Oliver

In early 2004, Wade and I were living in a little cardboard newlwed shack after about 2 years of marriage, when my cat of about 12 years passed away. While Oreo, our very unsociable and moody cat, was very missed - we decided to fulfill my wish of a getting a puppy and within 5 days brought home Oliver.

We drove to the middle of nowhere in a blizzard after church to pick up Oliver, the runt of an accident litter between a pug and cocker spaniel, for a 20 dollar donation to the owners. I remember clearly how sweet he felt to hold in my lap on the drive home, bundled in a blanket and snoring while he slept, Wade's complaints of how I had tricked him into a "short" drive to get a puppy in a blizzard turning to adoring statements that people usually make over puppies and babies.

Being a childless couple, we doted on Oliver like a baby. I almost cried to leave him for work. We dressed him in the winter - he had several sweaters, a carhart, and a columbia jacket.

We took him almost everywhere, his blanket in the back seat, to relatives, to picnics, camping trips, local parks, the beach, etc. Ollie was one happy, spoiled dog - the center of my hand-made Christmas cards - he had top of the line bedding (although we used to let him sleep with us, most of the time) and quite the oral fixation and a stock of chew toys (all with names, "grubby", "bally""giraffey"), doggie treats, and frequent trips to the dog salon for nail trimmings.

We even got him a pet for company, while we were gone at work all day!

OJ Kitty didn't live with us for very long. Can't remember why.

Oliver was there when we bought our house, and was delighted to have his very own back yard and huge space indoors. He was actually there for every milestone of our marriage. He witnessed our fights, our love, our struggles, our changes, our joys. Every night he'd cuddle on the couch next to me. During some of the hardest moments we endured, Ollie was there with his head on my lap, devoted and loving - protecting me from scary strangers with a threatening growl - and there to greet me with elated jumping when I walked through the door.

Then the girls moved to New York! How exciting for us!

Of course, this meant that Oliver wouldn't be coming with us as often on outings every weekend. We had our hands too full with our favorite little girls at the park, and we put Oliver on a chair away from us as we cuddled with the girls on the couch with popcorn and 3d glasses.

At about the same time that this change occured in Oliver's life, we also got something else quite life-altering...

Louie the beagle ate every single chew toy that Oliver loved. When I say ate, I mean completely ingested. Louie occasionally left a few fuzz balls hiddden in corners where he decided to leave evidence of the massacre. I remember a day or so after getting Louie, Oliver sat next to me, and looked up at me with a look of complete despair. I was almost convinced to get rid of our new puppy to please him, let things go back to the way they were... but things could never go back now. Life was happening for us and Oliver was just learning that he's not our center of attention any more, but along for the ride of our lives!

First it was us and Ollie, free and together in our rented pad - then the house, daily time with the girls, another dog, and finally after several years...

He looked at us as if to say "well, if you must", when we brought Samuel home.

Where Ollie used to love and chew on stuffed toys, he now fears to go near them since they all belong to a child who will turn him in to the authority (me) if he even sniffs it.

Where Oliver used to sit daily, next to me on the couch, he now shares a ragged chair in a corner of the house with Louie.

He used to sleep at my feet on the bed, and now shares a kennel where he cuddles with Louie.

Ollie used to pounce and play and chew and romp, he just wants peace and quiet - to be left the heck alone to snore for a while... and perhaps - after a long day of noise, baby crying, household chores, little time to romp in his once backyard now taken over by play equipment, and attention paid only to children - to get a pat on the head at the end of the day, usually around bedtime, to know for a minute that he is still our Oliver.

losing my mind. an intro to me.

Yes, it's true. I spent a lot of time and money on an education, or rather the government did - 16 years of it - and yesterday as I drove through town I stopped at a blinking red light... and waited for it to turn green. Really intelligent, right? Especially when I said outloud to my 13 month old, sucking on his socks in the car seat, "holy cow, how long are we going to sit here?". It took an irritated honker in line behind me to realize what I had to do.

That's just one example. I have many just like this since Sam was born. I gave birth at the age of 31 to my miracle baby. Despite odds, he was actually born and is very healthy. Some call this a large stroke of luck, knowing my conditions, but I know exactly where he came from and just what he is to us. We are forever changed people who live for someone else, a true gift from God -hence is name, Samuel.

Instant motherhood! The day that we brought Sam home from the hospital, my brother called to tell me about some changes in their lives that meant that within 2 weeks I would also be taking full time care of my nieces as well, during his working hours. We had spent every weekend with them for a year, prior to that, and they are no strongers to Wade and I or our home. Wherever they lived prior to their permanent move to NY, they had been the focus of my attention and pay check. They are every bit the loves of our lives that we imagine our own daughters would be, and it is the joy of my life to have them daily, being raised with my own son as a close family.

Wade and I imagined that we'd forever be a spoiling aunt and uncle, when Samuel was given to us. We were married for almost 6 years when he was born. Today I'm actually getting dressed up to celebrate our 7th anniversary! I'm very excited - I intend to put jewelry on that I typically don't wear because my puppy-dog son loves to pull earrings out and chew necklaces. It took some convincing for Taylor to accept that she isn't coming to dinner with us, but she was delighted to help me select date attire - although she is quite disgusted that I didn't pick a flowery fru-fru dress.

I still feel like a newlywed, but at the same time can't remember when Wade wasn't the biggest part of my life. When I look at Wade and I back then, we look like kids.

We sure were stupid.

But, I'm glad that we were, or we may not have gone through with what is the hardest but most rewarding relationship we'll have ever have.

I married Wade 6 months after returning home from a full-time mission in El Salvador. I need to get some pictures loaded up from that experience and blog about it sometime, although I still talk about it so often there isnt much that I could say where my family won't roll their eyes at with a "here we go with another mission story". I'm quite proud of myself for not only surviving it, snow-loving polar bear that I am, but actually loving the experience so much that I hardly have a day when a person there doesn't cross my mind.

I finished college in Potsdam, where I met Wade at church shortly after he joined it. Back then I was smart. I can't remember what I learned (what a waste of 20 grand, eh?), but I know that I never put a prepared bottle of formula in someone's backpack to take to school for snack time.

I never thought that it wasn't a big deal to throw a spit-up stained coat on over a dirty moo moo and wear my husband's boots out to the car and actually go somewhere for a gallon of milk and loaf of bread, carrying a perfectly clean an nicely dressed infant, bundled in his carrier.

I never thought that a messy bun with a florescent orange rubberband was the best way to wear my hair every day.

I never looked forward to the sequel to Halloweentown to come on Disney like it's The Lord of the Rings, or jumped up and down over popcorn to celebrate the event.

I never made razz noises and random sing-songs while preparing meals. I never put my hand on my hip and scolded someone with my mother's dreaded line "because I said so!".

I never carefully searched a poopy diaper. Actually, they used to make me puke. Literally

Yup, I'm a nutcase - but truly happy.