I don't mean to have a theme going....

We're at the zoo. It's Kevin's favorite place to take Patrick, and it's quickly becoming Patrick's favorite place to go. He can say "zoo." It's sounds a lot like his other words, like dog, go, two, shoe, and blue. He's big on the walruses. He points them out where ever he sees them, and does a fantastic walrus impression. Occasionally, he'll perform on command and make the noise for admiring comments.

The walruses were a lot of fun today. The keepers must have put something in their pool because they were all sniffing and exploring the rocks both above and under water.

ET was floating around. He's their biggest walrus and only male with two females. The keepers have commented they are hoping for babies at some point. Kevin and I are watching (it's late in the day and we are alone in the underwater viewing area) ET. It becomes apparent that ET is feeling a bit frisky. Then we watch ET curl his body around and (for lack of an appropriate term) nuzzle his own parts with his whiskers.

Impressive. We totally laughed like 12 year old boys.

All in the name of science

I attended a nursing conference the other day, and we discussed all the scary things that happen in OB. And while yes, most women are healthy and have normal births with minimal interference, we are also seeing sicker patients with more problems.

But it was interesting to note how much is starting to appear related to allergic reactions and the inflammatory response. Take, for example, preeclampsia. It used to be called toxemia, but that's an inaccurate name. Without getting all nurse-nerd on you, it's when your liver, kidneys, and brain start going to hell in a handbasket. Some researchers looked at pregnant women's exposure to foreign DNA in their bloodstream in relation to preeclampsia. Perhaps it was part of an allergic reaction to foreign DNA (fetal) in their body?

So one doctor had an idea. What if you had enough exposure to foreign DNA that your body would accept it and not develope an allergic reaction? Would you stil get preeclampsia? She did a little study. And this is my kind of study.

She asked women who had birthed babies about their pregnancies and their (ahem) oral sex practice. It turns out that women who had allowed foreign DNA into their gut (you with me?) had a lower rate of preeclampsia.

So all this time, I've really been protecting my pregnancy health. And I thought I was just being nice.

The signs of age

My girl Danica is probably nine years old. Not bad for a Labrador. She could be a bit older, it's hard to say. We got her from the Humane Society the month we were married. After getting the wedding out of the way, we were so excited to get a dog together.

We visited the pound on a Monday. We'd done our research and had an idea of what kind of dog we wanted. Danica was a stray, she'd been hit by a car and brought in because her collar had no ID on it. Amid all the yelping and leaping, she sat with her tongue wagging in the front of her kennel.

"Look at that dog, the one that's not barking," I said.

We wanted her, but had to wait a few more days to give her owners time to find her. For 48 hours we paced. The earliest we could pick her up was Wednesday at 10am. I skipped work and arrived at 9:30am. Our first baby was here!

"Boy, she's really busy" was the comment I got most. This was a dog who (until recently) needed about two hours a day of running, walking, fetching, swimming, playing, and loving to be content. But she'd love a little more...

Over the past few months, her age is starting to show. Her energy level is down. Her right shoulder gives her a hard time. After a long walk yesterday, she's really limping today. She still wants to play some fetch in the yard, she just limps. The stairs are a little slow, and she doesn't jump on our bed anymore.

We haven't taken her to the vet. What might we learn? She's an older lab, and they are prone to hip dysplasia and arthritis. She does a pretty good job of letting us know what she wants.

So our walks are shorter, our playtime is less intense, and we offer lots of love and scratches. And we remember that dogs are a short blessing in our lives, and we are grateful for every moment.

Moments Like This

Patrick and I had a Mommy-Kiddo all day playdate today. One moment really stood out from the rest.

We were playing this game. I laid down on the living room floor and yelled, "Where's Patrick?" Running and giggling from the kitchen, with Patrick finally throwing his body on top of mine. Peals of laughter. And repeat.

One time I covered my face with the blanket while he was out of the room. When I yelled for him, he landed on top of me and delightedly pulled the blanket back. Then he shoved it back over my face to continue the game.

Except this one time. He covered my face, ran off and immediately turned back around. He uncovered my face, gave me a spontaneous kiss, covered me back up, and resumed the game.

It totally makes up for that fit he threw when he couldn't have marshmallows for breakfast.