Good Bye to a beloved companion...

Today is my last day with my special dog, Deja. I got Deja 12 years ago from a breeder in Ontario and had her shipped here on a plane when she was just 7 weeks old. She fit in the palm of my hand when she arrived and has been my best friend ever since.

If I had to choose two words to describe Deja, it would be loving and kind. She doesnt have an angry bone in her body and this breed of dog never ceases to amaze me. "She isn't just a dog, she's a Vizsla" and if there's anything you should know about Vizsla's it's that they are sensitive, high energy, loyal, affectionate and aim to please. This breed is very attached to their master and if I am completely honest.....the truth is I havn't peed alone in 12 years!! She follows me everywhere! lol. I have never had to leash her because I couldn't lose her if I tried. In more recent years she has been known on occassion to chase our car down the street so she can come with us. Her loyal ways however have turned into some major anxiety in her "senior" years and her level of separation anxiety is pretty debilitating for her.

She has the biggest heart of any pooch I have ever known and it makes me so sad that the time has come where we have to say good-bye. She has been struggling with her kidney's off an on this last year and continues to battle polyuria, polydypsia and urinary incontinence. She drinks obscene amounts of water (gallons) every day and then turns around 15 minutes later and pee's out gallons of water...it's an all day event..... drink-pee-drink more- pee more!!!! We ran a few tests to rule out Diabetes, Cushing's disease and a few others. Our Vet believes her kidney's are failing and thinks they might be functioning at a mere 20-25% at this point. Her anxiety has reached an all time high and proves to overwhelm her on a daily basis....she whines/cry's a lot and trembles/paces when she's really anxious. The only enjoyment she gets nowadays is a little rough and tumble with her bestie (BFF), Roxy (our 3 year old boston terrier) but even that has steadily dwindled over the past few months. We have battled with the decision to lay her to rest for months now.....opted to "wait it out" several times but things aren't getting better and continue to get worse so we believe that it is her time to move on to bigger and better things. She has given us years of love, support and affection and impacted our lives in a big way but loving your pet is also knowing when to let go. I will always remember the countless trips I took with Deja.....camping the Oregon Coast in Cannon Beach, running along the beach in Birch Bay, swimming different lakes in the sweet Okanagan, fishing in Castlegar and 100 Mile House, crabbing on a 75 foot yacht, boating/camping on the Sunshine Coast (Salt Spring Island), chasing cows in Saskatchewan, chasing horses on dad's farm, river rafting in Penticton and one of her favorite past times was playing and swimming at Kits beach for the 7 years I lived near the beach. Deja has been my side kick longer than anyone and has carried me through some hard times which I will never forget. Her kind, gentle soul was always just what I needed whenever I was sad, heart broken or stressed out about school just to name a few. She also served as the ring bearer at our wedding in 2007 and looked so sweet in her pillowed silk harness while my nephew walked with her down the isle.

FOR MY SWEET DEJA GIRL

A PARTING PRAYER.........

Dear Lord, please open your gates

and call St.Francis

to come escort this beloved companion

across the Rainbow Bridge

Assign her to a place of honor,

for she has been a faithful servant

and has always done her best to please me.

Bless the hands that send her to you,

for they are doing so in love and compassion,

freeing her from pain and suffering.

Grant me the strength not to dwell on my loss.

Help me remember the details of her life

with the love she has shown me.

And grant me the courage to honor her

by sharing those memories with others.

Let he remember me as well

and let her know that I will always love her.

And when it's my time to pass over into your paradise,

please allow her to accompany those

who will bring me home.

Thank You, Lord,

for the gift of her companionship

and for the time we've had together.

And Thank-You Lord,

for granting me the strength

to give her to you now.

author~ Brandy Duckworth

Rest in Peace Sweet Deja Girl

Dec.4th, 2000-July.1st, 2011

25 weeks pregnant with twins

We had another ultrasound a few days ago (at 25 weeks) and things were looking good. The boys seem all too happy in there and they were nice and close in size. There was only a 10-12% difference in size between the boys which is great news as they only start to get concerned about twin-to-twin-transfusion syndrome (TTTS) http://www.tttsfoundation.org/medical_professionals/what_is_ttts.php when there is more than a 20% margin between them. He said they were about 1 lb, 10 ounces each roughly and said I looked remarkably small for 25 weeks pregnant with twins but attributes that to my being so tall. Then again, I was lying down when the obstetrician said that and I certainly dont feel small with an extra 30+ lbs on my frame! I have grown a lot in the last 2 weeks!

I had another huge weight last week and put on another 5 lbs-6 lbs in just one week and this last 5 lbs-6lbs seems to have effected my bladder in a big way because I am now going to the bathroom every 20 minutes unless I can sit down for a while, then I am able to go longer. As soon as I get up from a chair or something and my big belly falls onto my bladder, I have to find a restroom STAT!!! I have now gained almost the same amount of weight as I did with my first pregnancy at full term and I still have 3 months to go yet!! I knew the second trimester would be a "honeymoon", if you can even call it that (it was still a challenging one) but I have a feeling these next 10-12 weeks are going to be the most challenging yet.

My doctor's have noticed my blood pressure slowly increasing (I have pre-existing high blood pressure) and have decided to write me off on medical leave shortly. My last day of work will be July.8th and the baby's are due September. 22nd....that being said, they are planning a scheduled c-section between weeks 36-38 for a few reasons.... my history (high blood pressure, c-section with my first child and carrying identical twins which has many risks of it's own like sudden TTTS)....that is if I even make it that far long as pre-term labor is common when carrying multiples and the average twin pregnancy is about 35 weeks.

At 25 weeks pregnant...

Total weight gain: 32 lbs

Baby Boys: weighing about 700 grams & 800 grams (about 1 lbs 10 oz.)

Cravings: still Eggo waffles with Roger's syrup, vanilla yogurt and any sort of baked goods

Complaints: exhaustion, pelvic pain, insomnia, headaches, frequent urination, foot/leg cramps, emotional just to name a few, lol.

Hubby has started painting the boys nursery and it's coming along nicely. We have chosen a hockey theme of course (hubby eats, sleeps and breathe's h-o-c-k-e-y). Chris put up white wainscotting along the walls to look like hockey boards, then he installed a wide 5" baseboard that will soon be painted bright yellow (like an NHL rink) and then trim along the top in dark blue (I think they are red in a real arena but I hate the color red)... the top half of the walls are blue and we will put up some hockey decals. I ordered the cribs and still have to go pick them up in the States (much cheaper to order from the US) but we wont set them up until we are finished painting and have the new carpet installed. Time seems to be flying by and we still have so much to do. Our vehicle situation is stressing me out. We obviously need a mini-van to accommodate 3 car seats but hubby and I cant decide which vehicle to sell between our 2003 Ford sport track and our 2006 Honda CR-V. He isnt ready to part with his precious truck and we can get way more money for our Honda CR-V but if the truck breaks down and needs a new transmission or something, it will be costly. Decisions, decisions!?!? Not to mention which type of minivan to get...we are leaning towards a 2009-2010 Dodge grand caravan at this point.

My husband's cousin is planning a twins baby shower for me in a month's time with some help from my Mom and hand made some beautiful invitations with the help of her Mom. She is super excited about being an Aunty to twins and has so many neat and creative ideas for the baby shower. It will be on Sunday, July. 10th (a bit on the early side but its recommended to have an earlier shower if your carrying twins due to the high incidence of pre-term delivery etc) and we picked a day my mother-in-law would be in town so that she could come too (she lives 5 hours away). Im looking forward to seeing family and friends that I seem to only get to see at wedding's or showers.

Life feels so busy these days with both of us working, caring for an active 22 month old while pregnant and preparing for the arrival of twins but God knows our lives are about to get even crazier in just a few months time..lol.

After the baby shower in July, Brooklyn will turn 2 the following month and then the boys could come at any time. My goal is to make it to 36 weeks so that my two munchkin's can come home right away and by-pass any NICU, medical interventions or hospitalization for under developed lungs (sometimes common in twins). I feel good about it though and believe I will get to 36 weeks as long as my blood pressure cooperates without a problem.

That's the latest. Until next time...:)

23 weeks twins belly

Trip to Saskatchewan to see the fam!

We recently flew to Saskatchewan to see my family and had a really good time. I love the tranquility and peace the country lifestyle offers (much more than city life to be honest) and it's always such a treat when we get to visit them out there once a year. I love hanging out on a farm and playing in the mud so-to-speak, although being 6 months pregnant with twins limited my activities (no joy-rides on the quad for Mama unfortunately!). My brother and sister-in-law just finished two long, grueling months of lambing season and as a result have close to 400 baby lambs running around. They had lots of twins and triplets born and as a result of having such a huge flock, I dont think the two of them have slept much the last few months unfortunately. I learned that farm chores are a full-time, around the clock job (and they both have other jobs, a 2 year old & my 15 year old nephew lives with them as well).....a busy bunch to say the least.

The kids played great together (they are both around age two) and ran around outside and in the bouncy castle together. They were too cute! Brooklyn tried to copy everything her cousin did which was adorable. We were also fortunate enough to have our cousin (my brother and I) and his family come over for the afternoon/evening with their little boy (also about to turn 2 and their new baby) and the three of them horsed around in the bouncy castle and it was a lot of fun.

Thank-You Janice, Brent, Soren and Jake for having us for 5 days, I know you are both exhausted from your countless-all hours of the day and night lambing that finished just the week/days before we arrived........(it is a ton of physical labor people and my sister-in-law is the toughest cookie I have ever met both physically and mentally! ha ha). You are both so deserving of a nice warm holiday....or at least 8-12 hours of sleep... at least! lol.