1) Dog Update, 2) Cecilia is Crazy

1) So it turns out that our dog DOES have the disease the vets suspected. Addison's disease. Luckily she was able to pull through her body trying to shut down on her with the aid of meds and fluids and now she should be good to go. She will be getting pills twice a day for the rest of her life, but she shouldn't get sick from this again as long as we don't miss any doses. I need to come up with a system to remember! So far I have reminders on my phone set, but I might need to physically write down when I do it so that I can be 100% sure. So that is that!

2) Last night Cecilia REALLY didn't want to be in her crib so she got on her tip toes, jumped a little and flipped herself right out. I was right there and saw it happen, but it was dark so it was hard to see. And I couldn't believe what I was seeing so that just added to the confusion. One second she was there and the next I see her diving for the ground. She basically landed on the back of her head/back/butt. I was so afraid to touch her for fear she broke her neck, but she popped up right away and came into my arms. Since she stopped crying within about a minute I figured she escaped uninjured somehow. She slept with us in our bed last night because we didn't know what else to do, and this morning I monkeyed around with her crib so that the bars now go up to her chin. If she really tried to climb out, I'm sure she could but she won't be able to just topple out like she did last night. So right now, I am glued to the video monitor because after a 30 minute nap she woke up crying. 30 minutes is unacceptable so I'm trying to let her cry herself back to sleep, but I'm worried she is going to somehow manage to escape again....

Gooooood times.

Our other girl

Our dog, Elliot, has a history of annoying me. Mostly she has annoyed me over the years with her food stealing. If you leave out something edible, or something that smells like it might be edible, she is probably going to eat it. It has driven me crazy over the years.

But she is a nice dog. I never worry about her with the kids. And she's quiet; she doesn't bark much. And she flips her bowl when she's hungry or out of water. She sneaks on the couch after we've gone to bed because we don't usually let her on it during the day. She often jumps on the bed after Bryan leaves in the morning to enjoy his warm spot. She always greets people at the back door with something, anything, in her mouth. She only bothers Bryan in the middle of the night if she has to go out (score extra on that one). She has a special sound she makes when she sees a deer in the yard. She helped us rid our roof of raccoons by alerting us when they were out of their nest so we could go out and block it before they could get back in. She earns her keep by cleaning up after the kids (brooms are for suckers if you ask me). She's a good girl.

So it kills me when she is not well. And today she is not well. She is at the animal hospital getting fluids because she wouldn't eat or drink for more than 2 days and was severely dehydrated. She is still in a "critical" state, but we are hopeful for a full recovery. They think she has Addison's disease based on all the symptoms she is having now as well as all the weird things that have been going on over the past few months (originally the vet thought maybe arthritis). We should find out soon whether she for sure has this disease, which is treatable but not curable. As long as she makes it through the night and survives this "crisis" as it's formally called, she should be okay.

Long effing day today. Say some doggie prayers for her!!

Family Photos 2013

Ever since I started taking photos of other people's families, I've really, really wanted to get some done of my own family. I contacted a handful of other photographers, but either we couldn't get our schedules to work or I couldn't justify the price (obviously I value photography, but $900? Good for you, but I'm not your ideal client I guess!). So I took matters into my own hands. I set my camera how I wanted it, told my sister where to stand, and she snapped away. I did a little bit of editing to my favorites from the bunch and I'm really happy with the results! Thanks, Al :)

Simon was busy finding a home for a bug and Allison caught me yelling to him. Hahaha!

Bryan just ran a marathon the day before and was in a little bit of pain still....

So you may or may not know that a little over 2 weeks before the aforementioned marathon, Bryan sprained his ankle. These next 2 photos were taken just seconds after I STEPPED ON HIS FOOT. Ooops.

He's not over what I did to him. But I love this picture :)

Cling Monster

On a normal day, I can tell you that I HATE LOATHE DESPISE when Cecilia gets clingy. I'm all about snuggling, but on days when she has to be in my arms or on my lap ALL. DAY. LONG. I get super crabby about it. So when she is being a cling monster when I'm not feeling well, I hate it even more. Currently she is on my lap because she is refusing to be put down. I could scream. My head hurts, my stomach is queasy and I'm exhausted despite getting 12 hours of sleep last night.

So we are off to a super crabby, long day. As with all things, though, this too shall pass. Nap time will be here before you know it...please, please, please Cecilia take a decent nap today!

Yesterday was a better day....at least until I took the syrup out of her reach at which point we had some drama: