Latest / Shared Light / Ep. 27 - The Puppy Fiasco & the Power of Showing Up
Transcript
- Dustie & JR: Greetings all. Welcome to another episode of Shared Light with Dusty and J R. I am obviously J R. And I'm Dusty. We're gonna go ahead and do something a little different today. We're gonna actively engage in a conversation. It's going to be more of a state of the podcast, state of the family. Updates on what's going on in our lives as this week was very eventful. Monday started off with a little bit of a bang. Actually, I guess it technically was Sunday night that it started. Yeah. Sunday night. So for those of you who have been following along, we have mentioned it on the last couple of podcasts that we had an extremely pregnant beagle named Peachy. Peachy. Our Peachy girl. Don't come at us. We were irresponsible owners. It was not a planned pregnancy. we're not a puppy mill or anything like that, but we are here now, right? So taking it back to Sunday night, we had just gotten done editing last week's podcast. We were laying down to go to bed. And our pizza girl started barking. Yeah, I had noticed though, like right after we got done editing and doing all that that remember her nose was runny. that's right. It was like dripping wet. Right, that's right. And when I had looked it up, that was a sign of going into labor. so yeah, she barked all night. She messed with her bedding on my like nesting. Yeah, nested all night, cried all night. long story short, we did not sleep a wink on Sunday night. And then Monday morning, when I finally decided to get out of bed, I went and worked out. And Early Monday morning. It was early. Yeah. It was I think you even got up like three thirty. Yeah, I think I got up it was really early because I ended up going and trying to let her out to see if that would help her. Yeah. but we had been very cautious about letting her out because we didn't want her out puppies outside. Yeah. And having her separated from the other two. And we knew it was imminent, just kind of based on everything that we had researched. you know, for context. Neither one of us has ever dealt with a dog and puppies. I ha well, I have. It was just I was a kid. I was probably twelve. Yeah. Well, I have never. That was I was like our oldest age. So and our Beagle had babies. But I wasn't, you know, the adult in the situation like I am now. Yeah. So Yeah, we let her out and Came back in, I went and worked out, and by the time I came in from working out, she was frantically running around the house, pacing, breathing heavy, crying. She was super uncomfortable. Yeah, could not do anything to to calm her down. Her first litter, so she didn't know what was happening or what was going on. And then it was kinda like nothing, right? She I mean she was crying and stuff, but I ended up going to work. Yeah, you went to work and we The girls and I just kinda sat with her and she was not interested in being in her little kennel. Well not little kennel, big kennel that we thought was going to be her safety 'cause it's usually her safety. So we had it all set up and ready, but she changed that plan and so we ended up making our little fort, I guess you would call it. In front of the couch. Yeah. So you know, I'm going around my day about my day and then I get a I'm checking in, you know, see how she's doing or whatever, and then I get a FaceTime call at like twelve. And it was my daughter from your phone. Yeah. and she just looked at me and said, The puppy is coming. And I was like, Okay. So I went, talked to talked to my boss and just kinda told him what was going on and left. so she went into active labor at like noon. Yeah, it was around noon. Didn't have her first puppy until like right before two o'clock, I feel like. No, she had was it before two o'clock? Yeah, the first the first one. okay. And then We were surprised 'cause she did everything she was supposed to that we read up on. Yeah. And then kinda textbook. Yeah, it was it was Nature's kind of interesting that way, where they really just have instinctual things that they do. It was kinda weird. We thought we were gonna have step in and so her first puppy was round two. Yeah. Twenty minutes later, she started to cycle again. second puppy was it was faster. It was like an hour later, I think. Forty five minutes, something. The third one the third one was kinda funny. So the first two it was a little rough, I feel like, for the first two. They didn't come out very active. We had to like really clean up and rub down and I mean she did everything she was supposed to with all the afterbirth and stuff, but we had to dry off and get crying. Well and and they were cold and it was I mean I thought For sure they were they weren't gonna make it, but You're you were way more worried than I was. But no, I mean the first two it was kind of textbook and then she was feeding the first two and the third one just kinda popped out. We did not it was kind of quick too. Like it wasn't a huge amount of time between the second and third which looking at it now, the third one is the the The runt. She's she's but a lot smaller than the other ones. She came out and right away she didn't want me to do anything. She ran right to mom and started nursing. Like within two minutes. She came like running out of the She was ready to go. So, you know, by this point we're thinking everything's going good and once she started labor with the fourth puppy she was starting to act kind of weird. She was exhausted. Well that's what we that's what we thought, right? That's that she's just exhausted, but it like even when she was pushing it was a little different. Yeah. She wasn't making much progress, I think, when she was pushing. So then my wife looks down and is like, crap, that's a paw. Mm-hmm. Just a paw. Not in the sack. Just a paw sticking out. So The fourth one was they called it a breached birth. So she was turned around. was not making a whole lot of headway. I called the vet at that point because I wasn't sure what we were what was going on. you were freaking out. I I well, I was freaking out. My daughter's freaking out because at this point you can tell the dog is struggling. And you just like ripped off your Clark Kent suit and put on your Superman suit. And I went into mode of my dog is gonna die if I don't get this puppy out. so yeah. We looked it up as fast as we could and found that you can assist with the birth by pulling when the dog is pushing. Gently. Yeah. To help advance. Not like yanking. And you straight just I was so I was like amazed. I I mean I was I've never been in so much awe of you as I was in that point. Because I My thinking at the time though was like for Peachy, of course, but also on a farm they do it with cows. Yeah, I that's exactly what you said. That's what I said. they do it with cows. Like why could you not? It's the same process. And that one actually got stuck about halfway up. I mean that was that was a rough rough one for both the dog and my kids and me. I mean I you were just like I think when it was all said and done, adrenaline kicked in 'cause you were like super shaky, but Well, I was just scared that one of them was not alive. Well, and that little that last one, I mean, it took us a all of ten minutes to get it. Yeah, it needed some extra help. but I'm happy to report. That mama's safe. She's doing good. She had four female puppies. All female and no males. which is rare. They are doing great. We've been tracking their weight. They're eating. They're warm. She has been doing she's I was commenting yesterday that she's a lot like my wife in the sense that she's very anxious about She's overprotective, Mama. Everything going on with her babies. First two days anytime that they she wasn't touching them, she would cry. Yeah, crying had be on her for the first few well, I would even say four days solid. She had to have them on her at all times, even when they were sleeping. Yeah, it was it was at one point we tried to move them into a kennel in our room thinking, that's gonna be a lot safer for her. Yeah, that that didn't work at all. so yeah, we've got this little puppy den in the middle of our living room. it's kinda cornered off. Like the couch and it's cornered off right here with Ottoman. So it's but yeah, it's right in the middle of our living room. That's how we've been living. So it's been a little chaotic. It's been very chaotic. No sleep. We have not slept very I think last night was the first night my wife got some decent sleep. Yeah. I slept pretty decent I think it was the second night you let me come in here to go to sleep. Yeah. It's the middle of the week, so you had to go work. yeah, so through the whole thing I've I mean, I've cut out of work a few times early, but I have I've been working And just doing the puppy things. Through it all. What what do you think you've learned the most? I don't know. I probably said I'm not as young as I once was. I cannot do without sleep for four or five days in a row. that's probably my number one lesson. Number two is I never want to do this again. Puppies are not for the faint of heart. I mean those those are all valid. Yeah, hundred percent. Yep. Yeah, I think for me, I mean obviously what you mentioned, I couldn't function for a few days. I was brain dead, but today's probably the first day I actually feel rested. I mean I could still sleep, but I feel rested and I feel not in a brain fog. Like everything's just jumbled in there. Yeah. I mean through it all I've been trying also to do I've got a pretty important class I'm going through right now for a leadership certificate tied to my bachelor's degree. So being able to navigate all of it has been a little bit difficult. the kids have really stepped up I I think that's what I've learned the most is that my girls For all the credit that I don't give them for the things that they don't do around the house, have stepped in and just been amazing with all of it. My oldest and my youngest were there through the entire birth. They did not leave Peach's side, they did not leave our side. No. The first two nights my youngest stayed up late so that we could get some sleep and watch the puppies and then woke our oldest too, though. My oldest. That's right. That's right. She was We slept in shifts. She was calling every couple hours to make sure my youngest wasn't asleep. Yeah. They were playing Fortnite together. So she was in her room, but she stayed up with her. And you know, tying it back to message and everything that goes on with our podcast. the power of coming together in situations when, things like that can easily create a lot of contention and a lot of animosity in a household. Particularly in our case where I mean Dusty took on a brunt of watching the puppies, staying up with them, getting up with them. It's really easy in situations like that if you're not careful to build some resentment, and feel like, well, nobody's helping me, right? So I mean I I know I I've told you already, but I mean honestly thank you for for everything that you've done the last week. there is absolutely no way I could have done that on my own. No no way. Yeah. You know, aside from that, that has been a big part of everything going on at at home the last about month. Yeah. Dealing with the dog, keeping them separated. I mean it's a full time job when you have a zoo in our house. We chose this life. And my kids are great. My kids help out as they can and you know, but they're kids and they don't wanna feel yeah obligated to do things. Yeah. And I think that's really the driver in me is like you still work and you still have school and you still have those responsibilities. But also the kids, I don't want to put you know, there's still kids. That's not we're the adults in the situation. So I don't want to put it all on them. I appreciate all of their help, but ultimately It's up to us. So Yeah, I mean the last few nights we've you know, camped out in the living room together, set up an air mattress which broke my back. But Yeah, I think that was one of the hardest things for me is a sleeping on the couch was not good for me, but I can't sleep without you. So Well and we talked about that, right? And our last episode of Ordinary Life the ordinary life, right? Yeah. it's one of those things that you take for granted sometimes and then when it's not there it's yeah. This is kind of a big deal. Yeah. Especially when you're already tired. You know, you have lack of sleep already and then you're not able to have your normal routine of when you go to bed and going to bed with you and those things. It makes it a little bit harder. But You do what you gotta do. It's temporary. You know. Come a week later again. The puppies are doing great. They've been gaining weight. They're good. we anticipate them opening eyes and ears in the next few days, I would imagine. Yeah. This week sometime. our youngest is itching to get them a little bit bigger and playful so that she can play with them and hold them. Yeah. Which mama has been amazing. I mean, she hasn't really gotten aggressive. I've been around some dogs that get aggressive with when they have their puppies. She just she gets a little uncomfortable and she'll whine, but We try not to hold them a whole lot right now. Yeah. Yeah. Just 'cause we know it makes her nervous. But so yeah, on top of that, as I mentioned, been doing school. Yeah. which is tied to some things I'm doing at work and some things that I'm doing outside of work. So trying to integrate everything while navigating everything we got going on at home has been a little bit stressful. it did feel like I was able to breathe once the babies came. Yeah. Yeah, 'cause I think the anticipation of it and now it's like, okay, they're here. We just need to incorporate it into our daily routine now. Yeah, yeah. And then in other news I've I've got some other things that I'm working on outside of work. that actually we've got some traction on, I feel like. So I mean there might be some changes coming with that, but outside of that. as much as we like to speak about the ordinary and how simple our life is. It has been a little bit chaotic the last, you know, month or so and particularly this last week, kind of everything just peaked at the same time and it was like that moment when you feel like this is the test. Like you're gonna see if you can handle this and see what comes out the other side. But again, I've been yeah. I mean it's not anything to to take lightly because like again, we stepped up and just kinda rallied as a family. We've all contributed in our own way to ensure that, mama was safe, puppies were safe, people are sleeping, people are eating, people are, yeah taking care of and doing what they need to do. Which again ties back a lot into what we talk about, that if you're not intentional even in the hard moments. Yeah. It's real easy to lose sight of what is important. Yeah. And you may not be able to as easily get through those chaotic moments that you do have or chaotic periods of time when things are just off schedule and Not what you're used to and easygoing. Yeah. So again we were shooting a little bit from the hip. I wanna talk a little bit about the state of the podcast. We are twenty seven episodes in now. Yep. Twenty seven. And over I wanna say we're over a thousand listens. Yeah, we're almost at twelve hundred. I'm not sure where we're at on views on YouTube, but we're at hundred and seventeen thousand, I believe. So Hundred seven yeah. You know, first and foremost, thank you all for that you that are listening, that are watching. we appreciate every single one of you. Yeah. when we started this I don't think we ever envisioned even getting to where we're at today. No. I think and I don't even know that we've talked about this before, but our intention has always been with this podcast and why we started it kind of is just to help somebody or multiple people, but it's also something that we wanted to do together. Something, like our working out that we do or whatever. It's something else that we wanted to share and do together. And so we never came onto the podcast or created it because we wanted to go viral or be influencers or we're looking at millions of views. we've slowly and steadily and organically grown it because those are the people we want to reach. Right. we wanna reach those people that are struggling maybe in their marriage or need some help with certain situations or just want to hear a different perspective. Yeah, just want to see or hear or, you know, you're not the only one that does have an ordinary life and marriage and not everything is grand a hundred percent of the time. so for me, those twelve hundred listens, that's huge for me, because that's something that I know is organic and it's reaching the people we intended it to reach. Well and for that, I hope that People are getting value from what we're talking about. Yeah. And they're able to, I mean, even if it's just like you said, to hear somebody else that has a boring life or whatever you want to call it. I think I think people need that. They need to be able to relate to other people. They need to understand that not everything is this grandiose idea or this grandiose, relationship of things that you are constantly, moving toward. as we talked about, it is really about being in the trenches together. It really is about all of the little things that you do in your day. To help navigate life together. and this is one of those examples, you know, us this whole puppy fiasco, which it will forever live in infamy as the puppy fiasco, has really just highlighted that We are actively utilizing the tools and are self aware enough to know that that could have went a hundred different ways if we would have just not approached it the way we approached it. Yeah. So, you know, and there was other things that came into play, lack of sleep does create, frustration, it does create anxiety, it does create, all these other things that also start to help drive to create tension or create more stress. I mean, I feel like when stress hits, little things will start compounding it to really just hyper focus that stress and again if you're not careful it's really easy to look at it as the way a lot of people approach it where they're not facing the problem, they're facing each other. Yeah. We were lucky enough to Take a step back at the very beginning and identify like it has to be us. We're the only way that this is gonna work is if we all do it. Right. Yeah. we work as a team. So You know, outside of that, everything else has been fairly normal. Your sleep's getting back to normal, hopefully. We're hoping to be able to sleep on our bed tonight. Let's see if we can try the kennel again. If she'll she'll be able to be in there with the babies or not. yeah. And then what else went on this week? I feel like We are getting geared up for school. Yeah. My girls are not excited about school. It always sucks when summer break ends. So you still got a couple of weeks though. Yeah, but just the sheer mention of going to bed early and beginning a routine has been we have to start that. So they're back in their normal sleep routines. And it's gonna be a little interesting to see how my oldest does 'cause one of her little best friends moved away, so Yeah. But she's got two of her cousins going to her school this year, so she's excited about that. My sister's girls start middle school. So they're gonna start going to her school, so she's excited about that. We'll see how that goes. But that's that's kids I think. That's just life with kids. through everything going on, again there's school, there's puppies, there's everything going on with me with my schooling, with all the other stuff that I got going on outside of work, which I don't want to speak on too much, but eventually. Yeah, eventually. through it all. And we touched on this a little bit last episode. We didn't I don't think we argued once. No. I may have been short with people this week. Because I haven't had that much sleep. I think Thursday came and I had like twelve hours total of sleep since Saturday night, but But I mean, through it all, even the kids have been willing to just jump in and help. My niece came over as well and stayed with us a few days. Yeah, she's a couple of years younger than our youngest. So that just added another little we love having her, but I was like, sure, why not? We already have a circus. Yeah. What's one more? She I mean they did really well. Downside to when that happened is it shifts the focus from the stuff we need to do to wanting to have a lot more fun and Yeah, I think that's been the hardest for our kids this summer. I think is the first summer we haven't actually gone and done like a we don't usually do grand big Disney vacations or but we do We do a fair amount of weekends up in the hills. Yeah, we do the cabin fishing and we try to take them places every summer. this one just was a little different. There was the dog, the pregnant dog and the puppies and just our financial stuff. Financial stuff and Yeah, I mean so it's a little different this year for them. They're they're not used to not being able to just up and go and do stuff like we have been before. So but I feel like they've done very well with it. You know, my mom's been really good about coming to get and taking to do things and she took on a little shopping spree a couple of weekends ago to get some stuff that they wanted and but honestly I I think that this summer is gonna be one that they remember. Like it'll be a mem a good memory for them because I feel like it's one of the first times we've actually had I mean we go and do things and we spend time with them, but it's usually distracted because you're doing activities and it's the memory is the fun and the things you get to buy or the things you get to do. but this summer has been more we're all together. We're talking, we're having these conversations where, really just the four of us bonding. So I think that's gonna be A really good memory for that. Yeah, I mean I think it's been different in that aspect that both of them have really just gravitated toward and I mean, you guys remember not even two months ago, my little one was at a point where she didn't even want to talk to us. So for us it's huge that they are both just actively engaged. I mean, we had a movie night last night and it was the first time we've had a movie night. Well, I think it's been longer. I think it's probably been a year, maybe even year and a half. Yeah, since we had a actual movie night. Maybe. But either either way, we we actually let them watch some movies that are a little bit They're not bad. They're not bad, but they're not rated for kids. But we watched White Chicks and Role Models. Yeah. Let them watch some stuff that we used to watch that we thought was funny and I mean they were They loved both Yeah, they were laughing and my little one at the beginning said, I don't like watching movies like this and She did not want to watch it. By the end she was I mean she was cackling and laughing and it was a good time. I think we went to bed it was pretty late. It was probably around midnight last night, which is late, really late for us. For us, yeah. But it was worth it. Yeah, I mean I was I don't I wouldn't moments like that I I won't change for anything. Especially with them being at the age now where I feel like this is the stuff that they are gonna remember and this is the stuff that they're yeah they're gonna tell their kids about. Mm-hmm. Maybe not this particular movie night, but I mean it's these instances and these types of memories that they gravitate back to. I mean, you mentioned it earlier. you remember being my daughter's age and having puppies. Yep. Very clearly rem and I don't have a whole lot of memories, so but I do remember that. So on another note, We've been really just trying to fine-tune the cadence of the podcast. Yeah. We're Still actively striving to have an episode. But We may end up leaning towards more of these types of episodes that are gonna be a little bit shorter and more just the state of our life, state of what's happening. really because A as you probably have surmised by now, we didn't have a lot of time to really look at anything else to do, any kind of research and while we have a lot of insight on our marriage, we do still like to look at other things going on to again provide more perspective, give our take, reinforce some of the things that we talk about, whatever it may be. but it is not lost on me that we did not have time to do any of that this week. I could talk to you about leadership in Mexico. I I did have time to do that this week. You did. Which is a topic for a another podcast and another episode probably. But Yeah. I could probably talk to you about newborn puppies and Baking. That's been my life. So, yeah, you know, we we really just wanted to center everything and bring everybody up to date where we're at with things. I do feel like again, some of the stress that we have been feeling has been alleviated just a little bit, just with the dog. situation alone that relieves some stress. Yeah. And then as I mentioned, there's some things that are happening in the background a little bit that are gaining momentum that hopefully we can share soon. is starting we're starting to see some light I I feel like at the end of the tunnel. So and again, you have to have the dark to have the light. vice versa unfortunately but wherever there's dark you're gonna find some light. So with that I do wanna wish you all a blessed week. I wanna reiterate that, we thank you from the bottom of our heart for, riding this journey with us and for listening And yeah, keep sharing your light with others and we will catch you on the next one.