I have a new friend. She is a lawyer like me and she lives close by. We walk our doggies together, and we like to do the same things - garden, have yard sales, shop, gossip, talk about lawyerly things. I like having a new friend that isn't going anywhere anytime soon. She's been practicing law longer than me and I feel comfortable asking her questions about cases and such. I'm not afraid to admit that I sometimes don't know what I'm doing. Yay for new friends.

Time to sleep.

All thoughts are on my sweet Steve. I took her to the ER for animals at 2 AM on Sunday and then again 8 hours later. Steve has what they call "Kennel Cough" and this term refers to any upper respiratory infection. She's been coughing and spitting up for a few days but Saturday night, it got to be unbearable, coughing and gagging at least 20 times an hour. It was so sad to hear. We got some antibiotics and a cough suppressant but they didn't work very well. We were up all night together. Finally, I slept on the couch and Steve slept on the hardwood floor so I would stop worrying about the carpet and just let her be. At 10 AM, I went back to get her something stronger, a big ole shot of a sedative, which definitely helped her relax and sleep. Last night, on the couch again, she made it through the night, just getting up once every hour. Basically, I just rubbed her body and her feet to relax her so she'd go back to sleep. I was supposed to head to Virginia Beach with a client at 4:30 this morning, but had to cancel. I couldn't leave her by herself all day. So, we slept in, and she played in the backyard, where she seems to be distracted enough not to cough. Also, I don't have to worry about her rolling around in her spit up (I'm sorry for that image). I have some wonderful friends checking up on her, cause I left her outside today. It's cool and breezy and she has her food and water. For some reason, she's bored inside, and this boredom makes her cough even more.

When I spoke with my regular vet this morning, they told me that this could last a couple of weeks! I'm speechless - well, not really. A couple of weeks?? I can't bear the thought of her coughing like this, sounding like she's hacking up a lung. It's awful. I'm sure she'll be fine, in fact, I know she will. This is the first time Steve has ever been sick like this. I think I may have an inkling of what it's like to stay up all night with a sick baby. It's no fun, and it breaks your heart.

Morning Calm

I never really appreciated the peace one can find in the morning. For a long time, I've stayed in bed too long in the morning, often making myself late to wherever I need to be, then rushed around, relying on N to get me all set for the day. But since N is gone, Steve and I wake up early and take our morning walk, I make coffee, feed Steve, check my e-mail, eat cereal, all in a calm setting. It's actually really nice. Even though I couldn't fall asleep until 2 in the morning, I'm not struggling as much as I thought I would be. Now, if I enjoy this peace too much, I'm gonna be late for work.