Wordless Wednesday: Sleep

A typical evening with H&M

We're going to a Giants game after work, so it's going to be a late night tonight.  I can't wait to sleep already.

I'm a Bad Mama

Coming home after a very long (but fun!) day at my cousin's baby shower, I just wanted to snuggle with my two favorite bullies, H&M.

Harry was occupied with a toy on the opposite side of the room, so I only had Marv to pet and hug.

After about 5 minutes of petting him and telling him about the party (Marv's a good listener), he went to play with his brother.

I looked down at my hand and was shocked for weeks at what I saw (pardon my wrinkly and pudgy fingers):

iphone pic

It's been a while since we last bathed our puppies, but I didn't realize they had gotten that bad!

Oh, did I mention I spilled maple syrup all over Harry the other day, too?  Oops.

I did my best to clean him with a wet paper towel, but he wouldn't sit still and Marv kept licking him!  I thought it was all but, but even after a week you could still see a faint brown streak across the white parts of his fur.

I felt like such a bad mama!

Well, we promptly drew up baths for them because I'm sure they didn't like being covered in all that filth!

iphone pic

Much better :)

Cute Dogs, Bad Wife.

Matthew bought me a new toy!!! 

Marv

Harry

Marv, Matthew, & Harry

No... we've had the puppies for a while now.  He got me a new camera for our anniversary (since I stupidly lost our point and shoot camera last month):

What did I get him? A very long hug and a kiss on the cheek.  Yeah... I thought we discussed not giving presents to each other this year, but that cute guy you see up there getting licked by two even cuter bulldogs didn't seem to be paying attention during our conversation and went out and got me something anyway.  I feel like a crappy wife who never cooks or cleans and apparently never buys presents for special occasions either... did I mention he had roses delivered to me at work last Friday, too?!  See.  Bad wife.  I guess I just need to make up for it on Christmas this year since his birthday already passed and I didn't get him a present for that either!

Anyway, I still pretty much have no idea what I'm doing with the camera, but I'm having a lot of fun learning.  I'm thinking about taking a class... but I don't want to embarrass myself in front of other people with my weak shots and will probably do better searching for YouTube video tutorials and watching them in my pajamas at home.  Be prepared to see lots more gratuitous pictures of H&M along with zoomed-in photos of random objects around the house while I learn how to use this thing. 

Does anyone know of any good online resources for photography n00bs? If so, I'd love to hear them!

Don't Blink

December 2009

....You just might miss your babies growing like mine did! (Points if you know which song that line comes from)

I was browsing through the picture folders on my laptop last night and came across what has got to be my favorite picture of H&M.  It was taken just a couple of days after we took them home, while they were still learning and taking in their new environment.  It was so cute watching them as they got used to the feeling of cement underneath their paws, only to be shocked when they stepped off the pavement onto the newly put in lawn.  They maneuvered cautiously at first, sniffing everything in site, but soon felt comfortable enough to run around and chase each other.  It seemed to take them forever to get from one end of the turf to the other.  They were my tiny 8 lb babies.

7 months and 45 lbs later, H&M strut around the backyard like they're kings.  They like to sunbathe and chew on sprinkler heads.  They take "treasures" they find from the garage and hide them in different corners of the yard.  It only takes a few strides for them to reach the other side of the lawn. They're still my babies, but they're my BIG babies now. :)

July 2010 - After a long day of playing in the sun

Friday Foto: Harvy

My mom is funny. Not in the she-tells-great-jokes kind of way... She immigrated to the United States about 30 years ago from the Philippines and can speak English fluently but still has a slight accent. Sometimes the fob in her will come out and she'll say or do things like this:

[Mom and I are driving on the freeway when all of a sudden, someone cuts her off causing us to swerve and almost hit the car in the other lane] Mom: Look at dat stupid guy! He almost hit us! Me: I know! What a jerk! Mom: I hate him [she makes the "thumbs up" gesture with her hand and pumps it in the air for the car in front to see] Me: What are you doing? Mom: I'm showing him how angry he made me! Me: [laughing] Umm.. no you're not! You're telling him "good job"! You're supposed to use your MIDDLE finger if you want him to know you don't like him.

See? She's funny. I love her.

Also, she can never tell our two dogs, Harry and Marv, apart. They have distinct looks, but no matter how many times we tell her who's who, she never gets it right and more often than not, she refers to Harry as "Harvy" - unintentionally combining the two names.

I kinda like it. Instead of H&M, I might start using "Harvy" to refer to both our little bullies:

iPhone pic

H&M's Favorite Chew Toys

I think H&M have been bored at the house lately. Since they cannot be fully trusted to stay inside the house without supervision for 12 hours while we are at work, we have a nice area set up for them in the garage. There's a doggy door to the backyard, so they go in and out throughout the day as they please. We make sure to provide them with plenty of toys to play with but for some reason, they like to chew on the dry wall and rummage through the donation boxes we have in the garage to find "new toys" to chew and destroy:

Bad doggies. 

It's fine since those shoes were going to be donated anyway... I guess H&M love high heels just as much as their mommy*!!!

*I don't chew on heels, of course... I just wear them :)

The Wet Bandits

source

Have you ever seen the movie Home Alone? If you answered "no", open a new browser window, sign up for a Netflix account, and rent it now. It's the best. The movie made Macaulay Culkin every 10-year-old boy's super hero. I'm sure parents around the world came home to booby traps planted around the house for months after that movie came out. I know Matthew's parents did. He was the king of pranks (just ask his siblings) and still is to this day!

Home Alone is played every year on Christmas at our family gatherings. Matthew can quote practically every line from that movie. I can't because I'm horrible at being funny, even if I'm saying someone else's lines.

Anyway, the villains in the movie are named Harry and Marv. Sound familiar? Yup! Our little bulldogs are named after the "Wet Bandits".

Harry, played by Joe Pesci in the movies, is the shorter and more stout of the two. He is also the boss and dictates what the duo will do next.

Marv, played by Daniel Stern, is the taller and more goofy one. He just does whatever Harry tells him to do.

I don't think their personalities match 100%, but I do think they resemble their namesake pretty well... What do you think?

source

My Boys

The other night after a lovely dinner (Burmese food is the bomb!) with equally lovely girlfriends, I came home to this:

That's Matthew and Marv taking a little snooze while waiting for me to get home.

Harry was on the other side of the room sleeping, as well... He doesn't like to cuddle. I think it makes him too hot. Or maybe he thinks Matthew stinks. Ha.

I didn't like that Harry was left out of the picture, so I woke the hubs up and made him and Marv move to Harry's location for a photo op:

Ahhh.. much better.

Check out Marv's pose... makes him look like an alligator, no? He's funny and likes to sleep like that sometimes.

Aren't they cute?

Happy Monday - H&M Moment

Harry and Marv love watching Dog Whisperer.

When they are being overly playful or loud and we want them to calm down just for a few minutes we can do one of two things:

- Give them a rawhide bone... This will keep them busy for at least 30 minutes

- Turn on the Dog Whisperer.

One time, Matthew teasingly went up to the TV and pretended to pet the dog on the screen. H&M were jealous of the attention they weren't getting from their papa, so they ran up to the TV to barked at the dog - hahahhaaha! It was too cute. Too bad I didn't get footage of that...

Harry's Tale

(Get it?! Tale... Tail? hehehehe. I feel like Carrie from SATC with my pun...)

Harry (L) & Marv (R) - 8 weeks old

I told you briefly about Harry's tail amputation in an earlier post, but here's the full story, in case anyone else out there ever has to go through this situation and make the tough decision of getting your dog's tail amputated:

Harry (L) Marv (R)

As with most other breeds, English Bulldog tails come in many different shapes and sizes. Ideally, they should have a straight spiked tail, that can be easily lifted away from the body. However, most bulldogs have screw tails - and sometimes even inverted tails - which creates a pocket underneath the tail. It is very important to keep this pocket clean and dry, to avoid bacteria growth and infection.

An example of a Spike Tail source

A few days after we had given Harry and Marv a bath, Harry started behaving very strangely. The four of us were sitting on the floor watching tv, when Harry abruptly got up and ran behind the couch then to the corner of the room, as if to hide from the rest of us. The next morning during breakfast, we noticed he was spinning around trying to lick his bum and ran away from us when we tried to itch the spot he was going after. We also noticed a yeasty smell coming from his anal region, however, we didn't think too much of it and thought he just needed his anal glands expressed.

I heart Google. I swear, I have learned so much from that search engine that I could probably have a thousand degrees in the different topics I've searched for and read articles about. That day, I went online and searched "bulldog itchy tail" and found a myriad of blogs, forums, articles, from owners who've experienced the same problem.

Then, I came across this and got really scared. This person's bulldog was acting exactly the same way as Harry was and in their case, the bulldog had a tail infection and their doctor recommended tail amputation!!! It sounded like such a painful and dangerous procedure. After a little more googling, I learned that one of the risks of a tail amputation could be paralysis since the tail is attached to the end of the spine (or something like that.. I don't know. I'm neither a veterinarian nor an expert on this subject).

Poor Harry! I wouldn't want to put him in that kind of risk if avoidable.

So, we took him to the vet to see if he really did have an infection, but at that point, all signs pointed to 'yes'. The doctor confirmed our diagnosis and sent us home with antibiotics and an ointment in tote. I told him about what I'd read online and asked him if he thought Harry would need an amputation. The doc said Harry's tail pocket is a lot tighter than Marv's, so the chances of him getting another infection are very high, but he did not want to recommend anything as he did not specialize in bulldogs. He instead referred us to another doctor in a nearby town who worked with bulldogs on a daily basis - Dr. Barney.

Harry recovered from the infection after a week or so, and was his normal jovial self in no time. However, seeing him lethargic and super uncomfortable the whole week before, really made me consider the option of tail amputation. It bothered him to use the bathroom and sit on his butt while he was still infected, and I hated that I could not do a thing to comfort his pain. I felt like such a bad mommy for letting this even happen to one of our babies.

A few weeks went by and Harry did not have any more issues with his tail. Matthew and I made extra sure to keep his tail pocket dry and cleaned it every night, even though he would wriggle and squirm each time we came after him with the wipe. We thought we were in the clear and that the infection was a one-time thing, but we also noticed that his tail pocket was becoming increasingly more difficult to get into because of how tight it was to his body. Eventually, it was becoming almost painful for Harry when we would try to reach in and clean it.

Harry and Marv were reaching their 6-month birthday soon, so that meant they would need to get neutered. Since they would be already under anesthesia, it would be a good time to schedule a tail amputation, if we decided to do it for Harry. We read all the pros and cons and came to the conclusion that we WOULD go along with the procedure if Dr. Barney agreed that it would lead to a better quality of life for Harry. We scheduled a consultation with Dr. Barney the morning of their neutering appointment, since he said he would be able to quickly assess the situation. Matthew took H&M to the appointment since I could not get out of work that day. That meant, I could not be there when Dr. Barney gave his recommendation and would not be able to change my mind about the whole thing if he agreed Harry should get his tail chopped off. That scared me a little, but I knew and trusted Matthew would do the right thing.

Long story short (if you can consider this post 'short'), Harry did get his tail amputated -- but only partially. He still has a little tiny nub so he can feel like a "complete" dog, but he no longer has a tail pocket where bacteria can grow.

Would you believe if I said the whole procedure didn't hurt one bit? I know, I wouldn't believe it either. But after just one day of being tired and groggy from all the drugs, both Marv AND Harry were back to normal. It was as if they didn't just get their balls sucked out and tail chopped off (sorry for the crude language)! Luckily, they didn't have to wear those cones because of the type of glue the doctor used. They were just given a few pain meds, just in case (which we administered, even though we didn't think they needed them). Harry just had to take some antibiotics to avoid infection from the surgery. There were no changes in any of their attitudes and behavior post-surgery. Well done, Dr. Barney. Well done.

Marv (L) Harry (R) - A little groggy, but seemingly pain-free

Oh, wait -- I guess there's one little minor thing that's different with Harry - temporarily, at least. Since they had to operate on his back side, they needed to shave the area around his tail. So for the past month, he's had a 4"x5" patch with no hair! His hair is now starting to grow back very slowly. Luckily, he's not as vain as his mother and doesn't mind (and probably doesn't even know) that he's missing something:

Marv (left) & Harry (right) with his patch of missing hair

I'm really happy that Matthew and I agreed to the tail amputation. Harry doesn't have to worry about being itchy back there and getting poop stuck behind his tail anymore. Look at how happy his is now:

Harry, a few weeks after surgery. Don't mind the jeans on the ground. Harry was just trying them on :)

Hope this helps anyone who has to go through the same situation. Just know that all dogs are different and tail amputation may not be the right choice for every bulldog. There are plenty of resources online if you want to read up on it, but most importantly, you should consult with your veterinarian to do what's right for your bully.

All pictures taken by me, SIL M or Matthew unless otherwise noted

I Need a Time Turner

source

Ever have one of those weeks?

You know, the ones where the 8 hours at work fly by even though you've only completed a fraction of the tasks you were delegated, where traffic just does not want to cooperate and you are either stuck behind the grandpa who decided it would be fun to drive 55 MPH in the fast lane or maneuvering through the streets of SF at rush hour waiting 3 green lights before your car gets to move 10 feet, where you get home waaay too late and only have 30 minutes to play with your beloved bulldogs who diligently waited 15 hours for you to get home, JUST to go to bed and complete the same routine over again? Then all of a sudden, it’s Thursday and you have no idea where the time went.

I mean, seriously. Having been born and raised in the Bay Area, I know how insanely frustrating rush hour traffic can be. My commute to work is pretty long on a normal day, but tack on the thousands of other commuters driving the same direction, it can take almost 2.5 hours to get to my hometown! Usually, when summer rolls around traffic dies down a little – probably because school is out and families are off vacationing – but we’re in June and traffic is not improving. In fact, it feels like it has gotten worse. Boo.

On Sunday, I made a mental list of all the things I want to accomplish this week. I have 11 things on the list. I’ve accomplished 0 – well, maybe 1, but I’m really just partially done, so I don’t want to count that.

I need a time turner.

Not familiar? Hermione Granger, from the Harry Potter series fame, receives one of those in the Prisoner of Azkaban novel and uses it to attend more classes than time would normally allow (among other reasons). She can rewind time so she can do multiple things at once. How cool would that be?

I’m just happy that tomorrow is Friday. We have Friday night all to ourselves and I plan to take full advantage of that. I’m thinking a fancy-shmancy dinner somewhere and maybe a movie (the last movie we saw together was The Blind Side.. it’s been that long).

I hope time cooperates with me next week…

Otherwise, I'll be seeing these puppy dog faces again and I can't bear feeling more guilt:

"We love you. Why you come home so late?"

The Cast of My Life

Meet Matthew. He's my handsome hubby of 10 months and my partner in crime for the past 9 years. Though you probably wouldn't guess it from this picture, he is super funny. As in, I can be so throbbingly angry at him for something, but as soon as he throws out one of his witty one-liners, he'll have me rolling on the floor laughing in seconds. It's pretty irritating actually. Funny aside, he's also hecka smart and the most logical thinking person I know. He'll never overreact about something -- unless it's regarding his collection obsession of the month. He's an avid collector (I really don't get it), and has collected everything from stamps to comics to mini football helmets. He's truly my better half and I would not be a fraction of happy as I am now without him.


This is Marv. He's one of our English Bulldogs. He likes to chew on sticks and ruin his mommy's newly purchased shoes (he doesn't care about the old worn out ones). Marv likes to cuddle and lick you if you have lotion on. He's cute and likes to sneak upstairs when we're not watching, then leaves his mommy and daddy a little surprise on the clothes they left on the ground. I love him.



This is Harry. He and Marv are littermates, and Harry likes to run the show. He doesn't sleep as much as his brother, but he certainly eats more! Harry enjoys treats and watching the Dog Whisperer on tv. He had to have his tail amputated recently (more on that later), but he is such a trooper and never complained once! Though he doesn't like to cuddle, he likes to lick your face and sit by your feet. He's precious.

Then there's me. I like to sing loudly, especially the high notes I only sometimes can hit. I like to watch mindless tv while eating baked lays (so I can pretend I'm being healthy). I tell people I'm a "runner", when really I just run as needed -- you know, when my jeans don't fit (which, by the way, is now, but I really don't want to get on the treadmill again). I love looking at beautiful wedding blogs even though my wedding was 10 months ago and reading motherhood blogs even though we don't have a baby. I like to design things but only have Photoshop 7.0 (I know.. old school). I want to learn how to cook but never have the ingredients I need to make anything good. I love my family and friends and hope to make new friends on this new platform.