And then I cried at the vet's office.

Gigi did not have her surgery last Friday. When I took her to the vet hospital to drop her off there was a different Resident Vet than the first that evaluated her. When I met with him, he said she had in fact torn the ACL in both of her knees (on top of having a luxating patella) and would need two surgeries. The information this man was giving me was not computing in my head. I was there to drop her off for $1800 procedure and being told she was going to need a $6000 procedure. Being 24 weeks pregnant and never knowing how I will emotionally respond, I was a little surprised that I started crying. And not like little tears, we are talking full blown sobbing in the exam room. You would have thought he just told me that Gigi was dying. This man had no idea how to react and left me alone in the exam room to wait for them to bring me my baby Gigi.

Using the bump as a pillow.

The surgery was canceled for Friday and we were told to reschedule. I was charged another $100 (on top of the $200 we had paid for the first consultation) and I immediately called Kyle. He called our regular vet who encouraged us to seek a second opinion and we are now taking her for a THIRD CONSULTATION in SOUTH CAROLINA! I knew when we got a bulldog there were potentially going to be medical issues we would have to confront, but I really didn't think it would be this early, she is only 16 months old! And this timing is just horrible. I am three and a half months away from giving birth and trying to avoid credit card debt not start to drown in it. I worry if this surgery keeps getting postpone, Gigi's recovery will run into the birth of the baby and I don't want Gigi to feel neglected. I am having a real hard time wrapping my thoughts around all of this, and we won't know more until next week. I am praying that this next consultation goes well and they are able to give us more options.

This is her "I hate you in the morning" face.

Gigi the Bulldog

Our lively crazy vivacious sweet precious Gigi is going to have surgery this Friday. She has a luxating patella, which just means her knee cap doesn't stay in place and causes bone to rub together. OUCH! This apparently is a very common dog problem, not specific to bulldogs.

Gigi four weeks old, love that little face!

We drop her off on Friday and don't get to pick her up until Monday. Besides our trip to Colorado, we have never been apart that long. The recovery takes eight weeks, so we figured it might be better to do it before the human baby gets here so that we can continue giving Gigi 100% of our attention while she recovers.

Gigi and the "baby," maybe they love each other already?!

 

On that note, we are trying to think of ways to prepare her for the baby. I know that you are supposed to bring a blanket from the hospital and let the dog smell it, and then when they meet the first time try and do it outside. But any other advice?? I have also heard of people buying baby dolls and once the nursery is set up, use the baby doll to help train the dog about proper behavior and reward constantly for that proper behavior. I don't know if that is crazy or if I should give it a shot! Gigi is VERY important to us, I mean honestly, she sleeps in our bed, under the covers and tries to share our pillows. I want her and her human brother to get along and that they live together in harmony.

She is such a snuggle bug!

Five on Friday

This has been the LONGEST week ever, and I have no idea why! I have been in a snappy mood, and just not my normal self all week. It is miserable. My in-laws are coming to visit this weekend, so I better get with the program so I can enjoy their visit! I'm linking up for Five on Friday, maybe it will pull me back to happiness.

1. We finally got our TV stand and dining set. Our townhouse is coming together, thank goodness. I was a little nervous that dining furniture wouldn't get here soon enough and my in-laws would have to eat on TV trays their whole visit. How embarrassing. BUT, it arrived yesterday and I am very happy with how everything looks!

 

 

2. I started doing a prenatal yoga DVD, just to give me something else besides walking. I in no way, shape or form seem as serene as the woman on the cover of this DVD. FALSE ADVERTISING I TELL YA!

 

 

 3.  Essie- Don't Sweater It is a go to fall staple for my nails. Love love love!

 

 4. I got some more maternity wear this week. Preparing for cooler weather. Now I just need the state of Georgia to realize we are almost half-way through October and get with the program. It is FREEZING when I leave for work in the morning, and by afternoon it is super warm. I never thought I would want cooler weather and now I am begging!

 

 

5. We received our first baby gift!! This adorable little bulldog outfit came yesterday from "Aunt" Jennifer. It was so exciting to open it, and see the little man clothes. AH, it's becoming real!!!

 

Of course Gigi had to jump in the picture!

 

 

 

 

Labor Day Recap

Kyle and I went north for Labor Day weekend. Since I will be entering my third trimester during the holidays, we decided to take this last opportunity for a long road trip to visit family. We left for Pennsylvania on Thursday and made the trip in about 12 hours, ugh. Friday morning we hung out with our nieces downtown.

Kyle and our youngest niece Mira.

 

Saturday was the BIG return of college football. We started the day by attending Kyle's old high school freshmen football game. Easton won! It was actually a really fun game to watch.

We then went to start our baby registry. My mother in law used to work in a baby furniture store and already has five grandkids, so she was an excellent resource to have along on the trip! Kyle and I had been in a Babies R Us store earlier in the month and I just got completely overwhelmed, while Kyle ran off to play with Nerf guns in Toys R Us. I really needed someones help and I was glad my mother in law could assist! It was really nice to be able to try things out, like the stroller and baby carriers to see how they worked and if we liked them. The hardest part about this registry is not knowing what the kid is actually going to like using or what Kyle and I will like using. There is just SO MUCH STUFF!

 

Creepy display "baby" in baby carrier section.

 

We spent the evening watching the Hokies and Dawgs lose. Gigi was less than thrilled.

 

Sunday was took our two older nieces out. We did some school supply shopping. Then went to this store called Five Below. I had never heard of it, but basically it is like an upscale Dollar Store. We bought a bunch of necessary things like.....

 

Googly eye glasses and....

 

DIY jelly bracelets.

 

And Kyle helped our niece Brooke finish a school project.

 

 

It was a great trip to see the in laws! On Monday we were supposed to return to Athens, but we decided to stop in VA and surprise my parents. It was great to see them. My mom freaked out when she opened the door and immediately started rubbing my belly. While in VA we got Thai food, mom and I got mani/pedis and we all looked at baby furniture.

Gigi made her self extra comfortable on the couch.

Tuesday we continued the trek back to Athens, making it in about 10 hours. Gigi did such a great job in the car! It was such a short trip for such a long drive, but totally worth it.

 

 

28th Birthday!

So this post is late, but I was too busy recovering from the weekend to finish it up. My birthday was last Friday. And my parents came in to celebrate. Aren't they too cute?!

Friday night we went to dinner at Porterhouse Grill and then hung out downtown. Had to show them Pauley's!

Saturday was Homecoming, the Ole Miss game and tailgating! The wonderful friends we tailgate with got me a birthday cake WITH CANDLES! I can't remember the last time I blew out candles. Very special!

Gigi was out in full force.

And loves my dad!

There was lots of corn hole.

Me and my mom.

Family picture before heading to the game!

My dad and I sat in some friends seats which are six rows back. We passed where the past Uga's are buried.

And since it was homecoming all the alumni come back and participate, here are some alumni cheerleaders. Precious.

After the game we headed back to the apartment to watch the LSU v. Bama game. 

Gigi looks HUGE in my mom's arms.

I fell asleep watching the game. Thanks for taking the picture mom.

It was a great birthday weekend with my family. 28 is going to be great, I can feel it.

Tail Wagging Tuesday #4

I'm a bad blogger and didn't post for Tail Wagging Tuesday last week. But I'm back now! I am actually on my way to get Gigi her third round of puppy shots. I am curious how much she weighs now, she is getting so BIG. She is starting obedience classes this coming Sunday, thank goodness. I am really excited because they have a play group before and after class. I really want her to start interacting with other dogs. When we travel to visit family over the holidays there are going to be tons of dogs she will have to live under a new roof with. She had a play date with a co-workers dog this past week and she did really well. You could tell she really wanted to play!

Any tips or tricks to socializing your dog with other dogs?

Tail Wagging Tuesday!

Look at that face! Don't you just want to kiss it?! Anyway, welcome back to Tail Wagging Tuesday, a link up hosted by me and my bestie Brianna, about anything and everything canine related!!

Today I wanted to talk about Halloween costumes for your dog; do or don't? My quick Google searching found a myriad of options for you and your pooch! Check out some of my favs below!

This little guy's face is screaming, "WTF?!"

These are from Doggie Vogue.

The ever so appropriate Witch:

Don't forget to link up!

Tail Wagging Tuesday!

So one of my best friends and fellow blogger Brianna (peace love & brianna) and I have been talking about doing a link up. Since we both are dog owners/lovers we thought it would be great to do a dog themed link up. You can talk about anything dog related in this link up, from sharing dog treat recipes to helpful tips on training to just photos/videos of your dog.

Since Gigi is still a puppy I wanted to spend this week talking about biting. I feel like my life right now is consumed by saying "NO!" and "Drop it!" I am going crazy. I have been doing a lot of reading up on how to stop your dog from this nasty habit and everyone always says, redirect their biting to an appropriate toy. We have a vast assortment of Nylabones for Gigi and most recently got her a Kong Tire toy. She loves her tire. We put a treat in it and she goes crazy, and it gives me a break from her trying to bite me.

See she loves it!

We also recently got some Fooey spray. It is a basic bitter spray, all natural. We have used it on the rim of the couch because she likes to jump up and bite it, also on the rug in the kitchen because she chews a corner piece. Let me tell you this stuff has worked well! And both Kyle and I have accidentally got some in our mouths (don't ask), this stuff is foul tasting.



Any more tips on curbing biting? I know she will "grow out of it" and she is teething, but I need a reprieve! Join the link up and come back next Tuesday for another, Tail Wagging Tuesday!!!