My little lovelies

We've had to deal with some very unpleasant and scary news recently; Emma became very sick very fast. We were placed in a position of what we should do: whatever it takes to help Emma make it, or put her down because surely the care would be very expensive. Well, for a lot of reasons, we went with the treatment. It was very expensive, and we will go without for a long while, but it was completely worth it.

We've also come under fire from some people who think that spending any money on a sick animal is a useless investment and that we should have put Emma regardless. Emma had a bowel infection, she did not have cancer or require risky surgery. It was a no brainer. People don't seem to understand the connection we share with our "original" children, so I thought I would take the time to explain how they fit with our lives.

We'll start with Oscar as he is the oldest. Oscar has been with me since November of 2005, I bought him with the last of my student loans money in my first semester of college. Right off the bat we connected. We used to play hide and seek. I would run and hide behind a door or beside the bed, call his name and usually he could find me. When I would cry he would jump in my lap and try to lick away my tears. We've lived in 7 different homes and with a lot of different people but he is always my little soldier. Yes, he pees in the house. Yes, he growls at smalls noises in the house. But he stands by me and is always there when I need a little snuggle.

Paul is the next oldest. Chris adopted him from a family in Hull who had no time to care for him anymore. Paul is EVERYONE's favourite; he is so snuggly and soft, its like almost impossible to resist his charm. Before I got pregnant, Paul used to sleep in our bed. He would snuggly under the covers and keep us warm in the colder months. He is always so happy to see us when we get home, and always has kisses for us. His love shows in big ways.

Then we have Roxy. Roxy was found in a similar way to Paul; she was being given away by a family who had no time for her. At first it was hard to bond with her. She was very slow to warm up to me, she warmed to Chris almost right away. Before the baby came they used to spend the mornings cuddled up on the couch. She gives us both lots of kisses, Chris on the head and myself on the toes. She grumbles when she wants water, to go to bed, to go pee or just a good butt scratch. She is so dumb, but that is a huge part of her charm.

Lastly, we have little Emma bean. Emma has only been with us for a year. Initially we did try to re-home her, as we weren't prepared to have a 4th dog with the impending baby. But both homes sent her back, and at that point we had gotten attached. Emma is notorious for barking at the slightest noise, whining to come into the bed with us at night, and not respecting our personal space on the couch. She will chew on your nose or chin if you let her, but her breath is terrible so you don't really want her to chew on you. She will play fetch all the live long day. She has a little sweater that she likes to wear, we assume its like a security blanket to her. When she sleeps, she snores. She snorts and kicks her blankets around to get comfy.

I know these things seem trivial to a lot of people but to us they are emotionally entrenching and endearing traits. I am not doing these guys justice, they are so entwined in our lives, so much a part of our identities, that even the thought of losing one of them makes my heart hurt.