A Hole in Our Hearts

As evidenced already, we love our Jemma which is why is it with great sadness and tears in my eyes that I have to come to terms with putting our sweet girl to sleep.  Jemma was only four and a half, which is why it was a total shock to us.  She was diagnosed late Saturday night with a genetic degenerative disk disease after she jumped off the couch and hurt her back.  We had been told by our vet that dachshunds are prone to back issues, but that if we kept Jemma's weight in check, it shouldn't be a problem.  Unfortunately, Jemma's was a genetic issue that was inevitable.  We brought her home from the vet clinic with the idea that she would never be able to jump again and that she would be on strict crate rest for a month.  This news in and of itself was pretty shocking.  Jemma has always been able to jump and come and go as she pleased.  We were going to have to completely train her in a different lifestyle.  However, we got home and realized that Jemma could not even stand let alone walk.  It was heartbreaking and we called the hospital back right away.  After a very long night of little to no sleep, Jemma deteriorated before our eyes.  In the morning, we took her back to the hospital with a pit in our stomachs telling us that we would probably be coming back without our baby.  They did a test to see if Jemma had any feeling, which she didn't and was why she was completely paralyzed in her lower half.  It was clear that Jemma would have no kind of quality of life and she was in pain.  We had to do the right thing even though it was the hardest thing we've ever had to do.  Greg and I are grieving the loss of our loved dog.  Since she was such a part of our lives we have been left with a giant hole.  However, we think Jemma was one of the most special dogs and we consider ourselves privileged to have been her owners.  We both agree that her life was too short, but we wouldn't have traded it for anything.  Jemma has been such a bright spot in our lives, especially over the past two years that have been such a struggle for Greg and I.  We can't understand the timing of it, but we have to trust God in all things (even the really hard, crappy ones).  We know Jemma was loved by many and so many people have been so sweet and supportive of us during this time.  We are thankful to them because they understand that Jemma was never "just a dog" but a very special part of our family.  So to you Jemma (Jemma Bean, Bean, Beanie, Beanie Baby, Jemma Pup, Sweet Girl, Jemmy, Jems, Little, Tiny, Girlie, Girla, One Ear, Weenie Pup) you are are sweet, sweet girl.  We love you with all our hearts and there will always be a special place for you there.

     

Pensacola & 34 Weeks

It is becoming somewhat of a tradition for my side of the family to all get together the week of Fourth of July.  The past couple of years, we have all meet in Pensacola to enjoy family, freedom and fun!  This year was no exception to the rule.  To me, nothing says celebrating freedom like enjoying fireworks on the lawn of the Gulf Power Building in downtown Pensacola.  Now, to a lot of people (especially people not from Pensacola) this probably sounds weird.  However, it is a place where families gather with their lawn chairs, blankets, frisbees, sparklers, watermelon and everything else that is "American" to watch the Pensacola firewrorks display while listening to some awesome patriotic music.  Believe it or not, it's one of the things I miss most about my small town Pensacola.  So, I'm happy that we've been able to be a part of it the past couple years.  This year, my whole family plus most of the Williamson Clan (we missed you John, Kate & Karis!!) were able to meet up for the whole week.  We obviously had to squeeze in some pool and beach time, but no matter what we were doing, we had a great time!  Since my family is spread across the whole country, I love the times when we can all be together!  Here are some of the highlights.

Got to have lunch with some good friends and their precious children. 
We missed you, Jess! 

Uncle Greg putting Kennedy to bed.

Maren on her princess palette.

The cousins.

Maren and her new Maggie doll.

The original Tallmans.

while waiting for the fireworks.

Playing frisbee...







The Carswell crew at the beach.

Kennedy was having a slight problem with her
bathing suit bottoms.

Nothing says summer like ice cream sandwiches.

Baby boy cousins (little Grayson & Brody) bump to bump.



After we arrived home, I had my 34 week appointment with Dr. P.  Two things came of the appointment.  1.  Brody is completely breech (no longer crossways) and 2.  I have started having contractions.  She is SO calm and SO sweet.  She totally remembered Brody's name without me saying it (which I thought was totally impressive).  She said Brody looked like he might still be trying to turn on his own and she wasn't worried about it yet.  She gave me her trick to try to get him to turn-handstands in the pool. It has rained everyday since we've been home and therefore haven't been able to make it to the pool.  We do intend to try it (I've no doubt it will be completely comical) and will let you know how it goes.  As far as the contractions, she wasn't too concerned about those either.  She just wanted me to let her know if I have more than five in an hour which thankfully hasn't happened so far.  So, we'll just keep trucking along.  We did get Brody's bedding and baby quilt while we were in Pensacola.  I'm not quite ready to post pictures of a completed nursery yet...make you wait in anticipation a little while longer.  But I will say that I LOVE everything so far.  My mom (who did the bedding) and my Aunt Karen (who made the quilt) outdid themselves.  It is perfect and exactly what I wanted it to be!  We decided to take our 34 week picture a day early since it would provide a nice change of scenery.  So, here Brody and I are on Pensacola Beach at 34 weeks.