The 25th Hour ~karenjcardoza.com~

Been a busy few days although I’ve been off from Training Camp (but will be back at it tomorrow.) Spent some time on Saturday visiting Bella’s parents, brother and auntie. It was great fun to see all of the dogs together and although Bella was scared out of her skin at first, she soon warmed up and enjoyed her romp with the crew.

We had a bit of fun with doggy-wear and of course, my boys want NO part of the fun! Naturally, I’ll have to get something functional for her for the winter since she’s even been shivering on some of the cooler mornings when I take her out. But for now… isn’t she cute?!

Here’s hoping that today’s first completely successful “No pee-pee in the house” day is not just a fluke and she’s really starting to get it! (She’s still having a couple of accidents but has come a LONG way… she’s such a good dog and god…how I love her so!)
Bella Puppy+Tales Chihuahua puppy housebreaking

Been super busy with running back and forth to camp, writing reports, and updating pictures while maintaining Real Life along the way. Had a bit of a break today as it’s raining outside so I only have to head back this evening and have some time to do the Cinderella thing and catch up with site updates and such.

On Monday evening, it was the annual Season Ticket Holder’s practice held inside of Gillette Stadium. Prior to the practice I was invited to attend a screening/discussion of the new Patriots Hall of Fame slated to open in September 2008. Their vision and use of technology and new media insures that it’s going to be a state of the art and unique experience for all. I can’t wait to see it and I’m honored that as a former Fan of the Year, was asked for input regarding the fan section.

Mr. Kraft popped in and I was also able to meet Joe Mastrangelo in person for the first time. (The FOTY award and Memorial Trophy is named for his father.) After the presentation and buffet, we were able to take in practice from inside the press box. Too cool!

Random Tidbits:

• Yesterday, I felt a little foggy and queazy so I’m hoping that it’s nothing that a day off won’t cure!
• I finally finished Harry Potter 7 and … omg… LOVED it! I’ve reread the last chapters once already and think I’m going to do it again very soon.
• Now, I’ve got lots of books in my bookbag to hit up since camp is winding down and vacation is approaching.
• Next week, it will be all about switching gears from “Summer Life” to “School Life” as I’ll put in as much time as I can in my classroom getting thing ready before taking off for a week of relaxation.
• I’m hoping to edit and post some of the audio and video from Matthew Ebel’s Backyard Bash soon
• Bella Update: Surgery in September, housebreaking is moving along, still too mouthy and riled up at night. But… I LOVE that little girl so very much!!

  

Pats Fans: Be sure to keep up with the Training Camp Reports , website updates, and Podcasts to get the scoop on what’s up at Gillette.

Technorati: Patriots Patriots+Hall+of+Fame Bella puppy chihuahua Matthew+Ebel Patriots+Fan+of+the+Year
Harry+Potter

Up early this morning ingesting coffee and I’ve already got a load in the washer. Unfortunately my back is screaming today.. not sure what I did but I think I undid the adjustments and therapy that I’ve been doing for the past months…. sigh…

Today is a single afternoon session so I’ve got lots to do before heading out there this afternoon. Training camp reports for Session 1 and Session 2 are up and I’ve been receiving some good feedback on the message boards from appreciative fellow fans.

Some people say that stating what you’re going to do is the first step in getting it done so here’s my plan for the morning (Bella willing!)

1. laundry and cleaning
2. checkbook and online banking
3. uploading and labeling pictures taken so far
4. mail (email and regular)
5. update website
6. podcast covering camp days 4 & 5
7. scan google reader since it’s been unopened since the last single day
8. try to figure out once again what’s up with the chipmunking iriver
9. research new headphones purchase
10. take Bella out as many times is necessary to prevent her from leaving yellow rivers on my hardwoods….

Bella Eye Update: She’s scheduled for surgery in September to allow her a couple of months to grow and also to check to be sure that the cherry eye doesn’t occur in the other eye as well. If it does, they’ll do surgery on both at once which is cheaper and better than subjecting her to that twice.

Bella was having NO part of that exam and wiggled like there was no tomorrow prompting the suggestion of puppy school to make sure she knows exactly who is boss! I planned on taking her anyway but wanted to wait until finding out about surgery schedule in case she was going in soon and also until the camp schedule was completely out. Now that I know what the time frame looks like I’ll be giving them a buzz soon. She may be the Princess around here but she’s no Queen Mum!

patriots training+camp podcast To+Do+List Chihuahua Puppy+Tales

It’s 8:00pm and I just walked in from BJ’s with some the ingredients I need to make banana bread in a little bit but I just needed a brain dump moment… Since there was no public Patriots practice today due to the Kenny Chesney concert, I had the whole day “free”… yah, right! Of course, I’ve overbooked myself in terms of my To Do List for the day but what else is new.

I did get some things done but there’s so much more to go and the day is almost over. Rather than dwell on those things I didn’t do, I guess I should focus on what did get accomplished.

1. Todays laundry, including folding and putting away the 3 loads that I took off the line on Thursday but sat here until this morning because of yesterday’s double sessions. Check
2. Going through 3 days of mail, newspapers, and other paperwork. Check
3. Cleaning up the disaster area of a kitchen/dining/living room that morphed into some incredible magnet for clutter while I spent 2 days getting sites up and running and another full day at camp. Check
4. Taking Bella out, patrolling her every indoor move, playing with her, taking her out, cuddling her, taking her out, feeding her, taking her out……. Check
5. Catching up on all email, google reader, and message board posts. (Pushing out lots of content usually means I have no time to read anyone else’s) …. Check
6. Made a delicious, healthy fruit salad snack. Check
7. Ran some errands and put everything away. Check
8. Did I mention taking Bella out? Check
9. Gave myself a most necessary manicure and French pedicure… CHECK
10. Making banana bread the minute I press Publish… Check

So… the fact that every time I put on the headphones to even think about starting to edit, I have to get up and see what she’s up to and take her outside continually to prevent all of those “No pee-pee in the house!” statements from passing over these lips, it’s understandable why I haven’t podcasted and read Harry Potter which were both high on the priority lists for today.

Going to fill this house with the heavenly smells of baking banana bread then hopefully try again. If it doesn’t work out, I can’t say that I didn’t try.

Seems like it’s been forever since my last post and yes, I’ve had quite a busy time of it since. I spent Thursday and Friday at the PECS training which cut my time at home short. I did get my hands on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as soon as it was released! My initial plan was to hit up BJ’s when it opened on Saturday morning but someone mentioned going to Stop and Shop at midnight (rather than Borders) to avoid the crowd. Lo and behold, I was in line at 11:54 and was HOME by 12:15! Rather than jump right in though, I chose to re-read the last 5 chapters of book 6 to get up to snuff. As of right now I’m up to chapter 12 (and I know that friends are dying to discuss it with me but I’ve been swamped and haven’t had much time to read… I’m trying!)

On Saturday, Kelsea and I took the train to Boston to deliver a sewing machine to a friend who needed to borrow it. There were plenty of HP7’s to be seen that day for sure. We met up with Kroosh and Whitney, had lunch and spent a couple of hours talking New Media and enjoying each others’ company. Saturday night was all about Bella and trying to squeeze in some reading.

On Sunday, Al and I went with MJ and Louie on the Bay Queen for a brunch cruise to Newport. None of us had ever been on it before and had a great time. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect that’s for sure. I was so hot walking around the shops that I decided to look for a pair of shorts.. I found a pair of striped Bermudas in my size but a look at the price tag of $168 and I decided that sweating in long pants wasn’t that bad after all!

Al’s anxiously awaiting the return of his boat from the repair shop (took in for an initial tune up, etc.) and wants to give it a whirl (or two) before carting it up to New Hampshire in August. My life has been all about Bella, trying to get technical stuff done on the websites and blogs in anticipation of Training Camp starting this Friday, and doing physical therapy for my back. (Of course, the usual MommyCab and Cinderella duties never cease and are just part of everyday life.)

Unfortunately, Bella is going to need surgery to repair her Cherry Eye and her consult is next week. I’m worried about the timing of surgery because of our vacation but I’ll have to cross that bridge when we get there. She’s doing well except for her backslide with the housebreaking. She goes every time we head out (multiple times) but still pees on the floor whenever she wants. She was doing pretty well with going out on a schedule, every time she woke up and after eating and play but I guess I loosened the reins too soon on the amount of area in the house that she’s got access to that now she’s peeing all over my parlor. Ironically, even if she goes out and pees outside, she’ll still do the “big one” in the house within a few minutes. Time for me to go back to square one and not give her opportunity to make that mistake. But for now… pure bliss….

Technorati Tags: Bella puppy “Bay Queen” boat “Harry Potter”

Just a quick update on the two patients. I took Bella back to the vet yesterday for an eye check and they said that they just want to continue with the ointment for awhile and not think about surgery yet. The cherry eye is still protruding and has been since Saturday afternoon. I’m hoping and praying that it goes down and trying to remain optimistic although most of what I’ve read online is not promising. The doctor did tell me that although it looks painful, she’s not in any pain which did make me feel some relief. So, we’re continuing on and hoping for the best.

I just got back from the doctor and my back is making progress. It’s not there yet and I still can’t run but it’s getting better. I’ve been taking Bella for little short (100 yard) walks to ease her into walking on a leash. She’s getting there and hopefully will be able to increase her distance each day.

I was actually able to get a podcast done this morning while she slept which was a big relief. Camp starts next Friday so time is flying by. I’m slowly working on my blog stuff and hope to get it done (please cooperate, Bella!) before next Friday.

Btw….even Bella is jumping into the Social Media scene…hehehe!

Sigh… Bella’s eye went back to normal the night we got home from the vet after an evening nap. (It seems that when she’s asleep, the eye relaxes and the eyelid flips back over…. either that or that REM action helps it along.) Around 4:00pm on Saturday, she was playing in her basket and rubbed her face against it popping it back out. Unfortunately, it’s been over a day and a half and it’s still protruding. Things are not looking good on that front and I’m very sad about the possibility of surgery.

Every day is a new one and each day presents new accomplishments and challenges. The little porker is now 3.3 pounds so she finally fits in a harness without being able to tuck her chin down to chew it. So, we’ve begun our venture into leash work. That itself presents a new set of behaviors to learn. Once she learns that the leash is NOT a tug-of-war toy, things will be better. She’s resistant to go to the bathroom on the leash and instead flips her body around and tries to chew it. Nigel did the same thing at first and got over it. I’m trying to not let her out in the front without being on the leash so she’ll learn that it’s that or nothing. She loves to be outside but at night, it’s especially dangerous to be loose. When she gets in that hyper mode, she runs around at super-speed and I can barely catch her. I’ll continue to let her off leash in the side and back yards (fenced in) but front yard now is leash territory.

She’s also starting to venture back into the parlor area again instead of staying near the kitchen table area which makes it tougher for me to get anything done on the computer because I have to constantly get up and bring her back where I can see her. The potential for peeing indoors is too great over there, not to mention the ability to slip under the couch. We don’t want to go there again!

She’s also been REALLY hyper in the evenings and is very mouthy and nippy. The other night I was outside with her at 1:30 in the morning because she’d bark every time I put her in her crate. She wanted to be up running around and playing. I couldn’t even keep her on my lap for “quiet time” because she’d nip at me and try to wiggle out of my arms. I kept bringing her outside in case the barking was due to needing to go to the bathroom. She didn’t… instead she took the opportunity to bite the leash and try to get me to pull it. She was spinning around like a wild woman. I couldn’t drop the leash and let her run off in the dark and I couldn’t get her to calm down either. So, it was back to the crate, hoping for the best (that she didn’t really have to go) and tuning out her barking until she fell asleep. Needless to say, a let a few choice words fly and I was not too pleased with this late night habit. Two nights in a row, she was out of control at night and didn’t want to go to bed.

Then… there are times when she’s so cuddly and kissy… my favorite Bella! It’s always an adventure that’s for sure. And, just so there’s no mistaking it: I love that little girl sooo much!

Technorati Tags: Bella, puppy, Chihuhua, Puppy+Tales, Cherry+Eye, leash

I haven’t had much time online lately because I’ve been busy with Bella but I did pick some themes for my blogs. I’m just waiting on some artwork from a friend and a whole redesign of this one when Nico can get to it. Time is running out before Training Camp starts so I really don’t have much time to finish up the “geek stuff”.

I had to cancel my Friday trip to Block Island for some fun in the sun and music because of the pain that I’ve been having for quite some time after running. … It was so bad this week that I could barely walk. I was able to get an appointment with the doctor and he said that it was all due to my back being misaligned and my pelvis being completely locked up. He did an adjustment, gave me some PT exercises to do and told me not to run until after I was completely healed. I see him again next week.

Bella’s been doing well but has me in tears the past couple of days. The other night, I put her in her crate when I went pick Jake up from a friend’s house and when I got home, there was something wrong with her eye. She apparently had been rubbing it or scratched it with her paw and the 3rd eyelid was sticking out. Naturally, I Googled and to my horror, started reading about Cherry Eye. Hoping for the best and that I was just over-reacting, I snuggled with her most of that night but couldn’t stop crying. She awoke back to normal so I was relieved.

Yesterday, (Friday) in the afternoon, she kept rubbing her eye with her paw and also rubbing her face in the grass. Sure enough, it popped out again. I called the vet and they took us right in. She looked at her and said that it was the start of cherry eye and that her eyes were irritated and had the start of an infection so that’s probably why she was rubbing it. She prescribed an antibiotic/steroid ointment for me to put in twice a day. She said that it was the first step to clear the infection and hopefully strengthen the cartilage of the 3rd eyelid to prevent it from flipping over again. I administered the ointment.. (that was fun…NOT) and she napped on me for about 45 minutes. When she woke up, the eye was back to normal.

Today, it was fine until around 4:00 when she was rubbing it against the side of her little play bed and sure enough, it happened again. As of right now, 9:00, it’s still protruding… sigh… I feel so bad and I’m praying that it not only pops back in but it also heals and strengthens so that it doesn’t continue to happen and require surgery. Even the results of surgery are iffy according to the vet.

So, the rollercoaster ride is on taking me from happiness, to sadness, to relief and back again. As a good friend so wisely said the other day… “Welcome to parenthood.”

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Bella puppy Chihuahua Cherry+Eye