Cosmo Update and more....

It has been very busy around here these past few weeks!  Our first priority has been our Cosmo boy.  A couple of weeks ago he had an MRI to try and determine what was going on with his back legs.  The MRI showed a slight bulge in a couple of his vertebrae, but nothing operable.  The findings suggest he may or may not improve, but at least for now he is fairly stable and has not gotten any worse. 
The MRI also showed a couple of areas of concerns.  So we gave them the go ahead to do an ultrasound and that gave them further evidence of the bladder stones, but also a mass showed up in his adrenal gland.  Scary stuff!  They recommended surgery for the bladder stones and the removal of the adrenal gland. 
I'm happy to say Cosmo came through a very difficult surgery with flying colors.  Purdue had him for almost a week, but he is home now and almost fully recovered.  He still has a wobbly behind, but doing well otherwise.  The MRI very likely saved his life as the pathology report on the adrenal tumor came back positive for cancer.  The good news is all the other organs seemed to be clear and they believe they found it early enough that it had not had a chance to spread.  His prognosis is good.....we just need to monitor him with blood work a couple times of year. 

 Next up was my step father....he needed surgery on his neck for a nerve issue causing him quite a bit of pain.  He came through the surgery fine and is home recovering.

I have certainly had my fill of medical procedures and hospitals!

Much more fun and happier things are on the horizon, such as the bridal shower my Mom and I are giving for my soon to be daughter-in-law in August!

 Come September, we plan on heading up to Elkhart to have our shower repaired.  We have a crack in the shower pan.  Bill did a temporary fix so were aren't leaking water everywhere at least!  From Elkhart we will head up to Michigan, that is where the wedding will be held.  Have to say I'm ready to go....ready to be back on the road!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day.......DaddyO!  I love this photo of you and Miss Shirley swinging!

Hope you have a fabulous day!  Love ya bunches!

Mom and I had a great time in Michigan.  Relaxing and beautiful weather.  We checked out the hotel where the kids are getting married and did the little taste test thingy!  All very nice....I'm going for the prime rib!

After checking out the hotel, we said our goodbyes and headed up to Frankenmuth for a little shopping.  Did a lot of "shopping" but no buying...at least for me.  Still it was great to have that time with Mom!

Now that I'm back we have been dealing with the Cosmo boy.  Purdue wants to do an MRI and possibly surgery.  We were not ready to commit to that but after much research and speaking with another vet, we have decided do go through with the MRI.  There may or may not be any type of treatment to help Cosmo, but depending on the diagnosis treatment is vastly different.  We just need to know what we are dealing with....so I'm calling to set up the appointment Monday.  We both just decided that we couldn't live with ourselves if there was a solution for Cosmo and we didn't do all within our power to find it.  Purdue will put him under for the MRI and while he is still sleeping they will call us with the results.  If surgery is indicated, they can do it right then. 

Michigan bound....

Well my Mom and I are making a little trip to Michigan over the weekend.  My Son and his fiancee are doing a  'taste testing' of some of the menu items available to be served at the their wedding reception this fall and we were invited to join them.

I'm happy to have this opportunity to check out the venue first hand and figure out the best way to get there.  We plan on bringing the fifth wheel up for the wedding, but have not been able to find any rv parks close by.  I'm going to ask the management if those of us arriving by rv, can park our rigs in the parking lot.  We all plan to get rooms so I can't imagine they would have a problem.  The dang place looks to be out in the middle of nowhere and the parking area looks large enough to handle it. 

Next Tuesday we head over to Purdue Vet Clinic to have Cosmo's back legs checked out.  I'm not sure how folks afford that place.  They are charging us $150.00 dollars just to look at him, his x-rays (which we are bringing too them), and give us their opinion.  If we choose to leave him for a period of 2 to 3 days for more testing that raises the price to between $1500-$2000!  That's not for a cure or treatment....just to hopefully find out the cause.  I have a problem with not only the cost, but leaving my dog so they can run whatever the hell test they deem necessary.  NOT gonna happen!  At this point, we decided it was worth the money for the second opinion and that's it.  Cosmo doesn't seem to be in any pain....which of the two vets we have talked too so far, doesn't fit with what they are seeing in his x-rays.  At any rate, we will hear what they have to say and make some decisions on where we go from here!  In the meantime, we do have him on an anti inflammatory medication and had noticed a bit of improvement.  That is, until we switched over to the generic version...then it seemed we were right back where we started.  So today, I called to get a new script of the original medication....we'll see if we see improvement.  Until then please keep my Cosmo boy in your thoughts....he is such a good dog and we want to do all we can to keep his quality of life good!

Happy Mother's Day.....

Happy Mother's Day Mama.....Love you bunches

And to all the other 'Mama's' out there.....hope everyone has a great day filled with love and laughter!

Guess things have been a little busy a round here....didn't realize I had not posted that we were back in Indiana.  We arrived here last Thursday....and Wow!  What an exciting day we had yesterday.  Baby Elijah decided it was time to make his grand entrance....

Just Beautiful!

Big boy, 8lbs 9oz...look at him holding his little head up already!

Happy MAMA!

And this....this is BIG Brother Noah....

Yes...it was a great day, being a Great Auntie is AWESOME!

Mount Vernon KY

We spent last Friday and Saturday in Mount Vernon at the Renfro Valley RV park.  It is a passport America park, but unfortunately not on the weekends....so, we definitely feel as though we overpaid!  But...there is not much else to choose from in this area and the grounds are beautiful.  I spend quite a bit of time out and about with my camera.....

This babbling brook was practically right out our door....so many colorful birds here!  These guys were having a pool party!

Awesome view.....so green and lush...spring has come to Renfro Valley

 Under that bridge were 50 or so Barn Swallow Nest and the birds were amazing to watch..so fast!

This guy was giving me the "eye"!

These beautiful birds were dancing about in the sunshine.....loved watching them play.


We left Renfro Valley on Sunday.  We normally don't like traveling on Sundays but we wanted to have a full 4 nights at Winton Woods in Cincinnati.  If you ever find yourself in Cincinnati, Ohio we highly recommend this park.  Large full hookup sites with beautiful surrounds...walking/biking trails, kayaking, fishing.  I, of course, found my way back to the zoo yesterday.  Got a lucky break on all the rain and had a sunshiny day yesterday.  Thursday we make the final leg of our journey into Lafayette, Indiana.  Can't wait to see my family and friends......I leave you with a few more photos of one of my favorite zoos

Sweet Baby Gorilla....just hanging around.....

A shot of Spring for those snow weary northern folks.....

I know this is what you all will be doing once the sun finally shines for you....AAAWWWW!  Bring it on!