Up and Update

Thank you everyone who has called to check on Liberty! She is quite special to us, and it's nice to know people have been thinking about her! She's definitely still not 100%, but she has shown great improvement in lots of areas. I took these pics with my cell phone after her doctor appointment Monday morning.

Believe it or not, this is a big improvement! I took her with me to take care of the horses, and she was very interested in what was going on outside the truck. I think she was mostly just bummed that she wasn't outside with me.

I gave in and decided to see if she wanted to go on a short walk.
She was thrilled!
She still seems to tire easily, but she had a spring in her step and her tail up again.


She even mustered the strength to pull herself up to look out the window as we were driving away.
***
Long story short, we still don't know why she got so sick. It's very possible that she just got some sort of weird infection that the antibiotics are treating. Or she could still have an autoimmune disorder...but for most of those, the meds she is on should not be having any effect on that. Basically, we are just continuing with her original course of treatment and seeing how she does. She still seems a little off, but does not appear to be in any real pain. Right now, she's bright-eyed, alert, interested in her surroundings, and eating (voraciously)!
I'll take it...with thankfulness!

A Long Weekend

Poor Libbers has had such a tough weekend. It started midday on Friday, with the kids asking why Liberty was walking around with her tail tucked. I assumed her glands needed to be expressed, and didn't think anything about it. But by 4AM Saturday, it was clear that something was very wrong. Not only was her tail tucked drastically, but she was quivering, whining, very painful in her mouth, and refusing to eat or even move. I called the on-call after hours vet, thinking she may have something urgent like an obstruction or appendicitis. They didn't think so, so I made an appointment for her first thing in the morning. After an extensive but inconclusive exam, we returned home with pain meds, antibiotics, and a wormer just in case.

This morning, she appeared to be even more listless and acutely painful. So we spent most of the day at the local animal ER getting x-rays and fluids, and undergoing muscular-skeletal and neurological tests.

At this point her diagnosis is uncertain. But the doctors are leaning toward a possible tick-borne illness (Lime Disease, Rocky Mtn. Spotted Fever) or an autoimmune disorder (polymyocytis) brought on by who knows what. She goes back to the vet in the morning to reassess and decide how to treat her from here.

The way she appears in this photo is actually a notable improvement from how she was. She ate dinner tonight, and is now resting somewhat comfortably...which is such a blessing! It's so hard to see her in pain and not be able explain or to help!

The IV meds and sedation she underwent today did seem to help break the pain cycle for her a bit. Plus, she is blanketed in the sweet prayers of 4 of her 5 pint-sized masters...and I don't doubt that that has to help too!

We love you Libber-mixers!

You are the very best dog ever!

Get well soon sweet girl!!!

Helpin' Out Mom

I have been on the hunt for good places around town to take pictures. And with a shoot for a friend coming up this weekend, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to go on a little work/play outing with the kids this evening.

They were buzzing with excitement before we even got out of the truck.

"Nature walks" are totally their style!

Princess A cried for most of the drive up. But once she was in the stroller she was mesmerized by the trees and the scenery...completely content the whole time.

They were super excited upon the discovery of this small waterfall!
And they would all jump in front of each other to get their pictures taken,
so that works out well for me.


Of course, it's easiest with the oldest three if testing lighting and adjusting settings is involved.
Biggest Brother, Younger Brother, and Big Sis were happy to serve as my assistants.

Oh...this one was Little Sis though. :)

If I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure she punched him in the thigh immediately following this pose.

You may have to click on the picture to see their faces and really get the full effect of this one!

:)

Thanks for your help guys!

You're my favorite assistants, hands down.

Mommy's Girl

I'm sure everyone who knows me, or has followed this blog for a while, knows well the bond that I had with my late childhood horse, "Sugar." For the newcomers out there (Thanks for the follow!)...check out, Makin' Good on a Promise.

Unfortunately, I had to put Sug down about a week before my birthday last year.
So for my birthday, J had a handbag custom-made for me in her honor. And this year for Big Sis's birthday, he had an exact miniature replica custom-made for her!

I have to say, it warmed my heart to see her running around yesterday, barefoot, in her little earthy dress, with her "Sugar purse" across her shoulder.

:)

I had a couple of people request a picture, so here you have it!

***

In related news, I am still working on going through last weekend's b-day pics and getting them posted.
Sorry MVH...yes, I am very particular. :)

Playing Dirty

This is what happens when you play baseball with a tennis ball and your scrappy little brother, who rolls the ball in a mud puddle and then pitches "at" you instead of to you!

He looks remorseful doesn't he?!!
(Oh, and yes, they did switch positions. And Biggest Brother did make sure to return the favor!)

"So Long Three" meets "Hello Four"

Well, I've decided it's an irrefutable fact that grown-ups and children see birthdays just a little bit differently (well, this grown-up anyway)...

Thinking back to Mommies vs Milestones, it's hard to believe another year has flown by already!

And here we are again...Birthday Eve.

Big Sis hasn't changed a bit. Yes, she has gotten bigger, and more mature. But she is still just as sweet, and innocent, and full of wonder as she was at this time last year.

I am so proud of the person that she is!

She did such a great job today...being truly thankful and appreciating every gift she was given and every person that came to see her!

She is just such a kind-hearted, grateful, bubbly child...and I just love her more than I could ever describe!

She was all proudly decked out in new clothes, and dress-up shoes, and jewelry this evening. So I took her out front to get a picture that captures, well...her!

And as she wowed me with her ability to outrun me in her new purple plastic high heels, I got just that!

And this (above) is how Mommy sees Birthday Eve.

Big Sis, on the other hand, would probably have chosen this picture to describe her birthday experience...

I call it, "Birthday Princess on a Lawn Chair Throne!"

:)

Happy Happy Birthday My Sweet Girl!!!

Swinging Lessons

Little Sis has really been blossoming into a big girl lately. She's talking so well, really getting into imaginative play, and trying new things. She's always been afraid of swings...even baby swings. But as all of the kids were outside playing, I saw her walk over to the swing and stare at it contemplatively.

And then...

Younger Brother took notice of her brave move,

and decided to help her out with a push.

"Whoa mom! Look at [Little Sis}!"

Big Sis had to get in on the action too.

And neither one of them wanted Princess A to be left out of the fun!

So Little Sis paid it forward and decided to help out Princess A with a push.

Younger Brother took a break to do what Younger Brother does best.

And Biggest Brother always aims to impress.

And to think, all this fun started with one big step by one tiny girl.