TS Fay: Not gonna' fizzle

Tropical storm Fay is still going strong as she makes her way back across Florida, right over our heads. The most we've seen so far is a little drizzle, but it was enough to cause our day care to close today and tomorrow. AND, being that I work for an electric utility company, this is our busiest time! Outages abound in our service area, which lies mostly southeast of Gainesville and is already seeing the brunt of the storm. Not a whole lot of wind, but the rain is causing soggy trees to lose their footing and topple over onto our service lines. So, we here in the PR department are scrambling to keep up with media calls and keep our web site as up-to-date as possible. Thank heavens for good friends like Jennifer who volunteered to watch the boys today so I could come to work and Rob could cook for his 100+ catering event this afternoon that was NOT canceled due to inclement weather. On my schedule for tomorrow is damage reporting. I'll be touring the Gainesville District, camera in hand, to document any flooding and downed power lines (they hooked me up with a hard hat and full-length raincoat just for the occasion). So, Rob and I will split kid-watch duties tomorrow so I can work in the morning and he can cook for ANOTHER catering event tomorrow afternoon. Life goes on, storm or no storm.

In Loving Memory

To our beloved friend, family member, playmate, you will be missed but not forgotten. You were gentle and patient and loving. You were part of our family when we needed you most, and now your time had passed and we will hold our dear memories of you near to our hearts.
Dempsey, we love you and we miss you.

"It was time," Rob said to me this morning when I called him "after." That was all I needed to hear to know he was at peace with his decision. He called the vet late yesterday afternoon and made the appointment for 7:30 this morning, so as to avoid too much drama. I dropped the boys at day care today (usually a daddy duty) while Rob took Dempsey to the vet.

For those of you that don't know, Dempsey had a spinal nerve disease called degenerative myelopathy where the myelin tissue in a specific nerve group in a dog's spinal cord deteriorates. It is like MS in dogs (go figure). It is more common in certain breeds like boxers, dalmatians and German Shepherds. DM causes the nerve impulses from the brain to be unable to reach the dog's hind quarters. There is no treatment or cure for the disease. It progresses rapidly and is often not diagnosed until the later stages of the disease because the early symptoms are so similar to arthritis.

Dempsey had his first symptoms about 15 months ago, and by June of this year he was unable to walk. He managed to get around pretty well by pulling himself along with his front legs. The vet assured us that many dogs get along this way for quite some time, and since there is no pain associated with the disease, there would be no need to rush to a decision about putting the dog to sleep. But Dempsey, who had always loved to run, and was a star high jumper, stick chaser and backyard escape artist, was no longer his happy perky self. Maybe no pain, but there was definite sadness in his eyes. It is so hard to finally come to terms with what is in the best interest of your beloved pet, and my heart aches for Rob right now, but deep down he knew "it was time."

We didn't say anything to the boys. Palmer is young enough that he won't remember Dempsey, and likely will not even question why he isn't there anymore. Camden was the same age when we put Elvis to sleep, and it was a week later when he finally went to the closet where Elvis used to sleep and matter-of-factly said "all gone." Palmer is a fan of the phrase at the moment, so I anticipate it will be a similar situation with him in this case.

Camden knows Dempsey was old and sick. He was well aware that he couldn't play with Dempsey the way he used to. I had previously told him that there would come a day when Dempsey would not be with us anymore, and left it at that. I did not tell him last night or this morning that today was that day. In my heart of hearts I am hoping that he simply won't notice Dempsey's absence and will take it all in stride and not ask too many questions. Maybe in all his innocence, he will really understand that Dempsey is not with us anymore simply because "it was time."

Where'd my babies go?

Oh, my boys are getting so big. Camden dresses himself now (tear, sniff sniff). I can no longer pick out his clothes or help him keep from putting his head through the arm hole. He does it all by himself! I will say, it makes for some interesting color combinations, but dare I even suggest a clothing change, and it causes a complete meltdown. So, yesterday he wore his red, white and blue 4th of July shirt with a pair of Army green shorts and his Spider-Man shoes. There was also the day he wore a pajama shirt to school, and the day he went without underwear because I didn't know I had to check.

Palmer is cruising right along, too. He is talking more than ever, although still I am the only one who can understand him, I think. His favorite food right now is hot dogs and it's pretty much his answer to every question:

"Palmer, what do you want for lunch today?"

"Hot dog"

"What did you have for dinner last night?"

"Hot dog"

"Are you hungry? Do you want a snack?"

"Hot dog, hot dog."

I swear, the kid would be perfectly happy eating hot dogs 24/7. But, he is a good eater and downs the fruits and veggies, too.

Palmer is also using the potty. I think he saw all the excitement and praise we gave Camden over the last several months, and he wants in on that. He goes pee-pee on the potty pretty much every day now, at school and at home. And he has even gone poop on the potty three times. He actually told me one time that he had to go by pulling on the bottom of his shorts and running to the bathroom and whining at the door. Then, when I though he was done, he did the sign for more and said "wa-wa" and pointed to his pee-pee. So I sat him back on the potty and he went more! For the most part though, he just goes when I remember to take him to the potty, and twice a day at school when they have potty time. I don't expect that he will actually be potty trained any time soon, but at least it's keeping his diapers drier longer for now, and every little bit helps.