Getting Back to Normal

Boy has it been a long week. Our baby being in the hospital has really taken a lot out of us. I am proud to report that he came home on Tuesday and he is feeling much better. He has been sleeping in the bed with us the past 2 nights so I that I could monitor his breathing. I have not gotten much sleep, not because of watching him, just because he snores louder than any human. I had to kick Chad to make sure he was breathing because he is so much quieter than Charlie. hehe. The hard part has been to keep him from running and jumping. He doesn't realize he's sick and that makes it a little hard. The vet says he should take it easy for the next couple of weeks. I will post some pictures soon; his little arms are bare because they had to shave them to give him antibiotic fluids and medications. We call them his little bracelets. Just thought I would let you know he is doing much better. : ) Thank goodness for the emergency vet!

Life Lesson Number 136

Charlie will be 6 months old on March 15th, hard to believe already. When we decided, ohhh probably 4 years ago that we wanted an English Bulldog, we knew there were going to be risks. They already have compromised airways due to their "smushed" noses, and small palates. We knew this going into it, but did we know we would already be dealing with him in the hospital at just 6 months old? No!

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I am a nervous wreck. On Friday my sister and I were in a serious car accident, I have been in loads of pain since then and had to go to the hospital again today. Yesterday Charlie was acting really sluggish after he had been out playing in my parents back yard. He seemed tired, like anyone would be after playing in the yard, so... no harm. When I went to bathe him, to make him feel better, he choked up some blood. I knew it wasn't right, so immediately I was crying and losing myself. I thought I was falling apart. I could barely hold my head up as it was, and now my heart was falling out of my chest. We rushed to the emergency animal hospital, and his oxygen level was 75%, he has aspiration pneumonia. He's not even 6 months old. They think he got this from choking down some vomit at some point and it turned into pneumonia. He has been undergoing oxygen therapy for 24 hours. I call as often as I can, without driving them insane, and we went to visit this afternoon. He is so pitiful with his little "daisy" collar on, and IVs coming from a couple of his paws. I couldn't hold him because he is in an oxygen chamber but he poked his face out to kiss me. They say that after 2-3 days of therapy and antibiotics he should be on the up and up. He has a fan club at the hospital so I know he well is taken care of. I will keep you all updated, and if you would all keep us in your prayers.

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I hope to get some rest tonight. I have only had 12 hours of sleep since Friday, in pain, and worried out of my mind about Charlie. Our wedding plans are being looked at a little closer since we paid $2000 to the vet yesterday. Keep us all in your thoughts and prayers as we make it through this, I know we will, but it's hard to stay positive when things come crashing down on you. All things happen for a reason, and I know God is with Charlie right now, and with us, keeping us strong. Thank you to all of you who have responded to our needs, and I promise to keep you all posted. Goodnight.

Where are the Monarchs?

I think Monarch butterflies are one of the most beautiful butterflies on earth. Have you ever wondered where the butterflies go? The other day in anticipation for spring, we were filling up all of my bird feeders and my dad was hanging up my new blue bird house; I asked Chad, "where do the butterflies go in the winter?" Of course he didn't know either. The thought left my mind as I continued feeding the birds. I had nearly forgotten about it that night when I was getting out of the shower. I flipped on the TV to see what was on, and there was a program about Monarch butterflies. Sometimes I wonder if I am just a teensy bit psychic?? So, I put on my nice warm socks and climbed in to bed. Here's what I learned:

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Monarch's go through four stages in their life cycle, all in one year. In February and March they come out of hibernation to find a mate. They migrate north and east to lay their eggs. This begins stage one of the new year for the monarch butterfly. In March and April the eggs are laid on milk-weed plants and it takes about four days for them to hatch. Two weeks from hatching the now, Caterpillar finds someplace to attach itself so it can start the process of metamorphosis. The butterfly emerges and feeds on flowers and enjoying the short life it has left which is only 2 to 6 weeks. This butterfly will die after laying eggs for generation number 2. The second generation is born in May and June and then the third generation in July and August, all going through the same life cycle.

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The fourth generation is a little bit different that the previous three. These butterflies are born in September and October, only they don't die after 2 to 6 weeks. Instead, they migrate! They migrate to warmer places like Mexico and California. They live 6 to 8 months before starting the whole cycle all over again. Monarchs are the only insect that migrates to a warmer climate that is 2500 miles away. 2500 miles!! They cannot withstand the freezing temperatures elsewhere so they migrate south, just like birds for the winter. Did you know they use the same trees every year, usually in the same location! There is a small town in Mexico that greets them every year when they get there. They have sort of a "Monarch" festival to greet the butterflies. One day I hope to venture to Mexico around "the day of the dead" to greet the butterflies. I hear they arrive in the millions at a time. It's like a cloud of butterflies.

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Now you know where the butterflies go, pretty amazing. God put a lot of thought into his creation. Praise God for the Monarch butterflies, I can't wait to see them in a couple of months!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I guess it is Valentine's Day, isn't it? Well, I hope you all had a happy one. I had to work today, it wasn't a mad rush, today was filled with stragglers. It was a fun day laughing with friends at work, and then spending the evening with my fiance'. I love saying that, apparently he does to because he proudly introduces me as such. It feels so nice, I can't imagine when he I can call him my husband... I imagine it will feel nice too.
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Chad and I celebrated Friday night when it snowed 6 inches. We left the house when it had just started and there was 2 inches on the ground when we made it out of the restaurant. We had dinner at Fontanella Italian Restaurant in Matthews. If you have never been there, you should try it, it's wonderful. We had a bottle of Pinot Noir, shared bruschetta, and had a wonderful Italian meal. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. In the springtime I love to spend time outside digging in the dirt so Chad gave me tulips this year. Since they are perennials they will come back every year, and when I see them, I will always remember the year we celebrated 6 years together, and the year we got married. It is very special. I had a time keeping Charlie off of them, he wanted to enjoy them too. He also wanted my teddy bear. But, he got his own present, a red "baby."

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We went over to my mom and dad's house for dinner and they had boxes of chocolate for each of us. I have never really been a fan of assorted chocolates, I prefer chocolate covered strawberries, but, it was sweet none-the-less. I definitely know someone who will enjoy them. Charlie is munching on his Valentine's Day treat as we speak. A Kong filled with peanut butter, his favorite. We are also watching the Olympics, something Chad and I love to watch together. We have been anticipating it for some time now. We have spent 2 winter Olympics together and one summer Olympics. Maybe one day we can go see them in person rather than watching them on TV. Chad loves the speed skating, and I love curling, but all of the sports are all fun to watch. I can't imagine how else we would spend Valentine's Day. I hope yours has been as special as mine.

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Happy Valentine's Day!

Good Morning Sunshine!

It is so nice to see the sunshine. I think we have been hit with too much wet stuff this year, rain, snow, sleet, ugh... This last snow was kind of nice, Chad and I were able to go to dinner and get home before it was too bad, and then the next day it had all practically melted. So, I can't complain. I am however not to happy about the weather they are predicting tonight and tomorrow, more wet stuff. Maybe we are preparing for a dry summer or something. I wish we had a week for this all to dry up, a week of sunshine...

Happy Valentine's Day All! Chad knows me well. He bought me tulips this Valentine's Day, something I can plant in the ground. He knows how much I like to work in the garden, so he bought me something that will come back year after year, something I can enjoy for more than a week. hmmm... I don't know about you all, but I think I am ready for spring, I am ready to see green grass, daffodils, and feel warm sunshine. 6 more weeks of winter, right? Maybe God will bless us with spring sooner than the groundhog predicts?? The sunshine is out today, one of the many blessings I can thank God for. I think I am going to walk Charlie before I head to work. I hope you all have a blessed Valentine's Day with the one's you love! :P

Week of Love

Chad and I have spent the past week or two getting special things together for each other because it is a special month for us. We don't "usually" celebrate Valentine's Day, sure, we get a card, blah blah blah, but we don't go all out like some new couples do, or the high schoolers. But, this year is different, I am his fiance' and he is mine, and we are celebrating our 6 year anniversary of being together, and Chad is turning 26, and... we are getting married in 4 months!!! So... we have been getting little things together for each other to celebrate. I have had his birthday gifts wrapped for a couple of weeks and on the table, now there are a few others, and boy am I interested. But, we have to wait... we promised.

This Friday we are going out to dinner, we are going all out this time, ordering a bottle of wine, relaxing, and enjoying ourselves. Next week we are going with Chad's family to his favorite restaurant, "Buca di Beppo" for his birthday, he is excited about that, because we had so much fun last year.

So it is a special month for us and I feel extremely blessed to have Chad with me everyday because there are a lot of people who don't get to spend Valentine's Day with their loved ones. They are serving their country in Iraq, and Afghanistan and all over the world. We thank them for that everyday, and pray for their safe arrival home.

Happy Valentine's Day, and I hope everyone enjoys this wonderful week of love! : )

It's 10:48

It's finally Friday! It felt like Friday yesterday, but it wasn't, it was just Thursday. What to do today??? I had to go to the Doctor yesterday, so I went to the UNCC Student Health Center, and it was free! I do have an infection, maybe that explains why I have been so sluggish. Hopefully I am on the road to getting better now. I guess I will be going to work at 1pm, I do have other things to get done before then...

We have two birthdays to go to this weekend, both of them are turning 1! Caleb and Cole, from different families of course. Caleb's mommy is going to Las Vegas for our wedding, she is behind the whole bachelorette thing too, which I hope to get to the bottom of.

Cole's daddy plays Modern Warfare with Chad everyday. We got a new TV and then Chad helped Doug pick out a new TV, so now they play online together on their new TVs. yay! That means I have to buy 2 gifts, I never know what to get. I always feel that they probably have plenty of toys, so maybe not a toy, so then what do you get them? hmmm? Clothes, egh... Books, egh... I just don't know, I think Chad and I will be going to Toys-r-us tomorrow after work. Does anyone have any ideas?

Have a Happy Friday!

Carolina Slugs

Today we were off, both of us. We actually took off for my sister's "manager project" but school was cancelled for her and so was her project. Oh well, we had a very nice day together. We went to Tommy Bahama to decide on his outfit for the wedding. We also had lunch out together, it was very nice. Anyways, that's what we did today. I feel like we have been laying around like slugs the past few days. Snow really puts North Carolina into a frenzy, and no one really knows how to handle it. We just stayed in, rented movies, ate in, and turned into little slugs. Tomorrow it's back to work, and back to life. That's ok, I am ready to get back on track. I think they are predicting the next WINTER STORM already. I told Chad, we are not slugs, so we will not act like them. Oh well, I guess we will wait and see. I don't think North Carolina Meteorologists really know?

This was Charlie's first time in the snow. I was at work Friday night and it started to come down really hard about 4:30, it was so pretty. Chad got pictures of him then, and then we made the poor fella sit in the snow for a picture a couple of days later. Boy do we torture him. He shows it on his face too. Oh well, he's only 5 months old, once! He is 30lbs now. He has slowed down a lot in his weight gain, I am hoping he is going to be a petite English Bulldog, not one of those over-weight ones. Next month we are getting him fixed. They say if you get them fixed at 6 months the chances are dramatically decreased in getting certain types of cancers.

My first test of the semester is tomorrow, which reminds me, maybe I should be studying? My show comes on tonight so I have an hour and a half to get some study time in. Wish me luck. I hope you all have a great week!