1 Year 1 Month

Dear North,

The past month has been filled with a whirlwind of activity in our house. We've staged two garage sales, had family in town, installed new kitchen appliances and are currently in the middle of a garage and drainage construction project. All this and your father and I have both gone back to work full time.

But no matter what activity we are involved in, there you are right along side us. Some times watching, at other times busy playing with whatever object is nearby. Your happy baby babble is our soundtrack while we work. That is one of the last baby things you still do.

Overall, I see your transition happening right now from baby to toddler. You can sort of run. I mean, you can run, but I don't think you're going to get in the Olympics any time soon with that bad running form. You climb up and down stairs and if the front door is unlocked, you have figured out how to turn the handle to open it. You also have started to push chairs around and climb on them to get at items that were previously unreachable. Pretty soon, the only place left for me to store breakables will be the ceiling. But I'm sure the moment I move everything to the ceiling, there you would be rapelling off the fan or something.

Lately, your favorite activity is chasing our dog, Jake, around the house while holding his leash. You charge at him holding the connector part of the leash to take him for a walk. Meanwhile, Jake scampers around and around looking for an escape from your maniacal giggles and ear piercing squeals. I think he finds the whole thing terrifying.

Sadly, I imagine you will only remember him from pictures. Our poor Jake is not doing so good these days and his time left with us is likely to be limited. From what the x-rays show, the vet thinks his lungs are filled with tumors. All we can do is make him as comfortable and happy as possible. This translates to extra treats, like on Sunday when Dave made him his own blueberry pancake. It also means we are taking a camping trip while Jake still seems to feel pretty good. Even with all the medication he's on, he's still the same smiling Jake he's always been. He's had a good fourteen years for sure.

It's hard to let go of someone that has been such an integral part of the family for so long. I am thankful that we have time left with him to say goodbye and let our furry friend know how much we all love him.

Amazing things can happen to us when we are caring for a sick loved one with little time left. We put ourselves aside and they become our focus. Everything revolves around how we can make them happy, even if just for a moment. It's a good lesson to try harder to live that way for all people in your life every day.