Random Shots

The morning of the day we left to go camping, Dalton was acting like Superman "flying" around the driveway. He was wearing Daddy's slippers, which I've told him a hundred times to take off. And he tripped and fell. It was a pretty good boo boo, b/c he landed on some loose rocks in the driveway.

But seriously, what kind of horrible mother am I?? "Hey, buddy, just sit here and cry for a minute while I go get the camera...." :)

But, check it out, several days later, he's just about healed up, and a Ladies Man to boot!!

Daddy had to get a shot of Jackson in his Hogs shirt. I forgot about it, and pulled it out of the closet the other day, and I almost couldn't get it over his enormous head.

And, wow, would you check out these thunder thighs?!? He sure doesn't look like the tiny 5 lb baby we brought home six months ago!!

And of course, I'll leave you with a couple of happy parting shots, just my boys, being boys. :)

Camping

This past weekend we went camping in Branson with another couple and their daughter. The normally two hour drive took over three, what with having to stop for kids' potty breaks, and pulling a trailer and all that. It was a loooonnnng drive, and just further convinced that I will NOT be driving with the kids to see you in Houston, Marcie!! SORRY!

For the most part, camping with both the kids was better and easier than I thought it would be. We've never even taken Dalton camping, let alone both of them.

We drove up there on Friday afternoon and set up camp and just kind of hung out. On Saturday morning, we went to Silver Dollar City. Dalton had a blast with his buddy Quin. And seriously, how freaking cute are they?!?

Saturday, after we came back to the campsite and the kids had been running all day at the park, with no naps, they were pretty bickery and cranky. At home, we just usually tell Dalton if he's going to whine and cry, then he needs to go to his room, which he does. But when you're camping and your room is a tent? Well, you can still hear his whining and crying full volume!!

Here is Quin and her mom, Tracy, making breakfast for us all.

We have figured out that when we take Jackson away from the norm he doesn't really eat. He isn't cranky at all, he just WON'T eat!! We tried to feed him once on the way to Branson, and he wasn't having any of that. And while we were at Silver Dollar City, I really had to fight to get him to eat the 4oz he took while there (4 oz in 8 hours, I think??) Here are pics of J just being happy at the campsite....I cannot figure out why they won't load correctly to the page, the blog site just keeps rotating them, so you'll just have to live with this.

And yes, this is a giant square of fake grass that he's on!! Belongs to Tracy and Jeff...I made fun of them for quite a while, but I must say that it came in handy for diaper changes!!

All in all, it was a good fun trip...I forgot how fun it is to go camping. Except for having to walk what seems like a mile to the bathroom every time Dalton said "I need to go potty!". But other than that, we had fun!

Happier Stuff

Okay, I keep getting emails and calls that people "are worried" about me...I don't want it to seem like with Reggie being gone that I just sit around all day and cry and sob and go hysterical. That's not true. Sure, it's hard, we miss him...but it's getting easier day by day and we ARE still having fun around here.

I've taken Dalton to a friend's house to get him out of here, among other things, and we are going camping in Branson this weekend and going to Silver Dollar City on Saturday.

BTW, both boys went to the pediatrician today for check ups and immunizations. Both boys are in the 5th percentile for height, and 20-25th percentile for weight. (Typical Bane boys, short, and....plump??)

Dalton is 33 lbs and 38 inches tall. He is right on target for educational purposes...they sat for an hour and quizzed him on shapes, colors, numbers, letters, etc, plus hopping on one foot, walking a straight line, etc. I can't believe they spent so much time doing all that stuff!! He got every question right, though, little brainiac that he is.

Jackson is 15lbs, 11 oz, and 25 inches long. He met all the milestones, except for sitting up. But with him being 6 weeks early, the doctor said that he is actually surprised at how well he was doing with everything else. We did talk about all the spit up, and he gave us a prescription for Zantac for acid reflux. Dalton had this too, although Dalton's spit up would shoot 6 feet across the room, so it's not AS bad with Jackson.

Here are some new cute pics for you....oh, and I know it seems like I take a ton of pics of J, but not so many of D. That's not true...Dalton is going through a phase where he either doesn't want his picture taken or he holds his hands in front of his face. So that's why there's more of J!!

Jackson's new fave thing is to pull his socks off his feet and try to eat them. Go figure.

He can also fall asleep ANYWHERE at ANYTIME.

Here's Dalton, being his usual goofy nutty self.

And these were just a fun little picture spree with J. Dalton was napping, so we had fun with the camera!!

And the flowers are in full bloom...I love tulips. These are in front of our porch, and they are gorgeous.

Reggie's End

As Reggie got older, he got more problems...arthritis...cataracts...confusion. He would be in the yard and not able to see very well and would growl if I snuck up on him. He would sleep very soundly, and if a cat brushed his leg, he would jump up and growl and snap. Or Dalton would surprise him, and he would snap at him. A couple of times, Reggie's teeth actually grazed Dalton, but they were just scratches.

In February, I took Reggie in to the vet for his annual vaccinations, and talked to vet about all of these things. He said that he was just old (13-14 years, best guess), and that he was less tolerable than he used to be. Easily startled, etc. So we decided to put him on an anti-senility medication. The doc said that it would either work, or it wouldn't, we'd know soon. It was expensive, $70.00 a month, but well worth it to have Reggie back to normal.

Well, it didn't work. He was still snapping and growling at times.

I watch another little boy for a friend during the week, one day a week. Reggie doesn't really like other kids, so when he is here, I put Reggie in our bedroom with a baby gate up and the door shut. But last Thursday, I was doing dishes...I didn't realize that Dalton had taken the gate down and opened the door. Reggie came out...the other little boy hit Reggie and Reggie snapped at him, biting him on his cheek. It wasn't that bad, honestly, just a surface scratch and what would probably leave a large bruise. But it was the worst one yet.

So what do you do? Do you keep the dog, because he really is a good dog that you love with all your heart, until one day he really snaps and causes a massive injury to your child or another child? And then when that happens, do you find yourself hating the dog? I had taken every precaution thus far that I could, and it failed. So the decision was made to put Reggie down before something very serious happened. I cried all day, and made an appointment at the vet for Friday at 5:00.

On Friday, Dalton and I spent all day with Reggie. We took him for a walk, we played in the yard, and we cuddled on the couch (which is off limits to the dogs). I even fed him a few tasty morsels of people food, which I never do. Shortly before we left, I told Dalton a little of what was going to happen so that he could say goodbye. I told him that Grandma was coming to stay with him, while Daddy and I took Reggie to the vet, and that Reggie wouldn't be coming home. Dalton looked at me and asked "Can't you just get him a shot? I want Reggie to be the old Reggie." And my heart broke a little more.

We went to the vet, and we talked at length with the doctor to make sure that we had exhausted all efforts. We had. The best decision we could make at this point was to say goodbye. It was horrible and heart breaking and exhausting. I sat on the floor with Reggie and stayed with him to the end. As the doc put the needle in his leg, Reggie got scared. He jerked and whined, and I looked him in the eyes, and he was terrified. And then he was gone. I sat for a long time with him after that, just petting him. The doctor even eventually said, "He's gone." and I said, "I know." and then I got up and walked out the door.

We opted to have Reggie cremated and get his ashes back. I have two other dogs I've done that with...I think eventually, when I die, I want to be buried with the ashes of all my long lost pets. Is that morbid? Maybe. But they were such a huge part of my life, and every time that one dies, a little piece of me dies, too.

I still am not sure that we made the right decision. I still think, "I should have loved him more...I should have done more to keep him away from the kids." But in reality, that wasn't the right thing to do either.

We are still heartbroken, and still cry daily for Reggie. Dalton has asked numerous times if Reggie can come home. And he has also asked if he can "go to Heaven to play with Reggie". This morning, it was about 7:30, and I was still lying in bed. I heard Dalton get up, go to the bathroom, and then I heard the back door open. I ran outside to the back yard, where Dalton is standing, in his tshirt and underpants, that's it...I ask him what in the world does he think he's doing?? He simply looked at me..."I was just checking to see if Reggie came home yet..." and then he went back in the house.

That has been one of the hardest parts of all this...that Dalton loved Reggie and Reggie loved Dalton. And Dalton doesn't understand why any of this happened. Neither do I, really. I just hope that Reggie can forgive us, and that he will be waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge.

Reggie's Beginning

Almost ten years ago, I lived with a roommate in this crappy little half house/half RV... I had a dog, an Akita, Sweetie, that I had had for a couple of years. I thought she needed a friend, so we started looking at different rescue groups and shelters. We came across Reggie...he was so sad and scared and frightened. He was 3 or 4 years old, and had lived his entire life in different foster homes. He was found at 6 weeks old, taped up in a box in the woods!! Apparently, one or more of his foster parents had abused him.

He was afraid of EVERYTHING. All new people (especially men, and men in hats), anything with wheels (bicycles, Rollerblades), children, paper bags, raised voices... You get my drift. If a new person walked in, he would pee and poo uncontrollably, he didn't know he was doing it. That's how scared he was. Chris and I were dating at the time, and it took him MONTHS to get used to Chris.

Here he is, minus the grey face of recent years. :)

I moved several times after I got him, and one place didn't allow pets so he went to live with my mom until I could get in a place that allowed pets. There were only a few people that Reggie liked from the first time he met them...my mom, Chris' dad and brother (surprisingly) and my sister Linda. While he lived at my mom's, my Akita suddenly got sick. I took her to the vet, where she passed away that night. Reggie didn't eat for three weeks. He was so lonely and upset!!

Chris and I finally found a rental that allowed pets, so home he came!! He was the best dog ever! We never had problems with him going potty in the house...he LOVED all things small. Loved kittens and puppies...this is a cute picture of him with Q-tip when Q-tip was a baby.

After a while, we got Toby, our Jack Russell Terror, as a buddy for Reggie. And then Hailey, our Great Dane, who only lived for 10 months. Then we got Bravo, our little IG mix.

He was always good with our foster pets. As the years passed, Reggie mellowed out. He was more accepting of strangers and calmer. A few still got him anxious, but for the most part he had learned that we love him, and that we were here to protect him, and that he didn't have much to fear. When we got pregnant with Dalton, I really thought that we might have trouble with Reggie because he was so scared of kids. But we never did! He loved Dalton from the start. Sometimes we would accidentally leave D's bedroom door open, and Reggie could be found sleeping by the crib. He was so good with him.

And by then, we realized, wow, Reggie is getting up there in age! Look at all that grey!!

Reggie began taking different medicines. One for low thyroid. One for arthritis. One for allergies/anxiety. And I began to dread that one day that would come, when he would either pass away or we would have to make a decision to end his suffering. Only that day came too soon. That day was last Friday, and I had no idea how truly horrible it was going to be...

It Never Gets Easier

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When a pet dies who has been especially close to a person here on earth,

that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.

There are beautiful meadows and grassy hills there

for all our special friends so they can run and play together.

There is always plenty of their favorite food to eat,

plenty of fresh spring water for them to drink,

and every day is filled with sunshine so our little friends are warm and comfortable.

All the pets that had been ill or old are now restored to health and youth.

Those that had been hurt or maimed are now whole and strong again,

just as we remember them in our dreams of days gone by.

The pets we loved are happy and content except for one small thing.

Each one misses someone very special who was left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes

when one of them suddenly stops and looks off into the distant hills.

It is as if they heard a whistle or were given a signal of some kind.

Their eyes are bright and intent. Their body begins to quiver.

All at once they break away from the group, flying like a deer over the grass,

their little legs carrying them faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet,

you hug and cling to them in joyous reunion, never to be parted again.

Happy kisses rain upon your face.

Your hands once again caress the beloved head.

You look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet so long gone from your life,

but never gone from your heart.

Then with your beloved pet by your side, you will cross the Rainbow Bridge together.

You Sacred Circle is now complete again.

-William N. Britton, copyright 1994

We love you Reggie, and we miss you. Until we meet again...

Fundraiser Update

So, I did it...I did a live segment on the local news. If you haven't seen the interview, you can see it here.

It was kind of a pain...I had mapquested how to get there, but the road that leads to the news station was closed for construction, so I had to find a different way in. And then when I got there, I called up and they sent someone down to get me, but they went to a different door than where I was waiting, so I ended up waiting outside, at 4:30 in the morning, in 32 degree weather! The wind was blowing, so the wind chill was more like 25 degrees and I was freezing by the time I got in the studio.

Plus there was no prep time...they put me in the control room, then the producer was like "Okay, you're on!" and took me to the news room. It was basically "Sit here, put the mike on, don't look at the camera, and you're on in 5, 4, 3..." and that was it!! So I don't think I did a great job, but feel free to take a look anyway!!

We did get a great turnout the day of the event...the restaurant made about $4,000 and the manager said that was an increase of about 35% income from a regular Tuesday. So we are expected to receive about $600 from the restaurant, and we received about $300 in cash donations from patrons, so almost $1,000 after all was said and done. Not too bad! A good day for the pups and kitties!!

What Am I Doing?

I should be asleep. I really should. But I can't...and I know that in 25 minutes, I'll just have to be up to feed the puppies again. But seriously...I have to get up in 4 1/2 hours. That's right, folks, I have to get up bright and early at 3 am!!!

I have to be at the local 40/29 news station at 4:30am (why that early, I have no idea) because I'm doing a LIVE interview for the Sunrise 6am show. My rescue group is having a fundraiser on Tuesday at Fish City Grill in Rogers (in the Promenade, across from Banana Republic and PF Changs) from 11am-10pm, and the interview will be about the fundraiser.

I've taped several episodes for a TV show before, but it was a little piddly show that no one ever watched. And, this is LIVE! Hope I don't throw up or pass out. A few minutes ago I worked on my eyebrows...can't very well go on live TV looking like Bert from Sesame Street, now can I?

Wish me luck, and if you live in this area, please please please join us on Tuesday! 15% of the entire day's income is donated back to our rescue!!

Lazy Days

So, here we have the happiest baby of all time!! These four pictures were taken over the course of about 30 minutes today, and each time you stick a camera in his face, he hams it up (he's so much like Dalton it kind of freaks me out!!).

On Thursdays, I watch a little boy for one of my friends. Michael is a year younger than Dalton, but they're pretty good buddies. Today we did an art project, and they had a great time painting. And no, the kids don't run around naked. I took their shirts off so they wouldn't get paint on them.

OH! And here are the newest babies bunking at our house! They are so cute and sweet. We haven't come up with names yet, but the tan one is female, and the black/white one is male. They're so cuddly...they have little puppy dreams and yip and growl in their sleep. They were in the garage for a few days, with a space heater on them, but tonight's low is 32 degrees, so they are bunking in the living room. Dalton just adores them (of course). They are almost three weeks old, and pretty big already, so will be good sized dogs. Don't you just want to eat them up?!?

It will be horrible when they are weaned and we have to give them back. I get SO attached to the little ones that I have to bottle feed. They are already recognizing my voice so that when I talk, they turn their heads to my direction. Ah, puppy love!!

Birthdays, and Horses, and Puppies, oh my!!

Has it really been two weeks since I've posted? Sorry about that. In my defense, things have been crazy hectic lately! Dalton celebrated his FOURTH birthday. Wow. I have a four year old! The weekend before his actual birthday, he had a bowling birthday party (or as he says, "A bowling BALL party!"). He had a blast. And every time you said Happy Birthday, he would say "TO ME!".

He spent the majority of his time on the floor watching the ball roll down the lane (which took forever) or just laying on his back making "snow" angels. He did have a lot of fun opening his presents though, and got a lot of really neat stuff.

On his actual birthday, he got to go with his buddy Quin to a horse ranch and go horse back riding! He loved that. And he and Quin even spent some time jumping the low horse jumps (it's basically PVC pipe on the ground, and gets the horse used to walking over something before trying to jump over something). But D and Quin did a great job jumping them!!

They had a blast riding the big horses, but also got to spend some time playing with the miniature horses.

Jackson got to go too, although he didn't get to ride. :)

The day after D's birthday, he was sick for about five hours with a horrible stomach flu. It wasn't much fun (or very easy) with Daddy at work, and trying to be with Dalton to comfort him, but also take care of Jackson at the same time. Luckily, no one else got sick.

Then Monday of this week, I was out for part of the afternoon and the evening preparing for a "medical procedure"...I know, vague, but if you know me, then you know what I had done. If you don't know me well enough, then you DON'T WANT TO KNOW what I had done. :) Tuesday morning I went to an out patient clinic and had my "procedure" (my mom was my driver and the boys were with the sitter, as Chris was at work). Slept ALL afternoon as I was still pretty groggy from the anesthetic.

AND, we have two new puppies!! A local shelter called us when they had ten puppies dumped on them without the mom. The babies are only two weeks old, so they needed people to foster them and bottle feed them until weaning time. So I took two, and another girl in our group took three. It's very demanding feeding them every three hours, but I'm already an insomniac and can't sleep, so might as well be cuddling and feeding some puppies!! They're super cute, and I'll try to get some pictures of them on here soon.

I suppose that's enough for one posting. Thanks for not falling asleep!! Got to go, it's puppy feeding time!