Our Very Scary Holiday

Whew...where to start, where to start? I guess I can begin by asking how each of your holiday celebrations shaped up? I hope Santa was good to you all! For Team Cote, well, our Christmas started out lovely, but ended far from blissed-out. 

On Christmas Day, after all the presents had been opened and Christmas lunch was on our minds, I noticed our sweet Tucker-dog was acting a bit funny. He was hanging his head low, shivering some, and just not his spunky self. He'd gotten lots of new toys in his Christmas present that morning and had been going HARD playing with them all. Harder than usual. I, at first, thought he was just totally wiped out and wanted all of us to sit down and cuddle with him, but then I picked him up. He screamed bloody murder and my heart sank. Something serious was up. Of course, with it being Christmas Day, nothing was open but the ER vet. I knew the ER vet would drain our pockets just from walking in the front door, so we opted to make him rest the rest of the day and take him to our regular NC vet first thing the next morning. Cut to our vet appointment next day...x-rays done and verdict in...Tuck is an IVDD dog and has injured his neck. :(

[Our handsome boy a few weeks before his injury]

IVDD (also known as Intervertebral Disc Disease) is common among the Dachshund breed. In fact, it's highly suspected that it's hereditary. Imagine our surprise and dismay when we saw his x-rays and the vet proceeded to show us multiple disc narrowings in his neck disc-space and a few mid-back. Heartbreaking. What's even more disconcerting? Knowing the narrow discs could possibly have been there since birth. Double heartbroken. Our vet concluded that he likely injured it from playing so vigorously Christmas morning (a severe muscle sprain coupled with minor disc inflammation). D and I proceeded to kick ourselves. Why did we try to spoil our pup with fun toys?!?!?!! And why did we ever start letting him on furniture?!?! Parental guilt is a total jerk (even of the fur-child variety). If only we could go back and tell our college-selves to stick to better doxie practices. We knew our pup would forever be prone to back issues because of his stature, but our delusion that it could never happen to Tuck just slapped us across the face. HARD. You live, you learn. Thankfully, Tuck doesn't have a slipped/bulging disc or any major spinal cord pressure...just some disc inflammation & narrowing. So, no surgery needed, no paralysis, no major decisions to be made. Our small silver-lining. The vet prescribed him anti-inflammatory meds, pain meds, and a muscle relaxant and suggested we monitor him, let him rest, and start restricting all jumping off furniture from now until forever...before he REALLY injures himself. Done and done. Except not so much.

Doxies are, by nature, the most stubborn, hard-headed dogs on the planet. We knew this from day one, but trying to keep a dog (an 8-year-old one, at that) that goes from 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds from jumping up on the furniture he's be jumping on for years is like trying to tell Kim Kardashian not to have such a large butt. IMPOSSIBLE. D and I spent 5 days trying our darndest to keep him from doing any activity whatsoever without keeping him 100% confined to a crate (which wasn't suggested to us at the time--can you believe it?). We got him a doggy playpen and pretty much lived in there with him and watched him like a hawk, stifling his natural puppy playfulness (SO HEARTBREAKING). Within 3 days, he was acting like his normal self. No signs of pain whatsoever. So, we started to allow him to move around more (no jumping), but still hovered like helicopter parents. This was our first big mistake. We should have given him the full week of rest instead of assuming he was all rainbows and sunshine again. New Years Eve, I picked Tuck up to carry him outside to do his business and BOOM...more blood-curdling yelps. And off to the ER vet we went.

After another round of x-rays and some blood work (precautionary...he had a slight fever, but it went down shortly after he rested at the vet) we still had the same diagnosis of IVDD with disc inflammation...only this time, Tuck was to be strictly crate rested 24/7 for 3-4 weeks. Once again, D and I were devastated and kicking ourselves. Dogs aren't as resilient as they lead on! We took him back home and I sent D off to buy Tuck a new crate. Tuck hasn't been in a crate since 2009. This was going to be a long and heart-wrenching journey to recovery. I couldn't imagine keeping him crated, only allowed out for potty breaks 4 times a day. Seems so cruel, even though it's much needed.

So, this is where we find ourselves today. On day 5 of strict crate rest and Tuck, while whiny from time to time, has proved that you can teach old dogs new tricks, no matter how heartbreaking it is for us to watch! We've had to do some weird things (like placing his crate on the couch beside us or on a table beside our bed so he feels like he's right there with us at all times), but whatever it takes for him to heal and feel as comfortable as possible in the process. He's already seeming to feel great again, but we're no dummies. He's staying in that thing until 1 month has passed and vet gives us the all clear! We don't have another spare $1,000 for repeat vet visits. And we want Tuck to be with us as long as possible, no taking chances ever again. While his IVDD will never go away and we have to change his entire way of living/behaving from this day forward, the vet foresees a full recovery of his current injury. PRAISE THE LORD!

[Our first day with Tuck in 2006...what a sweet little nugget!]

All that being said, we had quite the stressful, worry-filled holiday season. Not what one ever hopes for and not another week and a half I ever want to experience again. There's nothing scarier than thinking you're going to lose your fur-child (aside from a real human, of course) or the fear that he might be adversely changed forever. I wish I could go back and change so much of the last 8 years. Hindsight has us reeling. I haven't cried this much in a long while. We also haven't been able to do or think of much other than Tuck here lately. A total life-change for us all! While it seemed so daunting and impossible to rewire Tuck, he's showing us that with a little faith and by taking on this new adventure one day at a time, we can make it through. Plus, my dad is awesome and currently building pet ramps for Tuck for all his post-recovery activity. This issue totally rocked my parents world, too. They love Tuck just as much as we do! He did live with them for 3 years, after all. 

This hiccup is indeed the reason for all the somber tweets and hiatus from the blog recently. We're now back in FL (his injury had my stay extended another week in NC) and we're slowly adjusting to life post-holiday & hardship. I'm emotionally and physically drained, but so thankful Tuck is here with us and on the mend. We'd pretty much do anything for that hot dog! If you're the praying type, please keep our little warrior in your prayers. And us, as well. We've still got a long road and the always looming threat of re-injury to face, but with all the support and love we've gotten and the Good Lord on our side, we will overcome this! Onward to better days...

Doggy Dilemma

**Warning...this post is a long one. If you finish it, you honestly should win some kind of award. I'm only talking about this once, so I'm spilling my guts thoroughly now. If your a dog lover or have a pet of your own, grab a box of tissues...I'm sure you'll understand.**

I've been putting off posting about his for some time now, mainly because it breaks my heart to think, let alone, talk about. I've recently gotten a lot of questions regarding whether or not D and I would be taking our sweet Tucker dog with us to Germany. Sadly, the answer is no. Here is why...

Tuck is a one of a kind pup. He's smart, extremely loving, and a bit stubborn. Ok, alot stubborn. Apparently it's a trait that all Dachshunds seem to exhibit. If there is one aspect of our loving Tucker dog that I could completely do without, it would be his severe anxiety problems. I'm not sure where this anxiety came about, but ever since he was a wee little puppy, we've been battling his anxiousness.

{First day at home with baby Tuck-- November 2006}

On a normal day, Tuck tends to be fine....that is, if we stick to the routine we've been doing since we moved to VA. If we stray from the routine, Tuck gets anxious. It manifests itself in large outburst of energy, shaking, whining, yelping, hiding, barking, and sometimes vomiting. To avoid the anxiousness, D and I try not to leave Tuck alone at home for more than 6 hours at a time, if possible. We also don't mention trips to the vet or the groomers out loud (without spelling them out) because he is so stinkin' smart and understands what those words mean and will immediately get out of control. We've talked to our vet about it and he seems to think medication would do more harm than good. It would take away all his spunk. He doesn't have severe separation anxiety...it seems his anxiety is mostly situational, so we steer clear of those trigger situations as much as possible.

Hence the reason why Tucker isn't coming to Germany with us. I can't imagine putting his little 12 lb. body through the strain of a 10+ hour plane ride. He would be utterly uncontrollable. He cannot tolerate being put into small spaces for long periods of time. The anxiety would be overwhelming for him. For example, we can't board him...anywhere. Tuck is prone to severe allergic reactions (seriously, this is another headache in itself) and has had 3 different episodes in his 4 short years of life. The most recent one was last year and pretty much confirmed our decision to leave him stateside.

{Tuck, just back from the vet after his first allergic reaction episode}

We took him to his vet for his yearly check-up and booster shots. We always have the vet pre-medicate him before the shots because the shots (and de-wormer pills) cause the allergic reactions. This time, the Benadryl didn't kick in quick enough and within 30 minutes of getting him home from the vet, he was covered in hives. I mean COVERED. I've never had him react to his vaccinations that seriously before. The first time his face just ballooned up, the second time he had a large nose and a few hives. This time was scary. We immediately hopped back in the car and took him to the Emergency Vet (our vet had already closed for the day, go figure). They immediately pumped him full of more Benadryl and told us they were going to keep him for at least 6 hours to monitor him. We weren't in the clear yet. Anaphylaxis could still be an issue, so we left him there. It breaks my heart every time something like this happens to him (he also had a scare of a possible liver shunt when he was 6 months old and went through a series of ultrasounds, x-rays and blood panels...all inconclusive). I mean, how much more can one little dog take?

Three hours into the observation time, we get a call from the vet asking us if we would be able to come and pick him up early. I was relieved to be able to come and get him...but when we got there, we found out why he needed to be picked up. He had been violently trying to get out of his cage by squeezing his long nose through the grates in the crate he was being kept in...thus scraping the black off of his nose. Yep, he literally wanted out of that cage so badly that he was inflicting even more pain upon himself to get out. The vet techs had been carrying him around all night because they were afraid he was going to injure himself further. I was shocked...and so sad. We walked out the ER with our Tucker bear...still covered in hives. We were given strict instructions on how to medicate with the Benadryl and how to watch over him for the next 12 hours. He literally slept on my lap (he is the epitome of a lap dog) for the rest of the night and was fine the next morning. Thank the Lord.

I feel like every time this happens, it takes a year off his little doggy life (and mine too!) We can't put him through the stress of a plane ride and adjusting to a new environment to this great of an extent. Also, I fear that if we were to take him, we would have a hard time finding the appropriate veterinarian for him. Back home in NC we had the most perfect vet. She knew every little detail about Tuck and all his issues and was wonderful with him. She was also wonderful with us. Very understanding and sympathetic to our worries about our first "child." I'll admit, it was a bit of a struggle here in VA finding a vet that we trusted and who we felt could take extra special care of our Tuck. I can't imagine having to do that again, in Germany no less. I'm sure on post there is a vet clinic, but we don't trust the one here on our base in VA. Apparently this is common concern at most military installations. I don't want to risk it.

Also, we've considered how hard it would be to travel around Europe (and back to the states for visits) with Tuck in tow. Traveling with him would be miserable, for both him and us. As previously mentioned, we CANNOT  board him. Totally out of the question given his history. We want to be able to get as much out of this experience in Europe as we possibly can and I don't think forcing our anxious dog to stay at a boarding facility while we jet set around is a very safe idea. Option 3 could be having him stay with friends we make in Germany. But who are we kidding? We have no idea how long it could take to make friends when we get there...friends that we could trust to take care of Tuck in a way that to most may seem like doting, but to keep anxiety levels low, it's become our lifestyle. I know the amount of stress Tuck can cause on any given day and I'm not comfortable projecting that on to people who we would barely know.

So, with all that being thought of, contemplated, and cried over many, many times...we decided the best thing to do for Tuck and for us would be to leave him in the care of my Mom and Dad back home in NC. Truth be told, I know Tuck is going LOVE living with Grandma and Grandpa. Over the 6 month period that D was deployed last year, Tuck spent 4 of those months (broken up, 4 months total) at my parents house due to me moving houses and traveling all over the place. Their home is his play land. As soon as he hears that we're going for weekend visits, he's excited and jumping with joy at the front door ready to go! Tuck and my Father are two peas in a pod. I bet my Dad never would have though he would be in love with such a tiny little weiner dog. Tucker normally sleeps right in between D and I in the bed, but when we go home to NC...we become null and void. He sleeps with Grandma and Grandpa every night! My dad takes him on long walks and indulges him in his avid nagging to play soccer ball at all hours of the day. I really couldn't think of two more loving and wonderful people to take care of one of the most precious pieces of my heart than my own parents. Heck, they raised me! I think I turned out pretty darn great! I know our pride and joy with be just fine in their hands. And bonus! He will go back to seeing our most favorite vet back home! HUGE sigh of relief there.

This decision was definitely one of the hardest ones we've ever had to make. We knew that if an overseas assignment came along, we were going to have to make this kind of decision. It has definitely come with a price. He's our first child...fur or not. As corny as this sounds, I sat him down one day and told him the plan. I'm pretty positive he understood everything I was saying because as the tears rolled down my face, he just licked them away. And he's been my little shadow ever since (which doesn't make this transition any easier!) I feel an incredible amount of guilt for leaving part of our little family behind. To some it may seem a bit selfish. Believe me, we've thought of all of the possibles of how we could make it work, but it just doesn't seem feasible. Not for him to be completely healthy and happy as he should be. As he deserves to be.

{My parents, Tuck's Grandma & Grandpa!}

It makes me cry all the time. I look at him with those little beady eyes and I melt. I am so attached to him in every way. I feel as though I birthed him myself some days...as crazy as it sounds. Although he drives me crazy with the incessant barking and ever-changing medical issues, he is the sweetest dog in the entire world. Dog loyalty is such a true and present thing in this world...and we've been so lucky to find it in Tuck. He brings so much joy (and hilarity...he's too funny) to our lives that I can't imagine my life without him. I know he won't be with me everyday in Germany, but I will look forward to every visit home and the time we will get to spend with him. When Germany is done and over with, Tuck will be back home with us...pending he still wants to live with us. He might love Grandma and Grandpa's so much he won't want us back! I kid, I kid...I hope. I guess we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

{Easter 2007...one of our first family photos.}

As for now, we are spending every second we can with him. Playing with him, spoiling him, and showing him how much we love him. I'm really, really going to miss him. My heart breaks whenever I think about how much I'm going to miss him. I know I will still feel the guilt. I know I will still feel the worry. But then I think of how happy he's going to be with my parents, those feelings start to melt away. I am SO not looking forward to kissing his sweet doggy face goodbye...but then again, it won't be goodbye...it will be "See ya later, Tucker Bear."

What A Weekend! Part Deux

So, to start up right where I left off last evening...

Saturday

This day was pretty uneventful, thankfully so. I spent most of the day running around town with my mom and sister. D had some homework he had to finish, so he stayed home. We ended the day by ordering a crap-load of yummy Chinese food and invited my Aunt T and the cousins down to the house (they literally live right down the street from my parents) for a rousing game of celebrity charades, wine, and lots of laughing. This is one of the things I will really miss about home.

Sunday

Well, Sunday morning was supposed to be designated for church, as usual. Only problem was that I woke up at 5am with all kinds of stomach pain and spent about an hour in the bathroom sick as a dog. I pretty much woke the entire house up, so when I finally was able to lay back down, the rest of the family did too...and we all slept late. Ooops!  I woke up hours later and my tummy was just fine. No idea where that bout of sickness came from, I was just thankful it was short lived! We all ate a late egg and croissant breakfast and made a trip to Target. I got a super cute sundress and a pair of sandals...my first spring purchase! After we got back from our mini shopping excursion, we all lounged around outside on the patio. The weather was so wonderful that there was no way you could have been inside all day! To end a rather lazy Sunday, we had the pleasure of getting to spend a little bit of time with my Aunt and Uncle who live out in Kansas. They made the 18 hour drive to NC to spend a week with my Mom helping her get my MeeMaw's house cleaned out and put up on the market. It was my Aunt Debra's birthday so we had a nice lasagna dinner and topped it all off with one of Mrs. Helen's AMAZING cakes!

Our wedding cake--Allure Photography

Mrs. Helen is a sweet lady from my church back home who makes the most delicious cakes in the world. She made my wedding cake (which was outta this world!) and my Aunt Debra hasn't been able to stop raving about it since D and I got married almost 4 years ago. Aunt D is quite the frosting connoisseur, so Mom decided to surprise her loving sister with a birthday cake made by Mrs. Helen! I'm so glad she did...because we ALL got to enjoy that treat! I still have few slices left in the fridge that I pretty much had to pry out of my Aunt's hands...but she has a gracious sweet tooth, honestly. :)

In addition to getting to spend time with our long lost Kansas relatives (ok, so that aren't all that long lost, we see them every 4 to 6 months)...they brought along their two newest family members: two adorable Cocker Spaniel puppies Breezy and Piper!





 Meet Piper! Isn't she a cutie pie?! I swear, she kind of resembles Chewbacca...but only in the forehead area. I think it's a Cocker Spainel thing. She's got piercing green eyes and lots of spunk! Ahh to be a puppy. Not a care in the world.

Breezy didn't really want to cooperate with the picture taking. She has the most beautiful, silky black coat and she was such a sweetheart. Definitely the mellower of the two pups.

My Tucker dog, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with the new dogs. He just stayed in the background praying they would go away. At 4 years of age, his puppy years are long gone and he has no patience for spunky "all I want to do is wrestle" kinds of pups.

Monday

Monday morning we woke up, spent a few hours playing a little more with the puppies, then we loaded up the car and made the 5 hour trek back to VA. We got home around 2:30 that afternoon, took a quick nap, then headed down to Chesapeake to one of my old co-workers homes for a Cash for Gold party! Even though we spent yet another hour in the car getting there (traffic was horrible...thus starts the season of tunnel traffic headaches. Ugh.), I am SO glad we went! Not only did Jenny make this delicious blue cocktail that I must get the recipe for later, we also made $200 selling our old class rings! CHA-CHING! We were stoked. Those things had been sitting in my jewelry box collecting dust and were never going to see the light of day anyway...so 200 big ones was worth the drive. We also sold some of my Mom's and MeeMaws old gold jewelry and made them a some spending money as well! If you ever have a chance to go to one of those parties...GO! They take white gold too!

All in all...our long weekend turned out to be pretty darn fantastic. We got to spend lots of time with family from all over, eat tons of delicious (and fattening!) food, and made a little money to boot! 17 more years of this military life then back to NC it will be...FOR SURE!

There really is no place like home.



Missing Already...

As the hubby and I were going through our yard sale piles and pricing things, we started to think about how different our lives are going to be a little over 2 months from now. Instead of this conversation turning into a mental breakdown (as it has in the past), it took a turn into melancholy-ville. We starting spouting off the list of American things we seem to take for granted  we're going to miss the most. This is what we've come up with so far:

Google images

Oh my good Lord I can feel the tears coming now! This was at the top of both mine and the hubby's list. We eat Chick-Fil-A often, probably too often. We should have our own parking space here...and at our next luxury...

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I can spend HOURS in this store just looking. But who am I kidding, I never "just look". I end up dropping half of my paycheck at this shopping mecca every month. I'm hoping shopping Target.com will satisfy me, although it's highly unlikely.

Google images

Ok, now I admit, maybe this one shouldn't be considered an American luxury...but I can't count how many times this Southern staple came to our breakfast rescue after a night out of dancing and drinking with friends. That Cajun fillet biscuit, Cajun fries, and tall glass of sweet tea could slap any hungover college kid back to life in no time!

On the positive side of things, I have found a bit of silver lining that seems to cancel these 3 indulgences out. Or at least makes coping with their loss alot easier. Germany, and Europe in general, has LOTS of these:

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Eeeek!! Having one of these puppies within an hours driving distance is going to be lovely, just lovely! I'm a sucker for Swedish home furnishings.

Now, I don't want to be misunderstood. We are totally psyched about moving to Germany. We are well aware that there are going to be TONS of new and awesome things for us to explore and we will have the opportunity to travel to places we've only seen in history books. But it doesn't mean we won't miss bits and pieces about the country we've always called home. It's only natural, right? Our list of American loves was much longer than what I've listed so far. I'll probably post more later as time to leave draws closer. For now, I'm off to love on my sweet weiner doggie.

He's another thing I'll miss...more than words can say.

Story to come.