Sunday, December 18, 2011

Part of the Family

We had a pretty traumatic night here this past Thursday. It made me realize that our family would truly fall apart if we had to be without one very important member...

It was about 5:30 and Steven had to run to the grocery store for some rice. Shortly after he left, our Boxer, Bianca, started ringing the bell on our back doorknob. That is what she does when she has to go potty. As I opened the door, before I could even think twice, she darted out the door. I didn't freak out over it, since she generally doesn't go very far. I called for her about a minute later and she didn't come. I started to get kind of worried, because it was dark and I couldn't see or hear her. I was afraid she had left our yard. After about 10 minutes, Steven came busting in the door yelling "I just hit Bianca! Oh my God!" At first, I thought he meant that she ran in front of the car in the driveway. He was panicking and searching all over for a flashlight since it was pitch black out. He kept running outside and yelling for her, then coming back in, unable to locate a flashlight.

I called my mom and told her we needed to borrow hers and to hurry up because it was an emergency. Steven explained that he was coming down our road and Bianca jumped out and he hit her going about 15mph. She immediately ran off and he couldn't really see which way she went. My mom arrived quickly with a flashlight and they both split up and went searching. Steven walked and she drove in her car.

After almost 3 hours, Steven came back home. He was alone. I automatically began crying. It was just too dark, so he decided he would go back out as soon as the sun came up. We tried to figure out what we would tell Carter when he asked where his dog was. I spent the next few hours pacing back and forth from window to window, occasionally opening the door and yelling her name. We decided that we would have to sleep in shifts, so that one of us was up in case Bianca came home. I went to bed and Steven stayed up. All I could do was cry thinking about her dying all by herself in the woods...or being hurt and unable to move. It was very cold outside and she is used to sleeping all snuggled up with us.

A few hours after I went into my room, Steven came in. I could tell he was ready to cry. All he said was "I killed my dog." I tried to comfort him, telling him that it wasn't his fault. It was an accident. I started crying again, too. I wasn't sure how we would function as a family without Bianca. We've had her since she was 10 weeks old...she was with us before the kids were born. He went back to the living room and I finally fell asleep.

About an hour later, Steven came busting in the door yelling "Can!! Wake up!!" I felt a big thud in the bed next to me. I ripped the covers off of my head and there was our precious girl! She was home!! After we all calmed down, we noticed that her paw was pretty messed up and swollen.

My sister-in-law works at a vet's office...thank God we have her!! It turns out that there are no broken bones...just a few bad scrapes. She is on Tramadol for 5 days for the pain and she is doing great! At first, she was hobbling around on 3 paws, but now she is walking on it normally. We were told to clean it with peroxide just in case of infection, but other than that, she is good to go! I am so thankful that she is ok.

Honestly, I always complain that Bianca is so hyper and jumps all over the place, but when I see how happy we make her...and how happy she makes us, I see that nothing else really matters. She is part of our family and we wouldn't be the same without her.


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Monday, December 5, 2011

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

The Butchino household is in the Christmas spirit!! With less than 3 weeks to go, I am proud to say that not only am I done shopping for the kids, but 95% of their presents are wrapped!! Last year, I remember frantically wrapping at the kitchen table with Steven on Christmas Eve after the kids were in bed. I decided I didn't want to be stressed on Christmas Eve this year, so I took my time over a few days and got it done. There are 2 more gifts to wrap, but I am waiting for them to be delivered.

Both of the kids are sick right now. Poor Carter is an absolute mess. He woke up coughing and crying last night and I knew we were in for a doozy. I feel awful for him. And of course there isn't much I can do other than give him medicine and cuddle him as much as possible. Brookie has it too, but not nearly as bad...which I am thankful for since there aren't many options as far as medicine for her. I just hope they're both feeling better in time for our annual family Christmas party on Saturday. Prayers needed! In the meantime, we are still trying to keep the Christmas cheer going with them. Lots of decorations, music, and activities. Hopefully they can still enjoy them.

We have a very special addition to our family this Christmas. He is our very own Elf on the Shelf. If you have one, you know that naming them is a very important thing and it is the 1st order of business upon your elf's arrival. I asked Brooklyn what she wanted to name our elf. Her answer was "Seven, eight, nine." I said, "Well, that's kind of long...how about just Seven? Carter, do you like the name Seven for our elf?" He said, "I would like to call him Seven Baby Elf." I said "OK...but we can call him Seven for short." Our elf is a mischievous little guy. Look what he did to my countertops tonight!!


I hope you are all enjoying this wonderful holiday season as much as we are! Don't forget to take a time-out from the busy hustle and bustle to look around and be thankful for each and every blessing in your life. No matter how crazy things get this time of year, I always remember how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family to share it with! Happy Holidays!!
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