I'm a wreck today. I dropped off baby Esme at the veterinarian's office to be spayed. I have no doubts that it needs to be done; the health benefits for her are overwhelming. I trust our vet implicitly - he's a wonderful man with years of experience who attended one of the best veterinary schools in the country; he reassured me that anesthesia today isn't nearly as risky or as big a deal as it was even a decade ago. He's done thousands of spays.

I'm still terrified. She's so little.

I shall be in a wretched state until I get the "all's well" from him.

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Updated to add: I've spoken with the vet's office and Esme is doing well. She is up and alert, and has been outside to potty. All seems well. After some debate back and forth, we've decided to leave her there overnight. As much as we'd like to have her at home with us, having two other dogs in the house might make it difficult to keep her as still and quiet as she needs to be, plus we have a party to attend this evening so there will be a few hours that we wouldn't be home to monitor her. Having her home tonight is what I very much want, but an overnight stay is better for her, so -

Thanks, y'all, for your encouraging comments and good wishes!