there’s no normal life, wyatt. it’s just life.

That’s a quote from Tombstone, in case you were wondering, and in case you were wondering, Tombstone is one of my all-time favorite movies. Anyway.

I’m checking in to give you a general update on my life, since it doesn’t seem that I’ve done that for awhile. Some things have been happening and I’d love your feedback.

Pregnancy & Health

Since my hospital visit a couple weeks ago, I’ve had a bit of a rough time. It took me a week and a half to recover from my cold, and during that time I had absolutely no energy. I just barely started feeling good again this week, and now for two days I’ve had a sore throat that won’t go away. I’m really hoping it doesn’t develop into something more, or my immune system and I are going to have words.

On top of that, I’ve had some pretty killer back pain. For awhile I had a pulled muscle near one of my shoulder blades, and that was just miserable. But thanks to Epsom salt baths, a massage, Icy Hot, and patience, that has healed up. What I have now is constant pain around my ribs on the left back side that wraps around to the front. Usually it is a dull ache but occasionally it becomes quite sharp. No idea what’s causing this, but as uncomfortable as it is, it is better than the pulled muscle.

I can feel Meredith moving lots now, and she’s strong enough at times that my husband and family have been able to feel her too. This is really special, because I feel like she’s my little buddy, keeping me company throughout the day.

More detailed pregnancy updates to come next week after I see my doctor again!

Dogs

Oliver has been so good for over a month now that we really don’t want to give him away. Cleo has been doing fine at my parents’ house, but we are contemplating bringing her home for a visit to see how she and Oliver interact because we miss her a lot (even though I do visit frequently).

Strangely, Eddie has been the problem child lately. She is ten years old and has been extremely attached to David since she was a puppy. She’s always been prone to anxiety, but it usually comes out during thunderstorms or when the dishwasher is running. Nowadays she’s the only one out and about in the house during the day since Cleo is gone and we keep Oliver in his crate.

For the past couple of weeks we have noticed things being disturbed in the house, until finally Eddie became downright destructive. She went in David’s closet and completely tore up all the carpet including the foam underneath, spreading it all across our room. We took her to the vet, who said she appears very healthy (bloodwork was normal too) and he believes she is suffering separation anxiety because she senses changes in the family. I don’t know if it’s because she’s lonely during the day without Cleo, if she senses I’m pregnant and is worried, or what. We have her on anti-anxiety medication now, but she is still very needy and driving us just a little bit crazy.

Home Improvement

We finally started working on the house again! Last weekend a bunch of my family came over to help paint. There are several rooms plus a hallway including all the trim, doors, and ceilings to do, so it’s quite a project. So far we’ve completely done the front entryway and the guest room minus the trim and door. We also installed a new light fixture in the entryway. Eventually I’ll get around to hanging art, getting a console table, and retiling, but painting is job #1 for now.

Things are up and down around here, but we’re making it!