Something Neat

As I mentioned in January, Jim’s mom was not the nicest woman on the face of the earth and years ago told a lie about his Uncle Gary causing Jim to cut ties with him.  That is so sad because if Jim talks about his childhood the stories always start, “One summer when I was staying with Gary, Sherry and Grandpa Hoover..”  It also cut him off from most of his mother’s side of the family including Cousin Philip.  Philip and his wife Shirley have made sure that we ate well while staying in Wichita.  We were lucky enough to be able to spend time with them every day we were there.  Philip is Jim’s second cousin, late 60s, retired law enforcement – big old teddy bear who would give you the shirt off his back.  Last night as we were leaving the restaurant after dinner Philip took Jim by the shoulder and said, “Just one more thing.  I don’t want to be Cousin Philip.  Your Uncle Gary and I are more like brothers than cousins… can we be Uncle Philip and Aunt Shirley to you all?”  Of course they can!

Tonight we are in Fayetteville Arkansas after about five hours on the road.  Robert, of course, was a real trooper and slept most of the way.  After dinner Jim took him to the pool for about a half an hour – he had a great time but it wore him out so he is blessedly asleep.  Tomorrow we have another four or so hours on the road.  I’ll be glad to be out of the car for a few days!  Unfortunately I don’t think I’ll have internet access until we land back in KC on Sunday — eeeekkk!!!  I guess I’ll survive, and hopefully have a lot of pictures to post.

Time With My Boy

For the past three days it’s been just me and this boy for the better part of the day.  We’ve explored every inch of our hotel room, had fun discovering new parts of Wichita and looked forward to every night when Daddy got done teaching.  I’ve had such a good time with my little guy and watching him discover new things.  Jim took some pictures and video of us last night.  I wish I had time to post the video this morning but I’m trying to get things packed up so as soon as Jim is done teaching I an take Robert to him while he packs his equipment and I can get the car loaded so we can continue our adventure.

Stay At Home Mom

Last night Robert helped Jim put the finishing touches on his presentation.  It was so cute.

Today Robert and I had the whole day together.  It’s not that he’ bad but there are no breaks!  This is rough!  I never thought I could be a stay at home Mom.  I guess it would be different if this were full time and we had a routine.  The way I described my day today to Jim was “It’s like being a stay at home Mom without the dusting.”  We went to the restaurant here at the hotel and ran into Gary’s wife Rita so we joined them for breakfast this morning.  Nice to have adult conversation.  We did go out a few times.  Went to Target but didn’t buy anything.  I was basically scoping it out as we’ll need to go there either tomorrow or Wednesday morning to get provisions for the rest of the week.  We also went to the mall and walked around.  They were having great sales but nothing in Robert’s size.  Old Navy had been decimated.  It was unreal.  I did get him two new ball caps at Children’s Place so we have more colors to choose from.  As you know, it’s incredibly important that his hat color coordinate with his outfit 

Tonight we went back to Philip and Shirley’s for dinner.  They fixed really good steaks and we had a nice visit.  Tomorrow night we’re meeting them for Mexican.  They got Robert the cutest little outfit.  It’s 24 months so we’ve got a week or two before he can wear it but we were needing some things to carry us into the next size.

Tomorrow we need to find a better life jacket for Robert.  The one we have doesn’t float him on his back and I don’t want him to have the option of face first in the lake in Arkansas.  Maybe Gander Mountain will have something.  If not I’ll try Dick’s.

We’re in Wichita!

Robert woke up at 5 yesterday morning so we all got up and dressed and hit the road to Wichita so that we could get to the zoo before it got too hot.  We arrived at the zoo at about 9am and had a great time.

The Wichita Zoo is a really nice little zoo.  It’s easy to get around.  You can see the animals.  They have great petting areas for the kids.  We really enjoy it. 

After the zoo we met up with Jim’s cousins and they took us to lunch and then we went to see his Great Aunt.  By then it was 3:30pm and we were all pretty exhausted so we said good-bye until dinner tomorrow and got checked into the hotel.  Our room did not disappoint.  We have a two room suite with a master bath that is to die for. 

When we got to the hotel we went swimming but Robert wasn’t really impressed.  Unfortunately the hotel restaurant closed at 5 tonight.  I really did not want to get back in the car so we ordered a pizza and called it a night.

This morning Jim got up and got Robert dressed before he left for the training room.  Robert and I got around and met up with Gary & Rita at the restaurant and had breakfast with them.  Afterwards Robert and I ran out and got a bit of orientation.  We’re going to have lunch with Jim and then we will probably head to the mall to walk around a bit.

Ready to Go

I took Harley back to the vet’s today for her boarding. She started to get excited the minute she saw the vet’s office. We walked in and the line was three deep so we got into it. All of a sudden all the women behind the desk started saying “There’s Harley, she looks so good”. When it was our turn she was paws on the counter begging for (and getting) treats. They told me that they couldn’t wait until Monday when one of the vet techs who really loved Harley got back. I guess this woman was practically crawling into her cage with her to let her know she’s loved. That made me feel really good. I know she’s in good hands and will be back to her old self by the time we get home.

After dropping Harley off I picked up Jim and Robert and we went out to lunch and ran some errands. This afternoon was spent packing and getting the house in order. I’m happy to say it’s in a nice orderly fashion so we won’t be returning to a huge mess. I also sprayed the yard tonight so hopefully if there are any more disease ridden ticks crawling around out there they will be dead by the time we get back. Unfortunately I got stung by a wasp when I was putting the hose up… I’m spraying for those next!

I need to get some sleep, we’re leaving when Robert wakes up in the morning and that’s usually around 5. He’ll wake up, we’ll get him dressed, give him his bottle and he’ll go back to sleep and hopefully sleep most of the way to Wichita. Once we’re there… it’s zoo time!

New Favorite

This picture makes me smile. I love the look in his eyes and how he’s holding his arm. It’s almost like he’s saying “I dare you to take this spoon out of my mouth”

24 Hour Parole

She’s home!!!! Our wonderful, beautiful Harley got to come home for a night today!!! YEAH!!! Robert and I stopped by to check on her this morning. When she came into the room Robert was waving his arms and squealing. He was so happy to see her! And she was equally as happy to see her boy. She gave his face a good cleaning.

This afternoon the vet agreed that she was doing well enough to come home for the night since she has to go back to board tomorrow. They even gave her a nice bath before I picked her up so she’s be nice and clean. She’s not eating the canned food that I put out for her but she did clean up Robert’s dinner plate and will eat treats. She’s also drinking which is super important. I managed to get her pills down her. Such a willful dog… she’ll hold them in her mouth forever! Jim is fixing her some rice and egg for dinner so maybe she’ll eat that.

Tomorrow we’ve got a lot of work to get done so we can leave Sunday. I really want to leave the house clean so we don’t come home to a mess!

Roller Coaster

This is how life feels right now. I went to see Harley this morning and for the first time she actually pulled on the lead when she saw me, trotted over and laid her head in my lap. That’s a good sign. The bad news is her platelet count is still low and she’s still not eating. This afternoon they started her on prednisone to try to boost her appetite. I was hoping that she could come home today so that we could have a few days with her before we leave town. Unfortunately, she’s not out of the woods yet. Now I’m thinking about skipping the Wichita leg of vacation. Jim would go and teach then come home Wednesday night and we’d leave for Arkansas on Thursday. It would wind up being the same amount of time in Arkansas. It’s not like I can do anything for her right now, I just feel really bad thinking about leaving town while she is still sick. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

I have a grant that I have to finish up and deliver tomorrow. I have a few paragraphs left but am having a horrible case of “I hate everything I write”. My goal is to sleep on it tonight, get to the office early tomorrow and pound it out while my head is still clear (or as clear as it gets right now).

On the Mend???

I am so ready for this puppy dog to be home! I think she is too. I stopped by to check on her this morning. She had a bit more pep than yesterday. She’s gotten her catheter out but was still on IV fluids. She had been on the medicine for less than 24 hours so even minimal improvement was a good sign for me. The vet tech said she also thought that Harley was perking up a bit. I certainly don’t expect her to be fully bouncing off the walls for a bit since it’s been two weeks since she’s eaten. The original vet will be back tomorrow so hopefully we know then. I can’t say enough for the vet and his staff. They have been so accommodating and you can tell they love my baby girl too. I’m really hoping tomorrow she can come home. Of course, she has to go back Saturday to be boarded for the week we’re out of town.

Jim is in Chicago tonight. Robert finally went down a little after 8. I haven’t eaten. I have a small head ache and I know it’s tension from worrying about the dog. It’s too quiet here. The cat thinks it’s perfect.. just he and I stretched out on the bed. I’m really hoping that Robert has a good night so that I get some sleep. There is so much to do before we leave town Sunday and I have a full plate at work too. It will all get done, it always does. These back to back trips are a killer.

Lately I feel like I just don’t have enough time to give 100% to everyone. If there are dishes in the sink I feel guilty about playing with Robert. But if he goes to sleep and I realize we haven’t had any quality time together I feel guilty about that. I know I should be up cleaning and doing laundry right now but I’m just too tired…. and it’s the season finale of Deadliest Catch followed by Flipping Out… yeah, I’ve got my priorities straight.

Our St. Louis Weekend

Pictures from our St. Louis trip! Robert is an excellent little traveler. He did great in the car and never did get fussy… so nice!

There were 16 of us this weekend. Jim, Robert & I stayed at a hotel because I knew Robert would never go to sleep with that many people around to entertain. We had such a nice relaxing time. Dawn & Mark’s house is in the country and has a lake and such a beautiful view. I could have sat outside and just stared at the lake and pasture for hours. I also had a great time getting to know Jim’s family better.

Next week we will be in Arkansas at the end of the week with Gary and Sherry and will probably also see Scott and Nici there.

The bad news is Harley took a turn for the worse this weekend. The really freaky thing is I had a dream last night that I got to the vet’s to pick her up and they told me something was wrong. Then I woke up. They called me before I got there this morning. She wasn’t eating or drinking, was dehydrated and had diahrreah. Not good. They wanted to do some blood work and x-rays and would call me back. I got some things done at the office and then headed to the vet’s. My baby was sick, she needed to know that I was still here for her. The tests didn’t show anything really significant but her platelet count was down. She looked horrible. SHe did wag her tail a bit for me but she has lost a bunch of weight, was drooling and her coat looked horrible. While we were waiting for the vet she stood by the door with her tail between her legs looking at me like “take me home mama”. While talking to the vet I remembered she had a tick on her a few weeks ago. All the symptoms point to Ehrliclia. A totally treatable disease. And if that’s
what it is we’ve caught it in the acute stages. We started her on the dyocylene and hopefully when I go by tomorrow she will be showing some signs of improvement. They say it takes 24-48 hours to start working. For now she’s still at the vet’s. Further blood work showed that her liver and kidney function were fine so that’s good. She is getting IV fluids to rehydrate her. I’m so worried. I absolutely broke down in the vet’s office. I’m sure they think they’re dealing with a total nut case. I was so afraid they were going to tell me that it was fatal. We’re still not out of the woods but my gut is telling me it was the tick. Time will tell.