The Niu Family: Windy Night In

Well, the night wasn't supposed to turn out this way. For the last couple of weeks I've had tonight all planned out, I was taking my sister to the Jazz game. I got the tickets from one of the real estate agents at work as a "thank you for being awesome", (because I am!) I've really been looking forward to it, because I haven't been to a Jazz game for 2 seasons... and not just that, I probably haven't been to any kind of sporting event other than high school football in over a year. It's sad, really. So needless to say, I have been in serious need of going to a sporting event with thousands of strangers, screaming at the top of our lungs for the home team to win, just as a constructive way to let go of some unwanted tension and stress! Unfortunately, that's NOT how the night went.

About 2 weeks ago I took my dog, Trigger in for surgery on his ear. Now, let me inform you, this was not a surgery he needed, it was more like an "elective" surgery. He had a mole on his ear that had grown to be about 2 inches around, and I could see it was only going to continue to get bigger, so I decided to have it removed. My good friend Dan owns a veterenarian hospital/clinic in the area, and agreed to do the surgery at a reasonable price. So 2 weeks ago I dropped my poor little man off at the clinic to have his surgery. I cried the whole way to work. I guess it must have been a mix of pregnancy emotions, and the fact that he didn't really need the surgery, yet here I was putting him through torture.

Poor guy after surgery #1.

That surgery went really well, and other than a lot of whining the first night due to him being in a bit of pain, and probably just knowing he had an excuse for some extra attention, he recovered very quickly. Or so I thought.
I am a sucker, and a TOTAL pushover when it comes to my dog. (Hopefully this is not a sign of the way I will be with my children!) I wasn't very good about keeping the "cone" on him like Dr. Dan suggested. He would look at me with his adorable little puppy dog eyes, and I could see them just asking me "mommy, why are you making me wear this thing? It's so humiliating." So, I rarely made him wear it. That was the WORST. IDEA. EVER. Once the stitches started healing, the incision became itchy, so he scratched. Hard. Which caused a hematoma in his ear. This made the cartilige, the skinniest part of his ear, swell up into a huge water balloon full of blood. I rushed him to the vet hospital Saturday, where I got the news that he would AGAIN need surgery. All this over a surgery he didn't even need in the first place.
I am now calling it the $600 ear. WOW! $600 for cosmetic surgery on a dog. I belong in Hollywood, my friends! So tonight, instead of going to the Jazz game with my sister, I decided to give both tickets to her so she could take her husband, and I decided to stay home and take care of my poor dog, who is now traumatized for years, or at least months to come, because I decided he needed a mole removed.

Tonight, after surgery #2.

Mamma keeping her baby happy!

It wasn't a complete loss though, I really do enjoy spending time with my little boy, because he's currently not living with me given our tight living quarters. And not only is it nice to have him here with me, but it's nice on a night like this. With the wind howling outside the window, making the hail pound against the balcony doors. Every now and then there is a gust of wind, and I can hear the awnings above the windows getting pushed around. Nights like this make me lonely, Duke LOVES this kind of weather, and I always love cuddling up next to him just listening to the storm. So it's nice to have Trigger here, he keeps me company, and gives me something to cuddle up with when the storm gets a little too noisy!