Last family pictures.

Our last pictures as a family of 5.

Last night was probably Buddie's worst night ever.  He didn't eat anything yesterday - yet he still pooped about 10-15 times and peed 20+ times - inside and outside - in the 4-5 hours we were home.  We considered taking him to an emergency vet last night since he was doing so poorly - but just decided to stick with our plan and just enjoy what we could of our last night with him.  It was honestly an answer to prayer.  I had been praying all week that God would let us know - clearly - if we were doing the right thing.  Watching him suffer last night was not easy and I don't want him to suffer any longer.

Be praying for us at 5:15 this afternoon.

Love - The Hull Family (Chris, Hillary, Parker, Jack and Buddie)

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Tomorrow, Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 5:15 pm - we will take Buddie to the vet to be put down.

After talking to some more vets - and explaining the occurences of his symptoms, his age, his timing, etc... it seems as if Cushing's isn't really that probable - but that liver failure/disease/shunt is much more likely.  When he's acting down - he's probably in a lot of pain - and as much as it has been progessing lately - it will only get worse... and fast.

Please keep us in your prayers.  I can't imagine my life without Buddie.  Poor little thing.

Blogging Blunders and Need Advice...

I have had several blogs starting the past week - and I never finish any of them.  The truth is - I feel shallow and lame sometimes - with the things that I know are trapped up in my mind somewhere.  I decided that I need to start doing some "random" blogs about just crazy things I'm thinking of - like I used to pre-Parker. 

I started last week writing about some really random stuff - that was a little funny (maybe) and just something different than the normal "look at how cute my precious son is" blog.  :)  I think I started an entire blog entry devoted to my retainer I try to wear 2x a week - but never do - and how I have nightmares about once or twice a month that I wake up with terrible teeth.   And I started another blog about the addiction I used to have to the tanning bed and how much I miss it sometimes but how ANTI-tanning bed I am now.  After reading through a half-finished post - I think about how incredibly shallow I sound. 

I don't mean that I want every blog entry to be this profound statement to my faith or something incredible that will make people want to change the way they live... I just look at my blog entires and think "is this really what is blogging up my head all the time - is this really the information that needs to get out of my head?"  I mean - there are thousands of mommies, daddies, babies, etc trapped underneath buildings in Haiti - and my thoughts are centered around my previous tanning bed addiciton or my vain thoughts on having crooked teeth one day.  Seriously?

OK - so - how am I going to change - I have no idea.  And I am sure that my inside dialogue will always have something shallow in it - right?  I mean - don't we all have random, stupid things floating around in our heads? 

Another reason I may possibly be in this little blunder is because of all the negative I feel like I am constantly hearing.  One part of me wants to never turn on the news EVER again.  Another part of me feels like I need to be aware of what is happening in the world and be praying for those in need and be thankful for my incredibly blessed life!  Lately - I am spending MORE time in my car to and from work than I actually SEE my son in one day  (Tears form up in my eyes as I write this very thought.)  Another negative thing we are dealing with as family right now is Buddie.

I know I've blogged about Buddie before... here is the latest on him.

1. We've taken him to the vet to get checked.  Spent about $200-$300 to get blood work done - just be be told that they have no idea what is wrong with him - but that something DEFINITELY is wrong with him.  We could take him to another vet - and another vet - and another vet - for more opinions - or to GVS to spend THOUSANDS of $$ to see what his issue is. 
2. Their best guess to his symptoms and blood work and urinalisys was that he has Cushing's disease... which the test to see if he has Cushing's disease is about $300 and IF he does have it - then we could be spending about $500+ a month to keep him alive/comfortable. 
3. It's NO DOUBT that Buddie is in pain sometimes.  NOT all the time - but sometimes.  He is a slave to CONSTANTLY smelling like pee - because he pees about once every 5 minutes - all day long.  He will also drink 2 gallons of water every hour if you let him.  We have to keep water from him when we are home so that he doesn't pee constantly all over our 9 month old carpet. 
4. We know he's SOMETIMES in pain because he has tremors every once in awhile - he LIVES in a pee-filled crate and he even walks around with his eyes closed sometimes.  He also PACES the house constantly when he's not outside or crated up.  He sits down in one place - 5 seconds later (literally) he's up and gone to find a new place.  That one doesn't feel right either so he changes again.  He can hardly EVER find a place to sit for more than a few minutes.  Then - when he finally does find a place that is comfy enough - he's up and at the door to go out again.  GOD FORBID Chris or I are playing with Parker or not in the same room.  If we don't see him go to the door - within about 2 minutes - he will pee all over the floor next to the door - OR - go somewhere else in the house and pee.  Then he goes and sulks in a corner because he knows he's done something terrible.
5. We have resorted to keeping him in his crate all day - and all night - except for when we are home - when he is a on a lead outside in the back yard or free in the house - but then we are forced to constantly follow him around to make sure he's not peeing/throwing up/pooping.  Sure - we could get a fence - that will cost at least $3,000.00 and keep him outside.  But we definitey don't have that kind of cash to throw at a fence and we will not go in debt for a fence either.
6. Our life literally consist of constantly wondering where Buddie is - where he has thrown up or peed last and who is going to clean it up this time.

So what in the world do we do?  Love on him until he eventually dies one day?  Live in a pee-filled house that is really beginning to smell like pee upon entering?  Put him to sleep?

Buddie is OUR dog that we chose to have and who we both love so much.  He was our child before we had Parker and when he was about a year or so old  - we spent about $1,000 to $2,000 to figure out some issues he had then - then later figured out he had been eating the FREON in the AC unit behind our house at the time. We put a gate around the AC unit and VOILA - no more issues with Buddie.  After that - we  PROMISED each other we would never spend that kind of money on a pet again.  We just cannot do it.  We do not have the financial stability to rake out $100 here and $100 there on our pet.  Maybe a year or two ago - I would have disagreed and would have done whatever possible to help a pet - but after having a child - EVERYTHING is thrown into perspective and  your viewpoint just changes. 

And it's not like we can just find him a new home.  "Yes - here is my incredibly cute dog, Buddie.  And yes - he has very serious health issues and you may spend hundreds/thousands of dollars in the next few weeks or years to figure out what is wrong with him.  Or he may die tomorrow."

I don't want Buddie to live in pain. 

I don't want to go into debt to try and save him.

I don't want to live in a pee-filled house.

I don't want to kill my dog.

What would you do?  Help...

Santa in January! AND SNOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!!

Parker got REALLY sick (so did his mommy and daddy) on the day that we were planned to go see the REAL Santa!  So - seeing as this was only a few days before Christmas - and no one in our family was well enough before Christmas to go see him - we never did make it! 

This was UNacceptable for me - I have a photo album for all of Parker's pictures through the years with Santa and missing the very first one would NOT be OK in my book.  SO - I knew extreme measures needed to be taken. 

My sister bought a $10 PRETEND santa suit from CVS last year for my dad to wear for pictures with the babies - so I had her mail it up to me and I got our neighbor Jon to come over and try it on for us so I could get pictures of Parker with a pretend Santa!  Not as great as the REAL Santa - but this will do for the photo album!  And I think it's fun that our sweet friend/neighbor Jon will be in our photo album for years to come :)  Thanks Jon!

Family picture!

Jack and Buddie needed time with Santa, too!

Santa and the newest member of our church growth group - Sienna Li!

Pretend Santa and his wife, Robin :)

Reid wanted to sit on Santa's lap, too!

Thursday - it SNOWED!  YAY!  We don't get much snow in GA so when it does - it's a HUGE deal!  Every school was closed for 2-3 days - some schools are still closed today!

Some houses in our hood...

Our home!

Our back yard.

Our patio...

Paw prints in snow :)

More back yard...

Parker enjoyed it... I think...

Hey Buddie - do you know what this white stuff is????

Hmmm.... not too sure mom.... getting a little cold here...

Mom - not sure it's worth risking my life for the sake of your blog!

Hmm - let's see what this stuff tastes like!

OK - lots more snow on the ground Friday morning - and much colder mom....

REALLY not very happy mom..... I'M COLD!  This is borderline abuse!

Okay - one more then time to go in mom!

Much cozier inside during nap time!!  His favorite new sleeping position.... bottoms up - head in the corner. 

BOTTOMS UP has a whole new meaning :)

Parker's Angels

Parker and his two girlfriends - Emma Grace and Aislynn - were all born within one month of each other!  Their mommies and I honestly weren't that close before pregnancy - we were all friends but not close friends - well one day about 1/2 way through our pregnacies - one of us emailed the other two (knowing the other two were close to the same week in pregnancy and may have some answers to what was going on) and one email has turned into sometimes 20 emails a week to each other every since then! 

It has been SUCH  a blessing to have these two ladies in my life.  Throughout our pregnancies - we were all going through pretty much the same exact thing at the same exact time - and after we all had our babies - we have all leaned on each other through going back to work - to dealing with certain baby blues - to celebrating with each other - and praying for each other when we need it. 

Kim and Kaci are a gift to me and I am so happy to have them in my life.  Thank you ladies for all your time you spend to answer my questions and lift me up when I'm having a bad day/week and helping to put me in place when I am overreacting!  :)  xoxo-Hillary

SO ---- Sunday after an amazing church experience - Chris and I headed over to Kaci's house to meet up with her, her husband, Emma Grace, Kim and Kim's husband, Michael and their girl, Aislynn!  We had so much fun letting the kiddos play together and catching up with each other! 

First - here are pics of the kiddos a few weeks after Parker was born!

Emma Grace - about 1.5 months in this picture - Aislynn - about 1 month - and Parker about 2-3 weeks. 

Okay - and here they are a few months later - near the end of this summer.  Emma Grace was a little more than 5 months.  Aislynn about 4.5 months and Parker about 4 months old.

 

And finally together again!  Aislynn 9 months - Parker 8.5 months - Emma Grace 9.5 months!

Kim helping Parker learn to eat puffs with his own hands! 

Kaci helping Parker rock in EG's chair!

Just call me Farmer Parker!

Aislynn is for real all about some dance moves!  Here's her try at the disco...

And here is her try at the robot...

And here she is doing the electric slide - saying "to the left, to the left"!

 Kaci - Kim - and me - last January 2009.....

 All the Bridgepoint Preggers girls last January!

 All the Bridgepoint Preggers girls last March - a few weeks before Kaci had Emma Grace!

AND FINALLY - here we are with the kiddos!  9 months ago - and 9 months later!

Side note- I took these pictures of Parker that same day as the 9 month ago picture agove... he looks absolutely NOTHING like this now! I seriously think I may have mixed up my baby with another somewhere at the store or at the doctor's office!