Texas Lady

Only puppies can get this relaxed, right?  Well, here is our “big boy” taking a siesta, still doing well and growing like a weed.  Eyes open now, beginning to eat soft food and learning to play with the big dogs.  He is very intelligent and picks up things from the other dogs immediately.  It amazes me on a daily basis how fast he learns, grows and changes.  We love him to death but he really hasn’t developed much of a singular personality yet, so no names have stuck.  Most often I call him “momma’s big boy” and he comes running.  No self-respecting grown dog would be caught dead with that moniker.  I called him Bear-Bear at the beginning just to have a label, but after a few days it was just baby-talk and senseless drivel.  Then, Ronnie started calling him Little Bear but that didn’t stick either (though I liked that better).  Then, it was Zeus because he sure rules this house like he’s the chief god in the universe.  But that hasn’t really stuck either.  We’ll give it some time; all we’re really sure of right now is that he’s going to be a big boy.  At 28 days old, he already weighs 7 pounds and is bigger than my full-grown Chihuahuas.  If he grows to fit his feet…you’ve heard that one before.  I read tonight that I’m supposed to slow down the amount of liquids he gets now.  I’m so glad because right now he is a 4-legged urine machine.  We keep a mop on standby at all times and are going through puppy pads by the dozen.  And we won’t even go into the other production.

I have a couple of friends/family who have fallen in love with him, so he has possible furever homes in the making.  It’s going to be hard to give him up after doing this 24/7 mother thing for a couple of months.  It’s going to be like giving up a child.  I’ve been joking that the only one that could possibly qualify to adopt him would be the President of the U.S. or God………we’ll give it some time and go from there……

Today, Jackson found his furever home.  When the gentleman walked in the door, Jackson jumped up on him to be picked up.  The guy scooped him up and Jackson simply relaxed in his arms like he’d been there forever.  I heard from them tonight and they already love him!! (their exclamation marks, too!).  I’m so glad; I was beginning to worry that he wouldn’t find a good home and he’s such a sweet baby.  He deserves happiness and I think his new family will provide that for him.  Yay!!!!!!!!! (my exclamations but I’m very, very happy)

OMG!  Have you ever seen anything so damned cute?  We got him Monday.  He was 8 days old, 2 pounds, eyes aren’t even open yet.  Of course, he’s being fed with a bottle every 4 hours but getting stronger every day and very brave.  I don’t think he even knows yet that there are things out there that can hurt him.  We’re doing our best to keep him safe and healthy.  Today his little eyes are opening; I don’t think he can see anything but shadows but he’s cute with the little shiny eyes peeking out.  They were going to euthanize him at the shelter because his mom had stopped feeding him and none of the other kennel mothers would feed him either.  The staff was having to bottle feed him and there’s just not enough people there to sit with a tiny baby animal 24/7.  Well, they don’t have to worry about it now.  I’m calling him Bear-Bear for now just because he looks like a little teddy bear you’d buy in the store.  When he develops some personality we’ll change it.  I’m taking YouTube videos and posting them on Facebook every day.  Being off on sick leave has some benefits.  I’d never be able to do this and work shift work.

Of the pain pills, that is.  I’m down to a couple during the day and maybe 1 at night, maybe none.  It’s better all the time.  I’m walking on both my legs, still part of the time with the walker, part of the time with the cane.  Have only been out of the house once all weekend though, so I haven’t exactly been pushing it. 

I have blood work scheduled for 8 AM again, so will be up and moving early tomorrow.  Then Tuesday the contractor comes to get the measurements for the new pet door.  Ronnie decided to keep Bandit so we’ve got to make the house Bandit-friendly now.  Poor baby has been squeezing in and out of the itty-bitty dog door since the first part of December, but now he’s almost at 20 pounds and won’t be able to squeeze for much longer without hurting himself.  He’s such a sweet baby though; I’m glad Ronnie decided to keep him.  I hated to see him go, too, and knew that I would be in tears when he did walk out the door with someone new.  Ronnie had someone coming to get him but I think the closer the time got, the more it hurt.  I’m glad.  I think he’s going to be a welcome addition to the Lindsey family.  Now I just have to talk myself into finding homes for Jackson and Mimi…….yeah, right.

Hope you all have a wonderful week.  I’ll get back when I get another chance.  Love……..Cheri

In a few minutes I get to go to bed and lay on my side…either of them, actually.  Since I’m not a “back” sleeper the past couple of weeks have begun to wear me down.  I’m beginning to feel like my tail bone is shaking hands with the bed springs.  Today I went for my first post-op doctor’s appointment and my surgeon’s PA has okayed sleeping on my side again.  OMG, I can only imagine what that will feel like.  Prior to my surgery every sleeping position hurt.  Post-op I’ve been okay most nights pain-wise by sleeping on my back.  Tonight I’m looking forward to rolling up in a little ball on my side, curling around my 4 pound Chihuahua, Dusty, and sleeping pain-free for the first time in several years (15, I think).  Oh, joy!

The last time I posted I couldn’t upload a picture of my new recup outfit.  Just figured out that it was because this program is not compatible with Internet Explorer 9 RC.  After I uninstalled it, Blogger works perfectly again.  Live and learn. 

Will try to upload some more tomorrow.  Good night, All.

Home a week today and feeling better all the time, thankfully.  The uniform isn’t so lovely but it’s been nice to have lots of “pajama” days.  The stress level is much better this way, too.  I think I actually may try clothes later today and take Ronnie out to eat.  I know he has to be tired of bringing in fast food for us every day.  The past two days I’ve done some walking without the walker and it works okay as long as I take it slowly, get up slowly and make sure my feet are “under me”, then shuffle away whatever few steps I need to make from room to room.  I’m sure it doesn’t look any part of graceful, but who cares?

Well, that’s a little dramatic but in a few minutes I can no longer have anything to eat or drink.  I’m having surgery in the morning so the cutoff is midnight.  I’ll miss my Diet Coke.

I made a few lists about a week ago so I would be sure to get everything done before going under the knife.  I almost got it all done.  There is still some laundry to do and I didn’t get the water in the fishtank changed out.  Why do I feel like I’ve failed when I accomplished so much?  Just because I didn’t have time to do the last couple of things.  The typical cry of women everywhere.  If only…  There’s just too many lists and not enough hours in the day.  It’s not my fault, it’s Father Time’s fault.  Yeah….that sounds good.

I’m the only two-legged person still stirring in our house.  I should also be in bed, but I have to get up at 3 A.M.  Why even try to sleep?  I have so much in my head that I don’t feel the slightest bit sleepy even though I KNOW I should TRY to sleep.  I’m going to just go with the flow and not stress over whether I should or should not sleep.  See what I mean about all the stuff in my head?  I think it’s just that I’m a little shaky about getting put to sleep and waking up with a ceramic hip.  I mean, for 59 years I’ve been hanging around with the same old calcium bony thing.  Am I cheating my hip out of life?  Or has it already done me wrong?  I mean it’s been hurting me for about 15 years now and made my life fairly miserable.  Doesn’t that give me cause to hate it and to throw it away?  Yeah, I guess, but if we threw away everything that caused us pain no one would ever have a marriage that lasted or children that lived.  So pain can’t be the only reason to part with a body part.  Look at all the elderly folks who’ve lived with pain the biggest part of their adult lives.  Most of them still have all their original parts; they never threw them away….but they’re still in pain.  Oh, yeah, that’s why I’m doing this, so I won’t be in pain the rest of my adult life.  And so I can walk again without a limp.  And so I can walk my poor little doggies around the subdivision again.  I wonder why they think I stopped.  I hope they don’t think it’s because I didn’t want to.  I wonder if they think of those things.

One of the things I’m really looking forward to post-op is being able to walk the dogs again.  They love it so, and I could use the exercise myself.  And I could use the sunshine since I have a vitamin D deficiency.  (Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin!)  And I’ll be able to go shopping and not have to look for every bench, or to hurry the grandkids along so I can sit in the car.  And I’ll be able to buy groceries and take my time instead of hurrying or not buying everything I need at one time.  And I’ll be able to do things with Ronnie (go to the park, watch the sunsets together, etc.) like we used to do.  I’ll never be able to run again like I did when I was young.  And I’ll never jump rope, slide down a slide, parachute from a plane or square-dance.  But when’s the last time I’ve done those things anyway?  (Parachute from a plane?  Where’d I come up with that from?  Grabbing straws, are we?)

It all boils down to just being able to move again without pain, no limp, no handicap sticker.  Just a healthy happy SSP (sorta senior person).  Senior starts at the age of 60 (I know because my favorite husband is a Senior and I’m having a ball teasing him about it).  As a senior we get discounted meals at some local restaurants.  Ronnie says no thank you, he wants the entire portion, thank you very much!  He’s not ready to get the child’s plate yet.

Mimi got spayed yesterday and is still shaky but her tail is wagging again so with the help of a few more pain pills I think she’ll be just fine.  Gypsy got one of her baby teeth pulled, the only one that still existed.  I didn’t know until Friday that any of them still existed.  But she’s doing fine, too, back to griping at the other dogs and licking my face so I don’t think her mouth is too sore.  I stopped giving her pain pills; they won’t cure bitchiness.  If they would, think of the change possible in me after being on Vicodin since 2008……too bad.

Number 7 in our household and we’re on hold until after my surgery.  I took four of them to the vet today.  I don’t know which of us was happier to get home and relax!  All got shots, one scheduled to be spayed next week and one needs a puppy tooth pulled, also next week.  Then I won’t have to go back until next month when Bandit gets the last of his shots and gets neutered.  Hopefully by then I’ll be driving and it won’t be an issue.  Poor baby gets car sick.  Usually he just drools but today he was in the car so long (I took a wrong turn) that just as we pulled into the driveway he chucked his entire lunch.  Everyone (except me, who could use a break right now) is sleeping.  All I can hear is their light snoring and the fan on my laptop.  This sure doesn’t happen often; guess I wore them out.  Sure wore me out!

Is this a face only a mother could love?  Well, I guess that’s me then.  Poor baby.  No teeth, 13 years old, tiny and scared to death.  Meet Jamie.  I put a hold on her tonight; will find out tomorrow if we get her  Not that we NEED another one but I can’t let them euthanize her when she still has her senior years left to enjoy.  I don’t have any idea what her life has been like before but she’s still alive at 13 and she’s heartworm negative, so I’d think someone has loved her for a long time.  Now we’ll love her the rest of her years.

I had my nuclear stress test today.  It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be but I sure am glad it’s over.  It could have been worse but the employees at the clinic made the day not only bearable but pleasant.  I was stressed in more ways than one but it’s done.  They’re going to call me Tuesday with the results.  Only one more item in my preop checklist so it’s almost over.  Thanks Gods!!  I only have 6 more days to work and a meeting to attend one day.  That doesn’t sound so bad.

Update 1/20/11: The shelter called me today about Jamie.  Seems there was a lady there who really, really wanted her so they asked me how interested I was in getting her.  I told them I was just going to help her (as usual) but if the lady was going to adopt Jamie then by all means to let her go.  I know I’d want someone to step aside if I just fell in love with a pooch and it’s easy to fall for this one!  Sometimes you just have to step aside and let Life happen.  I wish Jamie well, and the other lady who loves her, too.

Bonnie and Aidan both left home today, hopefully for greener pastures.  Their new owners seemed happy but it sure is quiet in here!  I did cry when Aiden left; I knew I would but I think his new daddy will be good for him.  His son has cerebral palsy, is in a wheelchair and loves dogs.  His dog has passed away and he’s been wanting another.  I’m glad we could accomodate him.  Hope it works out.  We sent Aidan out in a crate so he would have a safe place to go to when he gets scared.  Hope it helps.  I miss him.  Bonnie went gladly with her new daddy; she seemed like she’d been waiting for him.  Tail wagging and hopefull eyes was all I saw when he walked in the door.  That was a good sign.

Ronnie has already crashed even though it’s only 7 P.M. and I’m thinking that I might follow suit soon.  I am tired and it’s been a long day.  I spent most of the day getting my pre-op appointments taken care of.  Still have 2 more days of it then all the prep work will be completed.  It’s such a pain to sit in doctors’ offices all day waiting to get called in.  I hate that they think their time is more valuable than ours.  Won’t do much good to bitch; they’d just say to find another doctor and I really, really want this particular surgeon on my case so I just sucked it up and endured the crap of dealing with his office staff.  The things we do to get what we want!  Whine.  Whine.  Whine.