Duke went to Vet, Tommy worked some overnights this week, I am sick with a bad cold, etc.

We are told to post more pics of Duke, so here are some more.































Me trying to get him to look but then look my eyes are closed. Hey I am sick what do you expect? Haha!!
















So last Saturday, I took Duke to the vet since Tommy had to work. Oh he cried and howled when the Dr. gave him his shot in the back. The poor puppy. The Dr. said wow, I can hear the basset hound in him and I was like yes it is definitely noticible. I held him and told him it was ok. I don't do well with shots, but this time I was ok, and I didn't see any blood so that was good. He is pretty much a healthy puppy the only thing that is not so good is the fact he has Guardia. Like I mentioned in the last blog, he may have had it since his feces aren't solid. It tested positive so now he has to get a powdery medicine mixed in his food once a day for a few days. Not only him, but Haley too. The vet wants all the animals treated just in case they have it as well. I noticed Haley is having a hard time eating her food right away especially if the powder medicine is in it. Eventually she will eat it but it takes her awhile. I end up leaving the bowl in the room after I go to work so she can eat it on her own. The cats get this nasty white, thick, liquid in a syringe that we squirt in their mouths once daily for a few days. The cats absolutely hate it. The vet told me they would not like it and may spit it out. So the first night Tommy squirted the medicine in their mouth, the cats basically spit half of it out. It went on the door and carpet. It pretty much stained the carpet. That was interesting and we had to clean it all up. So then after that we learned to hold them down when we give the medicine. They did better but not the best. We wrap them up in a towel so they don't claw us trying to get loose. Thanks Mom J. for the advice on that. They still make funny faces and spit some out but I think they are learning to just deal with it. Haha!! What is so creepy about this parasite, is that it can be passed on to the other pets and even humans, so we are being so careful when we have to clean up after Duke when he makes potty in the house. We also wash our hands a lot. Duke is doing so much better in his kennel. We leave him in it at night and during the day. We let him out and have him locked up in the kitchen with a baby gate so the cats can go in and out if they want. We keep Haley in there with him so she can keep Duke company and they can play. He actually uses the puppy pads and holds his potty if he is in the kennel until we take him outside. This is so great that he is learning so quick. The receptionist at the vet doesn't suggest puppy pads since she sees that puppies need to learn to go outside rather than inside but we see it as it is better for him to go on those than the floor or carpet. We plan on taking them away slowly to the point where he uses just one and waits to go outside to go potty. We are also told that we need to start clipping his nails so he gets use to it. At the vet, they gave me a free bag of dog food for Duke. It is called IVET and it is only sold by vets. We mixed it with the Kibbles and Bits food we were giving him and we notice he likes it so we will see about keeping that kind. The only thing is it is very expensive as it is sold at the vet. Duke goes back in three weeks for another checkup and for more vaccinations.

So since Sunday night, Tommy was working the overnight shift. He had to because there was someone who couldn't work it who normally does and Tommy was the only Staff Sergeant that could. It definitely isn't fun when he has to work that shift especially when he is told the same day he is due in. He has been so exhausted all week. He was told today that in one or two days he will be back on day shift, but while he was sleeping today, he got a phone call from one of the guys he works with and said he needs to be on day shift tomorrow. So now he needs to sleep tonight to work tomorrow. Now that is rough on him. Especially because all week, there is an exercise at work and he has to work 12 hour shifts so he went in at 11 p.m. and worked until 11 a.m. or later. He didn't always get off on time and so he wasn't able to just come home and go to bed. He would have to do a few other things before he could do that and walk the dogs. By the time he got to sleep it would be around 1 p.m. and he would only sleep until 5ish. He took a nap right before work but still that wasn't enough sleep for him. He would buy energy drinks on the way to work and they seemed to keep him awake along with just being up and moving around staying busy. I missed him at night but since I have been sick with a cold, I've been on medication and Nyquil sure does put me to sleep and keeps me sleeping. Haha!! I was definitely out of it and I still am.

Yea so I've been sick with a bad cold since Sat night. It all started when we had gone to a friends house Sat night just to say hi and hang out for a little bit. I felt fine over there. It was the first time I met them but Tommy works with the guy. That guy is married and has a two year old child. They seem like really nice people. We talked, played Rock Band, which is so fun. Wish we had that. I don't do so well, Tommy does better but I will get there. It takes time and practice. We plan to hang out with them again. So we end up staying until almost 10:30. A little later than I anticipated on since I had to get up early the next morning and go to work. We only live about half a mile from them so it wasn't too far of a drive. But finally we get home, take care of the pets, and get ready for bed. Finally we go to bed a little after 10:30. Then I wake up in the night coughing and have a real bad headache. I was too tired to get up and take medicine so I just toughed it out and went back to sleep. Then at 4:30 a.m. I woke back up and started coughing again. It hurt my throat. By then I had a nasty sore throat. It hurt just swallowing. By the time Sunday morning rolled around and my alarm went off, I knew I couldn't make it to work. I told Tommy just how sick I felt and he said yea you would be miserable at work so don't go. You are also coughing like crazy so that's not good. So I called out. I don't think they were too happy about it but what am I suppose to do?? I was miserably sick and do they want me to get everyone else sick. So I was in bed all day. Tommy took care of me meanwhile he had to switch his schedule to work that night.

He was miserable as well. He didn't look forward to going to work 11 p.m. and that was suppose to be his only day off after working 12 days straight. He didn't have a day off. He even worked Saturday, which totally made things hard. On top of that I would have worked Sunday. Wow, what a week. It has been rough. We are looking so forward to the weekend, yea I have to work Sunday but I am off Monday, and the following week we go on vacation.

See people don't see just what Tommy has to go through while in the service. He deals with a lot and labor laws do not affect him. That is why he can work 12 or 16 days straight without a day off and work 12 or more hours in a shift before he can go home. It is really hard. It totally makes him exhausted and I try to cook dinners and take care of the house and pets. Sometimes it is hard when I am the only one that can do it but I understand. Him getting his sleep and him not being around to help is the way it is.

I also deal with a lot of stress at work. I try not to let it get to me but it is hard especially when I am sick and at work. I just hope Tommy doesn't get sick. That would be so terrible.

Today for St. Patrick's Day, I was told to wear green, so I wore a nice green shirt. Haha!! Tommy and I ordered pizza and cheesy bread sticks from Pizza Hut for dinner. Didn't do anything too exciting.

This weekend coming up, besides me working, I plan to go find a pretty skirt or dress to wear at baby Abigail's blessing event.

So hopefully the weeks to come will be better.