Memorial Day

Each year since Anna was born, we take her to our town's Memorial Day Parade. Here are pictures from each year. The girl still has no hair!

Our Little Jailbird

Here is Chloe on Saturday. One more week to go Chloe and then you can come out for five minutes each day girl!

Another Update

So sorry, this blog has been so slow in new updates. Things have continued to be busy, and then our computer died so we were without it for a few weeks. Things are going well. Unfortunately, Chloe is still on crate rest 24/7. She has another two weeks to go and then we can start slowly easing her out over a four week period. She doesn't seem to be in any pain, just stiff in the mornings. Her gait is back to normal and she seems fairly happy -as happy as can be expected while you're in jail! Anna is doing well. She is officially two years and nine months today. I've been doing some subbing at the school I used to teach at full time before having her. Grandpa Dorgan has been very graciously watching her and its been fun watching the whole experience. To give you an example, I called home on my first day to see how things were going. His response was "You didn't tell me I had to lock the bathroom door when I needed to use it, we just had our first major catastrophe!". He has been WONDERFUL though and Anna really enjoys their time together. I've signed her up for nursery school in the fall and I will be teaching the other nursery school class in the center. This should be interesting as I'll be depending on a three year old to get out the door by 8:20 in the morning! We are excited though. Other than that, not much else is new. Ronnie accepted a highschool art teaching position that will start in the fall as well. He's been getting his classroom ready and brushing up on sculpture, jewlery making, and digital photography. Here are some more recent pictures.

Whitehead Update

Whitehead Update I'm sorry that it has been so long since our last post. I can't really say things have been busier than usual here but I do feel like I haven't had time to sit down and catch up. I'm sad to report that we are still struggling with Chloe's back issues. Its been five weeks since the episode began and she is still in pain. We have her on pain medication and joint supplements and although the pain meds help a lot, as soon as we stop them, she is miserable again. Apparently the meds are really bad for dogs so we can't have her take them long term. I'm also getting mixed messages regarding how to help her. Everyone online has the opinion that she should be crated for 4-6 weeks, 24/7 and can only come out to potty if she is carried. The two vets that saw her say strict exercise restriction but crating is not necessary. Its hard to keep a dog from jumping, running or getting excited but we are trying. Its horrible seeing her in pain like this and for so long. Please pray she gets better.Ron, Anna and I are doing well. We are excited the warm weather is finally here. In fact, the last few days hit 70 and we could leave the house without a coat! That is the best! We miss our deck so much now that the sun is out and shining but maybe we'll rebuild it in the fall. Oh, one piece of news...Ron interviewed for a high-school art position in his district and got the job! We are thrilled! He found out on Thursday. He'll have earlier hours but will also be done earlier in the day as well.Anna's big thing right now is the show Caillou on PBS. She loves the characters and it is funny to hear her quote them throughout the day. I mentioned to her that the weather was going to be warm today and she resonded with "That means we can ride bikes and climb trees!" Oh, she also mentioned to me the other day that her friend stayed over at our house for a couple of whiles. Too cute! Well, that's an update on us.

Update on Chloe

Well, we went for another vet visit and after looking at x-rays, the dr said surgery is not needed. Strict rest is......how do you tell that to a dog who has more energy than Anna? We have a crate and she spends a good portion of the day in there and is allowed out when supervised. She is on strict orders not to run, jump or play hard. The first week was not a problem as she wasn't interested in anything but laying down. Getting her to go out to the bathroom involved a jar of peanut butter. Today though I'm seeing some changes. Its the first time she's attempted to play with the love of her life, the ball. Life is good -till we get the vet bill!

Sad News

Last night we had to take our mini-dachshund to the emergency vet for a back injury. This is a very common condition in dachshunds but can be very serious. Many need surgery and become paralyzed in their back legs. It is very common to see these little hot dogs with carts similar to wheel chairs for their back legs. Fortunately, Chloe's injury is not that serious and if we care for her properly, she should return to normal. She is to be on strict crate rest for the next 2-3 weeks. The only time she is allowed out is to use the bathroom. No jumping, running or walks. This is going to be very hard because she is always on the go. Please keep her in your prayers. She has been in her bed all day and that is not like her at all. She didn't even come out to alert me that the UPS man had arrived.

James Wins Third Place!

Well, Ron just called. James won third place in NYS!!! They are very excited and will go to the award ceremony later tonight. Congratulations James and the Ossining Wrestling Team!!!