The morning of May 4th was a somewhat busy morning. Kenny was gone, as well as Ben and Sarah, and I was left with the 3 youngest kids. I was having one of my not so good pregnancy days and not much had been accomplished. I sent the girls downstairs to play while Daniel took and nap and I laid down to see if I could get feeling better. The girls were playing so nicely until Hannah came upstairs to tell me that Gracie was playing with Ben and Sarah's gerbils. My first thought was that she had gotten them out of the cage and they were loose in the basement. I hurried downstairs to discover a much worse thing had happened.
Blackberry as a baby with 2 of his siblings. He's parents were Ben and Sarah Kate's original gerbils Speeder and Snowflake.
Gracie had indeed played with the gerbils, she had just played with them a little too much and too hard. Blackberry, Sarah Kate's gerbil, was lying in the cage on his side unresponsive. I tapped on the glass, watched Bug Eater (Ben's gerbil) walk up to him, all the while he just laid there. I of course freaked. I called Kenny at his meeting and told him Blackberry had died. He told me to put him in a box. Duh! I should have thought of that. Anyway, after I found a box I went in to get him and he was up and at the other end of the cage. Apparently he wasn't dead. I was relieved, but at the same time I could tell he wasn't doing real well. I believe Gracie had played with him too hard and squeezed him a little too much during their playtime. I locked the door to their bedroom, let Kenny know, and prepared myself to tell Sarah Kate when she got home from school.
When Sarah got home I told her Gracie had gotten Blackberry and he was hurt real bad. I told her Blackberry was still alive, but I didn't know if he would live through the night. We kept a close eye on him and when the kids went to bed Blackberry was still alive and doing about the same. When Sarah Kate woke up the next morning, the first thing she did was check on Blackberry. He was alive, but he was laying on his side, breathing very slowly. Sarah Kate was so happy he was still alive, but I knew he wasn't going to make it. Rather then send her to school with the news that her gerbil was going to die I just told her how happy I was he was still alive. I sent the kids off to school and about an hour later when I checked on Blackberry I discovered he had passed away. We put him in a box and waited for Sarah to get home from school.
Digging the hole for Blackberry.
The kids helping move the grass and dig the hole.
The first thing Sarah asked when she walked in the door was how Blackberry was doing. It's not easy telling your kids their pet died. Sarah Kate never really played with Blackberry, but he was still her gerbil and she still love him. She cried a little and asked if she could see him so Ben, Sarah, and I went downstairs to see the box Blackberry was in. Of course she cried some more and I felt just terrible. I know it's a part of life, but I don't like it when my kids are sad. We buried him in the back yard under the tree where Speeder, Ben's old gerbil and Blackberry's Dad, was buried. Sarah Kate did a good job with the loss of Blackberry and I was real impressed that she wasn't mad at Gracie. She told me Gracie was too small to know what she had done and that she wasn't made at her. She misses Blackberry, but we've promised her another gerbil.
Sarah Kate burying Blackberry.
