Here’s a new photo of the kittens. They still get along great, although they are growing really fast.
Awwww... aren
Devil Kitties
November 13, 2008 at 7:54 pm (Pets)
Cute!
Picture of Elmo (left) and Zoe (right), brother & sister Ragdoll kittens. They joined the family back in October and are acclimating nicely. They’ve even almost gotten used to using the scratching post instead of everything else… except when they are falling off your lap (ouch!).
I’m back.
October 14, 2008 at 3:33 pm (Chatterer, Family, Pets, Toddler On a Mission)
Ok, so it’s been a while since I wrote anything here. Things have been busy. The good news: I’ve all but finished both of the boys’ costumes. I still need to stuff the Pooh tummy and add the eyebrows to Tiggers hood, but other than that, they’re done!
Last Friday was Chatterer’s school’s trip to the Pumpkin Patch. He went last year and had a blast, and this year was no different. The pigs raced, the chickens sang (you just need to be there), the train went around, the pumpkins were chosen and hauled back to the hay wagon and Chatterer actually went into the petting zoo and made a point of petting all of the “baby” (i.e. smaller) goats. He even fed them! This is a big step forward from last year when he wouldn’t even step near the fences. The entire school was there in their matching shirts, which was incredibly cute.
Sunday was another exciting day. We have two new kittens in the house. After mourning the loss of our dear Spike, it was time for Howlie Kitty to get a friend. We decided to actually get two because a) Howlie Kitty is 14 and, well, 14 is old for kitties and b) as much as Howlie Kitty needed a friend, even we didn’t think he would put up with one kitten for very long. So, two new kittens joined the family Sunday afternoon. Chatterer named “his” kitten and ToaM’s kitten. One is a boy and one is a girl. We still don’t have a great picture that shows the two of them together (we have several of them playing) so I’ve added this one.
One of those months…
September 24, 2008 at 9:35 am (Chatterer, Family, MM, Pets, Toddler On a Mission)
[Note: edited to include more fun times...]
It’s a good thing we have a sense of humor, or we’d be really depressed by now. Let’s review:
It all started when our poor PurrMonster had to be put to sleep. Since then, ToaM has had a stomach bug and all the ickiness that implies. Each morning this week has involved washing someone’s sheets (usually ToaM’s). These are the everyday trials that accompany life. And then the bigger “what the heck?!” trials show up. PurrMonster was September 9. Last Friday, September 19, Chatterer’s school closed unexpectedly for what I still maintain was no good reason.
This week: Monday morning at 2 a.m., Chatterer woke up because he lost one of his slippers. He came out of his room to get us. This woke up Vicious Dog, who promptly went to investigate. The trouble is that Chatterer and Vicious Dog are about the same height, and Vicious Dog usually knocks Chatterer over in his enthusiasm to lick Chatterer. Chatterer, not wanting to get knocked over, fled to the relative safety of his room and “shut the door tight” (read: SLAMMED the door). At exactly the same moment, MM nudged me to tell me that Chatterer was awake. I woke up screaming. After calming down enough to figure out that no one had been shot, I found Chatterer’s slipper for him and came back to bed. Amazingly, ToaM slept through this chaos, but woke up at 5 a.m.
Monday morning continued and at approximately 8:15 a.m., ToaM’s school called MM to explain that ToaM was throwing up “a little.” (My cell phone was left on all weekend and was dead. Not that it would matter anyway… see paragraph about “Reference Attorney.”) Five minutes later, they called and said “a lot” and “you need to come get him.” So, ToaM and MM had a nice bonding experience at home… if you think feeding a 15-month old and then having it all come back out the front and having him put his icky hand in your hair is “bonding.” The high chair needed to be washed and power-washed anyway, right?! Yesterday, ToaM did it to MM again. MM, being a true sport, actually took it upon himself to feed ToaM his nightly bottle after yesterday’s explosion at dinner. Brave man.
Tuesday morning, Chatterer slept so well that he didn’t wake up in time to make it to the potty. We think he missed by about 5 minutes. More laundry.
Also Tuesday (yesterday), the refrigerator decided to stop chilling food (although the freezer still works.) After checking around online, we pulled enough cat/dog hair out from under the refrigerator (likely blocking air circulation for the fan) to possibly knit a sweater. The refrigerator was still not working right this morning, although maybe it’s just punishing us for not taking care of it for the last 4 years. We are hopeful we didn’t burn out the fan or something else really expensive.
ToaM was up early again this morning, having blown out his diaper and soiled his sheets. After determining that he was still ok to go to school, we all headed out to the driveway to load up my car. I put the key in and heard the dreaded “click click click”. Dead battery.
On top of all of this, I am “Reference Attorney” at work this week, which means I end up answering e-mail and phone calls from people who call us to find an attorney for any number of problems, none of which we handle. I also spend a large amount of time educating people about what we actually do, and how “what” is not the same as “why.” This duty is loathed by all in my office (except the new guy, who just hasn’t done it enough yet).
On a positive note, MM is excellent at getting cars to start when they choose not to, the repair person is coming this afternoon to fix the refrigerator (and the oven, which has been broken since July, but who needs an oven in the summer?) and it’s highly unlikely school will close unexpectedly again. ToaM seems to be improving and his personality has not displayed the ickiness displayed elsewhere in his poor little body. Upon calling ToaM’s school, he seems to be holding food down and is taking a nap. My turn as Reference Attorney will end sooner than usual since I traded with someone here and they’re going to take Friday’s callers/e-mailers.
In a true sense of irony, MM called from the house where he’s waiting for the repair person. The refrigerator is down to 38 degrees and my car started when he arrived home. But at least the oven will get fixed! And it’s probably a good idea to have the refrigerator checked anyway.
Here’s hoping everyone reading this is giggling at our expense. 
Updates.
September 14, 2008 at 6:06 pm (Chatterer, Pets, Toddler On a Mission)
It occurs to me that I need to update everyone on a couple of situations.
First, Chatterer has had two accidents since the post about going without nighttime Pull Ups. All things considered, this is quite a success.
What happened to Spike? Well, according to the veterinarian at UC Davis, it was probably cancer. We’ll know more in a week or so. Basically, though, she went downhill so fast they couldn’t really do anything for her except put her to sleep.
Chatterer has finally found an animal that will behave at naptime. It’s a Giraffe he has named George (although that’s still subject to change) that also has a windup music box in it. Which is not to say that George the Giraffe will continue to behave, but so far, so good. His transition to the Fish class has gone swimmingly (you may groan now). MM says “We were afraid that when he got to his new class he would be a fish out of water, but it seems that moving from the Frog to the Fish class was just another hop, skip and jump.” {GROAN!} He is also taking gymnastics again on Tuesday nights and really enjoying the new place.
ToaM is really having a good time chasing Chatterer and playing with his toys. He seems to be just as fond of organic vanilla cookies as his big brother, as well as “round crackers,” “Daddy crackers,” and Banana Puffs. His vocabulary is increasing practically daily.
The latest project.
September 11, 2008 at 12:10 pm (Baby On a Mission, Family, Pets, Toddler On a Mission)
So, it’s been a couple of days since the last posting. There isn’t really a lot to update anyone on, other than Chatterer took the news better than either MM or I did. Ah, the glory of being “almost 4.”
I’ve started working on the boys’ Halloween costumes. Chatterer is going to be Tigger. To complement that, ToaM is going to be… Winnie the Pooh. I promise I’ll figure out how to post pictures once the costumes are finished.
We’ll miss you PurrMonster.
September 9, 2008 at 11:23 am (Pets)
Rest in Peace, Spike. You were a wonderful cat and will be very much missed.
PurrMonster’s motor is broken.
September 7, 2008 at 5:59 pm (Pets)
It’s true. I decided when I started this blog that it wouldn’t only include the good stuff. Last night, a sad thing happened. PurrMonster’s motor was broken, and she was clearly having trouble breathing. We had noticed she seemed a little off earlier in the day, but MM carried her out from our room and she wasn’t purring. This cat purrs if you look at her funny. She purrs if you DON’T look at her funny. Something was wrong.
The nearest all night veterinarian is in Chico, about 50 miles away. After the boys ate dinner, I was on my way. I kept her awake the entire drive up there. She didn’t even try to get out of the cage while I was petting her to keep her awake.
We arrived at the vet hospital around 8 p.m. They did x-rays and blood work. It turns out that part of her left lung is collapsed, probably because of an abscess around it, and there was fluid on the back of her lungs as well, all of which pushed her liver into the wrong place. I’m not a doctor, but even when I looked at the x-ray and saw the big black spot I knew something was really wrong. She was immediately hospitalized and is still there.
I left the hospital around 9:15 p.m., and arrived home around 10. I’d been home for about five minutes when my cell phone rang. It was the vet: she wanted to put PurrMonster in an oxygen cage because she was really having trouble breathing. I, of course, consented. I called and checked in at midnight and at 4 a.m. When I checked in at 8 a.m., I actually talked to the doctor who said PurrMonster was stable and that she had turned blue last night. She’s been “pink” since they put her in the oxygen cage, though.
The good news is that she’s still stable and seems to be improving, although her breathing is still raspy. Tomorrow morning I get to go get her out of the emergency room and into our vet’s office. Then she needs to be evaluated to see if she needs round-the-clock care or if she’s improved enough to be unmonitored at night. If she needs to be monitored at night, I’ll probably head south to UC Davis’ veterinary hospital which doesn’t close during the day.
So, that’s the update on PurrMonster. I’ll keep everyone posted.
