New Holiday … Kivalentine’s Day

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Kiva!” …
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Mommie!” …

Ms. Gump may have said, “Life is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you’re gonna get,” but my Mommie always adds to it and says, “…unless you are smart enough to look at the map on the inside of the lid.”  My Mommie is a dork, but she’s a smart dork.  As for the box of chocolates, she won’t be getting any.  Mommie can’t eat chocolate anymore and wants to have a memorial service for her chocoholism.  For about a year she has been testing this horrific “allergy” and it doesn’t matter anymore, chocolate causes her to flare.  She gets these intense, cold, prickly feelings on her neck, the back of her right arm, the palm of her right hand, and down the back of her right leg.  Maybe if she would chew it on the left side of her mouth, there wouldn’t be a problem, right?  Wrong.  It just doesn’t matter anymore.  I have seen her eat it, but she won’t eat much at a time.  She says that the taste is worth the pain … occasionally … but I wouldn’t know about that.

Four years ago, Mommie told me that Valentine’s Day was just another day on the calendar, but she‘d always make sure that I was her Valentine.  Three years ago, she told me that the day was an evil plot against single people and that some little blind baby-guy named Cupid was Satan’s Spawn, but I was still her Valentine.  Two years ago I didn’t get to spend Valentine’s Day with my Mommie because the Munchkins were getting baptized in Kansas and my Mommie would become a Godmother for the 2nd time in her life.  (She’s also one of Unca Houdini’s Godmothers.  I guess that’s what happens when you’re 14 years older than your brother.)  But before she left, she promised me that I was still her Valentine.  Last year I got to spend part of the day with her, but then she had to go to Wally’s World for 5 hours for her Cat-o’-mine nerve blocks.  She started the day sofa surfing and in a ton of pain and turning funny shades of grey (I’m a color blind dog, remember?) and she ended the day sofa surfing and burping into the dark bags that they give her when she leaves Day Surgery.  Again, she called me her Valentine.  This year I have my Mommie all day, she's not snarky, she's not sofa surfing, and she's not burping.  So I am taking it upon myself to make this my best Valentine’s Day ever … Mommie’s Pain Be Damned, this will now be known as Kivalentine's Day!!

The original idea came to me about 10 days ago <stretch> but I had no idea how to put it into action until this morning.  Mommie had another <yawn> insomnia night last night.  You would think that after living with her for over 4 years, I would be used to them.  And I was.  I really was!  I used to be ok with her bad nights <stretch>  because I would curl up just about anywhere in the Chalet and still be able to <yawn> keep an eye on her.  Last night was the <double yawn> 2nd night in the last week when my perch did not have a broad enough scope.  I was tucked in and snuggled up next to Mommie on her sofa surf board and watching a movie but <stretch> every 30 minutes, or so, I had to get up and make sure our Team was still sleeping in Bodieland.  I have now <yawn> named this act “making the rounds.”  I think it was almost 4 a.m. before she was able to breathe deeply enough to force a couple hours of sleep.  We crawled back into Bodieland and I made Mommie the meat of the sandwich.  When we all got up, Mommie went to visit Bertha and our Team and I curled up together in the big, brown, comfy chair where he invented the Kiva Song … This was when my bright idea hit me between the ears like a ton of rawhide bones.  

Family is everything!  Mommie says it all of the time and I know that she and I are our own little family, but I have never had a “Daddy.”  Mommie has one and she loves him very, very much.  She gives him hugs and kisses, they watch tv together, they walk around together, they go places in the car together, they talk, he comforts her when she’s scared, they eat together and he laughs at her … a lot!  And I got to thinking, these are all of the things that our Team and I do too.  So as soon as he left the Chalet this morning, I kicked Mommie out of her chair so that I could write the blog today … and … I think I have the courage to ask him now …

Dear Our Team,
Will you be my Valentine … and my Daddy?
Love, Kiva

I have faith that he will read this and think that my Mommie is the Ultimate Dork.  I also have faith in my adorable face and it’s ability to nullify the word “No.”  I deserve a Daddy … and Mommie always says that I deserve only the best of everything … and he’s the best!!

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Everyone!”