Poor Champ...Again

What a rough couple of weeks. Champ really is a fitting name for our boy because he has been such a trooper. Monday night I came home from my volleyball game to find our Champers lethargic, unresponsive (compared to his normal giddiness), and down right sad. It was late, he was not interested in eating - which anyone who knows Champ knows that is highly suspicious - and to say the least I broke down. I have never seen our pup act this way. It scared me. To top it off, Levi went to workout - unbeknownst to me - and I was freaking out: something was terribly wrong with our dog and at 9:30 at night Levi could not be found.

Champ's behavior improved Tuesday only to take a dramatic and horrible turn for the worse yesterday. He wouldn't eat, was throwing up blood and let's just say that wasn't the only end blood was coming out of. Levi and I did not sleep last night. Every two hours we were up with Champ taking him outside so he could vacate what ever was left in him. We got up this morning and took him in to the vet right away...

Here's the current theory.
After checking a stool sample they said it is a bacterial infection. Champ was on antibiotics after his surgery earlier this month. The vet said that sometimes when you put them on these meds their natural bacteria - the good bacteria - is wiped out and thus allows the bad bacterial to set up shop. Needless to say Champ is back on medications. He is on a special food diet that should settle his tummy to allow him to eat.

Man, I cannot imagine the worry, the angst, the helplessness those of you out there that are parents feel when your little ones are sick. I know Champy is a dog and will not have the lifespan that humans do, but I cannot imagine our life without him. He is our little buddy, he is Aspen's foe (really they love to play with/tease one another) and Butch's best friend.

We are praying that these meds work for Champ and he can be back to his goofy, fun loving self soon.

Poor Champ

Last week we took Champ into the vet for surgery. He had a fatty tumor that was nothing serious but did continue to grow. The vet told us that we didn't have to get it removed but it was a good idea since it kept getting bigger...so we had it removed. The tumor was in his belly and if dogs had belly buttons they made an incision from his navel to pelvis with an incision that was a good five-inches long. :( Poor buddy. When we got him home he was still groggy from the meds and could barely move from what we could only assume was the pain. On top of that they had to pull two of his small incisors from the top of his mouth. (Champ grinds his teeth and had ground down those two teeth until they were cracked in the root with the chance of further cracking and infection.)

Ugh! What a stressful week. We have to continue to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't pull out the stitches and when we can't be with him to actually monitor this, yes he does have his lamp shade. Poor Champ has had to wear the lamp shade twice within a matter of a year and a half.

He has gotten pretty good about letting us put this on him. Although, Levi is the one who always has to put it on and I am the one always taking it off. I think it is fair to say I am Champs favorite right now. ;) Just kidding my love.

Good Practice

Two out of the last three nights, our Champers has been sick. He is fine all day but then at night he starts getting dry heaves before he ultimately throws up. He is such a trooper, though. Both of the nights he has been sick, he comes to get me up and then rushes to our back door to be let out knowing what is about to happen. The first night I thought he was antsy or someone was lurking around the house. Levi was out of town and it made me nervous that Champ was nervous. Finally, I realized he was sick and just needed out. Then last night, the same thing happened; he woke me up and made a run for the door. (Thankfully, we know that it is his treats that is causing this reaction and a quick fix at that - he doesn't get his treats anymore.)

It's funny. My sister and friends tell me that I should enjoy sleeping now because when Levi and I have kids there is no sleeping from the moment you get pregnant until the kids turn roughly 3 -5 years old. I would say with our kiddos we are getting good practice. Butch wakes me early every morning because he wants to go outside. Champ sleeps in later and if I acknowledge him before he is ready to get up he pretends he is still sleeping. (Seriously, he closes his eyes and won't turn his head toward me.) When I finally fall back to sleep, Champ decides he is ready to get up and wakes me to go outside. Aspen wakes me up if she is too cold, if she doesn't like the water in her bowl, if she needs the food in her bowl stirred, if her food level is below the appropriate level, and if she is feisty, there is no hope for sleep. On top of all that, with Champ being sick, as when any of the three are under the weather, I have been sleeping lighter. I think it is my maternal instinct kicking in listening in case he starts getting sick again. With all this activity I would say we will be in good shape once we start a family...or we will be worn out from these three, so much so, that we will need sleep instead of kids. :) Just kidding Marilyn. For now, there is no rest for us...although Levi always seems to wake up very well rested and chipper???

More to talk about

As if you couldn't get enough of me....

I have started a second blog called The Writer's Page. This blog will be dedicated to the evolution and refinement of my writing as a craft. Some of the entries that I have posted on this blog will be moved or copied to the new site, but you will also get a chance to read other pieces of my work. Those of you who have known me a long time will recognize some of these pieces as I will publish them publicly for the first time. Other pieces no one has ever seen and so they will be new to all of you. As I continue to hone my writing skills and create new stories or poems I will share those on my Writer's Page blog. Join me on my new blog and keep up to date with my career as an amature writer. ;)

The David Family Adventure blog will still be updated with the adventures of our family and the silly to serious events that make up the David's.

Blessings

I am blessed to be surrounded with the best of friends. These past two weeks have been crazy and stressful - I have even looked in the mirror and wondered how do I take that next step. While I have to take it alone, I know it is not without their support. Our circumstances do not define who we are, but how we react and what course we take when we face adversity does. I know many people are facing the cruelest of fates at this time and so with that in mind I remind myself that I only need to put one foot in front of the other, take one step at a time. My girl friends are amazing. A breath of fresh air in a frantic life. A distraction when your mind feels numb. A conversation when you feel stress suffocating your lungs...a laugh when all you really need is to smile. Sometimes you take them for granted because they simply are there, always. Friends are a special species. They are the people you get to choose to have in your life. They accept you, flaws and all, don't hold grudges, and empathize with your misguided adventures. Friends are a treasure.

Sabrina and Brie lured me to coffee today only to kidnap me for the afternoon. They took me to a movie where all I had to focus on was watching something funny. There was no pressure or added stress from myself to change my situation or find the solution. For three and a half hours I felt like myself. Not some crazed person on a mission - as I have been for the past two weeks. I am so lucky to have these girls in my life.

And to my best friend of all, my generous, amazing...indescribable husband who has been nothing but supportive, patient, loving........you will never know the depth of love that my heart holds for you. You are my number one champion and I don't always see it, you believe in me when I've lost faith in myself. You are my inspiration.


“I knew the first time I saw you, that I wanted to know you more. I knew the first time we touched that there was something rare between us, and I knew after I kissed you that I loved you; I was cast under your spell and I knew that I would never feel about anyone else the way I felt about you. I was the luckiest fool because you gave me a chance. My whole world is you, my love." - Aimee David

Twilight & Modern Warfare 2

Finally a place where my world and Levi's meet. This is AWESOME!

Xbox 360 Games - E3 2010 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Premonition

A foreboding settles in; there is no escaping what you know is to come. Your heart beats frantically, determined to outrun what it knows will come to pass...determined to ignore the knot twisting and tightening in your stomach that coincides with the anxiety building with every pulse. Your mind knows, even though you try to rationalize the red flags and push logic aside. A mind numbing search for the words that when given life solidify your fate.

There are moments in life where you know your own destiny. A destiny that is not of your own choosing. A fate that comes when you are busy planning for another day. Sometimes the best decisions in life are those that are taken out of your hands. Decisions that if you had it your way would be put off, or occur sooner, different, or are never even a glimmer of the road you planned to take. But what happens when a new road forms? When debris is cleared away revealing a journey you never expected. A life you didn't imagine, or at least a life you were not ready to change. You want to argue with destiny, question the sanity for your new life, and flaunt your temper at such an abrupt change to God. Why me? Why now? What about my plan...

Can you really be angry, though, when your gut forewarned you? Such glaring intuition, the premonition that change is upon you, doesn't happen everyday. Should you be angry with yourself for ignoring the voice of reason? Your voice of reason. Change is good. It allows us all to grow into the person we were meant to be. We should embrace the roads set out before us whether of our own making or destiny's. Put one foot in front of the other and make the journey; praying that sooner than later your heart stops beating frantically.