Best.Dog.Ever.

Last night was rough.  Ryan, Cami, and I said a relucant goodbye to Jasmine, our 6 1/2 year old Boxer. 

 She had been growing sicker since mid-November.

Apparently dogs hide pain from their companions as long as possible.

I am convinced Jasmine did just that.

Four weeks in a row we trekked to the vet, beginning with belly pain.

The first week's x-ray diagnosis was arthritis.

She got prednisone.

She did not get better.

The second week's x-ray showed nothing unusual, but Jasmine's coloring was pale and blood samples were drawn.

She showed signs of anemia.

Without an ultrasound nothing more would be known.

We went back for more blood samples and improvement was shown.

We were leaving for Florida the following day.

Thankfully my parents took Jasmine so she was not in a kennel alone.

After Florida, Jasmine seemed perky at first, but then she started backsliding.  Her third blood sample showed a decrease in oxygen levels.  A third x-ray was taken.  There were hints of a shadow in her abdomen.  Tumor? Maybe. 

Three alternatives were given. 

1.Let it ride, knowing that more than likely her anemia was caused by some sort of internal bleeding.

2.Get an ultrasound to figure out what we were dealing with.

3.Do exploratory surgery. Risky, but could solve the problem and potentially increase lifespan by 3-12 months.

We opted for the ultrasound.  Ryan drove Jasmine the whole way down to Gaithersburg, Maryland after taking off early to do so Friday, December 3. 

Unfortunately the US was inconclusive because part of the spleen was hidden.  A sample was taken for the belly that confirmed internal bleeding.  Surgery was recommended.  We declined.

Saturday was a good day.

Jasmine and I went to Petco and got doggy pictures taken with Santa.  Jasmine was afraid of jolly old Saint Nick.  We loaded up on treats.  I bought her FAVORITE treats ever--stuffed pig hooves.

The rest of the day she went from bone to bone, eating and munching away happily, stubby tail a-wagging. 

See evidence is below.

 Sunday to Tuesday flew by. 

Sunday and Monday Jasmine seemed in good spirits.  However, she was growing pale again.  Tuesday afternoon she seemed very pale, and was more reluctant to eat.  Ryan left for class.  Mom, Cami, and I left for Park City to Christmas shop. 

When we came home, Jasmine was having difficulty breathing and seemed dizzy.  She alternated from wanting to be near us, to trying to find a place on her own. 

Ryan called the vet and was reassured that Jazzy would either pull through, or that this was indeed the end.  He said that internal bleeding causes a shock to the system and that the disorientation that comes before the last breathe makes it painless.  I opted to spend the night downstairs with Jasmine, since at this point, she could not stand up, let alone lift her head, and was lying on a Pier 1 cushion-turned doggy bed.  I didn't even get my makeshift bed made when she took her last breaths.  She died at 11:00 pm.

We took great care to say goodbye.  Ryan had to pull me off of her, as I lay sobbing in her fur.  She is being privately cremated, and we will receive her remains, at which time we will decide what to do with them. 

I know it sounds silly to be going into detail about Jasmine's last days with us, but Jasmine was special.  One of a kind.  Impossible to replace. 


Because of this, although I love the boxer breed, I doubt we will ever have another boxer.  None can replace Jasmine. 

Jasmine was the largest female in a litter of puppies that Ryan and I impulsively went to see prior to leaving for our honeymoon.  Ryan picked her out.  She was the calm amongst the storm.  The only puppy to be calmly sitting amidst her chaotic siblings, yet when we scooped her up she looked at us with such love that there was no other choice. We picked her up the day after we came back.  I named her, thus beginning the Disney duo that would become Jasmine and Nala for four years.  Giving Nala away to a loving home was difficult, but seeing Jasmine leave this earth was heartbreaking.  

I will miss my...

Jasmine Turquoise Sky Princess (AKC name)

Jazzy

Jazzers

Botu

Batu-Batu (Ryan claims this means "Swift Feet" in some random tribal language)

Botu-Beatu

Beat-rat

Bot

Jazzy-Jazzermine.

I will miss Ryan singing, "She's a good girl. She's my friend. She's a Jazzy-Jazzermine."

I will miss watching Cameran dangle over the edge of her high chair in search of Jasmine.

I will miss watching Cami figure out how to pet Jasmine.

I will miss Cameran using Jazzy to push off of in an attempt to stand.

I will miss Jasmine's docile nature.

I will miss her love of the outdoors.

I will miss saying "Car, walk, outside, Pappy and Nanny, treat" and seeing her head cock to the side.

I will miss her nudging open the bathroom door and backing herself inside for a Botu-belly rub.

I will miss her butt-wiggling almost as fast as her nubby tail.

I will miss her Tigger-like four foot vertical attempts at any door.

I will miss taking her for rides with her muzzle sticking out of the window. 

I will miss my instant dishwashing pre-rinser.

I will miss having the unconditional love of my first four-legged child.

I will miss burying my face in the nook between her eyes and nose.

I will miss sleeping like a contortionist while Jazzy made herself comfortable in bed.

I will miss our little Peter Pan-Nana wannabe.

I will miss being greeted at the door by the being most excited to see me arrive home from work each day.

I will miss Jasmine.  Always.



Nana Botu





Blizzard early 2010




Sisters.



I love you Jasmine. Forever.

'O Christmas Card

By now you have surely read multiple blog postings about Shutterfly and their Blogging holiday card special.  If not, then wait no more....

Right now, and through the holiday season, bloggers are eligible for 50 free photo cards once finished writing a post about Shutterfly and their awesome offerings! 

We took our homemade Christmas picture during Thanksgiving.  Believe me, it was an ordeal in and of itself.  Somehow, with the help of lots of editing I can get it to look great in the middle of one of Shutterfly's many holiday cards.

For those who like to write a year-end wrap up letter, these story cards provide beautiful displays for you to show off your family while adding 2010's highlights.

Not only that, those who like to add personal touches to wrapping paper also can try your hand at photo gift tags!

I have used Shutterfly for Cameran's birth announcements, as well as trying my hand at a photo book, for which there are many easy to use pre-made layouts.  When ordering regular prints you can also pick them up in as little as an hour from stores such as Target.  I am super excited to try out the holiday card special, and hope you are able to take advantage of it as well!

Thankful: Part II, Florida edition

It is easy to lose sight of what God has provided to each of us. Sure, every family has their share of hardships. And to each family, those particular hardships, whether monetary woes, diseases, family strains, job losses, or what-have-you, have the ability to rock us to the core. Yes, life is hard. Yes, life isn't fair sometimes. But if we are able to remove ourselves from our own bubble in the game of life and look at the bigger picture we just might be able to see that we have it better than billions of people who inhabit third-world countries who have no Thanksgiving day. There is always someone, somewhere whose plight is insurmountably worse than our own.

Cameran has made me very conscious of living in the moment. I sometimes struggle to use my time wisely, okay--I'm not gonna lie, I am a procrastinator, piler, and cleaning loather at heart, but I make sure that my time at home is with Cameran and Ryan. It is okay to just simply BE. Sure, I would love to go to the park more, and take more trips to the library, but sometimes snuggling and playing at home in-the-moment is alright.

Right now I am still in Florida with my husband's family, having just showered after reflecting (okay, mostly relaxing and tanning) by the pool. It is our last day, and our super-early flight tomorrow will find us back to Pennsyvania where cold weather abounds, and that is okay too . Right now I am here in Florida, in the present, thankful that I am able to BE here.

More about Florida to come...

Thankful: Part 1

Yesterday we traveled down the interstate to my parents' house for the first Thanksgiving feast of the year. Typically we "do" Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania, and go out of state to visit Ryan's family for Christmas vacation (this is where it is extremely convenient for us both to be on a public school work schedule). In any case, R's family recently purchased a townhome in Ft. Lauderdale where his younger brother, Dustin, attends college. We decided that Thanksgiving would be a perfect time to visit D and check out the new pad. I am blessed with very accommodating, flexible parents who don't give us a hard time about mixing up holiday plans to go out of state to see R's family.

Poor Cameran was not satisfied with her toddler version of Thanksgiving dinner, and was a horrible eater. In any case, she still had fun playing with Uncle Bubba (dog), Pappy, and Nanny. As always, it was a relaxing time, spent with those I love the most.  No sooner did we get in the car to leave did she start coughing and sneezing and blowing ginormous snot bubbles from her nose. She was downright miserable for the next few hours, and finally went to sleep around 10:30. Not a happy camper. Thankfully, she woke up this morning seemingly a bit better.


Here are a few pictures from the iPhone (of course).

On our way to Nanny's and Pappy's house

I <3 Budda Bellies

We attempted Christmas card pictures and hundreds of frames later I am hoping to get one edited and sent off to Shutterfly to take advantage of the blogger special! 

Potential Christmas card minus editing.  (Picture of the pre-edited picture.)

Cameran beating up Daddy.



I wonder what they are talking about?

Blessings as you make your way through this holiday week.

Chuckles

Daddy knows how to get Cami to laugh...