* The Mausser Family *: June 2008

So we are in desperate need of someone to watch this little guy. No, sorry folks, not Weston, Mooja. We are going to Albuquerque next week for the 4th and are quickly discovering everyone we know is also going out of town or having company. Before you quickly exit of my blog pretending you never saw this post, let me just tell you a little about our dog, Mooja.

He has the stupidest name ever, which is why we were so nervous about naming Weston (fortunately, I still say we didn't mess that one up). He is soooo good around babies and kids, he doesn't lick faces or hands, he sits, shakes, rolls over, and is completely house-trained. He lets Weston pull his ears, tail, paws, mouth and even lets Weston hit him, so now we are struggling with Weston how to be "soft" because Mooja does not even care. Mooja may allow that because he know he can get the most food from Weston.

He isn't allowed on furniture and doesn't shed....that much. He'll sleep all day if you want him to. He sleeps in his kennel at night. He eats once a day unless you leave food on the ground. He is the best vacuum. He doesn't bite or bark unless you are teasing him and purposely trying to get him to bark. But he is easily silenced. He is also the smallest full-sized beagle you've probably ever seen. He is so friendly. If you have a yard, feel free to throw him out there all day. If you don't have a yard, he is an inside dog, anyway. And if after one week, you want to keep him, that can be negotiated through me :)

Now, here is what we are willing to offer as compensation: yard work, babysitting, any kind of food or dinner for you and your family, lifetime friendship, we'll watch your small to medium-size dog when you need it, we'll wash your cars, I don't know we're just trying to save a few bucks on taking him to a kennel. Also, if you can only watch him for partial week that would still help us out. As much as I love Mooja, I am not taking him on a 10 hour drive again to ALB. Last time I did that, I was pregnant and almost left him in Moab.

In Other News....

In case you don't live in UT or you simply don't care about our predicament, which is fine also :) Here are some other updates in our lives.

Weston got his drain out about a month ago and also went off all his diuretics, so his belly just ballooned! And we were so frustrated because he was just so uncomfortable again, but Dr. Book came back in town and took care of business as usual. She put him on a different combo of diuretics (which help him pee better, because his kidneys struggle) and he had an ultrasound a few weeks ago and another scope yesterday. He didn't have to have the sclerotherapy done, which treats the veins in his throat because his veins are doing much better. The veins are oozing a little blood just from the surrounding tissue so it was a long day, because they had to give him blood and fluid for hydration.

The bad part is from the ultrasound, the spleen is still fighting to pump all that blood and fluid through because his veins are so tiny and the liver was so big. So at a future date, we may have to consider a surgery called a "shunt", not exactly sure how to explain it, but to say it would redirect the blood flow. However, it's also possible the problem may fix itself as Weston gets bigger and his veins get bigger, so we're scheduling an MRI to take a look at all his veins, which he will have to be sedated for. How educational is my blog, if you take the time to read all this nonsense :) But to be honest, Weston has never been funner and he is so close to crawling each day! He is learning to clap, pull himself to his knees, dance, nod (not just shake his head), wave, and throw temper tantrums. And he has 3 teeth total - two and a half on the bottom and another half on top :) And now he is eating everything and also off formula and onto a more expensive milk pediasure, fabulous.

Also in other news, I have the best parents ever. I bought toilet paper the other day for the first time in really I think a year. Every time, my mom is in town, she buys laundry detergent, paper towels, toilet paper, and a roast for my freezer. I have yet to buy laundry detergent. And, of course, all this is purchased with Dad's money so I must thank both of them. I was so caught off guard that we didn't have any toilet paper and it was a sunday, so I had to use paper towels for a day, Doug refused.

My mother is now officially not only the voice in my head, but in Doug's also. Said Doug when performing this trick with Weston, "I can hear Grandma Kaye now, 'What are you doing to my grandson?!'" Grandma Kaye's response upon hearing this story, "I have accomplished what I set out to do."

Sorry this post is so long - I'll try to be more frequent!

Here are some pictures from the big celebration. We received so many fun presents from family and friends. Thank you thank you thank you!

We pretty much just asked for books, which was so great! Weston loves to read and loves his new books. I wrapped them up so he would have something to unwrap on his birthday, and boy was he mad at me for taking them away.

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but this train is probably his favorite toy. He was so excited. It is Tigger & Pooh, of course!

And Nemo Birthday cake from Coldstone, yummy!

I think Weston had a hard time opening fun things and then having us take them away. He didn't quite understand it and actually enjoyed the ceiling fan and his balloon the most.