Saying Goodbye To An Old Friend

When we first moved into this house, everyone thought we needed pets.  I kid you not when I say that my mother brought over a dog 2 days after we moved in.  The house was still in boxes.   A few months later, a coworker had a family member that needed us to take their dogs.  So we went to go get them.  And Miss Anabel walked into our lives.

And while her and myself being the only females on the house, we called her princess.  Mostly because she claimed the throne, or chair, or sofa, or bed, or person she was comfortable on.

In October of 2011, we took her to the vet and expected not to come home with her.  She was diagnosed with glaucoma.  And with several different drops and lots of love, nursed her till today.  Today we had to put her down.  And my big kid is breaking my heart with his grief.  That was his dog.  She claimed him the minute she saw him.  She literally knocked him down and started licking his face.  It could be because he always had a chocolate milk mustache and she loved herself anything edible.  

And she was great.  She helped Rionn learn to read.  She layed there while he read his books out loud and hung on every word he had to say.  Whether or not he read it right or not.  Or how slow he read it.  She always loved his laying on her and always touching her.  They complimented each other great.

Today we had to say goodbye.  And while none of us wanted her to go, it was something we knew we had to do.  See, back in 2011, the news of what we thought was a scratch or debris in her eye was worse than what we thought.  And we knew when the medicines no longer worked, it would be the end of her fight.  And she gave it a good fight.  Trust, there is nothing like being 9 months pregnant and wrestling a blind basset hound that doesn't want to take the medicine.  

She will be greatly missed.  And I hope Rionn's heart settles a bit.  He is truly heartbroken.  

10!

My first baby.  He turned 10 today.  And he was excited and nervous to actual go to class on his birthday.  I wouldn't know how that feels.  But I do know the excitement of having a child grow up before your eyes.  Like I said.  My baby is 10.

In the past 10 years, I watched him grow.  And not just grow up.  He's becoming the nicest, sweetest young man.  He has the biggest heart.  This year, he passed up the chance to do a large animal in 4-H.  He just wasn't going to raise something to be killed at market.  And that choice was fine by us the parents.  His heart is just too big.  I can see him being vegan or at least vegetarian when he becomes an adult.

And he still has his stubbornness.   Which mostly appears during homework or chores.  But that's ok.

He's changed my heart forever.  And that is the greatest "birthday" present of all.  And even though he's 10.  He'll always be my baby.   And I'm looking forward to what he has in store in the next 10 years.