Back Burner

Before E came along, our world revolved around our animals. They were our kids. The day we brought E home from the hospital it rocked Peppi's (our maltese) world. Due to me getting a c-section, we had been gone from home for about four days, so Peppi was beyond excited to see us. Only problem was...mom and dad were a little preoccupied. Peppi was put outside for about thirty minutes while we got E situated. Then we let him in and told him not to jump and to settle down. Peppi moped around for about a week. In an obvious depressed state. Finally he figured out his new role in the family. We still loved him, but he was pushed to the back burner for a little while. Peppi has seizures, usually from stress/heat dropping his blood sugar. I will never forget the day he had one when E was only about three weeks old. Chris had gone back to work. So it was me, E, and the animals (two dogs and a cat.) E was screaming and Peppi was STRESSED to the max. This tiny thing had taken over his roll and he was playing second fiddle. All of Peppi's mommy and daddy's attention was 100% directed to this thing that eat/sleeps/poops/cries. More of the fourth one. Peppi reacts to stress with seizures. Peppi seized up. In order to snap Peppi out of the seizure we give him some Karo syrup and put a wet rag on his head. How in the world was I going to accomplish this with a screaming baby in my arms?! Screaming baby in one arm, seizing pup in the other. I was shoveling Karo syrup in Peppi's mouth and then I'd wipe his head with a wet rag, all with the hand that was holding E. It was quite a catastrophe. But I survived, E survived, and most importantly Peppi survived. Peppi still doesn't get all the attention he wants, but I think he's maintaining.

Our other dog, Blue, acts as nothing is different. He's still wild as ever. He's our outside/inside dog, so he spends a little more time outside then he used to.

The cat has gone to greener pastures. When E got here, he started pooping all over the place. He pooped in our house pre E, but not every single day. Used to it was a once a week deal, E got here and Buff (the cat) crapped anywhere and everywhere- except his litter box, which we cleaned practically every day just to try to get him to poop in it. He also started barfing every time after he ate, which Peppi would gladly eat (disgusting). And he had a huge tumor in his ear that bled everywhere. Buff was fourteen years old and lived a good life.

Life with animals is a lot different now. Chris and I have decided after all of our animals pass, that is it. We will have no more. We love the ones we have now and we hope they never die, but the inevitable will happen and when it does no more. Let's see if I hold true to this when E is six years old begging for a puppy.