November 23, 2011

The Day Willy Hurt His Foot

So.

We've inherited a dog for the week.

Willy. Our dog-in-law. Whom Caleb loves dearly. (I do, too.). He's a sweetheart, and he and Caleb have been great pals for a long time. Caleb calls him "Wih-wee."

We took him hiking with us yesterday morning. We often borrow Willy for hiking.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until we brought him home. Next thing I know, there's a trail of blood leading up the stairs, down the stairs, and all through the den.

Oh my.

"Outside, Willy! Outside!" Ugh. Cleaning dog blood out of the carpet was so not on my To-Do list yesterday.

It's not like Caleb's out of school, we're having company over for Thanksgiving, and I have baking, cleaning, and shopping to do. Not at all. I have all the time in the world for things like bloody carpet cleaning sessions.

"Ok Willy, let me take a look." I was done being mad about the mess and had remembered that I do actually like this dog. I checked each of his paws, and sure enough, his back left paw was bleeding. He had partially sliced the pad.

That's when I knew the rest of my afternoon would not go according to plan.

"Kim? It's Nicole. I think I need to take Willy to the vet. No, no, he's fine. Just cut his paw. Not sure if he'll need stitches."

Most of the in-laws were already out of town for the holiday. Which meant I was now responsible for taking an 80 lb. golden retriever AND a 50 lb. four year old to the vet.

The visit went better than expected. In fact, it turned out to be a great learning experience for Caleb. He was very interested to see the "dog doctor" and to watch her take care of Willy. He only got worried when they tried to put a cone on Willy's head. Thanks to Pixar's movie "Up", the Cone of Shame just about cost us a tantrum. But I was able to convince Caleb it would help Willy and as soon as we got home, we took it off.

"The paw needs to stay bandaged. Make sure he doesn't chew on it. Make sure it stays dry. Tie a plastic bag around it when he goes outside. Give him these antibiotics twice a day."

Good grief! I had no idea having a dog could be so involved!

But Willy is a good doggie, and didn't chew on his foot.

"Kim? Willy's going to be ok. They wrapped his foot up and put him on antibiotics. But he needs to be watched. He can't go outside unless the foot is covered. Do you want John to bring him out to Bremerton when he comes? Or . . . "

Ok. I'll confess. I offered to keep Willy for the week. We love Willy-dog, and Caleb kept asking if he could stay.

Maybe I felt a teensy-bit guilty that the accident had happened on my watch.

Maybe it was seeing Caleb "take care" of Willy last night, propping his hurt foot up on a pillow and covering him up with a blanket.

Or maybe I just like having a dog in the house.

Whatever the reason, our dog-in-law is spending Thanksgiving with us.

And Jason and I are talking about getting a dog of our own. :)

November 21, 2011

Blessed

I picked out Christmas cards today. As usual, I agonized over the design. (I do this every year). I'm a big fan of photo cards, so I also have to find the absolute perfect pictures to share. After all, ALL our friends and family will see them. Which ones do I choose? The one of me in the snow didn't make the cut. Neither did the picture of live crabs, freshly caught and not long for this earth.

What kind of person puts a picture of crabs on their Christmas card, anyway? Who even considers it?

Apparently I do. At least I caught myself at the last minute. No merry Christmas crab card this year. Sorry folks.

Between the pictures of our family and our personal greetings are the words "We are so very blessed."

That's what sold me on this specific design. More than anything, that's what I want to say to everyone in my address book. We are so very blessed.

Some days it doesn't feel like it. We've gone down a long road this year, and we're still walking.

I know I sorta left you guys hanging when we went to find out Caleb's diagnosis in October. He was diagnosed with PDD (pervasive developmental delay) which is on the Autism spectrum. They also strongly suspect he has ADHD, and have already warned us that he will probably need medication when he's older.

Getting a label was a relief in so many ways, but difficult in others. And I've begun to realize just how long this journey will be. I've spent a lot of days running, and many others hiding. But I am slowly finding my way.

So why do I say that we are very blessed?

Oh, for so many reasons!

For the little boy who comes into our room around 6:45am every day and asks "Is it morning time yet?"
For the new job Jason just started, which has answered many prayers for us.
For the perfect moments, when life is good and right and as it should be. Like our afternoon at the beach on Friday. 38 degrees and a breeze weren't enough to stop Caleb from playing barefoot in the sand. He's happiest on the beach, and watching him frolick like we did so often during the summer, was a perfectly happy moment.
For pillow fights and Halloween songs, both a part of our daily routine.
For a high-functioning autistic kid. Our struggles could be so different.
For church, which we have missed for months due to nursery challenges. We're attending once more, and it's wonderful.

Blessed, friends. Blessed. The Lord is helping me to see just how much. Maybe that sounds sappy and spiritual. But way down deep, that's how I feel.

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!


November 14, 2011

Today

Today.

Full of bright November sunshine.

A wild, thrashing ocean, stirred to a frenzy after last night's storm.

Coffee with a friend who's been where I am.

Gentle, real conversations about the things nearest my heart. The fellowship that common experience brings is a healing balm. A gift.

Swinging my son on his indoor hammock swing. A new sensory toy to help us get through the winter.

Kicking leaves with Caleb in the front yard. He's very pleased with the whooshing sounds they make as he runs through them.

Talking with my in-laws and planning on-the-spot birthday celebrations for my father-in-law. (Secretly rejoicing that the whole family is going out to dinner and I no longer have to cook!)

Solid, sweet words from Psalms that speak to my heart; whispered promises from my soul's lover.

Hoping for a few minutes to blog and maybe watch an episode of Jericho later. :)

Loving the stories that I am a part of.

This is today.


November 11, 2011

Rainy Days and Rabbit Trails: Ye Be Warned

Hello? Heeellllloooo?
*Whoooooosh*
(dust flies everywhere(
Cough, cough, ackkk!
Where the heck is the light switch in here?
Oww! *loud banging sounds*
Tripped over the darn profile pic . . . finally! HERE's the light switch.
*Click*
Wow, look. It's my blog. I can't believe it! The ol' girl's still here.
*stupid grin*
*clears throat*
Ahem.
I have many deep brain things to share with you all about my most recent bloggie absence. Brain things. Deep. Many. Lots going on here, lemme tell ya.
But they will have to simmer on the stove for another day. Because today I'm sick, so my brain isn't functioning normally AND because I have a rabbit trail I want to follow. Don't worry. You'll like it. I think.
I read this story today on Bing: The New Seven Natural Wonders of the World

Now, not that there's anything wrong with the original Seven Natural Wonders. Apparently, someone somewhere just wanted to make a new, updated list. But this one? Really??? First of all, nearly all of them are in southeast Asia. Two are from South America (The Amazon Rainforest I happen to agree with). Then one random pick from Africa that really isn't all that spectacular. That's it. Nothing from Europe, Australia, Russia, India, or North America.

After leaving an outraged comment on the Bing site (which was echoed by dozens of others from around the world), I got to thinking. What natural wonders would I choose, if it were up to me to make a "new" list?

(As I said, I'm sick. And tired of shopping on Amazon.com without money. That's only fun for so long. You know? So I'm afraid you're stuck with me and my natural wonders wondering.)

So here's a few I think should have made that list (with all my limited travel experience backing me up!):

Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii (continuously erupting volcano)

Lake Baikal in Russia (largest/deepest freshwater lake in the world)

Dead Sea (lowest point on earth and 8 times more salty than the ocean)

Redwood National Forest (tallest trees on earth)

Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland (oddly crystl-shaped rock formations on the coasts of both N. Ireland and Scotland). See? And hey! I've been there!

I'm the one in front. :)


So yeah. Those are my thoughts this sick and rainy day. What about you? Any natural wonders you'd want to see on the list? Let me know what you think!

And now I'm off to play Plants and Zombies with my ever-so-patient son. Talk at you later, friends!