It feels a lot like Christmas Eve around here tonight.... Tomorrow is my daughter's birthday. She's reached double-digits. One decade! It's so hard to believe it has been 10 years since that November night when my little girl was born. We're going to celebrate with family tomorrow, and it promises to be a great celebration. My girl is so excited tonight, though, that she is having trouble getting to sleep. Just like on a typical Christmas Eve, she's too worked up to think about anything else.
At the same time, I'm dealing with a rapidly aging dog. Faithful Pup Scout is six weeks shy of her 12th birthday. I've been watching her have more and more trouble getting around. Her back legs are starting to cause her problems, and she sometimes can't get them to work in tandem with her front legs. Her front leg causes her to sometimes limp when she forgets that it's hurting her and she jumps off the couch when she hears the doorbell or a knock on the door, usually on the TV. Even though she can get through the entire night without having to go "outside", during the day she has to go many times, and she's good about letting us know when she has to go. Those times are usually when I am one bite into my dinner. And because we place "pooch pads" on the kitchen floor for her to use (particularly when we go out and leave her at home), she will go in there if she can't get our attention. Her aim isn't very good, though, and most of the time, she misses the pad and goes on the floor.
I've shared this story before, but several years ago, while my daughter was on the phone with my father, I went into the kitchen to get a drink. I was in my bare feet. When I walked into the kitchen, my foot hit a "wet spot" on the floor and my whole body flew up into the air, landing on the floor with a loud thud right onto my left shoulder. If anyone had been watching they probably would've laughed hysterically. I probably looked like a cartoon character. Well, when I hit the floor, I knocked the wind out of body, and I couldn't yell or make a sound other than a quiet moan. If you've ever seen the movie STRIPES, it was just like what happened when SGT. Hulka hit the ground after the tower he was standing on blew up and he hit the ground and couldn't say anything. Anyway, I was just laying on the kitchen floor, wallowing in a puddle of my dog's urine, my body unable to move due to the severe pain I was feeling. I was sure I had broken something. I finally was able to get my daughter's attention, and she relayed to my father that I was injured. He stayed on the phone until I was able to get myself off the floor and assess the damage to my body. The pain was so widespread that I couldn't pinpoint exactly where I was injured, except it was either my arm or shoulder. Dad said, if I didn't need an ambulance, he would come over and take me to the hospital, if needed. I told him it would be better if he could come over and watch Melody, and that I would drive myself to the emergency room to get it checked. He said okay.
I went upstairs to get a quick shower and change my clothes. I didn't need to take the smell of urine with me. The shower was difficult because I couldn't use my left arm at all. In fact, trying to get a shirt off and on was next to impossible. When Dad arrived, I rushed myself to the ER. X-rays were taken, and initially they couldn't determine if anything was broken. They recommended I see a specialist, and they released me to go home. Sleeping was difficult, and I tried to get through the night without painkillers. I was able to get an appointment the specialist for the next day, and I got an MRI which showed that I had a broken shoulder. After several years, my shoulder still gives me problems, and is particularly painful when it rains.
Anyway, my dog is aging, my daughter is getting older, and time is flying by like crazy. It's true: kids make time go faster. I love my little girl, though, and we will celebrate and enjoy her day tomorrow. She's a special little girl. I'm really blessed.
Have a great evening, everyone!
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