This last week was extraordinarily difficult. My son found his sweet little hamster non-responsive in her cage at about 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. He thought she was already gone but when I got her out of her den she was still warm; she was in bad shape, but for the next three hours we tried all we could to help her. He made a heart-breaking phone call to the pet store to ask what we should do. A few times she perked up enough that I thought she may turn around, but she never really did. She took her last breath at about 8:00 p.m.
We honestly do not know what happened, she honestly seemed to be thriving and she never, in the ten days we had her, showed any of the signs of stress or distress we were supposed to watch for. She actually seemed to be having the time of her life!
Anyway, art-making was put on the back-burner for the next three days as I helped my boy deal with his grief. We have been inseparable- lots of crying, lots of talking, lots of snuggles. This is truly the biggest loss he has faced in his life. I feel so honoured to be his mom and to be able to help him navigate these strong emotions. Even though we only had her for a short time, Baloo really touched his heart deeply. He took to calling her "Little Girl" which I found so endearing. He wanted a pet for so very long; this birthday present was the best of times and the worst of times.
He is doing better, by Friday he felt good enough to go out with my sister so I could get some work done at the studio. I will have a bit of art to show you soon.
~Nicki
