Puppy Photos: Leonidas

We had the pups' pictures taken last week, as 3 individual packages. Surprisingly, Cordy was the hardest to photograph, as she kept trying to hide behind me. What a Mama's Girl. Leo, of course, hammed it up, and his pictures arrived in the mail first. Here are the results:

Jaw Surgery from the Experts

Here's the scoop on the jaw surgery, from an actual article. The first part is what they hope is all it is. The second part is if there is actual tearing that he will need to repair or graft.

Arthroscopic arthroplasty surgery - Austin Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates pioneered TMJ arthroscopy in this region in the mid-1980's. Since that time AOMSA has been at the forefront of arthroscopic advances and new techniques. It is similar to arthroscopic surgery performed by orthopedic surgeons on the knee and other joints. This procedure is usually done in a hospital setting and requires general anesthesia and is routinely done on an outpatient basis. Most TMJ derangements can be treated by arthroscopic surgery. Adhesions and scarring may be removed to increase joint mobility. If the disc is displaced, causing painful popping or locking, a repositioning procedure can be accomplished arthroscopically. Until the last several years, this required an open joint procedure but with the current state of the arthroscopic "art", many disc repositioning procedures including suturing of the disc itself, are performed without open surgery. In cases of more severe degeneration such as torn discs, discs with holes worn in them, or arthritic and generative joints, arthroscopic surgery is highly effective. This procedure requires a small 2mm incision over the joint and in front of the ear. Through this incision, the arthroscope is inserted into the joint space. Additional needles may be placed to perform the necessary procedures.

Open joint reconstructive surgery - If the joint fails to respond to the arthroscopic procedure or the condition is such that arthroscopy is not indicated, an open procedure is sometimes recommended. Under direct visualization the joint is reconstructed by smoothing the joint surfaces, repair of disc abnormality and removal of diseased tissue. A graft or artificial replacement of one or more joint surfaces may be used in the reconstruction of the joint. This procedure requires general anesthesia as well as an overnight stay in the hospital.

Abe's Quilt

My best friend from high school had her first baby in November, Abram Edward. I made him a quilt as seen below:



The pattern can be found here. Turns out Leavenworth is the name of a famous prison, but the design is quite lovely.

Anyway, I have very few pictures of people using my crafts, so I was definitely happy when I saw this picture:



Yep, that's my quilt peeking out! Apparently he's outgrown his other baby blankets. This one I made as a 42" by 42" so it'll fit him quite well for a few years.

So....I'm feeling pretty proud!