kapachino

Tag: pets

  • transitioning to a no pet household

    dog tags

    It’s been four weeks since we haven’t had any pets in the house.

    I’ve had a dog my entire life. The only time I haven’t actually lived with a dog was when I was in the dorms at college and for a couple of years when I lived with roommates in an apartment while I was in nursing school. But during that time I still considered my parents’ dogs “mine.”

    When David and I got married we each brought our own dog into the mix. They always got along and eventually picked up each other’s habits. They were the soundtrack and background of our life. They made our house feel full and lively.

    Now, despite the baby and the toddler, things are eerily quiet. When food is dropped on the ground it just…stays there. I have to sweep it up. There is no one keeping me company at 5 a.m. when I usually find myself waking up. No one happy to see me when I get home. These things are not that easy to get used to.

    It’s true that there is also a lot less sweeping to be done. We can leave all the doors open and not worry. Being at home is calmer. There is a little more space in our bed at night.

    We have decided not to get another pet for awhile. Maybe years, we’ll see, just to give ourselves a break. Just a few months ago we had two lively dogs. Now we have none, and it’s different. Strange. Quiet.

  • goodbye eddie

    goodbye eddie

    This morning I woke up to find that our dog Eddie had died sometime in the night. We are sad.

    As you may know, Eddie has been struggling with severe anxiety for the last several months since Cleo died. We had been trying everything we could possibly think of to help her and I thought we were on the right track, but in the last week she relapsed and became destructive to our house and furnishings. We don’t blame her; we know she was suffering and didn’t know how to deal with it. It’s possible that she was physically sick but we were unaware. She had been checked by the vet and there wasn’t anything obviously wrong other than her mental anguish. Either way, she was no longer the calm, happy dog that we knew.

    Today I am remembering Eddie. I am grateful that she was a companion to my husband from the time she was a puppy, and she saw him through some incredibly difficult years prior to the time we met. I am grateful for the joy that she brought to our lives. I am grateful that she died at home instead of forcing us into a heartbreaking decision. I am grateful for all her years of delighted devotion.

    It’s so strange to go from having three dogs just a few years ago to having none. There are reminders everywhere. The house will be much quieter and calmer now, but emptier too.

  • remembering cleo

    cleo

    Yesterday we had to say goodbye to our sweet dog Cleo. It came as a huge surprise and we are still in shock. She was about nine years old and seemed very healthy, but had been throwing up for a few days. She has a sensitive stomach in general so I didn’t worry much until yesterday she was still not keeping down even water and was very lethargic, so I took her to the vet.

    They did an x-ray and told us that first, she had a pellet in her abdomen (like from a pellet gun, most likely swallowed) but it was unclear exactly where it was because second, there was a whole lot of inflammation which probably indicated a raging infection/abscess. They did bloodwork and all signs pointed that direction, but the problem was we couldn’t tell what was really causing it. Could have just been the pellet, could be a tumor. Either way, they would have had to do serious surgery to even give her a chance, and her prognosis was still poor.

    She was obviously miserable and after a lot of talking, questioning the vet, and crying we made the decision to put her down. It was such a hard call to make but in the end we couldn’t see putting her through all that when her chances weren’t good. David came from work to be with me when she went, and we held her and it was easy and painless. I am so glad that she had a good life and didn’t suffer long.

    Cleo was my dog from before I was married and I loved her so much. She was super sweet and was great with Meredith. She saw me through the biggest changes of my life and I will always miss her.

  • 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!

    My view looking down

    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.

    This is what a crybaby looks like

    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.

    The current state of the entryway

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

  • pregnancy to-do list

    In my last post I talked about how I really haven’t done anything yet to prepare for the arrival of a newborn other than try to fully enjoy  myself to the max. I don’t regret taking the time to do this one single bit, but I’m approaching the midway point of my pregnancy and, let’s face it, there is a lot to be done whether I want to do it or not.

    So I got to thinking that it might help me to write down an overview of things I need to do in the next 4-5 months. I don’t want to get into specifics yet, but I also don’t want to forget anything. Here’s what I’ve got so far.

    Sooner…

    >Find a home for Oliver. This is the biggest cloud hanging over my head right now. We’ve decided not to keep our dog Oliver because he just doesn’t get along with other dogs. He has fought with 5 different dogs, in different places, and he has fought with our dog Cleo several times, the last time producing quite a deep wound. On his own, he’s a sweet, loving pet. We shipped our other dogs off to our parents’ house for a week and we found that out. We wish we had the time and resources to train him, but in our current situation it’s too overwhelming for us, and too scary to keep him around our other dogs with a baby in the house.

    >Finish painting the house. Originally I wanted to furnish and decorate the rest of the house as well, but I know that’s not going to happen. Painting, though, is a hassle that I want to complete. I have plenty of help from my family and friends, it’s just finding time to actually do it that is the problem. There are several rooms, a hallway, plus all the trim and doors to do.

    >Start childbirth classes and formulate a birth plan. Since I’ve decided to do my best to have a natural childbirth, I know I need a lot of preparation. We settled on the Bradley Method classes, and I found an instructor in my area and signed up. The classes are 8 weeks long covering 12 weeks’ worth of material, and they start March 30. From what I hear, they cover everything from natural childbirth to breastfeeding to infant care.

    >Start attending La Leche League meetings. I really want breastfeeding to work out, and I’m at least going to give it the best possible chance, so I need to be informed. I have a friend who’s really involved with La Leche League, and I want to start attending meetings with her soon.

    >Meet with my doula. I’m lucky to have a friend who is completing her doula training and she’ll have her certification by the time my due date rolls around. I want to get together with her soon to get advice, recommendations, and to discuss my situation and desires in more detail.

    At some point…

    >Get our carpet replaced. This is an expense I’d rather skip, but the future nursery used to be the dogs’ room of choice to have all of their “accidents.” We’ve since kept that room closed off, but not only are there stains galore but it smells. The rest of the carpet is stained too, as well as chewed and eaten in some places.

    >Create a nursery. This is obvious, but it still has to get done. I see so many nurseries that I love, but I need to figure out what kind of style will flow best with the rest of our house.

    >Register, have showers, & stock up on supplies. I’m a little bit terrified of this whole process, but kind of excited, too.

    >Choose a name. Right now we have several boy names that we like, because we just cannot fathom having a girl. Even after we find out (next week!) what we’re having, though, I don’t know if I’ll be able to commit to a name until the last minute. It’s so much pressure!

    >Read up on childbirth and parenting. So far on my list: Creating Your Birth Plan by Marsden Wagner, Nurtureshock by Po Bronson, The Birth Book and The Baby Book both by Dr. William Sears. Any others along the same lines that I’m missing?

    >Make a post-baby budget. I’m dreading this and will probably continue to put it off until I can’t anymore.

    >Take a short vacation or two. I can’t go crazy with my days off since I’m trying to save them up for maternity leave, but one of my best friends & her family are coming to stay with us in April for a long weekend and I’m looking forward to a couple extra days off to be with them. My husband and I are also planning on taking a long weekend trip this spring to visit my uncle & aunt in South Carolina.

    >Figure out maternity leave. This is really just a matter of talking to my manager. It shouldn’t be a big deal because she’s very supportive and just had a baby last year herself. I think I get six weeks plus whatever PTO I’ve managed to save up, but I’m not sure of the details and at what rate I’ll get paid.

    >Hammer out childcare details. I’m SO lucky that my mom has decided to retire and stay home to take care of our baby once I go back to work. We’ll be paying her, but it won’t be near as expensive as daycare and I hope it’ll be a little easier leaving the babe with her.

    Later…

    >Book photographer (maternity & birth). My friend Cio has agreed to be our birth photographer. I know it might be hard to coordinate since she lives a couple hours away and births don’t always happen at convenient times, but I really hope it works out!

    >Prepare birth details: phone tree, hospital bag, plans for dogs, birthday cake. Not gonna worry about this for awhile, shouldn’t be too difficult.

    >Pick out and prepare birth announcements. It’d be nice to get as much of this done as possible ahead of time, anyway.

    >Last minute stuff: go to the spa, have the house cleaned, stock up frozen meals. All very important things, am I right?

    So tell me, is there anything else I should add to the list? (Please don’t tell me I’m missing something major. Well, DO, but I just hope that I’m not.) Anything on the list that isn’t really necessary? Help me!