A House Filled with Hope and Heartache

I heard Harley's usual quiet bark alert around 12:30 and knew Renn was making her way to my bed. Little miss tossed and turned until about 4:00. I heard B up a couple of times during the night doing Cooper care. She's become quite good at manually expressing his bladder while he's lying down, which is much less stressful for him. Just before 7:00, Renn was awake and ready to start the day. I managed to sweet-talk her into staying in bed by playing pigs with our fingers and watching a little Peppa Pig until Aislyn woke around 7:45.

From then on, the girls were in full gear. I fueled the little machines with yogurt and fresh fruit while Cooper and B enjoyed some time out on the sunny, but breezy deck. She used her remaining vacation days to give 24/7 care to her beloved puppy. S made his coffee and perused is laptop in Big Brown while supervising the girls. I helped B with Cooper before settling outside with my own coffee while she let Roo out with her herd and removed a few blankets.

The little girls joined us on the deck for a bit too.

This morning B coached me through manually expressing Cooper's bladder while he was lying down. It saves him so much stress compared to lifting and carrying him outside each time. He misses those little outdoor adventures, but he more than made up for it by spending the entire morning relaxing on the deck. Before 11:00, S headed into the city for a knee brace consultation, and Aislyn was thrilled to be in charge while B and I walked the dogs down to the gate to leave some parcels for pickup.

Once we got back, Cooper had a bath for his back end before we settled him inside. He was asleep almost instantly after all his fresh air. B headed out to feed the horses while I made lunch for the girls. They happily munched on pretzels before settling in with Bluey while I worked on today's blog at the island. Shortly after 1:00, B made another trip to town to pick up a few things she needed for a birthday celebration concert with Shaina this evening.

S arrived home around 2:00 sporting his new knee brace before claiming his spot on the couch to catch up on the rodeo. Aislyn was content to sit quietly petting Cooper, much to Renn's disappointment since she wanted a playmate. Nana stepped in to fill the playmate role.

Later, B and I took Cooper outside for a short walk to the grass before letting him relax in the sunshine and breeze. We tried just about every food we could think of, but his appetite is still nonexistent. I did manage to get a couple of tablespoons of soft food into him because he needs something. Even liver no longer is tempting after hiding pills inside it. Harley wasn't interested in any of the food either and barely touched her raw or kibble. It seems none of us are living on much these days.

The first photo shows his worry but he relaxes feeling the love and safety of B around him.

Back inside, we settled Cooper into a comfortable position for another nap while the girls brought Jenkins in for his grooming and cuddle session. B got herself ready for her concert night. Our neighbour to the south stopped by to pick up his parcel. Being a heavy-duty mechanic, S asked him for help with his tractor issue. Cooper had his relaxation medication and drifted off to sleep.

The tractor was fixed, and the neighbour headed home before 5:00. Meanwhile, Renn and Aislyn were happily busy playing hairdresser.

I wanted to make sure B had something to eat before she left, so I threw some chicken wings into the oven. Once she was ready, she quickly ate a few, gave Cooper a hug, and headed off to meet Shaina before 5:30. Renn had requested sausage when she arrived yesterday, so that became supper along with roasted vegetables. Naturally, the vegetables were ignored in favour of Alphagetti and sausage only for her while Aislyn ate it all.

S was once again glued to the rodeo after missing over an hour while fixing the tractor. His couch position near Cooper allowed me to tend to the girls.

After supper, the girls played for a while before bath time. Aislyn was a wonderful helper while I tossed another load of laundry in. Then it was laps around the pool table—as promised—to dry her hair and burn off some energy. Teeth were brushed, Renn had her cough medicine, and the girls were rewarded with 20 minutes of Peppa Pig on the iPad in Aislyn's bed while I squeezed in a workout.

When I finished my workout, I scooped up little miss and tucked her into bed. After a late night and early morning, she was exhausted. One short story, one song, and she was sound asleep in less than seven minutes, before 7:30.

For a few minutes I thought the evening might finally settle enough to catch my breath. Instead, I did Cooper care, helped reposition him so he was comfortable, then grabbed a shower. While I was folding laundry in the bedroom, the wind caught the door and woke Cooper. I gave him some water and managed to coax another couple of tablespoons of food into him, even though he wasn't impressed. S headed for a hot tub while I went back to folding clothes, and that's when the camera notified me that Renn was crying around 8:30.

The Sam Barber concert was packed and hard to see him, but big sister Shaina did put B on her shoulders in hopes a better view <3

She wasn't settling and wanted Nana's bed instead. Up we went, and before long she was asleep beside me with ocean sounds playing softly on my phone. It seems Aislyn napped a bit too as she then popped into the bedroom door with a cheerful, "Good morning!" Ah... no, Ais, it's definitely still tonight!

She quietly petted Cooper before taking Harley outside for a brush and giving Jenkins his nightly snuggles while I finished a few chores and did another round of Cooper care. Then Renn woke again. I let Aislyn watch the iPad while I spent the next hour with an upset little girl who couldn't decide whether she wanted her own bed or Nana's. I finally had S carry her back downstairs, but she was soon calling for Nana again. When I brought her back upstairs one last time, she barely made a sound, just quietly rustling around until she finally drifted off sometime after 11:30.

I checked on Aislyn and had her shut the iPad off around midnight. B arrived home from her sisters' concert night about 12:30. She took over Cooper care then I helped reposition him before we all finally settled in for the night. Around 4:00 a.m. I noticed the light on again and helped B move him once more. We've become surprisingly efficient at all the lifting, repositioning, and teamwork these days.