Happy Birthday, Midnight

(Midnight is in the middle, Spencer is on the right, Montana is in the back)

Saturday, our beloved black Lab turned 16. Yes, count them...sixteen years old. We have had her longer than we've had our children. She was my present to DH the first Christmas we were married. Keep in mind we lived in a tiny duplex on a main road in metro Atlanta. And he wants a Lab for Christmas. He won...and we won. Midnight has been there through all the highlights and low-lights of our married life. She was with me when DH had to work during Snowstorm '93. She was the one stable thing The Dude had to come back to when his mother moved him eight hours away from us. Every time we would talk on the phone, he would ask about the dog. One of my favorite baby pictures with OC is DH rocking OC in the recliner and Midnight lying on the couch, her head resting on the arm, looking over at DH and OC. Always the protector. When YC came home from the hospital and didn't sleep (another post for another day...oh, my, yes it is...), Midnight could be found many a-nights, lying by her cradle and then her baby bed, keeping watch, so DH and I could get some much-needed sleep.

We found out in July that Midnight has a fast-growing tumor entwined around an upper molar in her mouth. I love our vet; our vet rocks. She gave us some literature and told us we would know when the time was right to have her put to sleep. Since we found out about the tumor, she's had a couple of infections, causing her whole face to swell. Friday night, we came home and her whole head was swollen. DH and I both thought the time had come. I always thought I'd be ready to let her go when the time came; I thought wrong. Everyone in my house was in tears Friday night, loving around Midnight. But alas, our wonderful vet told us it is probably another infection, treat it with antibiotics and warm compresses and we'll look at it on Monday.

I am happy to say, she is bouncing back once again. She did her usual "exercise" walking around the house yesterday. Her tail wags when she sees us. She still gets excited and shows emotion; I'm so glad we got to celebrate her sixteenth birthday. Not many animals live sixteen years. Sixteen good years. So happy birthday, Midnight. And in honor of your sixteenth birthday, we brought home Claire A. Belle the kitten.