Updates

Pixie seems to be responding a little bit to daily aspirin and antibiotic - but there is definitely still something wrong. We've gotten a few reccommendations from dog health forums and will run them by the vet soon.

My own eating habits have gotten even stranger than usual lately -- maybe because we're so close to 'Bazoooka' being born. Mark loves hamburger and pork chops, and usually I eat them with him when he cooks them. However, lately I've been unable to take interest in either of those, opting for vegetables, fruits and things that are generally moist and light instead of thick and dense. I'm also drinking large glasses of water down quickly. I'm still taking my vitamins though, don't worry about that! We're at 35 1/2 weeks and on Wednesday the doctor said the baby is now head down and ready to come, but he'd like to see us go a 'full 38 weeks.'

I watched some explicit birthing videos online yesterday -- the only thing that bothered me was the blood. Blood always bothers me.

The doctor was again surprised I hadn't felt any contractions yet. I still don't know what one would feel like. He says 'I'll just know - it will hurt worse than anything.' Worse than a broken wrist or hitting your head on concrete? Worse than a relentless sinus migraine headache? I've had both of those, and it's never been screaming. When I broke my wrist my reaction was hysterical laughter. When I get a migraine my reaction is mostly quiet whimpering and focusing on something repetitive.

I'd really like to know where the pain will be... because I've heard several different stories. My mom said her lower back hurt terribly for two days before her stomach suddenly began cramp, followed by her water breaking and only then was she sure it was really labor. I was born 5 hours later. My back, just under the shoulderblades, has been the only real pain I've had lately, and even that is just an annoyance. I'm pretty sure that is just from the extra weight I'm carrying around as applying counterpressure with the back of a chair or the edge of a piece of furniture for a few minutes makes it feel a lot better quickly.

Busyness, Lions and Bunnies

We've been busy around here, the beginning of the week is always that way lately, which isn't a bad thing at all. We've been looking for more ways to find out what Pixie's medical issue is. I've tried lots of internet groups and forums, even an 'ask the vet' which gave us pretty much the same answer our vet did. It's a tough case considering it isn't tetanus, or at least, it doesn't look like tetanus in any other way yet. We put her x-rays up here. We've had a few good reccommendations -- and if they pan out she might have a chance.

Second lion
It felt like I was tying wool lion mane hair for three hours!

I'm on the fourth version of the lion pattern, lions 1 and 3 didn't survive to be finished. Lion 2 was a little skinny (see above) but he is cute enough for his stuffing ;) Mark says he looks like a surfer dude: 'Like, RAWR... dude.' I'm also working on a very simple rag doll rabbit pattern to work up as a .PDF.

Three little rag doll "bunny rabbit" baby toys at the KnitOwl toy shop

These rabbits take 30 minutes to an hour each from tracing pattern to finishing faces. The hardest part is making sure their legs and arms and ears are in straight. Sometimes when you go to run them under the sewing machine, they move around! These are nice 'I can't sleep' items too, I did one of them at two in the morning last night.

We went to the flea market yesterday and found some interesting vintage finds to list on Ebay and Etsy. Mark found an Underwood typewriter for a steal that still works in most ways -- we're examining it today.

Absentmindedness: I exploded an egg on the stove this morning. Apparently I wasn't that hungry for a boiled egg. Luckily the type of pan it exploded in survived the impact so it wasn't that much of a disaster.

Pregnancy Dreams: Also have been having more and more very 'real' feeling dreams about the baby's delivery. Last night's was pretty scary, and I was glad to wake up. I don't worry about it a lot during the day, so I guess I make up for it at night. We have another doctor's appointment today.

Pixie has 'Trismus' - Dog can't open mouth

Pixie, the Great Pyrennes we got from the flea market in April - has a condition (which in humans is called 'trismus'), which basically means she can't open her mouth more than a little way, about a quarter of normal. Masticatory muscle myositis or another neurologic condition is possible, as well. We didn't notice it until yesterday when she couldn't take a biscuit. She has been eating through the side of her mouth and drinking water -- and didn't seem unhappy until the biscuit was offered and she couldn't take it.

She is at the vet right now, they will sedate and x-ray her trying to figure out what it is. Our first thought was tetanus / lockjaw, but she doesn't seem sick any other way. Even this morning she was playing with the puppies and running around the yard without any other symptoms.

UPDATE: The vet found no answers. They did an x-ray, they gave her some antibiotics and anti-inflammatory, and tested for tetanus. She is too young for it to be arthritis and the x-ray didn't show any sign of that either. They sedated her and tried to pry open her mouth with their hands, no luck. They said just keep giving her an antibiotic and slurried wet food and hope it doesn't get any worse. It doesn't look like a good prognosis for her. Their only guess is some neurological issue, which can't be easily tested for.

We also called the man who sold her to us, wondering if it was genetic. She is a purebreed and purebreeds can have lots of problems. Luckily Mark remembered Pixie's mother's name, 'Telladaga', so we knew it was the same breeder when we called. He has never had a dog with a problem like this.

Update 2 years later: Our dog still has a mostly locked jaw. They never could get it any better. She has lost a lot of weight but she learned how to eat through the bit of space she does have -- and does pretty well when the other dogs leave her alone with the dish to herself. My husband still gives her bits of fat and good pieces of meat sometimes to make sure she is getting calories. She seems to be okay with things as they are - plays some, wrestles the puppy some, never exuberantly but at least she isn't always acting like she is in pain. She still tries to bark at the deer and squirrels - but it sounds like somebody has a bag over her nose. We wish luck to all those who have commented with ill pups - hope your story is at least as happy or happier than this one.

Final Update 3 years, 2 months from original posting date: Our girl passed away today - we did as much as we could for her, for so long... She didn't even let us know she was bad off at the end. She was being herself. I think her cheerful 'what now?' attitude was a large part of her surviving this long. Still will wish hope for others who have had this happen to their animals -- take care of the while you can and let them enjoy what they can while they are here.

Is it Friday already? weekly roundup.

Wow, where did this week go? It seems we've either been dead-tired or moving non-stop since we got back, alternating between the two. However, we keep getting things done :)

We're starting to sort through our inventory (new and old) from the trip and redo counts. We bought a variety of cool antique electronics to Ebay as well as the toys we bought to keep. There are lots of switches, cables and connectors to restock on as well.

Last night we made Chex Mix and ate too much of it. Also watched Apocalypto - bloody movie but it had a good plot. It was cool to hear the Mayan language (or an approximation of it) spoken. I did recognize a few words from when I was studying the heiroglyphics like 'balam' - 'jaguar.' On the shortwave radio I was able to get Deutsche Welle, a German radio station. However, I can only get it outside because of our metal roof. Listened to that while weeding the garden a few days ago.

And now the pictures!
On Tuesday we went to the Huntingdon fleamarket and picked up these little peepers for Mark's mom.

Chinese Topknot chicks and assorted friends.

Epic Battle: Kitten (Pogo) vs Puppy (Pixie)
Pogo and Pixie are both growing fast - and when Puck and Mouse get sick and tired of them, they find each other to chew on.


Pixie attempts to eat Pogo's feet - thinking that will give her an advantage.

But the kitten is quicker than the polar bear puppy, and escapes.

And our winner, Pogo the kitten, for finding the high road.

Bathing Cat-astrophe for Pogo

Pogo: Why Would You?

Pogo got into something yucky and smelly yesterday so we made her stay outside all night. Misha and Mouse stayed out in shifts, to keep an eye on her. This morning, Pogo got a bath which was a cat-astrophe, at least for her. Later, she was much cleaner, all dry and curled up in my lap.

We also finally settled on a name for the Pyr' - She is 'Pixie.' Mark's mom and dad have a fluffy dog named Dixie, which is an odd coincidence. But, she seems like a 'Pixie' - mischeiveous and headstrong, yet cute and amusing. Extra Irony: She'll be a 100 lb+ Pixie ;o)