Our Beloved Jack

Sweet Ava, this last week has been one of the toughest we've gone through as a family.  Our beloved dog Jack went to Heaven on September 10th. Jack became very sick with a relapse of a bacterial infection that he had fought last summer.  I am writing this blog because we know you are too young to remember what good friends you were and we want you to always know how much you loved each other. 

In the beginning, it was not love at first sight between you two.  Jack was used to being the only child in the house for 9 years before you came home. He was not happy about sharing his time and parents with you; however, he quickly came around.  We think you won him over when he discovered that he ate pretty well if he stood under your high chair.  And for several months before he passed, you ranked higher than we did in his eyes.  He loved you so much!  He was so excited to see you when you'd come home from daycare every day.  He'd run right past us to get to you and give you a hundred kisses.  Jack was a silly dog who would gather up his loved ones belongings while we were out for the day and leave an article of clothing or a toy in each of the spots where he had slept in that day.  We'd often come home to articles from each of us on the landing and in the library chair.  I think this habit was just a comfort to him to have his loved ones smells close by while he slept during the day.  A reminder to him that we were coming home at the end of the day.  

Jack was very protective of you. He was always right by our side when we went to check in on you while you were sleeping.  As soon as Jack heard you on the monitor in the morning or in the middle of the night, he was in your room checking on you.  He was often the first one there. In the mornings he loved going in when we went into your room to get you out of bed.  He knew he could get in lots of kisses while you were getting your diaper changed. 

While riding in the car, he'd sit or lay right next to you. You'd often share snacks with him or he'd occasionally steal them from you. We loved looking into the back seat and seeing you petting Jack as he sat next to you.

Jack joined us for nightly story time and dance time. We went on so many walks and runs together. You loved "walking" Jack by holding onto the leash from your stroller. We also spent many afternoons hiking around the lake and creek in our neighborhood.  You both enjoyed swimming at the lake together and neither one of you ever wanted to leave.  You also spent a lot of time in the back yard throwing the ball and having Jack run and get it.  He never quite got the bringing it back part though, so that would make you mad at times :)  Jack was so much more than a dog in our family...he was our first baby and your big brother. 

God's timing continues to amaze me.  Jack was our companion and helped us through the tough years while we were waiting for you and your brother or sister who is still in China.  We don't know what we would have done without Jack during those years. And now, we keep saying how could we ever handle this loss if we didn't have our sweet daughter, Ava at home and your sibling in our hearts. We would have loved to have Jack for many more years, but given we almost lost him last year we will be thankful for every moment we were allowed.  

Thank you for giving us a reason to smile and laugh over the last week.   Thank you for sharing your stuffed animals to cuddle with.  Thank you for all the hugs and kisses. You may not fully understand, but you have a big heart and know something is wrong.  On the drive home from daycare late last week you started saying "Jack, Jack, Jack".  I simply told you that Jack was in Heaven and can still hear you, so talk to him all you want. Because I know he wants to hear your voice. I'm sure he misses you as much as we miss him. 

Ava, this is your baba. Jack was our first and only "kid" for 9 years. For many of those years, I thought our family was complete; however, your mama wanted to expand our family. For awhile, I was hesitant; however, she kept pursuing and eventually I saw how much better our family could be if I let someone else in. It all started when I saw your first pictures at the time of referral. I started loving you immediately and continued to love you more and more each day. You won me over right away and over the last almost seven months since I first held you in my arms, my love for you continues to grow on a daily basis. As I told you the day after Jack passed away, "you wiggled your way into my heart and the hole that Jack left is considerably smaller because of you". You will never know how much you helped me during this time, but I know it was considerable!  I love you so much, Ava and can't imagine life without you.