Wishing you a Happy 2008!

I can hardly believe that this will be the last entry for 2007. The year has flown by so quickly!!!! Guess that happens when you have a toddler running around. For those of you who did not recieve our Christmas update/card, I will use this last entry to catch you all up on our year. For those of you who recieved our letter, I am sorry for the duplication. Enjoy the pictures (will post them soon). 2007 was another blessed year for the Maravolo's. We watched M take her first steps, say her first word, celebrated her 1st birthday, etc, etc, etc. It is truely amazing to watch her grow up. If you can believe it, I have a hard time remembering how small she was when we brought her home. She has grown up into an amazing small person. She entertains us everyday with her new discoveries.

Our summer was busy with family and friends-my brother in law got married; a trip to NYC; a handful of trips to the lake...

Marissa as you know, scared us with a seizure, while we were in NYC. In November, she had ear tubes put in and we have been well since (knock on wood :) ).

Tony still works at Integra. He is playing indoor soccer and doing a few freelance design jobs on the side.

I am still working (full time) at Spectrum Health/Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in the Neonatal ICU. I still do transports (air and ground) and actually love what I do 90%of the time. As if I don't have enough to do, I have decided to turn a passion and hobby into a part time business (so I hope). I am working on setting up a small home photography studio. Nothing fancy, but hope that the extra money I earn will allow us to pay a few bills and take a few vacations. Yes, I am running again. Not much or too often, but I am running.

Dexter the cat and Wrigley the dog have not changed much. The cat is much lighter (weight) and the dog much heavier. Dexter is now about 10 pounds (what a normal cat should weight) and Wrigley is about 100-110#. The medicine he needs for his disease causes the extra weight gain. Please don't feel any pity. He is still a bright, happy and dumb dog, who is at your feet or tangled between your legs most of the time. Unfortunately, we love our pets. Too much a part of our family.

As I close our blog for the year. I hope that you and your family have had a wonderful holiday season, a wonderful year and will have a blessed and healthy 2008! Please visit our blog often and stay in close contact. We love emails and visits. Here's to 2008!!!!!

M's First Surgery

Marissa had her ear tubes put in on Friday morning. She did well. It took all of 10 minutes. They told us that it would take a better part of the day for her to return to normal from the anesthesia, but M, as usually, proved that wrong, being her old self before we got home. She had a full breakfast and was running around the house within an hour of us being home. We will have a follow up appointment before Thanksgiving. Many thanks to all of you for your well wishes and prayers!

Halloween

As you can tell, Marissa was Cookie Monster for Halloween. She loved being dresssed up. Kinda suprising, actually! Even though it was rainy, wet and cold (what halloween isn'), we went trick or treating at a few houses on our street. She wasn't too afraid of going up to doors, and even said "tank you" as we left. Then we went back to our house and handed out candy. She loved seeing all the kids and loved eating the candy even more.

Marissa's First Trip to NYC

                                                           M's first plane ride!

                                        I need my shades to hide from my fans!
                                       Tony, Patti and Marissa at Central Park
We recently returned from NYC to see my sister and her fiance. It was also M's first trip to the Big Apple. She tolerated the airplane ride about as well as any 16 month old would. Actually, she never sat still, back and forth between me and her daddy.

While in NYC, we went shopping, went to the Toys-R-Us in Times Square, and played in Central Park. M fell in love with a life size Dora the Explorer in Toys-R-Us!!! The second day we went to Central Park, we were having lunch at one of the park's entrance and Dustin Hoffman smiled at M. (I think he thought she was cute.)

Unfortunately, our wonderful vacation had to come to a screetching halt when Marissa woke us up at 5am on the morning we were to fly back to Chicago and home with a seizure. It was not only M's first trip to NYC, airplane ride, cab ride, etc., it also was her first ambulance ride. Luckly the doctors and nurses at New York-Presb Hospital were great! M had an ear infection and a temperature of 104 (not her highest). A day later, M was seen at the ER here in town for croup. Nonetheless, she is doing well now and is back to her old self! A terrifing moment, even for a NICU nurse!!!!!!

M is now 17 months and is a happy, active little girl. She keeps us very busy. She loves Dora the Explorer. NO....she is obsessed with Dora!!! And actually loves to mimic what mommy and daddy do. (Uh Oh!) For now, please enjoy the pictures! Hope you are enjoying the rest of the summer and the early fall.

Welcome to our blog

Greetings! I decided that it was time to fully immerse myself into the 21st century and utilize all that technology has to offer. And, perhaps, I will update the blog more often. (I know we are not very good at sending updates and pictures of Marissa.) Okay, enough about me. ..

Marissa is closing in on 14 months. She talks all the time and runs all over. She is a very busy girl, smart too. Perhaps, a little too smart. She loves the dog and the cat. She loves bubbles, balls, and watching daddy mow the lawn (she practically jumps out of her skin in excitement). She is also cutting the bottom 2 molars (lucky for us). I will update M's blog again soon. Hopefully with new pictures too! Hope you are having a great spring. We love and miss you all.
Hugs-Patti