Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Memories Captured: Frodo



After my divorce, I knew I would most likely never have another child.  This thought did not diminish my gratitude for the experiences I had with my then six and eight year old daughters.  But I did grieve babies.  

So, I purchased a dog.

A small baby dog. 

A boy dog. 

And I named him Frodo

I knew that he, like Tolkien’s character, would be interested in the outside world. 

Frodo frequently escapes from the confines of his dog life in our fenced back yard.  I send M out into the dangerous parts of our neighborhood to find him, while I sit and worry if his little body is being crushed under a car.

We have the fence rigged now, with bricks from our landscaping—all spaces filled, creating a barrier between Frodo’s safety and the outside world. 

When he is not enjoying the sun outside, he is inside, curled in my lap, or snuggled deep beneath the blankets on one of the girls’ beds.

He is not a real baby. 

He is not a boy. 

However, he is the baby boy I will never have.

Don't judge.

It is scientifically proven that the brain changes after one gives birth to a baby.

My brain certainly changed after my divorce.




16 comments:

  1. He is such a cutie! We had a dog growing up that was like my mom's fourth child.

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  2. Awww... mine are my babies. He's a cutie and I LOVE the quote.

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  3. Aw, he's so cute!! And no judging - pets ARE part of the family! Thank you for linking up!

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  4. Such a cute picture of the little escape expert - haha! Pets can bring so much happiness, companionship and comfort. Divorce is hard and even worse when you have kids. Frodo seems the perfect friend and little son :)

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  5. I LOVE his name! It's wonderful for you to have found comfort in him; and I'm sure he feels the same way about his Mama!

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    1. Thanks, Sandra. I think his cuddling in my lap if proof he feels the same. ;)

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  6. I totally get this. I'm mourning now, the absence of any more babies. Like, as we speak. But we already have four dogs and I can't deal with another. I'm seriously thinking about a cat, though. Seriously. My husband doesn't know it yet. SHHHH.

    He's adorable (your baby dog, and also my husband. Ha!)

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    1. I failed to mention that after Frodo I purchased Scruffy while already having Tina. We also had three cats at the time, two guinea pigs and two hamsters. We now have just the dogs, it's much easier to keep the house clean, but I definitely am frequently moved to acquire more babies.

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  7. Frodo is adorable!
    We got a dog last year but we couldn't handle him so we found him a much better home. It was a whopper of a mistake on my part but I take solace in the fact that he is happy and doted on where he is now. He was pretty flipping neurotic and we just didn't have the bandwidth. Also, he was a nippy little fellow and Ella was afraid of him. Anyway...

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    1. I'm sorry your dog experience wasn't what you hoped for, Ado. That's tough. We had a greyhound that we rescued from a track and had to give him up after he bit Antonia's head. I was so mad he hurt her but also heartbroken over letting him go.

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  8. No judging here - he's adorable, love the name Frodo! Pets are just as big a part of the family..

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  9. He is too cute. And Frodo definitely conjures up characteristics of loyalty and love. Great choice.

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  10. frodo, so sweet and meaningful! ~deirdre

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  11. Oh you revealed so very much here, friend!

    (And of course no judging at all!)

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  12. I love the photo and the pieces of yourself you shared here.

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    1. Thank you, Julia. I was feeling quite vulnerable after clicking "publish" Your words are comforting to my insecurities.

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