….we’re taking our dog PupPup to their clinic be neutered. It’s pretty nice – they offer it for only $50. Our main vet cost over $200! His appointment is at 8:00, and we’ll be picking him back up this evening at 5 pm. He wasn’t allowed to eat or drink anything after 6 pm last night, poor fellow. He has no clue what’s about to happen. I just hope it isn’t too painful.
In the meanwhile, we’ll be helping my dad clean his yard up – tons of family folks are coming for thanksgiving! Mom is the “matriarch” of her siblings….her 8 siblings…and we’re a very close family. I love when all of us get together, even though I am the youngest one of the “first-grandchild generation” that lives in SC. Almost all of my cousins are at least 8 years older than me….one of them is 44, I believe…and all of the others are at least 8 years younger than me. I’ve always felt like a baby around the older ones and a big, protective sister around the others. 
But such is life.
Afterwards, we’ll be leaving Jack-Evan with my mom and dad at 5 pm while Kevin and I take the SUV to pick up PupPup. He’ll need to be able to lay down in the back, so we have to remove the baby car seat base to make room to let the seat down.
If I didn’t have a baby, we’d also be headed to the Kelly Clarkson and Reba Macintire concert in Charlotte, North Carolina tonight at 8 pm. Kevin was the 10th Caller on a local radio station trivia contest and won two tickets this past Wednesday (they’re worth around a hundred bucks each). He was so excited when he told me! But after deliberating about 3.6 seconds, I knew I wouldn’t be able to leave my baby for that long yet. We’d be gone round trip about 7 hours! Kevin even offered to let me go alone with a girlfriend, saying he would like to see me go have fun for my birthday (Dec. 1), but I passed that up too. I just can’t fathom being away from Jack-Evan yet. In my mind, I know he’d be fine for that amount of time since he’s now accepts sippy cups and baby food, but in my heart, I knew it wasn’t him I was worried about – it was ME. I’d probably have a massive meltdown being away from him. It’s. Just. Not. Doable. No way, no how. Maybe when he turns 26 or something, but at just 6 months old? nope. Not even the fun of a power vocal duo concert could draw me away from my sweet little baby. Plus, what if he decides not to take the sippy cup? What if he just wants good ol’ fashioned mommy cuddles? What if he starts crying and I’m not there to sooth him? What if he says MumMum and I can’t hear his calls? what if he turns his head around justso in that way he does that’s so cute, looking for me, and doesn’t see me? What if he thinks I abandoned him? His reasoning skills and sense of time isn’t too well developed ya know. I just couldn’t bare it if one ounce of him missed me. I just couldn’t bare it if one ounce of ME missed him. He’s my little poopie head, you know.
Anyway, I’m making myself cry, silly sentimental momma that I am. And I’m not even going anywhere! Just the thought of being that far away sends me into emotional meltdown.
Luckily I have an understanding husband. He found someone at work to gift the tickets to, and hasn’t said anything more about it. He’s quite the nice guy.
So I better go. Keep PupPup in your thoughts!
Christmas 2007 was a very unusual one for us, but we did create some great memories! For one, Kevin and I had our 2nd annual tradition of visiting Harmon’s Tree Farm and cutting down our live christmas tree – on my 25th birthday (Dec. 1, 2007). Since our big gift to ourself this year was a new digital camcorder (in preparation for the upcoming birth) we were even able to get it on video.
Kevin also continued his tradition on Christmas morning of cooking a big, ol’ fashioned Christmas breakfast! His dishes include yummy pancakes, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, hot chocolate, and milk. I’m so proud of him when he thinks of family traditions like that for us to carry out through the years.
After opening gifts and finishing off breakfast, we loaded up and went to my mom and dad’s home for Christmas dinner of Salmon Stew and Salmon Patties (NOT our usual fare…but thankfully we did have turkey dinner the following Thursday). It’s all good though…I was with the people that mattered most to me (Kevin, Mom, & Dad) on Christmas day, and that’s what truly matters. I love my parents deeply – and I hope to pass down their legacy and everything they’ve taught me to Little Jack one day.
