My LiTtLe MaN hAd A BIrTHdAy!

HOLY MOLY! these last couple  months have been so busy I totally forgot that Jax turned 4 on February 2,2013. Yes that's right I celebrate my dogs birthday, I have become that crazy dog lady who treats her dog like a baby and I am proud of it. Back in 2009 Greg worked for Apx now Vivint and we went out for a summer to live in Georgia and North Carolina (thank goodness that is all over with because I could not imagine having kids and always having to move away for the summers) Before we went out I got so nervous because I have always lived in Utah and no where else and I have always been close with family. I lived with my  parents til I got married at 22 , I went to school to do hair but didn't do any of the college stuff and live on my own like Greg did.So ya I panicked thinking about being all alone in a strange place while my husband worked. So Greg's solved the problem and we got a little Yorkie and named him Jax so he would be my company while we were away and Greg was working. I remember going over to my moms friends house to pick out which little Yorkie puppy  we wanted. I knew I wanted a little boy, don't ask me why I just had my heart set on a little  boy puppy. They handed Greg a little boy puppy and handed me the other one. They both were very similar but the one I was holding just rested his little head and my chest right by my heart and cuddled up to me, I was in  LOVE. I looked at his little face and teared up, he had a little white spot on his nose and I just knew he was the one. Greg asked me if I wanted to hold the one he had and I said "no honey this little guy is the one" he was only a couple weeks old so I had to part ways with him and I was so heart broken but I knew I would see him a couple weeks later to bring him home with us. The next couple weeks I got all prepared for our little guy to come home . I bought all the supplies he needed and than some and I bought the cutest little outfits for him . Greg and I decided on a name, we fell in love with the name Jax. Greg was excited too he loved dogs , we both are dog people and we hate cats. Jax was born on February 2,2009 and we picked him up to come home with us in April. When we went to pick him up we walked through the door and than I saw him , a little girl carried him up the stairs and his big brown eyes met mine. I am such a cry baby I just started crying and went right over to hold him. He literally looked like a little teddy bear. We sat and visited for a minute with my moms friends as all the puppies played on the floor . I let Jax down on the floor to play with his sisters and brother before we left. He just kept coming back to me, pawing at my leg to hold him. It truly was love at first sight, we knew we had made the right choice and that he belonged in our family. We took him home and Greg made one thing very clear to me Jax was not allowed to sleep in the bed with us . So he put him in his doggy play pen and we went to sleep, 10 minutes later Jax was crying it was thee saddest little cry EVER. We tried to ignore it and I tried to respect Greg's rule and just let Greg deal with it and he did, 15 minutes later Jax was in bed with us. Greg had given in , there was no denying that this little puppy was going to be very spoiled. Jax came right up by me and snuggled himself into my chest right by my heart, the place he loves most. That has always been his favorite place to cuddle, when we are watching tv and I am holding  him that's where he cuddles and to this day when I go to get in bed he waits for me to plug my phone in and than he comes and cuddles right into my chest and falls asleep, every night for the last four years it has been that way.You know how a guy will cuddle with you until he thinks your asleep than slowly move away so he doesn't wake you? Yep,that's my little Jax he will cuddle with me in bed for about a half hour to an hour than when he thinks I have fallen a sleep he slowly moves away to sleep at the end of the bed ha ha not only that but when we are all getting ready for bed and we are carrying our blankets in to the room if Greg goes first and I am last Jax will wait like a true little gentleman for me to go in to the room before he goes in ha ha he is so smart. The cuddling in bed irritates Greg sometimes because it cuts in to our cuddling sessions and when I cuddle with Greg Jax comes and  makes his way in the middle of us ha ha I always love to say "ok boys stop fighting over me" It is amazing how smart our little man is and his little spirit is just so loving. He is a true mamas boy and gets mad when I get home from work and I forget to pick him up. I worry that when our little princess arrives in July that Jax will have a hard time adjusting but we are preparing him and I am so thankful for him because I know that as  our baby girl  grows older Jax will always protect her and they will be the best of friends.He truly is a blessing to us , our family would not be complete without him. I can't even believe it has been four years now that we have had him, he has stayed so little and his hair has stayed black as ever with a little tan and grey.There has only been two times he has been really sick and I am so thankful the vets helped him to get better and that he is still with us today. I love him with all my heart and I can not wait for our children to grow older  and play with him they are going to LOVE him.

PraYeR tIME

Prayer has always been very important in our home especially family prayer. When Greg & I were dating we made a promise that every night we would have prayer together. He was living in Philadelphia at the time for the summer and our relationship consisted of talking 24/7 on the phone and at night we would read scriptures together over the phone and put our phones on speaker to have prayer. We did this EVERY night so it became a good habit that we carried into our marriage.We may have our weaknesses and are not perfect lds people but we strive to be and have never gone a night without prayer. Three years ago we welcomed our new baby boy Jax in to our little family and I have been in love from day one.Have you ever heard people say how smart yorkies are? IT'S TRUE. The first night we brought Jax home Greg and I were having prayer together and Jax was on the floor playing with a toy he was so tiny and our bed was so high but he made the huge jump and to our surprise came and cuddled with us for prayer.

Over the years Jax has always cuddled with us while having prayer but lately we have started to notice he actually prays with us. That's right he prays with us ..call me crazy or think I'm lying but it is the truth. He actually tucks his head down and looks like he is bowing his head in reverence and does not make a move. Greg & him will be playing right before hand and as soon as Greg and I fold our arms,bow our heads, and hold hands Jax is right there in the middle of us tucking his head down and staying as still as he can. It is thee cutest thing I have ever seen. People think I am crazy when I tell this story but it is the truth. It for sure has to do with the habit of us having prayer every night but I believe Jax is so smart and he understands exactly what is going on. We love him so much and he truly is such a wonderful blessing to Greg and I.

A late update on our little man!!!

As some of you know Jax was very sick back in December. He was down to 2 1/2 pounds, which his usual weight is between 3 1/2 and four!!! He was very dehydrated & throwing up CONSTANTLY we took him to the doctor & found out he was very dehydrated & needed two 8 hour days of being hooked to an IV to get re hydrated. They found blood in his urine & had to have a special ultra sound person come in to look at his kidneys because he was so small. Sure enough our Baby boy had a kidney infection, his doctor said kidney infections in small male dogs are very uncommon & most likely they won't make it. As you can  imagine I was a total wreck for days.Besides Greg, Jax has been my constant companion for 2 yrs. Greg got him for me specifically because we were moving to n.Carolina summer of 2009 for Greg's job  & knew I needed a puppy so I didn't get lonely while Greg was at work. Sure enough the day we brought him home he was a total mamma's boy!!! we go everywhere together & people come up & give him attention which he loves,We cuddle, play,& he loves me no matter if I am sad,angry or happy.

So the doctor gave us some meds for him to take for one month to see if the kidney infection would go away. After he was re hydrated he stopped throwing up. For a the whole month I was worried sick but prayed he would be ok. I don't have a baby yet but right now Jax is my baby & I know I will love my kids the exact same way & be just as worried & paranoid. We took him in after a month of worrying, & forcing him to take nasty meds every day & they took a urine sample & turns out our prayers had been answered The infection was gone & he was back to his healthy weight & perfectly healthy. He is back to play fighting with Greg, jumping high in the air excited to see us when we get home & playing with his toys!!! We love him so much & even Greg was upset during that month, well that & he didn't want to see his wife have a complete meltdown. I love my boys so much & they will always be the two most important priorities in life well I am sure I will add our baby to that list when that day comes!!!

OuR bAbY bOy!

Jax Sparrow Burke is my little EVERYTHING!!! He goes with me everywhere & is always by my side to say the least he is a mama's boy!! Since we brought him home April 4,2009 when he was just 3 months old we have been in separable. He was there for me the summer of 2009 when we moved out of state & Greg was gone all day working, he cuddles with me & lays on my chest & just brings such a big smile to my face. He for sure was meant to be our little puppy & a part of this family. I honestly do not know what I would do without him.

This last Friday I noticed Jax wasn't feeling to well instead of playing with his toys like usual & barking & playing with Greg when Greg got home from work, he was just very tired & just wanted to cuddle instead of play. he was very attached which he is always attached to me but this was different he had no energy at all. For those of you that own Yorke's or small dogs you know that they are very sensitive to what they eat & what they get into. Jax is a very smart little puppy & knows whats in mama's purse ...CANDY!!! Jax loves candy, unfortunately Candy is bad for Jax. We have had him get sick a couple times from eating it & he would just throw it up. Well we thought this was the case because  Friday night when we were sleeping Jax started throwing up chocolate brown looking stuff so since we had been through this before we knew not to let him eat or drink anything for 8 hrs & usually after that hes fine. However Jax kept throwing up & it was consistent. Every hour he was throwing up at least five times & it was ALOT. Sunday morning we decided to take him to the E.R we were both very worried & anytime my Jaxie is sick I get really sad & worried & can't control my crying, I decided to ask for more strength when I prayed for Jax so my crying wouldn't make the situation worse for the three of us. Greg really appreciated that.ha ha

When we arrived at the E.R they took his weight,he is full grown & only weighs 4 pounds but he was down to 3 pounds & the doctor said he was very skinny & his little bones should not be showing like that. I was so confused because he eats tons all the time. The doctor sent us home with some meds to stop the vomiting until We could get in to see Jaxies usual doctor. 

 So we waited a couple days & the medicine helped but he was still throwing up a little & tired so Wednesday  morning Greg told me to call his doctor & see what she had to say, they told me to bring Jax in ASAP. I took him over & they examined him & she said he was very dehydrated & would like to keep him there for the day to re hydrate him & run tests to see what's going on. I didn't want to leave him there but I had to & I had to wait til 5:30 to pick him up. It was thee longest day ever I couldn't go home because if I went home I would just sitt & dwell on it so I kept myself busy. Finally 5:30 rolled around & it was time to go pick up my baby. I got there all excited to see him the ladies knew how anxious I was because I was calling all day checking up on him. They told me they would bring Jax out in a bit but the doctor wanted to talk to me first ,instantly tears came to my eyes I saw all these people getting  their dogs to take home & I was the last one left in the room still waiting. I just wanted to see him & hold him & know he was ok.

After a half hour of crying on the phone to Greg & my mom while waiting, the doctor came out. She told me he hadn't thrown up & that he still was very dehydrated & wanted him to come back the next day to get re hydrated some more, she told me they didn't have an ultra sound small enough to see what is going on in his abdoman but she knew for sure there was some kind of infection because there was blood in his urine. She assured me he was ok though & let me take him home for the night with the IV still left in him so they didnt have to stick him with it the next morning, than she told me that when I brought him back  in the  morning  they would have somebody there to take the ultra sound so we can find out what is going on. The whole night greg & I were so confused with how a little 4 pound dog would need two eight hour days of having an iv in him  getting hydrated. That night when we brought him home he seemed so much better though he was energetic & fully alert. I didn't want to take him back in yesterday morning but I had to, I remember the ladies saying how cute he is & they may just keep him there (UMM not a good time to joke about that) ha ha. I called  all day yesterday to check up on him & they told me he was doing great he had energy & is awake and alert but the tests wouldn't be done til 4 & I could pick him up after 5. All his blood work was fine they just have to figure out whats going on with his urine, but its not fatal.

So after Greg got off work we rushed over to pick up our baby boy. I was so eager & Greg was too. I remember Greg telling me "I will be pist if they make us sitt and wait & have u cry  if they don't have him ready to come home " he hates seeing me cry & especially when it's in situations like this. I am glad Greg came with me this time.

Sure enough when we walked in there our baby boy was ....waiting in the nurse's arms for us with a nuzzle on him and two little bandages on his legs. I instantly started crying and ran over to get him . The nurse said "I am assuming Jax belongs to u guys?" Gregs like obviously. I guess he kept biting them with the whole IV situation & was not to happy about it. They took the 3 of us back to a room & the doctor explained that his blood work looks great,he's no longer throwing up, he is fully hydrated ,his stomach is a little sore from throwing up .....& than came the bad news. She proceeded to tell us Jax has a kidney infecion,apparently young male dogs usually don't get these & his kidneys showed up a little abnormal on the ultra sound . They don't know how dogs get kidney infections or why his kidneys are weird, they are assuming its has to do with genetics. But if they can treat this infection within a month there will be no fatal outcome which she is positive the anti biotics will work. She said we have a really good strong little fighter & he is doing fine & will be fine.

We are so happy to have him home safe cuddling with us , he's playing a little but he has had a rough last two days so he is resting. We are so thankful for our little blessing ,he has brough so much joy & happiness into our lives & he is my best friend :)