~~~SEWING my way to POFQ ~ American Girl outfits & Custom Park Bags! ~~~

[mommy2mrb]

just keep lovin' on him and sounds like ice cream is a great treat for him

yay for the cheaper bag fees! bring an extra duffle bag for those little purchases!

happy to hear you are excited for the trip, as hard as it can be for you, so happy you are still going

continued prayers and

 

[miprender]

Checking to see how Rufus is doing.... He must be one tough cookie

Just curious, what were you planning on wearing on our Epcot day (that's right I said our Epcot day. You just got a new addition to your family.) I am hoping to see one of your creations in person.
:

Super jealous that you get to meet D and her family

Trip update:
Purchased our prepaid baggage fees... 2 there, 2 back... It was $20 cheaper than I remember, so we have enough in the budget to add another bag if we need to check another bag on the way back - hopfully not though.

One week from now, we will be in MK riding Splash Mtn for the millionth time and lovin' every minute of it - I hope.

D~

 

[sjs314]

Stopped by to see how Rufus was. I bet he was happy there was a snow day today. Big for Rufus and lots of prayers to you all.

 

[mphalens]

Yay! for cheaper baggage fees! I cannot believe your trip is almost here!!!
I wish I was really going

Tell Rufus I said he's a good sweet doggie

 

[tinkbell13]

He was supposed to be home alone - then the girls got a snow day... so they were here all day with him. Oh well, hopefully they let him sleep a little.

I think its great that they got to spend the day with Rufus. I'm sure they snuck some snuggles in there at some point.

Thank you Oopsi! Looking forward to meeting you next week.

I wish we would have been able to meet as well but it really doesn't look like our schedules are going to make that happen. Oh well, there's always another time!

Rufus update:
He is still here and doing OK. I know the vet said 2-3 days, but that was on Monday and he seems like he is hangin' in there. Just sleeping all the time - still drinking water, not eating anything at all since the icecream last night, but he is still using the bathroom. From what I understand is that he won't die until he stops using the bathroom - that's when the toxins start to build up in his body. When that happens, then I am sure I will be a wreck... I've just started to pull myself together in the last day. I just want him to be comfortable, know we love him, and eat anything his little heart desires.

He certainly is a fighter. that Rufus ate the ice cream! People used to think we were nuts when we would order an ice cream cone for our first pup but she loved ice cream and would lick it off the cone like we did. It was funny to watch. And I'm sure that he knows how much you guys love him.

Trip update:
Purchased our prepaid baggage fees... 2 there, 2 back... It was $20 cheaper than I remember, so we have enough in the budget to add another bag if we need to check another bag on the way back - hopfully not though.

One week from now, we will be in MK riding Splash Mtn for the millionth time and lovin' every minute of it - I hope.

D~

Yay for cheaper than expected baggage fees! I'd probably be stuffing an extra bag in there for the trip home!

 

[VBAndrea]

I'm so glad Rufus is staying comfortable It's actually nice that the girls were able to stay home and have a little more time with him.

Great news about the baggage fees. I haven't flown in ages -- when I was in RI I'd fly back here about once a month to work until my dh got deployed, but I'd only come down for a couple of days at a time so never checked baggage. I don't think you had to pay then (it was four or five years ago). I dread the next time we fly. We want to do a trip to see dh's family in UT, so that will be a flight, but I think we have to put it off another year yet. I used to like to fly before all these regulations. I hate it now.

 

[DMGeurts]

just keep lovin' on him and sounds like ice cream is a great treat for him

yay for the cheaper bag fees! bring an extra duffle bag for those little purchases!

happy to hear you are excited for the trip, as hard as it can be for you, so happy you are still going

continued prayers and

Thank you so much Lisa... It really has been a struggle to get excited about this trip, but it seems the more I get used to Ruf leaving us - yet not showing any real deterioration over the last few days - the more comfortable I am with going. Because he is dying from a tumor rather than actual kidney failure, I am kind of thinking that he might live longer than the vet thinks... Not real long, of course, but not days either. As long as he still eats a bit and drinks water, I am hopeful that he will live a few more weeks. Of course, that can all change very quickly.

Checking to see how Rufus is doing.... He must be one tough cookie



Super jealous that you get to meet D and her family

Thank you Michelle... I'll be doing a small Ruf update below.

Hopefully you can make it to our mini Dismeet this summer at Judy/Marianne's????

Stopped by to see how Rufus was. I bet he was happy there was a snow day today. Big for Rufus and lots of prayers to you all.

Thank you Sheila - you and your family have been in my prayers, as well.

Yay! for cheaper baggage fees! I cannot believe your trip is almost here!!!
I wish I was really going

Tell Rufus I said he's a good sweet doggie

I wish you were going too.

I think Ruf is sick of hearing how wonderful he is - LOL... I never thought that day would come, usually he can't get enough of that.

I think its great that they got to spend the day with Rufus. I'm sure they snuck some snuggles in there at some point.


I wish we would have been able to meet as well but it really doesn't look like our schedules are going to make that happen. Oh well, there's always another time!

I hope we can get our schedules to mesh for a few minutes, at least. Have I sent you my cell # yet?

He certainly is a fighter. that Rufus ate the ice cream! People used to think we were nuts when we would order an ice cream cone for our first pup but she loved ice cream and would lick it off the cone like we did. It was funny to watch. And I'm sure that he knows how much you guys love him.

I hope he knows, I really think he is getting sick of me though... You can *almost* see his eyes do an eye roll when he notices that I am coming to cuddle him, yet again. ROFL... Poor dog, he just wants to nap.

Yay for cheaper than expected baggage fees! I'd probably be stuffing an extra bag in there for the trip home!

Our luggage is really full now... I need to figure out what I want to do for an extra bag. I will add that to my ramblings below...

Rufus update:
"Rufus the Shark" joined the table at the end of dinner last night... I guess the smell of mom's meatballs overwhelmed him? So, after dinner, I scooped a spoonfull of rice and a small meatball on to my plate, and fork fed him all of it. Victoria took pictures and a movie of it - LOL. He was very disappointed when the plate was clean, and I wasn't scooping more up for him. I am just afraid to feed him too much and overwhelm his tummy. I know he is not eating well, but I also know that any little bit we can get into him (and stay there) will keep him alive for longer. I've done a lot of thought, and I know I am not a Dr, however, since he is not actually dying of kidney failure and what is killing him is a tumor, he might live a bit longer than we think. For all we know, the tumor could have stopped growing? I dunno? He is still eating (very, very little), but he continues to drink and use the bathroom - as long as he does those things, I feel he will continue to live. And unless I see him in pain, I refuse to put him down. So, I will continue to try and spur his appetite, even if he is only eating one meal a day, it is better than nothing. If he is still alive when we leave for our trip, I will expect Josh to take over babying him. I am just very hopefull about this.

Trip update:

Luggage woes:
So, we are pretty much packed. I only have a couple of oddball things to add to our luggage (chargers, power strip, makeup... last minute items that we are still using)... The problem is, our luggage is almost full. I do have a few consumable things in there (snacks) that we can leave behind to save room in our luggage on the way home, if necessary. And our carry-ons are fairly empty. We are not bringing a ton of souvenir $$ - so I just can't imagine we will purchase that much. I am thinking most of our souvenir $$ will be spent on pins - although each of the girls mentioned getting a shirt. I don't have any plans of getting any clothes for myself. I am debating on packing an extra bag. Originally, I was thinking about packing my Vera Bradley weekender - but that is not a bag I want to check - because the airlines would certainly ruin it, and I would be very angry. It's too big to use as a carryon. I was thinking, if worse came to worse, I could pack one of the girls' backpacks into the luggage on the way home, and just use a large Disney bag as a carry on? Or, for that matter... our one suitcase is only at 32 lbs, so I could really pack it a lot tighter if necessary. Really, everything we are packing in our carry-on backpacks can be checked on the way home - we have enough weight to do that. So, theoretically, our carry-on backpacks would be empty for souvenirs...

What do you all think???? Any solutions for me? Lisa... Would it work to bring with a pkg of 2 gallon zip-locs and just suck the air out of everything to make more room? LOL

Ok - I think that is all the trip ramblings for today.

Today is my last day of work, then I am on vacation until we come home from Disney. Whoot!!!

D~

 

[dianemom2]

I am glad that Rufus seems to be doing ok for these last couple of days. He must have been over joyed to get rice and a meatball!

It sounds like you are not planning to buy too many souvenirs. Between the consumable items in your luggage and lots of space in your carry ons, I would imagine that you are going to be fine. Make sure you keep on top of how much your luggage weighs though so you don't get charged for being over the weight limit. We usually throw a collapsible duffel bag (it zips down to almost flat) into our luggage if we are going somewhere that we expect to do some shopping. Now with airline fees on luggage being so high, it is hard to stomach paying for an extra piece of luggage!

I know I commented on your pirate t-shirt and shorts on the Disboutiquers thread but I am not sure if I did on here. If I didn't, I will tell you again how awesome they are! I love the fabric on the bottom of the shorts.

 

[BrerMama]

I'm fairly sure the VB weekender meets carryon requirements. I know the large duffel, which is bigger than the weekender, meets the requirements so I bet the weekender does (just googled and the weekender should unless your airline has wacky requirements). I think I'd pack it flat in my luggage and if you need it, use it as your carryon. You can always pack the regular carryon.

 

[DMGeurts]

I am glad that Rufus seems to be doing ok for these last couple of days. He must have been over joyed to get rice and a meatball!

It sounds like you are not planning to buy too many souvenirs. Between the consumable items in your luggage and lots of space in your carry ons, I would imagine that you are going to be fine. Make sure you keep on top of how much your luggage weighs though so you don't get charged for being over the weight limit. We usually throw a collapsible duffel bag (it zips down to almost flat) into our luggage if we are going somewhere that we expect to do some shopping. Now with airline fees on luggage being so high, it is hard to stomach paying for an extra piece of luggage!

I know I commented on your pirate t-shirt and shorts on the Disboutiquers thread but I am not sure if I did on here. If I didn't, I will tell you again how awesome they are! I love the fabric on the bottom of the shorts.

Thanks for the advice Diane. And thanks for loving my Pirate outfit - honestly, I didn't think it was going to make the cut for the trip until I trimmed those strips.

I'm fairly sure the VB weekender meets carryon requirements. I know the large duffel, which is bigger than the weekender, meets the requirements so I bet the weekender does (just googled and the weekender should unless your airline has wacky requirements). I think I'd pack it flat in my luggage and if you need it, use it as your carryon. You can always pack the regular carryon.

OK... You have me excited again... I do own a large duffel as well... I will double check, but I would much rather bring that with me than the weekender. I just assumed that since it was so large that it definatly wouldn't meet carry-on requirements. That would be the perfect size and fit nicely in our luggage, vs. the Weekender which has so many straps.

D~

 

[sjs314]

Thank you so much Lisa... It really has been a struggle to get excited about this trip, but it seems the more I get used to Ruf leaving us - yet not showing any real deterioration over the last few days - the more comfortable I am with going. Because he is dying from a tumor rather than actual kidney failure, I am kind of thinking that he might live longer than the vet thinks... Not real long, of course, but not days either. As long as he still eats a bit and drinks water, I am hopeful that he will live a few more weeks. Of course, that can all change very quickly.



Thank you Michelle... I'll be doing a small Ruf update below.

Hopefully you can make it to our mini Dismeet this summer at Judy/Marianne's????



Thank you Sheila - you and your family have been in my prayers, as well.



I wish you were going too.

I think Ruf is sick of hearing how wonderful he is - LOL... I never thought that day would come, usually he can't get enough of that.



I hope we can get our schedules to mesh for a few minutes, at least. Have I sent you my cell # yet?




I hope he knows, I really think he is getting sick of me though... You can *almost* see his eyes do an eye roll when he notices that I am coming to cuddle him, yet again. ROFL... Poor dog, he just wants to nap.




Our luggage is really full now... I need to figure out what I want to do for an extra bag. I will add that to my ramblings below...

Rufus update:
"Rufus the Shark" joined the table at the end of dinner last night... I guess the smell of mom's meatballs overwhelmed him? So, after dinner, I scooped a spoonfull of rice and a small meatball on to my plate, and fork fed him all of it. Victoria took pictures and a movie of it - LOL. He was very disappointed when the plate was clean, and I wasn't scooping more up for him. I am just afraid to feed him too much and overwhelm his tummy. I know he is not eating well, but I also know that any little bit we can get into him (and stay there) will keep him alive for longer. I've done a lot of thought, and I know I am not a Dr, however, since he is not actually dying of kidney failure and what is killing him is a tumor, he might live a bit longer than we think. For all we know, the tumor could have stopped growing? I dunno? He is still eating (very, very little), but he continues to drink and use the bathroom - as long as he does those things, I feel he will continue to live. And unless I see him in pain, I refuse to put him down. So, I will continue to try and spur his appetite, even if he is only eating one meal a day, it is better than nothing. If he is still alive when we leave for our trip, I will expect Josh to take over babying him. I am just very hopefull about this.

Trip update:

Luggage woes:
So, we are pretty much packed. I only have a couple of oddball things to add to our luggage (chargers, power strip, makeup... last minute items that we are still using)... The problem is, our luggage is almost full. I do have a few consumable things in there (snacks) that we can leave behind to save room in our luggage on the way home, if necessary. And our carry-ons are fairly empty. We are not bringing a ton of souvenir $$ - so I just can't imagine we will purchase that much. I am thinking most of our souvenir $$ will be spent on pins - although each of the girls mentioned getting a shirt. I don't have any plans of getting any clothes for myself. I am debating on packing an extra bag. Originally, I was thinking about packing my Vera Bradley weekender - but that is not a bag I want to check - because the airlines would certainly ruin it, and I would be very angry. It's too big to use as a carryon. I was thinking, if worse came to worse, I could pack one of the girls' backpacks into the luggage on the way home, and just use a large Disney bag as a carry on? Or, for that matter... our one suitcase is only at 32 lbs, so I could really pack it a lot tighter if necessary. Really, everything we are packing in our carry-on backpacks can be checked on the way home - we have enough weight to do that. So, theoretically, our carry-on backpacks would be empty for souvenirs...

What do you all think???? Any solutions for me? Lisa... Would it work to bring with a pkg of 2 gallon zip-locs and just suck the air out of everything to make more room? LOL

Ok - I think that is all the trip ramblings for today.

Today is my last day of work, then I am on vacation until we come home from Disney. Whoot!!!

D~

Good Morning Rufus

I have a load of whites in washing right now then I am going to start to pack. I am worried about space too, my new suitcase is a 20" plus I bought a matching duffle bag and a small matching overnight type case, still thinking of buying a matching tote bag I saw and use that instead of the overnight case not sure . I use to use a 20" carryon size years ago but my last few trips I used my 26" but a wheel broke off it on my last trip and being it was old I did not bother with a claim. My new 20" expands so as long as I can leave with it not expanded I have extra room to come home with
I think packing an empty backpack is a good idea.

Our last trip I purchased a huge WDW tote that was the special buy but then did not need it after all for coming home.
Only thing I like about driving is no worries when it comes to what you can bring coming or going.

 

[NiniMorris]

I have to say...hearing all the woes about baggage fees and packing...makes me SUPER glad we drive! For the past few trips we have taken 2 vehicles, so one carried all the luggage and on had all the hanging customs!


Nini

 

[DMGeurts]

Good Morning Rufus

Awww... He is up and alert (more alert than he has been for a few days) but he hasn't actually removed himself from his bed. Dinner stayed down last night.

I had all but given up hope a few days ago, and now my hopes are rising again...

[I have a load of whites in washing right now then I am going to start to pack. I am worried about space too, my new suitcase is a 20" plus I bought a matching duffle bag and a small matching overnight type case, still thinking of buying a matching tote bag I saw and use that instead of the overnight case not sure . I use to use a 20" carryon size years ago but my last few trips I used my 26" but a wheel broke off it on my last trip and being it was old I did not bother with a claim. My new 20" expands so as long as I can leave with it not expanded I have extra room to come home with
I think packing an empty backpack is a good idea.

Our last trip I purchased a huge WDW tote that was the special buy but then did not need it after all for coming home.
Only thing I like about driving is no worries when it comes to what you can bring coming or going.

Yah - now I am wishing we could drive...

I have to say...hearing all the woes about baggage fees and packing...makes me SUPER glad we drive! For the past few trips we have taken 2 vehicles, so one carried all the luggage and on had all the hanging customs!


Nini

I just love my visual of this drive down... ROFL! You should have one of those yellow caution signs in your window: CAUTION! Customs on board! ROFL. I have all the girls' customs smashed into a suitcase - not that they are as elaborate as yours are - but I am banking that POFQ still has their ironing boards and irons in the room.

So, I just measured my Weekender and my Large Duffel. The Weekender makes the dimensions for a carry-on, the Large Duffel does not. So, the Weekender is packed in the smaller suitcase (that case is STUFFED), and I still have 15lbs available in it.

Our large suitcase has a bit more room in it - but Alli still has to pack her shirts that I didn't make for her. Craziness! She plans to "pick out her outfits" for the next 4 days (which I am sure will be a production of practicing hair styles to go with them n' all), then she will choose the remaining shirts from that to pack. Glad the girls are off of school tomorrow - this should give Alli pleanty of time to narrow down her choices.

D~

 

[cogero]

Glad Rufus is still hanging in there.

I have just started my box of things forDisney.

 

[babynala]

I have been MIA from the boards lately as life has been getting in the way. I've been limiting my screen time in hopes of getting some stuff done but it is not working.

I knew you were getting close to your departure date so I wanted to stop by and say hi before you left.

I'm glad to hear Rufus is in better spirits.

Packing with two teenaged daughters does not sound like fun to me. At least if your DD practices her hairstyles now she won't be doing it in the morning when you are getting ready to head for the parks.

I LOVE your pirate outfit, especially Donald and the details on the pockets.

Have a great time on your trip! and I hope to catch up on everyone's threads ASAP.

 

[VBAndrea]

At least if your DD practices her hairstyles now she won't be doing it in the morning when you are getting ready to head for the parks.

Yay for Rufus for keeping his meatballs and rice where it belongs

You will know if he is in pain. You will also know that if he has a couple of days of not keeping things down to at least call the vet -- I am not sure for dogs, but my one cat started seizing after about 4 days of not eating well and with the third cat after two days of not eating I just took her in because that was our signal that it was time (the vet totally concurred). BTW, with our third cat I had made an appt to have her put down and then she seemed better so I cancelled it and she ended up living at least another month. Our second cat was in pain -- trust me, you could tell. She even had a hard time being picked up.

I really can't help you on the tumor growth issue, but I tend to go by appetite and pain. If you are ever uncertain just call the vet's office and get their advice. I think Rufus is a trooper and it sounds like he is doing great despite the circumstances. I hope he has another wonderful day. Let's see, what she we plan for his dinner tonight? Maybe a nice pork roast??? Does he like mashed potatoes?

I see you have your luggage issue worked out. I'm with Nini -- driving is the way to go! One other option D is to mail things home if you don't want to pack your VB bag. Or rent a car and stop for a visit at my place on your way back. We actually would drive from Milwaukee when I was growing up -- granted you're a bit further away, but it is doable!

 

[Corrine 1973]

Looks like your travel plans are coming together.

I am so glad that I have decided to fly Southwest this time and was able to get the tickets for a decent price. I don't need to worry about baggage fees, but I do need to weigh my bag to make sure it isn't getting close to the weight limit.

So one week from today we are going to be at Epcot soarin' in the clouds and almost hitting a wall in Test Track. Are you eating in your room that morning or in the food court?

I am so glad that Rufus is still hanging in there. Give him a hug from Aunt Corrine.

 

[DMGeurts]

I was getting ready to go to work, and I heard some commotion in the kitchen (Ruf and I are the only ones home)... So I rushed out... The scene I saw broke my heart - Ruf was laying on his side, his whole body shaking (is that convusling?) and a very large vomit pile next to him. By the time I got around the table, he was laying upright vomiting again (only a little bit this time). I laid there with him for a few minutes, he seemed totally exhausted. Since he threw up on a rug, I just carried it outside, so he wasn't laying near it. I tried to move him a little bit, but his one arm seemed like it was stiff (stretched straight in front of him), but I was able to turn him around. After a few unsuccessful attempts, I was able to pick him up (I was trying to be careful of his tumor area on his back end) and carry him back to his bed. He seems to be laying there comfortably now, he even wagged his tail a little bit when I came back into the room.

I called called Josh, he seems to think Ruf is nearing the end and we may have to take him into the vet tonight/tomorrow. I still can't wrap my mind around that. I called in sick to work today, I refuse to leave Ruf home alone if something happens.

Prayers for Ruf's comfort today please. And if it is God's will that we put him down, I hope he will send me a sign, because I don't know if I can do it with out one.

D~

 

[Corrine 1973]

Oh D, this just breaks my heart.

Tons of prayers for Rufus and one big for you.

 

[denvergirl]

My heart is breaking for you. We went through the same thing in January. Rest in your faith, God will carry you. I'll be praying for all of you. . .

This is my first post (I think) but I love your thread. I sat a whole day and read it. We have so many things in common. . sadly. First, my daughter LOVES all things American Girl. Next, my husband just got alert orders and will be delploying next March. How I wept over your posts. . .and now this. . .crying with you again. I strongly believe that God gives us these animals to teach us things about His character and know with out a shadow of a doubt that my boy is now healthy and happy in Heaven. Hang in there. . .