In Need of Encouragement

Peeps: today I am in need of encouragement, so imagine the smile that came upon my face when I opened my inbox and saw my Real Simple Daily Thought for today:

"Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced." - James Arthur Baldwin

I had a life change yesterday, and today I start my journey into the unknown. In my mind, I've been a mother for 5 years - since the first day I got my beautiful furbaby CiCi.



As any parent will tell you, the last thing you want to see is your child in pain. When they're little, you feel for them when they fall down and scrape their knee. You pull yourself together, patch it up for them, and send them on their way.

When they're in school, you feel for them when they didn't quite pass the big test they studied so hard for. You pull yourself together, give them the "we'll get 'em next time" speech, and then you help them study harder or do an extra credit project.

When they're teenagers, you feel for them when they seem to get their hearts broken every five minutes because someone treated them rotten, or the one person they thought they would love for the rest of their lives just won't love them back. You pull yourself together, talk them through it, and give them the encouragement they need to go on.

Throughout their lives, you do your very best to take care of them, pulling yourself together beforehand each time.

Long story short, I had to pull myself together yesterday. My little CiCi had been having some sort of trouble for the past week, and neither I nor the first vet I took her to could figure out what exactly was going on. She was having episodes of extreme pain and discomfort, and it seemed like nothing I did made it better - not the medicine she was prescribed, nor petting her, nor trying to distract her.

After a few days of no episodes, I thought we were getting back to good. I was wrong. After a pain episode on Sunday, and another yesterday morning, I took her to another vet. It was there that I was given the news that she has a bulging disc in her back, and that was what was causing her the pain episodes and loss of feeling in her back legs. I started to cry for her.

After a few minutes of using up the veterinarian's tissues, I pulled myself together and we formulated a plan of action. CiCi is on a new medicine schedule for a few weeks, and I have to keep her sequestered from MuChi and Wilkie for seven weeks. Yes, you read that correctly - SEVEN weeks. There is to be no playtime, no running, no jumping, and she must be physically carried both up and downstairs at all times.

I set up a "CiCi area" in the kitchen using one of the taller metal perimeter gates that you would use to contain a pet outside. I pulled out her puppy couch and put that in there, added a puppy pad (just in case), gave her one toy (since that's all she's supposed to have), and put her food and water dishes in with her.

Every night from here through the seven week mark, I will carry CiCi up the stairs, and then block said stairs with a baby gate, so she can't go back down by herself. I will let her lay beside me while I get ready for bed, and then I will pick her up and put her in the bed. I will then remove the puppy stairs so she can't go up or down by herself.

Every morning, I will say good morning to her and the boys, and I will pick her up out of the bed, and place her on the floor. Then when it's time to go downstairs and go outside, I will carry her down the stairs, and put her in her "CiCi area" in the kitchen. The boys get leashed and go outside first, then I put them back in the house, and it's CiCi's turn. I'll carry her out and put her down in the yard, and then carry her back inside to her "CiCi area" for the morning while her mom goes to work. After I give her the morning dosage of her medicine, she gets to hang out in her space while the boys roam around, and they'll wait for me to get home for lunch. Lunch will happen, and then basically the same process of going outside, and back to their areas.

It's definitely added time to my daily routine, so I am adjusting to this new schedule. It's also going to force me to attack each day with eagle eyes and extreme focus to make sure I don't make a mistake where CiCi is concerned. If I were to slip even just once, the results could be disastrous.

But, I think that's what being a mom is all about - you feel what you feel, then pull yourself together, and do what you have to do to insure your child (be it human or pet) is the best they can be. And, that's what I'll do. It won't be easy, so I'll be in need of encouragement, but I know I can do it.

I have to do it...for her.

Until next time,
Miss Chicken Wing

Happy Birthday To My Muffin!!!

I recently wrote a post about the birthday of one of my sons, Mister MuChi the PooChi! Well, today is the FIFTH birthday of my "oldest furbaby" - CiCi Haven! I got my little princess right after graduating college and it was one of the most exciting and challenging adventures of my life to date.

CiCi with one of her favorite people, her Papa! He calls her his "spoiled little black puppy." I honestly don't think he even knows her name! Haha!

I graduated, Mr. Chicken Wing and I went to pick her out, and Momma Chicken Wing gave her to me as a graduation present. Why, you ask, would someone gift their newly graduated daughter with a puppy? Well, because I had gotten a job 4 hours away from home and would be living in a "foreign" city all by my lonesome and Momma didn't want me to be there completely by myself.
Thank you, Grammy, for buying me for my Momma!

I learned a whole new level of responsibility when raising CiCi - and I think I did a pretty good job. I get told all the time that she is the most well behaved dog that people had ever seen.

Seriously...look at that B-E-A-UTIFUL face!

From the early days of house training, getting her over her severe car sickness, and vet visits to get all her shots, to learning very early on that she was NOT going to be crated or gated (she got out of EVERYTHING...I mean she literally climbed with her little paws up and over the baby gate!). We survived long nights and some big storms (we lived right next to the beach) together. We survived one of the scariest events that has happened to me (and her) to date: When we got attacked by a pit bull in our apartment complex when I went to take her outside one night. Luckily, we both came out of it unharmed but both of us could barely stand due to our intense shaking.

Basically, it was her and me for a long time and she bonded to me like no other dog ever has. There were nights when I chose not to go out and hit the bars with my friends because I didn't want to leave her by herself. (Cue the head nod to the responsibility I was talking about earlier). And she and I made a lot of friends in the apartment complex because of meeting them when we were walking.

Somebody is wet and a little angry, but adorable nonetheless!

So, here is a very Happy 5th Birthday shout out to my Momma's girl - my little CiCi Muffin.

She is the best big sister to MuChi and Wilkie, and has brought so much joy to my life over the past five years. She's been a constant companion and one of the loves of my life.


CiCi and MuChi enjoying their favorite things - Chickey Chews (or Mini Dingos, as they are actually named)!

Happy Birthday, my girl - I hope we have many blessed years together, and I hope that you have been as happy being my baby as I have been being your momma.

My precious baby girl - one of the most photogenic dogs in the world. But, maybe I'm biased!

Until next time,
Miss Chicken Wing

Awful Beautiful Life

Feel free to play the video below to understand the title of this post:


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First, I'll start by apologizing for my lack of posts lately. I've discovered that a very jammed pointer finger will definitely slow you up in regards to typing, carrying things, washing your hair, and pretty much everything else. It amazes me how long it affects you - mine's starting it's fourth week! The bruising has just now gone away, even though the pain has not. It's also been very busy around the Chicken Wing household for the past month or so. Why, you ask?

Well, because we've adopted a third furbaby into our home and he is keeping us busy with his energetic nature and severe disdain for any stuffing in every.single.dog.toy.in.our.house. I have come home to a snowstorm both inside and outside of the house on multiple occasions. But, he is a sweet little thing if I ever saw one, and I believe that he is very, very happy with us so that makes me happy.

So, you want to know more about him, do you? For starters, he's a 14 month old Pom-a-poo, which is a combination of a pomeranian (like CiCi) and a poodle (like half of MuChi). We adopted him from a family who did not as much time for him as they would've liked, and because of that had to leave him in his crate most of the time. Anyone who has a small breed dog knows that their personalities are anything but small - they require (and most times demand) attention and affection every moment of the day.

His name is Wilkie, and he looks like MuChi's twin brother! And you want to know how they're all getting along? Check it out for yourself below, but you have GOT to listen to their theme song, courtesy of The Hangover.


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Wilkie and his momma

"We're the three best friends that anybody could have..."

So, as you can see, I am the proud mother of three little dogs (and one tiny turtle named P.Tree).

And,
I love this crazy, tragic,
Sometimes almost magic,
Awful, beautiful life...

Until next time,
Miss Chicken Wing

Traveling = Love.

If there has ever been anything on my MUST DO list, traveling is it! I love traveling! I love packing the suitcases and the car (I know, you're thinking I can't be serious, but I am!). I love that feeling of "putting the puzzle together" when you look at the open back of a Ford Explorer and see the possibilities of the neatest and most efficient way to pack your things into it. Sure, it will be floor to ceiling, but each item will have been placed there on purpose, with love. :)



Yeah, it's safe to say that I am a total freak about some things. Packing a car and containers are two of those things. (I absolutely adore cute things to store other cute things in. There are so many storage options out there these days - the best part is that you no longer have to sacrifice style for functionality). I heart containers!



But, let's veer sharply back to the topic at hand - traveling. Most folks look most forward to the big trips - that all-inclusive resort in the Mayan Riviera, the coastal tour of Greece, the all-impressive tour of Italy that is gorgeous enough to stop your breathing. Those are all on my "dream travels" list, but I sometimes get really excited for the little trips. You know the ones I'm talking about - the 2-3 hour trips to visit family and friends, even if it's just for a few days. I, for one, get really excited and pumped for these trips.



I must show you one of the biggest reasons why!


CiCi and MuChi riding in my lap - passenger side!

On the big trips, my furbabies can't come along...on the shorter ones, they can, and how I do love to have them with me! There really is nothing that compares to "children" who unconditionally love you and would give anything in the world just to come with you!

Mr. Chicken Wing and I love to bring them along - they get SO excited when we ask them the following questions:

"MuChi, do you want to go for a ride?"

"CiCi, you want to go in the car-car?"

(They were brought up using different terminology so we have to use both)! HeHe!

Okay, so faithful followers out there:
What about travel gets you super excited? Do you love the big trips or the smaller trips better?

Until next time,
Got-the-travel-bug Chicken Wing