The Latest and Greatest

I guess there might be a couple people out there in internet land that might be missing some of my blog postings. The problem with not posting very often is that there are just too many things to bring up to date.

So, I bring to you... The Latest and the Greatest.

Ella is perfect and beautiful. A beautiful little angel (and sometimes not so angel). Learning things faster than I can keep up with. It seems that some of the "real" parenting is starting to begin.

Christmas was amazing. What a beautiful white Christmas we had even with all the complaining from crotchety citizens who don't like the inconvenience and the logistics of having to deal with the snow. I thoroughly enjoyed it as did the rest of my little family.

Ella of course was overwhelmed with gifts and not quite sure what it was all about, but definitely got the hang of ripping paper off of things and finding cool toys, books, or clothes inside. I think she had about 3 or 4 Christmas's as she had to take breaks for napping and such.

We have a new puppy. I guess I should say, I have a new puppy. The missing of my Rottweiler Naomi got the better of me, and I decided, what better time to complicate our lives more with another dog, than this time? I could think of no better time, so..... introducing.... Ramona! A purely pure Rottweiler and she is getting along just fine in our humble home.

  

We have begun removing some walls and partial walls from our 1960's brick rancher. It is time to make this home our own. And to make more chaos, and dust, and stress, and work. Ah, house projects! How do I love thee!

So that is it. The Latest and the Greatest. I hope all is well with you.

Austin beautiful

I recently found out that my cat Austin has a mass in his belly. At first I just thought he was getting fat, but it was just not looking right. I took him in to the Pet Vet on Patton to have him checked out. My worried feelings became justified as she pulled almost a liter of fluid off of his belly and then was able to palpate a mass.

The sad part. My wonderful, sweet, affectionate, dog-loving, not really cat acting cat has cancer. He is too young I think, only a wee 12 1/2 years old, which is really not very old for a cat. I am tired of losing my pets before their time. I take such good care of my animals, feeding them the best food, cleaning their teeth, practicing preventative medicine, and yet I still can't manage to keep an animal until it is "old". I look for the day that I "wish" my animal would go ahead and die already. When they are old, blind, crotchety, deaf, arthritic, peeing and pooping on themselves.....But then again, that has all it's own heartache and trouble. I guess sometimes it is nice to only remember your animal as a healthy, happy, totally senile being even if their life is cut a little too short. There is no easy way to lose an animal. 

The beautiful part. Animals don't know that they are sick. Austin has no idea that he has cancer and so has no sadness, no depression, no feeling sorry for himself. He is still acting like the same ol wonderful cat Austin. He is still eating, drinking, and being merry. He can live his life in the moment and enjoy each minute because he has no look into the future. If this were a human being that just found out they had cancer there would be so much emotional turmoil, life itself would change for them. But for a cat, he feels no different today than he did yesterday. Beautiful.

Austin, you are a beautiful cat. 

A dog's love: A tribute to Naomi

Sometimes a dog comes along that really settles into your heart. I have had quite a few dogs over my life so far and I have lost a few as well. They are all very hard to lose, and many tears have been shed over the loss of each one. But sometimes, if you are lucky enough, there is one that really holds a special place in your heart. To me, that dog was Naomi.

Three years ago this month, Naomi went on to wherever good dogs go after they die. I wasn't ready for her to go. Not that I would ever have been ready, but I felt that she was just too young. She was only 8, and I was prepared to lose her at 10, but not 8. 10 is the average lifespan of a Rottweiler, and she was so healthy, I thought for sure she would make it at least that far. 

Naomi came into my life at the perfect time. She was 2 days old and she needed someone to love her and to take care of her. Everyone told me she would probably die. She was hardly moving, and she was cold. Her mother had neglected her and her siblings had pushed her out. But I had to try. So with love, I fed her with a tube and I got up every few hours to feed her. I wiped her rear to help her use the bathroom and slowly she started to get stronger and to grow. 

Over the years, Naomi was with me through many life changes. Through many transitions, heartaches, loneliness, as well as joys and accomplishments. She helped to take care of me as I took care of her. She was always there for me and she always kept me safe when I was alone or scared. 

When my life finally started to come together, and the changes and transitions were settling down. That is when she decided it was okay to leave me I guess, because that is when she became ill. 

I tried everything I could to ease her suffering and try to prolong her happy existence. But when the day came when she would no longer play with her beloved tennis ball, I knew that the joy she found in life was gone. And so, with the same love that nursed her to health when she was only days old, I made the decision to help her out of this world. 

I gave a lot to Naomi over the years that I was able to walk along beside her, but she gave me so much more. 

Naomi, you are missed. 

Walking Walker

I thought when Ella starting standing, she would then just also start walking. It sure seemed like the next step so to speak. But she was just so good at standing, I guess she didn't want to mess it up by trying to walk.

Well, she is now finally choosing to walk. I say "choosing" because that is truly what she is doing. She "could" walk for quite some time. She would take little steps every now and then, but she has so many things that she needs to get done, and really a limited time to get them done, so crawling was just so much faster. There was just not enough time to walk.

But I guess after a while, the peer pressure got to her. She decided it was time to walk. So, now she is choosing to walk. If she can't quite make it by walking, then she still uses crawling as back-up. But decidedly, walking is the mode of locomotion of choice.

Here is a little taste.

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting

I think one of the hardest things to do is wait. And we Americans are not very good at waiting. When we want something, we want it now. That is why we have credit cards right? You don't need to wait until you have the money to buy something. Just buy it now and pay for it later!

Waiting at a stop light..... We hate that too. And so does the person behind you, especially if you don't go as soon as the light turns. I mean 2-3 seconds makes a huge difference in your day!

Waiting behind a bicycle on the road. That is a tough one too. I have had enough names thrown at me, gestures thrown my way, and honks, just because I am on my bicycle and they have to go around me. When they should be thanking me, I am saving the oil for them!

Waiting in line at the grocery store. I mean we all know we have better things to do than that!

Waiting for a page to load....now, that is almost unbearable! Thank God for high speed internet!

Waiting for the water to boil. Just need to stop watching it!

Waiting for someone to call you, or email you with very important information. Now, that is the worst. And of course that is where I am these days. Waiting, waiting, waiting, for that phone call, for that email, that tells us we can move forward with this move to Bent Creek. Waiting, waiting.....

I think it is so hard because we can't affect it. We can't change it. We have no power. We are at someone else's mercy. And that mercy is in the hands of Bank of America right now and that is a very scary thing indeed! Sometimes I don't even care if it is really going to happen or not, I just want the waiting to be over. I want the unsettledness to end. I want certainty, not uncertainty.

Maybe if I was not an American, I wouldn't care about waiting. I would just take a seat and enjoy.

But I am an American, and hate the

waiting, waiting, waiting.....

Standing Stander

Sometimes your child does something that you know, no other child has ever been able to do. Your child is so special. Your child surpasses all others. Your child is simply AMAZING!

Ella has accomplished the highest feat! She is standing!

Ok, so I know that all babies (normal development) learn to stand. They all do it. Maybe it is not so amazing, but I really think it is. I don't think any other baby has ever done it in such a cute way before....

It is an interesting phenomenon (if you can call it that), the emotions you feel as a parent. Seeing your child accomplish a milestone, and being so proud. Seeing the wonder and joy and excitement in your child's face as she learns to do something new. That is worth a million of anything valuable. Feeling like she just accomplished an extraordinary feat. Heart full of love and pride.

I hope that Ella continues to find such joy in life. I will do all I can to nurture and support in her in all she does whether it be standing, racing her first mountain bike, playing tea parties, or God forbid playing video games.

Ella, you rock!

The Unthinkable

Sometimes there are things that happen that one just can't keep to one's self. Sometimes they just must be shared although, maybe they are better left untold.

Today the unthinkable happened. The disgusting happened. The horrific happened. The grotesque happened.

Some of you (most likely those with kids) already know the tale that is about to unfold.

It was a quiet afternoon. Ella had just woken from her nap a short time earlier. I had taken off her diaper and put her on the potty, like I usually do. A little peepee, but no poopies this time. Hm, I thought, she hasn't pooped yet today. Oh well, I will let her go diaper free for a few minutes to air out the toosh. I am a good mommy. I give her plenty of time to get air flow to where air flow is minimal while wearing a diaper.

So, I waltzed into the living room to look up a phone number on the computer that I needed. So much to do to prepare for this house sale. It is awfully quiet. Too quiet.

"Ella? What are you doing?". Better go check. I walk into the kitchen where she is. Hm, "what's in your mouth?" Better yet, "what is that smell? Did you poopoo in your diaper?" Wait, she is not wearing a diaper. Wait, what is in her mouth?

OH MY GOSH.

Panic. What do I do? Should I wash her mouth out with soap? No, bad idea. Should I run her into the bathroom and put her in the shower? No, that would take too long, and then the dogs would eat the poop on the floor. AHHHHHHHHHH! Okay, put the baby in the sink. Wash it off of her. All of it. Just don't panic. Disgusting.

Sometimes it is an adventure being a mom. I am sure that others out there have similar stories to share. Maybe it is a right of passage. Maybe a baby really can't make it to adulthood unless they eat poop at least once. Maybe.