breast or bottle?

For the past several days, I have been put on a couple medications that were necessary for my health, but not so great for my baby's. What that means, is that I have had to stop nursing Baby McG since Saturday and won't be able to start again until Thursday when the meds are out of my system.

It has been hard not being able to nurse him for the past few days and this made me realize how much I enjoy nursing him. That may strike some of you as weird. And it actually struck me as weird at first, too, because I honestly didn't think I would like breastfeeding.

In fact, I never really thought much about breastfeeding before. Not until my OB/GYN during my pregnancy and the doctors at the hospital asked "Are you going to do breast or bottle?" Without hesitation, I would always answer "breast" without even thinking about it. I don't know why, really. I could have easily chosen to formula feed. And I never read anything or heard anything that influenced my decision at all. But "breast" was just always my answer. I guess I just felt, deep down, that that is the way it's supposed to be. That that is what is expected. So yeah...that was always my answer, without a second thought.

Now, I am in NO WAY AT ALL passing judgement on those who formula feed their babies because we have formula fed ours, too. But during these few days when I have been forced to "pump and dump" and feed the baby a mixture of formula and milk that I've stored, I realized how much nursing has helped me in bonding with my baby. And it makes me wonder that if I chose to do formula feeding from the beginning if I would not have bonded with him in the same way.

Like I said, I am not passing judgement...I am only speaking what is true for me and am truly curious about what motivates others. So, to those mothers out there, here are my questions for you...

What were your reasons for choosing breast or bottle? And...do you feel that either choice has influenced how you bonded with your child(ren)?

.

what NOT to ask a pregnant woman

Looking back on my pregnancy, it's interesting to me how much people LOVE pregnant women. I'm not kidding. When people find out you're pregnant it's seriously the most awesome thing in the world to them. People always have such happy things to say when you're pregnant...and they also have a million questions for you as well.

Questions like "How are you feeling?" and "Do you know if you're having a boy or girl?" and "What are you going to name your baby?" are questions you should really get used to when you're pregnant because you will probably hear each of those questions at least a million times a day.

But there are other things people may say to you or ask you that may catch you by surprise. The following is a list of those questions and my reactions to them:

Question/Statement:
"So...is this pregnancy a good thing?"

• How I would have responded if I was mean: No. Absolutely not. It's awful......OF COURSE IT'S A GOOD THING!!!
• My actual response: I seriously have been asked this before by one of the ultrasound technicians at the hospital. I didn't really understand what she was asking at first, but then I realized that she actually probably sees a lot of patients who are NOT happy about having a baby. That makes me a little sad.

Question/Statement:
"Maybe you're having twins!?"

• How I would have responded if I was mean: Well...maybe you should not call me "fat"? Because that's pretty much what you're saying, right? That I look fat enough to be having twins? Nope. That's not twins. That's just one HUGE little butterball and a lot of extra maternal storage tissue, thankyouverymuch.
• My actual response: Nope...just one baby. Not sure if I could handle two.

Question/Statement:
"You look really swollen!"

• How I would have responded if I was mean: Really? Are you sure I'm really swollen? I mean, I didn't notice any swelling when I put on my shoes this morning and could barely squeeze my entire foot into the shoe. And I don't notice any swelling when I stretch my legs and feet and can feel the tightness and strain due to all the bloating. And I certainly don't notice any swelling whenever I cross my legs and see a huge gash from where my leg was resting. And I definitely don't notice any swelling when I look in the mirror. I mean...are you sure I'm really swollen?
• My actual response: Yeah...it totally sucks. My ankles are non-existent now.

Question/Statement:
"You're pregnant? WHAT!? I couldn't even tell!"

• How I would have responded if I was mean: This is pretty much the same as calling me fat. Why? I'll tell you. Firstly, I definitely look pregnant. I mean, I don't normally carry around a belly the size of a watermelon. So, secondly, by saying you can't tell that I'm pregnant, while very nice as a gesture, is pretty much just the same as saying "You look really pregnant, but I'm going to be nice and say that you don't look pregnant at all."
• My actual response: Yep! It's really exciting! Weird...and different. But really exciting!!

Question/Statement:
"Are you really going to eat that whole sandwich/pizza/ice cream?"

• How I would have responded if I was mean: This is pretty much the same as calling me fat, too...and my answer will probably always be "Yes I'm going to eat the whole thing. Do you have a PROBLEM with that?"
• My actual response: Yes I'm going to eat the whole thing. Do you have a PROBLEM with that?

Question/Statement:
"You better enjoy your sleep while you can!"

• How I would have responded if I was mean: Really? And you think I'm enjoying sleep now? With a ginormous belly that prevents me from sleeping in pretty much every position and a bladder that screams to be emptied every hour on the hour? Yeah. Not so much. But thanks for pointing out that I have to look forward to MORE sleeplessness.
• My actual response: Yeah. I'm not sure how that will be, but I'm sure I will not be getting much sleep for awhile.
  

Question/Statement:
"Enjoy your freedom while you can. You know...you can't do _____ with a baby."

• How I would have responded if I was mean: Like heck we can't! We are taking this baby anywhere we want to and doing anything we want to. We will be forming this young little child to our lives, not the other way around. But, once again, thanks for trying to point out something negative about having a child. I really like that. A lot.
• My actual response: Like heck we can't! We are taking this baby anywhere we want to and doing anything we want to. We will be forming this young little child to our lives, not the other way around.
  

Question/Statement:
"Can I touch/rub/kiss your belly?"

• How I would have responded on a bad day: Can I touch/rub/kiss yours? Unless I know you really well and you and me are "tight" like that...don't ask. And speaking of the belly, try not to look at it too much either. I know it's huge. I know it's sticking out there. But when the first thing people do is look straight at my belly fat BEFORE they look at me or say "hi", it's just kind of not cool. I know it's exciting there's a little dude chilling out in my uterus, but my face is up here.
• My actual response: Umm...I would prefer if you didn't. Baby's sleeping right now. :-)
  

Question/Statement:
"How are you feeling?"**

• How I would have responded on a bad day: I'm feeling fine. Well, actually...no I'm not, now that I'm thinking about it. Remember when you told me before how fat I was (when you asked if I was having twins/knew I was so swollen/eating the entire refrigerator/etc.)? Well, yeah...I'm feeling fat. HUGE, actually. And it hurts. I know it's "for a good cause" and I'm "not fat [I'm] pregnant". But it really does hurt. Mostly my knees, actually. So much so that my knees spasm in pain every time I get up or down from a chair/car/bed/floor. And it also hurts because my feet can barely fit into my shoes. Which means: "Yes...I am VERY swollen." And speaking of swelling, did you know that in order to keep swelling down I actually have drink MORE water than normal? This seems kind of ironic since swelling is water retention. But yeah, I'm supposed to drink craploads of water to help keep the swelling from getting worse. Which...yep! You guessed it! Makes me have to pee every hour! It's super fun. Especially when I want to get a good night's sleep but I know that I can't because of how I'm so large, swollen, and filled with pee waiting to explode if I don't get up a million times each night. But the constant peeing is actually not that big of a deal compared to all the gas, acid reflux, hemorrhoids, and stretch marks. I mean, did you know that drinking WATER can give a pregnant lady gas? Yeah...water. And salad can, too. And actually anything that a pregnant lady digests gets turned into gas. An.Y.Thing. And because of all the pressure in the abdomen, bowel movements become less regular and there is so much less space for things, so acid reflux and hemmorhoids are born. And you don't even want me to go into more detail than that. Trust me. So, speaking of gas and hemmorhoids and acid reflux...do you still want to rub my belly and tell me to enjoy sleep and doing things while I can? Yeah. Didn't think so.
• My actual response: I'm feeling fine.

** "How are you feeling?" is actually totally a decent question to ask. I am just being a beotch.

our beagle, the druggie

Take a look at this picture.

Seriously.

Take a good, long, hard, thoughtful look at this picture and then I'll tell you what you're looking at.

Go ahead.

Take a look.

Okay...done?

Now I'll tell you what this is a picture of.

This, my friends, is a picture of the world's most expensive beagle dog. Literally. Indubitably. Absolutely. 100%. THE. MOST. EXPENSIVE. BEAGLE.

After a long night of stomach issues (diarrhea, vomiting, lack of appetite, lethargy, etc.), coupled with the recent resurgence of hip issues, we felt that something with Lucy was just really not right and didn't want to wait for our follow up appointment at the end of the week. Therefore, we decided to take her to the vet today for the new symptoms.

So Joe took Lucy to the vet while I watched our little munchkin and they did some more bloodwork, took a stool sample, gave her subcutaneous solution to prevent dehydration and gave her medication for nausea. As a result...the bloodwork came back normal. No parvo, no giardia. No apparent infections or issues there. We are still waiting for the valley fever test results, so will know even MORE (or less) once those results are in. But all in all, we know nothing. The vet knows nothing.

So the plan, for now, is to give her:

Sucralfate
anti-ulcer medication to prevent ulcers from all the vomiting

Amoxicillin and Metronidazole
antibiotics to get rid of any intestinal bacteria or disease she may have

Panacur
dewormer medication in case she has worms

And also some probiotic supplements for her food and pain medication (as needed) for her hips.

If you ask me, I think our dog definitely has a drug problem. Why else would she go to these great lengths to get so many medications? What other reason could there be for her incessant need to see the doggie doctor?

Hmmmm...our beagle, the druggie. I think it's time for an intervention.

;-)

While I don't have time (or energy) to discuss the notion of animals having substance abuse issues, I just wanted to illustrate that our beagle is flippin' expensive. Granted...if we didn't give a crap about her, we wouldn't spend anything on her. But when you know something's wrong, you want to make sure you can make it all better, right?

Well, she's obviously got some stomach and pain issues...so hopefully this brief medication period will help.

And if not, then I'm sure I'll write another blog about it.

So stay tuned!

And don't buy dogs from backyard breeders who are only in business for money and to breed dogs for good looks, not for good health.

mission: diagnosis

To: Veterinarians Worldwide

From: Concerned Beagle Parent

CC: All friends, family, doctors, veterinarians, and blog onlookers who happen upon this post by accident

Date: October 12, 2011

Subject: Beagle Illness

---

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to come up with a CORRECT diagnosis for our beagle based upon the following information:

Past Health Issues:

December 2009

• Symptoms - vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, fever, lethargy, enlarged spleen
  
• Test Results - high liver enzymes, low platelet and t-cell counts, bile acid tests normal, valley fever results normal
• Diagnosis - Tick Fever
  
• Treatment - Doxycycline until January 2011
• Comments - Tick fever treatment stopped with latest results showing 1:160 exposure to tick fever

November 2010

• Symptoms - yelping when hind legs are touched, inability to jump, hesitancy to exert any pressure on hind legs,
  
• Test Results - X-Rays taken indicated hip dysplasia
• Diagnosis - Hip Dysplasia
• Treatment - Rimadyl and Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplements.
  
• Comments - Rimadyl treatment was stopped, but we have continued the Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplements to promote joint health. No flare ups have occurred since this initial treatment of hip dysplasia.

Until...

Current Health Issues:

October 2011

• Symptoms - yelping when hind legs are touched, inability to jump, hesitancy to exert any pressure on hind legs, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, lethargy
• Test Results - X-Rays taken indicated NO hip dysplasia, still waiting for valley fever test results, going back to the vet today for additional screening because of onset of vomiting and diarrhea
  
• Diagnosis - None yet, our vet office is thinking Beagle Pain Syndrome if valley fever results are negative
  
• Treatment - None yet
  
• Comments - Deep in my gut I don't think it's Beagle Pain Syndrome especially since our dog had tick fever in the past and responded to treatment and had hip dysplasia in the past and responded to treatment. I am guessing that if the valley fever results are positive, then they will start treatment of that. But if negative, then I'm hoping they recheck for tick fever based on the similar symptoms. But if both tests are negative, I'm not really sure what is going on.

Any thoughts and/or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Concerned Beagle Parent

2 hospitals in 2 weeks

At my 37 week check up, the doctor noticed that I had high blood pressure. Normally, my blood pressure was always really good, so it was kind of weird. But she said that a lot of times pregnant women experience slightly elevated blood pressure toward the end of pregnancy...so she said we would just monitor it at the following weekly visits.

Now, because of Joe's kidney and blood pressure issues in the past, we actually have a blood pressure monitor at home, so on a Saturday night, I decided to check my blood pressure to see how it was doing. It was wicked high, so I decided to rest and go to bed. Checked it again in the morning after a night's sleep. Still wicked high. Called the on call doctor since it was a Sunday, and here is a quick rundown of the next 5 days:

• Sunday: On call doc said to go to the hospital right away. Hospital admitted me for high blood pressure. Said I probably wouldn't be leaving because doc wanted to induce labor. Put me on a medication to ripen my cervix (since baby wasn't ready to come yet).
  
• Monday: By next morning, wasn't working. Rock hard cervix. Started a cook's balloon cervical ripening thingie (look it up!) to help with dilation. Started a little Pitocin. 12 hours later, still no dilation.
  
• Tuesday: 24 hours later, cervix was only opened to 3cm. Doc called my cervix Fort Knox (not kidding). Took it out. Kicked up the Pitocin. Broke my water. Contractions started coming. Contractions caused more spikes in my blood pressure. Started an epidural to take away the pain...which would eliminate the high blood pressure from the contractions. It worked. Had Baby McG that night!
• Wednesday: Still in hospital for high blood pressure. Put on meds. Boring. Wanted to go home.
  
• Thursday: Still in hospital for high blood pressure. Slight decrease in high blood pressure. Released with prescription for blood pressure. So glad to go home. Really missed my beagle.

After 5 days in the hospital, I was so glad to be going home...especially so that I could hug our beagle and start playing with our little one. I was ready for the horror story of how people (and movies) portray being a new parent - screaming children, no sleep, endless fatigue. I will definitely say that it has been an adjustment on my body and schedule, and I have definitely felt fatigued...but our baby is so quiet and I literally need to wake him up in order to feed him. So he's been pretty low maintenance and it's been fairly easy to rest while he's resting.

Until this past Wednesday night.

Vincent. at some point on Wednesday, got so completed agitated that he cried almost nonstop (not kidding) from about 12:30 am to about 5:30 am. There were brief periods of calm, but it never lasted very long. And nothing was working. I know he was only 9 days old, but it was so completely polar opposite to what he had normally been like, so we called the pediatrician's office. The on call nurse suggested to go to the ER as he would really need to be evaluated to see what was going on.

I have been here with Vincent at Phoenix Children's Hospital ever since.

When we brought him in, they did a million tests to look for infections, abnormalities, etc. They tested for meningitis...which was negative. So that was a relief. They saw a slight bronchiolitic situation in an xray of his lungs, so decided they might put him on antibiotics for that (and to make sure any other infection is stopped). They also noticed that he was getting low oxygen...which could possibly be a result of pauses in breathing. He was admitted to the ICU.

His tests keep coming back normal...but they are still wanting to keep him on antibiotics a little longer and want to keep monitoring him for apnea. He didn't have any apnic episodes at all last night or the night before. So that's good! But they are sending us home with a monitor that will alarm whenever there is a cessation of breathing or a cessation of heartbeat.

How freakin' scary is that?!?!

I am seriously sick of hospitals. I am seriously sick of our son being hooked up to machines and IVs. I am seriously stressed about having to hook him up even MORE when we get home to monitor for apnea. I am just sick of it. I just want to be home and cuddling with Joe, my Lucy, and my little man. I just want to be a new mother in the peace and quiet of my own home. I am so sorry if this sounds like complaining, but I think that this is just not fair.

He's an angel. An adorable, smiling, blonde-haired, angelic little 11 day old boy. And 11 day old little angels do not deserve this.

how to: freak out a pregnant woman REALLY bad

Place a fetal doppler monitor on her pregnant belly and proceed...for 5 minutes...to NOT find the baby's heartbeat.

Yeah. That will REALLY freak her out.

I'll explain...

As mentioned yesterday, the baby ended up moving just fine in the end and had a good, strong heartbeat as usual. So they ended up letting me go and just making sure I called back/came in again if I noticed anything crazy like bleeding, contractions, loss of fetal movement, sharp pains, water breaking, etc. etc. I haven't experienced any of that stuff, so it turns out our little guy is quite the trooper.

Phew!

Crisis averted.

This morning I had a checkup with my normal obstetrician's office (since my appointments are weekly now). Usually these appointments are super quick and consist of checking up on usually only 5 things:

1. My weight


2. My urine


3. My blood pressure


4. The baby's estimated growth via measuring the fundal height, and


5. The baby's heartbeat.

So at my appointment this morning:

1. My weight - My weight was down by 4 pounds. Not sure how I did that in 1 week. Maybe it's from trying to eat better and sweating a lot? Or maybe it's because my appointment was in the morning and not in the afternoon after I've already drinken over a gallon of water? Who knows?


2. My urine - My urine was plentiful. Actually, I never really get the results of the urine tests and usually attribute this to things being okay in the pee department.


3. My blood pressure - For the first time in this pregnancy, my blood pressure was actually high. I told them that my appointments are usually always in the afternoon after a day of working at a computer and that this morning I had been running around getting ready for the day and heading over to the appointment and not really having time to just chill out. The doctor said that blood pressure normally rises a little toward the end of pregnancy, but to be safe, they drew some blood to do some labwork and to see if there is any possibility that the blood pressure is related to preeclampsia. I am really hoping this is NOT the case...so keep your fingers and toes crossed.


4. The baby's estimated growth - The fundal height check was so uneventful that I don't even remember that part of the appointment because...


5. The baby's heartbeat - The doctor put the heartbeat doppler monitor over my belly and literally for about 5 minutes they could NOT find the baby's heartbeat. Can you imagine how scary that is? I was thinking in my head the whole time "Oh My Dear LORD what is going on now?" and "Why can't we hear the heartbeat?" and "Come on little baby, where are you?" So stressful not being able to hear it. Then little heartbeat ended up being found hiding and kind of quiet and the heartbeat counts were just fine. But, MAN! Talk about a stressful 5 minutes!!

I'm thinking, in hindsight, that little Baby McG was hiding from the monitor as a way of getting me back for falling the other day. Kind of like him saying "You want to fall on ME, mommy? Oh YEAH? Well I'll just hide my heartbeat from you to freak you out. How do you like them apples?"

Very funny, baby. Very funny.

Not laughing, though. We've grown kind of attached to you now so you better be okay in there!

Stay tuned...

how to: freak out your family REALLY bad

Just become 37 weeks pregnant and fall down some stairs.

Yeah.

That'll do it.

I'm actually being sarcastic and kidding. Don't do it. It is really scary.

Okay. Here's the explanation...

For the past (I don't even know how many) weeks, Joe has been refinishing our little baby's crib with the help of my parents and their garage. And since it was pretty much finished this past weekend, I was itching (BADLY!) to get the finished product back to our own home so that we could get it all set up and pretty.

Because I was so antsy about getting it all ready to go, Joe started to help me get the back of our truck ready for all the fun crib pieces. He went inside and grabbed the first (heaviest) piece of the crib and started to carry it outside to the truck. I was a little slower than him and was heading downstairs to where the crib pieces were lined up and ready to go and seriously just completely lost my balance, skipped over the last two steps on accident, and fell onto the tile at the bottom of the stairs.

The brunt of my weight actually fell on my knees when my knees hit the tile first...but with all of the momentum from my gargantuan body, I kept going forward and landed on my hands and belly.

I immediately took the weight off my hands and belly and just rolled over to my side. My mom came right away from the kitchen. Joe flew back in from where he was outside with the crib piece he was carrying. And my dad came in from grilling out back. They were on me so fast and I was actually kind of just in shock and started to sweat a lot and just kind of laid there.

I didn't really know what to do because the force really did primarily fall on my knees. So I figured we should just eat dinner and then keep an eye on the baby's movement. After dinner, though...to be safe...I called my OB's office and, since it was a Sunday, they said the doctor on-call would call me back. He called about 15 minutes later and basically said what I already knew: to keep an eye on the fetal movement and to call/come in if it significantly decreases or completely stops. He gave me the goal of 5 moves/kicks per hour and I ended up feeling 5 kicks within the first 45 minutes, so I figured everything was okay.

It was still wicked scary, though.

And as I said before, I was actually kind of kidding before about saying to "just become 37 weeks pregnant and fall down some stairs" to freak out your family really bad. Don't do it. It was really scary. Kind of embarrassing. But scary.

I have been really paying attention to any and all movements in my abdomen ever since then. I mean, even though babies are SOOOOO well protected in the womb, I have still been hypervigilant since last night. So much so, that this morning (after feeling only about 3 kicks in 2 hours) I decided to call the doctor's office again. I even had a good breakfast, lots of cold water, and even some apple juice...so I thought that only 3 kicks in 2 hours was way too low of activity.

They recommended that I go to the hospital where I was delivering just to get monitored and checked out.

They got me in RIGHT away and immediately hooked me up to a fetal heart monitor. And then the most beautiful sound in the world started being broadcast in the room - the little heartbeat. From then on I knew it was definitely going to be okay and after I had some ice water he actually moved probably about 10 times in 1 hour.

So annoying that he couldn't have done that this morning BEFORE I called.

Anyway...they kept me there for a few hours just to make sure it all stayed the same and then they let me go because there was no other trauma, bleeding, contractions, etc. It was almost a waste of a day, but I'm glad that it's all okay and hearing that heartbeat and feeling more regular movements again made me feel so much better.

To Joe, Mom, and Dad:
I am so sorry for freaking you guys out yesterday. But I'm really glad that you all were there and cared so much to help me. :-) I love you. And just know that Baby McG is a-okay and that I will try to remember to walk sideways from now on since I can't see my feet when I walk straight.

To all you pregnant ladies:
Please be careful on stairs. Actually...be careful everywhere. Your ligaments are loose and stretched out and you are predisposed to balance issues just because the state of being pregnant. So be careful where you step. Especially if you can't see your feet. Always look where you're going and go slowly. Who cares if it takes you an hour to walk 10 feet? Do what you gotta do.

To everyone else:
Be like Joe, my mom, and my dad and just be there for your pregnant wives/friends/family members. It's so nice knowing that, even when we are weak and spazzy and uncoordinated, you are there to help and support us.

:-)

"That boy's head is like Sputnik!"

Last week I started to feel a little "off." Other than my knees and back hurting from the seemingly neverending weight gain, nothing hurt out of the ordinary. But I still felt a little "off" and I really don't know any other way to put it. I was talking to Joe on one of my lunch breaks last Thursday and he said I should probably just give the doctor's office a call to make sure that if something WAS wrong that we get it taken care of and NOT risk the chance of having preterm labor.

Yeah. Definitely not ready for that yet!

So I called and was seen that afternoon.

At the appointment, it was confirmed that I have an infection (not going into details) and should take some antibiotics for a week. Turns out we had some good intuition because infections can cause uterine contractions which can lead to preterm labor. And, as I mentioned above...totally not ready for that yet.

At the appointment, it was also confirmed that our "baby seems to be measuring large." I must have been giving the doctor a completely stupefied, blank, and/or confused stared, because she immediately said "Which is definitely okay...but since your last ultrasound was back at 18 weeks, we should have another one done within the week just to make sure everything is okay." Even though she said it is still okay, I immediately started to think that maybe something was wrong with our baby. Joe ended up telling me that he was rather large and in charge being born at 9 1/2 pounds...but the doctor's statement still made us worry a little bit.

According to pregnancy websites and books that I've been thumbing through, at 33 weeks pregnant our Little Baby McG should be about the size of a pineapple and weigh anywhere between 4 and 5 1/2 pounds.

We went for the ultrasound today since both Joe and I had the day off and we watched as the ultrasound tech took some measurements of the head, stomach, heartbeat, arms, legs, and umbilical blood flow. The heartbeat and umbilical blood flow looked good. The arms, stomach, and legs measured between 33 and 34 weeks. Perfect! They also showed that estimated weight of Baby McG right now is about 5 lbs 4 oz...which is a little high on the 4 to 5 1/2 lb scale, but still within range for 33 weeks. The head, on the other hand, measured at about 35 weeks and a few days.

"Look at the size of that boy's heed!"

Apparently, our baby is already on track for being SUPER smart because he has a really big head already. I can live with that. But what I might not like too much is if it keeps growing faster than everything else...because that might hurt.

WICKED hurt.

All in all, the ultrasound tech and doctor said that our baby is currently measuring a little larger than average, but still within a good range. So it shouldn't change the due date at all. Which means that right now we are 6 weeks 4 days away...and counting. Well, as all you mothers know, that could turn out to be 4 weeks, or 8 weeks, or anywhere in between. But right now we're "on track" for our due date.

So it's all good in the heed...I mean, "hood."

:-)



"Look at the size of that boy's heed...I'm not kidding, that boy's head is like Sputnik; spherical but quite pointy at parts! Now that was offside, wasn't it? He'll be crying himself to sleep tonight, on his huge pillow."

Stuart MacKenzie (Mike Myers)

So I Married An Axe Murderer (1993)

why drinking water is super duper important

Feeling faint or dizzy?..........Check.

Nausea?..........Check.

Rapid heartbeat?..........Check.

Cool, moist, pale skin?..........Check.

Weakness?..........Check.

Fatigue?..........Check.

Heat exhaustion?..........Check?

Unfortunately, I had the opportunity to experience these symptoms while buying groceries for dinner after work today. Joe had to stay a little late at work to make up time from this morning because the Civic wouldn't start for me and he had to leave work for about 3o minutes to come to my rescue.

Awwwwwwwww! :-)

Anyway, since he was planning on making up his time at work, I suggested that I'd grab a few groceries on the way home so that I could make dinner when I got home. All was fine and dandy and the grocery store was very comfortable.

Until I got to the meat section.

I had just picked up some beef for Lucy (yes, we freakin' spoil the crap out of our dog) and was about to get some chicken for our dinner when I started to feel really faint, dizzy, nauseated, weak, and REALLY sweaty and clammy. I leaned over on the shopping cart for a minute and started to feel a little better, so I grabbed the chicken, grabbed some broccoli and headed for the checkout lines.

Everything was good again, but when I was standing in the line after unloading the groceries, I started to feel really faint, dizzy, nauseated, weak, sweaty, and clammy all over again. So I grabbed a bar of chocolate and a small bottle of OJ from the cooler near the checkout line thinking maybe I just needed a little sugar in my blood or something.

After I got through checkout and unloaded the groceries, I got in the car and blasted the AC and started to feel really short of breath and had a semi-rapid heartbeat. So I took deep, calm breaths, drank my OJ, had a few pieces of the chocolate bar I bought and just sat in the cool AC for a couple minutes.

Luckily we only live like 1 mile from the grocery store, so I got home just fine and Joe grabbed the groceries and from then on I’ve just relaxed and felt extremely fatigued, weak, and exhausted.

I decided to look up my symptoms and…while maybe you could call me a hypochondriac…my symptoms fit the list for heat exhaustion almost 100% to a “T”.

Scary stuff.

Here’s the kicker, though…

I drink at least 80 ounces of water a day in addition to any other fluids I take in. And that’s a LOT!! Probably more than most people, actually. But apparently today it was not enough. It’s very likely that being pregnant leaves me more susceptible to different things. And because a pregnant lady’s body temperature is usually higher anyway, perhaps heat exhaustion is easier to come by.

But the moral of the story is that drinking water…especially in the summer…especially in an Arizonan summer…is super DUPER important. I seriously hydrate myself all day every day. But today it was no match for the heat.

So be warned, my friends.

DRINK WATER.

It may not be the most tasty of beverages…but it’s a life saver.

anger

Called in a prescription for an inhaler this afternoon.

Went to the pharmacy to pick it up.

It wasn't ready yet because the pharmacist said I had no refills left.

I told her that my doctor probably won't respond until Monday because it's now Friday.

Her suggestion: "Go to Urgent Care to get a prescription."

Called my doctor's office to talk with an on-call nurse. Asked if I could get a refill for my asthma medication. Before I could even finish my sentence, the snotty unhelpful obviously-not-customer-service-inclined on-call nurse butted in and said "there are absolutely no prescription refills given after hours or on the weekends."

My response: "Well, what am I supposed to do about my asthma medication that I need?"

Her response: "There are absolutely no prescription refills given after hours or on the weekends."

Wow. Really? You couldn't flipping say something ELSE?

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MISS LIPPY!!!!

And seriously. I have asthma, okay? I have had asthma for almost 30 years now. And, I'm going out on a limb here by saying this, but...my guess is that I probably will STILL have asthma for years to come, if not indefinitely. So why in the HOLY LORD ALMIGHTY'S NAME can I NOT get a prescription unless I pay $100 dollars by going to Urgent Care?

SERIOUSLY?

So it's the weekend! Whoop-dee-freakin'-DOO! Doesn't mean my asthma mysteriously disappears from Friday through Sunday! And I mean it's not like I am trying to get more percocets or vicodin or something. It's freakin' ASTHMA!! It's a freakin' INHALER!!

So I guess my option is to go to Urgent Care, spend $100 on that visit PLUS the cost of the prescription. Or not go and have an asthma attack.

Awesome.

Love health care.

LOVE IT!!!!

and the angioplasty goes to...

...JOEHAMMED!!!

Okee dokee.

So.

After the procedure, Joe's doctor came out to speak with me and, for some reason, my heart started pounding out through my chest. Not sure why, but I all of a sudden freaked out. It was unnecessary, though, as the doctor proceeded to tell me that everything went fine.

He said it ended up being more complicated than they originally thought. Meaning, they went up through the femoral artery in the left leg (which is what they normally do) and they found that one of the kidney arteries (there are more than one!) showed significant constriction. It was a little more than 75% closed!

So they definitely decided to go ahead with the angioplasty.

The doctor said that the reason it was complicated, though, is because of the way that the kidney was transplanted. He said it was transplanted beautifully, but that the location made it difficult to keep the catheter coming in from the left side. So they realized that it was more advantageous to do the angioplasty from the right side. Which means that they ended up taking the tube out of the left side and putting one in through the right side.

OUCH!!!

But the angioplasty went really well. Hooray!!

They took the balloon and opened the artery and then removed the balloon. They saw that the artery did not stay 100% opened, but the doctor said it stayed at 90% opened, which is significant....and a heck of a lot better than the 25% opened it was before!

Also, the doctor said he was very hesitant to put in a stent to keep it open because he said that sometimes a stent can become consumed by scar tissue and cause additional closure of the artery...plus a stent can never be removed. And he was hesitant to do that because this is Joe's only working kidney, which made him more conservative in this procedure (<-- good thing!). So...he decided to leave the artery at 90% opened and then Joe will go back in about 6 months for an ultrasound to see if there is any closure or if it looks okay.

I am hoping that it will look okay, so keep your fingers crossed!!

all you need to know about renal angiograms

Dear Reader -

This is what you need to know about renal angiography and angioplasty in a transplanted kidney**.

A renal angiogram involves the insertion of a long, thin tube into the femoral artery (in the groin). The tube is then guided up through the femoral artery where it will reach the area where the transplanted kidney is connected to the artery.

A radioactive (X-Ray) dye is then inserted from the tube into the artery so that the X-Ray equipment can detect the movement of the blood/fluid throughout the blood vessels. If it is noted that there is significant loss or constriction of blood flow to the kidney, an angioplasty can then be performed.

A renal angioplasty involves inserting a small balloon-like object through the tube into the constricted blood vessel/artery. The balloon is then equipped to expand and thus open said blood vessel/artery so that adequate blood flow to the kidney can then be resumed. If necessary, a stent (which is a metal or plastic tube-like balloon) can be place into the blood vessel/artery permanently to prevent it from becoming constricted again.

**PS - I am not a doctor. I repeat...I am not a doctor! So please do not quote me. Please.

---

This is what Joe is getting done today.

A couple months ago when Joe had his yearly post-transplant ultrasound and biopsy, the ultrasound showed possible narrowing of the artery/blood vessels supplying blood to his new kidney. So he is getting the angiogram done today and, if there is significant enough narrowing, they will do the angioplasty and possible stent placement to maintain unconstricted blood flow to the kidney.

I must say that I just plain hate hospitals. I know they help sustain life and, come August, will help deliver a new little life into our arms. But I just hate hospitals. And even though Joe has spent enough time in hospitals, it still doesn't make it easier when we have to come back. I know he prefers to stay away from hospitals as much as he can and would probably rather watch paint dry than have to go through a procedure, but he's a champ. He's a real trooper. And I am proud of him!

His doctor for the procedure is super nice and this seems like a really good hospital. So I know he's in good hands. But I just can't wait for this day to be over...

dental schmental

Throughout all of my life so far, I have not had to get a single cavity filled. Not a single one. I have always been very proud of myself for this fact.

But perhaps I was a little too cocky because I went for years without seeing a dentist. Gross, I know...but oh well. Can't do anything about it now. But...now my life of having un-cavity-filled teeth must come to an end because I have to get a root canal in one of my molars. This frightens me. A lot. It was caused by a wisdom tooth which grew in sideways pressing against the molar, causing a cavity. And now, years after the wisdom teeth were removed, the cavity has grown and the tooth now needs a root canal.

Awesome, huh?

I was hoping to live forever with no fillings or crowns or anything of the like.

I am officially a failure.

it's time for a break

I have been really bad about keeping up with the blog over the past couple weeks, so I apologize for that. Things have just been a little overwhelming lately…

Work is going just fine for both of us as there is never a lack of work to do. Every day is different and not all days are perfect, but we both really like where we are at (for now!) and it’s just really great to have jobs that we like. The economy over the past few years has been a little scary, so we definitely count ourselves as blessed!

The baby is alive and well and I've felt him kicking a time or two over the past week. One of the times I realized it was a real baby kick and not just gas was last Saturday. We were all sitting around on the patio listening to my dad play his guitar and I think our little Baby McG was dancing along with him. It was weird…but really really cute. :-) So that's exciting!

And our beagle, Lucy, is seemingly healthy - which, if you know ANYTHING about our dog, being healthy is a miracle!! And Joe and I were just looking at old Lucy pictures last night and we fell in love with her all over again. Here is one of our favorites. :-)

So it actually seems like things are going really well and I shouldn’t be overwhelmed. But I am.

I started my statistics and measurements course which is definitely interesting, but it’s hard for me. So much is involved in answering each question, mostly because I don’t know what is going on and have to spend hours just learning about one concept. And it’s just really difficult. I’m doing okay in the class (so far), but it’s still a little stressful. (Maybe I should stop blogging and get back to it?)

Also, we recently found out that a really good friend of ours from back East was in a very serious car accident last week. He was hospitalized immediately and has been there ever since where he has been in critical condition. He had no scratches anywhere except for his head and they immediately had to treat him for brain swelling and placed him in a medically-induced coma to help treat it. They have been waking him every two hours to check on his progress and/or complications and because of the brain swelling, they had to remove part of his skull to allow room for the brain to swell. His left arm and leg have not been responding much at all. Every time they would wake him to check his responses he has reacted severely to the tubes they placed in his throat for food and breathing. This week so far, we have found out that they did a tracheotomy for his breathing and placed a tube in his stomach for feeding. This way, the the tubes are no longer in his throat. The hemicraniectomy, tracheotomy and gastral tube procedures have been very successful so far, so now they are just waiting for his recovery and to see how things progress from here. And over the past couple days he has actually made some really good strides in responsiveness. We are very hopeful for him because he is an extremely strong young man and it seems like things are definitely getting better, slowly but surely. But it’s just very hard being so far away and not knowing what to expect. So him and his family have not strayed far from my mind over the past week. I think about them constantly, actually.

Also…and I hope he doesn’t kill me for putting this out there…but Joe had his yearly biopsy and ultrasounds a few weeks ago. One of the things they noticed in the ultrasound was that his renal artery (which connects the kidney to the major artery blood supply) was looking constricted and causing the kidney to possibly not get as much blood as it should be getting. So they want him to have a renal angioplasty to fix it. Anytime he has to go to the hospital I…well…I just don’t like it one bit! But I want him to stay healthy for as long as humanly possible…so that’s been on my mind a lot, too.

Now...I don’t complain to anyone at ALL (unless you are Joe or my family), so please don’t take this as complaining. There’s just a lot going on in my little world. So, if you have a second, just send some positive thoughts out into the universe. Lord knows, I’ll be doing the same…

know the signs

During one of Joe's chemo sessions a few years ago, he snagged a free magnet from the hospital that lists the warning signs of stroke. At the time, I think he possibly just thought, "cool...a free magnet!" But having this on our fridge over the past few years recently paid off while we were in the company of a loved one. If we hadn't known any of the warning signs, we might not have known that they were possibly experiencing stroke.

This stuff is serious. There is really no other way to put it. So I just wanted to share the following with you. Get yourself familiar with these warning signs and, because stroke is so serious and can cause irreparable damage, be sure to contact 911 right away...EVEN if symptoms go away!!

This is serious!!

The following warning signs are taken directly from the American Stroke Association website (http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/).

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body confusion
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
  
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
  
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

Additional stroke resources:
American Stroke Association
National Stroke Association
Mayo Clinic
National Library of Medicine | National Institute of Health

all things nuchal

At my first OB appointment a few weeks ago, they advised me to contact The Fetal & Women's Center of Arizona to set up an appointment for once I was between weeks 11 and 12. They said that this organization has the best ultrasound technology available. So I ended up scheduling the appointment for yesterday because right now I am somewhere at the end of week 11, beginning of week 12.

Originally, I thought the appointment was just to check growth and get some cute little ultrasound pictures. But we discovered yesterday that the scanning was actually to test the baby's nuchal translucency. Nuchal translucency screening tests for all types of chromosomal abnormalities (mainly Down Syndrome) and congenital heart defects. Nuchal translucency refers to the fluid-filled space at the back of the baby's neck. The reason they look at this space in particular is because they have found that fetuses that have a high amount of fluid in this space at the back of the neck have more likelihood of having a chromosomal abnormality, such as Down Syndrome. The primary things that are taken into consideration when testing for these birth defects are (1) the mother's age, (2) the amount of nuchal translucency in the fetus, and (3) bloodwork.

The ultrasound scan lasted for almost 50 minutes...yeah, 50 minutes...because little Baby McG was being a little turd and would pretty much show nothing but his/her backside. The tech was getting a little frustrated, too, especially after about 30 minutes of not even being able to take a measurement. So she had me try to cough to get the little butthead to move a little. Yeah...no luck. Either the baby was being stubborn or was being extremely lazy and just didn't want to move. Yeah...this kid is TOTALLY related to Joe, huh? :-)

Anyway, she went from a scan on the belly, to an internal scan, to another scan on the belly. Finally, she was able to get some measurements before leaving to show the results to the doctor. The doctor came back to tell us about what they were looking for and what they found in the initial look at the scan. All I have to say is that next time, Baby McG better be a little more cooperative. Otherwise, I have a feeling we'll have to lay down the law pretty good with this kid.

As far as the results go, based on my age alone the chance of any chromosomal abnormality is about 1:630 (or 0.15%). After the complete results of the scan and bloodwork are in (sometime next week), they will update that number showing either a higher risk or a lower risk of birth defects. Based on their initial measurements during the scan, however, they said that everything looked completely normal.

Phew! :-)

Here are some updated photos of the little one. A lot of them confuse me as to what I'm actually looking at, so I tried to pick some of the most distinguishable photos. Enjoy!

Baby McG's backside:

Baby McG's left side:

Baby McG's right side profile:

lucy's a hipster

And by "hipster", I mean she is semi-bohemian, rejects mainstream culture, and prides herself on being independent and "cool". And she wears sunglasses.



Nah...just kidding. I means she has hip dysplasia.

And, even though she's already endured ringworms, a torn dewclaw, getting attacked by a bigger dog and needing stiches, an enlarged spleen and elevated liver enzymes, and tick fever...we can now add hip dysplasia to the list.

And she's only 3!

And what's more interesting is that half of these things have happened right before big events or vacations. She got attacked by a dog the night before we took a trip to New England last year. She has some sort of scary episode (which turned out to be a result of tick fever) on Christmas Day last year, right before we were supposed to take a trip to California. And she now has hip dysplasia, right before we are supposed to go to New England again. Is this a sign? Is she trying to tell us she doesn't want us going anywhere?

Hip dysplasia, in a nutshell, occurs in the hip joint when the femoral head (the ball) and the acetabulum (the socket) do not fit together or function perfectly. In essence the top of the femur and the socket create a lot of friction and damage due to being shaped differently and not having enough tissue, muscle, or ligaments to support the joint. And because tissue, muscle, and ligaments do not properly support the joint, the femur and socket continue to separate from each other which causes addition friction and damage which results in further changes in the size and shape of the joint. It can develop at any age. It's common in large and giant breed dogs (or dogs who are overweight). It is not necessarily common in beagles, but it is common in pure breeds when there is a genetic predisposition for the condition.

We noticed over the weekend that she took a million years to climb stairs and completely stopped jumping altogether. There was one point where I hugged her and she shrieked like it was the most painful thing she ever felt. Made my blood curdle. So we set up an appointment on Monday afternoon and a few tests, xrays, and hundreds of dollars later, we were presented with the hip dysplasia diagnosis. So sad. I just want to hug her all the time because I feel like she is so defenseless. She's the sweetest thing in the world! She's very independent and not always cuddly or affectionate, but she loves everyone so much and gives the best hugs!!

The only thing I have left to say is that I really hope Lucy can get through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years without any new ailments. I don't think that's too much to ask, is it?

to spleen? or not to spleen? that is the question...

The past week has been such a mixture of joy and holiday cheer mixed with anxiety and sadness.

Christmas was wonderful. Absolutely wonderful! We spent time relaxing, spending time with family, giving gifts to one another and enjoying a holiday feast. And Santa was very very generous to us all (we must have been NICE this past year!).

But all during Christmas, Lucy was so bummed and lethargic and just not acting her normal self. As mentioned in our previous post, we were planning on driving out to California the day after Christmas, but ended up staying behind with Lucy Pants because she was kind of freaking us out. And we have been to the vet ALMOST every day since then:

• Saturday 12/26 - Saturday's tests determined that Lucy's liver enzymes count was super high awhile her t-cell and platelet counts were super low, causing the doctor to think that her cells and antibodies were off in the liver somewhere fighting an infection. Antibiotics, liver boosters and probiotics were prescribed and an appointment for a bile acids test was set for the next day. The doctor recommended, also, an anti nausea medication, but it was very pricey, so we decided to hold off since she wasn't constantly vomiting.
  
• Sunday 12/27 - The bile acids test was performed. During this test, they analyze the bile acids before a meal and two hours after a meal to determine how the liver is functioning. Results would be ready in a couple days' time.
  
• Monday 12/28 - Lucy didn't eat much more than 1/2 a cup of food this day and was still very lethargic. She ended up vomiting again so we decided to suck it up and get her the anti-nausea medication. 90 bucks. For 8 doses. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? But it seems to work because she hasn't puked since then.
  
• Tuesday 12/29 - Lucy didn't eat at ALL this day and towards the evening started becoming increasingly lethargic and just lying around unmoving. She began shaking uncontrollably and was acting very feverish and out of it. Scary stuff. But, seriously, how are you supposed to know what to do when it's a dog and they can't say "dude, I'm okay, just leave me alone" or "dude, I'm dying so take me somewhere right now." You know what I mean? We were so scared for her because she was so unresponsive and just lying in our arms, unmoving. We called an emergency line and basically she wasn't have seizures or anything and she was still drinking water and was easily roused, so we just kept her warm and decided to take her to the vet in the morning.
  
• Wednesday 12/30 - I was supposed to go to work today, but we took Lucy to the vet this morning. We didn't have an appointment, so it took awhile to be seen, but the doctor was very good today. She said that the bile acids test came back normal, meaning her liver is functioning just fine (yay!). But she recommended more bloodwork to rule out other diseases as well as some xrays. Once Lucy was ready to be picked up, the doctor informed us that her platelet counts are up since Saturday (which is awesome) and she also told us that the blood work showed that Lucy doesn't have parvo, giardia, pancreatitis, or any other detectable disease (more awesome!). But...her liver enzymes are still high, which means that there is still some sort of infection somewhere. AND...the xrays showed an enlarged spleen (which would definitely be a cause of Lucy's discomfort, lack of appetite, lethargy and irregular bowel movements). So the doctor advised the following plan of action: getting an ultrasound done tomorrow which will show us if the spleen is enlarged due to (1) a hematoma or (2) a tumor. If it's a hematoma, then the spleen might need to be removed entirely because of the risk of massive internal bleeding. If it's a tumor, then the tumor might possibly need to be removed and/or the spleen removed entirely. That's the plan, as of today. Lord only knows how these things can change day to day. And a side note - can you imagine the bills we've accrued this week alone?
  
• Thursday 12/31 (tomorrow) - Back to work and dropping Lucy off for her ultrasound. Only time will tell what the results will be...
  

say a little prayer for lucy

For Christmas this year, Joe and I got to spend some really nice time with my family, got some really wonderful and thoughtful gifts from loved ones and secret Santas, and........we got a sick beagle.

Our dog, Lucy, is a million dollar dog. Seriously. A million dollars. That's how much we've spent on her so far. For those who don't know me well, I am sarcastic sometimes. So be aware that we haven't literally spent a million dollars because don't even have a fraction of that, but you probably get the picture.

Anyway, we were planning on driving out to California with my parents and sister the day after Christmas (yesterday) to help prepare my grandmother for her move to Phoenix. We were going to help pack, visit with family and drive my grandma's car back to Phoenix. Well...that was the plan, anyway...

For the past week or so, Lucy has been acting much unlike herself and over the past couple days completely lost her appetite altogether. She started vomiting on Christmas Day and had a really bad fever that night. She woke up in fairly good spirits the next morning, when we were planning on heading out to Cali, but then she got sick again and we made the call to stay behind.

We took her to the vet first thing and they did some bloodwork. The tests they did came back showing that Lucy's liver enzymes were really high and her t-cell and platelet counts were really low. They think this means that all her antibodies are trying to fight something in her liver. The this morning they wanted us to bring her back for a bile acid test to test her liver function. IN this type of test, they take a blood sample to see the baseline level or bile acids, then they feed her, and two hours later take another blood sample to see the level of bile acids. Basically, what they are looking for is any change in levels of bile acids. For example, if the sample from before the meal shows a low level and the sample after the meal shows a high level, then that means her liver isn't working the way it should. Oh goodness...I'm really hoping it doesn't turn out that way.

We were so ready to drive to California yesterday and I'm really sad to not see family, but I am actually pretty glad we were able to get Lucy some help. They hydrated her, gave us a bunch of meds for her and now we're just waiting for the test results, which should be ready in a couple days!! It's kind of been a bank breaking weekend, but I just really really REALLY hope they figure out what's wrong so that we can fix it. It's so sad seeing her so lifeless. And it's so sad because she can't just tell us what's wrong, you know?

The poor beagle breaks my heart.

do you know what that sound is, highness?....

...those are the shrieking eels!

This post, actually, has nothing to do with the Princess Bride (which is where that quote comes from, for those of us who are uncultured), but it just popped into my head for some reason.

Anyway...

HI EVERYONE!!! I know it's seemed like a bojillion years since we last blogged, so I thought I'd drop you all a line. It really hasn't been a bojillion years, but tons of things have definitely been going on, so we've been a little preoccupied:

SEPTEMBER

• LUCY - We are not millionaires because Lucy did not win the cutest dog competition. :o( For those of you who actually did vote and continue to show your endless support of our gorgeous beagle dog, THANK YOU! Maybe we'll have better luck next year. Or maybe we'll start a dog talent competition, or something. Lucy's pretty amazing at sitting, laying down, rolling over, speaking, and playing hide and seek! Anyway, to see information on the winner of the competition, click here.

OCTOBER

• SWINE - I'm pretty sure I had the swine flu in October. Joe and Alanna and I had planned a camping trip for the first weekend of October and, even though I started feeling like death with a fever of 103, NOTHING was going to get in the way of camping. I had a fever for a couple days and we were scheduled to go on a Friday night and I really didn't want to pull the plug on the trip. So we headed out of Phoenix and during the ride I think something pretty crazy happened because I don't remember much from that night. My fever seemed to skyrocket and I was freezing and burning up all at the same time. I'm pretty sure I was delirious (Joe and Alanna can probably give more details) and it seriously felt like I was actually dead. Not fun. We stayed one night and packed up first thing in the morning. :o( Sad!! It probably wasn't really the swine flu (I tend to exaggerate), but it was pretty brutal. On the positive side, I've hit my sick quotient for the year, so hopefully I won't be sick again for a long time.
• LUCY - Lucy turned TWO!! YAHOOOO!!!! Okay, so maybe this is only exciting to us.
• KIDNEY - Joe celebrated his first anniversary with his new kidney on October 7th!! It's definitely been a roller coaster as far as that goes - being more apt to get diseases and virus due to the suppressed immune system. They are constantly meeting with him, always doing new lab work, adjusting medications due to differences in blood levels and new viruses that pop up, keeping him healthy, etc. The Mayo Clinic and all of Joe's doctors in this city are really top notch. And so is Jen for being the awesome donor!! :o)
  

NOVEMBER

• MOVING - We moved into a new place!! Moving is always super stressful (especially when you realize about 1/3 of the stuff you own could probably just be thrown away), so we are glad to have that over and done with. And, as of yesterday, we have now been in the new place about a month and are pretty much all unpacked and settled in. It's a nice place, too. It's just about 3 miles away from our previous place, so it's in the same general area, but it's about $200 cheaper per month, so we're REALLY excited about saving some extra money. Which is something that isn't easy to do this day and age.
• WILDLIFE - We take Lucy for nightly walks around the new neighborhood and have had the opportunity of seeing and hearing different wildlife such as rabbits, owls, coyotes and even javelinas!! HOW COOL IS THAT??
• WORK - The coming of this month signaled my first anniversary at my current job. It's really crazy how time flies when you're having....fun? Yeah. Amazing. There are DEFINITELY days when things drag and situations get stressful at work (poor Joe never seems to hear the end of it, either) but, for the most part, I have actually grown to really enjoy my new position. This month has been really stressful at work because it's the end of my first year, so I had to work some overtime and work as hard as possible to make sure that I ended it with a bang (want to get some good points on my review!!). It's hard to do with unexpected issues that come up, fires that need to be put out, lives to save, etc. But on the other hand, there is a lot of teamwork involved, so there is a lot of time to continually improve upon communicating effectively with each other. There are great benefits and a lot of opportunity for growth. There are people who really make each day worthwhile. And among all the good and the bad (which you seem to find no matter WHERE you work), it's really been a pretty good experience so far.
• NEW MOON - I have nothing to say about it that won't make you all roll your eyes. So will spare you my thoughts.
  
• THANKSGIVING - It's scary how quickly Thanksgiving has come and gone, you know? My family traveled on a tour of Ireland for the holiday last week (the price was right) but Joe and decided to save our bucks (will visit Ireland someday...) and stuck around Phoenix. We had an awesome dinner celebration at my aunt and uncle's house and hung out and played games afterwards. We went camping amongst coyotes for a few days at Apache Lake, where we went last Thanksgiving. And had a really nice, stress-free weekend. I love Thanksgiving. And I am still so very thankful for everything listed here...and more!!
  

DECEMBER

Dude. Back off. It JUST STARTED!!! he he.

Really, though. December. Ahhh.

• Weather changes (finally).
  
• Holiday decorations.
  
• The season of giving.
• Making new year resolutions.
  
• Spending time with family.
• Enjoying life.
  

Hmmmm. I utterly love this time of year. :o)

Ciao for now!