I know none of you have asked, but I know that secretly all of you have been just wondering what on earth is going on with Ginger and her recovery from her hip surgery.  She is doing great.  Didn’t walk on the leg for about a month (even with with some serious painkillers).  Towards the end of February, she started using that leg periodically during the day.  Once she ran out of painkillers from the vet, she let off that leg again.  We worked it and moved it around, but she still just wouldn’t use it.  So I found some of her leftover arthritis pills (from just before the surgery), and gave those to her…after finishing those off (about a week’s worth), she started tentatively walking on that leg again.

By mid-March, she was walking on it pretty well, but would be hobbling by the end of a long day (i.e. weekends).  Then we watched our friends’ dog, Khali, a 40-something pound shepherd mix who Ginger ADORES!  I cannot hardly explain the love and excitement Ginger exudes every time we host Khali for a week.  While our dogs sleep in bed with us, we have Khali sleep on the floor (there’s just NO room for her, too).  Each morning once Justin and I first start talking to each other while still in bed (”get up!”  “turn off your friggin’ alarm!”), Khali would put her nose and a big ole paw on the bed…and Ginger would react like “OMIGAWWWD!  IT’S KHALI!  SHE’S HERE AGAIN!  MOMMA, DID YOU SEE?  IT’S KHALI!  OH I LOVE HER!  I GIVE HER KISSES!  HOLY CRAP SHE’S HERE AGAIN TODAY!”  It’s as if she has no memory of the night before of watching Khali forlornly laying down on her comfy bed on the floor.

So after spending a week running amok with Khali (while Maggie just pouted), Ginger was walking perfectly on that not-so-bum leg.  And most of the hair that was shaved in preparation of the surgery has grown back…except for this triangular patch on the top of her back.  So she essentially has this friar (monk?) hair growth on her butt.  We’re wondering if it’s ever going to grow back, since it’s now 2-1/2 months after the fact.  You might be able to see it in this video below (warning, this dog is very excited for no reason whatsoever…I’m not kidding):

After I spent way too long reading and commenting on blogs last night (darn you, you prolific blog writers…can hardly keep up with my uncontrollable urge to comment), I got to bed a little later than I wanted.  As I’m trying to doze off, I hear Ginger snoring softly…slightly annoying, but her snores are very quiet for a Boston Terrier and are easy to block out.

About two minutes later, Maggie starts snoring.  Now her snores are much louder and I have never been able to fall asleep to her snoring…in fact, I’d swear she was 30lbs larger because of how loud she can snore.  I’m annoyed because I can’t reach her with my foot to give her a good nudge.  And I’m annoyed because her snores are alternating with Ginger’s…

SNOOOOOORRREEE GURGLE SNORT

snooooorrreeee grumbly snort

SNOOOOOORRREEE GURGLE SNORT

snooooorrreeee grumbly snort

Then, for lots of fun and my utter enjoyment, Justin* starts in.  But his snore is a weird syncopated rhythm, presumably due to his allergies, or his innate and uncontrollable desire to drive me crazy, even while he’s unconscious.  And I can’t sleep through his snores either, since they’re RIGHT IN MY EAR!

SNOOOOOORRREEE GURGLE SNORT

snoooorrrreee                             sNOOOOORRRrrrtt 

snooooorrreeee grumbly snort

snoooorrrreee                             sNOOOOORRRrrrtt  snoooorrrreee

SNOOOOOORRREEE GURGLE SNORT

snooooorrreeee grumbly snort

snoooorrrreee                             sNOOOOORRRrrrtt 

And just when I thought I finally dozed off, Cooper squawks in his sleep, which jars me awake.  Dogs and Justin?  Still snoring.  And I should’ve known that just because Cooper has been sleeping through the night for about a week (now that he’s mostly over his cold), that he feels compelled to shake things up and starts fussing at 5am.  I stumble in there, sneak around the head of his crib so he can’t see me and sliiide that binky in his mouth.  He quiets down and I go back to bed, where Maggie has stolen my spot.  I shove her over and climb back into bed.  Forty minutes later that child is up crying again.  I wait…but when he starts shrieking I get up and go back in there.  I rock him in the chair and he gets MAD!…screams louder, and I’m sure if he could speak, it would be something along the lines of “DEAR GOD, WOMAN!  I’M STARVING!  GIMME FOOD!!!!!!!”  Not wanting to wake up Gavin, I give in and feed him (don’t care if Justin wakes up, since he’s gotten up with Cooper TWICE in his life.  Okay…maybe three times).  Once he’s fed and passed out, I stumble back to bed, see that it’s already 6:15am and jump in the shower.  I haven’t been up and showering that early in the morning in a while…figure I might actually get out of the house early for a change.

 Yeah, I was wrong.

*to be fair, Justin doesn’t have a smooshed face like my dogs, well, except when it’s smooshed in the pillow