Best.Dog.Ever

Tommy is my dog that I've had since roughly 1999. Her whole life is centered around wanting you to pet her. And the occasional table scrap. And hugs from Chace. Ok, she lives for a lot! I had Tommy before I realized how loyal a dog could be. I feel guilty about it, but she spent a long time as an outside dog in a pin. Until several years ago that is. My dogs have turned into my kids. Yes, I am one of those people. I have a voice that I use that is reserved only for speaking my dogs thoughts. You know, what they would say if they could talk. Um, yeah. Anyway, they get table scraps when they shouldn't and they lay on the bed sometimes when Bill isn't here. I'm guilty of frantically looking for the sticky lint roller to get the dog hair off the bed right before Bill gets home. I spend way too much time in the dog treat aisle at Wal Mart worrying that they had chicken treats last time, would they want beef or bacon flavored this time? Insanity. They are not allowed on the new furniture. Ever. Well, sometimes Tommy is.

This summer, I noticed that Tommy had some lumps on her belly. I cried and cried knowing that they were cancer. She still acted fine, but didn't really want me to touch them. I guess I wouldn't really want people prodding at the lumps on my boobs either. So, a trip to Dr. Spence confirmed that they were breast tumors. Caused by her not being fixed and never having a litter of pups. I'm very thankful to the staff there for never making me feel like I should be shameful, though I knew I should. They suggested surgery to have her fixed and it would most likely cause them to stop growing. Cancerous, they wouldn't know. Not many people ever sent it off for biopsy. Fast forward a couple of weeks and she started acting very slow. She was pained to walk, groaned when I touchd her belly, and had started bleeding awful. I sat with her in my lap that night crying, knowing I had done her wrong. She'd just lick my had and look at me, letting me know I was forgiven, I think anyway. Bill rushed her to the vet the next day and she had an infection in her uterus. She had to take meds for a couple of days and come back for surgery.

Tommy made it through surgery and has recovered very well at home. She's still got her lumps, though they aren't growing. Dr. Spence said if they didn't seem to grow after surgery, we could just leave them alone as long as she seemed fine. She still doesn't like me feeling them every once in a while, but will accept any kind of loving she can get. Secretly, sometimes she's allowed on the furniture, like in these pictures with Chace. He looooves Tommy. He loves to give her hugs and pet her. He told me the other day that Tommy is his favorite. "She is my best dog ever" he said. You have no idea, little buddy.

*Disclaimer from the author: I love all of my dogs, and they are all the best.
Now, enjoy these pictures of Chace and his best.dog.ever.!!!

Ten for Today

1.  As I type this, my wooly mammoth husband is in the bathroom cutting his hair and shaving his beard.  Hallelujah, he won the bet and can get back to looking normal and not like some homeless man I picked up in South town a man that hasn't shaved since September. 

2.  I'm sick of being sick! 

3.  I've talked myself into reading the vampire books.  I knew I would't like them, because well, I'm just not into that kind of stuff.  I suffered through about 275 pages of Twilight before I had even the slightest interest.  I figured since I'd read the first one I should probably continue.

4.  I have to go for a minute because the wooly mammoth is requesting I trim his neck.

5.  Wowza, he looks so normal different now!

6.  We really need to get Grace a new bed to go along with her new room.

7.  We are joining the gym/pool in our town.  I'm excited to do this!  I'm hoping that paying to go somewhere will motivate me more.  Plus, the pool is really nice and Grace has a great time there.  Bill is looking forward to some weight lifting and time in the gym.  If you live in the area, you should really check it out.  We've really got a nice center here in WF.  You don't have to be a member to use the facility either!

8.  Grace took a class at a local little art studio and loved it.  She had gotten a couple of gift certificates for Christmas from my dad and is really excited about it.  She loves drawing/creating so this place is perfect for her.

9.  Chace spent the day with me today and he was so good for me today.  We had a fun day of reading books, playing on the bed, and watching hours upon hours of Tom and Jerry.  When Amy was here for lunch he pointed his finger at me and told me "You are getting on my nerves"!  I told him that if I was then he could just go back to school.  That changed his mind and I wasn't getting on his nerves anymore.  Then I had to tell him thank you because I wasn't getting on his nerves anymore.  Oh boy.

10.  I'm tired of trying to think of 10 things, so I will just leave a picture for #10!  Too bad the Bears didn't win last Sunday, my dad would have been very happy!  But, he was just as happy with his new picture of Grace and Chace, I'm sure of it!

Craft time!

Grace and I made some Valentine crafts the other day. We saw this in my Disney Family Fun magazine and thought we'd give it a try. All we did was mix some glue and water and dipped some cut pieces of yarn in it. Squeeze off excess glue and lay in heart cookie cutters. After they dried (the next day) we hung them with some ribbon. Fun and easy! I think we'll be making some easter eggs like this!

A gripe and a picture!

If you suffer through all of this reading, you'll find a funny picture at the end!

Ok, so the HSG I had yesterday showed nothing wrong with my tubes.  I was at the hospital from 11:30 until 2:15 for a 10 minute procedure for him to tell me nothing was wrong.  Here's what made me upset about yesterday.  On Jan 3, I called Dr. S's office to schedule this procedure at the request of Dr. K in St. Louis.  So, I make an appt and they want me to have Dr. K send over a letter of exactly what she wants him to look for on test.  It takes almost 2 weeks to get a letter sent to Dr. S office, but finally a letter was sent to him. 

SO, yesterday, here I am laying on a flat metal table (I know it sounds luxurious, but it wasn't) when he comes in asking me about what tube I want looked at.  He then is talking about the same test I had back in 2004 and what was found then.  I am dumbfounded for a few seconds and then tell him that he had done another test since then AND had performed surgery on my tube in 2009.  *When I just read back all of that it sounds a bit confusing, but please bear with me.*  My point is, I had to wait for a letter to be sent to him so he would know exactly what Dr K expected and apparently he hadn't looked it over before seeing me.  It just upset me a little, that's all!

So, from here I just wait to hear from Dr K and what they think I should do.  Aghhhh!!  I am so tired of this!

As promised, the great wooly mammoth!  Bill has a bet with his friend Ike that they will not shave their beards or cut their hair until April.  Ughhhhhhhhh.  Oh well, it's only a couple more months, right?  But, in this picture, he is working on building me a TV stand to match the book case he built last year.  He really should get into modeling, don't you think?  Yeah, you're probably right....but we won't tell him that. 

 

I'm going to the hospital today for another hysterosalpingogram.  It is not fun, but not the most awful thing I can think of.  A dye will be injected into my fallopian tubes and uterus and x-rays will be taken.  I have had this done twice before, so it's nothing new to me but still nothing I look forward to.  These xrays will show if my tube is a hydrosalpinx (fancy term for fluid filled).  This would have most likely been caused by scarring from the surgery I had on it in 2009. 

When doing an IVF, there is no use for your fallopian tubes because you are bypassing them with the process.  However, in some cases, if a tube is fluid filled that fluid may leak out and either wash away the implanted embryos or may be toxic to them.  IF this is the case with me, I will most likely need to have surgery to completely remove the tube.  It's a good thing I don't have any emotional attachment to this thing!  My Dr said it has probably been deformed since childhood (birth, maybe?), I've always had messed up cycles, and it may be the cause for 3 failed IVF's....get that sucker out of there!! 

A part of me is really hoping that this tube is the problem.  This is the ONLY thing that the Dr's can think of as to why none of my IVF's have worked.  No other solutions.  So, yeah, I'd like an answer.  On the other hand, who really wants something to be wrong with them?  Ugh.

Stay tuned for a little ditty about why I feel the IVF billing at Washington University in St Louis is a complete scam!  I really should get over this, but I can't!  After you read it, you'll have to let me know what you think! 

I was crazy sick with the flu yesterday! Next year, I am getting a flu shot! This is the 2nd time in a year that I've had it. I never used to get sick....or very often anyway. It seems since the end of Dec, I've been sick. I first had a severe sinus infection that took almost 2 weeks to clear up then I had a sickening cough that I still get when I laugh or breathe deep at all, and then the stinkin flu! I'm just hoping that I'm getting all my sickness out of the way for the year!

I was going through my pictures that I haven't posted lately and made a few collages.....
What do you get when you have a sister who is a self-proclaimed-part-time-photographer? Why, free pictures for your Christmas cards of course!! I took some pictures for my brother and sister for their Christmas cards and thought some of them turned out really well. Of course, it helps that I have a beautiful family to work with!

Amy, Shawn, and Chace:



Raymond and Erin:



Erin had asked me to take some pics for her and her twin sister, Emily, to give their mom for a Christmas present. The day was really windy, but I think they turned out pretty well. I think their mom was pleased as punch! They said they hadn't had any pictures taken together since they were around 9....I think. It had been a really long time anyway!

Ten for Today

Remember ages ago when I decided I was going to try something new, and Ten for Today was born into my blog? Wellllll, I think I only did one of those! An old (not really old, just from high school a long time ago) friend started a blog today and it got me to thinking of how lax I have been to my faithful few readers. Please accept my apologies! Without further ado (is that even how you would put that?!) here is another TforT!!

1. I am going to be an aunt again! I am very excited for a new little addition to our family. I will not lie and say that I am not disappointed that it will not be mine since the baby will be born when I should have had mine had my last IVF worked.....BUT, I am still very happy. In due time. I guess.

2. Bill bought a boat today. Just a little crappy john boat, but a boat none the less. He is excited about it. I think he and Grace will have lots of fun fishing Rend Lake with it. After he paints it. It's baby blue!

3. I went shopping with my sister today in Fairview Heights. I got some really great deals and had fun with her. I didn't spend as much as a boat cost though. Hmph.

4. Chace has been using the potty very well. He hasn't had any accidents as of late. Yay!! Such a big boy!

5. When you ask Chace if Mommy can have a baby he says NO! But, when you ask him if he wants a baby sister (we don't know this yet, but say sister) he says YES! Not sure he'll be so excited when she's here and gets lots of attention. But, that's ok...Aunt Lisa will just have to baby him and make him like me better than anyone else! Bwahahaha! Wait, he already does. I'm sure of it!

6. My dad is the happiest I think I have ever seen him and this just makes my heart smile! We all like Pam and for once I think our family is acting like a real family. I love it.

7. I got a "smart phone" recently. What in the world did people ever do before phones like this?! Settle down, I'm kidding. Though handy, I could live without it, but I LOVE it!!

8. Bill is working on building me a TV stand to match the bookcase he built last year. I'm so thankful to have such a handy husband! Even though handy husband is driving me crazy snoring on the couch right now!!

9. I am blaming me lack of blog updates on the fact that I do not own a laptop. I get tired of sitting in the kitchen at the desk. One of these days I will own one and you will be bombarded with posts all the time! Ok, maybe not all the time, but a little more frequent. You're welcome.

10. I'm going for a hysterosalpingogram on Wednesday. Sound fun, right? It's not. I will post an IVF/fertility update later. It will more that likely be pretty lengthy, as I have a few gripes. Imagine that.

I hope you've had a great weekend and enjoy the week ahead! Just for you, a picture to enjoy. Grace came into our room at 1:30 Christmas Eve morning because Santa had came early and wanted us to get up. Um, hello? My dad never got up that early, he just hollered at us to go back to bed. So, guess what we did?! Here she is at 7:30 that morning....