Fibro Flare + a Toddler of a Puppy

It’s the middle of the week! Already! Isn’t it great how long weekends can do that? (The right answer is “yes”.)

I could tell you about all the fun barbecue-summer-sunshine things of my Memorial Day Weekend, but they would all be lies.

First, I’m generally such a summer Scrooge. I’m told it started when I was a baby, and I believe it. I loathe, despise, cannot stand the heat and humidity of summer. Especially because from inside it looks incredible. The sun, the blue skies and fluffy clouds, the shiny green grass… it all looks so good. And then you go outside and melt and the air is so thick it suffocates you.

Anyway, that was definitely the case this weekend, but not the main issue. That was the worst little fibromyalgia flare I’ve had in ages. Everything hurt, but I didn’t want to just lay around (I’m bad at that). I wanted to go out and shop for apartment things, but I was slow-moving, had trouble coming up with words all over the place, and I needed mini-snoozes in the car in between stores. I had a maximum of three hours of shopping stamina on any given day before coming home and crashing.

I did end up buying towels and sheets, a different kitchen table, and an entertainment stand. So now I’m looking for a desk and a mattress. And that’s it for big items! Then, just decorative/fun stuff.

I’ve been getting Deep Blue rubbed into my back every day (thanks, Mom) I’m feeling a bit better now, but I’m still feeling pretty dead and my words are a little hard to access when I want them.

Ben Again

Little Ben needs about an hour less of sleep every night than I do, and then he gets to nap whenever he wants during the day. Like a baby. I’m incapable of naps unless I’m drugged or someone is driving me around. And I’m not calling an Uber every afternoon for a nap. I don’t even think you’re allowed to do that, and if you were, it’d be expensive.

But I did experiment with going to bed earlier than 10:30, and that just resulted in him waking me at 4:30. Otherwise, he starts an occasional soft whine around 5:00am and is probably sitting up and letting out a bark or two by 5:30. He’s a 6.5-hour sleeper, and I’m more of an 8-hour girl.

I’m hoping that changes as his bladder gets bigger, and I’m grateful that he doesn’t wake me up in the middle of the night.

Our early mornings basically involve a quick trip outside, him wolfing down his food and drinking his body weight in water (totally my dog), another trip outside, some play time, and a nap when he stops listening to me. He’s a pretty good listener when he wants to be, so when he starts getting stubborn, I send him to his room (crate) and he usually conks out. And when he wakes up, I have a good listener on my hands again! Magic. Such a little toddler.

I referred to him as “little” Ben (and I call him that half the time I address him), but he’s not so little anymore! He’s put on a good 2-3 pounds since I got him three weeks ago, and he’s taller. I should’ve measured his height then, but I didn’t. He just looks older. And he has long legs (definitely not my dog), so that makes him look even bigger.

He goes on pretty good walks now, too. He doesn’t require them, like Pippa, but sometimes he walks to the edge of the yard and looks up at me, so I take him for a jaunt around the neighborhood. When it’s just the two of us, he gets overwhelmed pretty quickly and doesn’t know where to go next after about 10 minutes, so we turn around. But when he walks with Pippa (and two people so each pup has some freedom), he can follow her forever. 

Sometimes, she even waits for him to catch up! He’s faster than she is, but less certain and more easily distracted, so he falls behind. He still invades her personal space whenever he gets the chance, but she usually handles it pretty well. Yesterday, I even found her curled up on the couch in the living room when I got home. That’s a big deal, because Ben’s crate is in the living room, and Pippa usually wants to be wherever Ben is not. Progress.

And that’s all from me for today. I’ll talk to you later this week!

Your turn:

Tell me about your fun weekend! I will happily live vicariously through you.