Day 34

Thank goodness it’s Friday! Yesterday was a long day without much time for the kids and today will be the same. My sister, Heather, and I are going out to have a couple drinks in town before she returns home to Virginia on Monday. By time I arrive home this evening, quality time with the kids will be out of the question, unless you consider letting them sleep with me a good way to bond.

Last week we decided it was time for Lulu (and Gus) to go back to sleeping in their shared bed in the laundry room. They have a comfortable dog bed there that they actually like quite a bit. Of course, they would rather sleep with mom and dad but this never results in very good night’s sleep as Lulu likes to sleep under the covers between us and nearly hyperventilates several time each night. Gus also settles in between and oftentimes lies sideways, stretched out as much as his compact 33 pound frame can manage. Oh, and did I mention Gus snores? He’s amazing in that he snores while awake but truly gets into it in sleep. It’s like a grunting, gurgling sonnet between Gus and Bill while Lulu and I suffer together, our heads buried under the blankets.

Regardless of their preferences, these dogs can sleep. It’s an art form, really. Anytime, anywhere, any strange position imaginable, they’re game. So I guess I will invite them to join me tonight afterall, I do feel guilty.

Day 33

I found this picture today, saved to my documents at work. Bill sent this to me in the spring. It speaks of JOY.

Day 32

Everyday I get home from work and quickly find Lu, even though Gus is already at my feet. I pat his head and say a brisk hello but it's Lulu I'm after. This may seem like favoritism but it's actually an attempt to keep Lu safe because she's just as excited as Gus to see me so she squirms and whines wanting the chance to come to ME. Once I get to HER, Gus is there too, pushing her out of the way, trying to be the center of attention, that boy.

Any of you feeling sorry for Gus, let me tell you, he usually succeeds at being the most admired. From the very moment of our acquaintance, he showed himself to be the charismatic one. His breeder, Cari, laughed about it, saying he always had to be right in front of the camera as she was trying to photograph the litter. Our first visit to see him, he was just four or five weeks old. We were happy to hold him and look at him, such a cute little guy. When we were ready to leave, we put him on the floor near Cari who was at that time covered with little budding bulldogs. No matter, Gus climbed over his litter mates into the center of Cari's lap, causing the rest of the pups to tumble off her lap, Jenga-like.

When we go out into public with the "kids," everyone exclaims how cute Gus is. They grab his flat face and chuckle, his face is so touchable. My nieces love him. They named one of their stuffed animals after him, calling it Gus-Gus like Lulu. My mother-n-law is also in love. Gus is her boy. He's handsome and as the front desk ladies at Fox Lake Animal hospital say, he's a stud, a ladies man. He's known at Banfield in Vernon Hills too. And the good people at Buffalo Grove Veterinarian Specialty Centers took special notice of him too. He's a ham. He's looker. He's Gusserman, Gusserbutt, Guss-er-licious, as my friend Stacie likes to say. Anyway, he's my boy and he's spoiled.

Day 31: In our attempts to keep Lulu safe, she's tangled herself in her leash.

Day 30

It's hard to believe a month has passed since surgery. In another two weeks, Lulu will have her post operative followup appointment and will hopefully be given the thumbs up. That's if I can keep her from injuring herself again before then.

I'm overindulgent perhaps to Lu's detriment. Actually, Bill and I both are. We hate to see her unhappy and the kennel makes her really sad and she lets everyone know about it. I hate to admit it, but we haven't even attempted crating her since somewhere around week two.

I arrived home today, sweaty from the gym and in need of a shower. While I was prudent enough to set Lu on her crate pad on the floor just outside the open bathroom door, I didn't take proper precautions. Sticking my head out from the shower curtain periodically, I was taken aback when on the third or forth peep she was not where I left her. I quickly found her sitting next to the tub, looking at me longingly. She has this way of looking thoroughly pathetic as only a Frenchie can. A picture of her in her finest Oscar moment has been included with this post. That look is what keeps Bill and I from properly limiting her freedom. We know it's wrong, but seriously, look at that face. Could you disappoint this little girl?

We need to practice tough love. Our leniency this weekend result in countless wandering on Lu's part and two leaps from the sofa. I still feel awful about this and hope there is no lasting damage. It's easy to lecture Bill and say HE needs to be more careful with her, but it's both of us. We're going to be terrible parents.

Day 29

It was a busy weekend, celebrating with the family. We did manage to find time to get Lu in the lake for therapy. She was not fond of the life vest and was distressed at times in the water. She was more cooperative after we took the vest off. We plan to try again later this week.

Day 27 & 28

She's ready for water...more to come.