Melancholy Vacation
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It's been a rough week. Christmas was wonderful... don't get me wrong... but it seems like it was months ago now.
On Wednesday, hubby and I took our beloved weimeraner (Woody) down to the vet's and stayed with him while they put him to sleep. It was heartbreaking, particularly for Joel, but the vet was SO reassuring... kept telling us she was very glad we had made this decision and that we were definitely doing the right thing. That was a help. It about tore my heart out... I was sad about the whole thing, but watching Joel go through this was even worse. I'm glad we stayed though. He held Woody right up until the very end... he said after, "I was the first person to hold him when he came into this world (he delivered Woody's litter), and I want to be holding him when he leaves." *tears* He sobbed... it was so hard... but we know he's better off now. It will take some getting used to, that's for sure.
Jasmine and Noah were very emotional, but seemed to bounce back pretty well. I think Jasmine was upset more because the rest of us were than because of reality... and Noah was initially sad, and cried, but he's ok, even saying, "Well... one good thing about Woody dying is that we won't ever have to clean up poop off the floor again." This morning, though... we told the kids they needed to say goodbye to Woody. Noah took it literally and walked over to Woody, crying, and kind of waved to him. "Goodbye, Woody" and his little face all scrunched up because he was trying to hard to keep from crying. We finally convinced him that it's ok to cry... and reminded him that we were ALL crying... and he let go.
Joel has held himself together really well. He was a mess at the vet's -- as was I -- and right afterward, but he has really taken it better than I thought he would. He says he knows it was the right decision and he's really at peace with it. I'm glad. Jessica and I have been more emotional (maybe it's a woman thing?). We were both on the verge of tears that entire day, often crossing the edge and lapsing into ten or fifteen minute crying jags.
The next morning Joel took the kids sledding while I packed in preparation for our trip to the hospital. Joel had surgery Thursday and is recovering nicely -- I guess. It's certainly not fun, but he's doing well, relatively speaking. Vicodine is a wonderful thing.
He had his tonsils/adnoids removed, some of his soft palate, his uvula, and they also went into his nose and removed cartilage and stuff. He has stitches up both sides of his mouth and across the roof of it as well. *shudders* They say the recovery period is at least two weeks... and very painful... but we hope that in the end, it will be worth it. His sleep apnea was so bad that he was NEVER rested... and it was affecting his blood pressure, his heart, and I'm sure was the cause of some migraines he'd been having. Pray for Joel if you think of it... thanks!
Soooooooooo... it's been a long week. The surgery itself would have been enough to handle, but when you add to that the emotional drain of losing a pet, one who's been with you for fifteen years... yeah. We're all exhausted. In spite of that, we're happy to be together. We're blessed that God provides for all of our needs. We're thankful that our family is so strong that we get homesick when we're not together. Most of all, I'm thankful for my Heavenly Father who takes such good care of each of us -- no matter what we're going through. His grace is sufficient for me.
On Wednesday, hubby and I took our beloved weimeraner (Woody) down to the vet's and stayed with him while they put him to sleep. It was heartbreaking, particularly for Joel, but the vet was SO reassuring... kept telling us she was very glad we had made this decision and that we were definitely doing the right thing. That was a help. It about tore my heart out... I was sad about the whole thing, but watching Joel go through this was even worse. I'm glad we stayed though. He held Woody right up until the very end... he said after, "I was the first person to hold him when he came into this world (he delivered Woody's litter), and I want to be holding him when he leaves." *tears* He sobbed... it was so hard... but we know he's better off now. It will take some getting used to, that's for sure.
Jasmine and Noah were very emotional, but seemed to bounce back pretty well. I think Jasmine was upset more because the rest of us were than because of reality... and Noah was initially sad, and cried, but he's ok, even saying, "Well... one good thing about Woody dying is that we won't ever have to clean up poop off the floor again." This morning, though... we told the kids they needed to say goodbye to Woody. Noah took it literally and walked over to Woody, crying, and kind of waved to him. "Goodbye, Woody" and his little face all scrunched up because he was trying to hard to keep from crying. We finally convinced him that it's ok to cry... and reminded him that we were ALL crying... and he let go.
Joel has held himself together really well. He was a mess at the vet's -- as was I -- and right afterward, but he has really taken it better than I thought he would. He says he knows it was the right decision and he's really at peace with it. I'm glad. Jessica and I have been more emotional (maybe it's a woman thing?). We were both on the verge of tears that entire day, often crossing the edge and lapsing into ten or fifteen minute crying jags.
The next morning Joel took the kids sledding while I packed in preparation for our trip to the hospital. Joel had surgery Thursday and is recovering nicely -- I guess. It's certainly not fun, but he's doing well, relatively speaking. Vicodine is a wonderful thing.
He had his tonsils/adnoids removed, some of his soft palate, his uvula, and they also went into his nose and removed cartilage and stuff. He has stitches up both sides of his mouth and across the roof of it as well. *shudders* They say the recovery period is at least two weeks... and very painful... but we hope that in the end, it will be worth it. His sleep apnea was so bad that he was NEVER rested... and it was affecting his blood pressure, his heart, and I'm sure was the cause of some migraines he'd been having. Pray for Joel if you think of it... thanks!Soooooooooo... it's been a long week. The surgery itself would have been enough to handle, but when you add to that the emotional drain of losing a pet, one who's been with you for fifteen years... yeah. We're all exhausted. In spite of that, we're happy to be together. We're blessed that God provides for all of our needs. We're thankful that our family is so strong that we get homesick when we're not together. Most of all, I'm thankful for my Heavenly Father who takes such good care of each of us -- no matter what we're going through. His grace is sufficient for me.
