Pepper

We have 3 pets; 2 dogs and a cat. We got a puppy in the spring of 2007 when we lived in the cabin behind my parent's house. At the time, they also had a dog who was about 2 years old named Pepper. Pepper was quite depressed as they were never around and he was lonely. He spent a lot of time barking at the neighbor's dog. 

Well, Pepper loved our puppy Togie so much! He came to our house all the time and they loved playing. In the fall of 2007 my mom and step-dad traveled to China to adopt my little brother. During the 3 weeks they were there Pepper stayed with us.

When my parents got home they quickly found out that my brother was terrified of dogs. So, Pepper moved in. He was so much happier with us and his buddy Togie. No plan was ever made for him to go back to their house and we embraced our second dog with the chant "Two dogs are better than 1!" 

In 2010 we bought a house. When we moved we brought Pepper with us. He was so happy and never seemed to want to go back to live with my mom. She agreed he was happy and better behaved/trained with us. 

Pepper is my shadow. If I'm upstairs, he comes upstairs. He keeps a close eye on me and seems to always know where I am. Peppee is the sweetest dog and was the first to really come around to the girls. Everyone who comes over loves him as he's not your typical dog. 

A few weeks ago we noticed a bump on Pepper's hip. Hoping it would go away we didn't rush him to the vet. We finally got him in yesterday and did not receive good news. The vet thinks the bump is cancer. He did not suggest doing anything and said could could live a couple months or years, there's no way to know. 

So, I'm trying to enjoy my buddy Pepper and spoil him every way I can (he ate my pizza crust next to me on the couch last night). I'm really sad but trying not to let him know that because he is very sensitive. I know we've given him a great life, but I'm having a hard time picturing life without my shadow. 

He's Back

Our kitty Hoback came home on Tuesday afternoon. He's doing very well and we're so happy to have him home. I'm not sure if he has seasonal allergies or a cold, but he is sneezing a lot and sniffly. His eyes are also very watery. He's on antibiotics so I don't think we need to worry much about it. Since he's been home he's been spending a lot of time hanging out next to open windows, sleeping on pillows on the couch, and drinking from the faucets in the bathrooms. He's got a tough life. 

My crazy dreams are also back. Every night for about the past week I've had crazy/bad dreams. This is something that happened a lot early on in my pregnancy, but disappeared for quite a few months. Last night I dreamt I had a baby boy. A family friend came to help out but was doing everything and not giving me a chance to take care of him. I then dreamt my baby was our cat and that I was trying to breast feed him and then give him a bottle. Neither was very successful. The other night I dreamt about 2 snakes, one of which that kept trying to attack me. It finally bit me on my big toe and wouldn't let go. 

I'm sure some of this anxiety in my dreams comes from the fear of having these babies so soon. At best we have 40 days until they arrive. 

I had an ob apointment yesterday with an ultrasound. The girls were measuring a bit different in size. Up until now they have been measuring about the same. A month ago there was a 7% difference between them. Yesterday there was a 13% difference. Baby a was estimated to be 3 lbs 13 oz and baby b was estimated to be 4 lbs 7 oz. They both looked great otherwise though. It's so crazy to have an ultrasound at this point because there are so many body parts everywhere. It's hard to keep it all straight. They had their little heads right next to each other. So cute! My cervix was also staying strong at a bit longer than 3 cm. It hadn't changed much from my last ultrasound a month ago. 

I also had my first non-stress test. Both babies cooperated very well so it didn't take much time. I met and talked with my ob after. It's looking like baby a is still breech and I'm sure very cramped for space. I hope she is able to move, but I'm not keeping my fingers crossed. I'm accepting the possibility of a c section at this point. Whatever gets them here the safest way is the most important. Dr. R said he doesn't worry about the size difference until there is a 20% difference between them. 

I can't believe how soon these girls will be here! It's getting really exciting. I just wish we could settle on some names for these girls. 

Poor Kitty

This afternoon I ended up rushing my cat Hoback to the vet. He seemed fine as he walked all over us at 4:30 this morning. W kicked him out of the bedroom and locked the door. This is his usual routine in the early morning during one of my many bathroom trips.  

When we got up this morning Hobie was no where to be found. Usually he's very vocal and keeps W company in the shower. He loves to stand between the shower curtain and liner and repeatedly lick the liner as the water runs down it. He's a weirdo. 

He also loves to eat and to not see him ready for breakfast was unusual. I asked W to look under the bed in the guest room (his absolute favorite place) but he wasn't there. As I headed downstairs to get my breakfast ready I saw him walking close to the bed. He seemed like he wasn't standing up completely, but I didn't think much of it. 

I went to my appointment and was home very briefly to get ready for the shower at W's work. The shower was great and his co-workers were so generous. 

When I got home I started to look for Hobie again and couldn't find him. When I went into the nursery I saw fresh blood on the dresser and spots on the changing pad along with some kitty hair. That was when I knew I had to find him. 

I went down to the basement (his other favorite spot) and called for him. I saw a pile of fresh vomit and got really concerned. I finally turned on the flashlight app on my phone and started searching through a slightly cluttered area for him. 

Finally I saw his little body curled up in a ball. When he didn't move I got a little scared. I grabbed him and pulled him out. He cried out very loudly when I picked him up. I carried him up to the bedroom and placed him on the bed. I looked him over and he just didn't seem like himself. He was lying there letting me pet him but it looked like his limbs were all quivering. I called the vet and they said to bring him right in. I then located that the source of the bleeding was from his penis. Poor guy 

I went to the attic and then the basement to find the carrier. When I went back to the bedroom he hadn't moved. 

I put him in the carrier and rushed him to the vet. He meowed almost the entire way there very loudly. 

The receptionist/nurse brought him right into the exam room. She felt his belly and said he wasn't able to pee. She went and got the vet immediately. 

When Dr. Nichols came in he asked me whether I was due tomorrow or not. I told him not until October 1st and that it was twins. He again felt Hobie's belly and told me the cat was going to have to stay. When I asked if that meant overnight he said it meant for a few days. He said they were going to have to catheterize him, flush things out, and probably use anesthesia. Can you say expensive??

The vet called W around 6:00.  He first congratulated W on the twins and then called him a stud. He said Hobie was doing well and that his condition had been very life threatening. If we had been out of town or not caught it he would have definitely died. He said he will likely have to stay until at least Monday and that the hardest part was over but that they needed to continue to watch him very closely. 

I feel so badly for our little kitty. I hope he's doing ok and I miss him terribly.