Stroller-un-friendliness

In order to cross Tverskaya Ulitsa, the huge, really wide avenue where we live, you have to go underground. There are actually three underground passageways within walking distance of our apartment (yay!) however none of them are very stroller-friendly (ugh!). I will say that one passageway has an elevator, but alas, it doesn't always work. So if you get there and it's out of order, you either turn around and go home or you lift your stroller down and back up all the steps.

Needless to say, this is a major source of stress for me. Basically I just don't take Beau out by myself if I have to cross the street. Kind of limiting.

At the base of the only set of stairs to get across the street. Somehow Scott thinks it's funny that we have to carry the stroller up and down all these steps every time we go to our favorite diner (read: the only one in town). It just makes me want to cry and curse out the Russians.

This is the Russian version of a handicapped-accessible ramp. If your wheels aren't the exact same width as these metal rails, well then, you're just out of luck.

More stairs on the other end. 

In the belly of the whale

Chewed up by a whale and waiting to be spit out. That's how my friend M (a former expat herself, who knows about the trailing spouse life overseas) described it. And it's exactly how I feel right now, from the travel, the jet lag and new unwelcome stress.

Siena came back from the "farm" as we call it (where she boards when we're away) with a weird kink in her tail and now it won't go UP at all. She can still wag it, but it just hangs straight down, limp, and sways side to side. Not vigorous and perky like she usually is. It's so sad to see, my poor sweet dog!

I made Scott leave work and come with me, Siena and Beau to the emergency vet -- for crying out loud, a BROKEN TAIL IS an emergency if you ask me!

At the vet they weren't very definitive but said it wasn't very painful (though I disagree because she won't let me near it) and that it is either clogged anal glands (soo gross) or "trauma to the region" (and then they had me hold her still while they did a rectal exam to see if the poor girl had been "ruptured," which she hadn't, thank god). The whole thing was rather barbaric and Siena looked so uncomfortable and sad during the exam. :-(

We left the vet and Scott later tells me that we "wasted" his afternoon. 

But really. would your beautiful animal come back from boarding with a broken tail in the USA? I think not. And if anything did happen, wouldn't they call you right away and tell you they noticed it and had already taken her to the vet to get it checked?? Yes. When we called the farm they had no idea what we were talking about. Of course. 

Anyway, now we have to wait a few days and if it's still limp, we go back to the vet for more tests or pills or something. I know it could have been much, much worse, but honestly, we are still dealing with the urine crystals from before xmas and we have baby jetlag and our own jetlag going on in this household. Enough already!! Can we please get a break???

Poor Siena. She doesn't look like my same puppy dog without her trademark tail wag! I feel so guilty for leaving her. I know it could have happened anywhere but it feels so much worse here. 

Went to bed around 8:30 pm last night, an all time EARLY for me after such a traumatizing day. Thankfully Scott got up with B from 10-12ish? I think...now I've been up with him for feeding etc since 2:30 am but it's actually more tolerable if you go to bed super early. That assumes you have someone else to get up at the half way mark and your child already sleeps 4 hours at some point in the night.  

Ha, only took me 5.5 months and a dog with a malfunctioning tail to figure that out. Way to be a slow learner, CB. Belly of the whale, belly of the whale.