The rest of the month

Things are starting to get back to normal in the Pauley household this week. Both kids are better healthwise and I'm missing Canyon but it's not the piercing heartbreak of last week. Will's "bumps" have disappeared and other than a cold, he's the picture of health. Oh wait, did I mention that he had croup over the weekend? He did and the accompanying seal bark of a cough that ensures that no one in the house gets more than thirty minutes of sleep at a time. On the bright side, we are probably about halfway to meeting our health insurance deductible for the year.

Because of the hives and the coughing and general malaise, we took Will to an allergy doctor yesterday. The doctor recommended a scratch test to try to determine what substances Will may be reacting to. For the scratch test, the doctor draws a grid on your back and pricks you with about 30 substances and then measures the size of the reaction on your skin. Let me paint you a picture of how the process went for Will and file this one under "reasons why he will hate me when he's older." The nurse comes in to test Will for the presence of too many antihistamines since he'd been on Benadryl the week earlier. That test involved a needle poke of the control on his back and one of the whatever it is to test for antihistamines. Will kind of giggled and said "that hurts a little bit!" We wait about five minutes and then the nurse and doctor come back in with a tray of little needles. Will takes one look at that set-up and starts hollering. Loudly. It takes two nurses, the doctor and me to hold him still long enough to get the test administered. For the record, 'holding him still' basically involved us preventing him from kicking us in the face, leaping off the table, grabbing my car keys and running out of the office. He was bucking and kicking and there was spit flying everywhere. It was how I imagine capturing a wild horse must be. I think there might have even been some biting and I definitely lost a button on my sweater. The test only takes about two minutes so mercifully it was over with quickly. Afterwards, Will's crying and snorting on my lap and in a quiet voice he asks me to sing the Cowboy Song. So now you can also picture me rocking a 44 pound almost-four-year-old back and forth and singing "Home on the Range" in my less than stellar alto. Things a mom will do...

So the tests came back negative for food and drink and he just showed a slight sensitivity to some weeds, dust and mold. We go back in a few months for a follow-up but right now it appears that the Great Hive Attack of 2011 was just caused by the same virus that also brought along its traveling buddy, Croup. So nice of them to make a stop in Cheyenne.

Lest we forget the other member of the Bronco Baby Blog, Reina's doing well. She's been a little grumpy and we think she must be getting her two-year molars in, or she's jumping ahead to the teenage years. Her vocab continues to increase and tonight when I asked her if she was sleepy she said "No, I sleep with Mommy." Clear as day, she makes her opinions known.

A few weekends ago, we attended a birthday party at a local museum. The museum has a great kids room that feature a lot of hands-on activities related to the Old West. These pictures are from my camera phone so I apologize for the blurriness but you get the idea. Both kids love to pretend to cook by a campfire and eat said meal at a camp table. They could have played this game for hours.

Except for a few little girls in cowboy boots, Will was the only one in costume. He insisted on wearing his vest that was handmade by Grandma Hansen at Christmas and his stupid Styrofoam hat from his Woody costume. He was a perfectly nice felt cowboy hat that I bought him this summer but apparently he realizes that it's not licensed by Pixar and therefore not appropriate for him. I never dreamed that little boys would be so concerned about their apparel but I am very aware of that fact now.

The Week

Dear Kids-of-the-Future and Interested Readers:

It's been a rough week, sad and stressful. The Bronco Babies' Mom is tired. I don't want this to be a complete downer of a post so I'll try to add a lighthearted touch. I don't know if I will do a very good job at that.

We made the decision over the weekend that it was time to let Canyon go, so that cloud hung over everything while we waited to find out when the vet could come to our house. We tried to enjoy our time with her and she had several hot dogs and slices of American cheese while we waited for the phone to ring.

On Saturday, I took the kids to a birthday party at the Old West Museum and they had a really good time. After nap, I noticed that Will had a few spots on the back of his neck and when I lifted up his shirt, he had a pretty big rash around his belly button and on his back. By 7:00 that night, he was covered in hives. We tried to make a trip to the urgent care place but they were closed so we called his doctor, gave him some benadryl and assumed that it would be gone by Sunday morning. It wasn't. We stopped at urgent care on our way to Denver (previously planned day at the Museum and zoo) and got a prescription for prednisone that I hoped we wouldn't have to use. Excruciatingly long story short, we had a nice day in Denver but the benadryl made Will tour the zoo in the back of a wagon periodically opening his eyes and lifting up his head to look at animals.

Reina was a little more active but 'active' involved screeching when she couldn't push her own stroller or finish her own ice cream. Reina has a lot of ice cream drama at the zoo. Monday was a sad day.

I've had this picture sitting on my desk since I started working at the Dept of Ag. It was taken in the winter of 1995 when Canyon was not quite a year old. This was the winter that she learned to sit, speak, whisper and smile. She was a great companion during a long, cold and slightly lonely winter in Steamboat. She was going through a chewing phase and everything in my paltry apartment had exploratory teethmarks by the time we moved out in the spring. This picture is from the summer of 2004. Yes, I said summer. It was Frontier Days and I think the high temp that day was in the 50's. Canyon and I took some out-of-town guests to the Frontier Days parade. Glenn and I had been dating about 6 months or so but he was out of town that weekend. Canyon loved the parade. She'd shake and stare hard at the horses and other livestock. Ironically, she would hide and quiver at the people dressed as animals. McGruff the Crime Dog scared the you-know-what out of her.

I should also mention that on Monday, Reina had a fever that hit 102.7 at one point. I started to think that maybe I wouldn't be going to work on Tuesday.

By Monday night, Will looked like this.

His feet and ankles were also starting to swell.

On Tuesday morning, I took both kids to the doctor. Will was obviously having an allergic reaction to something but we had no clue what. We racked our brains trying to figure it out and we can't come up with anything that he hasn't eaten before, used before or been previously exposed to.

Wednesday, he was still covered in spots so we kept him home because he was self-conscious about how he looks. I think it might be the hair...
Thursday, Glenn stayed home with both kids because while Will was feeling better, Reina's fever was back. I had a quick trip out of town so Glenn was on his own.

Today, both kids made it to school and we both went to work. Over the lunch hour, Will's teacher called because the spots were back. I made an appointment with an allergist for next week and picked him up early. The rash had faded by the time I picked him up from school and tonight, there are just a few spots where it's obvious. We have no idea what's going on with him but hope to get some answers next week.

With everything that happened this week, I was grateful for the extra time with the kids. Will's vocabulary is expanding every day and he thinks of the craziest things. He told me tonight that he was going to marry a nice girl. He also has to keep growing so that he can go to cowwege. Reina's added "stop that!" to her repertoire. Both kids have been sweet and Will knows that Mom's a little sad this week.

We've made it to the end of this long week and I can say that things seem to be getting a little better. We all miss Canyon but we're starting to be able to think about all of the happy times we had with her and be grateful that she's at peace. I still get a little teary-eyed when I drop food on the floor and she's not there to scoop it up, but its not the sharp pain of earlier in the week. The kids are feeling better and knockonwood the rash has not made another appearance today. We have a quiet but fun weekend ahead of us and I'm definitely ready for it.

A life well lived

Canyon, the world's greatest dog, passed away today. She would have been sixteen on April 28. We made the painful decision of letting her go while she still had a little bit dignity left. The end was peaceful and calm and while I'm heartbroken, I know that she's shed the old, pain-ridden body that she's carried around for the last few years. I hope that the spark is back in her eyes and that there are plenty of squirrels in dog heaven.

I met Canyon a few days after I graduated from college in 1995. She was one of four border collie puppies born on the ranch where I had my summer job. She was only four weeks old when I first saw her and while I already knew that I wanted to get a dog that summer, I didn't know at the time that I was picking out a puppy who would be my companion for the next 15 years. The ranch owner told me to take my pick and as I sat down outside the dog house, three of the puppies jumped and scrambled all over me. They were cute but I had my sights set on number four, a little black and white bundle who sat inside the doghouse and peered out at me with a little bit of shyness and a little bit of judgement, frankly. Those were two traits that she would carry for the rest of her life.

As a puppy, Canyon was curious and smart and independent. She traveled with me from the ranch in Lander to Steamboat for a winter, Cody for a summer and then eventually to Cheyenne. She was my only roommate for many years and lived with me in several awful apartments. She guarded my yard from renegade squirrels and the occasional moronic rabbit. Canny also kept those pesky mailman and UPS guys from loitering on our sidewalks for too long. While she was never aggressive to people, she hated folks in uniform and I never really figured out why. I also never figured out how she knew a uniform from regular clothing, but I told you she was smart.

Canyon had a conscience the size of Oklahoma. When she was younger, she would occasionally chew on toys or clothing while I was at work, but she would always leave the evidence on the rug inside the front door so that it would be the first thing I saw when I came home. She was so smart that at one point she could whisper, speak and smile on command. During her heyday, she loved to play catch with anything that could be thrown: frisbees, tennis balls, sticks, toys and the occasional cigarette butt that she'd find in a parking lot and drop at an unsuspecting participant's feet.

The highlight of Canyon's life was definitely me meeting Glenn. In Glenn, she found her own soulmate. She loved to go hiking and camping with him and she'd even show enthusiasm when he was packing up his hunting equipment even though she was terrified of the guns. Before age caught up to her, she'd happily go on long walks and jogs, pulling the leash taut in front of us.

The last few years have been a little harder on Canyon. She hasn't been able to go on walks or play catch for very long and she's had to share her space with small humans. While she was never super friendly with other kids, she showed patience with Will and Reina and even permitted them to throw the ball for her once in a while. Lately, you'd often find her standing under Reina's high chair enjoying the veritable buffet of mac & cheese, toast or the occasional hot dog piece that would find it's way to the floor.

Canyon was my dog for my entire adult life so far. I don't have many memories of significant events that don't include her in some way. She was there when I bought my first house, she met Glenn at the door when he came to pick me up for our first date, and she stood in the dining room and cautiously sniffed the carseat when we brought Will home from the hospital. (Actually a few minutes later, she sat there and pointedly looked away from the carseat with an air of certain indignation and "how-could-you's!!!" but that's a story for another day). Today, when it came time to say goodbye, there were so many things I wanted to say. I wanted her to know how much she was loved, how many people would tell stories about her and remember that crazy border collie who could smile, how much she would be missed, but all I could say was "thank you." People have said today that we gave Canyon such a good life, but I think it's the other way around. She gave that to us, and so much more. Thank you Canyon, for being such a good roommate, jogging partner, hiking buddy, border patroller, bed warmer, companion and friend. While we will surely have more dogs in the future, we will never have another dog like you.

Milestones and meatloaf

There have been a few minor milestones this week that I wanted to make sure that I captured. Here's Reina's first ponytail! If she's anything like her mother, ponytails will (fortunately? unfortunately?) become a big part of her fashion strategy. (Aunt Vicky's going to love to read that sentence!) Anyway, Reina's hair is finally getting long enough to pull back all around and she even willingly let my try this little experiment. I think it makes her look very grand and mature. Look at the hair color? The next time I get my haircut, I'm going to take her with me to the salon and tell the beautician to make my hair look like Reina's. I wish! The other milestone this week is that Will is finally no longer wearing Pull-ups at night. I know, I know, another post about bodily functions. This is a pretty big deal for us though. It's taken him quite a while to get the hang of it and we're not totally in the clear yet, but last night he made it the whole night without any accidents and I'm hoping for the same thing tonight. Man, he's going to cringe when he reads that sentence in a few years. MOM! How embarrassing! With Reina's accelerated potty training plan, we could be a diaper free house by summer. Hard to imagine...

I have several New Year's Resolutions this year and most of them fall under the exercise/weight loss genre but one of my goals is to cook something new each week. We have been in a pretty big rut meal-wise for the last few years, well actually since March 19, 2007, but that's beside the point. We eat fairly healthy food but we don't change it up. So I decided that if I could cook one new recipe a week, maybe we'd find some new favorites to add into the rotation. Last week was the bœuf bourguignon and while it was delicious, the 6+ hour prep time makes it not incredibly practical for everyday meals. Sunday, I tried the meatloaf recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook which was a very thoughtful birthday gift from my very thoughtful sister. Despite the evidence presented in this picture, the meatloaf turned out pretty well. It's definitely not a low-cal recipe (BACON!) but it was tasty and the kids liked it too. Next week, I think I'll try something with chicken. We are getting crazy around here!

How we are starting off the New Year

We started off the week by celebrating my 25th birthday. Okay, fine it was my 29th birthday but who's counting. The whole family went out to dinner and most of us behaved tolerably well. Afterwards, the kids helped me blow out a few candles, an activity that they are very good at. I had a nice birthday and it was a good way to start off 2011.

The rest of the week was pretty routine. Everyone was back to work and back to school and we made it through with few problems. Glenn got to take a quick trip to Tucson for work but he didn't bring us any presents and so that's all the mention that he gets this week.

Today, the kids and I made a trip to Target and I was feeling too flush with cash (ha ha) so I bought a few of the Pixar soundtracks since the kids love their movie music so much. We came home and did some dancing before lunch. Will loves the Spanish version of "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story 3 so when it came on, he grabbed his sister's hands and started dancing away.

As you can tell, she likes the dancing as much as he does. It makes me think that maybe I'm going down the wrong road with my football and basketball dreams for both of them. Maybe I should be thinking of pairs figure skating (yes, I have seen Blades of Glory), or ballroom dancing. Does Dancing with the Stars have any brother/sister duos? Is ice dancing still popular? Anything that doesn't involve tights? I'm going to have to start doing some research because these two have moves!

After dancing and naps, we spent the rest of the day dressing up as cowboys. Some of us are going for a 'bohemian chic' look here. Seriously, doesn't she look like one of the Olsen twins? She just needs oversized sunglasses and a Birkin bag. (Most of you won't get that reference and that's okay. I'm tired and it's been a long day). In continuing with the cowboy theme, Will takes his cowboy dressing seriously. Poor kid doesn't have cowboy boots and as I snapped this picture he was headed to the hall closet to dig out his snowboots. Apparently, real cowboys simply require footwear with the word 'boot' in it. He's also wearing not one but TWO cowboy vests. The cowhide vest is underneath the green one and he's got a cowboy belt to cinch the whole thing. He's grown lately but this outfit adds about 15 pounds to his physique. Note that he also willingly put his jeans on to make the look as authentic as possible. Normally, we have to negotiate, cajole and threaten to get him to wear those pants on any other day.
For the sake of record-keeping, I need to note that Reina pooped on the floor today. But luckily for you, that's a story for another day.

Happy New Year!

We start off the year with some heartwarming sibling togetherness. The kiddliwinks have really been playing together lately. They chase each other around the living room and laugh and giggle and shriek and entertain each other for several ... minutes. Then they move on to joint Lego building or serve as medics and use the new doctor kit to give everyone in the room a check-up and a shot or two. Not everything is rosy, play time often interrupts into (unhappy) shrieking and a quick tug-of-war over a toy or tears because of some perceived injustice. But for the most part, they are having fun together. The recliner has become the number one spot for watching movies and they'll both climb up and settle in. It's hard to believe that another year has come and gone. 2010 was a tougher year than the past few but we made it through and we have a lot to look forward to in 2011. Glenn pointed out that this will be the year that we really start to move out of baby-land. We'll be getting rid of the crib and changing table in the next few months and we'll have a preschooler and an almost preschooler on our hands. We're planning a visit to Glenn's parents in Florida in the spring and hope to take the kids hiking and camping this summer. Will's going to take swimming lessons next week with Aunt Vicky and Reina wakes up in the morning and hands you her diaper before she gets out of bed. Lots of changes and exciting events coming up. One last note about 2010, I continued my tradition of starting the New Year off with a dirty condition and this year I chose Julie Child's Beef bourguignon as my experiment. Surprisingly it turned out well. It's not a quick meal by any stretch of the imagination but it was tasty and allowed me to break out the cast iron dutch oven that Santa brought me on Christmas. Happy New Year!