Before sharing more baby pictures, there are some other family updates we wanted to share that got lost in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Our lives were very hectic in the last couple of months as we tried to prepare for Mannix's arrival, while enjoying the beginning of winter and then Christmas! Here's the rundown...
Prior to the holidays, we took a very quiet family trip to Gordonsville, VA in the Shenandoah Valley for five days, with no itinerary, agenda, or plans other than enjoy each others company. There was limited cell phone coverage, no internet, and no distractions. We stayed in a cabin with a full kitchen, two bedrooms, and lots of cable. We cooked in for most meals, Connor slept on his own in a big boy bed, and we explored the amenities the resort had to offer (think Dirty Dancing type old-school mountain resort off season). This included a playground (Connor's favorite), horse and pony rides, an indoor pool, RC cars, a tractor pulled hayride, and trails in the woods. The weather was cold, but we bundled up to play outside. We did venture one afternoon into Charlottesville and went to a kids museum, which was a big hit. We knew this would be the most peace and quiet we could find before the craziness of the upcoming months!
We went to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving to eat turkey with Scott's dad. Scott's mom was in Hawaii with Mandy, and would be there until just before Christmas. There was snow on the ground and we bought Connor real snowpants and boots, which made all the difference in the world when he went out to play. He loves to run around outside, any type of weather, and loved throwing snowballs for Sebastian to catch. The day after Thanksgiving, we went to Lakemont Park in Altoona to see the Christmas Light Display (where you drive through) and there we got the first hint that Connor would love EVERYTHING related to christmas. Scott's Mom had put up the Christmas tree before she left for Hawaii, and each morning Connor wanted to turn the tree lights on! We knew we'd be in for a lot of fun during the Christmas season!
In the midst of all the Christmas festivities, we had two stressors that we needed to take care of before the arrival of our newest little one. Getting the nursery ready was a big priority- we decided on yellow, picked a few paint chips and then let Connor pick out his favorite:) We had a second crib, courtesy of the Patillos, our friends and old neighbors, so we did not have to try to switch Connor to a big boy bed yet... we'll save that fun for another day. This was more difficult than should have been, because the room was still full of boxes from our move... as soon as we cleaned them out, we took out all the Christmas decorations, which filled the entire room. Decorating for Christmas was an adventure this year in our new house, figuring out where and what we wanted to put out. With more yard than ever and a toddler to impress, Scott went all out to decorate the yard. We aren't sure how it went over with our neighbors...its a small neighborhood and most folks only had white lights and wreaths for decorations.
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Less fun was the need for Margot to take a national PA recertifying exam...very similar to the exam taken right out of school. In order to keep practicing as a Physician Assistant, you have to pass a recertifying exam every 5 to 6 years. Its hard to believe its already been over 5 years since finishing school. The exam is very generalized over the full range of medicine, so working in a subspecialty like GI Oncology is a bit of a disadvantage. Margot tried to start studying in mid November, but was unable to spend much time studying with all the other excitement of the holiday season. She took the 6 hr exam the week before her scheduled C-section...although it didn't feel good at the time, we did find out a couple of days after Mannix's birth that she did in fact PASS! So, we won't have to worry about it again for another 5 to 6 years!
Christmas deserves a post of its own, so we'll save it for another day, but suffice it to say Connor LOVED Christmas! And before it was all over, Connor started saying Ho Ho every time he saw a Santa:)
On a more sad note, as you may or may not have heard, over the Christmas season, the O'Neill Zoo had to say goodbye to two beloved pets.
Eddie Lovebug Mahon came into Margot's life during her last year of college, in 1998. He was a stray cat, but according to the vet, had clearly belonged to someone and for whatever reason, was looking for a new home...and found Margot. Despite lots of random medical scares and close calls, he was always one of the most snuggable and loveable cat. Many naps were taken together for no other reason than Eddie wanted to snuggle. He was seriously and mysteriously ill seven years ago and we almost said goodbye, until he made a miraculous overnight recovery after eating some canned tuna! A couple years later, he fell off the balcony of our apartment on the third floor and was missing for a few hours. We're still not sure how he survived without getting hurt, but were so surprised when he wandered home acting like he hadn't eaten in days! He always loved eating and his favorite part of the day was getting wet food in the morning. He was not fond of other animals, until meeting Shadow when she was a kitten only a few weeks old. He then adapted well when Scott and Margot moved in together, creating the Zoo with Margot's two cats and Scott's two dogs and a bird. Eddie spent his last few months living outside (and in the garage) which he truly enjoyed and even caught a few moles. He would come running when we get home and Connor would look for him and call out for him by name- the only pet whose name he knew. We noticed one day he was not finishing his wet food, and over the next week he became less interested in eating, more lethargic and began to have labored breathing. After a trip to the vet, who said he had lots of fluid build up in his abdomen and around his lungs, likely due to some type of cancer. We chose to take him home for a few more days and then said goodbye on the Saturday before Christmas. Eddie Lovebug will be missed!
Chisum "Chi-Chi" O'Neill, the older of Scott's Weimaraners at 12 1/2 yrs old, was lucky to been rescued by Scott over ten years ago, from a bad home situation. He was malnourished and likely had been abused, but flourished under Scott's care. Typical of Weim's, Chi-Chi had many neuroses that we dealt with over the years- destroying furniture, drinking out of dirty toilets, and eating blankets. He took to Margot and always slept next to her at night and followed her around the house, even to the bathroom. Scott always said " You'll miss that one day when he's not here anymore", and he was right! Many months ago Chi-Chi had an episode of seizures one night when we returned from a trip. The vet said the most likely cause was a brain tumor, as his electrolytes were more normal than usual, and he had returned to normal. The Sunday after Christmas, to our dismay, Chi-Chi unexpectedly collapsed after dinner and became very uncoordinated. We spent the night holding him, hoping for a miracle, but by morning it was clear he was suffering and we knew we had to say goodbye. It seemed so unfair to lose two pets in two weeks, but we hope they are together in a happy place. When we moved to this house, where we hope to stay long term and raise our family, we planned to have an area for pets, but never thought it would be so soon. Our hearts are saddened, the other pets are depressed, and life and routine is different, but we will remember them fondly and cherish the unconditional love they gave us. The O'Neill Zoo will miss Eddie and Chi-Chi!
"Cats are not our whole lives, but they make our lives whole."
"Life Is Good. Pets Make It Great!"
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