Poor Samson
A couple days ago I noticed that Samson was starting to limp a little. We checked his legs and paws and didn’t see anything. The limping kept getting worse and finally last night Luke noticed what looked like a blister on his front paw. Today I took Sammy to the vet who took a closer look and poked at his paw several times. Poor puppy, he was shaking on the exam table and when he got poked he yelped really loudly.
The vet sent some cell samples off to Colorado State University’s veterinary department for a more conclusive diagnosis of what the growth actually is. She said it could just be a wart like growth that will go away with some meds or could be surgically removed, or it could be cancer which would mean that she would need to amputate Samson’s toe! If he does loose a toe it won’t affect his stride since it’s not a weight bearing toe. I hope it we don’t have to amputate! Test results should be ready within 48 hours and we’ll know how to proceed from there.
For now we have some pain killers and antibiotics to help with the pain and swelling, and Sammy is taking it easy. I’m also trying to get Izzy to go easy on him…since she really likes to hug and climb on him.
House and Climbing
Have I mentioned how much I love blogs? Blogs are great because it gives me the chance to catch up with people on my own time. Life can get busy and schedules are different between my friends and I so it’s hard to find the time to catch up. Yes, blogs are a little impersonal, but better than nothing!
Our house is coming along nicely. Tomorrow we’re doing our pre-drywall walk thru. Once drywall starts the rest of the interior will come together really quick. I’m so excited to see how everything we picked out in October looks in the house. Here’s how our house looks right now.
Isabelle is almost 13 months now. Unbelievable! She’s teething again. This time it’s either her premolars or molars. She now has 11 teeth with one more trying to break through. Her recent hobbies are: hugging Samson, climbing into her walker, climbing into her Bumbo seat, climbing over Samson, climbing over me, climbing on top of toys…have I mentioned climbing? She also really likes going into Samson’s kennel. This is the second time I’ve caught her sitting in his kennel. The last picture is her giving Samson a real hug. So cute! Good thing Samson doesn’t mind!
New Videos
I realized I hadn’t posted videos in awhile, so here are some that we’ve recently taken. Izzy’s learned to give out hugs and kisses, however these hugs and kisses are usually for her stuffed animals or Sammy…not mom and dad.
Izzy’s new favorite hobby….climbing stairs. No worries though, she also knows how to climb down stairs! Notice how in some of these videos it sounds like she says “up”, “down down down” and “yay”.
Reflections
Baby Cora and her parents have been on my mind so much this week. The fact that her life on earth was so short seems so unfair, but she is in a better place. I’m thinking of her parents as they adjust to life without Cora and my heart is heavy. Their lives have been turned upside down and I am so sad for them.
Yesterday I listened to Cora’s memorial service online. During part of the service they mentioned that Joel and Jess dedicated Cora to the Lord on Mother’s Day last year. This dedication was to acknowledge that Cora was a gift from God and to dedicate her back to God saying that they realize that she is His and that He had entrusted them to care for her, love her and show her God’s love. I don’t think Joel and Jess thought that God would take Cora home so early, but their faith through this time has been inspiring.
The journey of the McClenahans has taught me to cherish every moment with Isabelle because she truly is a gift from God. Whether she’s screaming and crying, or laughing and playing I remember that God gave her to us, entrusted her to us, so we should never take a moment for granted, love her unconditionally and teach her about her Heavenly Father.
Cora has touched so many lives, mine included. I will forever be changed because of her and the faith her parents.
Psalms 127:3-5 (The Message) Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift? The fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Like a warrior’s fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth. Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children! Your enemies don’t stand a chance against you; you’ll sweep them right off your doorstep.
Psalms 139:15-16 (NIV) My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Heartache
A few weeks ago a friend from high school posted information on Facebook about Jess, girl I went to middle school with. Jess’s first baby, Cora was 10 months old and diagnosed with cancer in the middle of January. On Thursday beautiful Cora turned 11 months old and on Sunday morning she went to be with Jesus. When I read that my heart broke for Joel and Jess.
Today was Cora’s memorial celebration and Joel and Jess are laying her to rest. As a mom, I can’t even imagine the pain of losing a child. Please take some time and pray for them today and if you think of them again in the coming months.
To read more about baby Cora click here.
Fun Times
Yesterday Jesse, Luke and I headed up to Winter Park, CO for a day of snowboarding. This was the first time in 2 years that Luke and I have been snowboarding so it was great to finally get out and ride the slopes. Pictures from our day are below
Isabelle had her one year checkup earlier this week. Here’s how she’s grown:
Weight: 19 lbs 5 oz (30%)
Length: 30 1/4 inches (85%)
Head: 17 3/4 inches (75%)
She’s still long and lean because she’s constantly on the go so she’s burning more calories than she’s taking in. Her new thing now is throwing her food on the floor and giggling while Samson comes and cleans up her mess. Dogs are good for that!
Today was such a nice day out, so we took a little walk to the neighborhood play area. See some of pictures below.
Happy Belated Birthday
Isabelle was feeling all better this weekend so we decided to do birthday activities this weekend. I took her to an indoor play area in Fort Collins on Thursday. There were several play areas there include a big treehouse with a slide. She loved the slide and learned how to go down the baby slide on her own.
I made a birthday cake for Izzy (it’s suppose to look like a giant cupcake) so Sunday night we did cake during the Superbowl half time. Izzy got her own slice of cake with ice cream and frosting and went to town! We had quite the mess to clean up when she was done.
Here are some pictures of the birthday activities.
