Will Spring Ever Get Here?

First, Marley is doing well. Her hair is growing back well. Her incision/scar looks good. She feels a lot better. When she walks, she looks comfortable on her leg now. She is dying to get out and play.

Campbell is growing too quickly. She's walking everywhere. She loves to dance now. She's so fun.

Marley's Update

Mar had her visit with Dr. Milton today. She had her staples removed. Dr. Milton said everything looks great. Marley's range of motion looks to be 100% already. He said Marley was walking well, and the incision looked great. We go back in four weeks. The doctor's parting words were, "You've got a great little dog".
Perhaps the greatest.
C

Playtime

Al made crepes tonight. After getting hopped up on sugar we played in the living room whilst listening to some Bob Marley. Cam is a hoot.
I take Marley to the vet tomorrow morning for the two week post-op visit. I hope it goes well.

Mar's Knee: A Week Later

Marley's knee is getting better. The swelling has gone down considerably, and the incision is looking good. She's moving better also. She's just now getting her appetite back; however, her stomach is still aggravated by the medicine. She has been on and antibiotic, NSAID, and a pain killer. We go back on 02/03/10 to have the staples taken out and for an evaluation.
The first few days were tough. She was so pitiful. She cried a lot Friday after we got home. She didn't want to eat or drink all weekend. She began eating a little Monday and has steadily gotten her appetite.
Campbell wants to play with Marly so bad. Mar has to be confined in small space. We have her in the hall behind Cam's gate. Campbell will see Marley and go over to the gate, laugh and reach for Marley.

Marley's Knee

Marley has knee surgery on Thursday. I drop her off in the morning, and she has to stay overnight. I'll pick her up Friday morning and take her back home where MeMe will stay with her until Al can get home. I think Marley knows something is up. One of the other dogs at the ortho-vet may have told her. She seems apathetic, but still has a look of faith in her eyes as if she knows that she'll be back to running and playing by the time the weather is nice and warm. The surgery is in response to a partially torn ACL. The doctor will cut the head of her tibia, rotate it, and fix it in place with a plate and six screws (stainless steel materials, not sure about the alloy). This will bias the knee joint in a way such that the loads carried through her leg act more naturally through the intended axes and relieve the stress in her soft tissue in her knee. Sadly, as Marley was born in the USA, she will not be able to have this done for free.
Also, for those who come in to contact with Joey, it would be better if you didn't mention Marley. He is quite upset about the whole situation.

Christmas

Christmas was a blast! We had a great time with the fam. Campbell received so many great gifts. She even jumped/bounced around on the trampoline! Santa must not have known about some of the long nights, because she tons of cute clothes, a Mickey train, a pony, puzzles, animal stackers, a wagon... The list goes on and on. Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen.

Campbell's First Birthday

Princess Precious One turned one year old yesterday. The family gathered to celebrate, eat pizza and cake and watch the little ones have fun. Campbell got some nice presents; she loves them. Thanks everybody!

Cousins Christmas

The Hoff/Friedman/Festavan cousins gathered for an early Cousins Christmas due to some being out of town for Christmas. Great gifts were opened. Good food was eaten. Bad dancing was seen.

Thanksgiving Weekend

It was a long weekend with a lot of family. We started off leaving our house Wednesday around noon headed for the farm. We drove from the farm to Dothan for Thanksgiving. It was great getting to see everyone, but I feel it was too short. We were driving back to the farm that evening. Friday, the guys and Kari when on a quail shoot. Luckily I was with Kevin and Joe; we were able to get back with some time to spare before the game. The look on Kari's face when they finally got back was priceless. After the inevitable Alabama victory, we headed back to our house. We spent Saturday at Al's mom's house for another Thanksgiving feast. I'm full, tired, and still sick. Marley's knee is still bothering her. Al is well. Campbell is fighting her bedtime at the moment.

The New Look of the Playroom

Campbell's playroom is new and improved. We painted the playroom yellow. It was a nightmare. Thankfully, MeMe came to the rescue. We assembled the furniture last night while watching football after Cam went to sleep. Her MeMe gave her this furniture as an early Christmas present. This morning when Campbell saw her new playroom, she was overwhelmed with excitement; she loves it. Thanks mom.