It was very nice day today and Darren just came home from long business trip. So we took Rum chan to the lake side park and had a picnic with cheese & wine. The sky and water were so beautiful I didn't take Rum chan to any event these days so she enjoyed a lot. We played frisbee, ball and chasing for 3 hours. It was very fun!
まるでハガキのような景色 looks like a post card
父と娘ショットパートⅣ Father & daughter by the lake again!
ボールを放さないラムちゃん。でもかなり疲れきってマス She wants play ball more, but so tired
We went to Darren's parents house in Indiana for Easter party this weekend. Usually, parents put toys or candies inside eggs and hide them in a yard or house, then kids go to find the eggs and put them in their basket. But this year, Darren's mom planed for adult Easter too. She put lotteries and tickets for booz inside eggs and hide them on trees and around garage, so we brothers and cousins tried to get those prizes in her yard.
I was too slow so I got only one egg which has only chocolate inside, but Darren got a grand prize, Bailey's!! His things are my things so I also enjoyed the delicious cocktail
ウサギの絵の入った浴衣があったので、今日は浴衣で登場 Doggy kimono, rabbit is on
ダレンとそのイトコの男性陣 Easter boys!
階段で女子会中～ Girls party on steps!
コスタリカ土産のハンモックに座ってのんびり I wish I had this chair and the yard.....
We also made colorful eggs for Easter. Darren's mom bought a kit of coloring powders and stickers for Caitlin. So I joined and made together. The color was very bright and we could dye different colors to divide half and half, so we made a lot of colorful eggs. It was very fun
Darren has a lot of business trip this month so he can be home only for a week. But the only weekend was super nice weather so we went to picnic with his parents by the lake.
There is a nice park with great city view over the lake and only 15 min by bike from my house, so we always go picnic there. We took a bento, sandwich, snacks & drinks and relaxed for 3 hours. It was so fun!
ダレンのパパママと。いつもとっても親切にしてくれます。 Darren's parents. They are always so kind.
父と娘ショットパートⅢ。ホントそっくり（笑） Father & daughter shot by the lake. They are really similar!
こんな素敵な街並みが見えます。 Nice city view.
本当に嬉しそう。足がロケットになってる～（笑） She looks really happy. Rocket on the grass!
I found some photos of baby Rum chan. This is when we brought her home so she is about 2 months old. A little looks like her but hair color is completely different. Super round like a ball. So cute!!
ホントにぬいぐるみみたい～かわゆい♪ She looks like a stuffed toy. So cute!
気持よさそう。。。 Looks very comfortable...
最近のお気に入り写真 - Favorite photo recently
最近撮った私たちのお気に入りの写真。大きくなっても可愛いね。
These are our favorite photo these days. Adult Rum chan is also cute.
ダレンの一番のお気に入り。父と娘ショットパートⅡ。 Darren's most favorite photo. Father & daughter in sunday morning.
病院の前で。検査は全て異常なしでした。 In front of the hospital for check up. She is completely healthy now.
Darren's brother & his family came to Chicago suddenly so we went to have lunch then played in my apartment for a while. Caitlin likes talk on the bed with me and Rum chan so we always do the Joshikai (girls meeting,) but today Darren & Evan also joined so it was a big meeting... Kids are so energetic!!
I wish I could play longer but I had to work afternoon so they stayed for a few hours and left. But Evan said he wants to stay in our apartment next time. It's gonna be crazy night...
なぜかラムちゃんの小屋まで乗っかってマス 子供と犬を同時に撮るのは大変でした（結局ぶれてる）。ラムちゃん、ムンクの叫びになってるし。。。 Why Rum chan's house is also on the bed?! It was too hard to take kids and a dog together. Rum chan looks funny!
We decided to go to Rocky mt. for ski with Darren's collage friends, so we gave Rum chan to Darren's parents house and flied to Denver today. Darren's brother Dan is also living in Denver so we stayed at his house tonight. Darren's collage friend Greg & his girl friend Rachel is also living there so we all went to a bar for dinner.
We drove a car for 3 hours, then went to ski with 3 guys and stayed a cabin near Rocky ski mountain. The mountain is 3100m high (3 times higher than hokkaido mt.) so I even couldn't see the top But the day was sunny without wind and had fresh snow a day before so it was very easy to ski. I was worrying if I still can ski after 15 years but it was no problem and I could follow the guys whole time. Thanks to my dad (cuz my dad was professional skier).
ゴンドラからの絶景です。本当に高い！ Nice view from a gondola. so high!
これが一緒に行った男3人。みんなスノボでした。 I went to ski with these guys. They did snowboard.
とっても楽しそうな私。一人だけスキーで。 I look so happy. I like ski more than snowboard.
滑った後の一杯。アイスバーでアイスショット。 A beer after ski. You can take a shot at the ice bar.
Next day, these 3 guys went to snowboard again, so I went to shopping in downtown with Dan and Rachel. After shopping we had one drink at a Mexican bar then went back to the cabin and went to hot spring with every body. The hot spring was deep in the mountain so it was really like natural hot spring. The parking and changing room was far from the hot water so I ran with naked in the minus temperature. For Japanese, it was a little sad that we can't go naked and can't have beer after hot spring. But I never thought I would go to hot spring in the USA so I had fun
買い物の後に飲んだマルガリータ。デカかった！ Huge margarita after shopping.
Next day, we head back to Denver with heavy traffic jam. We were so tired and hung over, and I even caught a cold at the day, so it was very tiring day. But this winter trip was fun although we always go to tropical places.
Inside was almost couples and there were some Valentine's special wine, which is half price, but cheaper wines were already sold out and available wines were like $50 even after half price. That mean it usually cost $100?! So expensive~~~!! But we don't need such expensive wines so after all I ordered Valentine's special cocktail. It was very beautiful and yummy
I ordered Tuna stake, which is also Valentine's special, for dinner. It looked very high quality and tasted good. But I used to see big size food at American bars so it was a little small portion for me.
After dinner, Darren gave me Valentine's card and he wrote a poem for me He wanted to read so I was listening the lovely poem but he was rapping so It was very funny. And also there was Rum chan's portrait on the card but it looked like a sumo guy instead of a dog so it was too funny
ポエムは二人だけの秘密ですが、似顔絵はこんなんでした。 「おやつを想像するラムちゃん」だそうです（笑）なぜにキスチョコ？！ The poem is our secret but her portrait was like this. He said this is Rum chan when she is thinking about treats. Why kiss chocolate?!?!
ダレンのママからカードももらったよ＾＾ Card from Darren's parents too!
恒例の、デートの後のファミリー散歩。ラムちゃん動いて撮れんかった。 We always go family walk after date. She moved too much.
今年のバレンタインはなかなか素敵な演出でした Our valentine's day this year was pretty nice & funny
Me, Rum and Risa had a girls meeting again. We went to Risa's house this time and cooked Dip miso udon and Chawan mushi (savory steamed egg custard?) for lunch. We went to Risa's house for the first time so Rum chan was super excited. She was running around, playing with stuffed toy and exploring their bed room at beginning, but after a while, she lost her energy and didn't play anymore.
After all, we talked about 5 hours and took a subway home. But today snowed a lot so it was so hard to walk and carry Rum chan on the way home
ピンクのライオンと遊ぶラムちゃん。色がお揃いだ〜 Playing with a pink lion. They are same color.
Risaと遊ぶラムちゃん。二人とも速すぎて上手く撮れんかった。 Playing with Risa. They were moving too fast to take a photo.
帰宅後ぐったり疲れきってマス。 She was so tired after we came home.
February 7th is my birthday, I got older again But I don't feel I am old in USA, and my lovely husband & precious puppy celebrated me so I had a great day It was Tuesday so I was working daytime, then Darren took me dinner at RA, where is an American style sushi restaurant, and I ate my most favorite sushi, Ikura (salmon roe). That was too good
ディナーから帰って3人で散歩してきました Family walk after dinner
小学校からのお友達のさよから、こんな素敵な茶碗とお箸をいただきました＾＾ お箸にはひらがなで私たちの名前入りです。 なんて素敵なの～！ I got beautiful rice bowls and chop sticks from Sayo who is friend since 8 years old! The chop sticks have our name on. So cool!!
ダレンのパパママからは、こんな素敵な花が届きました＾＾ I got this beautiful flower from Mom&Dad in low!
そして極めつけは、ダレンからのティファニーのゴールドネックレス!! クリスマスにもらったティファニーの指輪とおそろいです。 And, Darren gave me this Tiffany's gold necklace!! This necklace matches with my ring which he gave me for Christmas.
This month, Darren went to business trip for 3 weeks so I had nothing to write on this blog these days but I got some cute photos of Rum chan so I edited with my iPhone and made it even cuter. I love her little mouth and the white part of her eye
Rum chan likes to sit with her feet flipped out, and specially when she sits on the smooth floor, she always sits like this. Frill chan (my first maltese in Japan) also liked to sit like this and my dad called this "Hirame (flatfish) chan ", but me and Darren call this "Rocket" because this sitting position looks like a rocket when launching and even have smokes (her tail).
These days, one of games for smart phones "Angry bird" is very popular in America, and we also played a lot and have some stuffed toys of those characters. Rum chan also likes to play with those stuffed toys and she attacks their head crest and flings hardly so we call her "angry dog". ha ha
I cut my hair on the front. I didn't have the bang for 7 years so I feel weird but Darren told me "Change!" so I was considering to cut the front hair or dye to blown, then I decided to cut the front hair. Maybe too old to do this hair???
Last new year eve, we had many friends to party together but this new year eve, nobody could party with us, so me and Darren went to sushi dinner then stayed home with Rum chan for count down.
We always go to real sushi restaurant that Japanese man is owner, but this time, we tried American luxury sushi restaurant for the first time The sushi was pretty delicious but I feel weird to see white or mexican muscle men are making sushi. The food on the menu was also mostly Americanized items. There was a special drink "60oz cocktail" so we tried it. It was really huge and much bigger than Darren's head.
こんなん飲んでみた。ホントにデカかった～ We drunk this huge cocktail.
家に帰ってからセキュリティーのおじさんに家族3人の写真撮ってもらいました。 After we went home, we asked a security guy to take our family photo.
Darren had a business trip from January 2nd in Indiana, so all workers came to our house on new year day. Darren's brother is also working with him so Darren's parents also came to our house to see their two sons. And also birthday boy Andy (Darren's cousin) joined the party too. There were a lot of people in my house～.
I made Japanese curry for 8 people and after Darren's parents went home, we all young (???) guys went to downtown. It was very very fun but a little dangerous to drink with those 5 american guys. I was so drunk that I slept with my cloths on without washing off the make-up Rum chan also got tired of too many guys at home.
Last week, Darren got a little depression from Chicago's winter, so we went to drink at a bar near my house to refresh. We didn't plan for bar hopping but we got a little drunk and hungry, so we went to another bar to drink more and eat french fries. we killed the depression and enjoyed our night
When we paied, I saw a pen and paper napkins. Then I suddenly thought I wanna draw Rum chan. It was drunk draw but turned really good, so next day I modified a little at home and made it canvas art
When I posted this portrait on internet, my dad said "she looks like Frill". Frill chan is a Maltese girl who my family had since I was 13 years old and she actually looks like Rum chan a lot. They have similar figure like round face, flat nose, shot legs... but also they have similar personality and both are very friendly. When my brother came to Chicago, he said Rum chan looks like Frill. So I sometimes think Rum chan might be a reincarnation of Frill chan.
これがフリルちゃん。 ヘアカットした直後だからお人形さんみたいになっているけど、のびてくるとラムちゃんみたくフカフカになる。 This is Frill chan. But this picture was taken right after haircut so she is not so fluffy...
Finally Christmas In USA, people buys presents before Christmas, writes names down and put them under the tree until Christmas eve, then everybody can open them at Christmas. At my house, we started getting presents more than 1 month ago and put them under the tree so we had to see those presents everyday for 1 month. It was so frustrating After all, we couldn't wait and open twice before Christmas but we still had so many presents at the end
Darren's parents have a big family party every Christmas so we went to Indiana this year again. Rum chan LOVES uncle Ed who lives next Darren's parents house in Indiana. When she sees him, her attitude changes and her eyes are melting and showing too much love When we go traveling, Darren's parents take care of Rum chan and uncle Ed comes to their house to take her walk every morning. But this must not only the reason. She must have something else to love him so much. She was so happy to see him again on Christmas eve.
As usual, Darren's mom prepared a lot of meat and food for Christmas She always makes a huge ham with the oven for every event and we cut them with a electronic knife and eat. We tried to give Rum chan the huge bone after cutting but she didn't wanna eat and even didn't wanna close to the bone. She was not interested in the bone at all.... everybody said she is not dog?!
お嬢様だから、こんな下品なものは下出してべ～って感じ（笑） She is not like dog at all!
Darren's family is very big. He has a lot of uncles&aunts and cousins. Tonight is Christmas eve so we started party with only direct family but all 3 brothers have wives and his big brother has 2 kids and one gramma! So it was still a lot of people. We gets a lot of presents from Darren's parents every year. thank you so much!
まずは、うちの家族写真。ちょっと既に酔っ払いかけていますが。。。 Our family photo. we are getting drunk....
久々に上から下まで全員そろったので、みんなで家族写真撮りました～。私だけ浮いてる（笑） We didn't see all together for long time.
I received a box that my brother sent by ship mail 2 months ago. There were many gifts for other people too, and Rum chan got a chicken treats and a lucky charm from Hakodate temple The lucky charm is one of Japanese tradition and to pray for better future or health. I hope this can protect Rum chan from now on.
無添加無着色だわ～。凝ってる。 Additive‐free dog food.
函館護国神社のお守り。ピンクでかわいい。 Lucky charm from Hakodate temple.
When my brother came to Chicago this summer, he and Rum chan were taking nap almost everyday. They were scrambling for Rum chan's bed sometimes, and she was breathing hard when he took her bed. It was very funny. He was staying for 3 months so it seems like they made good connection. We made him worry about her when she had the surgery...
Darren's parents took Darren, me and Rum chan to Florida for X'mas gift. When she had surgery 2 months ago, we thought we can't go travelling for a while but she keeps getting better and better these days and also the warm weather is good for her sickness so we decided to take her to the travel with us. We still had some valium from the hospital so we tried to give her before the flight... but she still hated flying and cried whole time.
We stayed at 2bed&2bath condo in Madeira beach. There was kitchen and a fridge so we bought a lot of food and drinks at a supermarket. We arrived at late night so we just stayed and drunk at the condo at the first night. The floor was kind of dirty so Rum chan didn't wanna sit on the floor (because she is high class dog), so we put a cushion from the couch on the floor and put some sheets, that was in the closet, on the cushion, ...but she immediately peed on it She must hated so much. We put a clean bath towel instead of that.
これがベランダから見える夕日。とっても綺麗。 This is the sunset from the balcony. so beautiful.
On the second day, Darren's parents went to see a new born baby to a relative's house in Orlando, so me and Darren were just relaxing at the condo. After second nap, we took Rum chan to walk on the beach. She didn't go to the beach walk so long time, so she was very excited. She was running around very well so we even couldn't think she had such a big surgery 2 month ago.
We had fish&chips and grilled shrimps for lunch at Bubba gump. This bar had a lot of special drinks, and Darren had a Coronarita that a corona beer was stuck into a margarita and I had a pomegranate margarita that was in a huge shaker. We could take home the holder for the beer and the shaker home, so we can make those cocktails at home again
コロナリタは意外にビールの味がしなかった。 Coronarita didn't taste so much beer.
At night, We, including Darren's parents, met Hugh and Cathy who is Del's old best friend, and went to Bamboo beer garden with Rum chan too. I went there for the first time but for Darren's family, the bar was familiar famous bar so they were taking photo and sending to other family to show where we were. The bartender also has a shis-tzu so she loved Rum chan very much. But when she picked up Rum chan, she said "She is very solid (heavy) !" So we were shocked. Rum cham looks small but she has a strong chunky body, that's why...
これがダレンファミリーなじみのBamboo beer garden。 Darren family's favorite bar.
Today, we met high from morning and went to have a branch at Crabby Bills with Rum chan too. A next guy tried to play with Rum chan and talk to us but he had super dry voice because of smoking, so I couldn't understand what he said at all. But even for Darren and parents, his voice was strange so they were laughing a lot about his pronunciation for a long time.
ここがCrabby Bills。みんなでマヒマヒサンドを食べました。 We all ate mahi mahi sandwich at Crabby Bills.
Thereafter, we went to a park where wild alligators are living. They told me alligators like to eat dogs so I was so scared. Because Tum chan looks so delicious But the day was cold and windy so we heard alligators don't come out this kind of day.
After the part, we had lunch at Cooters. It was just happy hours, so a beer was only $0.99 and chicken wing was only $0.50. Hugh was ordering another beer when he still has a full beer, so I was laughing and said "You still have a full beer!" but the half of the glass was gone after 3 seconds I really like the dynamic way he drinks
Then we went a very strange bar which calls Mahuffer's Bar. Inside was so dark and dirty, and there were so many kind of strange animals, and also a lot of old panties and bras hanging down from the ceiling. That was really strange bar
Thereafter, we went to Hugh's house. The view from the balcony was beaches both sides. Additionally, his X'mas tree was palm trees It was very tropical and unique. He made me a black berry cocktail with his favorite mixer "Ninja"
We went to the Bamboo beer garden again at night. But Rum chan was too tired so we took her home. I also didn't go bar hopping like this so long time, so very tired too. After that, we had a drink at VFW for a while and went to Hooters to eat the chicken wings ...again! Today, we had chicken wings for lunch and also dinner, so too much meat! At last, we drink at condo until everybody die. Today had a lot of events for us.
In the morning, Rum chan was tried to go down from the bed, so we thought she wanted to drink water. But actually, she had diarrhea, and even had a little bit blood We thought that it may be because of the water, or food she picked up from the floor at the bar, etc., but we never know. We decided to see her condition very carefully.
Around lunch time, Brian (chotto) and Matt (motto) came to see us. Then we went to Hooter's again There was a huge chicken wing statue so we took a picture. Chotto & Motto were very funny like comedian.
後ろの像はでかすぎて全部入らなかった。 The chicken wing was too big.
Hootersから、こんな珍しいものを見ることができました。 船が来ると道路が開くんです！ I finally could see the road opens for the ship.
Thereafter, we had a little drink at the condo, then went to a beach bar which calls Swigam with Rum chan. The bar was very clean and there were big chairs that we can see the sunset, so it was very romantic. Chotto & Motto left because they have another company party but we had fun enough. But Rum chan was still having diarrhea, poor her.
夕日を見ながらビーチで飲めるなんて、素敵。 We can see sunset from this chair.
We went to a stake house with 75% off from Cathy's business at night and I ordered 20 oz stake with Darren. I already building up my meat these days but today was the last day, so I didn't care. I ordered a soup and salad to share with Darren but he was still super hungover today, so he even didn't wanna eat the stake so much. Wasted
Today, we went home in the morning flight but Rum chan was still diarrhea so we were very worried what's gonna happen in the airplane. Then, as expected, we smelled bad just before we landed, and she was pooping in the carry bag when we were still walking at the airport We were so up set but Rum chan must more up set. We cleaned her a little outside but the carry bag was too dirty to clean so we just throw away. But it was a new carry bag so we were so sad
Finally home, Rum chan looked so happy. Then after we went home, she had appetite and finished her diarrhea immediately. Mabye it was because the change of environment. But we didn't know she was so sensitive. Next time, I will bring her bed when we go travelling.
Today is Rum chan's birthday and also our 4th marriage anniversary It was just a coincidence but we felt fate when we saw her certificate showed her birthday is our anniversary. we were so depressed last month but now she recovered well and we even can't see any aftereffect so as promised, we took her to the park for the first time after the surgery. She already can jump curbs and steps easily and she looked so happy running in the park again. we didn't think we can see running Rum chan so soon so me and Darren are so happy. Thank you Rum chan
公園に行けて、すごく嬉しそう。 She was so happy to go to the park.
父と娘のナイスショット。 Father and Daughter.
誕生日プレゼントにあげたターキーレッグ。かじれるかな？ Her birthday gift. Too big for her mouth?
Today is our marriage anniversary but also Rum chan's birthday so we went nice date yesterday and today we all celebrate together at home. We already married 4 years We had a bottle of champagne as usual and I made slow cooked herb chicken & garlic bread this year.
チキンのプロバンス風煮込み/Slow cooked herb chicken （2人分）
骨付きチキン(Chicken drumstick) 1 lb ニンニク(garlic) 玉ねぎ(onion) →みじん切りにしてオリーブオイルで炒める(chopped and fry with olive oil) トマト缶(canned diced tomato) 2 cans 水(water) 100 cc コンソメ(chicken bouillon) 1 cube ベイリーフ(bay leaf) 1 leaf ハーブ・ド・プロバンス(herbes de provebce) 1~2 tsp とうがらし(red pepper) 塩コショウ(salt&pepper) チーズ(cheese) 好きなだけ →スロークッカーで5~6時間煮込む(slow cook for 5~6 hours)
チキンがとろけて美味しかった。 Chicken was so soft.
毎年集めているシャンパンのコルク。 結婚前日から集めているので、今年で5個目です！ We are correcting the cork of champagnes every year. We started from a day before our marriage day so already 5 corks!
It was thanksgiving holiday last Thursday so we went Darren's parents home in Indiana. I brought doggy socks with grip this time because their kitchen is slippery wood floor so it's dangerous for Rum chan to walk. We thought she doesn't like to wear socks but she didn't care at all and was even walking better because of the grip. I bought this socks for winter long time ago but never used. I never thought this can be so useful for her disease
ものすごーく一緒に行きたがってる（笑） 荷造り中はいつもスーツケースの中に入りたがります。 She always wanna come into the suitcase when we are packing.
これが犬用の靴下。ちっちゃくて可愛い。 This is doggy socks. She liked them.
I was only thinking about eating for Thanksgiving every year, but I decided to make one Asian food for my family this year. I wanted to make some Japanese traditional food with potato or rice but Darren said American like more meat so I made Philippine food "Adobo" with a lot of pork ribs and chops. The ribs was so good! I wanna make something next year again
アドボの作り方/Adobo recipe（2~3人分）
にんにく(garlic) しょうが(ginger) 玉ねぎ(onion) →みじん切りしてごま油で炒める(chop and fry with sesame oil) 豚肉(pork) 醤油(soy sauce) 1/2 cup 酢(vinegar) 1/2 cup 酒(Sake) 3 Tbsp 水(water) 1/2 cup はちみつ(honey) 1 Tbsp ベイリーフ(bay leaf) 3 leafs 黒コショウ(pepper corn) many とうがらし(red pepper) →スロークッカーで6時間くらい煮込むと美味しい(slow cook about 6 hours)
これがスロークッカーで作ったアドボです。辛さを変えて作ってみました。 I made this Adobo. 3 different tastes.
その他にも、食べきれないほどの料理があって、アメリカらしい祝日でした。 more food, more dessert!
Today, we had to go to buy her food so we took her walk for the first time after the surgery. Only about 10 minuites one way but she was very excited and jumping around too much. So I had to carry her some times but she seemed like she enjoyed walking so much.
We changed her food after surgery. We used to give her "Science Diet" before but it had bad reputation and she didn't eat without meat or sauce. But human food is not good for dogs so I searched about dog food and finally found a good dog food that she eats without any meat and sauce.
This "Origen" is her new food. About 40USD per 15 lbs. A little more expensive but I don't have to put any meat or sauce so it will be cheaper after all and much more healthy.
When I went shopping today, I found a cute hair accessory for Xmas It's a little too big for Rum chan's head but super shinny and cute. It matches with her Xmas dress very well
ちょっと早いけど、クリスマスラムちゃん！ A little early Xmas Rum chan!
It's not so related to Rum chan but I finally bought a synthesizer this week! I was looking for a piano partner since I came to USA 4 years ago but still can't find anybody yet so I decided to input other part to the synthesizer and play with it by myself (lonely) When I got the synthesizer, Austin was staying in our house and he tried to put the huge head phone on Rum chan. But Rum chan even didn't try to escape and just was letting him do anything he wants.. She is too nice but I got a cute picture
Rum chan's scar is already disappeared after 5 weeks from the surgery. Her bag legs are still weak but she seems like she doesn't notice it and is running and spinning like she used to do before. The steroid medicine finished today so she doesn't have to take any medicine any more. I hope she recovers completely without any problem since now on
5週間後の傷跡。毛も伸びて見えなくなりました。 The scar after 5 weeks. Completely disappeared.
今日はダブルにしてみました。御姫様みたい Today is double pony. She looks like a princess
Rum chan's birthday is soon (November 30th) so I went to buy her birthday present. Because she overcame and amazingly recovered from the serious disease, I got a super comfortable luxury bed for her this year. She loved it a lot and slept for more than 5 hours without getting out of the bed even once although it was daytime I am glad she loves it so much but a little lonely because she doesn't come out from the bed when our lunch and nap time.
It snowed for the first time this season in Chicago today That's why it's so cold these days! When I went to the pet shop, my ears were frozen. I hate cold weather but I enjoy putting the dresses on Rum chan. Rum chan loves this temperature so gets most active during this season but she still has to stay calm so can't go out yet. Maybe she can play outside by her birthday. Let's go to the park putting on the Japanese jacket then
My niece had a birthday party over the weekend so we went to Indiana. But Rum chan is not allowed to go travelling yet so Darren's parents came to Chicago by the car to pick us up!
Rum chan really wanted to go to the party but we left her home alone. To avoid to go to the slippery kitchen floor, we blocked between the living room and the kitchen with the chair and bags.... But! When we went home after 4 hours, she was in the kitchen We were so afraid that she would get worse again but it seems like she has no problem so far. She might be so lonely to be alone in the countryside. Sorry Rum chan
Next morning, Darren's big brother Derek, his wife Megan and their kids Evan & Caitlin visited our parents house for brunch. Rum chan was excited at the beginning but was calm down afterwards. She wanted to run around with the kids but she stayed home this time. Me and Rum chan was staying home for a month these days so we could get out of the house and refresh this weekend. It was fun!
She should be sleeping in the cage but if we put her in the cage, she is boiling (growling) all night ling so too noisy for us. But she should not jump up & down on the bed yet so we changed our bed for her to go up & down without jumping.
We originally bought a low bed for her but she needs even lower since now on so we took out the bottom plates and put the mattress directly on the floor inside the flame. So the height is only 11 inch. Furthermore she should not jump up & down for a while so we put the couch cushion at the bottom of the bed as the steps to walk up & down on the bed.
It seems like Rum chan is the center of our life now but "No Rum, No Happy life" for us so we need her to be healthy and live long. We're gonna love her even more
Today she looked better than yesterday but still no energy all day. Maybe because of the steroid, she had a little diarrhea. She also had no appetite so she didn't eat anything all day until I forced her to eat before sleep.
She was getting better and better everyday so we were not careful enough after she looked so energetic. Maybe she got too excited when Darren came home from the business trip last weekend. As the doctor said, we have to make her stay calm for a month even if she looks recovered.
Since last night Rum chan suddenly got worse. She doesn't wanna see me when I called her and doesn't wanna eat even if I gave her the most favorite treats. She can still walk but very slow and sit down soon. She had much more energy these days so we thought she might be tired but she didn't wanna sleep at all and she was just frozen without putting her head down so it seemed like she had pain. We thought something is wrong so called the hospital but they said the specialist doctor is not working over night so if it's very emergency they can watch her until morning then the doctor will check her in the morning. So we decided to call the hospital when the doctor is there in the morning.
She was still weak in the morning. She usually asks us to go for a walk when we wake up but today she didn't wanna get out of the bed and didn't wanna see us even if we called her. We tried to make her walk but her back legs were getting weaker and looked like before the surgery. Her walk reminded us the day we found out her disease so we got very nervous. She was getting better very quickly everyday until yesterday but suddenly got worse like this?!
We called the doctor but he can't say anything without seeing her so we took her to the hospital again. The doctor was busy all day today so we left her there and the doctor will check when he has time. Rum chan was shaking when we left the hospital but we went home once and waited for the phone call from the hospital.
In the evening we called the doctor. The doctor said nothing serious but she recovered too quickly so her muscle couldn't keep up her activity and hurt her disc. But this is common to the dogs with this disease so no worries. But he could see the disc got swollen and her left back leg got weaker so he gave her steroid injection and she has to take steroid medicine for 10 days and rest as much as she can. I feel like everything is back to the beginning...
When we went to pick her up around 5pm, she looked very happy. She was staying at the hospital all day so we thought the fee might be very expensive but they charged only the injection and the medicine so it was only $29. Lucky.
After 3 weeks from the surgery. Her back is still sticking out but the scar is completely closed and her hair is getting long so not so visible. The muscles are still healing so she still can't stand up straight and her walk is crooked sometimes but she can jump up the curb and she doesn't tip over when she runs or spins anymore. Nobody can tell she had the disease if I don't tell them
Because I thought it would take a long time to recover, I started this blog to tell people about her story until when she can finally walk but she is already walking well within 3 weeks so her rehab diary is going to complete soon But Rum chan has many friends around the world and this will be good memory too so I wanna write this blog when we had events or took her cute pictures from now on. Thank you so much to everybody who care about her She is a lucky dog.
術後3週間の傷跡。ほとんどわかりません。 The scar after 3 weeks. almost invisible.
Rum chan had a favorite carry bag for a few years but she did accident in the bag when she went to the hospital at the first day so we bought her a new carry bag. The bag she had before was cheap pop-up carry bag but this time we bought better bag that is pink, 2 entrance on the top and side and the stable bottom with zebra cushion. Since we live in Chicago, we sometimes take a train to go to Indiana to see Darren's family so this will be very useful.
すぐ中に入りました。お気に入りみたい。 She went inside immediately. She likes it.
My Japanese friend Risa visited today. Risa brought a super fluffy raccoon(?) stuffed toy and X'mas color cookies for Rum chan. Rum chan loves a new toy so she immediately played with the raccoon but she was making funny sound like pig (because her nose is very flat so she snores easily even when she is awake) so Risa was laughing and taking video of her.
I made Thai coconuts milk chicken curry for Risa and after lunch we had a girls meeting (drink&talk) on the floor with Rum chan. Rum chan got too excited when Risa came so she was mostly sleeping between me and Risa afterward. We talked a lot today. It was fun
今日はハロウィンドレスのラムちゃん。あらいぐまがお気に入り。 She wore Halloween dress today. She loves the raccoon.
リサと一緒に。また女子会しようね～ With Risa. Thank you for visiting～
The doctor told us she can take a bath now but a little part of her scar was still red after removing the stitches so I didn't wash her yet. But my friend Risa is visiting for Rum chan tomorrow so I decided to wash her today. She didn't take a bath more than 3 weeks so her face started smelly and her chest is like jungle
It's very slippery in the bath tab so I put my old yoga mattress on the bottom. Although she still tipped over every time she shook her body... I wanted to wash her well but she shouldn't be too excited yet so I washed her gently today.
After bath, drying and combing her hair are very hard work. I found a lot of dreadlocks in her chest. She gets too crazy if I comb her chest so I just cut those tangled parts today but complete Rum was still big chest as usual. Her back hair is still short from the surgery so she looks like even more Lion
濡れるとこんな感じ。ちっちゃくなった。 She looks smaller when she gets wet.
Removing the stitches today. Darren's parents came to rent us their car for Rum chan yesterday so we went to hospital by car today. Rum chan didn't go out for long time so she looked very happy in the car. We made her pee outside before going into the hospital but she was so excited that she fell over with the curb She still needs more time to recover completely although she doesn't notice it at all.
We talked with the doctor after removing the stitches. He said she is very lucky to walk again because she lost the deep sensation completely before the surgery. He also said her scar is mostly healed so she can take a bath now (she didn't take a bath for 3 weeks). The middle of her spine (maybe the part he removed) is still sticking out so I thought it's still swollen because of the surgery but he said it's because she can't stand straightly yet so her back bends from a part with weak muscles. She can fix it if she practice to stand correctly so we will train her from now on. She looks very healthy but the muscles around her disc is still healing so she has to stay calm one more month then she can live normally after that. Great
ラムちゃんこの時：13.2 lb
抜糸後の傷跡。ちょっと赤くなっている部分があるけど、ほとんど治ったみたい。 The scar after removing the stitches. Almost healed.
背中のちょうど中心あたりが盛り上がっています。 The middle of her spine is sticking out a little.
Today is exactly 2 weeks after the surgery. She didn't remove the stitches yet but she is already moving a lot so makes us nervous. She can walk very well on the carpet but walking on the tile is not so easy for her so her back legs slip and split like dancer. She also tries to do 360 (spin) when she is happy but her back legs can't follow the body so she tips over after couple steps. It looks very funny but super cute
I was worried about her if she couldn't walk normally (although I was worried if she never be able to walk again in the beginning...) but her walk is even cuter now so I don't care. But sometimes she is standing but her toe is vent backwards so it looks a little painful. It's only 3 more day to remove the stitches but getting harder to make her calm because she has so much energy now.
術後2週間の傷跡。毛も伸びたしかさぶたも取れてきたので、ますます目立たなくなった。 The scar after 2 weeks. Her hair is getting long and the scab is coming off so no more obvious.
ピクニック - Picnic 
ラムちゃんも久々のイベントだったので、ものすごい嬉しそう。フリスビーや、ボール投げや、かけっこを3時間ほど満喫しました。楽しかった！
イースターでは、卵の中におもちゃやキャンディーを入れて庭の草むらや植木鉢の中などに隠して、子供たちがバスケットを持って探しに行きます。今年のイースターはダレンママが大人のイースターも企画してくれて、宝くじやお酒の交換チケットなどを入れた卵を木の上や車庫の中に隠して、ダレン兄弟夫妻やイトコ達を集めて奪い合いました。
なので、二人で美味しくいただきました
でもこの日は晴れていて風もなく、しかも前の日に新雪が積もったので、とても滑りやすかった。15年ぶりのスキーは滑れるものかと心配しましたが、全然問題なくみんなに付いて行けました。さすがパパの子（パパはプロのスキー選手でしたので）。
高い〜〜〜！でも私たちはそこまでワインにこだわるタイプではないので、結局バレンタインスペシャルのカクテルにしました。すごく綺麗なカクテルで、めちゃウマかった
ダレンが読んで聞かせてくれるというので、その愛のポエムを読んでもらったんだけど、ラップ気味に読むもんだから、すごいウケた。そして、カードにはラムちゃんの似顔絵も描いてあったんだけど、犬じゃなくてなんかお相撲さんみたいになってたので、めちゃウケでした
でも、アメリカにいるせいかあまり歳を感じないし、やさしい旦那さんと可愛い愛犬が祝ってくれたので、とても幸せな一日でした
まぁ、寿司は普通に美味しかったですが、やっぱ白人とかメキシコ人が筋肉モリモリの腕で握っているのは違和感ありありですね。メニューもアメリカ人受けしそうなものが多かったです。スペシャルドリンクで60ozのカクテルがあったので注文してみましたが、ホントにデカかった
ラムちゃんもこの騒がしさにはすっかり疲れ果てていましたよ。
アメリカのクリスマスは、プレゼントに名前を書いてクリスマスツリーの下に置いておき、イブの夜に家族みんなで集まって一斉にプレゼントを開ける習慣なのらしい。うちでは、もう１カ月以上前からちょこちょこ買い物に行ってはこっそりプレゼントを買って、きちんとラッピングしてそっとツリーの下に置いておきます。ってことは、１か月以上も毎日プレゼントを見ながら生活するのです。結構ツラかった
結局耐えきれずに２回ほど途中で開けてしまいましたが、それでもイブ前日にはこんなにプレゼントがたまりました
ダレンのママはいつもイベントがあると3kgくらいありそうなハムを丸ごとオーブンで焼いてくれるので、電動ナイフでスライスにして酒のつめみにするんですが、残った骨をラムちゃんにあげてみようということになり、ラムちゃんの頭くらいある大きなハムの骨を試しに与えてみました。ところが、ラムちゃんたらかぶりつくどころか、近づこうともせず、全然興味ない様子。犬なのに、あり得ない～。
わざわざ神社でお守り買ってきてくれたのね。なんて素敵なプレゼントなのかしら～
3か月もいたから、ちゃんと絆ができたみたいですよ。手術の時は、ずいぶん心配をかけてしまいました。
みたいで、ずーっと泣きっぱなしでした。
よっぽど気に入らなかったのね。代わりに、きれいなバスタオルを敷いてあげました。
でのこの日は寒くて風があったので、そういう日はあまり出てこないということでした。残念。
こういう豪快な人って、スキ
水かな、どっかで拾い食いしたのかな、といろいろ原因を考えてみたけど、わからず。心配だけど、仕方ないので様子を見ることに。
こっちも困るけど、ラムちゃんが一番つらかったですね。とりあえず外で汚れを落としてあげて、バッグはもう掃除できないほど汚れていたので、捨ててしまいました。ぁあ、新しく買ったばかりのバッグだったのに、残念
しかも私たちの結婚記念日です
本当に偶然だったけど、ラムちゃんを買った時に血統証の誕生日がちょうど結婚記念日になっていて、ものずごい運命を感じたんだよね。先月はこの先どうなることやらと思ったけど、今は手術の後遺症もわからないくらい回復して元気になったので、約束通り、誕生日は手術後初めての公園へのお散歩へ連れて行ってあげました。もう縁石とかも問題なくジャンプできるし、公園では本当に楽しそうに走ってた。病気になった時はこんな姿をこんなに早く見れるなんて思ってもいなかったから、私もダレンも本当に幸せです。元気になってよかった。本当にありがとう
どうりで寒いわけだ。ペットショップに行った時、耳がちぎれそうだった。寒いのは嫌いだけど、ラムちゃんにドレスやジャケットを着せてあげられるから楽しい。ラムちゃんは暑がりなので、これくらいの気温が一番活動的になるのですが、今はまだ安静中だから遊べなくて可哀そう。誕生日には外で遊べるようになるかな。刺繍入りのスカジャン着てお散歩行こうね 
