Indestructible

Our other Christmas drama had to do with our pug, Duncan. Our family does a kind of potluck-style dinner when we all get together. It's great, everyone brings something so no one gets stuck having to cook everything all day. For Christmas we were responsible for the turkey and the bread.

I actually really love making bread. It's such a process, but I think it's so fun. I decided to make a braided Challah loaf. I mixed everything together, kneaded the dough and set it by a baseboard heater upstairs (behind a closed door where it could get nice and warm). Punched it down and let it rise again. Punched it down and rolled it out into four pieces, then braided them together. Then I put the braided dough back to rise a final time...and apparently didn't close the door all the way. Next thing I know the stupid pug has eaten almost half of the raw bread dough. Grrr! My beautiful bread was ruined!

I actually didn't think much of it at the time, other than being mad Duncan ruined my bread and also mad because he's so stupid (he really is, he'll eat anything). I figured he would have a belly ache, probably throw up, or have diarrhea (or both) and that would be it. So out into his kennel he went.

The next morning, after Todd fed him and went to work, I noticed he threw up his food. This didn't really surprise me much. What bothered me was the fact that the poor dog was tripping over his own two feet, stumbling around the house, literally walking into things. Then I noticed that my normally svelte pug had quite the round little tummy. It hit me like a ton of bricks...FRICK! The dough kept rising IN HIS STOMACH! Then for the second ton of bricks...DOUBLE FRICK! The yeast fermented, and he is drunk!!!

I immediately got on the phone with Diamond Animal Hospital (not our normal vet, but they have a 24 hour emergency room there). They said I needed to bring him in right away to be seen because the alcohol poisoning can be toxic to a dog. Ugh. Great. I had just gotten Mason down for his nap, so my aunt was kind enough to come over to the house while I took Duncan to the vet.

The moment we walked into the vet office they took us straight back (there were probably 5 people in the waiting room ahead of us). The vet did a couple x-rays of Duncan's abdomen to see if he was passing the dough or not.

For those of you reading this that work in x-ray, I'm sure your jaw just dropped (like mine did, too). For those of you who don't work in x-ray, Duncan's stomach is the huge thing taking up most of his abdomen. Basically, the picture on the top is like you were looking at him laying on his back. The black at the top is his lungs (air), the white in the middle of that is his heart. Just below this on your right (Duncan's left) is a huge oval shaped fuzzy thing...that would be his stomach full of raw bread dough.

So, this explains why his stomach was so distended. The problem here is because his stomach was so huge, it shifted all his other abdominal organs out of place, making it hard to tell what is what. Based on these pictures, the vet couldn't say with certainty that Duncan hadn't perforated, or ruptured, his stomach. He suggested going into surgery immediately...which I was not a fan of at all. He decided to do an ultrasound first to try to confirm what was going on, which luckily showed Duncan hadn't ruptured anything. So now we could try to get him to throw up this mass of dough, which I am so thankful he did. The other option was to go in surgically and get it. Again, not a fan of that option at all.

Story over, right? Wrong. Tuesday I had to take Duncan to our normal vet to have his liver enzymes checked. Because of the alcohol poisoning he had we had to make sure he didn't do damage to his liver. Our vet called us last night with his blood results. His enzymes are a little elevated, and his electrolytes are slightly out of range, but judging on the weekend the poor guy had, it wasn't anything too shocking. Hopefully the enzymes are just up right now from having to metabolize all that alcohol and will go back down, but we won't know for sure until we recheck them in 6 months.

As for Duncan, since the moment he threw up he has been acting like nothing ever happened. This dog is seriously retarded, but I love him. I can't help but wonder, though, how many lives a dog gets. They always talk about cats having 9 lives, but no one says this about dogs. Whatever the case is, this dog is going through them pretty quickly. 

Thank you, Santa!

Christmas was an overall success. Being that Mason just turned two, goes to a Jewish daycare, and has fairly non-religious parents, I was amazed that he even knew who Santa was at all...but, of course, he knows. Or at least knows enough to count. The week before Christmas, Todd and I took Mason to see Santa at the Sears Mall (he is apparently the best Santa in town). The whole way there all Mason could talk about was Santa this and Santa that...and of course when we get there Santa is feeding his freaking reindeer. So we walked around the Sears Mall for 20 minutes or so to waste time before Santa came back.

Mason surprised us all. I really thought he would be the typical two year old that is so excited and then bursts into tears the moment he sees Santa. There was a moment of hesitation as we walked up to sit on his lap, but that was soon over and Mason chatted the poor man up like they were old friends. Up til this point, all Mason could talk about has been trains...but ask Santa for a train? No...that would be too simple. He asks for a dump truck.

I know exactly the dump truck he wants, even though he isn't old enough to verbalize it. For his birthday his great-grandparents gave him a Lego Duplo set that has a mixer and a loader with this crane thing...and there is a picture with it of the dump truck that you can buy separately. This is the dump truck of which he speaks...and it is also the dump truck that is no where to be found in Anchorage. So, being the good mother I am, I immediately get online and order it with express shipping.

I just couldn't have his first Christmas asking Santa for something turn out to be a bust. I promised Todd, and myself, that this wouldn't happen every year. But how can I say no to this face?

Christmas Eve Todd had to work, so after I put Mason to bed I set up the stockings. Along with the dump truck, Santa also brought Mason Tidmouth Sheds (Thomas the Tank Engine's home) and some train tracks. Let me tell you, setting up those tracks was a pain in the ass! I am by no means and engineer, and I just kept growing more and more frustrated! I did manage to get them together in a decent pattern eventually and off to bed I went. I think it turned out ok...

Christmas morning we went to my parent's house and had breakfast and Mason opened his gifts from the family. Then we came home to see if Santa had come to the house. Oh my goodness, was that kid excited! I'm surprised he went down for a nap as easy as he did! Christmas dinner was at our house, which was fun and also worked out perfect for Mason, who was able to play with and show off all his new toys.

The next day Mason was still so excited about Santa and all his new toys. He went around to every piece of track saying "Santa bring this, Santa bring this". Then he went over to the window and screamed as loud as he could "THANK YOU, SANTA!"

New Toy

I convinced Todd a couple weeks ago that we needed to buy a new camera. We've had a pretty basic point and shoot digital for a while now, and I have been growing increasingly frustrated with it. It just isn't fast enough to catch our very active 2 year old.

Todd and I shop for things very differently. Todd does a lot of research, goes back and forth, price checks, asks people he knows...you get the picture. I am a little more impulsive, once I decide I want something I generally just go get it. But this time I tried to be a little more like Todd, especially since I don't know much about cameras. I didn't go quite as in depth as Todd normally does, but for me, I did quite a bit of research.

I decided on the Canon EOS Rebel T1i. We haven't had it long, but I LOVE this camera!!! It does everything I want it to and so much more. I couldn't be happier and now I can capture all these wonderful times we're having with Mason.

Garage Fun

Last night I decided to pull my car out of my garage, turn the heat up, and let Mason ride his bike around. This turned into over an hour of bike riding, coloring with sidewalk chalk, dancing, and trying out his new 4-wheeler that his great-Nana got him for his birthday. Mason had so much fun, and Todd and I were so glad that it was something active! I'm really hoping the weather warms up again soon. This is getting miserable!

Helping Daddy move my car out of the garage

Ready to ride

What a happy boy. I just love that face!

Concentrating very hard here driving the new 4-wheeler

Having a blast!

Winter smiles

It has been really cold in Anchorage lately (welcome to winter in Alaska, right?). Mason's daycare can't play outside until it is at least 20 degrees, which hasn't happened in weeks! Needless to say we've all been getting a little stir crazy. We've been spending more time at the "inside playground" and at the "book story" which are Mason's words for Arctic Playgroundz and Barnes and Noble. But like all true Alaskans, sometimes you just have to bundle up and go outside to play...even if it only lasts for about 15 minutes before you're frozen!

Bundled up and ready to go

Didn't make it further than the front yard, but it was still a blast

It has been too cold to actually snow much lately (yes, it can be too cold to snow) but we made our own by throwing the snow up into the air. It was fun as long as it didn't actually land on Mason...then he got a little pissed. Throw on Mama or on Daddy? Awesome fun.