Well this sad day arrived much sooner than we thought it would. Miss Tater Piggie Tot, age unknown, passed away peacefully the morning of Wednesday, May 5th. She developed an eye ulcer that eventually led her to stop eating, the tiniest little cough and eventually, the end of her too-short life. She was surrounded by our family and tucked into a blue fleece blanket when she quietly took her last breath.
Her last days were sad, quiet ones. The day before she died I spent a few extra minutes in the morning sitting by her crate with Laney at my side. She was thinner and clearly nearing the end, and when she finally passed on I cried all day. Noah cried, Emma cried, and Jason dug a hole. Leah made a marker for her tree and Adam shared stories of her poorly timed squeaks during his classes. Now she is resting in our yard, just outside my window and a wonderful reminder of the happy times we shared with her.
Laney's curiosity about the little critter in the house never waned, and she knew something was wrong the day Tater Tot died. She stayed by the crate side, letting out confused whines and looking around for some kind of explanation right up until we put her in the ground.
Watching our pet lose her pet/buddy was the hardest part of the loss.
Tater Tot was a delightful little pet, with big loving eyes, soft fur, and the sweetest coos and purrs when she was happy. And when she wasn't happy, we all knew it. If her meals weren't delivered on time, she squeaked at a maximum volume that could be heard throughout the house.
She created a surprising amount of work for such a tiny little creature- an endless round of feeding and sweeping up poops, changing out bedding and refilling hay almost right up until the end. In exchange for our diligent efforts Tater Tot rewarded us with the opportunity to witness her quickly scurrying from hidey hole to pink igloo, generally only coming out when she knew food was to be expected, and giving us a good laugh when we put her in the shopping cart or wooden truck for a ride around the house. 
The piggie taught us how to do things we didn't always want to do, to care for something that didn't offer much love in return, and most importantly, to appreciate the time we have together while we have it. Our time together is unknown. While we didn't know her exact age, we knew that she was closer to the end of her life than the beginning when we brought her into our home, but we didn't know which cuddle, ride in the shopping cart, or frantic munching of the cilantro we offered her would be the last. Her happy little life taught us that every one of those moments, someday, become a memory to cherish.
Rest in peace little piggie.
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