Category: Coti’s World

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Day ONE of being a one-legged gal!

As my eyes opened this  morning at 5:50am, I was reminded of all the advice I had read the evening before on various blogs. You should absolutely believe everything you read on the internet. (*wince*) Yes. I received the full gamut of advice scattered from the blogosphere, so you can imagine when my eyes opened this morning, I was ready for EVERY……..NOTHING! It’s like getting ready for a baby to arrive!  For every piece of advice, there’s two-hundred points which refute or alter what has been given. I figured, let’s be prepared for the worst; that way, I’ll be ready, eh?

As I showered and dressed for the day ahead, fashionning my lovely BOOT and crutches, I imagined what was to come…no more hobbling around on two feet for a while, and….the woes continued. Poor me. (get over it already!). Denise rang at 6:15am, so I kissed my dear mom goodbye (Tater and Coti were still sleeping) and headed out the door in my sock. (I forgot to put my right shoe on.) We arrived 2 hours early, and they prepped me. That basically means I wait until I get my anesthesia. They did dress me in this cute purple outfit with matching Bair Paw socks.  Not bad for $2200 (*wince wince*) Dear Denise waited until I was under, and then went back home. They gave me the various warnings of what I may experience (i.e. nausea, constipation, sickness, general fussiness (ok, they didn’t say that). Dr. McDreamy came in to answer all of my questions. Although I wanted to ask him if he was doing anything after the surgery, like massage my foot (:-) ) I decided that was not an option. He assured me to make sure I move around and not lay in bed too much. If I am to lay down, my foot must be elevated. 8:45 surgery begins (supposedly).

10:30am, I see the clock and wonder….”am I alive?” Kelly, my “are you awake and do you feel your toes” nurse, was lovely and fetched me 2 cups of ice chips. Delicious! Denise came, and off we went to the pharmacy for my PAIN MEDS (if I should need them), antibiotics, and Tylenol. BUT FIRST, “Starbucks drive-thru????” Coffee was not the recommended drink for after the surgery, but supposedly my IV gave me 1 1/2 Big Gulps of water so I figured I was hydrated. I was feeling GOOD!

Home at 12:30. Coti ran to kiss me, and Tater was swinging and ready to give me a SMILE!

GETTING AROUND: Return to the SCOOTER discussion here: This is my saving grace. I decided, upon McDreamy’s recommendation, to rent a Roll-A-Bout so I could get around the house faster and hold Tatum in my Bjorn. Now, this is the secret weapon. Today, I have basically been hands free to do what I need to do like fix food, clean up, use the facilities (:-), etc….. The crutches are super for when I am out of the house or need to walk up the stairs, but this thing is BRILLIANT!!!

 

So, now, I am resting in my mother’s delicious cozy bed, elevated leg and pillow-propped head. Heaven. I have enjoyed feeding and playing with Tatum, snuggling with Coti, solving the crossword puzzle with mom, looking for a way to rent San Francisco for tonight’s entertainment, and of course, blogging/writing/emailing/texting/communicating!

The LEG! Plus…see my Bair Paw sock; (a parting gift from the hospital)

Overly humbled, I will make the best of this situation, as I have seen God’s hand in this. This journey will not be wasted, for I know I have much to learn, and hopefully, I can pass on some wisdom in the process.

God is good.

 

 

 

 

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Coti needs some lovin’

It must be hard for the little guy. He’s become second fiddle, and he is not taking it well.

“Hey, what about me!?”

It has been a little over two months now, and although he likes Tater Tot, he does EVERYTHING to get my attention. Sadly, it’s not always so positive. Isn’t that just like our little kiddos….they really want the world to revolve around THEM. He just loved being my first love, and now? He still is my FIRST, but he can’t be FIRST! His patience may be slightly growing and so are his ideas. For example, the other day, my mom was reading the newspaper, and he figured that if he jumps on top of the pile, we will notice him!

Eventually, he gave up and assumed his famous “bear rug” pose.

Ok, Coti, I get the message! We will play some ball!
But please always remember: YOU are my darling little Cotster, and you and Tatum will be a superb combination! Now stay cute, and BEHAVE! 🙂

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My dog’s name should be Cotrero

Apparently my little Coti is Mexican. I have been trying to get Coti to CEASE from jumping on the table after I finish my dinner. He is pretty sneaky as he jumps up and steals a piece of .. ____ fill in the blank. My aunt told me to sprinkle cayenne pepper on the table and that should do the trick. So, I set him up (mooohhaaawww haaa). It just happened that I was eating tacos with savory ground beef. In a small ramican I scooped a bit of the beef and covered it with cayenne. As I did this, I felt sad for Coti’s tongue! When I was a child, cayenne was my mother’s weapon of choice if a bad word slipped from my mouth….aaahhh memories! So, hey, I’m passing down a great tradition to my little white friend.

I placed the red hot fire bowl on the table as I quietly stepped out of the room. As I peaked inside, Coti jumped on the chair and proceeded to slurp up the mixture, licking every morsel and flake! I wait…OK..nothing yet. So, I put water in his bowl anticipating him to need a gallon or so. Nothing. What is up with this dog? He liked it!? What is he, Mikey? He DOES eat anything. Ole! hmph.

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The word of the day is SH_T: Part 2!

Wanting Tatum to go and NOT wanting Coti to go! Today it was all about SHI ___.

Yesterday, Tatum was PLUGGED UP! So, off to the store for some suppositories. Yes, we had success. Not today. Heave ho Heave ho…wince wince...:-( Nothing. And there was not much rejoicing. Now, before I could do the magic insertion, I figured I’d play with Coti a bit! Last night was his dog training lesson,  (and he was a model student as opposed to usual when I want to wear a mask and say, “not my dog!”) so we threw the squeaky hot dog and then practiced his model behavior. Perfect! OK…back to Tatum. I searched high and low for the box of glycerine tubes. As I entered the room where I had left Coti, he ran and hid in a corner. As he did this, trailing behind him were THREE empty suppository tubes. The first thing that went through my head was not my dog’s health. It was my pocketbook! $9 down the drain! No, just kidding. I prayed there was ONE left for Tater Tot. OK..Now I worried (well, Tatum and I both were concerned) about Coti and how lovely his disposals would be and which end would they be ejected..!?

 

Coti ended up running to his happy place so as to not inflict more frustration on me.

Thank goodness there was one plastic tube left for Tatum’s pleasure. I tried the insertion (YELP!) and hoped for her ejection. Still nothing, but I am still waiting. In terms of Coti? I am giving him a bit of rice to bind him up if needed. We just went around the block and he had to stop about five times to do his business. And it was a ten-story edifice.

AAAHHH>>>What has my life become?! Full of SH_T!? 🙂

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Dog first; baby second?

The day I brought Tatum home, I had carefully prepared Coti, so I thought. Every night before Tatum’s arrival, we had our chats about what was about to take place. Did he listen? Was he even paying attention!!? Perhaps not. I brought home one of her little hats from the hospital and placed it in his doggie bed. He tossed it around and ignored the head covering. Then the next day, I brought a blanket and strategically put it in his favorite couch spot. Maybe this would do it. Fast forward to Tatum’s homecoming. He not only growled at her but almost bit her! We immediately freaked out and shielded him from her for a few days. Then, finally we just confronted the situation head on. When I fed Tatum, I played with Coti directly following. I had to go overboard to love on my dog.

It’s five weeks later, and he adores her! The minute she cries, he looks at me saying, “Hey, mom, what are you going to do about this!?” If only he could feed her and change her diapers. Maybe I can teach him to soothe her when she cries. Now, that would be the perfect world.

Sadly, it’s not perfect yet. He is going back to BOOT CAMP with dog training. Coti has been showing signs of aggression and elusiveness. It’s only natural; however, I really miss my old dog. I know this transition will take time.

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Coti’s World

 

I adopted a NEWBORN COTON de TULEAR in August. He was born in MAY.

WHAT IS A COTON!!???

It is the French word for Cotton. The Coton is a bichon-type related to the French Bichons and the Italian Bolognese. It most likely arrived in Madagascar and was reintroduced to Europe and America in the last 20 years. Cotons were favored companion of the wealthy residents of Tulear, in southern Madagascar, where it continued to breed to type. The breed was recognized by the FCI in 1970. The Coton is the “Official Dog of Madagascar,” and a tri-color Coton was honored on a postage stamp in 1974.