Here is the lowdown on how life has been the past week. I am officially 7 days post op from my wisdom teeth extraction, everything is healing well but I still can’t open my jaw 100% of the way. The pain has drop to a mere annoyance but desire to stuff my face with a deep dish pizza has grown astronomically. Nick is moving around more and more since his surgery 5 days ago. And Beau finally had enough energy to play 10 minutes of fetch this morning as he is recovering from Kennel Cough.

It’s Labor Day weekend and we would normally be enjoying time at lake. But this weekend is going to be full of rest. We’ve started watching the Star Wars movies and have scrolled through all of TikTok.

Beau has been the best companion the past week and half. My mom has visited a few times to walk him but for the most part, he knows we all need rest. It is great to see him with some more energy. He even has taken up his old antics of stealing for attention. He pranced up to me, just out of arms reach, holding one of my slippers. I haven’t worn slippers in a while and these ones were tucked in a basket of winter clothes in my closet, so how he even managed to target them and pull them out is impressive on its own. It’s hard not to laugh when Beau acts out. I know in this case he is specially asking for me to play with him, but I still don’t want my slipper in his mouth. So the chase begins. In order to give him the attention he wants, I have to give in to his trap. Or so he thinks. My smartest move so far is to reach out for the stolen item 2-3 times, then act like its okay that he has it. I will calmly sit down and act busy or preoccupied with something else. For Beau, when he realizes that his plan isn’t working and I am no longer going to chase him, he will usually bring the stolen object closer to me as he starts to gnaw on it. Then as soon as he is preoccupied with a ‘new toy’ I steal it back from him and give him an actual toy (which he usually has no interest in). Depending on the situation, I will typically play with him or take him outside/for walk. But sometimes I can’t in that moment, and he usually takes the opportunity to nap.

Right now, Beau is laying on a pile of laundry that is waiting to be folded, snoozing away while I type. Shortly, I will have to play nurse for my husband and Beau will sit patiently, waiting for either of us to turn our attention to him. I will tell him how adorably handsome he is and what a good, sweet boy he is. Then the doorbell on the TV will go off and he will lose his shit, I will take back everything I said earlier, and the cycle will repeat itself until 9:30pm when Beau gets sleepy for the night and becomes the heaviest lap dog that I’ve ever had.

So this weekend isn’t quite what we had originally planned for ourselves. But I am comforted knowing that we have each other, and our own little routine that keeps us grounded. We are making the most of the situation we are in and I am super proud of how we have mentally handled these curveballs that came our way. Life happens and all we can do is just keep living it.