The Last Four Months

So, I obviously disappeared for a little while after Emma earned her angel wings.  As you can imagine, I needed some time to grieve and adjust and regroup after her ten month cancer battle.  It’s been so incredibly hard to get used to life without Emma but I just keep reminding myself to “Live Like Emma” – be brave, be happy, be confident, be grateful, go after what you want, greet every day and every new situation with enthusiasm and live in the moment because this very moment is all that we have!  Emma was my hero and the perfect example of how to live a happy life!

After a few weeks, I was finally ready to start trying to live my life again and I had a few good days…..but then…….exactly one month after Emma died, Baxter became very seriously ill and was in the hospital for several days with a severe case of pancreatitis.  And I was CRUSHED yet again.  On his 3rd night in the hospital, they called in the middle of the night and I almost had a heart attack!  Don’t middle of the night phone calls always bring bad news???!!!  But no……..they were calling to tell me that Baxter started having a “prison riot” in his cage and ripped out his IV catheter and was bouncing all around and he wouldn’t stop barking and was feeling much better.  So, I rushed out in the middle of the night to bring my brave, sweet, strong, adorable baby boy HOME!

Then, I learned of a sweet, little 4 month old Blenheim Cavalier who had been rescued from a horrible situation and needed a home.  An awful backyard breeder kept her in a tiny cage, outside, in Salt Lake City, Utah, all winter!!!  They decided they needed some quick money so they “ransomed” her off to a rescue group.  And even though it was way too soon after losing Emma, I couldn’t say no.  Especially after I heard that she would be available for adoption on March 13……the day that would have been Emma’s 9th birthday.  Wouldn’t it be just like my amazing Emma to give ME a gift on HER birthday???!!!  How could I say no to the puppy that Emma clearly wanted me to have in my life???!!!  So, say hello to Betsy……also known as Lady Elisabeth Paisley Puddingstone.  Also known as Betsy Wetsy, Queen Bess, The Tiny Queen, Punkin’ Chunkin’ Betsy Biscuit, Chunky, and Biscuit.

And then, Baxter decided to get sick AGAIN……but this time it was a foreign object that he ate that was very slow to pass.  It was stuck in his system and making his belly hurt for TEN days.  It ended up being an olive pit and ironically his body finally “let go” of the olive pit the day after I fed him bread soaked in olive oil in an attempt to get his system moving!

And then, Betsy developed a massive swelling under her ear and when it didn’t respond to medical treatment, we had to do surgery to find out what was going on.  We found out that she has a rare and aggressive infection called Actinomyces which is caused by a foxtail burrowing into her skin.  She’ll be on high dose antibiotics for at least 3-4 months and there may be more surgeries in her future.  But for now, she’s doing great.

And then, I tried to catch my breath and start living a normal life again……but you guessed it!  Something else happened…..my sweet, old cat, Cassi who would have been 21 years old next month became critically ill very suddenly last week…..she was acting completely normal one day and we were letting her go the next day.   And while I’m comforted by the fact she had such a long and happy life, it’s really hard to get used to living without someone who has been with you for so very long.

Sooooo……I’m really, really, REALLY hoping that the second half of this year is COMPLETELY boring and uneventful!  Wish me luck!  I definitely need it!

Hugs,
Jenny