Happy 14th Birthday to Jessy!!! We love you!!!

Jake 7 months old

I took a couple of pictures from Steve & Lisa's blog to add to this one. This is Jake on his 7th month birthday. Isn't he just the cutest little chubby cheek little boy??? I love the hat!!

Happy

Not Happy!!

Should Be In The Air

As I am sitting here at the computer drinking my coffee I can't stop thinking about the fact that I should be in the air right now heading to Utah. I had this trip planned months ago but when Mr. B started having problems I knew I couldn't go. He might have been okay but there is that word in there... Might.... I knew if I went I would just be thinking about and worrying about him.

It isn't that Paul couldn't take care of him it is just that he is at work all day and tired when he comes home.

Mr. B seems like he is okay. I still notice him walking funny once in awhile but it seems to work out after he is up and around for awhile. I am easing off on the crate and leash in the backyard some. I'm still going outside with him to watch him but I let him off the leash yesterday. I still have the doggy door closed and will keep it that way through the weekend. Then we will see how it goes. I need to get him back to the doctor the first of next week so see what is what.

Keep your fingers crossed!!

This is only the second time in 14 years that I haven't been with Jessy on her birthday. The first time it happened she was here the next day so I didn't miss it by much.

I still remember that first birthday, her Birth Day. The day I became a Grandmother! I was so proud of her mommy and so excited to see this wonderful little girl come into the world. I had seen three babies born before but all three times I was a little busy and couldn't really enjoy it as much as I would have liked. There is a world of difference being on the watching and not pushing side! I missed Kody's birth by 45 minutes and Jake was a C section so Jessy is the only one I have seen born so far.

I have appreciated all your thoughts about Beardsley and us. I can't believe how attached I am to that little doggy. Heavens I really don't even like dogs!!! I do love this one though! Thank you all.

This Explains a Lot but Not Johnny

It's the birthday of Roald Dahl, (books by this author) born in Llandaff, South Wales (1916). He was sent off to private boarding schools as a kid, which he hated except for the chocolates, Cadbury chocolates. The Cadbury chocolate company had chosen his school as a focus group for new candies they were developing. Every so often, a plain gray cardboard box was issued to each child, filled with 11 chocolate bars. It was the children's task to rate the candy, and Dahl took his job very seriously. About one of the sample candy bars, he wrote, "Too subtle for the common palate." He later said that the experience got him thinking about candy as something manufactured in a factory, and he spent a lot of time imagining what a candy factory might be like. Today, he's best known for his children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Jumping Down Stairs

Ok, here is the story Mom is referring to on Jumping Down stairs. My house is a "split level" which means when you enter the front door you either have to go upstairs to the living area or down to my bedroom. Well on Friday morning Scott got done with his physical therapy (differnt story to that one) and came home to get ready for work. When he got home he found that the dogs had gotten into the trash again. He yelled at them to get outside and Sosha ran downstairs and out the dog door. Willow didn't. She went over the the couch in the living room. Scott then yelled again and pointed to the door upstairs. Willow in what ever brillent brain power my dog has didn't go that way she decided to jump over the edge of my living room wall and fall to the front door below. As you can imagine, that hurt. She started crying and was acting like Scott threw her over the edge. Silly dog. Anyway she was crying pretty hard and long so Scott was scared she broke her leg. The X rays showed she didn't break it but did sprain her foot really bad. She is touching it to the ground but not walking on it persay. The vet said that she wouldn't for about a week and at that point we will be able to tell if there is any ligament damage. If there is then we may be talking surgery. I still wonder, why did I want a dog?

My New Home for Two Long Weeks

Beardsley Here:

I thought I would show you the new Home Momma bought me today!! I have to stay in here almost all the time for two weeks. Momma & Papa thought my other crate was too small for daytime use. I think I might like this one but I'm not used to it yet. I have my toys, a couple of bones and some water. My pills make me thirsty so the water is Good!!

I want to thank everyone for their good wishes. I don't know what the big deal is. I don't feel like anything is different. I can walk now and I would dearly love to go outside and chase those squirrelies out of the tree!! I know the doctor said I had to be very careful until this disc thingy heals but what does she know?

I scared my momma this morning. She brought me back into their bed in the middle of night last night. When she woke up I didn't want to move and it scared her!! Silly lady, she gives me muscle relaxers and then worries when I get all relaxed!! Once she got me out of bed I could walk fine. Sometimes I like it when she carries me everywhere. That is kind of fun.

Now Momma has to follow me around with a tupperware container and catch me when I pee. Oh I love making momma do fun things like this!! I think I'll wander all over the yard before I decide to pee. Oh that's right, I do that anyway!! I drag her through bushes and behind trees and all over the place. If I have to be on a leash in the backyard at least I can have fun with it!!

I think I'm going to be okay. I'm not sure yet, depends on how well I heal and how well I take care of myself. I should know after the two weeks.

Thank you for thinking about me!!

Much love,

The Spoiled One, Beardsley

Oh My What a Night!!

On Sunday afternoon I started getting worried about Mr. B. He just wasn't acting "right" and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. He was very tired and didn't even get excited when I got back from Costco. Now everyone knows he runs to the door, jumps up on me and gives me lots and lots of kisses. Nothing, nada, no way. I finally decided to take him to the local ER for animals. Of course this was the weekend. No animal or kid ever gets sick during office hours!! What fun that was!! Three hours of waiting and I finally left before being seen. There was no telling how much longer it would be and I really couldn't tell them what was wrong, just that I KNEW there was something wrong. I decided just to go home, watch him and wait for the morning and take him to his normal vet.

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I watched him the rest of the evening and he didn't seem to get any worse but I made him sleep with me so I could keep a eye on him. Needless to say I got no sleep at all!! Around 2 am I was watching him and thought he was moving, or not moving, "funny". He was trying to get comfortable but was only moving his top half of his body and not the rear end. I thought he might want a drink so I got up and tried to get him to come with me but he just laid there. I picked him up and carried him to the kitchen and when I sat him down in front of the bowl he just flopped! The rear end couldn't stand up at all!! I put him back into bed, and went and got dressed. I woke Paul up and told him to give Beardsley a kiss as most likely he wouldn't be home again..... Paul thought I was over reacting until I showed him what was happening and then he understood how serious it was!

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I headed back down to the Pet ER and got there around 3:30 am. not knowing what could be happening that would change a active little dog to a paperweight so quickly. I thought for sure he was a goner.

When the doc came in she told me it most likely was a ruptured disc in his back!!! They did Xrays which didn't really tell anything. This type of thing really needs a MRI or CatScan. (for a dog no less!!)

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They pumped him full of prednisone which seemed to help some. Then at 9:30 I took him over to his normal doctor and she examined him again. She agreed with the first that most likely it was a disc problem even though he was a little young for this to happen. She drew a blood panel to rule out other things like Addison's Disease. Then she sent him home with me with a bunch of meds!!

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He has to stay crated at all times except for potty breaks for TWO WEEKS. Now won't that be fun!! If he has any more problems we have to take him in right off as time makes a huge difference in if he recovers or not or at least if he can recover and still move. She gave me a name of office in Ventura that is open 24 hours and that can do surgery if he needs it. That is what might happen if the prednisone doesn't help.

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Hopefully the prednisone he had and that I am going to be giving him for the next two weeks will clear it up and he won't have any more problems but we don't know. She said he would always have a chance of this happening again and that he has to be careful the rest of his life!! No running after squirrels or jumping down stairs. (Oh, that is a story that Darcy HAS to tell about what Willow did this weekend!!)

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Through all this he doesn't seem like he is in a lot of pain. He hasn't cried out and got angry or anything. I don't know if he is just being brave and not showing the pain or if it just isn't bothering him that much. He is very, very sleeply and not at all happy. He just looks at me like make this all go away!!

When I took him out on a leash for a potty break he thought I had lost my mind!! He kept looking at me and then looking at the leash like, we are in the back yard give me a break!!!

The first thing he wanted to to when I put him down was chase a squirrel so I know I can't let him off the leash. I think he might get used to it, hopefully!!!

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So we are taking it day by day not knowing if there is a happy ending or not. Things could get a lot worse and we could lose this wonderful friend of ours. We are keeping our hopes high that he comes out of this okay.

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What they think he has is:

Intervertebral Disc Disease Located in the T-L region with Paraparesis: (Weakness of the lower extremities).

Well, I guess I will go and take him outside again for a quick potty break. I will keep everyone updated.

A trip to San Diego

On Friday we took a long, long trip down to San Diego to see Steve, Lisa, Jake and Guinness. I say long because the trip that normally takes us less than 3 hours took 4:30 hours!! Needless to say the traffic was a bit bad on the 210! It was a long trip but it was worth every minute of it once we got there and I got to hold my little boy!!

When we got there everyone was out for their walk so I went ahead and took Mr. B for a walk down to park. He had been so good the whole trip even though he didn't feel well. He gets car sick when we are in stop and go traffic and he threw up again on this trip. If we are just driving along he has no problem but stop and go gets him every time.

Once they got home from their walk it wasn't too long before Jake decided it was time to go to bed so we didn't see much of him the first night. We did get to sit around and talk to the parents and play with the dog so it was all good.

Here is Mommy with Jake. He had just finished eating his squash and carrots here. Contented baby. He loves his food!! He is no longer in the 90% in weight and height but he sure looks like it!! Those cheeks add at least 5 pounds to his total weight! They are soooo kissable.

There were a lot of changes in him since we saw him 2 months ago. He is playing with toys a lot now. He loves to look at this one as it has a mirror on the bottom and he loves to look that that handsome boy in the mirror. He laughs and gets all excited when he sees himself.

He really interacts with people now. Making all kinds of cute faces and noises.

I spent lots of time just holding and playing with him!! Of course while I was holding and playing there was a green eyed monster hanging out by my feet wanting to know that I still loved him lots and lots!!

On Saturday we ran some errands and went out to lunch. Here he is with his new hat looking so fishermanish!! He is playing with Grampa's hand here. He thought his arm and hand were pretty neat!! Pulling the hair on the arm was particularly fun!!

Saturday bath time!! He loves the water.

We took the dogs over to the dog park on Saturday evening. Beardsley just loves going to the dog park. He has great fun with all the dogs there. It is much smaller than the one we have here but big enough that it wore Mr. B out!! He slept great that night.

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Here is the happy family (minus Guinness who was out exploring). Steve has that "growl" look on his face. " Are you really taking MY picture?" Silly boy of course I'm taking your picture again!!

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All in all a great time was had by the three of us. It was so good to get down there again.

Thank you for a wonderful visit Steve & Lisa.