My Two Babies

Asha and Giggs when she was not yet mobile!!!

This post is probably going to make some people mad because it is a comparison between my almost 8-month old daughter and my 3-year old dog. But, first, I want to give a shout-out to Giggs who has been wonderful with Asha. When she first came home and slept in our room, he tolerated it for about 3 nights. Then he decided he had enough screaming and crying during the day and did not want his beauty sleep spoilt at night, so he started sleeping downstairs in the basement. Broke our hearts. The sly thing would come into our room and beg to get into bed with us every night. Then after we gave him his nighttime treat, he would jump off and stay away. He basically stayed away from Asha except to give her an occasional lick if she was crying or fussing. She, in turn, fell in love with him and would stop crying the second he walked into the room.

Things have gotten more complicated since. He has returned to sleeping with us once we transitioned her to her room at 11 weeks. But since Asha started crawling at 6 months, 3 weeks, she follows him everywhere. Worse, she cannot coordinate what she does, so she constantly pulls his hair, his tail, his ears!!! Now he runs away whenever he sees her. She tries to keep up but cannot and always starts crying. He has taken to hiding in his crate in our room (he has literally never slept there in his life). He still licks her but stays as far away from her hands and legs as possible.

Here are the main similarities between these two babies of mine:

1) They both scream/bark when something is not to their liking.
2) He likes her toys and she likes his – and they both put the toys in their mouths (this has led to constant chasing after them both)
3) They both root through their food and chuck it when it lacks what they like (bacon for him and bananas for her)
4) I have to hide from them when I am eating – he wants the food; she wants to hold the plate and smash it against the nearest piece of furniture.
5) Neither one listens to anything I say.

I do wish I had more time for Giggs though. He is our first kid and used to 100% of our attention. Now he is lucky if he gets 25%. He hardly gets any lap time. I am hoping this will change when Asha gets more independent – he has been so good with her, he should get some reward.

The Next Step

So, Sept. 11th (2009) was a monumental day – I successfully defended my dissertation that day. I had been very reluctant to schedule the defense for that day – it seemed so inauspicious. As I told my committee, the only day that would seem worse would be something like Friday the 13th. But as graduate students rapidly learn, it is very difficult to make four committee members come up with a common date and time they can meet – and you would have to be out of your time to make them change such a date after they have decided on it. So, we kept the date in spite of my misgivings. And to be fair, I would probably have had misgivings no matter what the date was.
Anyway, the defense went well except for one minor problem. On some (minor) things, my committee agreed on the changes I would have to make to transform this into a book. But on other things, they disagreed – even disagreeing on the best chapters/topics which should form the heart of the book. Some thought articles should come first; others pushed for a book.

All of this seemed a merely academic discussion at the time. I had just defended – what did I care? I still have small changes to make before turning in the vast amount of paperwork and the dissertation which will earn me my actual degree. But those who know me, know that I am not happy with little to do. I have a love-hate relationship with what I do – I hate it when I actually have to write but love the material. So, starting today, I have asked myself: what next? What now?

I do have a very long To-Do List. Most of it is from the summer – things that got put aside for the dissertation. But I like my dissertation. I want to work on it. So, should I start an article on it? What does that entail? Or think in terms of a book? I realized that while grad school has taught me some things, it has taught me nothing about how to convert a dissertation into a book. Does one work on the dissertation first? On a book proposal? Talk to editors? I have no idea. So, the next step for me is: research how to publish books in academia and work on journal articles.

It’s always about the next step for me. I wish I could learn to relax. What do you do after you finish a major project?
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To-Do List:

1. Apply for reappointment for my third year at MU
2. Clean out the more than 100 boxes in our basement
3. Make two new course proposals for Ancient & Medieval Political Thought and Modern Political Thought – will write more about the process for this later
4. Make changes to the dissertation and submit it with all the paperwork
5. Apply for travel grants for conferences this semester
6. Shop for the India trip, get shots etc.

Plants: All my plants made it through the summer, so this experiment was clearly a success. I love the fresh herbs, so I am definitely getting more of them next summer.

Giggs: He has had a rough few weeks. He hurt his right back leg about a month or so ago. The vet thought it may be a torn ligament and if so, would need surgery. She gave him a painkiller and anti-inflammatory but it worked and he stopped limping. Then, 2 days ago, he hurt his left back leg while trying to chase a dog. He is back on that medication and has stopped limping. However, he is very cautious about that leg, so I know it still hurts him. Then yesterday, he got a stomach bug and threw up about 4 times. He finally ate some crackers and drank some water (with sugar and salt in it) last night, so I am hoping he is feeling better.

A New (Old) Car: Gregg and I bought a very old 2001 Ford Explorer this summer. So, while everyone was trading in their clunkers, we bought one  It is much easier to have two cars – I do not have to plan my life around the car anymore. The Camry is now my car – which I love. No more adjusting seats and mirrors every time I get into the car. I hate driving the Explorer though – it is too big and I simply cannot park it. So, I am very happy with the Camry as mine. Gregg likes the bigger car anyway – sense of power or control or whatever it is.

Last Thought on the Significance of Sept. 11th, 2009: When Gregg’s mom heard about the defense, she decided to send me a card early. However, I was very unwilling to talk about the defense and certainly refused to open a card prematurely – it seemed like bad luck. So, she contemplated putting the following on the card: “Do not open till Sept. 11th” but decided against it because of how it sounded. I am so glad she did not send that to a green card holder 

Facebook Etiquette

Forgive my obsession with Facebook but since joining it, I am realizing all sorts of things about this social networking site. First of all, I realize the draw of Facebook now. It allows you to communicate with people in small quick exchanges. You can divulge your mood, what you are currently doing, intimate and/or useless pieces about your life to people at any time through the simple act of writing on your/their Wall. Thus, you give people access to yourself without really any trouble on your or their part.

Second, Facebook does not make distinctions between “friends” and “acquaintances”. Thus, everyone is your friend. I enjoy this feature but in sending friend requests, I did not send requests to all people that I knew. I just sent requests to those I had considered my friend in the past. Since then, many people have sent me friend requests and it has occurred to me that people either define “friend” much more loosely than I do or have some kind of competition about how many friends they have on Facebook. Some of the people were merely nodding acquaintances. Others I was delighted to establish contact with again. I don’t mind this at all but the nuances of relationships can obviously never be replicated on Facebook.

Finally, Facebook does allow you to interact with a large and diverse group of people. In this sense, this tool is unlike any other – unlike telephone conversations, email or anything else. But does it minimize one-on-one interactions? I called Jill about a month ago and she said she thought that I was calling to tell her that I was pregnant. Since this was absolutely crazy, I asked her why she would think this. She said, “That’s the only reason people call anymore.” Is this true? Is all our interaction now on internet – IM, email, Facebook?

On the whole, though, I must say that I have enjoyed Facebook – and am totally hooked. Also, thankfully, after the first couple of days, my activity on it has reduced significantly, so I do not worry about it any more.

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In Other News:

Work: I am way behind. I need to grade 40 papers, prep a class, teach 4 classes and decide on 3 paper topics by the end of the day Friday. I also need to find time to work on an article and a conference paper for NPSA.

Weekend: Gregg’s parents will be here this weekend – we are thinking of taking them to Lititz, PA to do the “Chocolate Walk”. Thankfully, I do not like candy much so it should not make me put on 30 pounds.

Giggs: He is now 9 pounds – up from the 6 he was when we got him. He has been a little sick but is recovering now.

Exploring Pennsylvania

Since Gregg and I started our first full-time jobs together, we have had to make spending time together a priority. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Gregg is on the train or in Philly from 7am to 6pm (till 10pm on Mondays). Tuesdays and Thursdays, I am on campus from 12pm-6pm. While I know this is common for most couples, it is uncommon for us and we have been trying to compensate.

Our other priority since we moved to PA has been to explore Lancaster and its surroundings. So far, we have mainly explored restaurants. Once we ventured to Harrisburg but that’s about it. So Gregg decided to combine our goals into a new rule: Saturdays are days we spend together doing something new and not working (at least till the evening).

In that spirit, we got up this morning and drove to Gifford Pinchot State Park. It is about 45 minutes from our house. It is on a lake and has trails and camp-grounds. We took Giggs with us. Once at the park, we spend about 90 minutes walking the “Lakeside Trail” with Giggs and then headed out. I do not usually like hiking but this was a swift easy walk around the park. It is located outside a very small cute town and we went to what was advertised as a Farmers’ Flea Market. True to its name, it turned out to be part farmers’ market and part flea market. We walked around there for a while where Giggs got a lot of attention. By this time, we were very tired, very hot and hungry. So, we got Giggs some water and snacks and then stopped at the Hillside Café for lunch. The place looked like just some diner from the outside but turned out to be quite nice and swanky inside – in spite of its name and location. Anything but a café. The food was very good – I had their BBQ ribs and Gregg had a fish platter. Huge portion sizes too. I highly recommend it.

On the whole, a wonderful day!! What made it better was that it was a cheap way to explore. The state park was free; we only paid for lunch and gas. We did not buy anything at the farmers’ market. Overall, I spent a wonderful day with Gregg and Giggs, did not spend much money, got some exercise and discovered a very beautiful hilly part of PA. What more could one ask for?

Trip to Boston

Gregg and I got back from APSA on Sunday. It was an exhausting but satisfying weekend. My panel went well – good feedback but no severe critique – and we got to see a lot of people who we rarely see since we moved. Stacie, Evan, Dave, Zach, Abhishek, Rebecca and even my cousin who lives in Boston.

Giggs got to spend the weekend with Gregg’s parents. They spoil him completely. When he is with them, he refuses to eat his food and so they give him tons of treats, a lot of walks and buy him toys. Every time he is with them, I come back with more toys and treats than I took with me. What worries me, however, is that they never like leaving him alone. They never put him in his pen or his crate except at night. While this is great for him – he gets constant attention and companionship – I worry that they will get tired of running around him constantly. It is so nice to be able to leave him with them and I do not want them to get exhausted running after him all day. I know that sometimes I am so ready for him to grow up, to not be such a puppy – it is tiring to keep entertaining him or watching him. Did I mention that he shredded both our phone chargers last week?

This is my third time visiting Boston. I must say that the city is growing on me. I hate the traffic but I love the architecture and the history. You pass a random graveyard and there is a plaque commemorating some Revolutionary hero buried there. The buildings are old and though some are dilapidated, others are not. The structures are imposing but their age and history give them dignity (I do not like ultra modern architecture). I love the quaintness of some of the areas and the openness of others like Boston Commons. I am not saying I would like to live there (I do not really want to live in a big city) but unlike, some other cities I have been to, I think Boston is a peculiarly old city living in modern times.

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To-Do List for this Weekend:

1. Give Giggs a bath
2. Prep for my American Political Thought class tomorrow
3. Do laundry from my first full working week and APSA
4. Do some grocery shopping
5. Set up some things at my office

Luxury Living

As all of you know, I love dogs and since I have gotten Giggs, I have been spending all my spare time looking for things that will make his life happier when we are not at home. My guilt at leaving him alone while I am at work (this never exceeds 5-6 hours in a day) makes me a compulsive shopper for him. But even I draw a line when it means spending over $500 for a “luxury crate”.

I saw this online – it is a luxury crate system for Giggs where he has a two-storey crate with stairs between the two and a set-up where you can add a webcam to view your dog playing when you are gone. While I was extremely tempted to get it for Giggs, I started comparing it with the money we spend on hotels for ourselves:

a. To save money while in grad school, Gregg and I have repeatedly stayed at Howard Johnson Inns while at conferences. So, I am assuming that Giggs’ current accommodation which consists of a pen and a crate (we put the crate inside his pen and let him move in and out) is like a Howard Johnson according to the people from SuiteDigs.

b. Only recently, Gregg and I have started getting better hotels when we go somewhere – usually on hotwire or Orbitz. For Giggs, it seems that daycare or a pet hotel would be the equivalent of places we have booked recently (3-4 star). It is the canine equivalent of upgrading from a motel to a hotel.

c. The doggy suite is the canine equivalent of a 5-star hotel. It has stairs, a bedroom floor upstairs and a place for him to “go” downstairs, a treat and toy dispenser which can be activated remotely (imagine being a dog and seeing treats shooting at you – it would freak me out!!!!) etc. It is a doggie condo of sorts.

The thing is: since Gregg and I do not always treat ourselves to 5-star hotels and we certainly do not stay in a 5-star hotel every day, does Giggs need it for the 5-6 hours that he is alone during weekdays? Would he truly be more comfortable there? Wouldn’t he just be happier being with us and sad when we are not home, no matter what his accommodation is like? Is this just consumerism appealing to the emotions of people who would do anything for their dogs (or cats)?

Thoughts?

How Time Flies

As I looked at my Palm Pilot today to see what deadlines I have to reach in the next few weeks, I got a rude awakening. How fast time goes by!! Here are some of the things that surprised me:

1) We have already spent 3 months in Lancaster. It feels like we just moved in.
2) Summer is almost over though it feels like it just started.
3) My sister has been married for 6 months already.
4) We have had Giggs for over 2 months.

Is it just me? Have I not been savoring the days? Or has summer – and time – really flown by?

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What we have been doing:

Family: My sister and Kenn came to visit this past weekend. We had a great time. I had tea with her, did a tour of Amish country, went to the outlet malls and showed her Millersville campus.

Work: Trying to get set up to start my first tenure-track job. Got passwords for email, Blackboard, the system which allows me to record grades; got keys for offices, classrooms etc; did IT training; ordered stationary; moved some books into the office; got ID; filled up some forms etc.

Writing: I have been trying to write my paper for APSA (also a diss chapter). Have not gotten far – maybe 5-7 pages into it.

Giggs: He has been doing well. We had our first chewing disaster. The victim was Gregg’s cell phone charger which got chewed into little bits.

Fourth of July Weekend

Happy Fourth of July Weekend everyone!!! Gregg and I decided to spend the weekend being productive – in a wholistic way. On Friday, we got to hang out with Stacie, Evan and Sam. They were in Philly for the weekend and drove to Lancaster. It was Giggs’ first doggie play-date and given his hostile response to other dogs, I was not optimistic. But Stacie was very patient and came armed with a million treats and bones and toys. By the way, Stacie, Giggs has not let his rawhide bone go for the past 24 hours. Thanks for that!!

When Sam first walked in the door, Giggs started barking and this did not stop for the first 15 minutes. After that, he decided that he would walk over to Stacie who was sitting with Sam and accept some delicious salmon treats from her. It took 30-45 minutes of bribing Giggs with treats and threatening to spray him with water if he barked, for him to calm down enough to let him off his leash. After that, Giggs seemed to perk up, stopped barking and ran around the house checking to see where Sam was. However, the play-date was a little disappointing for Sam because Giggs refused to play with him. Poor Sam, he tried so hard. He sniffed Giggs (in some unmentionable places!!), he lay down, he rolled over – he tried to be as unthreatening as possible. Just for the record, Sam is 45 pounds to Giggs’ 7, so rough play might rightly have scared Giggs. A wagging tail from Sam is enough to knock Giggs over. However, Giggs did play when we took them outside – probably the space to run made him feel safer.

After a couple of hours when we were sure things were calm, we left the dogs at home (we separated them) and went out to get lunch. We went to the Iron Hill Brewery – it is a chain but limited to the PA, NJ, Delaware area. They brew a lot of their own beers. It was very nice catching up, I had not seen Stacie for almost a year – since APSA last year. Unfortunately, Stacie, Evan and Sam had to leave shortly after lunch but it was a great day for me nonetheless.

On Saturday, Gregg and I worked on our dissertations. I have to write a chapter on tragedy before APSA and Gregg is working on a chapter on our current President. The weird thing about writing a chapter of my dissertation for a conference is this: I have dual goals in mind. On one hand, I feel that if I reach 25-30 pages, I have a decent paper to present. On the other hand, it is not complete until I have covered the material I want to cover – and that has no page deadline. Right now, I am focusing on the first goal rather than the second.

We also walked 3 miles apiece on Saturday. We have made a new resolution – to exercise a little every day. The reasons for this and the best way to achieve this goal is something I will discuss in my next post. It was a big day for me – 3 miles for someone who never walks at all is a challenge.

Our goals for Sunday are more of the same – exercise a little, write a little, play with Giggs (which is part of our everyday lives now).
But this has been a fabulous weekend – hang out with friends, exercise (which is a new thing for me), play with your dog, and some work done on the dissertation. This is my idea of a well-rounded weekend.

What did everyone else do?

More Pictures of Giggs

Giggs

These are pictures of Giggs during his trip to Gregg's parents - the weekend of June 6th, 2008.

Schedule Changes

We have had Giggs for almost three weeks now and I have been noticing some major differences in our loves. First, we laugh a lot more. Giggs is very funny, plays silly idiotic games all the time. Second, Gregg and I have been taking turns at household chores much more. This is because someone needs to watch him all the time. He is teething and this means that he will chew on anything – shoes, cords, laptops etc. But this post is about the third development: the change in our work schedule.

Usually Gregg and I study very differently. Gregg needs to sit at a desk and he needs to work uninterrupted for long periods of time. I study in front of the TV, with the laptop on my lap and I can be repeatedly interrupted without losing my train of thought. The problem is incorporating Giggs into these patterns. Since he needs constant attention, the question is: who gets to baby-sit when we are working? Given the patterns, it seems to make more sense that I should baby-sit. But, ironically enough, Gregg has actually altered his habits to incorporate Giggs. He has been working with Giggs in the room, keeping an eye on him and taking him outside if he scratches at the door. I was worried that these interruptions would irritate him but he seems unperturbed. I, on the other hand, have had trouble getting work done. I cannot put my laptop on my lap when Giggs is around because he is such a lapdog – he will not even play on the ground, he sits on our laps when he plays. It is impossible to have a laptop on your lap when you have a dog on it!! Even reading with him on your lap is difficult, because he is prone to biting your pencil or book.

So, I have taken to snatching time to work when Giggs is asleep. I also bought Giggs a toy called a Kong. You can put a treat into the toy and it takes him about 45 minutes to extract the treat from it. I try to work when Giggs is busy with his Kong. But this experience has made me think: if it is so difficult to get work done when you get a puppy, how on earth do people get work done when they have babies? We all know friends in grad school who had kids. How did they write a dissertation while taking care of kids? How do people get tenure while managing children? If one person is an academic, does the other parent have to stay at home?

This is not to say that academics work harder than anyone else and therefore, juggling parenting and work is more difficult for them. All I am saying is that it is more difficult to get work done when you are working from home and have a more flexible schedule and have kids. You are the automatic choice for baby-sitting which diminishes the time you can spend on work. All of this is complicated by the requirements and deadlines for tenure. How do you balance it all?

Thoughts??????

P.S.: Just to be clear, these are just thoughts. Echoing what Jill said in one of her blogs: I have NOTHING to announce.

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Updates:

Reading: The Chronicles of Narnia. I want to watch Prince Caspian but I have a rule: I cannot watch a movie based on a classic book if I have not re-read the book recently. So, I am reading the entire lot of them. Then, on to one of the books that Betty gave me for my birthday. Thanks Betty.

Weekend: Gregg’s parents and brother are coming to visit us on Friday. On Saturday, Gregg, Aaron and their dad have a “Lindskog Mens’ Day” planned which includes a baseball game in Philly. So, Gregg’s mom and I are going to go off on our own. I am going to plan something too – so far, we are going to a high tea at one of Lancaster’s many tea rooms.

Tasks: Gregg is making our new bookshelves. My job is to run errands, bathe Giggs and arrange some of our books in some sort of order.

A Long Weekend

Gregg and I at Yankee Stadium

I have been meaning to write about last weekend for a while. A couple of months ago, Gregg and I bought tickets to a Yankees-Royals game on Sunday (the 8th) in Yankee Stadium. We love going to baseball games and have decided to see one new baseball stadium every year. Since Yankee Stadium is going to be torn down after this season, it was now or never. We both hate the Yankees but this was more in the interest of history than anything else.

Anyway, at the time we bought the tickets we did not know that we would have another member of the family to think about; Giggs was not in the picture then. We had planned to drive to New York, watch the game and return the same day. This was impossible because of Giggs and Gregg refused to put him in a kennel since he still has separation anxiety when we are not with him. So, we decided to go to CT on Saturday, leave Giggs with Gregg’s parents on Sunday and return after the game to pick him up.

However, things got more complicated when my great-uncle (my maternal grandfather’s brother) called and said he would be in CT on Friday. He lives in Jakarta and would be flying out on Saturday. I have not seen him in 5 years. But we are very close and he spoilt us rotten our whole lives. So, I promised to get to CT on Friday instead of Saturday so we could see him.

This is why we ended up getting to CT on Thursday. We introduced Giggs to Gregg’s parents. They have never had a dog before and I was worried that he would be naughty or soil their carpets – thereby making them dislike him. But they were wonderful and so was Giggs. He did not have a single accident the whole weekend (he is 90% house-trained already) and when we were not there, he spent his time sleeping on their laps. They were so sweet to him, took him out every time he needed to go, played with him and refused to crate him. Like parents, like son!!!!

On Friday, we spent most of the day with Giggs and then left for Stamford to meet my great-uncle. Gregg was a little nervous (meeting new family members is always uncomfortable) but everything went well. He got along very well with my great-uncle and his son (who was born and brought up in the United States). We stayed for dinner, talked about politics and had a lot of fun. In the meantime, Gregg’s parents bonded with Giggs.

We spent Saturday with Gregg’s parents. Gregg’s mom went out and bought Giggs about 5 new toys, 3 boxes of treats and even a bandana which says ‘Democrats in ‘08’. By the way, Gregg refuses to let him wear it. Then they took us out for lunch and I had the best sweet potato fries. I usually like real instead of sweet potatoes but they were awesome!!

Sunday morning, we left Giggs and took a train in to New York. Let me just say that New York always makes me anxious. Too many people, too much noise, too fast-paced!!! The number of people on the subway from Grand Central to Yankee Stadium alone was mind-boggling!!! Gregg insisted that I not wear one of my many Red Sox t-shirts. The game itself was fun. I was very excited for the short time when the Kansas City Royals had the lead but that dissipated when it was clear that the Yankees would win. It was 95F and I was very glad for the hand-held plastic fans which Gregg’s mom had supplied us with. But the atmosphere (though enemy territory for a Red Sox fan) was electric and the game itself was fun.

After the game was over, we took the train back to CT, picked up Giggs and drove home. It was a very long but fun weekend.

I will post more pictures of Giggs (as requested by many) in the next couple of days.

Contentment

I have been thinking of the difference between happiness and contentment. Happiness is reserved for the big moments in life – for me, happiness is always mixed with excitement. Happiness is what you feel when you get engaged or married, get a good job or fellowship or get accepted to a great school.

Contentment, on the other hand, is something you feel at small things. There are a few moments in the day which I look forward to all day. One is my piece of apple pie or lemon cake at night. I always eat some dessert at night about an hour before bedtime. I usually watch some TV or read some fiction while eating dessert. While this may not sound like much, I look forward to it all day. I also look forward to my single cup of coffee in the morning. I drink a large cup of cold coffee while reading fiction or playing on the computer. That slow start to the day is what makes the craziness of any given day tolerable. Last evening, Gregg and Giggs were curled up asleep on the couch together. I was taking notes on Thomas More. I looked over and they looked so comfortable. So, I got under the blanket and curled up with them. It was only a few moments but that is when it occurred to me: I was so relaxed and content. I have a great life!!!

What about you? What moments do you look forward to? Any moments when you feel truly content?

Adjusting to a New Life

Having a new puppy in one’s home is a big adjustment for everyone – including the puppy. Giggs, Gregg and I are all adjusting to his presence in our lives. I think the biggest adjustment is for Gregg. Gregg has never had a pet before. He is learning everything from scratch – how to tell if Giggs needs to go outside, how to train and discipline Giggs, how his routine should work etc. The hardest part is the training because Gregg wants Giggs to like him and is very loathe to scold him for anything.

Giggs, in the meantime, has transitioned quite well. He was terrified of the stairs his first night here but he has mastered them now. Good thing too because it would be very difficult to keep carrying him up and down 2 flights of stairs every time we move from one floor to another!! He is also becoming better at letting us know that he wants to go outside – he has only had an accident once since Tuesday night. He has also learnt to walk on a leash and is getting a little too fond of going outdoors and exploring the area. The funniest thing about Giggs is that he has decided that I am his friend who he can play with and Gregg is the person he wants to sleep next to. Whenever he wants a nap he goes to Gregg; when he wants to play he comes to me.

I must say that this is the most relaxed I have been since I started grad school. Sad to say but it seems that I needed a dog to relax me. On Wednesday, for the first time in months, I did no work at all – no chores, no bills, no reading, nothing. And I did not even feel guilty about it!!! Gregg made dinner (salmon and veggie stir-fry in a balsamic vinaigrette reduction) and Giggs and I sat on the steps outside the kitchen and watched him. Did not even offer to help!!!

I like this transition.

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An Update on Giggs’ Health:

I have been writing this entry off and on for two days, so I thought I would add an update on Giggsy’s health. We took Giggs to the vet to check out his eye today. She said that his eye is healing but would scar. The scar will not affect his vision but he may get glaucoma later in life. This is what we should watch out for. For now, she said we should finish his round of medication and that’s it. Since his eye is scarring, it means he does not need another visit for it – at least for now. Otherwise, he got a general checkup and a clean bill of health. We are very very relieved.

Giggs Lindskog

Meet Giggs Lindskog – the newest member of our household. He is a Welsh Corgi-Chihuahua mix who we drove to Spartanburg S.C. to get this Memorial Day weekend. He is TINY – 6 pounds and 5 months old. He will grow to a max of 12 pounds. Though he has the Chihuahua size, he has Corgi ears as you can see. He is named after Ryan Giggs, a famous soccer player from Wales. Can you guess who thought of this name?

This is the story of this sudden adoption. On Thursday my sister called me to say that Critter Connection, the rescue she works with, has a Corgi-Chihuahua mix who had just been rescued from the shelter where he lived for 6 weeks. She sent me pictures and he looked so sweet that Gregg and I decided to take him – though we had been looking for a bigger dog. We drove to S.C. on Friday (a 10 hour drive) but 3 hours before we arrived, my sister said that he had hurt his eye (she does not know how), had to go to the vet, and would not be able to leave with us on Sunday. Gregg and I were very disappointed but since we were almost in Spartanburg we decided to make a trip out of it.

Saturday: We visited poor Giggs whose eye seemed very cloudy and swollen. Then we went to PetsMart and bought all the stuff he needed. My sister went with us and bought him toys, a crate, bowls etc.

Sunday: My sister, Kenn, Gregg and I all went to the mountains in Tryon, N.C. and did some leisurely walking next to the waterfalls. We also went to Hendersonville, N.C. Fortuitously, they were having their spring fair and we walked around the grounds, looked at the goods, ate kettlecorn etc. My sister bought a purse and then she bought me a pair of earrings. I introduced her to kettlecorn. Then, that night, Gregg and I went to a baseball game in Greenville, S.C. – it is a single A team called the Greenville Drive which is also an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.

Monday: Gregg and I drove to Atlanta and watched the Memorial Day Braves game – it was very very hot and Gregg is sunburnt since we did not think of buying suntan lotion. It was a good game and the Braves won. I loved the fly-over they did after the national anthem because of Memorial Day. Monday night, we had dinner at my sister’s house – she made biryani – a traditional Muslim meal which I love. I got the recipe from her because it was an awesome rendition of biryani.

Tuesday morning: Giggs went to the vet and he said that he could come with us but his eye is still very bad. He was given antibiotics and eye drops and there is the possibility that he has an ulcer in that eye or torn his cornea. If it is the latter, he may have to have his eye taken out. Critter Connection said we had the choice to take him or not but if his eye is removed, he may never get adopted. So we took him anyway and will take him to the vet next week. We know we will love him regardless of his eye.

Giggs was very good on the drive home. Cried and screamed a little in his crate, so we took him out and one of us sat in the back seat with him while the other drove. Though he did not throw up or anything, he got more and more cranky during the 12-hour drive. But he perked up when he got home and ate a huge meal. He did not want to be crated but slept soundly for 6 hours or so. He seems very happy today and is learning to climb the stairs in our apartment.

Please pray that Gigg’s eye gets better and that he settles down well with us.