peaces

Ahhhh … What a great weekend.  No reason.  Just was.

I struggled yesterday, trying to get my thoughts together for a simple video blog.  I recorded about four different segments.  Just trying to “check in” because it had been a couple of weeks and some friends from the YouTube community were wondering where I’ve been.

It’s just not as easy to record, upload and edit video as it is to post a quick blog entry.  Especially with my older computer and free editing software.  I’m grateful for what I have.  I just can’t do exactly what I want it to do.  Perfectionist.

So I just kept giving up hope of posting a video this weekend.

Then PBX and I hooked up the webcam to send PBX-Jr. a video message and it inspired me to record a quick vlog.  I’ve been inspired to be “quick” before but this was truly a quick vlog.  No editing, no makeup, no notes, very low quality. Total old skool vlogging.  I uploaded it to YouTube and headed out the door to join the Piper-play.  When we came in, it was loaded and live.  Easy-peasy.  The way vlogging, true vlogging, should be.

Now, interestingly, I feel more free.

I can work on my sketch comedy spoofs (I wrote a great one Friday night) and music videos without pressure.  And I can post a new Freeepeace Features — featuring 3 channels I think deserve attention.  So far it’s been a hit with my subscribers.  Because I haven’t posted in a while, they’ve been asking about new features. Slacker.

I really like the pockets of communities I’ve crossed into.  I don’t solely identify with just one YouTube community which is great for the weekly features.  I’m meeting some really interesting people of all ages and videoing styles.  I like that we share our experiences and bounce ideas off each other.  I love love LOVE the collaborative effort.  Some of my future videos will include other YouTubers. Kinda cool.

I’ve also spent a lot of time learning a few cover songs.  Having fun experimenting with styles, tempo and such.  Nothing fancy. Nothing extravagant. Everything creative. Life’s blood.

Went to the beach today with PBX and the dogs.  She biked.  I skated.  The dogs were pulled in a baby trailer behind her bike.  Piper went psycho, wanting to be out running.  Sounded like a seagull … or, a tortured, suffering, dying, screaming child.  We did capture a bit on video but O.M.G. people were scared.  PBX kept telling folks we captured a seagull.  No joke about the similarities in sound.

It cut our bikepath stroll in half.  Hunny did okay in the trailer, for her first time.  She wasn’t happy with it, but she suffers silently, unlike drama queen PiperBoy!  oy.

I haven’t checked the video so I don’t know what was actually captured.  We shall see.

Still it was nice to be out in shorts and a tank top for the first time this year.  Talk about pasty white skin. Ugh.  Can anyone recommend a GOOD no-sun tanning creme?  I’m not a dog walker anymore.  It shows, in more ways than one.

Whoa. Much longer blog post than anticipated.  This is probably why I should update daily.

I’m not so sure it was the wasp.

Piper started feeling better for a day but this morning he was right back to vomiting - constant vomiting. Too much for a little one. On the way to the vet, he was vomiting foam.

Not a good sign.

Baaaaabyyyy….hang in there!!!

So little sicky-boy is back in the hospital - this time for overnight observation. He’s on IV fluids, severely dehydrated. His x-rays came back clear - no obvious obstruction. We’re waiting on blood work.

The vet is confident this is NOT a case of poison food death. He and colleagues have been presented with their first cases of these deaths. So it’s here. And it’s real.

Apparently the killer signs of these food poison attacks start (and end) with kidney failure. Piper’s kidneys are healthy at this moment. A very good sign for the little guy.

It’s tricky though, because it was Hunny I was most concerned about at first this morning. Shaking, almost seizure-like and then vomiting - three times in ten minutes. This was first thing in the morning. No food or water. Just woke up that way.

Things seemed to calm down for a moment. I was about to leave the kids at home while I walked other dogs.

As I prepared to leave, Piper started struggling. Kills me to think what might have happened if I left them at home alone. Had he started vomiting ten minutes later, I would’ve been gone and he would’ve struggled on his own.

Oh the ache.

Once Piper began vomiting, Hunny’s symptoms stopped. It may sound crazy but I believe she may have been trying to tell me how sick Piper was. Like she was carrying some of his pain.

Still, we’re taking no chances. The vet checked Hunny and said to monitor her for 24 hours. No food and only very little water. Bland diet tomorrow. Poor girl. She’s so hungry.

Hunny’s finally able to rest. She was pacing for quite a while here.

As for Miss Gracie-kitty. In addition to her main course, she ate left-over dog food, then spent the afternoon ruling her queendom in the yard.

Clearly she’s torn up about the whole thing.

Piper spent the night in complete and total discomfort, throwing up every thirty minutes. Little sicky boy.

He would rest for a few minutes then wander around to find some obscure (or not-so-obscure) place to spit up. I spent the night trailing him with the roll of paper towels and Nature’s Miracle.

His little whines and groans were heart-breaking.

He let me pick him up and he’d rest his little face on my shoulder — something he usually only does with his mama.

I’m his mauntie (mama-auntie). Since his mama’s away, he’ll take me. He’ll let me love him. So much that, with the exception of last night, he’s been sleeping on my head all week. On my face. Practically in my mouth. He just can’t get close enough. Even Hunny curls up close to us. Which means I still don’t get to stretch out on the bed.

I spent last night massaging his throat and stomach, stroking his head. So much like a little human boy.

I just wish he could’ve told me what was going on. I’m always telling him to use his words when he’s trying to tell us something. He understands English. He just can’t speak it. And I think it kills him that we don’t always understand his language.

I couldn’t figure out what he had gotten into. I thought maybe a spider until I nearly stepped in one of his many little treasure-piles I had missed from the night.

Looks like he had thrown up the carcass of a baby wasp.

Gasp! A wasp! Baby or not, it was a wasp. Piper weighs seven pounds soaking wet. No wonder he’s so out of sorts.

I searched for a stinger - needle in a haystack. I don’t notice any visible swelling, nor is he having difficulty breathing. He’s just uncomfortable. Miserable.

He’s doing better than last night but still very timid and unable to eat his food. He turned down yogurt, tuna, chicken, lamb, rice and cat food. Proof that we have a little sicky on our hands. But he drank a tiny bit of water and finally ate a few nibbles of freeze-dried liver treats.

After that, he was spent.

Lots of loving, healing thoughts for the littlest boy please. We could all use a good night’s sleep tonight.

UPDATE: Sunday 3/18

Another rough night for the boy. Thirty-six hours is just too long for a little guy to lose so much fluid.

So we spent the day in the emergency vet hospital. Piper was dehydrated and shivering with a below-normal temperature. They injected fluids under his skin and gave him a shot of benadryl. We were sent home with a bottle of antibiotics, a scrip for pepcid ac and specific feeding instructions. If he gets worse, I’m to bring him in again for full tests (x-rays, blood panel, etc.)