Fall Family Vacation

This past week, we took a much-needed family vacation to, (where else?) Walt Disney World. We started driving on Friday morning and arrived at our hotel in Orlando sometime on Saturday evening. (I don't remember the time...we had all just been in the van too long!) We got a good night's sleep and then began the vacation in the Magic Kingdom, as is tradition.

Above is a picture of Cinderella's castle as viewed from main street.

This picture is of the same castle from a side view. The flowers and gardens in Disney world are beautiful year-round and the day was pretty spectacular too.


The picture above was taken as we walked through the ticket booths. Up above the main walkway is the railroad station and apparently the characters ride in on the train first thing in the morning to greet the early birds who are there at the park's opening. (I've been quite a few times now, but I've never seen the characters ride in before. There were more, but I won't bore you with all of them!)

After having our bags inspected, our tickets and finger prints scanned and fighting the masses of humanity, we headed straight for every child's favorite ride...DUMBO! Here is one of the many rides Emily took with various members of our family, this time with Daddy.

And finally, the picture above is of Emily donning her 3-D glasses just before Mickey's Philharmagic show. She really didn't know what to think of it, but it was more fun for us to watch Em react to what she was seeing.

Fall Photo Shoot

Today was such a perfectly beautiful fall day that I decided to try out my still-new camera and take some pictures of my favorite subject....Emily!

The first photo is Em standing at one of the railings along the trail by the local river. I thought the bright yellow tree would make a nice backdrop. Em picked the pose.

Below is Miss Em throwing tiny red maple leaves. She had no problem doing this over and over to "get" the shot!

Now we are a little closer to the river and playing hide-and-seek with the tree.

Our little "tree-hugger". (No, not that kind!) She's much sweeter.

And finally, gazing out over the river. I had planned on taking lots more pictures, but unfortunately, the battery in my camera gave out at just the wrong time. Oh well...there will be other days....

Pumpkin Patch Time!

Saturday was a beautiful day, more like Indian summer than Indiana fall, so we headed out for some family fall fun.

We started the day with a treat...breakfast at McDonalds. After briefly thinking I might have won the $100,000 grand Monopoly prize, I recovered from my disappointment and we headed to a local pumpkin patch. Em was supposed to go with her class next week, but as it turns out, that will conflict with our much-anticipated trip to Disney World with Pa and "Bammaw". So being the fantastic parents that we are, we took Emily ourselves.

Below is a picture of Em inside the barn where there were animals to look see.

Next we have Miss Emily pointing us in the correct direction in the corn maze.

And below, Emily is marking her card after finding one of the farm animal markers in the maze.

Next up is Emily, hiding in the corn. She's a cutie, I know!

And finally, after much deliberation, we have a pumpkin!

Thoughts on the Election and Some Suggestions for McCain

I am fed up. I am frustrated. I am mad as heck and I don't want to take it anymore. I almost want to run for president myself.

I haven't commented much about the election this year, not because it doesn't interest me, but rather because it infuriates me and I'm certain it poses a health risk in the form of too much stress and high blood pressure. That being said, I've held my tongue long enough and I need to vent.

For the record, I will vote Republican. I will cast a vote for Palin/McCain (order intended). But I am almost ready to say I'm as done with the Republicans as the Democrats. Both parties are so messed up and wrong on so many issues that the majority of Republicans no longer represent me. I think it's bad enough that I am done calling myself a Republican and ready to just label myself as Conservative, because apparently the current Senate and House Repubs (with a very few excluded) do not believe in being both.

Now, before I go on, let me publically state that I could not be prouder of Indiana Republican Congressman Mike Pence. I wish I lived in his district so he could represent me. I wish I could cast my vote for him. He GETS IT. He understands what we are up against. He stands, solidly, for conservative values and principles, he votes for them and he is not afraid to rock the boat. Talk about a true maverick! In fact, I inted to write him a letter, thanking him for his service to our country and for the people of Indiana and maybe even begging (I mean, asking) him to consider a run for the presidency.

That being said, if I had to write a letter to Dick Lugar, Indiana's "esteemed" Republican senior Senator, I would beg him to step down ASAP. I would also like to send that kind of letter to most of the current Congress. That, of course, includes John McCain.

And herein lies my biggest frustration. I will happily admit that I was never a fan of McCain. I never wanted him to be the Republican candidate for President. But I also knew that this election was far too important to risk voting for a better candidate who had no chance of beating the Democrat nominee.

Now I'm not certain there's a great deal of difference on a good many issues between the two parties. It's that bad. On the other hand, I do recognize that McCain is right on a few absolutely essential, must-win issues such as the right to life, the war on terror and judicial nominations. It is these three issues that make McCain worth my vote. And yours. Even if we have to grit our teeth, hold our tongue and bit our lip while we pull the level or fill in the ballot. It's that important.

So now that all of that "stuff" is out of the way, I need to vent. I am absolutely furious at John McCain. I hate that he voted for the bailout bill the first time. I am livid that he voted for it, now loaded with PORK, the second time. I am beyond livid that he ignored the will of the people and did whatever the heck he wanted, the consequences be....well, you know. I am so utterly sick of hearing that McCain is a "maverick". Since when is going along with the crowd, riding the fence and "reaching across party aisles" being a maverick? Since when is refusing to be partisan being a maverick? Anyone?? McCain is nothing more than a moderate on MOST issues and that irritates me to no end. He's nothing new in Washington. He isn't an outsider...he's an insider just like virtually all of the current Congressional leaders.

I could not attend one his rallies or town hall meetings without being disgusted. No, it wouldn't be disgust at what he said, but rather, what he stubbornly refuses to say. McCain has had so many perfect opportunities to to knock out Obama and Biden, but he is determined to, in his mind, "play nice" to the extent that it may very well lose him the election. Can somebody explain to me what is wrong with being "partisan"? How about what is evil or nasty about telling the truth about an opponent, particularly when the opponent's own words can be used to hammer home the point?

And so now, I addrees you,Sen. McCain. Your base (who you obviously either don't recognize or studiously ignore) WANT you to be partisan. We are literally BEGGING you to take off the gloves, and start an all out war against Obama. Telling the truth about Barack Obama is not wrong or partisan or nasty...it is your job and duty to the American people. The truth needs to be heard and repeated and shouted at every opportunity from you and your campaign every minute of every hour until every vote has been counted. Talk about Obama's association with Jeremiah Wright, William Ayers, ACORN and so on until every American who has a television or radio or newspaper knows who the real Barack Obama is. And if you won't do it, then let Sarah Palin attack. Something tells me she won't hesitate. Don't just sit there and assume that being nice and having an honorable war record will win you this election. I'm only one person. I'm only one vote. I will tell anyone who cares why I will cast my vote for your party, but now it's your turn to get out there and fight for this election, fight for your base, fight for your principles and fight for the future of this country. The other side is fighting tooth and nail...and so must you.

First Field Trip - The Apple Orchard

About a week ago, Emily and I went on her first-ever official school field trip. It was rather disorganized, but I think Em enjoyed herself, even though she had had 3 vaccinations and the flu mist the day before, had a huge welt on her thigh from the DTap vax, and would throw up at school the next day. (Our life is rarely boring!)

Below is Emily picking her very first apple. She didn't really want to pick the green ones, but she just couldn't wait until we walked all the way back to the red section.

Below, we have Em playing a bit of hide-and-seek for the camera.

Em, proudly displaying one of her red apples while wearing her apple shirt and matching apple jeans that her Aunt Kathy bought for her. (It just seemed appropriate...)

A self-portrait of Emily and Mom. Not great, but still, a memory. (Ignore the "boohind" of some other person that appears to be sticking out of my head!)

And finally, what to do with a grocery bag full of somewhat ripe apples that you purchased for a whole dollar? Make home-made apple pie, of course! (Is there really any other answer?) Emily helped me make the pie, but then never wanted to eat any of it, so Andrew and I had a delightful late-night treat of apple pie a la mode for quite a few days! (It was even better than it looks.)

School Days

This was the first day of school (speech therapy) last year. Emily was almost 3 years old.

Below is the first day of school (actual pre-school) for 2008. Emily was a week away from being 4. Although she is standing on her toes a bit, notice the huge amount of growth from one year to the next. (The wreath on the door is the same.)

Here is Emily in her classroom on her birthday. She got to wear a special birthday crown and, being the wonderful mom that I am, she handed out homemade cupcakes with sprinkles to her 9 other classmates.


I stayed around to help on her birthday, so I took a couple pictures of the birthday girl in action with her classmates.

And below we have a picture of Emily's gym class. This particular day the class was playing with a parachute, making bean-bag frogs bounce up and down on the parachute. (Am I the only one who totally does not "get" the whole parachute thing?) Clearly however, Em enjoyed the activity.

So there you have it....the beginning of the 2008 school year in pictures!

The Cheeseburger, The Lobster and The Bailout

Imagine if you will that a man walks into a restaurant, sits at the table and opens a menu. He has $5.00 in his pocket...no more, no less. He sees a cheeseburger meal for $3.99 (I wish!). But he keeps looking at the menu and suddenly notices a huge lobster meal that costs $20.00. (Again, we're imagining here.) The man likes the lobster. He really, really wants the lobster. But he has a problem. He only has $5.00. He has no way of getting any more money. This is what he can spend on his meal. Yet that succulent lobster is calling his name. It's not just a meal, it's DINNER and it would be so nice. So the man (let's call him Bob) decides he must have the lobster.

Bob calls the Manager over to his table. He says, "Sir, the lobster looks wonderful. I really, really like lobster. I want it. I have enough money for the cheeseburger, but I don't want a cheeseburger. I want the lobster. I must have it, but I only have $5.00 and I won't be getting any more. What can you do for me?"

So the Manager, who is interested in making money, thinks for a moment and says, "Okay Bob, I'll cut you a deal. I know you only have $5.00. I know you won't be able to pay any more than that, but we'll worry about that later. Who knows, maybe sometime before you leave, you'll find the rest of the money, so I'll let you have the lobster for 30% off. You only have to pay $15.00. But if you don't pay that $15.00 before you leave, I'll have to take back your half-eaten (read: now worthless) lobster. Deal?"

And without worrying about what might happen later, Bob, who really wanted the lobster, but still had no way of paying for it, said, "Deal!"

Well sadly (and we all feel really bad for him), Bob could not pay for the lobster and before he had finished even a little bit of it, the waiter came back and took away the lobster that Bob really, really wanted, but knew he could not afford. The Manager then took all of Bob's $5.00 as payment and also took a hit because he did not make a profit (and perhaps even lost money) on the once-yummy lobster.

Now Bob and the restaurant Manager were sad and upset and even a little angry. How dare they not only not get what they both really wanted, but they both lost something in the process!

So both Bob and the Manager went to see the King. They both told their sad tales to the King (with a few tears, some screaming and lots and lots of panic). "Help us get out of this mess we've made!", they cried. And the King had a decision to make. He could either help the two men or he could let them suffer the consequences of their foolish decisions. If he helped them, then all the King's responsible Countrymen would have to pay more taxes, (which were already far too high) and they might even revolt and kill the King, but if he let them suffer the consequences, the restaurant might go out of business and Bob might go bankrupt.

What do you think the King should choose? I think the answer is obvious, don't you?

Now, of course, this is just an imaginary tale and I am admittedly not an economic genius. (I hate math!) But this is my understanding of the way the whole sub-prime mortgage lending/bailout crisis happened. This example seems silly, but isn't this what happened on a much larger scale? (someone please correct me if I'm way off base here) Why then, should I, as a responsible tax-payer and borrower, pay even more of my hard-earned money to fix this mess that irresponsible gamblers created?

And can someone else explain to me what is so bad about allowing the market to correct this mess as it is designed to do? Yes, companies will fail, times will be rough for many, but the free market would also root out the irresponsible lenders and be stronger for it, right?

Someone, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Our 4-Year Old

September 15th marked Emily's 4th birthday. It was a very rainy foul day outside, but Pa and Grandma and the three of us had a nice time celebrating on the Saturday before her B-day. Below is the birthday girl with her presents and balloons.

Here is Em with here Winnie the Pooh cake.

Em, displaying some of her new books. This kid is a reader....and we love the Charlie and Lola books!

Below are pictures from her actual birthday. Emily requested that we go to Hacienda for dinner, so we told the waitress that we wanted them to suprise her and sing to her. We knew they would make a big deal of her birthday and sing and clap and there would be a sombrero. They also brought balloons and ice cream. When they first started singing to her, she wasn't too sure about it, as you can see in this picture.

Em and Daddy...who looks oh-so-stylish in the sombrero!

In other, less interesting to most of you, news: Emily is 41.4 lbs. and a whopping 43.5 inches tall. She is still not registering on the growth charts for her age...as in, she is still taller than the average 5 year old.

More to come soon...check back!

Busy Week

Well, it's been a busy week and it's only Wednesday! So here's the quick update.

Em came down with a cold last Thursday. On Sunday, Andrew and I both woke up with sore throats and went to bed feeling worse. On Monday, I felt like I'd been hit by a Mac truck. Fever, chills, stuffy nose, cough, complete laryngitis...but the chills were the worst. It was also Em's first day at her new preschool. Let me tell you how excited I was to have to A.) get out of bed earlier than normal and B.) pretend to be excited about the first day of preschool, and then C.) chat with other preschool parents at the orientation. But I survived, even if I looked and felt like death warmed over. Later that day, I went to the doctor and now I am on antibiotics.

So far, Emily seems to enjoy her new preschool. It is actually regular preschool this year as opposed to speech therapy like last year. She seems happy, but then again, she's still not feeling 100% and it's only been 3 days. She will get to bring cupcakes to school on Monday since it will be her birthday. She's very excited about that!

In other news, Bella has received a clean bill of health after her near-death overdosing experience. Many anxious moments, prayers and expensive tests and treatments later, her kidney and liver function tests are all within the normal ranges. She truly is a very lucky dog.

This weekend, we are celebrating Emily's 4th birthday with extended family. In a stroke of incredibly bad luck, the kitchen set that we were planning on getting for Em (it had a regular kitchen on one side and an outdoor grill on the other) is no longer being carried by Toys r Us or anywhere else that I can find. (I discovered this yesterday). So I started asking Em if a kitchen without a grill would be okay too. The answer was an emphatic "NO". Surprise, surprise. I can still find it online, but I don't think it will arrive in time and that was our main gift. Still trying to figure out what to do about that.

So that's our life in a nutshell. Busy, sick and never a dull moment.

Where I've Been

Well, once again, it has been a while since I've last posted, so here's what has been happening in our lives of late...

Emily is finally back to walking normally. After 5 long days of stubborness, I finally resorted to threatening her with medical testing and wonder of wonders...she was miraculously healed! We have got our hands full with this little girl!

We had a busy week right after that, visiting Andrew's family for the weekend, visiting grandparents and proud uncles and then we came back home to discover the news that my 46 year old aunt had died unexpectedly. So the rest of the week was busy with travel preparations so that I could make it home to Delaware for the funeral on the weekend.

On Tuesday, I got a phone call asking me to play the piano for the funeral of a man from our church who had passed away. So then I scrambled to get music together for that, learn some new music and find someone to watch Miss Em while I played for the funeral on Thursday. Once that was accomplished, it was back to packing and getting everything ready for my flights on Friday.

Friday was a flurry of activity finishing laundry, packing, running last minute errands and finally checking in and waiting at the airport for my 5:15 flight. I said my goodbyes to Andrew and Em (who couldn't wait to get rid of me!) and then checked in at the gate where my carry-on bag was basically emptied because apparently I looked like a flight risk. Yeah, me. I boarded the puddle-jumper that would take me to Cincinnati and then just as we were ready to take off, got delayed for 45 minutes, just sitting on the runway. Airtravel is fun.

I made it to Cincinnati and then on to Baltimore with no problems, even a few minutes early, which was promptly negated by my hour long wait in the rental car line while one person tried to process 20 of us, only to discover that 2 other employees were enjoying their break. Finally, at 10:30 pm, I received my very first rental car (a Hyundai Sonata) and I drove out of the rental car lot around 11:00 pm. for the start of a 2-hour drive to my parent's home in Delaware. I got there at 1:00 am.

Saturday was filled with viewings and the funeral. The viewings began for family at 10:00, for the public at noon and the funeral at 3:00. It was busy the entire time. Aunt Jeannie was well loved by many and the funeral was a beautiful, but very emotional time. We don't mourn her, as we are certain that she is perfected in heaven, but she leaves behind a stunned family, a grieving husband and 15 year old daughter and a church family (my uncle is a pastor). To say that it was a tough time would be an understatement. We got back to mom and dad's around 7:00, totally exhausted.

Sunday, we went to church and then on to the graveside services that were private for the family. It was a little less emotional, but still a sad time. This was followed by a meal at Aunt Jeannie's parent's farm with family.

Sunday ended with a visit to my grandmother and then it was time for bed, since I would have to wake up at 5:15 in order to get on the road again by 6:00 am. A two hour ride and two flights later, I returned home to Andrew and Emily around 6:00 pm. (almost as long as it would have taken to drive, incidentally) and ready for bed.

To say it was busy and draining would be an understatement. So that's what I've been up to. I'm hoping for a much calmer week this week. Next week, Em starts her new preschool and then a week later turns 4....and life goes on.

How to Handle a Stubborn Child?

It will come as no suprise to my loyal few readers, but I have a very stubborn strong-willed little girl. While this trait can certainly be a good thing at times, it is not particularly endearing in a toddler on a day-to-day basis. It is tiring and exasperating and sometimes just too much to handle again. That's where we are today.

A little background...On Saturday afternoon, Emily was outside "helping" daddy mow the grass. She ran along the sidewalk to the front door and fell and scraped both knees. One was just a small scrape, the other was much bigger and covered most of her knee. It required a large bandage instead of a regular sized one. She cried a lot and we babied her quite a bit the rest of the day, not making her walk on it a lot, since we knew it had to hurt.

Well, suffice it to say that she has not walked since Sunday at church, and that was only because she had absolutely no other option. She knew we were going and she would have to walk and so she did. And she was perfectly fine, as are her knees.

We have tried absolutely everything...and I mean everything, to get her to walk, but she stubbornly refuses. It got to the point that she has skipped lunch for two days in a row now, both times because she refuses to obey me and go to the bathroom first. (I won't bore you with the details.) She has been spanked, she has had things taken away (no videos or games or interesting tv - I made her watch HGTV all day yesterday!) She has lied, promising to walk if she gets something she wants, but we caught on to that immediately and punished her accordingly. It's gotten ugly here and I frankly have no idea what else to do. She has thrown horrible temper tantrums and is just generally nasty to us and I'm beyond frustrated and ready to lose my temper. I know I can't, but I honestly don't know what else to do. I can't go anywhere or do anything because she will not walk and I am not willingly to take her somewhere to have a huge fit because I'm sure that on the day I try to force the issue in public, someone will surely try to turn me in for "child abuse" for trying to get my child to obey me and walk like a normal person. She currently "crab walks" which proves to me that her knees are just fine, since that is much harder on them than walking would be. She even goes upstairs that way and climbs on the furniture that way. It's beyond ridiculous and her stubborn attitude is even going beyond just the walking issue now.

I feel like we're a case for the "super nanny" show.

So, does anyone have any advice? I'm just worn down from fighting and I don't know what to do.

John Edwards: Just Another Moral Democrat

photo courtesy of Fox News

It has been confirmed...John Edwards did indeed have an affair, just as the "trashy" tabloid The National Enquirer first reported. He still maintains that he did not father the other woman's child, however, as though that fact alone condones his actions.

In 2007, the National Enquirer first broke the story about Edwards' affair, but Edwards vehemently denied the claims, saying, "The story is false,...It's completely untrue, ridiculous."

According to the AP/CBS news article, "He professed his love for his wife, Elizabeth, who had an incurable form of cancer, saying, 'I've been in love with the same woman for 30-plus years and as anybody who's been around us knows, she's an extraordinary human being, warm, loving, beautiful, sexy and as good a person as I have ever known. So the story's just false.' "

Yes, "honorable" Sen. Edwards, your story certainly was false. It was also hurtful to far more than just your family, although they will definitely suffer the most.

" 'Thousands of friends of the senators and his supporters have put their faith and confidence in him and he's let them down,' said Bonior, a former congressman. 'They've been betrayed by his action.' Asked whether the affair would damage Edwards' future aspirations in public service, Bonior replied: 'You can't lie in politics and expect to have people's confidence.' "

Oh really? I wonder if the "honorable" Sen. Ted Kennedy knows that? Or how about the "honorable" William Jefferson, Rep-D. of Louisiana? How about the "most honorable" William Jefferson Clinton and his esteemed wife and cohort, the "honorable" Sen. Hillary Clinton.?

These along with many other prominent democrats have continued to lie to the American public they are supposed to be serving and they continue to get away with it. There is no punishment, no damage to their careers or reputation, and most of all, no shame and dishonor. They are not torn apart by the mainstream media. In fact, their "mistakes" are often treated with kid gloves and the most that ever happens is a minor slap on the wrist.

It's disgusting and John Edwards, former democrat vice presidential candidateand Senator of the United States of America is just the lastest example of a group of morally bankrupt democrat politicians.

What a guy!

Quick Bella Update

Well, I think we should rename our dog to "Bella the Wonder-Dog". She is truly an amazingly strong dog. We had more bloodwork done on Monday to recheck her values after she had been off iv fluids and home for a few days. We got the results yesterday and they looked great. Her creatinine levels were normal (which is nothing short of miraculous) and she is not anemic of dehydrated. To look at her, you would never know she almost died a week ago. Our prayers were definitely answered.

She has finished up one medicine that was used to protect her stomach from ulcers, she has a couple more days to go on the other stomach med and then she will be on a kidney medicine indefinitely, more as a maintenance med than anything else. We can handle this. It is a little ironic, however, that the dog who willingly ate 95 ibuprofen tablets will not take her one pill, twice a day, even hidden in treats. Silly dog...but we love her!

Sunglasses Anyone?

Anyone need a super-cool pair of paper sunglasses, shown here on the unwilling model below?

I didn't think so.

The Toughest Dog I Know

Well, Bella came home today! The difference from Monday evening to today is phenomenal. We thought she might not make it, but now we are very hopeful. Her creatinine levels continued to fall from 3.8 yesterday to 2.5 today (1.6 is normal) and her BUN levels (I think they measure dehydration) had fallen from 60 yesterday to 23 today (25 is normal). Things definitely seem to be headed in the right direction.

Of course, keep in mind that today is the first day off her iv fluids too, so we have to keep a sharp (read: paranoid) eye on her over the next several days to make sure that she is still producing plenty of urine. So far, she is a champ at that. She is having trouble holding it, in fact. That will certainly be an unpleasant challenge, but hopefully it will be temporary. We just don't know yet.

We left the vet's office with two medications for her stomach (she has been bleeding some) and we still need to pick up one other medication for her kidneys which had to be ordered. We have special prescription diet food and more tests to be done on Monday to recheck kidney functions. All in all, she's home and we're happy and very paranoid.

Bella has definitely earned the title of "Toughest Dog I Know". She could have given up and we could have given up on her. The numbers certainly were not at all in her favor, especially the longer we went, but we all kept fighting and praying and loving her, and with the help and care of the vet and her staff, we still have our Bella girl.

And now, the pictures. The first one was taken on my cell phone on Saturday morning, less than 24 hours after she ate the Ibuprofen. She was laying on the floor of the emergency clinic because she couldn't stand for more than a minute or two. She couldn't even hold her head up or keep her tongue in her mouth. She was basically heavily intoxicated and nearly dead.

The picture below is from tonight. She is calmer than usual and pretty worn out. She definitely doesn't have the same energy level she used to, but we are seeing sparks of that old dog every so often. She even sparred with Puma the cat this evening.

Bella seems very hungry. She doesn't really like her new diet, but she's going to have to learn. She's been searching for other food all night, which worries me, since that's how she got into this predicament in the first place!

Here are the shaved spots on her two front legs from where the iv catheter was placed. Her paws are no longer swollen at all, but it's going to take a while for all the hair to grow back. This, oddly enough, is what concerned Emily the most, I suppose because she could actually see the damage.

Loving on my Bella girl...she's enjoying lots of attention, a new bed, many kisses and even a few gentle belly rubs (she still wants them, apparently!)

Bella, saying...."Enough with the camera, mom!"

Welcome home, sweet girl!

Update on Bella

Tonight's update will have to be quick because it's late and I'm tired.

We visited Bella twice today, once just Em and me and then again with Andrew. I was struck by how much more energetic she seemed today and she was full of kisses. She just seemed better. The swelling in her paw has gone down dramatically as well.

We also got some very encouraging news. Her creatinine (sp?) levels had gone down from a high of 4.2 to 3.8 this morning. The normal is around 1.6 I think. There's still a lot with which to be concerned, but this is the first drop we've seen. Her dehydration levels (I'm sure I'm not using the correct terms here) had dropped from around 100 down to 60 today, with 25 being in the normal range. She is still peeing and pooping, with some blood in her stool, indicating bleeding in her tummy. The vet is going to almost double her stomach protectant dose, start her on a new medicine which will create good bacteria to eat the bad bacteria produced by the kidneys. Hopefully it will all help. She is eating a little, but she doesn't really like her special diet. They have to bribe her with better food. (That's my girl!)

Bella is still on iv fluids, but the vet might try to use a smaller amount and see how she does tomorrow. There is the possibility that she will be able to come home tomorrow evening, but I just want to be sure that she is stable enough to be safe.

I pray that she is turning the corner towards recovery now. Last night was a really low point and a hard night for me. Today has been much better...may the good days continue.

Oh and on a sidenote...I went to the eye doctor today. I do indeed have a couple of infected glands on my eyelid, plus a definite allergic reaction, mostly in the same eye, to something. What, I don't know. So now I have new prescription eye drops to use 4 times a day, I'm stuck in my glasses for the next week until I return to the eye doc and I have some REALLY stylish paper sunglasses to sport since I had my pupils dilated.

Yes, I was a freak show today! I took a picture of myself with the nice sunglasses on my cell phone, but I couldn't see it to know how good/bad it was. I'll have to check before I can post that one!

Good night and keep praying.

Hope and Fear

Today we went to see Bella again. The vet has been great about communicating with us and encouraging us to come in and spend a little time with Bella. They think it helps her, and so do I. We got to actually spend about 10 minutes in a private room with her today, which was nicer. Her poor paws are so swollen from the iv catheters, but that's minor damage compared to what is still raging inside.

After bloodwork today, her red blood count is in the normal range, but her kidney values are still rising. It's possible that we are reaching the peak, but it's also possible that this is a worsening of her condition. Her temperature is low and her gums are pale (don't know if that's good or bad). She was still giving plenty of kisses and wagging her tail and she obviously wanted to come home with Emily and me. She is still on fluids and stilling urinating a lot, but the question now is, if we take her off the forced fluids, will her kidneys still work at all. The vet wanted to keep her again overnight and then run more bloodwork tomorrow morning. She said that the half-life of ibuprofen was about 5 days, which is basically where we are right now. This may be the worst or it may be the beginning of something more. We just don't know at this point and my heart is heavy. I'm not ready to give up on her and I don't think she's ready to give up either. She's fighting so very hard. I can't believe she's made it through this far.

So, if you are the praying type....pray hard for her kidneys to heal. The vet said that she will likely have permanent kidney problems, but we'll deal with that later. Besides, miracles still happen...I just pray that Bella is one of them.

Still Waiting and Hoping

Well, what to write? It's been a very, very long and worry-filled weekend. Lot's of ups and downs with Bella, lot's of running from one vet to another and filling out paperwork and transferring meds and lifting Bella in and out of the van. Add to the melee that Emily is really struggling with the idea that if she doesn't poop on the potty every single time she goes, she will be sick. She walks around with her hand covering her mouth (just in case) and is literally obsessed with the idea that she might be sick. She's also now worried that her food or drink might be "yucky" (because I told her that her hours -old chocolate milk would be yucky to drink) so she is becoming afraid to eat.

And just to add insult to injury, my right eyelid started swelling up this afternoon for no apparent reason. It isn't too bad, just annoying on top of everything else. Just what I need. Now I need to wear my glasses (which drive me nuts for long periods of time) and they don't like to stay up well.

Now for a Bella update....I picked her up at the weekend emergency clinic at 7:20 this morning. She definitely looked better. Her tongue is back where it belongs, which is to say, she was licking me a little bit. She seemed more steady on her feet, though one paw is very swollen, probably from the iv catheter. After getting her settled back at our vet, they ran bloodwork and said that her liver numbers were getting close to normal, which in and of itself is an absolute miracle. Her kidney numbers are still high/rising?. We thought before the bloodwork that she might be home tonight, but after seeing the kidney results, the vet decided to keep her another night and continue to give her more fluids. Hopefully they will do more bloodwork tomorrow morning and she will be given the all-clear to come home. We did get a chance to visit with her this afternoon for a few minutes. Andrew couldn't go because of work, but I took Em to kind of prepare her for how Bella might look. I think it did Bella some good because her tail started wagging pretty hard and she gave Em and me lots more kisses this morning. I guess she really does love the kid too, even though she's "my" dog.

So, we wait a little more.

UPDATE: My VERY Expensive Value Ibuprofen

So, I bought a value-pack of 200 mg. ibuprofen, where if I bought one 100-count bottle, I got a second one absolutely free. I probably paid around $3.00 for 200 pills. I pretty good deal, right?

Wrong.

A couple of days ago, I had a bad headache, much like a migraine. I had taken Excedrin first thing in the morning, but by noon, relief had not come, so I opened one of the bottles of ibuprofen and took two. No problem.

Fast forward to today...Em and I were celebrating her latest feat....she has finally done #2 on the potty!!!! So as a reward, I made today about her. She wanted to go to Burger King for lunch (and mostly to play in the play area). Then we visited a couple other stores.

Since it was 91 degrees and humid, I left Bella inside, knowing that she is usually fine on her own for a couple hours. We got home a few hours later and she had torn into a new package of diapers (that are now destroyed). They were old in that they were the wrong size, but I was planning on keeping them in case we ever get brave enough to try for a sibling for Em. Then I noticed a couple of bright orange stains on the carpet of animal origin....and then I found the two value bottles of ibuprofen in the middle of the living room.

Despite picking them up off the floor before we left and their childproof caps, one bottle (the one I'd already used) was ripped open and full of tooth marks...and only 3 pills remaining. By my calculation, that means that Bella must have eaten 95 pills or 19,000 mg of ibuprofen, thus explaining the orange stains.

So, one hour, one vet trip and nearly a whole bottle of cleaning solution later, my value-pack of ibuprofen has now cost me an estimated $750 (assuming that all goes well, which is still not certain). Bella will be staying at the animal hospital until at least Monday, maybe longer. She will be catheterized, iv'ed, charcoaled, tested, etc...and hopefully not much worse for the wear.

Calgon....take me away!!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE

Well, it's now 5:45 pm on Saturday and I spent the morning grocery shopping and transporting Bella to a different emergency clinic. She does not look good. When I dropped her off yesterday, she seemed fine other than the vomiting. Today is patently obvious that she is very, very sick. Her liver and kidneys are definitely being affected right now, leading us to believe that she must have just eaten the pills shortly before I got home yesterday. Maybe we got to her in time, but either way, she is extremely ill and the vet says it's just too soon to tell. She can barely walk more than a few feet at a time, her breathing is very labored, her tongue just hangs out of her mouth and she is peeing on herself all the time (this is a good thing though). Please pray if you think of it. Losing her would be terrible for all of us, but it would devestate Emily, not to mention probably terrify her.

Oh and did I mention that the earlier bill for the first vet was just the "intro to veterinary emergency medical costs"? You (and I) don't even want to know!

Why My Life is Better than Malott's

Yesterday, the staff over at Malott's Blog wrote a post entitled, "Why My Life is Better Than Yours". While Malott was busy bragging about his life, I was busy with this:

Yes folks, that is homemade vanilla ice cream...an entire gallon!

Above is the finished product of my very first attempt at making ice cream. I must say, with all due respect to Malott, if I have to choose between tomatoes and homemade ice cream...well, is there really even a choice there? Next to try....chocolate!

And finally, here is a creature whose life is quite possibly better than mine or Malott's. Lazy beast!