I Used to Be a Dog Person

I'm not sure anyone else has gone/is going through this, but I am finding I have a love/loathe relationship with our family dog Wesson. I've compiled a list to get some of this off my chest maybe re-gain my "dog person" status.

#1. LOVE: Wesson makes me exercise. Studies have shown exercise has many positive benefits. Some include: heart disease prevention, muscle building/toning, and weight management. People who exercise also often find they are happier due to endorphins. For these I am most grateful. I have also found dog walking is a ministry tool, as most of the neighbors I meet as a result of a dog walking encounter.

#1. LOATHE: Wesson makes me exercise. Sometimes I just don't feel like walking or running our neighborhood for 30 plus minutes. The time and energy it takes to load Julianne into the proper clothing, put her in in the stroller with a snack then harness up the dog, is at times a daunting task in itself. Not to mention, it is not always nice outside! If the weather is questionable, the pack and load time increases substantially. Why not just skip the walk? Our dog has ENERGY people. Google "English Pointer" after you're done reading this and you'll discover pointers are built to run all day chasing birds and such. If we don't go he is bouncing off the walls all over the house taking out all in his path. In other words, HE DRIVES ME CRAZY! In my naiveté, I thought this was the perfect dog for marathon runners like Andrew and I. Fast forward 2 years: Andrew has all together given up the sport, we have a child, and I am struggling to meet Wesson's need for speed.

#2. LOVE: I vacuum everyday. Having a freshly vacuumed space is very warm and inviting. It looks nice when your carpet has those lines in the floor. I also would bet my carpet and floor tiles lack many of those microscopic organisms I learned about in Biology. Though my floors would not appear to be the cleanest, I'd bet germ-wise they are quite pristine. This chore is also a good way to exercise and burn some extra calories (see above for those benefits).

#2. LOATHE: I vacuum everyday. OK if I am honest, it is 5 times a week or so, but still I do this activity A LOT! Most of the time Julianne is on one hip too since I am trying to remove hair from wherever she is at any given time. This task is an endless losing battle. I could vacuum all day long and 10 minutes later, pick up my baby covered in tiny white hairs. He sheds CONSTANTLY. I had no idea this breed would be such a mess, but unfortunately I was wrong. AND IT'S NOT JUST HAIR. Anytime there is any sort of precipitation, Wesson comes in with muddy paws. Despite my best efforts to remove the mud clots, I inevitably miss some, and end up with brown paw prints all over the house. The dirt clots then dry into small pebble like choking hazards our daughter makes every effort to find and swallow. All this to say, floor cleaning occupies more of my time and energy than I'd like most days.

#3. LOVE: Wesson accompanies Julianne at mealtimes. This is very helpful in the cleanup department. She drops food here and there and he is quick to make it disappear. This saves me some time at the end of our eating experience and I appreciate that.



#3. LOATHE: Wesson accompanies Julianne at mealtimes. We have found this to be problematic for a couple of reasons. The first being her desire to feed Wesson. If I am not watching her take every bite, I will soon see she is handing Wesson a bite of her food. Sometimes he will lick on it some then she will decide she indeed would like that bite and eats it! Gross.... Secondly, she purposely throws food for him, for which we have had to end meals prematurely to avoid. No fun for any of us.

#4: LOVE: Wesson and Julianne are best buds. This is probably the only reason he is still around. That, and I have issues with giving up a dog I made a commitment to give a good life. I signed my name on the doggie adoption paper so I am in. Seriously though, they love each other. She will crawl over to him and give him kisses which he happily returns. She points and waves at him all day and he is very patient with her. Wesson could care less when Julianne gouges out his eyeballs or bites his ears. He lets her pull his tongue and toenails. They have a bond.

I'm not sure this post has converted me back to a "dog person" but it has made me feel better. Maybe slowly Wesson will grow back on me. Perhaps when all our kids are born and grown and they can take over some of the chores. Until then, I will try to keep in mind the reasons I love Wesson.

Nathalie

The February Plagues

It deserves to be documented that the McClish family lived through and survived the never ending plague that hit our house in February. The 3 of us were completely blindsided, when after the birthday festivities concluded, we unknowingly entered a season of catching every know childhood illness.

It began with the dreaded ear infection. Oh how I despise ear infections! If I could go back to The Fall and just explain to Eve about ear infections I don't think she would have been as tempted. Our daughter had a runny nose one day and the next thing I know she has a 102 fever and crying non stop day and night. Thankfully I keyed into the symptoms right away and took her to the pediatrician who confirmed my suspicions with not one, but 2 (or double) ear infections. After an inconvenient trip and wait (remember constant crying) at the pharmacy we started amoxicillin and thought we seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

Unfortunately the double ear infection was just the beginning of our journey. While we were seeing the doctor he also found Julianne had the dreaded RSV virus. I noticed she was sort of wheezing in the sort of way you'd think she was suffering from emphysema but shrugged it off as congestion. The next afternoon though she seemed to be struggling to breath so I took her back to the doctor. A 30 minute wait (they were fitting us in), brief examination, and co-pay later, we were told it was not that serious and if she got to where she was taking 60 breaths per minute to bring her back or take her to the ER. Great....just what you want to hear on a Friday afternoon when the office is closing. Thankfully, it didn't escalate that far and truly looking back it was the most minor of our issues.

This pic has nothing to do with this post...just thought it was funny...

Enter: Hand Foot and Mouth Virus. Literally days after the RSV incident I noticed Julianne was starting to break out in pox like sores all over her mouth. Her diaper area had them too and it was quite alarming. She was MISERABLE. It was like she was having an ear infection times 3! Even worse we had no idea what the heck was going on! Was she allergic to the antibiotic? Was it something she ate? Hives? Chicken Pox? So once again, I called Dr. Porter and made an appointment during nap time so we could find out what the heck was wrong. He took one look at her and explained our girl was suffering from Hand Foot and Mouth disease. These pox pus sores were developing on her hands and feet and throat at this point too. Unfortunately it is also a virus so we had to wait it out. Two sleepless nights later (she could not get comfortable) she began to take a turn for the better. I asked if Andrew and I could contract this terrible mess and Porter said it was very unlikely since most adults have some sort of immunity to the disease.

Famous. last. words. Valentines day was coming and we had plans! We had reservations and babysitters lined up and couldn't wait for a night away. However, Andrew woke up with a fever and couldn't leave bed all that day. I encouraged him to get a throat swab just in case he was getting strep so he did. Strep it was! We cancelled our date and spent the evening on separate sofas watching rented MoneyBall. Then I made a bed on that same sofa since I was terrified of contracting strep! One of us had to stay well! The next day I disinfected the whole house, washed the sheets on hot water, and opened all the windows. Our baby was not going to get strep! Thankfully she didn't....

You'd think this saga would be over, but remember how we weren't supposed to be able to get Hand, Foot, and Mouth? Well, unfortunately it is possible. Especially when your immune system is down from something like strep. So you guessed it, Andrew got the Hand Foot and Mouth. He described it as the most miserable thing he has ever experienced and said he would rather have the stomach flue 3 times. He said it itched, then hurt. He couldn't walk since his feet were covered in the sores. Couldn't eat since his mouth and throat had them, and couldn't sleep since they itched and hurt constantly! Four vacation days (his office doesn't have sick time...joy) later he was back to his old self but not before much suffering.



Somehow I managed to escape it all. I don't think it was my killer immune system or vitamin supplement, but only the grace of God! I suppose we are better for it, and truly I am so thankful for a healthy baby who can fight this stuff. Still, I appreciate days when we all feel good around here.



Nathalie