Hope For Molly

Sugar...Spice and ALL things Nice...That's my girl...my youngest "daughter"...my honer bunner...pumpkin head...silly willy...sugar booger...moller poller...Molly Girl...Molly Smith.

Sunday afternoon Maddy is reading a book quietly in her bedroom. Emily and I are sitting at the kitchen table filling out her scholarship paperwork for High School...as Molly, our black lab mix, is laying at our feet on the cool kitchen floor...When Maddy bursts in..."Mom, I'm going to the library...I just finished my book!" Not realizing when Maddy headed out the door...Molly followed. Moments later I hear the loud agonizing screams of a dog! I rush out the back door and do a quick scan of both gate doors..which are closed...a sigh of relief passes over me...when I yell to Emily to check on Molly in the house... Emily runs out..."Mom shes not in there!" I run to the front yard...and a car stops and asks me if I have a black dog..."it just got hit by a car!" My heart sinks....I may of had a panic attack...I'm not quite sure...

I arrive at the "scene of the accident" Molly still screaming...and I sit with her...and she calms down...until I touch her right leg. She's hurt bad...Everyone crowded around...I do not know anyone......I keep saying I'm so sorry...we've only been in our new home a few weeks...and she just isn't aware of her boundaries....I have know idea how she go out...probably jumped the small worn out fence. The neighbors say she was chasing a cat...Emily rushed to the house to grab a blanket we used as a stretcher...I almost asked Emily (my 13 year old) to run to the house and bring the car over...I ran over to the house and got it so we would not have to carry her as far...the neighbors helped me put her in the back of my car...The out pouring of compassion and support from our new neighbors truly touched my heart.

I took Molly to a 24 hr Vet Hospital......The whole way..I'm thinking she was clearly in bad shape...cuts, scrapes, her leg is hurt and possibly internal injuries..."Please Lord, don't let her die in the car" Emily is in the third row sitting with Molly...petting and comforting her...Maddy...(who somehow appeared at the scene) is in the second row reading her new library book.
The animal hospital techs were there to greet me and help me get Molly out of the car..we wait and wait...I think at this point Maddy has sampled everything in the vending machine.

We are finally placed in a room when the Dr. comes in. Molly has a..."closed right femoral fracture...." Her right leg is broken....and her treatment options are given to us...fix bone or amputate leg... We are heartbroken...it would not heal on its own...and both procedures are very costly. A few years ago my company offered pet insurance as part of my benifits package...many in family thought I was nuts for purchasing it...Thanks goodness I did. www.petinsurance.com
Now I must decide what to do...and boy was it ever so hard...Molly is a part of our family...we are animal lovers...always have been...always will be... Why do I feel it necessary to make excuses as to why I chose to save Molly's life?

I chose surgery to repair Molly's leg. She's a young healthy dog...the doctor said it was the BEST way to go for Molly to return to normal function....
Molly's home now...she's in quite a bit of pain..and it's going to be a long road to recovery...and at this very moment I'm not sure I did the right thing for our Molly Girl...

Before

After

Birth Order Of Children

Some funny...some..true......however, I still obsess way to much...


1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.

2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.
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Preparing for the Birth:
1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing.
3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.
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The Layette:
1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.
2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?
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Worries:
1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
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0A Pacifier:
1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.
2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.
3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.
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Diapering:
1st baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.
2nd baby: You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed.
3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to
complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.
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Activities:
1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, Baby Zoo, Baby Movies and Baby Story Hour.
2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaners.
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Going Out:
1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.
2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to
leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.
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At Home:
1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from
the children
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Swallowing Coins (a favorite):
1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays
2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully
watch for the coin to pass.
3rd child: When third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!

A few recent pics of my brother Jon's little munchkins..
Thanks to my sister-in-law Michelle who recently emailed these to me!!!

"Jeremy Ray"...My handsome nephew is so tough!! He's just like my brother! (who's in the background in the sunglasses)



My little niece "Jenna Nicole"....isn't she soo pretty!!!

I've been Tagged...

I've been tagged!!!

Now I have to find 7 interesting things about myself...I'm not a fan of this sort of thing...or maybe I'm just to self-guarded...and find it difficult to let people in...(probably why I've yet to remarry)...But my dearest, oldest friend Christy has tagged me and I'd do anything in the world she ask me to...Yes...even jump off a roof...as long as she was holding my hand!!!(which we've done)

1. My Dad still lives in the house where I was born and raised...and he still has the same phone number!
2. I was in the movie "A League of Their Own"
3. I can drive a stick shift...and a 24' box truck...as long as I don't have to park or back up!
4. I'm an avid multi-tasker...on a typical night I talk on the phone, check email, check homework, text,watch CNN and cook dinner all at the same time....I'm not kidding...
5. I can plan and host a dinner party...Martha Stewart style...very cheap...
6. I use to be a gymnast...okay...well...love gymnastics...fanatically....took two classes a week and swore I was going to be the next Mary Lou Retton!
7. I have a degree in Organizational Leadership and I'm the biggest pack rat you'll ever meet! Come on over and I'll show you one of my prom dresses!!!

There they are...it's only taken me about an hour to write those...b/c I'm at work answering questions, taking phone calls...text and working on my reports.....oh and eating lunch...too...

Up for some air...

The house is empty!!! The moving company delivered all the major stuff Saturday...and whats left is in the POD...I never thought I'd see the day when the rooms would actually be empty...All the packing and trashing...and yard sales...and it's finally empty...Everyone said I'd feel this sense of relief when it was all done...well I'm not there yet....but I'm anticipating that for sure....Since I've closed on my new house, here in Indiana.....I've been offered positions in Norfolk Virginia and Greensboro NC...can you believe it? What am I going to do? I need some help on this one....really.....

Pro's

Career Advancement

More money

New start

Catholic High School Nearby(that I'd be able to afford)

Small community

Emily starts High School next fall

Maddy starts middle school next fall

Closer to Uncle Jon

Closer to Dad

Relocation on the company dime

Only 6hour drive to Kentucky

Con's

Ex alleges will take me back to court if I move

Moving a teenager

New School

New Friends

More work hours

Less time at home

Moving

New Church

6 hour drive to Kentucky!

Is it obvious? Is the answer staring me in the face? I seriously doubt the Ex would sue for custody...but I'm not a person to take chances...especially when it comes to my girls.

Maybe I feel a bit robbed. Robbed of my independence. Being divorced from this man and still feeling as though I have no say in my future.....My mom asked me, "what does you gut say, Nic?"

Well first reaction was oh wow, definitely..I'm there perfect timing...blah blah....then reality set in.....and my practical way of thinking has overtaking me as usual...

Lets see...Maddy graduates high school in 7 years or so...and I'll barley be 40...so I'm going to wait...surely the opportunity will present it self again, right?