Bedtime and Updates

Grig’s appointment went well, I think. We don’t have any real news yet, and now we're going to be waiting for all the paperwork to be sent to the foster care office again, so who knows how long that will take.

Today he also got a piece of metal in his eye at work, and so he had to go and have that looked at. They were able to remove it, and it didn't seem very damaged.

We had an appointment today with our veterinarian, and Siff and Arkhon did super well. The vet was really impressed with their behavior, and she said they were in perfect physical condition...except for their teeth. So, I brushed their teeth tonight, and I’m going to try and continue to do so. We may also need to do a few more things to remove the plaque buildup. Arkhon especially has quite a bit.

Kevin is doing awesome. Last week, we were really beginning to feel defeated. He still ends up in our bed almost every night, and he probably shouldn't be doing that when the foster kids get here. He's also getting bigger, and I don't really like sleeping on the very edge of the bed every night.

However, it's hard to prevent because he always sneaks into our room after we're asleep, and so we don't notice he's in our bed until morning.

So, we were puzzling about what to do about this, when inspiration struck. If we wanted him to stop, he had to choose to stop. So, we decided he might need some incentive. We went online and picked out a set of toys for Kevin. He chose some PJ Mask figures. He really loves that show. For the first toy in the set, he had to earn it by sleeping in his own bed for three nights. For the next toy, he had to sleep in his bed for four nights, and so on. There are five toys total. by the end, he hopefully will have learned how to stay in his own bed.

So far, he's earned one toy. Then, he hit a few days where he couldn't do it again. Then, another idea struck me. I told him that if he wakes up in the middle of the night, that he should wake me up (instead of just climbing into our bed), and I would help him go back to his own bed. He seemed encouraged by that idea.

After I told him that, he slept (mostly) in his own bed last night, and I was pretty proud of him. More importantly, he was really pleased with himself too.

Hopefully it goes even better tonight.

Pain in the Neck

Yesterday, I woke up and realized that I had been sleeping funny.  I felt like I had a kink in my neck, and it was painful to move. 

I didn't get much done yesterday because it was hard to look down or sideways.  I managed to do the dishes, straighten up the house a bit, and do laundry, but that was about it.  I felt kind of awful. 

The vet came yesterday to give Dakota her yearly check-up.  She told me that my dog is in a lot of pain.  She's old, and her back legs sometimes shake.  I chalked it up to weakness, but she told me that was actually a sign of pain.  For as much pain as the doctor thinks she's in, she is awfully patient with the baby falling on her.  She's an excellent dog, and we're going to do what we can.

Grig came home shortly after the vet left, and he was very nice and heated a cloth for my neck.  By the time bed came around I was feeling better. 

Kevin wasn't sleeping well last night, so I didn't sleep well.  However, I was feeling better until at some point this morning, around 2:30 a.m., he dropped onto my chest.  It startled me and I jerked.  Pain shot through my neck and I gave a cry.  Grig quickly woke up and asked if everything was okay.  I told him what had happened, and I think we both dropped back to sleep after that. 

However, twenty minutes later, I was startled to consciousness by the feeling of pain in my neck growing.  The pressure was pretty painful and I started trying to roll onto my side to get off of it.  The only problem was....I couldn't move.  My labored breathing woke Grig up again, and he helped me sit up.  Shortly afterward I started to feel better, but he was concerned.  He told me maybe he should take the day off. 

I told him I was fine and we didn't have time for me to be incapacitated.  I was going to visit my parents today and watch my little brother perform in Sound of Music.  I told him I would be fine.  He didn't look very convinced.  However, after a warm towel on my neck and a relaxing bath, I do feel much better now. 

He still wants me to go to the chiropractor, but we'll see how I feel later.  I don't have much time today before I leave, so I only want to go if I absolutely need to.

I'm a bit stubborn at times, but I really am feeling better. 

Sometimes I exasperate my husband.  Whoops.