January Insta-update

It's time for another Instagram update! This month most of my pictures have been of Beckett. He's just so cute that I can't help myself.

Two dogs and a crate

Snowy days mean I get to bust out my Burberry rain boots.  

Beckett wasn't so sure about his Pop Pop

Beckett's first "Guns Up" during Tech's bowl game

In his finest onesie for New Year's Eve

He has the longest lashes I've ever seen.  They even curl.

Beckett and Jack are going to be best friends

Pretending to be an angel baby

Such a big boy in separates.  His shoes have real laces.

In other news, I think I can finally post pictures of the nursery.  We got the finishing touches done this weekend.  I also pulled something my back which is neither here nor there but I am in an immense amount of pain.

22 weeks (+ a Jack update)

Things are a little nuts at the Brown house.  We have contractors in one part of the house and dogs on bed rest in the other.  I feel a little like Florence Nightingale.  I will talk more about Jack below.  The remodel is moving a little slower than anticipated which is always the case.  It will be done this week though.  Once it is done, we will have to rearrange our new guest room and empty out the room we're using for the nursery so we can get started in there.  I am ready for the house to be mess and contractor-free.  But I have a feeling that it will be September before I get my wish.  

How far along: 22 weeks, 6 days

Total weight gain/loss:  Somewhere around 12 pounds.  I am measuring spot on for 22 weeks which makes me feel a little less like a cow.
Maternity clothes:  A mix of maternity and pre-maternity clothes but starting to lean towards more maternity clothes.
Stretch marks: None.  

Sleep: I am not getting the most restful sleep but I still haven't woken up in the middle of the night due to the baby so I think that's a good thing.

Best moment this week: Not exactly baby-related, but Jack coming home!  Plus, starting on our hall/nursery remodel.
Movement: Lots and lots of movement.
Food cravings: Sugar cookies with icing.
Gender: BOY!
Labor signs: None.

Belly in or out: Still in.

Symptom of the week: Leg cramps.  Holy moly, these hurt.  I have just started to experience these moments of torture and it seems like I usually get them when I have just woken up.  They are not fun at all.
What I miss: Not feeling like I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off.  In addition to the remodels and taking care of dogs, I am finishing up my bachelor's degree and president of our local sorority for the year.  My to-do lists are all that keep me sane.
What I am looking forward to: Meeting with my friend Jennifer to discuss the nursery next week.
Weekly wisdom: This doesn't have anything to do with being pregnant, but everyone is busy within in their own space but time management makes all the difference.  I hate when people use being busy as an excuse for not getting things done.
Milestones: Daniel has started feeling the baby move a lot more, which he is pretty excited about.  Oh and I can barely fit into my scrub pants for work anymore which was a fun surprise when I had to work last weekend.

A Jack update:

Surgical cones are no fun

Jack is home!  We picked him up from the vet this morning and we are so happy to have him back.  He has to be confined to a crate or on a leash for the next three weeks.  Let me tell you, it's going to be a long three weeks but we are so lucky that he made it through his surgery and recovery.  He also is on a special food and has to eat four times a day and go for lots of short walks.  I totally feel like I am back at the hospital.  He also has a cone because he has a hard time leaving his incisions alone but only wears it for a few hours a day because it makes me feel so terrible.  The next big test is a week from Friday.  He gets his stitches out and starts working back towards eating dry food.  I think he may miss the canned food.  Marley is also doing very well but I think she was getting used to having all the attention for herself.  She is a little jealous.  

And one more picture where he doesn't look so sad

Jack update

We have gotten to visit Jack everyday since his surgery, which has been such a blessing.  Yesterday he was still super weak and sore.  Today he was so much better and getting his personality back.  He still has a lot of swelling and had to be given Lasix due to some edema.  He is also still on IV antibiotics and receiving most of his fluids via the IV.  He was hooked up when they brought him in for his visit and promptly pulled the IV out. 

He has started eating very very small portions of food three times a day and drinking small portions of water.  He has handled all of that really well and would love a regular-sized meal.  He loves to eat (quickly) which is what got him into this situation.  Everything seems to be working correctly and he has been able to go to the bathroom which means that end was not affected too badly.  That might be too much information, but it is important if he wants to come home.  He is going for short walks and tolerates them but gets very tired.  They warned me that he may not be so chipper tomorrow and will have good days and bad days for a while.

The vet staff is optimistic that he will be able to come home but the soonest he would be discharged is next Monday.  They keep warning me that he is definitely not out of the woods and needs to be monitored closely for the next couple days.  We are hopeful that he will continue to progress and be released next week.  Thank you for all your prayers!  We are so thankful that our Jack is still fighting.    

Still feeling puny yesterday

Today he was a whole new dog

In other Brown dog news, Marley is also on the DL.  Yesterday afternoon I noticed that she wasn't putting any weight on her back leg.  I thought she might be looking for attention but when she kept it up, I decided to take her to the vet today.  When it rains, it pours.  It turns out that she has a partial tear in her hip and will need to take anti-inflammatory medication for two weeks and is not allowed to do any unnecessary activities.  The good news is that her and Jack did get to visit.  I would have loved to take her up to visit him for free, but she thought we needed to contribute more money to the vet.  The staff said they were very excited to see each other and Jack jumped on his kennel door.  They thought it definitely lifted his spirits, so while I hate that she is hurt, I'm glad that they could at least see one another.  However if these dogs keep it up, their little brother will have no college fund.

Jack and me

Yesterday was not a fun day at the Brown house.  I would say it was probably one of the worst days we have had in a very long time.

It started out fine.  We picked our dogs up from the vet where they were being boarded and brought them home.  I fed them and then took Daniel to work.  About an hour after we got home, our dog Jack started acting funny.  He hates being outside so it is a little strange when he doesn't bum rush you to get in the house.

I found him in the backyard dry heaving.  This is not abnormal because he has more ailments than some 90-year-olds.  I became a little more worried when I noticed that he was walking with his legs stretched out like he was having a hard time supporting his weight.  He was also pacing and very restless, which is not like him at all.  I called Daniel and then the vet.  The vet suggested giving him Pepto-Bismol to see if that helped his stomach.  It did not.

For the next hour or so Jack kept getting worse.  He was drooling, pacing, had some bowel issues, was working very hard to breath, looked like he was getting weak, and continued to dry heave.  I kept telling Daniel that it seemed like he was going to fall over at any minute.  We loaded him in the car and took him to vet as soon as they got back from lunch.

The news continued to get worse.  Jack had twisted his stomach and needed immediate surgery.  The vet said he had a 60% chance of survival and that was all they could really tell us.  Our only hope was that we had caught it fairly early but I was feeling very guilty about not brining him in as soon as I noticed his changes and it was at this point that I lost it.

If you know me, you know I love my dogs but I really really love Jack.  When we first got him I did not.  I actually asked Daniel to take him back to Dallas.  He was super clingy and hated it.  Luckily, Dallas is not a short drive away and Daniel told me to give it time.  Since then I have become just a co-dependent when it comes to Jack.  We do everything together.  Seriously, everything.  He is the sweetest dog and has the biggest heart.

Jack made it through his surgery and the night, which are both good signs.  The vet told us that he feels optimistic but the next few days are going to be really critical in determining whether or not Jack will able to stay with us.  When a dog's stomach twists, blood flow is cut off and tissue dies.  We have no idea how much of his stomach tissue died, if any.  The vet said that it looked like there had been some tissue death but the tissue pinked up when blood flow returned.

Tomorrow they will begin feeding Jack small portions of food and water.  Our hope is that he will be able to digest and metabolize the food.  This would mean that even though some of his stomach was affected, he will still be able to lead a normal life.  If he is not able to digest food, we will be faced with a huge decision.

We would greatly appreciate any prayers we can get.  I love this dog more than I can say and it kills me to think that our time with him may be coming to an end.  Please pray that Jack is able to function normally and just needs time.  I will keep everyone updated on his progress.

Pictures from my iPhone

My nephew loves phones and he especially loves looking at your pictures. I was looking through some of the pictures I have taken and thought it would make for a fun but random blog. So here are some of the pictures I have taken over the past few months.

Jack has the largest dog behind ever

My vet had me give him too much medicine.  Dog CPR was brought up.

Just shooting guns and getting ready for the apocalypse

Occupy Lubbock

Chimys <3

Just like in college

Elvis is alive and in Amarillo!

The big cross in Groom

A precious giraffe at the OKC zoo

My new ride.

My husband gets me.  Sometimes I want fancy.  Sometimes I want as seen on TV pillows for my heavy head.

Wrapping it up

It has been way to long since my last post. Daniel and I have both been busy at work. The month of June is shaping up to be super busy. We both had bachelor/bachelorette parties last weekend, two weddings to attend the next two weekends, Relay for Life and hopefully a lake trip coming up. Plus, we decided to go to Miami for my birthday to visit my dad.

Anyway, I wanted to post a couple more pictures of our trip to France and wrap it up. Our last day in Paris we went on a market tour. Next time we are there I will definitely be returning to the markets. You can get everything there. Seriously, you could buy dinner, socks, clothes and anything else you can think of. It was such a cool experience.

We got lunch from one of the stands on Rue Cler. We bought a rotisserie chicken and got to try potato gratin. It was something I would definitely recommend.

The rest of the day was spent shopping and trying to see the last couple of sights we had missed via on the bus tour.



For dinner we went to an amazing restaurant that specializes in duck. Daniel and I are not the most adventurous eaters, but we really tried to go out of our comfort zone on this trip. I had tried duck confit when we first go to Paris and loved it and was excited to try the best in the city.



Au Petit Sud Ouest's menu consists of duck, duck and more duck. A husband and wife run the restaurant and speak great English. It was one of the best meals we ate while we were there. I could write a whole blog about how amazing the potatoes were. Best ever. It was the perfect way to end our trip.

So, if you ever have a chance to go to Paris, GO! Don't let all of the negative stereotypes deter you. Everyone was nice and I would go back for sure.



And this is what we came to. The dogs were very happy that we were home.

A fungus among us

So, we have to lovely dogs. One of these dogs is a 115 pound Weimeraner named Jack. Jack was a rescue dog that we adopted January 4, 2010 from the Weimeraner Rescue of North Texas.


Jack is a monster. He is huge, he drools and he lets out the most terrible smells. At the same time, he is the sweetest dog you will ever meet. He has to be in the same room as us and loves everyone. Plus he has the cutest stump ever, hence his personal theme song "Stump Shaker."




Since adopting Jack he has had a long list of problems that required medical attention. He breaks out in hives. He has fractured toes. He bites his nails. He is overweight. The list goes on.


We are getting used to Jack's issues, but one day he literally tore one of his nails in half. There was blood everywhere and it was like he knew this as he paraded from room to room. Now, he has bitten down his nails before to the point where they bleed, but this was different. We decided to watch it and see if it healed like it had in the past.


To make a long story a little shorter, we had both dogs groomed and the groomer cut the nail down even more. Cut to a few days later and Jack wasn't putting any weight on that foot. Then his toe ballooned to three times the normal size and it was back to the vet.


There are certain things you don't want to hear at the vet. What I heard that day was, "We'll pray that it's broken." We had previously thought Jack had a broken toe and the vet exaplined how horrible it would be for him to have to wear a cast and now we were hoping for that.


Turns out Jack had a nailbed infection that was fairly severe. I believe the vet's exact words were, "We'll do everything we can to keep from amputating the toe." Amputation.


This was about three weeks ago and now we are giving him twice daily antibiotics because the first round didn't work well enough. Plus, we get soak his foot every other day for 15 minutes. Have you ever tried to force a 115 pound animal to put its foot in a bucket for what feels like an hour? It isn't fun. But, it's what we have to do because a dog that big with a missing toe would be super depressing to see and deal with.