27 April 2010

Weekend in Tullahoma

Elayna had a blast playing with her cousins in Tennessee.  Sorry for the lack of narratives.  I'm trying to catch us up before she wakes from a nap.



Ugh.  Toe jam.  EV hates it and is constantly picking at her hands and feet to get rid of the dirt that accumulates between her fingers and toes.

It's not enough to get her own.  She's on a mission to clean all the digits she can find.  How disgusting can she be?

She loves her cousins.

She's Gettin' Better!

It's true!  We went to the vet yesterday and he was again very impressed with Mati and said that she's progressed a lot in just the four days she's been on treatment.

I forgot to mention her case of "fat face" and "cankles."  (She was developing a pretty bad case of edema.)  I had noticed her getting a little puffy, but when I woke up Friday morning, she looked like an obese version of herself.  Her slender proud face was gone and in it's place was a very swollen version. Off to the vet... again!  He changed her anti-inflammatory to a steroid to help balance her system and stop the swelling.  We had immediate results!

She got to go around town with me yesterday and was back to her crazy antics.  It was good to see my dog almost back to normal.  This morning, she showed even more improvement.  When I let her out to potty, she didn't bounce off the siding, which is what she was doing to keep herself upright.  She leapt off the porch and ran around like a lunatic.  1. She's been afraid of the front porch since the vertigo started.  Rightfully so since it's about a two-foot drop.  2.  She never fell or even stumbled in her crazy laps around the yard.  So now I have more hope that she's gonna make a full recovery.  She still has the head tilt, making her look like a curious puppy.  That may never go away.  Bottom line is she's very cognitively herself again.  But physically, she just can't keep up with what she wants to do.  She continues to improve every day, so we'll just see where we end up.

Re-Vote

Okay, results were very 50/50 from the Corinne spelling.  And I have another name I like just as much that I'm having a hard time letting go of.  So let's have another vote.

Corinne Elise: I like the traditional spelling more (even though the vote was very half and half, I loved everyone's opinions) and odds are most people know how to pronounce it, unless your name is Reece Mabry.  The two names Corinne and Elise roll well together.

or

Cora Lise: If someone can't pronounce this one correctly, they may have problems.  And I love Elise so much as a middle name.  It just doesn't "flow" very well with Cora.  So it's shortened, which I also like b/c it's different (like Vaye, Elayna's middle name).

So let's vote again!

25 April 2010

Poots & Giggles

I'm laughing so hard right now, there's no way I couldn't share with you what just happened.  I'm skyping with Rachel, getting ready to post about the Memphis trip we took with Randy & Renee, and EV's in her crib talking to herself waiting for me to come in and save her.  When all of a sudden, I hear Elayna poot... and then giggle!  HAHA.  I have the funniest child ever.

Marco Po-layna

Awhile ago, Randy & Renee took us to the Memphis Zoo.  We had a blast.  Even sans nap, Elayna made it alright.  Here are the pics that should've been posted almost two weeks ago.

This was EV's favorite part of the zoo.  There's a pond where you can go "underground" and view the water life.  We were down here forever while she stood watching the fish and turtle swim by.

Then when it was time to go, this was the tantrum she thew.  EV could have been a contender too.

Randy was convinced that Elayna couldn't see half the zoo from her stroller.  (Hey, it's his back, not mine.)

We even ran into someone historically famous:

After the zoo, we went out to eat at Chilis.  This was the face Elayna gave Grandmother when told she couldn't have any salsa for her chip.  Talk about sassy!

23 April 2010

Nasty Asty Parasites

So one of Mati's vets called today with test results... early and very welcomed!  We weren't expecting anything until Monday.  Although he didn't give us great news we at least have a diagnosis (er three).

Infection #1: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.  The vet said that they've only had three cases in the past ten years.  This is the central cause of Mati's fever (not to be redundant) and her vertigo, which is nystagmus in veterinary term.  He said that her neurological symptoms may never fully clear but we're still early in treatment, her recovery will be a long process, and we'll just wait to see how it goes.  Even if they don't completely go away, she may be able to still live an athletic lifestyle.  And I mentioned earlier how he was impressed with how coordinated she was given the degree of vertigo she had.  So I have hope that she'll be able to run and fetch and ride and do all the things she did before this stupid tick made her so sick.

Infection #2:  Also from a tick.  Ehrlichia.  I don't have much to say about this one.

Infection #3: Mati tested positive for toxoplasmosis.  Her numbers were low, indicating that the infestation was currently inactive... ish.  I'm still unclear about how exactly this works.  However, I DO know that she's contagious to humans.  So please say your prayers that we haven't and don't get it.  It's especially harmful for preggos.  (This is the same disease doctors worry about when changing kitty litter.)  I'm really worried about it and go in on Monday for blood work to see if my body's fighting an infection or not.

With all three of these conditions, Mati's already on the antibiotics that treat them.  However, her current dosage is half or even less of the treatment amount.  So we'll be going to town to pick up tons more meds.

On another good note, Mati's fever continues to decrease.  The vet was very pleased to hear that.  So we finally have answers (over $800 in tests later).  All I have to say is, we love our Mati.  We love her a lot.

Good with the Bad

Yesterday Mati went back to the vet.  She had been walking around funny, almost clumsily, except it was definitely because her balance was out of whack.  So when we got there, the vets were even more stumped with this new symptom.  I was informed that Mati had the human equivalent of vertigo.  Her eyes were twitching back and forth as though whatever it was she was concentrating on kept moving.  So he checked her ears and they seemed alright.  He had her walk down the hall and she was wobbly.  The vet said that he was really impressed with how well she was keeping her balance given that the vertigo was so severe.  They still have no idea what's causing this.

One possible answer is an inner ear infection (way to go human nurse Diane for suspecting the same).  But the only way we would know that is if we spent $1500 on a cat scan... so that's not going to happen anytime soon.  Besides, she's already on the antibiotics that would resolve that issue.

Another possibility is a fungal infection.  We'll wait for the tick and toxo results to come back on Monday before we order those tests.  I really, really, really hope that all these problems are a result of some stupid tick.  So this leads me to share some newfound knowledge with you: Revolution advertises that it protects against fleas, ticks, and heart worm.  Well let me tell you that I pick ticks off Mati all the time.  When I asked the vet about this, he said it's a misconception that Revolution prevents tick bites.  It'll only protect against them if your dog is an ornamental house pet and never goes outside.  Since Mati spends a considerable amount outdoors, it does absolutely nothing for her.  I'll be switching preventative meds next month.

On a good note, Mati's temp hasn't been as high as it normally is.  I check it before and after I give her meds and periodically throughout the day. Last night, it was 102.9 before meds.  WAY better than the 103.4 and higher she's been dealing with around medication time.  And this morning, it was 102.3 before meds.  When one thing gets better another declines.  She's not quite on the mend, but I'm still hopeful.  Has anyone ever heard of ANYTHING like this?  The vets are all stumped, my online research isn't finding much.  We love our Mati so much and want her better.  (Come on, Jess.  Find me something.)

21 April 2010

Mati's Mishap

Okay, here are the pics I promised from visiting Mati at the vet.  We sat outside with her for a little over 45 minutes.  She chewed on her toy and Elayna chewed on cheerios.  Then EV "walked" Mati around.  Almost felt like a day at the park.

Look how cute they are!

A moment of ADD

...And we're back.

"Bye Bye!"

Cheap and PROUD of It

Until my penny-pinching ways get me into trouble.  This morning I woke up, lazed in bed for a bit, then mustered the energy to get up.  I grabbed my glasses and when I went to put them on my face, they fell apart.  Just fell apart!  As in, the leg came right off.  How does that happen?  It wasn't even the leg I grabbed the glasses with.  So now I'm walking around the house like some hobo with a broken pair of spectacles.  If we were back out in Tacoma, I'd at least fit in.  Or I could always drive to the scuzzy part of Paducah.  But back to the matter at hand.  My attempt to save a few dollars came back to bite me.  I'm so irritated.  So now I've got to decide if I want to search (and I mean dig deep) to find my contacts or if I want to wear broken glasses.  OR if I want to send Rachel some money so she can mail my backup second pair of glasses that have been residing at her house for probably six months now.  Decisions decisions.

Rachel, do you even know where those glasses are?

20 April 2010

Pauvre Pauvre Mati

This weekend Elayna, #2, Mati, and I went to Tullahoma to visit with family.  The night we got there Mati started acting weird and really antisocial.  She went into our bedroom and didn't come out except to eat and potty. And she stopped doing both by Saturday night.  I thought maybe three small rowdy children and four super psycho crazy dogs were just too much for her and let her have her space.  (Didn't make much sense because she can be the hyper-est, most hyper crazy of them all, but whatever.)  We got home Sunday and she went into our room and did the same, absolutely nothing; and she was really weak.  I was going to give her another day to adjust to being home.

She didn't even boof or bark to alert me that Renee had stopped by.  As soon as she saw her Renee told me to take her to the vet.  She knew Mati was worse off than I had assumed.  Sure enough. When we got there, the vet took her temp and exclaimed at how high it was.  Apparently at 105 degrees, it's a matter of life or death.  She was immediately admitted and given shots and fluids to help bring down the fever.  Poor girl tried to follow me out of the vet's office.  I had to tell her to stay as she was struggling to get off the x-ray table.  Her films, blood work, and other numbers all came back normal.  None of the office vets could diagnose why she had such a high fever.  Her spline was enlarged and she was infested with bacteria, but that's to be assumed with a dog that sick.  They kept her overnight and continued to give her fluids.

Leaving her was awful.  I bawled the whole way home.  (It doesn't help that I'm already too emotional thanks to baby #2 and all the hormones that come with pregnancy.)  I didn't realize just how attached I was to this dog until I had to spend the night without her.  It took me over two hours to fall asleep and then I woke to every tiny little sound I heard.  Even woke up thirty minutes before my alarm went off this morning.  So I laid in bed for nearly an hour, waiting for the vet's office to open so I could call and check on her.   They said she looked better, was eating, and even perked up some.  They also said we could stop by that morning to visit.

When Elayna & I first saw her, Mati looked like her normal crazy self.  Super excited to see us.  She wasn't quite 100% but she was tons better than how we left her the day before.  We took her outside and chilled for about 45 minutes.  Mati chewed on her toy we brought, EV ate cheerios.  Then EV "walked" Mati around the grassy area.  Mati even acted like her guard dog self when others would venture into our space.  The vet said we could stop by later that afternoon to see if her fever had gone down and if it had then we would be taking her home.

So she's home!  She's still got a fever of over 103, but taking meds and relaxing to keep it down.  Keep your fingers crossed that she continues to improve.  We still don't know what made her so sick so fast and sure don't want her to get that bad again.  Her are some pics of the visit we had with her today.

***okay, so the pics aren't uploading.  I'll try to add them later.***

UPDATE: Tonight Mati's temp is down to 102.3, which is almost normal.  She's eating and drinking and pottying.  (It seems to be that when one has children, two legged or four, potty appears in daily discussion.  Sorry.)  I'm so excited that she's on the mend.  Of course it's due to meds.  And we still don't know what caused the fever.  As we were discussing treatment with the vet at discharge, she stated that there's any number of things that could've happened and no real way to figure it out.  Mati could've gotten into something or she could just have a bug, much like humans with the 24hr flu.  Who knows.  I'm just happy she's better and continuing to improve.  Let's hope it sticks.  I'll get those pics up as soon as possible.

Let's Vote

Okay, so I've hit a barrier on this whole baby-naming process.  Before the growth & development ultrasound, Ryan & I made the agreement that if it was a boy he got to pick the name and if it was a girl then I did.  Let's thank our lucky stars that it's a girl.  I'm afraid to ask which of all the testosterone-oozing, manly "cool" names Ryan had going through his head.  If this baby had been a boy, I'm sure he would've chosen something like Gunner or Ryder or Duke or who knows what else.  But since we're having a girl... our child will be blessed with a more socially acceptable name.

So that brings me to how to spell it.  I've dabbled around with Corinn, Corinne, and Corynn.  I definitely want the emphasis to be on the "IN."  So her name should be pronounced like (forgive my phonetical spelling) "kor IN" and not "KOR in" or even worse "kor INE" or Karen.  So that's why I'm leaving it up to you.  Leave me a comment with your vote on how you think the name should be spelled.  I don't like the way it looks beginning with a "K" so please keep that in mind.  And I'm thinking her middle name will be "Elise." Muchos gracias folks!

16 April 2010

Our #2

I had my growth & development ultrasound today and... we're having another girl!  Here are some pics of the little lady.  (You'll have to excuse them though.  Elayna & I are visiting family this weekend and don't have access to a scanner.  So they've been captured on the macbook's built-in camera.)  Enjoy!

This child is totally relaxed, laid back, chillin in the womb.  The ultrasound tech labeled everything; there's no question about what's what.

And here's the picture that everyone's been waiting for.  I asked the tech what the chance was of "her" being a "him" and was told that there was no question about it.  This baby's definitely a girl.

Thumbs up!  Everything looks perfect.  And I've been feeling her move around.  Originally I thought it was just (sorry) gas for a little over a week now because I was sure she wasn't up to my belly button yet and that's where I was feeling the kicks.  The tech told me she's actually grown past my belly button.  And I haven't gained a pound yet!  Another reason to celebrate with a thumbs up!

09 April 2010

Look Out Ray Charles

We spent all of yesterday with the Smiths (minus David), visiting different shopping centers and malls in Nashville.  Here are the only photos we took of the day and they were at a sporting goods store.  EV was getting restless and so we decided to have some fun with her.

Yes, that's right.  We tried on every single girlie pair of shades on the rack.

06 April 2010

BE-A-U-TIFUL Green Eyes

To compliment that mac-n-cheese slathered face!

04 April 2010

Happy Easter!

Yesterday afternoon, Elayna went on her 1st Easter egg hunt.

She's so funny.  After shaking the eggs like miniature Christmas presents, she realized some had candy inside.  So she started cracking them open first to see if they had anything, then she'd put the eggs in her basket.  See how she chucked the egg halves to either side?  Going straight for the chocolate!

Here Daddy.  This one's for you!

I'm thinking EV's eyes are going to stay that gray-green.  Some days they're a murky grayish color and others they're very clearly green.  Here she is signing "thirsty."  She had a long day!