Sidda Dooley....

Tomorrow, it will be 4 weeks since we said goodbye to our first baby and very best friend, Sidda.  It's been probably 10 weeks that we learned one of her tumors was cancerous...and 16 weeks since we said goodbye to her brother, my sister's family dog, Baxter.  To love a dog, and have her love you, is truly a gift from God.  To love her, and watch her grow up with her brother, and to love him, too, is truly a major blessing.

We had been engaged for two months when I found Sidda in an AJC ad - there was a picture of these Lab puppies around a baby pool drinking water.  I saw her - she was the Fox Red lab - and, I promised myself - if I called and they didn't return my call with a half hour, if the red lab wasn't female, or, if she was sold, then, I wouldn't tell Rob that I'd even called.  I called.  Left a message.  They called back in 15 minutes.  It was a girl.  She was available.  We bought a lab that day.

My sister and brother in law were in Charleston.  They said we were *%&ging crazy and didn't need a dog.  They came home Saturday.  Stopped through North Georgia...and, almost brought the final two home.  They ended up just bringing one home...the Omega male.  They worried he was a dud.  We met at Mom and Dad's on Sunday.  He was most definitely not the Omega once he saw Sidda.  They went nuts - ran circles around the couch, pushed it off the wall.  We laughed until we cried.  Baxter was a Houdini - ALWAYS busting out of the kennel with no physical evidence of how he actually got out...but, he never really broke other rules unless Sid was there to convince him.  For example, Mandie and Brian bought a house with a koi pond....Baxter never got it in it alone.  However, if Sidda was there...homegirl would sail right in and he'd totally follow her.  Poor Koi.  Mandie and Brian eventually got rid of the fish and filled in the pond.  Totally for the girls to have a playground, promise. Not because my dog taught their's how to jump in and chase fish, I'm sure :)

Sidda was a loyal, loving friend.  She only ate a handful of my favorite shoes :).  She had ears made of velvet.  She was a great sand digger on the beach, and, always got us hollered at for pooping in the ocean.  She loved car rides, peanut butter sandwiches, tolerated all of our children climbing on her and riding her like a horse (nieces included), loved swimming in the lake, jumping off the dock, sleeping in our bed, and, when that got too tough, sleeping next to me.  She despaired with me and mourned with us the loss of pregnancies and infertility.  She followed me for 38 weeks straight, twice.  She loved our babies and was the very best nanny to them - I know she'd have figured out how to fly with them if Peter Pan ever showed up.

Rob and I were with her until the very end.  I held her until after she met my Grandfather in Heaven (on his birthday) and her brother, Baxter.  I am certain they shared cake and tennis balls and love.

She was and is so loved.  She is so missed.  Rest easy, my Sweet Sidda.  We will miss you until we meet again.

(Picture overload, and in no particular order)

My 30th - Rob sent me on a scavenger hunt, and, it ended with the dogs and a ring.

Favorite Halloween Costumes - these started before babies and were an annual favorite with the kiddos, too.

Painting Molly's nursery!

Meeting Molly!

Molly's First Easter.

Playing with Baxter at our condo in Atlanta.

Rob thought it was funny to put the dogs in my panties :)

Love from Emma.

First snow in Athens.

One of Molly's weekly photo shoots :)

Sprinkler time with Madeline.

I think this was riding in the car???

Molly's first snow!

This.  A boy and his dog.

One of our Christmas cards before kiddos.  Still one of my favorite pictures.

Likely, Sidda's first trip to St. Augustine.  We have so many precious pictures of her from this trip.

Buffett's first night at home.  Boy, was Sidda thrilled :)