For Better or Worse, in Good Times and in Bad...

I have purposely avoided the blog for the past ten days. As you probably know, Colt has not come home since the evening of 9/10/09. Unfortunately this is also the same day the four-day rain began in Austin. David and I have been completely crushed and I think I finally have it "together" enough to write about it. Colt is nine months old; we got him for Emma's birthday as she had recently decided she wanted to be an "Animal Dr." and is obsessed with animals like her DD. Colt was not our first family pet; we "rescued" our two turtles one year earlier.

We've pretty much exhausted every effort to find Colt. I've been to the TLAC (Town Lake Animal Center) and check their inventory on the web multiple times a day as well as WilCo (Williamson County Animal Shelter), posted ads on CraigsList and Petfinder as well as leaving our information with multiple Vets in our area and posters in the neighborhood. One vet office I talked to said it took three months for her cat to come home. David and I do not have the feeling that he is in a cage at some shelter. Wherever he is, we don't want him suffering and I don't think he is. The7 months we had with him were wonderful. He was so wonderful to Emma, gentle with me and WAY playful with David. He would hear Emma coming down the hall or out of the bathroom and he would wait behind the wall (wiggling his butt and tail) and then jump out on his two hind legs to scare her. Never scratched her, just hilarious. The last couple of months he really started spending more time with me and laying on my tummy- whereas he had totally been a daddy's boy; I think he could hear the babies heartbeat. David was closest to him. When David has days off during the week and plays XBox all day, Colt would just lay in his lap and sleep with him.

It's been a really rough week. I didn't even really pay attention to my birthday. I've always looked forward to 25. When I was a little girl I always said I wanted to become a Mommy at 25 (I was a little off). But with Colt gone, it just didn't seem to matter and I definitely didn't feel like celebrating. It's been the most difficult to watch David grieving. Colt brought us so much joy after the passing of David's father and added a wonderful new dimension to our family unit. I choose to believe that everything happens for a reason. While I don't always know what the reasons are, I have faith that wherever Colt is, he is in peace and we will never forget him.
Here are a few of my favorite Colt pictures:
Napping with Daddy
Before one of the many times he took a bath with me...
Sleeping with me
In love
His favorite place

Last week the phrase stuck in my head was "God gives us opportunities...". I have no idea where that came from and hadn't heard or read it recently. But I thought about those words everyday for a week straight. I tried to focus on baby last week and started our BRU registry online with a few things I knew that we'd like/need for Cody. I tried as hard as I could to get my mind off of Colt; had to keep functioning, taking care of Emma, DD and I etc. Meanwhile I was getting sick. Wednesday I went to the Dr. and was diagnosed with a sinus infection.

Throughout the whole missing Colt situation I have become even more thankful for our marriage. David loves with his whole heart and constantly gives all he has for others. He's my strength and makes me proud daily.

With everything going on, it still hasn't quite sunk in that I'm having a son! This will definitely be a change from my world of pink, dress up, fairytales and princesses. I'm excited but also a little overwhelmed. Even though this isn't my first rodeo, there are still so many things to think about and try to prepare for. David's mom and step-father are coming for a visit next month. Now we really have to get the third bedroom cleaned up! After their visit, it'll be time to move the guest bed out and move the baby furniture in!
Here's a picture of the bedding we chose:
It's called, "My Little MVP"
Would you expect anything but sports from my husband? We're contemplating a burnt orange accent wall or 1/2 wall. To be determined...