Some Words are Hard to Hear

We've all had to hear words that are just *hard* to hear. That happened to me yesterday when I found out hat my 13-year-old puppy dog, Daphne Doodle, has kidney disease.

I took her to the vet for her yearly physical on Friday and they ran her "geriatric" blood work against the baseline they have from when she was nine. Based on the results they learned that she has kidney disease. This means that her kidney's are failing and there is no solution or cure. All we can do is make her as comfortable as possible. The vet also recommends a medication that helps (Azodyl) and changing her to a low-protein diet. I am starting both immediately.

Daphne has all the signs - not eating much (she has taken herself to one meal a day) and drinking and urinating a lot.

They vet asked about how's she's been acting and aside from being somewhat unusual for a short time earlier this year, she is acting like her typical self and just as playful as a puppy. I feel like now I know why she was acting that way earlier this year - she was in some kind of discomfort. I was going to take her to the vet but then she snapped out of it and has been back to her old self ever since. 

Since she appears to be happy and pain-free, the meds and new diet will only help. However, like anything else, it won't last forever and her kidney's will eventually fail.

She turned 13 this year and I am so blessed to have had her this long! Of course I've always known that she won't live forever and that something will eventually happen. Now I just know what it is.

As far as time the vet said there is no clear indicator. She could live only a few more months or a couple more years. I told the vet that since she turned 12 we've taken it day-by-day so really this is no different. We will continue to take it day-by-day and make her as comfortable as possible - as I've always tried to do - for the rest of her days.

Eighth Annual NYC Shopping Trip

Once a year my mom, my aunt, my cousin and I meet up in New York for our annual girls shopping trip! This year marked our EIGHTH ANNUAL trip! It is literally a shopping trip because we do just that – we don’t do anything cultural – no museums, no Statue of Liberty, no Empire State Building, none of that. We shop. And we take it quite seriously!

The Mom's - Aunt Carol & Twinkle

 

The Daughters - Sarah  & Nicole

The plan is typically the same: we coordinate our flights to arrive at the same time, meet up in the airport, take a car service to a fabulous hotel – this year was the Ritz Carlton in Battery Park – to drop our luggage, then hit the streets to shop! 

We always hit up SoHo, The Village, the Meat Packing District and Madison Avenue to visit our favorite shops and to find new boutiques. 

We also make sure to have scrumptious Dim Sum in Chinatown, wonderful pasta in Little Italy, and delicious Middle Eastern food in SoHo. We usually catch one show – this year was Jersey Boys – and we try out some of the hippest restaurants. 

It is such a fabulous time and we look forward to it each and every year! Here is a recap of our Eighth Annual Girls Shopping Trip in pictures…

Dinner at R Lounge overlooking Times Square

Great view of Times Square from our dinner table!

 

*My white North Face jacket was the only one that zipped over my belly!*

 

 We saw the new buildings at The World Trade Center. The memorial (not pictured) is two beautiful fountains placed in the footprint of the original towers.

Pausing for a photo with the "Wall Street Bull"

 Dinner at STK in the Meat Packing District

 

  

"Birthday Cake" Dessert since we have two April Birthdays to celebrate!

 Ready to see Jersey Boys - what a super fun show!

 

 My cousin gets us matching PJs for each trip,  we always look forward to seeing what she comes up with!

 Since I had my hands on my bump everyone thought it would be cute to cover up their "bump" they had acquired as a result of all the glutinous eating we did on this trip!

Official Bump Pic!

Fabulous cappuccino's served in bowls at Balthazar

We had a GREAT time and are already talking about next year's trip!! And while we love the shopping and the eating, most of all we love the girl time.

So What Wednesday

It’s Wednesday, must be time to say SO WHAT!! As always I’m linking up with Shannon over at Life After I "Dew" and…

This week is a special *New York City* edition! Since I’m fresh off the heels of our “Eighth Annual Girls Shopping Trip”, this week I’m saying:

So what if… my *baby brain* is so bad that when a boutique owner asked me if I wanted to see a mirror I thought she said “Are you American”? Now of course any normal, non-pregnant person probably would have said, “Excuse me?” or “Can you repeat that?” Oh no, not me, I actually said back “Am I American?” She seriously thought I was having heat stroke and was very concerned about me. No, it’s not heat stroke. It’s just a moment of complete idiot-ness due to pregnancy. Don’t mind me.  However, I was able to purchase these fabulous Mystic Sandals from that very boutique.

So what if… I drank so much water that I think I used the ladies room in every single shop we went into? My need for water is *extreme* right now and my bladder is very *small*. This does not make for a good combination! I filled up my Nalgene water bottle at least three times every day!

So what if… I completely took advantage of being pregnant and boarded the plane with the “priority boarding” passengers? I’m making a baby right? That definitely qualifies as *priority*!

So what if… I overindulged on Dim Sum in Chinatown and Gnoochi in Little Italy? NYC is as close as you can get to either China or Italy without requiring your passport! I overindulged and it was FABULOUS!

So what if… I missed my puppy dogs, Daphne and Cash, SO MUCH? My dad kept them both for me and sent me regular texts with updates and pictures. He even sent me a video of Cash Dog playing! Of course both my sweet babies thought they were at “summer camp” and had a wonderful time!

 Cash (left) with his brother & best friend Truman (right)

Handsome Cash ready to play

Cash (left) and Daphne (right) "helping" in my dad's workbench

 Another long day of playing. So sleepy...

What are you saying SO WHAT to this week?

Operation Nursery: An Update

I am so excited to share the updates we’ve made to Baby Parker’s room! You already saw the paint color and furniture when I posted about that here last month.

I registered for Peter Rabbit bedding and I hope the crib skirt and bumper will pull the look together. But while I’m collecting that I’ve been able to hang several things up!

  What I am most excited about is Parker’s name above the crib:

I used Blue Stick (or as I call it “sticky stuff”) to stick the letters to the wall so I could determine spacing before I committed to each letters *spot*.

The window treatments are green gingham to coordinate with the green gingham crib skirt and the finials on the curtain rod are green glass. I love how they turned out! The best part is that these curtains have black out to keep it dark for Parker’s naps!

Parker already has a few books and I started collecting them in a basket I placed by the window.

Eventually I will fill these shelves with small accessories and favorite pictures. I am planning to hang some framed photos on the wall here too.

One of my most favorite things in his room is the Peter Rabbit chalkboard!! I can’t wait to write little notes on it!

I also really like how the mirror over the changing table turned out! This will be a great spot for Parker to discover what he looks like.

So what’s next? I am planning to hang an old window over the dresser. I am still working on what will go in the window panes… pictures, vintage Peter Rabbit artwork…

I also need to get the dog bed recovered to match the room.

I have found myself going in his room several times a day just to look at it, sit in the recliner, and just be. It’s hard to believe that in just eight weeks we’ll have a baby boy in his room!!