The Latest in Lively-Land

I haven't really posted an update since June 18 – so here's the latest.

Today is my grandma's birthday. She would have been 88. Happy Birthday Grandma! I love you and I miss you.

Speaking of missing loved ones, our family is doing pretty well dealing with Goldie's death. It's almost been a month already. Those first few days were so heart-wrenching, but it's helped tremendously having Bailey around. I know you can't replace a lost pet, but I do believe it's helpful to have a distraction.

Since Bailey knew Goldie, we like to say that he is carrying on her ways! He has been acting very Goldie-like lately – shredding papers, pulling the stuffing out of Elena's animals, begging for food, etc. If Becky doesn't mind, we would love for Bailey to live with us. I have determined that we are just a dog family! We feel much happier if we have a dog in the house.

Elena and I went to see the Dora the Explorer Live show at the Palace Theatre on Father's Day. It was so much fun! The show lasted about an hour and a half, but there was a 10-15 minute intermission. We were in the 5th row on the far right hand side of the stage, so we had a really good view. Elena was intrigued by the show – she sat on my lap and watched the whole thing! I figured she'd get antsy and want to get down and run around, but she proved me wrong. I think she really enjoyed herself. I would highly recommend this show if your kids like Dora!

Elena loves Dora. She has Dora's Backpack and when you press its mouth, it sings the "Backpack! Backpack!" song. Elena bobs her head from side to side and sings "Ba-pa! Ba-pa!" It's so cute.

She has been doing so well saying new words lately. If we ask her to say something, she will do her best to repeat it. She loves to say "hi" to everyone – she'll say "Hi Daddy" - "Hi Mommy" - "Hi Doggie" - "Hi Baby." She also loves to whisper the word "hi." This started a while back when we were at the doctor's office for her 15-month check-up. She was being loud, and I told her she had to be quiet. She started whispering "hi" in the exam room.

I've been trying to get her to say "Mamaw" and "Papaw" too, although they sound more like "Mama" and "Papa" when she says them. Last week at dinnertime, I told Elena that her food was hot and I blew on it for her. Now every time I feed her, she says "hot" (with emphasis on the "T" - like "haw-TUH"). It's so funny. I have to tell her that her food is not hot so she will eat it.

Meal time is usually an adventure. Elena has become very picky. She didn't start out that way, but she won't eat certain things now. Last week, I mixed some broccoli and carrots in with her macaroni and cheese. She ate the mac and cheese, but spit out the vegetables! She also tends to become very fussy at dinner time since she usually only gets a one-hour nap at daycare now. When she's grumpy at dinner, she prefers to throw her food instead of eat it.

She'll be in the toddler room at school in another month when she's 18 months. I truly can't believe how fast she's growing up! It's unbelievable how the time flies.

I only have to work three days this week. I'm taking Thursday off, and we have Friday off for the Fourth. My parents are planning on coming over on Thursday and spending the day. John and Karen plan to come over on Friday and spend the weekend with us. So it will be a nice long weekend visiting family.

Happy Fourth of July if I don't write before then!

New blog design...for now

I'm not 100% set on this new design. I like the new header I created, but I had trouble finding a background I liked. I chose the current background for now. We'll see how long this lasts!

I have to get back to work now. Sorry this latest "update" is so short. Until next time...

Redoing my blog again

I know my blog looks a little "blah" right now. I'm in the process of re-doing it again. I get bored easily! It's been about a year since I changed things up, so I am ready for something new. I'll try to work on it this weekend. Stay tuned!

Leon's birthday, zoo visit and Bailey

Leon's 40th birthday was on June 6. For the past year, I've been planning to have a surprise birthday party for his 40th. I managed to pull it off!

I told Leon that we were having a picnic at my work on Saturday, June 6 for employees and their families. I told him that I had to go to the BIA early to set up, but I wanted him to arrive with the kids around 2:30 p.m. I arranged for the guests to arrive at 2:00. There were about 30 people there.

Leon said he was truly surprised. When he pulled into the parking lot at my work, he wondered what was going on because there weren't many cars (most people parked where Leon couldn't see their cars) – he also thought he spotted my parents' car in the parking lot. But when he opened the doors, we all yelled "Surprise!" It was fun.

Most of his family was able to be there, which was great. His sister Daphene and her daughter Haley drove up from West Virginia. We hadn't seen them since John and Karen's wedding in July 2003, so it was wonderful seeing them again. Leon's family came back to our house afterward and spent the night. Here are a few pictures from the party:

Leon's birthday hat


Elena helping Daddy unwrap gifts


The cake


The day after Leon's birthday, Leon, Beth, Elena, Daph, Haley and I went to the zoo. This was Elena's first visit to the zoo. She seemed to enjoy herself. She wanted to get out of her stroller and walk around – she is so independent! Here are a few of my favorite zoo pictures:

(l-r) Beth, Elena, Amy, Daphene, Haley


Elena, Daddy and Beth


Mommy and Elena on the merry-go-round


Elena enjoying a boat ride


Elena and I went with my parents and my Great Aunt Arline to Cincinnati last Saturday. My cousin Whitney graduated from high school, and my aunt had a graduation party for her. I hadn't seen my aunt, uncle and cousins since my grandma's funeral a year and half ago, so it was nice seeing everyone again. This was the first time they met Elena.

Elena had fun at the party. She played cornhole, although she preferred to throw the bean bags in a bush. She also loved all the balloons, which she calls "boos." Here's a cute picture from the party:



Elena is getting to be such a big girl! She is now sleeping on a cot at school instead of a crib. She'll move to the toddler room at school when she's 18 months. She is trying to say more words. She's also getting more teeth – she has four teeth on the top and four teeth on the bottom, and her molars are coming in too. Her hair is really growing. I need to take her in for a "real" haircut soon because her bangs are in her eyes. We all remember what happened when I tried to cut her bangs a while back!

My sister-in-law Becky brought her golden retriever Bailey down the day of Leon's birthday party. Leon told her that he would like Bailey to stay with us for the summer. It's possible it may become a permanent stay since Becky has several other dogs, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Bailey is a sweet dog, but no dog could ever take Goldie's place. She had such a unique personality. It's going to take a long time to get over that hole she left in our hearts. But for now, it's just nice to have a golden in the house again.

I recently found a beautiful picture of a golden retriever at the Rainbow Bridge (what some people call Pet Heaven) with an angel hovering above. Café Press had the image on a tile, which I purchased. I also put the image on my blog in the sidebar in memory of Goldie. Here is a close-up view of the picture:

Missing Goldie

The past couple days have been very difficult. Leon and I miss Goldie so much. People who don't have pets couldn't understand this I suppose, but we feel like we've lost a family member. Goldie meant just as much to us as if she were human.

Our house is so empty without her. When we pulled into the driveway, she would usually be looking out the window (barking!) at us. When we opened the door, she would be there to greet us. She would lie next to the table at mealtimes, hoping to get some "people food."

I always liked to joke that Goldie was my first-born. She helped me so much over the years, especially when I was struggling with infertility and the loss of Darlene and then my grandma. She licked so many tears and always made me laugh.

This morning I thought 'I have to let Goldie outside to go potty.' I reached for the cup we used to fill her water bowl. I opened the baby gate at bedtime so she could come upstairs. I put our shoes in the closet so she wouldn't carry them off and hide them. Some of these responses are so automatic – it's going to take some time to remember that we don't have to do these things anymore.

When I think about how sick she was the past month, I am relieved she is no longer suffering though. Even so, my heart feels like it's broken into a million pieces. I seem to be ok at work and when I'm out of the house. It's when I come home to a house without a golden that's the hardest part right now.

Leon took this picture of Goldie on Tuesday, a few minutes before she was put to sleep. She looks so sad. I am just so glad the end was peaceful for her.


Love you always Goldie

Goodbye sweet Goldie Girl

We had to have Goldie put to sleep today. I knew this was coming, just not so soon. She has been sick off and on for the past month or so. Like I said in a previous post, the vet thought she had cancer since x-rays showed tumors in her stomach and lungs.

She has been very sick the past few days. She was just lying around, not eating, and she had thrown up and peed several times in the house. Yesterday her eyes were rolled back in her head and she wouldn’t look at us. It was very scary.

This morning, I let her outside to go potty before I left for work. Leon dropped Elena off at daycare and then decided to stay home from work today since Goldie was acting so sick this morning – she wouldn’t even get up for him.

Leon was upstairs in our bedroom on his laptop. He heard a crash and what sounded like a child crying. Goldie had tried to climb the stairs and she had fallen. She was lying at the bottom of the stairs and had stopped breathing. Leon said her tongue was hanging out and her gums were turning white.

He gave Goldie chest compressions and she started breathing again. She managed to stand up and he was able to take her to the vet. They kept her on oxygen until I could get there from work.

The vet said that Goldie probably had cancer – the tumors were causing her stomach to bleed and that’s most likely why she was throwing up. The tumors in her lungs were also making it hard for her to breathe. They could take measures to help her and maybe prolong her life, but it would not cure her. We didn’t want to see her suffer anymore, so we chose to have her put to sleep.

Leon and I got to spend some time with her. Then Leon left the room because he didn’t want to watch her die. I stayed with her while they put her down. It was very peaceful. She just closed her eyes and went to sleep.

The vet handles cremation and burial services. We decided to have her buried. We kept her collar and the vet tech clipped a piece of her fur for us.

I didn’t go back to work today. I picked Elena up from daycare because I knew she would make us laugh. She is such a joy, especially when our hearts are hurting at a time like this.

Goldie would have been 9 years old next week – she was born on June 11, 2000. She brought me such comfort and happiness over the past 9 years. She licked all of my tears over the years. Leon said that she has earned her wings and is now an angel watching over us.

We love you Goldie. We will miss you always.

Goldie Lively: June 11, 2000 - June 2, 2009

It's been a while...

I didn't want to turn into one of those bloggers who goes weeks (or even months) without posting. But it looks like that's what I’ve become. As you can imagine, between working full-time and taking care of my (almost) 16-month-old I don't feel like I have much free time.

We're all doing pretty well. Elena brings me such joy! It's so much fun watching her learn and grow every day. She is trying to say more things. She'll say "Hi baby" or "Bye baby" in response to seeing her friends at school. One of her friends is named Aaron and she tries to say his name (it sounds like "air-air" when she says it). She also says "papple" (apple) and points to the apples on the placemats on our kitchen table. And if you ask her where her head, nose, eyes or mouth are, she'll point to them.

Elena is also at a stage where she copies off what we do. If I stick my tongue out or turn my head to the side or blink my eyes, she'll do what I do. It's so cute. She makes me laugh every day, and I think she has the most beautiful smile. I just melt when she smiles at me with her 6 little teeth.

My sweet baby girl isn't always an angel though! She can be very ornery. She also gets very grumpy and will throw tantrums if she gets too tired. Lately she hasn't enjoyed getting a bath. She'll splash around in the tub, but when I go to wash her hair and body she screams and cries. She also puts up a fight when I try to brush her hair or her teeth or cut her nails. And she can be very picky at meal times. She has gotten into the habit of throwing her food when she's finished eating – which Goldie enjoys, but it makes a mess for Mama to clean up!

Speaking of Goldie, she seems to be doing better than she was last month. She's eating better anyway. She still tends to lie around sometimes, but she's getting old. I can't expect her to have the same energy level as a puppy. I'm just thankful she isn't acting so sick like she was a month ago.

My 32nd birthday was on May 17. My parents, sister and her husband came over to spend the day with me. Last weekend, Elena and I spent Memorial Day weekend in Coshocton with my parents (Leon had to work so he stayed home with Goldie). We had a nice visit.

I recently found out that Darlene's brother and his wife are going to have a baby! The baby is due the first part of January. Darlene's birthday was on January 5. It would be so amazing if the baby was born on her birthday.

In my last post, I mentioned how I was having a problem with my lips. They're still not better. I went back to my doctor on Wednesday and he prescribed me an ointment. He said that if that doesn't work, he'll refer me to a dermatologist. If it comes to that, hopefully he can get me in to see a dermatologist sooner than I can. I called four different ones and none of them could see me sooner than August! So I decided to go back to my family doctor in the meantime. My doctor also mentioned I should also lay off the Blistex – which I have not been able to do as of yet. It's awfully hard to break a habit I've had for the past 19 years! I don't have any natural moisture left in my lips. It's awful!

We have an awards ceremony for our members tonight, so I have to work from 5:00 p.m. until probably about 9:30 p.m. Our boss is letting us leave early so we can go home and get ready. I'm going to go pick up Elena now and spend some time with her before going back to work. I'll try to blog again sooner than later.