27 weeks

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 1,000 times – man, oh man, have we been BUSY! 

The 27 week entry (April 10) is coming 2 weeks late.  Oopsies!  April 11 marked the last day of class for Jessica – woohoo!!  But with that, came the start of finals.  If you’ve ever met my wife, you would know she is a SERIOUS studier.  She always does extremely well but she studies like it’s her job, ‘round the clock, barely sleeping.  She’s exhausted by the end but usually pretty satisfied with her performance.

Around that time, our Golden Retriever started to get sick again.  If you’ve ever met my wife, you’ve probably met the only man (so far) in her life – her dog Sutton.  When I first met Sutton, I have to admit, I didn’t care for him very much.  He is a big dog.  And was loud.  And had a LOT of energy.  And scratched my brand new hardwood floor.  But, with Jessica, came Sutton.  And now I wouldn’t have it any other way.  That furry beast has wiggled his way into my heart and is such a joy to be around.  It’s very, very hard to imagine life without him. 

This past August (conveniently right after replacing the carpet and the now scratched hardwood floor), he started to get sick.  At first, it was a little choking on his food.  It progressed quickly to regurgitating every single thing he ate.  He lost a lot of weight very quickly and went to the vet school, a lot.  Jessica (as smart as she is) had a feeling maybe it was this thing called Megaesophagus.  We tried just about everything to keep food in him. 

Post meal snuggles...

A fancy chair...(which he did not like) 

But ultimately, nothing seemed to work and he got a feeding tube.  At least we were keeping food in him! 

Obviously he hates the belly rubs that come with the feedings

But, he didn’t really care for the feeding tube so he took it upon himself to pull it out.  And then he pulled out a second one.  What a little jerk!  The second round was a doosie – he ate it, we were in California, he needed a “foreign body retrieval” surgery and replacement of the tube, and his sitter (his favorite vet, Dr Harris) was beside herself.  When they were starting his anesthesia but before they got his breathing tube in, he yuked (not quite throw up, not quite regurg…so we call it yuke).  It was a BIG yuke.  Some of it got into his lungs and caused a nasty pneumonia…to the ICU he went for some oxygen

 Long story short, he got better but continued the cycle of pneumonias…got another tube in his neck to suck out the yuke…rarely a pneumonia…same ole Sutton was BACK! 

 Long story longer, now his neck tube is getting some infections and the yuke gets pretty cesspool-esque on occasion.  Well, that started up again on April 10…juuuuuust before finals….juuuuuust before Grandma’s 90^th birthday party in California.  That week was NO FUN for anyone. 

He got some IV fluids, antibiotics, and lots and lots of snuggles.  We truly both believed we were going to lose him.  I don’t know how but he’s pulled through and is back to normal. 
 

"Uh...mom?  Maybe you can throw this kong and I can chase it?  Thanks"

We’ve had lots of discussions about his quality of life and if he seems to be happy still.  When he’s sick, of course he’s not happy.  But when he’s not sick, he’s the same dog he has always been.  Just a little nut!  We’re not sure how much longer we’re going to have with him but we’re confident he will see his 6^th birthday in a few days and we’re hopeful the baby will get to meet him.  It’s really silly – when I was thinking about waving the white flag, I got really sad that the baby would never get to meet such a wonderful dog.  Ok, now that’s enough…hormonal woman over here!!

How far along:  Well, at that time…27 weeks, of course!

Total weight gain:  a few

Maternity clothes:  Almost completely maternity

Stretch marks:  None

Sleep:  More please!

Best moment of this week:  Best moment that week…??  When the fever finally came down

What's new this week:  Baby boy weighs almost 2 pounds (apparently like the head of a cauliflower) and is about 14.5 inches long with legs extended.  He is asleep and awake at regular intervals and possibly sucking his fingers – which we’ve seen!  His little brain is very active now and his lungs are getting stronger every day.  I’m pretty sure I’m feeling hiccups!

Miss anything:  That week, I missed my sanity

Movement:  All. The. Time.

Food cravings:  Nothing too crazy

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nothing making me yuke…but I don’t really want coffee anymore.  It pretty much sounds completely disgusting. 

Have you started to show yet:  Yup

Gender:  Boy

Labor signs:  None

Belly button in or out:  It’s just about level

Wedding rings on or off:  Off – sporting my Target fakey so I don’t look like an unmarried pregnant floozie

Happy or moody most of the time:  The 27^th week, I was sad.  And stressed

Looking forward to:  Seeing that crazy dog act like himself!