Pray for Shelby...

As many of you know, Shelby is one of my weimaraners that I love like a child. She is 11.5 years old and has had irritable bowel syndrome for years. However, she has had more and more flare ups the past several years which has been causing other health issues. For those who don't want any details - skip to the last paragraph.

We have been very good about taking her to the vet and have actually seen all three vets in the clinic that I was referred to when I first moved to Birmingham. However, they could never treat her other issues since they were unsuccessful in diagnosing the problem. I would repeatedly tell them her symptoms, and all they would do is prescribe a different medication. It was never ending with the medicine, yet we weren't making any headway for her.

The past 6-8 weeks she has had even more problems, where she not only is having problems passing stool, but she has been leaking some blood, and lately stool, uncontrollably. In addition, she has lost over 10 lbs. It upsets her and us terribly. She can't help it though, and we know she is in pain so we can't punish her or really do anything. I took her back to our vet on Monday, and was told they were "at lunch" and to come back in one hour. So I did, and was told once again that they were "taking a late lunch and wouldn't be back for another hour." I was so ticked off and frustrated that I asked them to copy the files because I was switching vets.

I drove immediately over to another clinic where I was seen by a young vet within 10 minutes. Being young I was worried that he would have enough experience to help us, but he was like a Doogie Howser of veterinarians. Though he had her records in front of him, he asked me to start from the beginning with her problems. I went on and on for at least 15 minutes, and then he started asking questions - good questions. Within 25 minutes, he had done a rectal and knew what was causing her problems - polyps right inside her anus. I was thrilled to finally know what was causing her runny, and mostly bloody stools, but so mad to hear that he found out so quickly by doing such a simple thing - a rectal. It absolutely infuriates me thinking how this other vet clinic could have done this 4 years ago and saved Shelby from all of this pain and suffering, but they were just too lazy to think outside the box.

Though we know these polyps have to be removed, we are now awaiting the results of the tissue they took from them to find out if they are cancerous (which should be in another 2-4 days). She also has an appointment Thursday morning with a specialist in town to discuss possible treatments. Unfortunately, the location of these polyps is a major problem. Our vet said that it is typically operated on by breaking the dog's pelvic bone and going in behind the bone to remove them. However, she is an older dog and we aren't sure if that would be the best thing for her. So....we are anxious to hear what the specialist has to say, not to mention, get the results back from the tissue sample.

Needless to say - we have a lot on our plates right now - caring for Shelby, Spencer, and of course little Bennett. Spencer is 5 years younger than Shelby and has been with her since he came home to us. So it was hard on him yesterday, when we left her at the vet last night to have these samples and the other blood work taken. So please pray for all of us, but mainly Shelby and that the news we hear this week is good.

First Day at the Pool

Late today, Steve and I finally got our act together and went to the pool with Bennett for the first time. Our pediatrician said that we shouldn't go during the heat of the day, so we made it there by 6pm. The hour before the pool closed worked out perfectly for our first time. She was asleep when we got there, and though we were soaking her up to her chest - she preferred to continue sleeping.

She finally started to stir some, and we were able to catch her with this cute smile. We can only assume that she liked it, but after 15 minutes in the water - she began to fuss a little so we took her out. While drying off sitting poolside we met another mother and got to talking about her family and how they have enjoyed the "Homewood Country Club" for years. I am confident that as we spend more time at the pool we will meet many other nice parents and Bennett will meet some new friends.

Once we got home, we coated her little body with lotion and put a fresh diaper and her PJs on her. Since they don't sell swim diapers for babies her size, we just kept her in her regular diaper under her bathing suit. We had heard that it would swell up after absorbing so much water, but what we were surprised with was how it kept it all inside, regardless of how much water was in it. This diaper probably weighed 5lbs, yet no water leaked out of it. I tell ya - it is amazing how much better these diapers have gotten over the years! All in all - it was a good experience, and we will definitely be returning to the "club" soon!

After such a big day, my boys were just exhausted....

Happy 35th Birthday to Me!

Yesterday I celebrated my 35th birthday - WOW! I am officially in my "mid thirties" now. I know technically, I probably was last year, but I would always deny it. I had a great birthday - Bennett, the dogs and I had our morning walk, and then I enjoyed a nice lunch with Brian, Shannon, Christian, Steve and Bennett. Since it is Shannon's birthday on Sunday - it was really a joint birthday celebration. Though I didn't get a nap in like I would have liked in the afternoon, I was able to rally and make it through a delicious dinner at Ruth's Chris with Steve.

It was our first official night out without Bennett, and we were thankful to have Louis and Sara offer to keep Bennett for us. It was so nice dropping her off and just knowing that she was in good hands. We actually didn't worry, and were able to meet a few friends afterward for another cocktail before picking her up. We were still home by 10pm, which quite frankly is our bedtime now.

This morning I continued to celebrate my birthday by scheduling a massage and pedicure that Steve gave me after delivering Bennett. I now am relaxed and just listening to silence as our daughter takes a nap. Hopefully she will be down for a couple of hours, and then wake up in a good mood. We are hoping to take her to the pool late this afternoon for an hour for her first time. If we make it - I will post another blog later, because she is pretty darn cute in her new bathing suit!

Summer is Here!

Yesterday Bennett celebrated her one month birthday! Whew! We made it through the first month without any emergency room visits or after hours doctor calls (please knock on wood). In fact, today we took her in for her monthly doctor's appointment and she weighed 7 lb 12.5 oz and is measuring 20.25 inches long! The doctor is very pleased with her growth rate, and said that she is in the 25th percentile right now. The appointment went well, up until she received her second hepatitis shot. I left the room this time, so I didn't cry and mess up my make-up, while Daddy stayed back to comfort our upset daughter. Thankfully, she stops crying as soon as one of her parents holds her, so the wailing stopped immediately.

Though her umbilical cord hasn't fallen off yet, our pediatrician told us that we can get it wet now since it is very close. In fact, he said that we can take her swimming this weekend. We are very excited about this, so we bought our swimming pass right after the appointment! The city of Homewood has a great park, less than a mile from our home with a newly remodeled playground and a huge pool. During the summer months the park plays G rated movies on Friday nights. They do this to create a family atmosphere where the whole gang can come with a picnic basket full of goodies, or you can buy pizza there. We have always wanted to go, but felt silly going without any children, but now we have the perfect excuse - Bennett!

Happy 1st Father's Day Daddy!

Happy Father's Day Steve! Today we had a great day...starting with coffee and a muffin for breakfast! Then we all (including Bennett) got ready for Sunday school and church. We made it successfully through Sunday school with Bennett, but she began grunting 15 minutes into church, so we left. We feared that we would be in prayer, and it would be silent, when she would "bless us" with one of her gassy poop bombs!

Afterward we came home to relax a little before heading to Steve's parent's home for a big Lebanese lunch with the family. Of course we all ate too much, but we had plenty of time to let it settle while we watched the final day of the US Open. A perfect end to a perfect day for Steve!

Lazy Saturday

This morning Steve wanted to go eat breakfast outside somewhere so we could enjoy the day. As most know, I have always run a little late, but it is only worse now that we have Bennett. Needless to say - we got a much later start than we had planned. By the time we were ready to walk out of the house, it was after 11am, and it was a hot 85 degrees! I thankfully convinced Steve to drive there, rather than walk like we had planned, even though it was only a few short blocks away.

It was well worth it though. Since we weren't overheated when we got there, we actually enjoyed our breakfast out on the patio, under an umbrella with our sleeping daughter. She was wide awake before we left, but with the short drive - she was out like a light! This afternoon we spent the rest of the day sitting in the air conditioning and watching the US Open - what a lazy day!