2011 ~ Our Year in Review

I saw this type of post on another blog I enjoy reading, called Dear Baby, and thought it was a great idea! I hope you enjoy reminiscing as much as I did!

January: To kick off the new year, I decided to start a book club. I'm happy to say, that almost three babies later (two Ethans and a soon-to-be A.J.), we are still going strong, and coming up on our one year anniversary!

 

February: I spilled coffee all over my old laptop and got my new MacBook Pro. That little act of clumsiness, I found out later, could be attributed to my {then unknown} pregnancy! 

March: The Fox Hill Elementary Math Bowl team won their competition! These kids sure did make their coach proud!

April: Kevin and I, along with my brother, Yuval, and his girlfriend, Michelle, took a trip to San Diego. Among our favorite outings was a visit to Sea World!

May: It was finally made Facebook and Blog official...we were expecting our little bundle of joy!

June: We had a wonderful time {except for the flight delays and late luggage arrival} in Myrtle Beach with our family. Even Cousin Will and Ethan are in this picture!

July: We spent time with lots of friends this summer. Here we are on our friends, Andy and Allison's, boat on Geist Reservoir on the Fourth of July. It's one of our favorite things to do on those hot Indiana summer days!

August: It was so hard to pick a picture for this month, since there were a lot of things that happened. My favorite, however, was the birth of our nephew, Will. He has added new flavor to our family, with his big, beautiful smile, and easygoing nature. (Ethan has a few things to learn from him!)

September: During this month, we finally completed Ethan's nursery. It's a good thing, too, since he decided to make an early entrance in our lives...see next month!

October: Ethan Eric Pinsky entered our lives at 8:04am on October 22nd. He weighed in at 6lbs., 7oz. and 20 inches long. He is our greatest blessing this year.

November: We had a lot to be thankful for this year, like the Little Turkey above. This month, we were also thankful that I was able to take time off from work to start my stint as a stay-at-home mommy. We were very thankful for friends and family who generously gave their time to help us as we navigated the choppy waters of new parenthood!

December: Oh, Tobi! We were hoping to end this year with a bang, and boy, did we! Our dog-baby had surgery on his right leg (left leg to be operated on in early 2012), and began his recovery, which is going so well! In a few months, he'll be back to his old, mischievous self!

Turkey Leg

Tobi is back home after his first TTA (Tibial Tuberosity Advancement) surgery. He is recovering very nicely. Kevin is home this week, so I don't have to take care of a dependent dog and baby. We are using the "man-to-man coverage" method - I get the baby, Kevin gets the dog. 


Tobi gets three different pills, two twice a day, and one three times as day. He has special exercises that Kevin has to do with him, gets cryotherapy (READ: icepacks) three times a day, and has to be taken out on a short leash. He must also be carried up the stairs. I don't know how I'd get all that done, and take care of Ethan by myself!


Tobi is walking nicely on his leg, and using it to support some weight. He also never lost his appetite, which the doctor said he might do...shocker.


Here's a picture of my little turkey-legged dog. I was shocked when I first saw his shaved leg. I don't know why it never occurred to me that they would shave him, but boy was I surprised when he rounded the corner and I saw my bald dog!

Poor Tobi

Well, it's official. Our little dog baby, Tobi, needs surgery. He's gone from a fun-loving, energetic dog, to a little lump of sad puppy. Apparently, he has the equivalent of two torn ACLs. Not cool. The vet said he had the knees of a 12-year old dog...he's six. Once we figure out timing, we'll definitely be splurging on this surgery. Kevin needs to be home to help with the recovery, because taking a dog out on a leash with a newborn in the winter is not exactly my idea of a relaxing walk. 

While we are sad that this poor dog has to go through all of this, we are relieved that we know what's wrong, and that there is a solution. I can't tell you how many awful thoughts were going through my head as to what was wrong. Knowing that this is a fairly common problem for dogs, according to the vet, also puts me at ease a bit. 

I'll keep you posted on the surgery and our little Tobi's recovery.

 

Surgery Update

It's the day after my gallbladder surgery and I'm doing well. Yesterday, Kevin and I met my parents at the surgery center and got checked in. Everyone was so nice and made me feel a lot more comfortable. I went back to the consultation room where the nurse asked me a ton of questions, and then I changed into my lovely gown, robe, and socks. She came back in and put my IV thingy in (not fun), and got my family. The surgeon and anesthesiologist game in and gave as a run down of what was going to happen during and after surgery, and then it was time for me to go. I walked into the operating room, and took my place on the table. I was only conscious for about 3 minutes while in there, which was great! The next thing I remember, I was waking up in Recovery Room #1, the nurses were reminding me where I was, and was quickly moved to Recovery Room #2. My family came to be with me and I was in and out of sleep. When I woke up again, the nurse asked me how I felt, to which I responded, "Nauseous." They gave me stuff in my IV and I felt better. The next step was to move from the bed to a recliner, and when I was ready, they helped me. I think I was in the recliner for 15 minutes, at which time I felt I was ready to go home. So, I got dressed (with help) and we were off, with a quick stop at the pharmacy for pain killers. I slept a lot at home, ate dinner (my appetite had fully returned), read my book, and watched some TV. I only had a little discomfort, but still took my pain killers because I didn't want to risk it. This morning, I'm a little worse for the wear. My abdominal muscles feel like they've had a really tough workout (which apparently, they did in the operating room), and the pain medicine the surgeon injected into the incision sites has apparently worn off. I will definitely be taking medicine today! I am hopeful that my recovery will be speedy, and I will be off this medicine and onto Ibuprofen by Monday! By the way, Kevin has been an EXCELLENT caretaker!

And the Winner is...My Gallbladder!

Earlier this week I met with a surgeon to discuss my good ol' gallbladder. Apparently, it's been wreaking havoc on my digestive system, and the rest of my body. Therefore, it will be removed. You know what they say, "If you can't play nice....", and unfortunately, my gallbladder has NOT been playing nice. I've been having this achy feeling under my right arm and under my chest for the last six weeks, so I'm hoping that it goes away after this surgery. In addition to that, I'm looking forward to the lack of nausea and heartburn, which I will not miss either. The surgery is next Friday, July 2nd. It will be done laproscopically (thank goodness), and should take no more than an hour. The doctor said that I will be in recovery for 2-3 hours, and should be out of the surgery center by noon, and on my way home. My wonderful husband will then be responsible for nursing me back to health...good luck to me! Just kidding...love you honey!