Not too much going on at the Ennis house today...and honestly, I'm thankful for that. Between all these appointments for my back, I seem to be always gone or something going on every day. We enjoyed being out in Northern Virginia this weekend, did some shopping, picked mom up, John made it out there, had a wonderful summer dinner on Saturday, picked up the baby furniture (looks great!) and just sort of relaxed a bit. The carpet cleaner is here today and I'm LOVING it. He's a small, owns-his-own cleaning company and is doing a great job. He's very reasonably priced, and basically has turned his life around after coming to Christ a few years ago. That's TOTALLY the business I want to support. Anyway, the whole house smells fresher, though Dixie is frustrated and I'm sure contemplating how to make it smell like dog again.
Speaking of Dixie Belle...she's having a rough time of it without Raleigh, and especially now that mom's dog Lola is back at home. She's not eating (not too unusual, but even wet food!) and is just sort of moping around the house like she doesn't know what to do with herself. I hate it for her because at least I know what's going on...I don't understand it sometimes, but I know what it is. Not so for her...she just knows her Raleigh Bear is gone and she's sad. Don't tell me dogs don't have some sort of sense of feelings...I don't know what to call it, but I KNOW it exists.
Having to move all the furniture is a great opportunity to do some much needed spring/summer cleaning, so I'm glad that today is that day...we had horrible storms last night and looks like we may have a few more this afternoon, so it's a great chore day. Plus, my back hurts less when I'm standing/moving around. Sitting really just does me in. More reason to NOT be a couch potato!
John really felt Matthew kick around a lot last night. At first he didn't, and John wanted to know why. I told him that Matthew was mad at daddy for being so grumpy with mommy earlier in the day. (I LOVE this excuse!) John has been completely and totally busy and consumed with work recently, and his 'plan' for the furniture yesterday just wasn't really a plan (and fizzled to boot) so he was frustrated and aggravated that my pestering for him to have more of a gelled and confirmed plan may have been the right road to travel. In any event, I was really just joking...I didn't know why he wasn't kicking either, but maybe three minutes later, Matthew started to go nuts! John held his hand on my stomach for a good 3-4 minutes and kept feeling all kinds of leaps and bounds! He could even hear little 'thunks' when he put his ear to my stomach.
I've always said that I wanted to be a mom...and when I was younger, I assumed it would be because I had given birth and as I got older (and realized that's not always the way it works) I realized that being a mom was WAY more important to me than giving birth. I have to say, though, I LOVE how much John loves me being pregnant and I love how much he already loves this baby. I could have lived a life never once regretting I didn't give birth, if that's what was to be in my life but I still had children, but I really am thankful to God that John has had the opportunity to experience this all. Pregnancy definitely agrees with him.
I wish I had your carpet guy... Joe insists on getting the carpets cleaned and then it smells all... well, wet dog, and then I swear it gets dirtier 10X faster.
ReplyDeleteAs for your pup, it's totally true. They experience loss and mourning just like we do. Did she get to say goodbye? I know it sounds weird, but vets often recommend the other pets see the body so they know the animal didn't just 'go away' and they continue to look for them. We did that with my Mom's horse who had been with my mare since birth. After she was put to sleep we let him into her pasture. He ran up to her, whinnying, and stopped confused when she didn't rise. He took her by her mane and tried to get her to her feet, making the most mornful, heart-breaking sound. After a few minutes, he understood she was gone and grazed by her body. Even after we buried her, he often spends a lot of time by her grave.