40 Weeks

What a shitty weekend. I'll start with the worst news which happened on Friday but actually started Thursday night.
Chloe and Kane were making their way up from the basement but, when Kane got to the stairs he didn't want to climb them. It was a baffling situation but after some treats and encouragement, Paul and I got him upstairs. The rest of the night was fine but in the morning Kane had a little trouble getting down the deck stairs and then he wouldn't come up. And this time there was no amount of treats or coaxing that would get him up. In the end, Paul had to walk him through the gate and in the side door. He struggled up the few steps leading into the kitchen and then wouldn't sit. We knew something was wrong and since Paul was leaving for work we'd have to take him to the emergency vet later on.

What happened was worse than we could have imagined. Soon after Paul left I tried to get Kane to sit, but he wouldn't. I got really worried and started to massage and feel around his back legs and spine. He didn't cry out in pain or give any sign that he was uncomfortable. I kept trying to get him to sit and this time he did but, halfway down his legs gave out and his but hit the pillow. He sat for a few seconds and then laid down. I scratched behind his ears, told him he was a good boy and started folding the laundry.

The two dogs slept side by side for hours, which is very normal. At 6:00pm the neighbour came home and that's the exact moment I knew something was very wrong. Both dogs perked up and started barking but, it was only Chloe that ran for the door. I went to Kane and spent the next 10 - 15 minutes trying to get him to stand, but of course he wouldn't. When I tried to move his back legs, it was just dead weight. It really freaked my out and I didn't know what to do. Paul called just then, wanting to know how Kane was doing. I explained everything and he got really worried too. I spent most of the evening on the floor with Kane but eventually got up to eat. I had only been gone for 10 minutes before he started whining. I tried feeding him his food but he wouldn't take it. I thought maybe he was tired of lying on that side so I got some treats and tried to get him to sit up. He did, but you could see it was a major struggle. I helped keep him steady and quickly shifted his back legs so he could lie on the other side of his body. He was calm until I finished dinner and then started to whine again. Paul was going to be home in 1.5 hours so I went back to the floor. I put his head in my lap and was scratching behind his ears. I gave him belly rubs and was talking to him most of the time. When Paul got home he looked Kane over and, as quickly as possible, got Kane into the backseat of the truck. We drove to the vet in brampton and hoped for the best. No such luck.

After a physical exam, a shot of morphine and x-rays, the vet told us the bad news. For some reason, the disc in one of Kane's vertebrae had moved out of place and it was pinching his spinal cord. Until this was corrected, he wouldn't have the use of his legs and even then, there was no guarantee that is was correctable. The three available options for us were:
1-Keep him on a mild dose of morphine. Confine him to a crate for 6-8 weeks so as not to disturb his vertebrae and hope the disc would go back. The problem with this was that he would be soiling his crate, and it was unlikely he would get better.
2-Have an MRI done to determine the exact reason behind the disc moving out and then operate to place it back in. There was also no guarantee that this would make things better and of course it would cost us anywhere between $5000 - $15000. That was money we didn't have.
3-Relieve his suffering and put him down.
I can tell you it wasn't an easy decision and because we were expecting our lil' bean at any moment, we really didn't have a choice. Sadly, Kane died on June 12 at 2:30am. As sad as it was, Paul & I knew it was the best we could have done for him.

And since this post is already so long I'll just make note of the other things that have happened.

I went to the Safety Superstore to buy my stroller but apparently the kiwi colour is a special order. So now my Peg Perego Pliko P3 is on it's way.

To keep our minds off of Kane's death, we went out to car dealerships to visually look at the SUV's we'd been searching on-line. It was fun and daunting at the same time. The good thing about it is that I think we've settled on buying a Honda CR-V.

The nursery is finally complete. Paul finished painting the doors and they have been hung. Everything looks really great.

I've started to have more back pain and it may be because the lil' bean is dropping more. Other than that, I'm still feeling pretty good. Getting a little impatient but what can I do. He'll come when he's ready.

And at 40 weeks there's not much to report about. My lil' bean should weigh about 7.5 pounds, the size of a small pumpkin. And he should be approximately 20 inches long. I'll just have to sit back and be patient.

29 Weeks

It's been 4 weeks since I last saw my midwife and from now on, I'll be seeing her every two weeks. At this weeks appointment we reviewed wether or not I wanted to have the gestational diabetes test. She went through the problems that may occur if it goes undetected and also made a note of mentioning that I didn't fall into any of the categories that put me at risk except for being over 25 years old. I also found out that Hamilton doesn't even recognize it as a proper screening test and doesn't test pregnant women. I told her I would think about it and she gave me a sheet to read so I could make the right decision for myself. After reading the info and thinking about it over the weekend, I think I'm going to have it done. Being aware of having gestational diabetes would prevent a lot of problems that could arise if it went untreated.

The visit continued with the usual blood pressure check, fundal height, external palpation and fetal heartbeat. My blood pressure is still nice & low. This along with lack of swelling and a good BMI keeps me in the clear for preeclampsia. My fundal height is measuring one week ahead, as before. Not a big deal as long as the measurement stays consistent. When the midwife checked the position of my lil' bean she had good news to share with us. He is now head down, but of course this could change in the next 11 weeks. She pointed out the head, spine, hands and feet. I of course had my suspisions that he had been in this position for a while now. It seems that all the movement I feel has been concentrated to one side of my belly. And now that she has confirmed the fact that he is head down, I can confidently say that he loves this spot. He hasn't really moved from this position and that's OK with me. The last thing I want is a breech baby.

Oh...I almost forgot. Paul & I also got an excellent surprise the same morning I had to see the midwife. It was about 9am when I heard Kane walking around, and it sounded like he had stuck his nose in the bathroom garbage, which he's not supposed to do. That's what really made me pay attention to him. He then walked into the office and didn't walk out. He likes to hide under my desk when he's scared so my first guess was that he had pulled some garbage out of the bathroom and was chewing on it in the office. I waited a few minutes to see if he would come out, but he didn't. I then got up and sure enough, he was hiding in the office. That's when I smelled it. A little confused and still half asleep I first thought he had farted, and I headed for the bathroom to see what he had done in there. Half way down the hallway I stopped dead in my tracks. It wasn't a fart I smelled. Right in front of the bathroom door was this puddle of mud, only it wasn't mud. I walked a little further and noticed another "mud puddle" in front of the toilet and on the wall tiles. My jaw dropped. As I peered around the corner and into the kitchen I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There was "mud puddles" everywhere. Kane had been lying in his bed and for some reason felt the need to have explosive diarrhea in the living room, kitchen, bathroom and hallway. It was all over the floor, rug, tablecloth, toilet & walls. I almost cried. I was about to start cleaning it up but I knew I couldn't do it by myself. I had to wake up Paul. He wasn't a happy camper. We started with paper towel and picked up as much of it as we could. I took the rug and tablecloth and put it in the washer. Then I got out the mop and washed the floors while Paul cleaned the doors, walls & toilette. I let the dogs out after that and opened all the windows. Our clothes went into the hamper and then we both needed a good shower. It took the two of us about an hour to clean up that mess. And as much as I wanted to go back to bed, it was off to the midwife's for our appointment. The house still stunk when we got back but at least Kane hadn't had another episode. I never want to experience that again.

And now that you've had a good laugh, at my expense, I can continue with other, more enjoyable happenings. Over the weekend Paul & I picked up the rest of the stuff for the closet. It's coming along nicely and I can hardly wait to see it done. I'll finally have all the storage space I need and hopefully things will be a little more organized in the house. Here's a few pics of the progress.

So all the framing, drywall and mudding is done. The doors have been hung and the trim added. Next weekends adgenda...the inside. I know we'll be busy with Easter, but Paul will surely squeeze in some time for it.

And on to my lil' bean. This week he weighs 2 1/2 pounds, about the same as a butternut squash, and is 15 inches long. His bones are fully developed but will stay malleable in order to get through the birth canal. His lungs are maturing along with his muscles and of course he is still gaining fat. His head is also getting bigger to accommodate his brain. Only 11 more weeks to grow!