.yourbestside.com/.



http://www.yourbestside.com/Milovic/slideshow.htm

First Happy Meal

In March, right after Alex's ear tube surgery, we decided it was time to take him to the mall for his first Happy Meal and to play on the rides.  So, we took a trip up to West Dundee to Spring Hill Mall.  We had a great time!  Here are some pics of Alex eating his Happy Meal (chicken nuggets and fries) and riding the rides throughout the mall.

Ear Surgery!!

In March, Alex had ear surgery.  Throughout January and February, he had about 5-6 ear infections, which was basically one every week.  It was truly awful to see our little guy so sick for so long.  So, when the ENT said he could put tubes in his ears, it was like I could hear the angels singing from the heavens!  It was wonderful news!  So, on March 18th, at around 7am, little Alex had tubes put in his ears.  The entire surgery took about 10 minutes and he was probably under anesthesia for about 7 minutes.  When they brought him out from surgery, they warned us that he may be screaming and kicking and flailing around.  He acted exactly that way.  He was very combative - kicking, screaming crying, and lurching his body around.  For a while, he still had his eyes shut and the nurse assured us he was acting very normal for coming out of anesthesia.  After about 40 minutes, he started acting more normal and was drinking water.  About 1 hour after surgery (about 8:15am), they released us and we went home.  Little Alex fell fast asleep on the way home and slept until noon.  When he got up, he was a happy little guy and was acting completely normal.  He ate a good lunch and then took a long afternoon nap as well.  All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better surgery day!  Here are some pictures I took of him after he ate his lunch - about 4 hours after surgery.

Priceless!

This morning, I came down into the family room and saw the cutest thing ever - Alex and Bubba sleeping together on the couch!  I couldn't pass up a photo opportunity!

I also attached some photos from the last month of Little Alex being silly (which happens often).

Saying goodbye to a wonderful friend

As most (or all) of you know, this past Tuesday was a very difficult day for us.  Our beloved pug, Wally, passed away at age 11.  He had been very sick fighting a massive inner ear infection and because of other health problems, his body just wasn't able to fight the infection and it ended up spreading throughout his body.  So, Alex and I made the decision along with the vet to put him down on Tuesday.  It was so hard to make that decision, but I know it was the right one.  Wally is no longer in pain and isn't suffering anymore.  The rest of this week has been a bit strange.  It feels like someone is missing.  I find myself walking around the house and looking in places that Wally would normally be and when I look and he's not there, it makes me sad.  Alex has had a harder time with it than I have.  Wally was "his" dog and he misses him so much!  He feels guilty because he had school on Tuesday in Milwaukee and wasn't able to be there for Wally's final hours/minutes.  I told him not to feel guilty and I know that Wally understands and still loves him so much!  I know the with time, everything will get easier and better.  Even though we had Wally for 9 short months, he was a wonderful pug!  He really made a great impression on everyone he met.  I actually think that most of our friends and family preferred Wally to our other dogs.  He was sweet and kind and very affectionate.  He was always sitting there waiting for you.  We'll miss you Walter!  You were a wonderful friend and companion and we'll never forget you!  I know we'll see you again some day!

Not a Baby Anymore!

Here's a video I found that Alex took of little Alex while he was just sitting watching TV.  I'm amazed how he just sat there and watched his show - so cute!  ENJOY!