Sick Days and Doggie Acupuncture

We're almost through the second week back to school and I already overslept...just slid that arrow right over on the iPhone alarm instead of tapping snooze, rolled back over and kept on sleeping. Luckily, Charlie did not leave super early this morning and woke me up at twenty 'til seven. 

Dracen (true to form) was completely unfazed by this whole oversleeping nonsense and had to be dang near dragged out of the bed as usual. Devin, who got in the car yesterday afternoon and immediately informed me he was sick, just shook his head and gave me that "no way-no how'" look when I woke him to see if he could make it this morning. 

All summer long, no sickness. School starts back and BAM, it starts back up. I think this is definitely the earliest back in that either (much less both) of them has gotten sick. I'm sincerely hoping this is not indicative of how this entire school year is going to go. 

The pharmacy up the street already has their FLU SHOTS HERE sign out and I'm thinking that may not be a bad idea this year though it would likely take a posse of four large adults to hold Dracen down. He may be wiry but he's strong. And mean. When he got his immunizations before starting kindergarten, the doctor and nurse had to open the exam room door to recruit backup. I so wish I was kidding. There were three of us holding him (at barely 5 years old) down while the other gave the shots. 

I admit, however, that I may not have been the most help seeing as how I got hit with a bad case of the nervous laughs. Not much embarrasses me more than a bad nervous laughter fit because it always happens at the most inopportune time, not to mention the fact that his brother was sitting in the corner pointing and laughing like a hyena. 

Definitely one of my most cringe-worthy memories still today.

I thought Dracen himself was about to experience his own nervous laughter fit at the vet's office Tuesday afternoon while Charlene (Li'l Bit) was getting her acupuncture treatment. I had taken her for her first one last week after dropping Dracen off at Popaw's and picking up Devin from school but this week I had both boys with me. 

And yes, I am referring to Charlene, my dog, the Dachshund. She got acupuncture. Twice. Go ahead and laugh. I probably would have too at one time but she's been experiencing some back pain, as the little long dogs sometimes do, and acupuncture is supposed to be a great relief from it. 

The closest vet who does it is a 45 minute drive from my house but y'all know how I love my little dogs, right? Only the best will do.

I so wish I had taken a picture last week, the first time she got it because she was on the table shaking like a leaf, as she always does at the vet, but almost immediately after the vet started putting the tiny needles in, she stopped shaking, laid her little head down and fought sleep for the next 15 minutes while they were in.

This week she put less needles in and hooked them up to little electrodes and we were in a room with windows with tree-views this time (which means the possibility of squirrels nearby) so she didn't get quite as relaxed but still, she stopped shaking. 

I was this close to asking her to put a couple in my neck for the 45 minute drive home, in semi-heavy traffic, with Dracen carrying on from the backseat that he was going to starve to death before we got to the Cookout drive-thru and Devin beside me, yelling at him to SHUT UP while swatting at him over the back of his seat.

Oh well, maybe next time...
  

AFTER

I'm a believer.