Blog Spree, Entry #9 -- Mommy Down, Baby Up, Puppy Down

Yesterday we ran a lot of errands then spent the evening working and playing in the yard with Bridgette and the neighborhood kids. It was a full day.

Last night before bed I started having what I thought was an allergic reaction to, I assume, the yardwork itself. I took an oral antihistamine and used some antihistamine eyedrops in my eyes prior to bedtime. Some hours later... like pretty much about the time Jeff and Bridgette started stirring in the morning... I was still laying in bed awake. It's amazing how much a small irritant can keep you from dreamland.

No more yardwork for me! The neighbors will be thrilled.

Actually, I spent most of the night catching goopy eye drippings and uncontrolled tears in a Kleenex (uncontrolled not out of pain or sadness... my ducts were just in overdrive) and feeling like my eye had been mauled by a griffon. So at 8 a.m., I opted to call our doctor about conjunctivitis, aka: pink-eye.

Jeff had to take me to my appointment at 9:45 because I really couldn't see to drive. After the doctor checked for something small and sharp lodged under my eyelid, a miniature griffon perhaps, he concluded my eyes were very bloodshot and goopy and that I did indeed have conjunctivitis. He gave me some eyedrops and sent me home.

Jeff took the day off of work to care for Bridgette so I could sequester myself from her and all the household items I could contaminate. I mostly slept. I was pretty tired.

Twelve hours later and I'm pleased to say my eye still looks disgusting and feels uncomfortable, but it no longer runneths over. Whether it was a matter of time, eye-drops, or a combination of the two I cannot say, but there is improvement.

I had to miss a fun activity I had planned for tonight, but far worse things have happened in the world... or even in my life in just the last week. Still hoping I kept the goop off of "stuff" so that no one else picks it up. I tried to be careful, but I know how easy it is to spread/catch pink-eye. Speaking of, I have no idea where I nabbed the little pinks myself.

So that was Mommy Down.

On to Baby Up.

Here's Bridgette standing up to watch Micky Mouse Clubhouse. She's doing a LOT more standing up for longer periods and asking us to help her walk. We hope this is a good sign that she may want to try it on her own one of these days. She's letting Jeff (and occasionally even the neighbor girls) help her walk too, which thing has never happened before.

Bridgette still loves her some fresh lemon, rind and all.

Puppy Down.

We're really not sure exactly what happened, even though it happened right in front of us. On Friday night the whole family and the neighbor kids were once again playing in our backyard. The pups started wrassling, as they so often do, and next thing we know one of them yelps.

That's not too weird because Piper's kind of a pansy. But it wasn't Piper, it was Chewy. That's rare indeed.

Ends up he broke his dewclaw to the nubbin, exposing the quick underneath. It wasn't a clean break, so his whole nail was sticking out perpendicular to it's proper direction. In human terms, that's somewhere between breaking your thumb and having your thumb nail ripped off with pliers.

We tried to wrap it, until we could get him to the vet in the morning, but he was feeling a bit sensitive and thought he would take the opportunity to protect himself from further danger. Translation -- he nipped me. Yelping, nipping... definitely a most uncommon night for Chewy.

I took him to the emergency animal hospital instead and paid a little more than we're used to for them to clip his dew claw completely off and wrap him up tight. He's on an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory now.

After a weekend of limping, they removed his bandage at a check-up on Monday. It was gross. Very bloody. They had to shave his hair down because it was matted with blood and too hard to tell whether it was infected or swollen. After another bandage (that Chewy did, in fact, manage to remove by himself this time) we're just keeping an eye on it. The quick is still exposed, but I think the bandages bothered him more than anything. He's not limping anymore and is back to his playful, less needy self. He even chased Piper around the yard today.

Here is Chewy with his ears laid back on his head, quite unhappy.


Trying to hide his paw under his body. He was both needy and nippy all weekend. We had to be extra careful with Bridgette who didn't really understand what was going on.

You can see the dew claw on his other paw in this picture. It's partway up the leg, not with the other toenails.

Blog Spree, Entry #8 - Bonus Videos

All of a sudden, she sat down and sorted...



All of a sudden, well... you'll see.



And now, here is Bridgette saying both "Night night," and "Bye bye," and we hope you get some sleep tonight, Gram/Mom.

Blog Spree, Entry #7 -- Parade

Every town in our valley has a designated week to celebrate with a festival of some kind. Strawberry Days is Pleasant Grove's big throw-down, and they held events all week -- from rodeos to carnivals to breakfasts to 5K's. We only attended the parade on Saturday morning, June 19th, since the parade route runs perpendicular to our street.

It was a good parade -- lots of participation both in the parade (it lasted about two hours) and by the public along the curbs. This was Bridgette's first parade, and she really wanted to touch the floats. She regularly tried to escape and often commanded "Walk!"

In this picture, we were attempting to outwit some young boys who were very good at stealing candy from babies.

And Bridgette managed to snaggle some salt water taffy, a traditional Utah candy made locally due to the whole huge Salt Lake thing. Just watch that candy disappear... and you will think, like I did, that she actually ate it all.

On to the second piece: a blue tootsie roll.

Where Bridgette sat/stood during the whole parade. Except when she was trying to escape.

This was my favorite "float."

Bridgette liked the fire engine, but she was nervous when it was close-by and loud. Later on there was also an ambulance wailing, and she kept pointing to it and yelling, "Uh-oh! Uh-oh!" over and over again. Later in the week we drove by a really bad accident with an ambulance on hand, and as we passed she said, "OHHHH NOOOOO!"

This was Bridgette's favorite hand-out. She wore it a surprisingly long time, until the elastic broke.

One of the many local entries by athletic youth (there were karate kids, cheer squads, horseback tricksters, dance groups, etc.) I like this one because it shows the mountains in the background. It was a beautiful day and lovely setting for a parade.

After the parade, group shot.

Daddy pushing the stroller home.

This is truly how Bridgette responded when I asked her if she liked the parade.

Oh WAIT a minute!!! THERE'S my candy!!!

"I was savin' it. For later."

And finally... the remains of the salt water taffy.

Father's Day Cuteness

Bridgette picked out a very special gift for me for Father's Day.

Here is me opening it:

Here is Bridgette trying to steal it:

Here is Chewy eating it:

Here is Bridgette playing a song without looking at the music:

And here is Bridgette being very adorable:

I had a very good fathers day. I have a great wife and kid and two very good dogs. I am going to eat some pizza now :)

Blog Spree, Entry #5

It's been a long but good day in our household, and I'm pretty tired, so this will be muy short.

After I went plane flying this morning (yeah, you heard me... more on that another day), I came home to the happy message that Mom left the hospital today and is resting and trying to heal up without too many drugs. Glad to hear it and hoping all goes well for her.

Still revisiting our life several weeks ago, Bridgette did in fact get really sick the second week of June. We thought we might be inviting the home health care nurse back to administer an I.V. However, right about the time things could have headed super-south, Bridgette recovered instead. We were pleased.

Actually, I think I might have blogged about that back when it happened.

At the time, the cute neighbor girls brought her these fantastic Get Well balloons that Bridgette loved and carried with her around the house. I post this picture for two reasons.

First, and most obviously, it showcases the lovely balloons. Second, and not so obvious at all, if you look carefully, you might notice almost all her hair can be pulled back into one ponytail now. Good thing I took a picture. She's never allowed me to do it since.


And what happens when those balloons are removed from the picture? You see what a lucky girl Bri is when she's sick. A little Star Wars is good for the body and soul. Mom, perhaps you'd care to watch Empire Strikes Back during your recovery too?

Blog Spree, Entry #4 - Around the Neighborhood

Well, Mom was supposed to come home from the hospital today, but it would appear that extremely low blood pressure and swelling due to surgery means she will spend one more day away from home. We wish her a speedy get-better-soon, so she can come home and relax.

For entry #4, I thought I'd share some vignettes around the neighborhood on a typical-ish day. These shots and video are all from early June.

First is the fun of having my husband work nearby. It allows us to go to lunch from time to time, and on this day, we went to one of our favorite digs: Zuppa's. Mmm...

Bridgette likes to play with Jeff's work badge. She will wear it around her neck, like him, and pull the recoiling cord out repeatedly to watch it snap back into place. The next two shots were taken in the parking lot outside of Zuppa's.

On car rides, Bri asks over and over again for her new favorite food, "A-MIN!"

When we pull into our driveway, rarely a car trip goes by that she doesn't point to the neighbor's house and say, "A-BALL!"

They are kind enough to play basketball with her, or hockey, or let her join in on whatever activity is current.

After we went to Zuppa's, we arrived home to find lots of kids next door. She was very excited to go over and play.

And they were sweet to let her "color" with them. Mostly, she colored herself by climbing over and dragging herself through their already completed works of art.

The back of her legs look sunburned, but I promise it's just pink chalk. And for once the seat of her pants were covered in something highly washable.

She was also pleased to make a new friend.

No, TWO new friends.

No, THREE new friends.

And when we came inside, she immediately went to the laptop. Hmm...

The following day, our other neighbors came over to play. Bridgette loves to spend time with all of them, and we go to their house too. On this day they sang songs, played Twister, and gave us a piano concert.

Although this shot was posed, I guarantee Bridgette added another dimension of difficulty to the game. Any little hole between arms and legs meant a perfect baby tunnel for her.

Piano Concerto #98

Musical Performance #17

Blog Spree, Entry #3 - Petting Zoo

Congratulations to Mom on the successful completion of her second procedure today! Huzzah!

Entry 3 takes us back to the beginning of June. June 2nd to be exact. Kids on the Move, the developmental center that employs Bri's various therapists, had a day at the petting zoo for all the kids in their program.

Bridgette started the day by discovering that she weighs somewhere between 8 chickens and 5 newborn sheep.

Then she gave us a preview of her future life as a Harley mama.

This goat was definitely her favorite animal of the day. I have no idea why. There were lots and lots of full-sized goats, pygmy goats, chickens, horses, cows, birds, alpacas, etc. It was this goat or nothing.

The goat did not love her in return. But she tried as hard as she could to follow him wherever he went. You might note the sturdy wire around most pens. It wasn't so much of a petting zoo as an observation / push corn feed through the openings and watch the animals fight over it zoo.

Who doesn't like peacocks?


This photo you've seen before, but who doesn't like happy babies?

This is probably my favorite photo from the trip. We took a horse-drawn wagon ride and sat right up at the front. While we were out Bridgette got to use my camera to take two photos. The first was of horse-butts. The second was looking up at the driver. Quite the perspective.

It was fun to see the kids with whom we attend classes in a different environment. The boy on the left refusing to look at the camera is probably Bridgette's best friend at Kids on the Move. We hope to do playdates once they're both walking. His mom is actually the one in the pink next to him, holding her other child. They made it a family day with aunts and grandma too.

This cow was perhaps my favorite because she was so friendly. The kids couldn't get enough of her proximity and Bridgette got a bit of an education feeding her.

I'll end with this series of photos, wherein Bridgette discovers that cows have large tongues, and eat, just like we do. Well, almost like we do.