Knock on wood!

I don't want to jinx anything....but the boys went 8 1/2 hrs between feedings last night! My sanity is beginning to be restored, hallelujah!
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Last week Carter took a trip to the ER since they had no available appointments on base, and he had blood in his stool. The docs think it's an allergy to the milk-based formula...which was weird to me that it would present after 7 weeks of use. So, now both boys are on Nutramigen (the expensive stuff), but they are sleeping better which is worth it.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day! The best gift came as we sat down for church and Sister Grey came over to say hi...and Cooper smiled! This is huge because this is the first time he has smiled while being awake. Carter is super smiley all the time, but up until almost 8 weeks all Cooper did while he was awake was cry (which has improved dramatically this week).

Cooper

Carter

The boys are now at the 50% at 2 months, and Carter is catching up to Cooper fast!

Carter is 11lbs 7oz, and Cooper is 12lbs 3oz
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We have been taking family walks around the newly paved park by my house when Eric gets off work. He will normally run a mile or two with Koa, to get some of his energy out b/c he LOVES to run, and then they will catch up with me walking while I finish. Yesterday was no different except Eric was especially sweaty so he decided to walk home instead of getting my cloth seats dirty (we live about 1/3 mile away from the park). When I got home Koa reluctantly got out of the car and about 5 feet from the front door he collapsed and started seizing. I grabbed him ran inside, screamed for Desiree to get the boys out of the car (Thanks Dez!), grabbed his Valium syringe and administered it (in the tooter), picked him back up and got in the car and headed to the vet.

He had a temperature over 105, and a "high" temp for a dog is 101-103, and by the time they got him to the back he was starting to have another seizure. They gave him cold IV fluids, and laid him on ice packs. They know me really well at this vet because of when Tyler died, so they let me come to the back after about 5 minutes and Koa already looked better and held still once I picked him up. I just cried b/c I felt like such a moron. It was 4pm and the temp was only 83 degrees, which he has ran in numerous times before. We offered him water at the water fountain every lap, but he only drank once...and he was pulling the entire time. They sent us home with is IV access so I could give him the Valium faster if he had another seizure, but all was quiet and we took it out this morning.

So, I'm retarded and gave my dog heat stroke. But, they did say I was smart to bring him in right away b/c he would have died otherwise.

So, lesson learned.

Where is the Love?

I think Koa has been feeling left out lately. When we first brought the boys home he took every chance he could to get in between us and the boys, but now he has began to accept them. He still insists on sitting on my lap whenever it is vacant, but he has began to do his part in caring for the boys.

keeping their boppys warm while they are being held.


making sure Carter is warm.


cleaning Cooper's face after a feeding.

He really has adjusted well, and I hope that eventually the boys will learn to love him as much as we do.

Happy early Valentine's Day!

Eric and I seem to have an Army mandated tradition, we are never together on Valentine's Day. Out of the 9 we've shared, only 2 have been in person. He was either deployed, TDY at a school, or for the past couple years he's been in the swamps with the Ranger students.

This year we were excited that he had the day off...until 4 days ago, and now he will be at work all day. So, we cashed in a $25 gift certificate to a local steak house and had an early dinner on Friday to celebrate. And...he loves his gift, can't you tell?Also, it snowed here in Florida! Can you believe it? It started as sleet in the early afternoon, then we had huge flakes for about an hour...then it stopped and all melted away before 6pm. It was funny driving around because people were standing on their porches in flip flops (or bare foot) and tank tops holding a video camera...the last time it snowed here was over 20 years ago. I did find out Koa is NOT a fan of snow, as shown in the picture below. He ran outside, then ran even faster back through the doggy door. But, if you look closely, you can see the snowflake on his back :o)
Happy Valentine's Day everyone, and I'll probably do another post after my appointment with the Perinatalogist on Tuesday...because bedrest is really boring and I don't have much else to talk about.

Not Again!

This morning I thought it was odd that Koa didn't jump out of bed the second he heard his kibble hit the bowl, but I chalked it up to the cold weather. But, as the morning went on he still hadn't eaten and was acting very lethargic.

He went outside to puke, which he actually does on a semi-regular basis, and came back inside and laid back down...but then he went back out the doggy door, and I watched him through the window. I knew something wasn't right and he started wobbling like he was drunk, then ended up laying down because he couldn't stand up. Eric ran outside to grab him and I immediately called the vet...in tears. We set up an appointment in 3 hours and I was praying he would be fine til then.

About 10 minutes later I took him out of Eric's arms and when I sat down with him his front legs stiffened and raised above his head and his eyes were fixated on the ceiling. I immediately handed him over to Eric and told him to get him in the car as I called the vet. I told them I had just called and we were headed there now because he was having a tonic seizure. These are different than what most people see on TV, there was no jerking but all his muscles stiffened and he seemed to look at us with a helpless stare...it was horrible.

When we pulled up to the vet, which thankfully is only about 4 blocks from my house, 2 techs were waiting outside and grabbed Koa from Eric. All I could do was cry and try to push back the thoughts of Tyler's seizure 18 months ago that ended in his passing the following day.

Koa came out of the seizure on his own, and was back to walking around normal within 10 minutes after we arrived. Of course his blood work came back normal, and the vet said that he is in the prime age group for idiopathic seizures (2-5yrs old) and phenobarbital is the best choice for treatment.

So, my Koa will be getting phenobarb twice a day for the rest of his life, and we go back in 30 days to check his therapeutic drug levels (for those that don't know what that is...every drug has a therapeutic range, where it is effective, which is detected in a blood draw. It is common with seizure & anti-depressant meds to take a few months to get the dosage within that therapeutic level).

We were also sent home with some Valium in pre-dosed syringes in case he has another seizure. I also asked the vet about his weight because we have been working on it diligently for the past 6 months, and he says he is at a good weight and he is fine to be back on regular food again.

What a day!! Other than my nerves being shot, everyone is doing fine. Eric and I were discussing the possibility that he has probably had seizures before, when we weren't home, since we've seen him act lethargic & have not touched his food. So, now we wait and hope that we'll be able to get his medication dosage to be effective, and no more seizures!

Personalize it!

I am a huge fan of making things your own (as in my ROCKIN' purse from Lynsie @ Wish Apon A Star Custom Crafts).

I finally got my camo onesies back from Heavenly Stitches here in Crestview, and they turned out so cute, I wanted to share! This is also where I had Kelsey's bachelorette t-shirts done, and my scrub jackets embroidered. They do AMAZING work, and the owner is a sweetheart!
Also, we received these adorable bath robes from Eric's brother Peter & his wife, Nicole.
Since getting back from NC, Eric has gone into overdrive with getting organized...and all around nesting ;o). We went through everything and organized it into sizes, and unpacked & put together the car seat.
He is so excited that he wanted to try out one of the infant carriers, and Koa was happy to oblige!

It only took 8 years!!

Most of you know about the awkward sleeping arrangement my husband and I have. He has lost a little bit of weight, which has helped his snoring a ton, but he also gravitates to the center of the bed...and I end up on the couch. Lately though, he has taken pity on me and has been the one to sleep on the couch.

When he re-enlisted last month, he also got a decent bonus. And, we knew this was our one chance to get the King-sized bed we so desperately needed. So, here it is:Eric didn't want a foot board, and this bed just happened to match the rest of our current set of furniture in the bedroom.

I'm LOVING the extra space, and so is Koa. He hopped up in bed with me Saturday morning when I came home from work and made his way underneath the covers. First he came to my side & did a couple turns, then he heads over towards Eric and makes a few more circles...only to end up back on my side trying to climb over me! I said, "Koa, what are you doing?" to which Eric grabbed him and replied, "but there's so much more room for activities!"

I laughed for about the next 10 minutes as we continued to make silly comments for Koa.

Oh, and I found out that the twins are being referred to as Eric's Fire Team. It started with Eric's 1st Sgt. referring to me as "[his] old lady carrying the fire team," and has spread throughout the rest of Battalion. You just have to love the Army!

My poor Koa...

Friday I noticed that Koa wasn't acting right & kind of crouched when he walked, so I told Eric to keep a close eye on him while I went to work that night. When Eric came to bring me dinner that night he said that Koa was definitely favoring his right front leg. This had me worried all night, and when I got home Saturday morning he was SUPER clingy and didn't want to put full pressure on his leg.

Thankfully I called the vet & they were able to squeeze me in for a 0915 appt. The vet said she was sure there was nothing broken, but he probably had a soft tissue injury & gave us some Rimadyl (which she said was a doggy NSAID, like motrin) and for him to take one a day.

So, as soon as I got home I gave him one and told Eric to watch him closely because I needed to get some sleep since I had to work that night. Thirty minutes later Eric comes into the bedroom with Koa in his arms & says he isn't acting right. He put Koa down and he couldn't walk straight and seemed completely out of it. I told him to get in the car and head to the vet & I'll call to let them know your coming.

I hurriedly got dressed and headed out shortly after and when I get in the room they said they are going to give him something to make him vomit & they'll be back with him in a few minutes. Immediately I was having flashbacks to last summer when I lost Tyler very unexpectedly, and fought to hold back the tears as we waited anxiously in that little room.

About 5 minutes later they brought a pitiful looking Koa back to us who continued to throw up two more times while we were talking with the vet. They gave him a morphine derivative via ointment in his eyelid to make him vomit, so she warned us that he would probably sleep the rest of the day. She also gave us a different pain pill to use if he needed it, and didn't charge us for the visit or the meds (which I am not going to give him unless he is visibly in pain).

The weird part is, Koa has taken Rimadyl before! We aren't sure why this happened, but I'm very glad that he is starting to feel better. We spent most of the day on the couch together & I was lucky that Pediatrics was closed and I could continue to keep a close eye on him throughout the night.

He's doing much better this morning, but this really makes me wonder about the drugs used in veterinary medicine, and how they are regulated.

Mad Skilz

I wanted to share the result of my hard work on my birthday at Fired Up! in Fort Walton Beach. Although I had a blast painting pottery with Eric & Kim, I have to say that I'm not too impressed with the staff. The first girl that was there had her boyfriend with her & although I didn't mind her, but the guy was very annoying & they spent the whole time talking/fighting. The other chick that came in later was just plain rude & wanted everyone to know how much she didn't want to be there, which the same could be said about the chick that I picked up my stuff from. But, there was a weird couple & two chicks that made for some very entertaining ease-dropping while we painted :o) Enjoy!!

Here is my AWESOME Honu, I used 2 different speckled paints for his shell & I was thrilled with how well his eyes turned out! ***it is a TURTLE, not a frog***

Here is a new bowl for Koa, even though it's not perfect, it was definitely a labor of love...at least I know he could care less what he eats out of :o)

back-side view

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I'll continue to be absent from the blogging world until I take the NCLEX on July 10th. Please keep me in your prayers that day, I'll need all the strength, serenity, & help I can get!!
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When I joined blogger I met an amazing Army wife named Jeannie. She has such a bright shining personality & has brought some much needed pick-me-ups by sending me these special cards...I swear she knew just how much I needed them!

You'll never guess that she just started making cards this year :o)Please check out her site & her amazing talent!!

And without further ado...some silliness

Kim from The Hancock Family tagged me to share 7 random things about me. Since my 100th post is coming up fast (which you will learn 100 random things about me), I'm going to make this even more interesting by sharing just how crazy my relationship is with my dog Koa.


1. I kiss him good-bye every morning on the cheek.


2. He sleeps under the covers with me, while Eric sleeps in the spare bedroom. (He also sleeps in my bed during the day while he is alone)


3. Since I can't really shorten Koa, I call him my Koa bear. (which if you say fast enough sounds like Colbert...as in Stephen Colbert!)


4. I only give him healthy table scraps like vegetables...and his favorites are carrots & cauliflower.


5. I talk baby talk to him, and frequently hold him like a baby.


6. If Eric & I are sitting next to each other he wants to sit with me.


7. He knows the sound of the truck driving by the house & he will be staring out the window waiting for me to come to the door.





****UPDATE: I came home with a horrible headache, so I grabbed the heating pad and laid down for about 2 hours. Guess who stayed in bed with me even though Eric was making dinner...my special boy ;o)****

Does my tail make me look fat?

My buddy V always welcomes my dog, Koa, to her house b/c her dog, Molly, is quite utterly in love with him...and they wear each other out!! So he came with me yesterday while I helped paint her son's room, and when her boys got off the bus the first thing out of her son's mouth was, "he used to be big, but now he's little!" Then when when our friend Kelsey came over I asked her if she thought he lost weight, and she put him in a sit, and we all noticed that his fat roll that used to sag over his tail was gone. Go, Koa...even though you had no choice. Eric has even started running with him and he is up to one mile, which is great for his knee.

My poor dog has the same problem that most of us do...he just loves to eat! I finally buckled down and bought him weight control food, and he only gets 1/4 cup, twice a day, and I guess it is paying off. I admit that he does get table scraps, but probably not what you are thinking. His favorite food...carrots, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. So, if he can lose weight, so can I!

I have been meat-free for about a week...and have lost 3 lbs. I don't think it is a direct reflection of my vegetarian choices, but rather how focused I am on what I am putting in my mouth b/c of the increased need for protein. Plus...have you ever seen a fat vegetarian?? (don't answer that, ignorance is bliss!)

So, now we are headed to Vanessa's again to put in the wood floors. We agreed that all of my slave labor with redecorating her kids rooms will be paid by her having to carry at least 2 of my future children. I think it is an even trade ;o)

I love you Koa, but the hair has got to go!

When I first decided I wanted a dog I did my research (so I had ammo for Eric's questions) and I wanted a Maltese b/c they were small and didn't shed...enter Tyler. Well, when Eric came home on mid-tour leave we decided to get Tyler a friend. We brought him to a pet swap meet and gave him free reign to pick out his new playmate. Most of the puppies were really scared, and we really like a little Chihuahua named Ginger...but Tyler had other plans. He walked up to Koa, Ginger's brother, who was just sitting calmly @ 4lbs...by far the largest chihuahua puppy I have ever seen! They hit it off and we went home with Koa.

They really were best friends

And ever since we have battled with the hair. We love our couch, but b/c of it's textured fabric, it holds onto those small Koa hairs with a vengeance...and he lives on our couch!!

He loves to be brushed but it doesn't get rid of most of the hair, so I finally purchased the furminator...and I love it!!!!


I got it in the mail yesterday and went right to getting rid of his undercoat. (I know it's winter...but he is an inside dog...and doesn't spend a lot of time outside)

So, if you have the same problem as I do...look into those eyes...


and get rid of the hair to make every one's life easier!


***Little Side Note***

Jeannie is having a giveaway at her blog. A great pair of earrings & watch that she discovered from Veronica's Etsy Store. Head on over and get your name in the drawing!!

Replacements

Many things have been changing lately. Some for the better, and others...not so much.

I have been spending quite a bit of time lately out of the house, and the undying love my Koa used to have for me has been replaced with love for Eric. As most of you know, we haven't been sleeping in the same bed for quite a while now b/c of his snoring, but Koa always slept with me. Eric would take him to bed, and as soon as the light went out he would jump down and come to sleep with me. Now, he comes to bed with me...and as soon as I stop petting him or change position he commits treason and chooses to sleep with the enemy. Whatever...it is only a matter of time before he comes crawling back. Maybe he forgot that I am the one that feeds him.

I normally have the hands of a construction worker...rough, cracked, with really short nails. These have now been replaced by girl hands, who wudda thunk it? I am done with my Med-Surg rotation (can you hear the Hallelujah chorus?), but I still wash my hands in fear of the germs that are everywhere. So, I went into my stock pile of bath & body works goodies, and put lotion next to all the hand soap on every sink in my house. And, I finally have smooth hands!!! Also, my nails are growing nicely...I can't even remember the last time they were all the same length!

I also sacrificed some much needed to sleep to go to the midnight premiere of "Twilight." I was super excited when I finished the books...but that was replaced by fear that the movie would suck...which was then replaced by complete satisfaction after seeing the movie. Some people were caught up on details, but I enjoyed the overall flow of the film and thought that it followed the plot quite well. Sure, certain events took place in different locations...but really, has any movie ever followed the booked exactly? Well, maybe Pride & Prejudice, but wasn't it like 5 hours long? Someone also pointed out that they had Oregon plates on some of the vehicles...but as someone who lived in that area...it is VERY common to see Oregon & Idaho plates in the Pacific NW! So, if you didn't like the movie you are entitled to your opinion, as am I.

Another replacement to my sleep schedule came Friday night. My friend Vanessa (she is a blogger newbie, so giver her some love...as soon as she posts something) & I planned a bachelorette party for our fellow Nursing Student, Kelsey. Since neither of us had ever been to one before, we were on uncharted waters...but I think it was a huge success. There aren't any pictures right now b/c 1) I couldn't find my camera 2) I will get copies on Monday, and 3) I probably couldn't post many of the pix w/o making most of you blush. We played some very silly games, and to quote one of the girls at the party, they drank "copious amounts of alcohol." We had a great time at Howl at the Moon, and Kelsey danced for the entire 5 hours we were there! I also received much love from the ladies that night...and was kissed on the cheek and hugged by all of them that night. One also made the comment that she was impressed that I could have such a good time without drinking (& my mad skilz on the dance floor)...which is something I am very used to hearing. I really did have a great time and no one was out of line, or out of control. I will give more details when I get the pictures...you'll just have to wait. Stay tuned!

Crack for Dogs

Maybe I am the only one...but my dog LOVES these things!

When I come home he is crying, jumping and whining....for attention. Then I make him sit and wait for his treat. Sometimes if I have been gone for the whole day, he will drop his treat and continue to want attention instead. But, not if I pull out a Greenie.

I gave him one today...b/c I had been gone most of the day...and as soon as I grabbed the bag he stopped moving and sat with eyes fixed. I put it down on the ground and he started at me waiting for me to say "go ahead" (his cue to take the treat) and he bolted out of the room.

I really wonder what they really put in these things. They say "crude protein, fat & fiber"...but really, I wouldn't be surprised if they used the ole' coke trick to get them hooked.

I could just imagine dogs jumping around wishing they could talk, thinking "I will do any trick you want, just give me a greenie!!!" Before my other dog passed, I would give them both a greenie...Tyler would run off with his, and Koa would leave his and follow Tyler...wait for Tyler to finish eating his, then run back to fetch his. Koa always tried to see if he could steal some scraps...and sometimes did.

They also brag that they "freshen breath," but the breath after the greenie still isn't that amazing.

Maybe they put the dog's version of catnip in them, who knows. I don't think it would matter with Koa. This is the dog that sticks his head out the doggy door @ night in the summer to catch June bugs....and digs up grubs, and eats carrots, lettuce...pretty much anything you will give him.

Threatdown: Cold Weather!!!

There is only thing destroying America this week...and for the next 5-6 months...cold weather. I really really really hate cold weather. Yea, the clothes are cute, but I can never seem to keep warm.

I LOVED my 3 years in Hawaii. The coldest temperature I ever had to experience was 64 degrees...what a glorious time it was. The summer temperatures never got above 98, and we always had the trade winds. Can I please move back?!?!?!?

My husband convinced me that we were moving to FL, where is was warm, when in reality we are really in southern Alabama! I live a whopping 28 miles south of the border.

This rant is brought to you by the first freeze of the season last night. It never got above 60 yesterday, so I busted out my space heater (b/c I refuse to turn my heater on before November, b/c I am cheap) and cuddled up with my Koa and prepared for the worst.



He didn't want to get out of bed this morning....and I can't blame him. By the time I woke up, the temperature in my house was down to 65 degrees. Ok, I know this probably doesn't seem bad at all for most of you...but I would keep my thermostat at 80 degrees all year round if I had my way...but I have to make a compromise for my Sexy Beast.

Eric called me right before he was getting ready to come home from work this morning @ 0500, and said that the temperature out at the Ranger camp had dropped to 29 degrees last night...but at least he got to sit in the Humvee last night instead of a sleeping bag on the ground, he really lucked out!

So...
Winter, winter, go away
Don't come back another day!
I refuse to go outside to play
I just want a warm, sunny day!

Kinda sad...

Yesterday I went costume shopping with my friend Vanessa b/c she hadn't found a Halloween costume for her daughter yet.

We went to Target to see what they had and I noticed that they had some of their Christmas items up already and I spotted some Winnie the Pooh stuff so I had to go look. I went to go look at the stockings b/c I have a Eeyore one, Eric has Tigger, Tyler had Pooh, and I am always on the lookout for a Piglet b/c we got a different stocking for Tyler so Koa could temporarily use Pooh til we found a Piglet...but then I realized that I don't need another stocking, and I seriously almost started to cry.

I had completely disregarded that fact that Tyler passed away this summer....but I just can't seem to give Koa his Pooh stocking, it just doesn't seem right. So, everyone keep an eye out for a Piglet Christmas stocking for me...b/c Koa is really more of a Piglet than he is a Pooh ;-)

Darn you, Allergies!!!

I have lived all over the US, and never had any issues...and believe me, I was thankful. But, about 18 months ago I started developing some allergies...and have spent the past 18 months trying to find something that works.

After the first 6 months I thought I hit the jackpot when I found Allegra-D...but a year later it began to lose it's effectiveness.

I was finally referred to an allergist, and endured 2 & 1/2 hours at the clinic yesterday being scratched 60 times...which didn't give him the result he wanted...so I was then injected down my right shoulder 20 times.

And, drum roll please....................................................I am allergic to quite a few things...but not horribly. I am more allergic to cats than dogs. I told him that getting rid of my Koa was non-negotiable. His assistant said, "well, that means you would have to get shots," to which I replied, "that's fine, if I can handle the steroid injections in my shoulder...I can handle weekly shots!"

(no worries, I NEVER open mouth kiss my dog...I am not that weird)

The doc thinks it is more a HORRIBLE sinus infection that has never been treated. So, keep your fingers crossed, and lets hope the next 2 weeks of steroids & antibiotics do the trick. Getting off my meds for the testing was horrible, my eyes were so swollen I couldn't even open them all the way...and these new ones are screwing with my sleeping. Oh, to be 25 again ;-)

Move your feet, lose your seat

Koa has now mastered the deceptive art of spot stealing. It's bad enough that he insists on sitting on MY lap instead of Eric's...but I guess he also has to be exactly where I was. Sometimes he gets up willingly when I tell him to move or just start sitting down. But every once in awhile he will just moan and groan as I slowly start sitting down and he still doesn't want to move.

Before Tyler died, we had taught the boys that clapping twice meant they were supposed to go lay down in their kennel, and they always did. Over the past few months, Koa has been slowly adjusting to being the only dog and has decided that clapping your hands or saying "go to bed" means go sit on the couch. This has become his new safe haven. He always enjoyed being in the kennel with Tyler...and for the first month or so of being alone, he would stay in there whenever we weren't home. He recently started sunbathing again and I think he is almost fully adjusted. His knee is healed (he had his right luxating patella fixed 2 days before Tyler died) and I almost cried 2 weeks ago when he jumped up on the bed by himself since the surgery!!!!

He has enjoyed several trips to Molly's house (Vanessa's Boston Terrier) and visits with Tashi (Gina's Pekingese) and although he is stand-offish at first, he soon starts running around and playing. I don't know that I will get another dog anytime soon b/c of all the uncertainty with Eric's career & we plan on having kids in the next few years...but you never know what will happen. I think we were smart in bringing Tyler to pick out his new brother (Koa), so when the time comes it will be Koa's choice...whether it be cat or dog.

I know I am a freak about my dog, but being a military wife with no kids...he is that special someone I get to come home to when my sweetie can't! I am grateful that I had a dog growing up, and that I have had the opportunity to have these angels in furry coats in my life!