Guilty

On June 8th, Lola turned 2 years old. I didn't even remember that it was her birthday this year, and is it weird that I feel guilty about that?


If you are not a pet lover, you probably won't understand this post, so I'll continue at the risk of you thinking that I'm a complete freak.


On July 4th, 2005, Aaron and I got our first dog. She was a teacup Chihuahua that we saw at the flea market, and we instantly fell in love. She was so tiny, only about a pound, and she had redish-brown fur. I named her Bailey Elizabeth (yes, all of our animals have first and middle names) and decided that she would be the most loved and spoiled dog on the planet. She was so tiny and fragile and had the sweetest demeanor about her. But, a few days after we brought her home, we noticed she had a cough. We took her to the vet where she was diagnosed with Kennel-cough. We were told to give her a small dose of Robitussin and that should clear it up in a few days.


It didn't work, and she slowly got worse. The Friday before my birthday, we had to take her in to the emergency vet clinic because she stopped eating and was having boughts with hypoglocemia. They admitted her immediately and started an IV in her tiny neck. It was the most pitiful sight I had ever seen. They said that she had a bad case of pnuemonia, and the prognosis was not good. They kept her all weekend, and I would call 4-5 times each night to check on her like a worried mother, and visit her several times during the day. On Monday morning, my mother in law and I went in before I headed for work to pick her up so I could transfer her to our regular vet clinic. When the nurse put her in my arms, Bailey looked up at me and took her last breath. The vet worked on her feversishly to get her breathing again, but she was just too sick. I was beyond devastated.

Aaron felt terrible because she was my 21st birthday present. I knew that was going to be the worst birthday I'd ever had.

Until the day of my birthday, when Aaron came home with this:





That is Lola-Belle. I'll admit, I was a little wary of her at first because I was still upset over Bailey, but she ended up being just what I needed. From the first day we got her, we knew she was made for us. She was the perfect addition to our little family, and we were head over heels about her.





We spoiled her rotten, constantly snuggling with her and giving her treats, and of course, taking her picture:





She sleeps in our bed, goes with us wherever we go, and has always been a real part of the family.

And then, I got pregnant with Aeralyn. The whole pregnancy, Aaron and I discussed and fretted over how Lola would react when we brought Aeralyn home. Would she be jealous? Would she act out with anger or biting? Or would she be terrified?



Luckily, we haven't had any problems out of her at all. I can tell that sometimes she is jealous and needs a little bit of extra attention, and I try really hard to give that to her whenever I get a chance. Aaron does the same every time he has a free moment, so she still knows she is loved and important. I still feel bad for forgetting her birthday though, even though she obviously doesn't know the difference.

So, Happy Belated Birthday Lola-Belle (AKA "Stinks McGee"). Mommy still loves you, even though she may not get to show it as often as she used to. Thanks for being a great big sister to Aeralyn, and the sweetest doggy in the whole wide world.