Will Work for New Knees

Now that we are safely home from our vacation, I can resume my incessant worrying about Olivia's regularity and Delilah's chronic knee problems. In short, my girls are a mess. Perhaps, it was too much junk food or a change in the water while we were away, but poor little Olivia hasn't been the same since. The little dear simply can't make me the glorious packages that I have become accustomed to receiving. I will spare you all the remainder of the details, or not. We have tried prune and peach juice, fresh and steamed fruits and veggies, and have been restricting starches at all costs and still, nothing. It is a good thing she is just a baby, or this blog entry would be absolutely mortifying.

As for Delilah, she has suffered with luxating patellas, or bad knees, since she was a puppy. Lately, her right leg has really been bothering her, so we took her back to our local veterinarian in hope of an accurate assessment and treatment plan. I suppose the hope was my mistake. Along with her knee, I explained to the vet that her hoo-hoo had also been bothering her. Not sure if I said hoo-hoo or something else in the moment, but she has been licking herself like crazy. I was told this was due to allergies and to apply a topical cream to relieve her discomfort. Once again with that darn glimmer of hope, home I went further in debt with Delilah's prescriptions in hand.

After a month or so of rest for her knees and hoo-hoo cream for her itching, Delilah was in the same place as when I had originally taken her to our vet. We then decided to bring her back to the hospital in West Los Angeles. The orthopedic surgeon at the VCA was the original vet who diagnosed Delilah with bad knees several years back. We were told that Delilah's right knee had worsened to a Level 3, a down grade from the previous diagnoses of a Level 2. Dr. Owen confirmed that no amount of rest and relaxation would heel the wounded knee and that surgery was necessary at this point. Dr. Owen ordered a full panel of lab work and also recommended a urinalysis in order to rule out any type of bladder infection.

Well, it turns out that Delilah's itchy hoo-hoo was not only itchy but has been contending with a raging bladder infection, and for MONTHS! I feel awful. Never having had a bladder infection, I can only imagine how painful it must be. The surgery is still on the books for next Thursday but may need to be rescheduled, after we get the results from the urine culture. I am hoping that after the surgery all of this will be a thing of the past, and Delilah will make her return to the agility circuit. As for now, I pushed Quentin's peeking tongue back into his mouth, snapped a quick head shot, and sent it into Nutro with the hope that they will hire him to sell dog food to pay for Delilah's surgery. It is good to have people, says Delilah.

Aloha! (How Original)

Olivia designing her own mushroom rock tower.



Just looking out the car window.



Stealing kisses.



A room with a view.





Greetings from Maui. We arrived after a plane ride that seemed to go on and on and on. Olivia did well for the most part and we were super thankful that we had purchased her, her own seat. In a matter of no time at all her pink happy meds took over and she drifted away into La La land. When she awoke she was a wee bit grumpy but thankfully, the plane landed shortly there after.

Our first night here was a bit of a nightmare. Although she was extremely tired, Olivia was up bright and early at 12:30am. At least that is morning, right? Olivia poked her head up from in between us and proclaimed, Mama, Dada! As if to say, what are you doing in my bed? Playtime! We are on vacation, and she wanted to play. By 3:30am Damon and I were grasping for a fix to our sleepless night, so we decided it would be best to go on a car ride. We figured that might put her to sleep, and we could see the sights bright and early. Unfortunately, not having much experience being up at 3:30am, we had forgotten that nothing is open and the sun was not up yet. We headed out anyway and after 10 minutes or so Olivia was OUT! We attempted to transfer her to her own crib from the car and that too failed miserably. Let's just say it was a long night.

The second day was much better. After a long nap, our little angel was right back to her unpredictable spunky little self. We have been swimming more times than I can count. She loves the sand, and I have been enjoying and will continue to enjoy a plethora of fruity umbrella type drinks. Yum. Yum. Yesterday was the highlight of the trip for me. I have been snorkeling many times and in many different places, but this was by far the best, ever. Myself and my friend Brian--Damon opted out due to lack of swimming skills--headed really far into the deep blue sea and around a mound of rocks into a protected cove. It was amazing. As we were on our way, we heard the squeaks and clicking of dolphins and saw them straight ahead. We swam as if we were being chased by sharks to catch them, and when we arrived there they were, probably 25 or so all around us. Have I mentioned how amazing it was? As we continued on our journey we also encountered giant sea turtles and array of beautiful multicolored corals and huge tropical fish. By far the best ever. Happy Mother's Day to me.

At the moment Olivia is napping. As soon as she awakens we will head back out to the pool, in an attempt to drain her energy just in time for bed again. Tomorrow we will drive somewhere far and spectacular, maybe a distant rain forest or to a waterfall or shore with cascading rocks. We will hit the Kaanapali Beach Luau, which boasts kid friendly foods like hot dogs, pizza, and potato chips. All will be wrapped up on Wednesday morning when we pack, endure another six hour plane flight, and arrive home to the Fartinator and his girl at around midnight.

He Looks More Like a Rat to Me.

In 3 days from today, our family, along with a family of our close friends, will be flying with the friendly skies to beautiful Maui, Hawaii. We will be leaving behind Lady Godiva, who unfortunately seems to have left us behind, our two adoring yet slightly obnoxious Pugs, and the daily grind of everyday life. To launch us into our family vacation we took a days trip to the fabulous home of Mickey the Mouse. The most crowded place on earth was a ton of fun, despite the enormous amount of hot tired people and the hours of standing in line with an even a hotterer and more tirederer toddler.



Olivia loved Toon Town and the large Carousel and the Storybook Boat ride. She laughed and giggled at the balloon that kept hitting Damon in the head and begged for her nap around 2:15. Olivia, however, was not so fond of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and the Pirates of the Caribbean. I never realized it before, but those rides can be quite scary. Poor dear was so excited to drive the car into the Toad's Ride, but only until she realized the ride was out of her control. Who drives in the pitch dark anyway? Narrowly missing the walls and the dynamite, Olivia was thrilled to be alive when we exited the nightmare.

After she finally crashed in her stroller, it was up to Damon and I to keep it moving at exactly the right speed and consistency to achieve optimal sleeping conditions. At one point, one of those hot tired people had the audacity to stand in my way. No, no. No time for stopping. "The word is excuse me," she shouted as we passed by. Can you believe that woman even had the nerve to stick her foot under the stroller wheel? Without thinking, Damon hammered back, "the word is don't stand in the middle of the walkway, lady!" Nothing like Disneyland to model for your child good manners.

When the day was done, we were all sufficiently exhausted, yet little Olivia made sure not to sleep on the way home in the car at 8:30 at night. She wanted to be certain that she had ample time to spend with the Pugs when she arrived at home. So she twirled and spun and raced around the house until Damon and I put her in her crib for our own safety.

It has been quite busy in our house lately. Between having a chance to eat at a restaurant that does not boast a kids eat free night, seeing Wicked at a theater outside of the Santa Clarita Valley, and planning our trip to a tropical destination, life is rapidly moving forward. Along with the other 10,000 pounds of stuff we are hauling to Maui, I am hoping to tote along my laptop. If it works out, my Blog and I will be sipping a fruity drink with extra umbrellas, all while telling Olivia not to put sand in her mouth or her hands down her diaper. Cheers.