Please next year can we have a Happy Hanakah...

Last year we lost our Boy Joshie for what we thought was forever, right on Hanakah, thankfully we got him back for good shortly after New Years Day.

Today we lost our first cat Shadow, on Hanakah and needless to say we are not in the spirit of the holiday at all.

I'm so glad that this coming weekend we will be with our dearest friends to celebrate one last New Year's Eve together, and I'm sure there may even be tears then, but hopefully mostly laughs and lots of hugs, we certianly need it.

I hope the coming year is realitively event free in regards to pain, for we already know that two of our group will be moving away, and that will be hard enough to deal with, I look forward to happier events of course like watching our little boy perfect his walk, and of course start to talk in a language closer to our own, and I hope that next hanakah will be a sweet one filled only with happiness and smiles, as I said before we certianly need it.

My cat Shadow....I will miss you

We are going to put our cat down, this being the first pet I've had to be put to sleep....that sounds slightly nicer. When I grew up we had a Dog named Barly (Beth, Amy, Richard, Leah, Yank ((my dad's nickname from his hebrew name and NOTHING to do with that Baseball team)) ), but he was really my Sister's Dog, and I still remember my Dad on the day he was put down, it was merciful, but that does not really stop the tears. Maybe I was too young to appreciate this, but as most of you know, I am no longer young....some would even say I'm old.

I find myself getting choked up as I type here, hopeing to find some solace in getting this out, time will tell. I think back to some of the fun times we had with Shadow, and some of his unique habits, like sleeping in Karen's spooning, or him sitting above us and poking his nose into our heads to get us to pet him. Shadow was affecionate in his own way and on his own terms, but he was affecionate, and that is one of the things I'll remember.

Shadow has been sick for some time now, and no matter how many times we care for him, or medicate him, he is just not getting better. He has been with us for close to 10 out of his 11 years, he was our first child to us (any pet owner will understand this) and thinking of a day without him is not what I want, but he is suffering, in silence albiet, but suffering none the less and we must be merciful and he deserves to not suffer anymore. He tells us in his own way that he is not right, and sadly the meds are not helping. And still we can't help thinking that we should wait and see as we have done in the past. Our Vet tells us we are doing the right thing, but we keep searching for signs that he'll get better....

Yes, I knew that some day we would have to face this moment, and will have to again with our other 2 cats Beaner and Tigger, I just wish this day was not tomorrow. I wish I could be there to help Karen because I know her heart is breaking too, and I am her rock to hold her when she's upset and I will not be able to be here. I have many regrets in life, and sadly work is responsable for a second one now, but there is nothing we can do to change the fact that I have to work. (the first was when Karen had to have her surgery and I had to work to finish a time sensative job and could not be there until after the surgery was over, she insisted that I work, but that did not make me feel any better)

I am going to stop this post so I can spend some more time with him and Karen, and hold back my tears. I will let work take my mind off what is going to happen tomorrow, and come home and hug my wife for a very long time and hope that Little Joshie manages to bring her a smile while I'm away. I just imagine an empty bowl never to be filled again....

oh yeah Joshie has his own Blogger...I didn't have one untill I turned 38, heck he even has a T.V. and a DVD player, don't get me started on when I got those.... http://joshuaaaronschwartz.blogspot.com/

Ok Ok Ok I know It's been like forever.....

SOOOOOOOO much has happened since April in our lives.
Lets see...hmmmmmmm Karen and I are the same, cept maybe a few dreaded pounds on me. The cats are the same, still crying in the middle of the night for no apparent reason.....
Joshie, lets see, well Joshie had his surgery succesfully, he grew hair, more then me, got some teethies (that is the technical term for a baby's teeth) grew abit, learned to crawl,babbled words like dada dada then eventally mama mama, then learn to stand, and more recently started to walk (albiet like a drunk trying to pass a sobriety test, but much cuter) and of course there was the finalization of the adoption which made him ALL ours, and then there was that wonderful day he became One Year Old.....
Here are some pics over the past monthes.....

here are a few more....and here are a few more including the Joshie's first Halloween......