His Obituary Would Read . . .

Bailey Asher Amory Taylor Trouble Davis, 13 1/2, died Thursday, June 25, 2009, following a long, courageous battle with degenerative myelopathy. He is survived by his loving mommy, grandmother, aunt, uncle, two cousins and a large extended family. Born December 21, 1995, he was a devoted companion, fierce protector, singer of songs, and flying Frisbee catcher. He was also a vocal opponent of UPS and mail delivery vehicles. He loved his 376 toys and knew each one by name. He was widely regarded as an extremely intelligent individual. He was thoroughly spoiled and his mommy would not have had it any other way. He will be sorely missed and never forgotten. He shall remain forever in the hearts of those who love him.

What we have once,

we can never lose.

All that we love deeply

becomes a part of us.

-Helen Keller

Thirteen . . . and a half!

Today is Bailey's (half) birthday!!!! He is thirteen and a half. That seems impossible! Knowing that this will be my sweet boy's last (half) birthday, he got a very special treat. This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime treat for him!

I went to the bakery yesterday and bought him a cupcake - yellow cake with buttercream frosting and sprinkles!
I put 13 and a half candles on top!

And lit them all . . .

Then I gave him this one, without the candles.

And, after listening to some very bad singing, he ate it . . .

Happy (half) birthday, my sweet boy! As I was placing candles on your cupcake, I couldn't help but thank God for 13 1/2 wonderful years with you. You have brought much JOY to my life and you will always, always be my baby. I am so glad I got to be your mommy.

I LOVE YOU FOREVER!

HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY, BAILEY!

Off the Specified (or preferred) Route

I so needed to read this today:

http://www.mycharmingkids.net/2009/05/life-lessons-learned-from-navigation.html

This DM route is definitely not my preferred route, but God sees the highway through the field . . . .

A Break in the Rain

This one would look better if we had actual grass instead of weeds.

This one happened by accident but I thought it was pretty cool!

Salty & Sweet

Love this:

http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/2009/04/532-arguing-about-why-bad-things-happen.html

And for a refreshing laugh:

http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/2009/05/535-communion-tray-etiquette.html

Spring has sprung!

Finally, the perfect springy/summery background for the blog! I loved this one as soon as I saw it!

Happy Easter!!!

The Bailey Ears

At 13 years old, Bailey looks pretty much the same as he has for a while. (We won't talk about the graying chin!) He looks nothing like he did when he was a puppy though, and one reason for that (besides about 45 pounds) is the change in his ears. I think it's funny to compare pictures from the three different stages of The Bailey Ears.

Here's baby Bailey, at six weeks old, with floppy ears . . .

And here's adolescent Bailey, at 3 months old, with ears standing up but looking as if they're attached! (And look how much he grew in only 6 weeks!)

And here's a mature Bailey, probably around a year old, with his ears in their permanent position.

That rug he is standing on in the last picture may (or may not) have been placed there to cover a hole in the carpet that may (or may not) have been chewed by a strange dog who may (or may not) have broken into the house one night without anyone knowing. I'm sure it was not caused by Bailey, because he never chewed anything. Ever.

I guess that same strange dog must have also chewed the 7 individual shoes (never the same pair twice!), my bedroom furniture, Bailey's beds, the carpet in my room . . .

DM Links

Here's a link to a petition to the University of Florida to continue Dr. Clemmons' DM research in German shepherds:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/SupportCriticalGSDMResearch

And Dr. Coates, who studies DM in corgis and boxers, has linked that version of DM with Lou Gehrig's disease:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090121174124.htm

******Oops! I had the petition link twice. I've corrected the link for the Lou Gehrig's article.

Praying for Baby Stellan