
And then kids come along. Whether it be fur-baby or the squishy human kind it adds a new element to adulting. Suddenly you have graduated to detective but again without the satisfaction of confirming most your theories. When you start to gain a little confidence that you know what's going on, here comes a curveball or another kid that is completely different to help humble you all over again.
Normally it is my toddler throwing me curveballs but tonight I am up with the fur-baby. After a run to the vet yesterday for a limp and swelling that turned out to be an arthritis flare-up we went about our normal Tuesday evening... or so we thought until about 7:45.
Between 7:45 and 9:00 she went outside with diarrhea no less that seven times. By 11:30 she had added the lovely element of vomiting and would only come into the house long enough to turn around and go directly back out before the door could even shut. While I do appreciate the courtesy of not making us clean up messes in the house, standing at the door all night seemed impractical as well.
Now I will admit that I had the blissful ignorance of sleep from 9 p.m. until 11:40. My husband graciously manned the increasing issue when I went to bed at nine after a calm period that I thought had meant the worst had passed.
As I woke and got brought back up to speed my husband and I stood there rehashing the day and what could have brought this on. Was it the treats the vet gave her? Is it delayed effects from eating my Kindle last week? Is it pain from her arthritis manifesting in an upset stomach? Or did she simply pick up a stomach bug somehow?
We picked the two we could treat and gave her some medication, tucking her in to her kennel for the night in case of accidents. Heading to bed only lasted thirty minutes before our toddler woke up and while she went straight back to bed I could hear my fur-baby crying out from her kennel. So here I sit at nearly 2 a.m. writing a blog while being the door holder for my dog. Out and in...nope out again.
On television the detectives pick up clues from the environment and subject itself. But in the shows they get the satisfaction of confirming they were right. In real life, it is more a waiting game. There is no culprit to arrest to solve the crime only navigating one mystery just to hop to the next one. There is no huge celebration in your honor by the city or the mayor when you get your child to stay in her bed for the night or get through a strange ailment the dog picked up. There is only the satisfaction of making it to the next mystery and still being in the game.
I realize my blog today is not overly optimistic. Maybe that is from being up two nights in a row or maybe that is just because my nature is not always overly optimistic. Gratitude is a practice for me. And even on this long night, I can find gratitude.
I'm grateful my daughter has only woken up once despite the backdoor opening no less that three dozen times. I'm grateful my dog is courteous enough to keep her messes outside to the best of her ability. I'm grateful to get to do my blog in the middle of the night while I am awake anyway so that if my dog feels better later I can sleep without stress of waking to work before my daughter gets up. I'm grateful for the veterinarian confirming nothing is broken and giving me something new for my dog's arthritis. I'm grateful I didn't start the new medication tonight so I can at least rule out one possible cause of the upset. And I am grateful for all the leaves on the deck that I haven't swept yet that allow me to hear when my dog returns to the door before she scratches or whines. Most of all I am grateful to have a partner to bounce ideas off of and when all else fails take turns waiting out the solution.
What about you? How is adulting going today? Are there any mysteries that you got to walk away celebrating success, at least temporarily? Have you found a secret to being the detective?
May today help us find humor as we practice being adults. May we find some gratitude in the process of each mystery and when all else fails may we at least have a great hat to help us look like we have it under control. Have a beautiful day!