Block Party

This past weekend, we had a block party on our street. We did it a couple years ago, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. We had intended to make it an annual thing, but somehow, time got away from us last year, and before we knew it, summer had come and gone. We didn't want to make the same mistake this year, so we (Ashley) filled out the appropriate paper work and scheduled our "summer" block party on the last Saturday of spring.

We lucked out and had a wonderful day. The forecast called for thunderstorms, some severe, in the late afternoon. The party was from 4 - 8 pm, so we were plenty worried. Fortunately, the weather forecasters predict the weather almost as poorly as I pick NFL winners against the spread (I was something like 6 - 14 last year). We had rain in the morning, but by early afternoon, the sun was out, there was a gentle breeze, and the humidity was down.

We had a great turn out. Here are some shots of the crowd...well, not really a crowd...a somewhat large group of people is probably a better description.

We set up right in front of our house in the shade granted by some big trees from across the street. Dwight and Mary Helen (Buckeye fans, but still good people) brought a grill, while everyone else brought chairs and treats and good things to eat. There were a number of little ones running around. They spent some quality time checking out each other's roadsters (some are shown in the picture above). However, once they spied the kiddie pool, there was no stopping them. Initially, they were tentative, standing around, making little splashes and waves. This didn't please Isabel...I don't think she liked getting as wet as the boys (yes, she's screaming in the picture below).

The boys splashed so much that Isabel no longer wanted to be by the pool. I tried to explain to the little men that in the future, the last thing they'll want to do is chase the pretty girls away from the pool. They didn't believe me. The little tykes then let loose with a series of running cannonballs and belly flops, proceeding to soak themselves to the bone. Bode loved it, as did Jack, Luke, and Brady.

After the party was over and Mommy was changing Bode, the little guy said, "I had friends in Bode's pool." Very cute.

Finally, here is a picture of Emma. She is 10, and is the granddaughter of our neighbors that live across the street. Emma and her mom live in Cincinnati, and during the summer, Emma makes frequent visits. Bode loves Emma, so we had to get a picture. She is lovely young lady, and quite intelligent.

Pleasant week to all and Happy Father's Day.

Promotion

We've had a busy past couple weeks full of major events. Amazingly, I have been in the Air Force for 15 years (19 if you count my time at USAFA) and have been lucky enough to have attained the rank of lieutenant colonel (or as Ashley likes to call it, "Light colonel"). On 27 May we had a little promotion ceremony at work. A lot of folks from AFIT were able to attend, as were some old AFOTEC alums. It was great to see everyone. Bode really enjoyed himself, and was somewhat well-behaved. Here are some pictures. First, we have Bode fueling up before things started. Nothing like a bottle of water to make two year old happy (and wet).

Col Dave Cribb, the associate deans at AFIT, was kind enough to officiate the ceremony. Following the standard "Posting of the Order," Ashley and Bode came up and "pinned" on my new rank.

After my official introduction as "LtCol McGuirk," I proceeded to give Ashley and Bode some gifts. Ashley received a dozen red roses, while Bode got a little Teddy Bear.

The day after Memorial Day was my birthday. I'm now a whopping 37 years old, and that doesn't do me any good because I'm still in the same 35-39 age group for most running races. To celebrate my birthday, we took Bode to his first swimming lesson of the summer. He took a class last summer and he loved it. We expected more of the same this year. Sadly, Bode wouldn't even get in the water. He kept saying, "I don't want to go in the water. I want to go home," and when I picked him up and carried him in, he really started screaming. Rather than torture the rest of the parents and children, we decided to leave. We tried again on Thursday, but got the same response. We asked him what was wrong, and he told us, "The pool is scary." Evidently something is scaring him...anyone have the ability to read a two-year old's mind???

Ashley was lucky enough to catch the flu this week (on my birthday no less!) She went to work one morning and got there around 0730...and left around 0830 after spending some time worshipping at the porcelain temple. Poor kid. She's better now, but she should weigh herself because she didn't eat much this week. She did get some good news. A month ago she tested to become a certified aerobics instructor. I'm happy to report she has passed. I think it's neat I can now say I'm married to an aerobics queen :-)

On Wednesday, I took Auburn down to Cincinnati for her second round of chemo. It's about a 40-minute drive, so I left early and got her there by 0700. The vet called me at work a couple hours later saying Auburn's white blood cell count was too low, so chemo could not be done. She prescribed some antibiotics and said we could try again on Monday. Here's hoping things work out in a couple days. In the meantime, the big girl is doing great. Here's a shot of the three-legged rottie and the new lieutenant colonel. What a pair indeed!

Tomorrow is Sunday. There is a 10K race I'll do in the morning, and then if the weather cooperates, we'll take (drag) Bode to the pool and see if we can convince him the pool is fun. Pleasant week to all.

Bode Comprende

I'm about to use a cliche. Just thought I'd prepare you for it. Are you ready? Here goes. "Bode is growing up so fast." Like you have never heard that before from a parent.

Bode is at the point where he understands just about everything we tell him. Oh, sure, I could use some of my "trying to impress" words if I wanted to baffle him. But as far as every day communication, Bode understands it all. Here are a few examples. The other day, we were in the living room reading books. Bode wanted me to read The Cat in the Hat. I told him it was in his room and that he had to go get it. "Stay here, Daddy," he told me. While I waited, I remembered the book was actually sitting on our (Ashley and my) bed. So I yelled, "Bode, the book is in my room on the bed." "Okay, Daddy," he yelled back. A few seconds later I hear, "I got it Daddy," and then he comes running out to the living room, correct book in hand. As Darth Vadar said to Luke on Bespin, "Impressive. Most impressive." (The Star Wars trilogy has been on TV this weekend).

A phrase we wish he was not as adept at using as he is is (yes, I used 'is' two times in a row; read it again, and you'll realize it is grammatically correct), "I don't like that!" We think the instructors at daycare taught it to the kids and encourage them to use it with the other children. Unfortunately, he uses it with us and at significant volumes. Usually this is met with a sharp rebuke from Mommy and me, but the boy continues to vociferously (yup, that's one of my words to impress) voice his opinions.

It's not just words. He can put different thoughts and ideas together. For example, sometimes Bode only wants Mommy (or Daddy) to do things. I was going to read Green Eggs and Ham to Bode when the little dude says, "No! Mommy read it!" So I acted like I was very sad and put my lower lip out. Bode looks at me and with those puppy dog eyes asks, "You need a hug, Daddy?" Very cute.

We've had a wonderful relaxing Memorial Day Weekend. Today, some friends invited us to their neighborhood pool. We went in the early evening and had a wonderful time. Bode loves the water and spent a majority of the time exploring the kiddie pool. Here are some pictures (you might want to dim your screen so you aren't blinded by Ashley's milk-white body :-)

Auburn Update: Auburn had her first round of chemo on 12 May. She did great, and we haven't noticed any side effects (knock on wood). She'll get another round on Wednesday, 2 June. Hopefully things go as well. Her personality has been great and she's just like her old self. Here are some pictures of her in the yard.

She's able to roam around the entire yard, barks at strangers, howls, and does dog-things. She even buried one of Bode's stuffed animals, which I imagine is hard to do with only one front leg.

Pleasant holiday to everyone.

The Great Wolf Lodge

Ashley and I have been doing a lot of traveling for work. For the past five weeks, one of us have been gone for most of the week. This ended on Wednesday when Ashley returned from Washington DC. To celebrate, we decided to take a mini-vacation down to Cincinnati and stay at the Great Wolf Lodge. This is a big hotel with an indoor water park, along with other fun things for kiddos to do.

Bode loved the place. Sort of. Every time we'd walk by the entrance, he'd want to go in. And he did enjoy most of water park, but he wasn't a big fan of the slides. Since he enjoys the slide on the playground, we thought he'd be more into them at the water park. There were some real small and slow ones, so it's not like they went too fast. What he didn't like (we think) is the entry into the water. He's not a big fan of water splashing into his face, so after a couple tries, whenever we asked if he wanted to go down the slide, he'd just shake his head.

We then took him down a big water slide. The three of us sat in the middle of this raft and went shooting down a tube. Lots of fun...for Mommy and Daddy. Ashley was able to see Bode's face the whole time. He was not amused. Oh well. Besides the slides, he had a blast. They had a little basketball court, which was probably his favorite. Here are some action photos. First we have the little dude throwing the ball. Bode really enjoyed putting the ball into the basket. Unfortunately, he isn't the lightest kid. Every time he made a basket, he wanted to do it again. And again. And again. It was quite a work out.Finally, here's a shot of the two of us resting on the side of the pool. We all slept well at night.
The lodge had a bunch of cool activities for Bode. He was given a little wand (eeriely similar to a Harry Potter wand). There was all sorts of pictures and statues and treasure chests located throughout the hotel. There were quests (like thirty of them), and each quest involved finding different artifacts. When you found one, you waved your wand at said item, and lights would flash and little displays would light up. Mommy and Daddy did the actual finding of the items while Bode was in charge of the wand. We completed two quests (chaching!). Bode seemed to like it...and it involved a lot of walking (which further helped us sleep at night).

Bode was also allowed to make his own stuffed animal. He picked out a green dragon. The nice lady stuffed him up for us.
Here's Bode holding his new friend. We asked Bode, "What's your dragon's name?" Bode responded, "Green-One."
Fortunately, they gave us a little box to keep "Green-One" in...we can't have dragons flying around unattended :-)
There was an arcade with all sorts of blinking and flashing lights and loud noises. We, of course, had to go. There were some cool games...
but Bode was more interested in driving bus. The kid's got a little Ralph Kramden in him...I guess it's better than Norton.
While we were gone, a girl up the street watched Auburn. The pup is doing great, and she was thrilled when we got home.
We had a great time, and now need a vacation to rest up from our vacation. Ashley is trying to take a nap, but I think Bode isn't letting her. She's probably exhausted from the deep tissue massage she got at the hotel spa (which was her Mother's Day gift).

Pleasant week to all.

iBode

It's been a wet weekend here in Dayton. Sunny during the week, but come Friday evening, the clouds came in and decided to park it here for a few days. It's rained off and on, but Saturday afternoon wasn't too bad. Ashley was down in northern Kentucky getting some type of aerobics instructor certification (she wants to be able to teach/sub for a class at the base gym), so it was just the two dudes and the three-legged dog holding down the fort. We played chase and read some books and took a long nap (which was awesome!!!) We also watched some videos on the computer. Here's a picture of Bode sitting in the chair. He's really starting to look like a little young man--not really our baby anymore is he?
Bode is one solid little guy. Even though most of our neighbors say Bode looks a lot like Ashley in the face, he probably was blessed (cursed) with the fabled McGuirk Squatty Body :-)

Bode continues to like all things electronic. He loves taking pictures, and he usually can snap a goofy one of Mommy. Here's one of Mommy making us all laugh.
Bode also likes my iPod. When we traveled to Colorado in February, Bode was able to figure out the earphones on the airplane while watching TV. Since then, he'll sometimes carry earphones around with him--he'll even wear them even though there's no sound. A few days ago, I decided to see if he would listen to music, so I plugged him into my iPod. He immediately said, "I don't like that one." So I skipped to a song he liked, upon which he said, "I like this one." And he listened to the whole song (it was Nickelback's Gotta Be Somebody in case you're interested). He also likes Lady Antebellum and Taylor Swift (yes, I have her on my iPod...pathetic, I know) I tried to show him how to change songs, but I'm not sure if he's got that down just yet. But give him a few days and he'll have the whole wheel-thing mastered. Be that as it may, we probably won't be rushing out to get him an iPad. Ashley had to fly to Washington DC today. She'll be back on Wednesday...looks like it'll be a lot of Mac-N-Cheese this week. She left around noon, so before she left, I was able to get a jog in. When I got back, Bode came running to greet me. I leaned down and gave him a hug. He pulled back and said, "You stinky Daddy." Nice.

Finally, an Auburn update. She's doing great. When Bode and I were chasing each other around the house, she wanted to play along. Obviously she's a bit slower than she used to be, but she chased after us (but we have to be careful on the tile and other slick floor surfaces). The pathology report came back on Auburn's leg. No surprise--she has bone cancer. None of her x-rays showed any tumors in other parts of her body, but in the vast majority of cases, the cancer has spread. What's interesting about this type of cancer is the main tumor (in Auburn's since-removed leg) acts as inhibitor for the rest of the cancer. Now that the leg is gone, it is likely there will be some type of metastization (is that even a word?) Anyways, untreated, most dogs will live another six months (sheesh). However, we can (and will) do chemotherapy, and this will (statistically) extend the life expectancy to 12-14 months. We asked if she'd be miserable doing chemo. The vet explained chemo for dogs is different than chemo for people. Most dogs won't get sick or anything like that. She'll be a little lethargic the day after, but usually that's the extent of it. The reason dogs don't react like humans is the intention of treatment is different. With people, the goal is to extend life as long as possible--and if the person gets violently ill, so be it. Not the case with dogs. They're trying to extend life, but they want the quality of life to be good. Auburn will get four injections, three weeks apart, and that will be the extent of it. We'll monitor, wait, hope, and see what happens. We'll enjoy this extra year (knock on wood) we have with her and see what happens. The doctors did say there are a small number of dogs that live another three or even four years. While we're realistic, we can also be optimistic.
Pleasant week to everyone.

Back to Normal

It has been a great two weeks. Auburn has almost fully recovered, which is a huge surprise to me. I was worried Auburn would not react well to the amputation of her right front leg. I thought she'd be immobile, unable to use her dog-door, and nothing like her old self. I was completely wrong. The doctor explained before the surgery that following the removal of her leg that was both broken and cancerous, Auburn would be pain free. Bone cancer is extremely painful, which is why Auburn was limping prior to breaking her leg (we thought it was arthritis). The doctor said Auburn would (of course) be sore following the loss of the leg, but in one-two weeks following surgery, she'd be back to her old self. I'm happy to report Auburn is just like the dog she always was. She uses her dog door, sleeps on the couch, wags her little nub-tail when we take her for an abbreviated walk, and barks at dogs out the window. Obviously she doesn't get around as good as a four-legged dog. But her eyes are bright and cheery, her ears perk up when she hears our voices, and she's back to begging for table scraps, so she must be feel ok. Here are some pictures. First, her good side. Can't really tell she's missing a leg in this picture, can you?Now for the other side. Her hair is starting to come back, but you can still see the massive incision. A neighbor took out the stitches yesterday, and everything looks great. We've been doing a lot of traveling for work. It seems like one of us is gone every week, so come weekends, the non-traveler is usually catching up on sleep and resting, because Bode is quite active. He loves to play with his trucks, which is great, but unfortunately, the trucks are more suited to a person his size. When Mommy and Daddy get down on our (old) knees, it certainly takes a toll as we chase after our exceedingly fast son. Bode also loves the digital camera. He really knows how to work it. He can put it in display mode and scroll through the pictures. He's even figured out how to make the camera do an automated slide show to music. But I think taking pictures is what he likes best. In April alone, he's taken over 400 pictures (mostly of the floor), but there are the occasional good shots. Here's a dorky one of Mommy...I laugh every time I look at this picture. Bode is also talking up a storm. I'd estimate that 90% of the time, we know what he's saying (or trying to say). When we travel, Bode will even talk on the phone. His words are really clear, and he even knows he's talking to Mommy or Daddy. It's not really a conversation--he says, "Hi Mommy," a lot, but he'll also answer some questions about his day and what he had for dinner. It's really nice to hear his voice when we're away from home. He's still napping, although sometimes he doesn't really sleep. He'll go to his room for "quiet time" on the weekends. He seems to enjoy it. We'll ask if he's ready for quiet time and he'll say, "Yes." We take him to his room and then he says, "Bye Mommy. Bye Daddy," and proceeds to shut his bedroom door as we leave (a boy needs his privacy). A lot of times, he'll play and then take a nap, but lately, he's just been playing. This is fine, but usually he'll be sleepy later in the day. Here was Bode one evening that he didn't nap. Little fellow zonked out right in front of the computer.Spring is in full swing, although it might be in the low 50's early this week. Otherwise, nothing too exciting going on here. Pleasant day to all.

The Tripawd

Thursday was a very very bad day in our home. I took the day off to take Auburn to the vet. She's been limping and was diagnosed with arthritis in her ankle. We were going in for some routine blood work associated with the painkillers. When we arrived at the vet's office, Auburn was very excited. I opened the back of the X-terra, and she jumped right out. She landed, and immediately started screaming and yelping. It wasn't just one simple yelp. It was a series of horrific wounded animal cries. Fortunately, we were at the vet, so I managed to get her inside. She would not put any weight on her right front leg. It hung meekly at her side, and she whelped if we touched or moved it. The vet checked her, couldn't find a break, but recommended x-rays. I said, fine, obviously there's something wrong, so let's figure out what it is.

I received the dreaded phone call later that afternoon. Auburn had broken her right front leg up near the shoulder. It was a solid break, which meant whenever she moved, bones would rub together and cause tremendous pain. The bone broke because she has bone cancer, which made the bone appear moth-eaten on her x-rays. This break would never heal. There were two options: amputation or euthanasia. Our vet doesn't do amputations, and she didn't really think Auburn would be a good candidate for it, but she referred us to a clinic in Cincinnati. Thursday night was just awful. I really believed we'd have to put Auburn down in the morning because she was in constant pain. The vet even gave us a limited supply of pain killers because she felt Auburn's time was so short. Friday morning, we got Auburn up and into the car (a neighbor helped). She would whimper occasionally on the drive down. It was very somber.

The vet looked at her x-rays, examined Auburn, and started talking about amputation. There were other options--we could wait for a bone biopsy--two weeks, which would be two weeks of agony for Auburn, so we agreed that wasn't possible. He told us three-legged dogs actually do quite well. We were very concerned about her quality of life. Could she go on walks? Would she be happy and want to play? He made no promises, but in his experience, the dogs bounce back rather quickly. She'll immediately be free of the pain due to the broken bone and the arthitis in her ankle. She'd be sore due to the surgery (obviously), but dogs are quick recovereres. He pulled no punches and said Auburn might only live another year. The cancer may have spread (they saw nothing, but microscopically, it could be everywhere). Ashley and I decided to have her leg amputated. We hope it's not selfishness on our part; I'm sure there's some it, as we had to put Dudley down less than a year ago. But euthanasia is so final--there's no going back on that decision. With the amputation route, at least we'll know we gave Auburn a fighting chance.

She had the surgery yesterday, and I picked her up this afternoon. I'm amazed this is the same dog we took down there Thursday morning. Before, she would hardly move, let alone walk. I expected them to wheel Auburn out to me. Instead, the door opens, and she comes hopping through. She's a little wobbly, but the staff all said she'd be sure-footed in less than a week. We have some post-op care to do--pain medicines, antibiotics, and cold compresses. But we all think it'll be worth it.

Here's a picture of Auburn. She looks a little scary, because they had to shave a lot of her side to do the surgery. Plus, it's quite a large incision. But she seems to be feeling alright, has an appetite, and even gave Bode a couple kisses. I'm off to feed Auburn. Hopefully she eats, and then sleeps for twelve hours, which was her routine when she had four legs, so it shouldn't be hard for her to do. Pleasant day to all.