Oops we did it again...

This evening, we piled everyone into the car to go see a little sheltie girl we were hoping to add to our family. Her name is Karma, she's 5 years old and we were hoping she would love our family as much as we wanted to love her. When we finally got there an hour and change later, we were surprised to see that she really was quite a little girl, about the size of our cat Devlin and quite different than our boy Pippin was.

Karma. You can't tell but she's actually the size of a large cat. 

We brought Milou in the back and let them attempt to play together but Karma wasn't super into it. The real star of the show was a 10 month old boy named Troy. He was oversized just like Pippin was (about 6 pounds overweight actually, so really just like Pippin) and he and Milou hit it off instantly. We were really torn since we'd gone for Karma and weren't sure if we could handle a second puppy. We wanted an adult who wouldn't require as much training, who would be easy and calm.

It took us two hours of agonizing in the backyard with Milou, Troy and Karma and we were split pretty evenly about which dog we should get. E insisted that Karma was the one for us and initially my mom agreed with him, even though she prefers larger dogs. My sister L and I were increasingly feeling that Troy was the one for us. We went back and forth and back and forth and honestly I would have taken both dogs if they'd let me, they would have fulfilled different emotional needs.

Ultimately, we decided that while Karma might be the calm girl we want now, Troy would eventually grow into the better dog. Karma was already fairly set in her ways at 5 years old while Troy was young and maleable, easier to acclimate to our cats and train. He and Milou were perfectly matched and would grow up together. By the time E and I moved out, Troy would be the adult with the even temperament that my mom wanted. Karma might be the better dog for my mom by herself, but Troy was the better dog for our family.

Troy, 10 months and 34lbs of Pippin look-alike

He's going to need a new name and will require a lot of training but we just couldn't pass him up. We brought him home this evening and after being perfectly behaved in the car he's settling into life at our house. We're going to start crate training him and will put him on Milou's raw diet tomorrow morning.

He has a few health problems we need to keep an eye on, namely his weight, dull fur, urinary crystals, and weak back legs. It seems like a lot to be taking on but I'm fairly sure that all of it can be remedied with good nutrition. A raw diet should restore the oil to his fur, eliminate his urinary crystals and reduce his weight. The reduction in weight plus the building of muscle should strengthen his back legs and I'm hoping he'll be happy and healthy in no time.

In the meantime, does anyone have any suggestions for a name? We like weirder names, Pippin, Milou, Haji, Devlin etc.
 

There's a Pony in my House

This weekend we played host to J aka Pony, my twin brother from another mother. We lived two houses away from each other and officially met when I was two and he was three, two diaper clad babes looking to learn the mysteries of the potty. His mom used to only allow health food in the house so when he overheard my parents trying to bribe me onto the pot with M&M's he jumped on the opportunity to score some candy and promptly potty trained himself.

(Source)

We may not share the same blood but he's been as close as or more so than my biological siblings and people were convinced we were going to get married. We were convinced for most of our lives too until I realized at about 12 that you couldn't marry your siblings and since Pony was obviously my brother, that just wasn't going to fly. Instead, he was the best man/man of honor at my wedding to E, who we met when I was 7, J was 8 and E was 9.

E, S and J <3

I would do anything for those two, for the boys they once were and the men they've become. I'm very fortunate to have married such a wonderful childhood friend since the relationship between J and I is deep and enduring, and someone who hadn't grown up with us would likely misunderstand our bond. One of these days I'll post some footage of our home movies, we have a great one of my four year old self scolding a boy for taking my Pony's toy. We have each other's backs, twin style, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Since my grandpa passed away, I have slowly adopted J's grandpa as my own.  He's an incredible man who has lived a fascinating life and this weekend he turned 90 years old. To celebrate, Pony came into town along with scores of other relatives for a luncheon honoring grandpa. Pony's mother, P, had requested a few hours of my time to help with a video project of grandpa's life.

Baby Grandpa

This quickly turned into a massive undertaking that involved me spending every evening at her house working feverishly on sound editing. I'd go to work in the morning, come home to kiss E and Milou, and then head to P's house. When it got closer to the party, E joined me and again we were in front of her computer all night, sometimes until 3am. We finished just in the nick of time the night before the party and the movie debuted Thursday afternoon at the luncheon. There wasn't a dry eye in the house, Pony and I were sitting in the back crying into our napkins and the biggest praise was from Grandpa who thanked E and I profusely for our efforts.

Pony and family including grandpa and two of his brothers in the front

After the party, the rest of the weekend was a whirlwind. We visited with family, went to Six Flags where it was way too hot, went to a friend's birthday party and paid a visit to the Natural History Museum and the Science Center. More food than our stomaches could hold was consumed with P planning every meal at a different restaurant and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need a weekend to recover from the visit.

A New Job

I have a new job. Yes, let me say that again. I. Have. A. New. Job. Those are not words I was expecting to type out for awhile but I admit I am excited about it.

I have worked for this company a few years ago doing database work and very much enjoyed the experience. It's a solid company with genuinely good people and the work environment was always positive.

This time I am returning not as a computer tech but as a researcher and consultant on an Education and Community Development project. It's really exciting stuff, the kind of material I review on my own time for my own personal enjoyment, but this time I get paid for it! It's confidential so I can't discuss much but it is cutting edge research that I'm hoping will have a positive impact on the world.

Thus far I've only committed to part time work but as long as I can fit my classes in with my work schedule  I'll add more hours. If I continue it should be enough to help me save for graduate school and hopefully lead me towards one of my desired careers. Fingers are crossed, I would love to be able to make up my mind!

Also, I will be in an office. With a window. While it's not an exam room, at least it's not a cubicle!

(Source)

Happy 15th Birthday Haji

Oh my god, I can NOT believe that my Haji Baba is 15 years old. It feels like only a short time ago that I was picking him out of a litter in the back of a dress shop. He was a one of a kind kitten who has grown into the most unique cat, my constant, loyal companion. He is the first animal that was adopted to be mine and he will always be my baby no matter how old and grumpy he gets.

Happy Birthday Haji, my incorrigible, brilliant, beautiful boy. My heart is not complete without you and I will love you for forever. 

<3 <3 <3

Welcoming Coco's Puppies!

This morning, E's step dad G's pup gave birth to her first litter of adorable lhasa-poos. The mama is the beautiful Coco, a cream colored Lhasa Apso and their papa is the proud Smokey, a grey miniature poodle. Although G and his wife M are regular dog rescuers who have anywhere between 10-14 dogs at any given time, they've never had a litter of puppies before so this is a first for everyone.

Normally, G and M would never have intact pooches on their property. In Coco and Smokey's case, both came to them malnourished and too ill to be fixed at the time. Once both had recovered, their surgeries were put off  and neglected until whoops, Coco was pregnant. I'm happy to say that all the puppies have loving homes waiting for them but it will likely be the last litter G and M's dogs have.

So, without further ado, I present Coco and Smokey's three beautiful puppies! So far it looks like one will be cream colored like Coco while the other two will be grey like their papa Smokey.

Welcome puppies and congratulations to Coco and Smokey!

Happy Four Month Birthday Milou

Happy four month birthday my little Milou. We love you and are so happy that you've come into our lives. We can't wait to watch you grow up <3

RIP Pippin, Our Beloved Boy

At 1am last night, E and I got a phone call from my mom. We were dog sitting for a family friend and were just getting ready for bed. My mom was calling to say that Pippin, our 14 year old Sheltie, was coughing up blood on the kitchen floor. He hadn't eaten much that day and she was frantic and wasn't sure what to do. Since we were bringing Milou to the vet today for her shots and there was nothing to be done in the middle of the night, we advised her to clean up, keep him hydrated and keep an eye on him throughout the night. We went to bed not knowing what to expect the next day.

For the past couple months, Pippin has been feeling progressively worse and worse. We brought him into the vet first when he didn't want to jump on the bed. He was prescribed arthritis medication that worked, but seemed to upset his stomach. We brought him back again when he began to gain weight, despite no increase in food, and he was found to have low thyroid and put on thyroid replacement therapy. When he began to cough and pant heavily, he went back a third time and had x-rays taken of his chest and abdomen. We left with four different antibiotics for a lung infection, but these too upset his stomach and made him vomit. We were advised to give him pepcid and introduce the antibiotics one at a time, but his stool remained a little funny. We began researching everything we could get our hands on to determine what was wrong with him. He no longer wanted to go on his walks, he didn't want to eat. 

At 10 this morning, E and I arrived to a quiet but very much alive Pippin. He was clearly under the weather as he had been and there was more blood spray on the floor. Surprisingly, he was very hungry and ate a breakfast of his favorite dehydrated patties soaked in warm water. He laid with us in the backyard in the shade and enjoyed the nice weather. We left for the vet with Pip, Milou and a list of conditions we wanted the vet to test for. My mom took off work and met us there, ready to run some serious blood work and test for everything from heartworms to Cushings disease. We were not letting him go without a fight.

We brought Pip into the exam room and our vet gave us "the look,"the painful, pitying, searching look that means we're in serious trouble. She brought him up onto the table and started dropping phrases like "quality of life" and "best for the dog". She started examining him at his head and by the time she got to his body our stomaches were sinking. She had found a mass, a HUGE grapefruit sized mass in his abdomen. We asked if it could be a lump of fat, he had plenty of those, his breakfast, a bowel obstruction, a swallowed toy. She shook her head and quietly dropped the C bomb, though she might as well have shouted. The cancer had to be aggressive if it hadn't been found on the x-rays or exam the week before. There was no way to treat it, nothing we could do to prolong his life with any quality. He was in pain and we had to do the responsible thing.

My mom had promised my sister L that she wouldn't do anything without her being there. We decided to walk Pip around in the shade and sent E to go pick her up from summer school. We moved outside the vet, at which point my mom began sobbing so loud the vet came out and gave us a tissue box. We called my grandma who cried in the bank line in Oregon. Somehow things always seem worse when we hear grandma cry though I think my mom needed to hear her own mom's voice. We let Pip pee on some trees and lay in the shade while we showered him with pets and love. People stared at us as they walked by, Pip didn't look physically sick so it must have been difficult to understand our sorrow.

E pulled up with L who got out of the car sobbing and threw herself on Pip. If there's anything as bad as listening to your grandma cry, it's seeing your sister cry and we were now all officially a mess. We said our goodbyes, let him enjoy the shade and then brought him back to the vet. When she gave him the sedative it was the most peaceful and comfortable we've seen him in weeks. He hadn't been able to breathe without gasping in so long and he was finally resting easy. It was that moment I think where we really knew that as hard as it was, we had made the right decision. He passed away with our arms around him, stroking his fur and was finally free from pain. 

RIP Pippin

1997 - 2011

You were the best dog ever. We love you so much and will miss you. 

3 Month Anniversary

Sunday, as E and I were getting ready to drive our kids our junior bridesmaid, N,  and junior groomsmen, S, down to camp, E realized that it was our three month anniversary. I'm not surprised that I didn't realize it sooner, E has always been a wiz with dates and numbers and the time has passed so quickly. I'm not sure where these last nine years of our relationship have gone but these last few weeks where we've been raising Milou and hosting N and S have zoomed by at light speed.

Milou is already 26 pounds!

Last Thursday we picked N and S up at the airport and went straight to the Aquarium of the Pacific. They're in that place where they're not quite teenagers yet but they're not really children anymore, one moment they're ohmygosh30yearsold mature and the next they're closer to a tantruming 6 year old. Luckily, we had a great time at the aquarium with no meltdowns and much appreciation for the tropical birds, puffer fish and moon jellies. I only got minimal complaints when I told them I wouldn't buy $3 one ounce cups of nectar for the birds and although I could tell S wasn't happy, he was able to be resourceful and use nectar flowers to attract the birds. They worked better than the cups anyway (what bird would be attracted to a plastic cup??) and I got approximately 284329874634 pictures of them holding the birds. 

The next day was spent at play dates and a friends BBQ, where they ran themselves into exhaustion with a pack of kids I've watched be born and grow up. Some are now taller than I am and other's have changed so much that they're nearly impossible to recognize as the soft,  bow mouthed newborns and bright eyed toddlers they used to be. I did a double take when I saw a little boy I used to watch at 5 as a grown up 12 year old with a mop of shaggy hair and a "Death to Humans" t-shirt. His little sister who I watched as a baby is now a little girl, running around and playing rough'n'tumble with the boy. As an adult, you don't realize how much can change in 7 years until you look at a child.

Beanbag Battle

Captain Australia

Ziggy watches N and S battle

S and T battle for the fort

Saturday ended up being a lazy day, although we started out with grandiose plans for visiting the LA Science Center. I think the BBQ the day before wore them out a bit, so instead we watched movies, went to the mall, and went out to our favorite mexican restaurant. Although I was hoping to get them into bed early, they hadn't seen the 1980's version of Batman so E, S and N piled into our bed and watched batman kick butt until midnight when we foisted them into their own beds and spent a good half hour giggling back and forth through the wall. When N called from her bed in her squeakiest sci-fi voice "Do you know who the fiend is? ....it's the LAXATIVE!" and we all burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter at this nonsense while S called "In Bed!" (thank god they still don't know why this is funny), I realized we had reached the that time and it was time to sleep.

N and S's awesome camp

Dropping them off at camp was a kind of bittersweet experience. I know they'll have a fabulous time although we'll miss them while they're gone. S acclimated pretty much instantly as soon as his friends got there but N took a little bit longer. We walked around the camp with her for about 2 hours and she still wasn't quite ready for us to go. I think it's going to be a hormonal summer for her and I felt like a giant meanie leaving her there when she wasn't ready to let go. We made up the secret word "pumpernickel" for her to write to us in letters if she was having a tough time, like "man they served us pumpernickel bagels for breakfast" instead of saying "i hate it i'm having a terrible time". Home sickness usually comes in bouts so hopefully hers are few and far between and they both have a great time.

Beautiful Gazebo

After dropping off the kiddos, E and I went to visit his stepdad G at his house where we got married. It was a little surreal to see it looking like a house instead of our wedding, but he kept up the gazebo we had our ceremony under and has a little table and chairs beneath it.  I really can't believe it's already been three months since we said our I do's. E says it feels more like a few weeks, but we've been together so long he doesn't really count in months anymore. I keep thinking of all the things we still have to do like send more thank you notes, lose the few pounds we gained so we can take our day after photos, choose photos for our wedding album, etc etc. If life goes this quickly without kids, I can't imagine how it will fly once we have our own! For now I want to try and focus more on enjoying each other and our surrogate children N and S. Oh, and getting out those remaining thank you notes >_<