1. We are currently PET FREE. A few months ago, I put my foot down about the FIGHTS over cleaning the bunny's cage (bunny belonging to Keith) and the FLIES that had taken over the den and living room as a result. I was surprised at NO ARGUMENTS over it. Keith, albeit honestly sad to see his little buddy go to the shelter, was also honest about his lack of desire to keep the bunny cage clean. Huh.
Then, on X-mas night, my husband discovered our darling guinea pig--the one whose life I saved exactly a year ago?--had um, expired. Was it because she was just a sickly pig? Was it because Mary had given her a slight sponge bath to get her cleaned up because she was so stinky, and perhaps inadvertently gave the pig a chill? Was it just HER TIME? We will never know. Mary, John, and I are quite bummed because we all felt she was a special pig and not just another "critter in a cage". Mary admits freely that she did not seem to pay as much attention to her since the baby was born...but still, she most certainly took better care of her than her brother did the rabbit that somehow managed to survive his I'm-bored-with-this-pet-now care for six years.
Izzy's turtle quietly left us. And the question of "has anyone seen him surface lately?" finally got answered by ME when I went LOOKING for him in his disgusting aquarium. The poor guy didn't really have a chance. His tank was in a part of the house which caused no one to remember him. And the cleaning of the tank needed to be done by the adults of the house instead of the kid--and a turtle who is stuck in a not-often-visited corner of the house will suffer in silence. And...we're not sure how often or how much the 8-year old was feeding him. BAD ADULTS on this one. :-(
Despite the sad losses, I am enjoying being pet free with no food, treats, or litter to purchase. And even though I would love to honor Mary with the request for a new pig, I am saying NO for now. I think that being pet free is the best option at our house at this baby-crazy time.
2. The baby. Oh, what a love. She now has SIX teeth (four within days of one another!). She is eating mostly table food now. She is starting to imitate sounds and actions. She can nod/shake her head. She says "bow wow wow" when we read her "Doggies" book. She points at EVERYTHING. She is finally wearing 9-12 month clothes. She weighed 16 lbs, 4 oz at her 9 (*cough* 10) month appointment. (Still tiny--even smaller than Mary at that age!) She is a Daddy's girl and lets him know that she does NOT like it when he sets her down. She is still spoiled and wakes up twice in the night. I have started trying to sleep train her, but with the crib in our room it just seems impossible. So I've been getting up with her at night and taking her into the living room and trying to get her to go back to sleep by cuddling her instead of nursing. It's been working about 50% of the time. 50% of the time I think I'm so exhausted that I just grab her and nurse her in bed and then wake up an hour later going, "Um, WHY do I not remember getting her?" Then there is John SHAKING the bed to wake ME if I don't respond to her cries right away. Yeah, I'm not responding because she DIDN'T WAKE ME UP. Sure. LET'S JUST SEE IF SHE WILL CRY IT OUT FOR A MINUTE, OK? We are not getting proper sleep either, is what I'm saying here.
3. I have polished up my resume and have actually applied for a few jobs.
4. I am learning new and interesting means of economy trying to tighten up our budget. We eat a LOT of eggs for dinner. Lately, ground turkey is cheaper than ground beef! Tofu is also cheap and easy. If the kids want hamburgers, I make mini-meatloaf-burgers to stretch out the beef. Mom can do without coffee (on most days....). But when I remember to bring in the recycling to the grocery store, I usually have enough to buy myself a coffee as a treat--a good incentive to get those bottles and cans out of the house!
5. I see I forgot to mention that at least three of us got the flu a few months back. Izzy came down with a 102* temp and slight cough during Thanksgiving week. Then a full week later Keith and I both came down with fevers and coughs. Keith rode in right at the 102* range while I shot right up to 103.2* at one point. I was so sick that I couldn't even properly take care of Keith. I was working at the time and kept Sophie home with us, and it was all I could do to nurse her and throw her a few cheerios. The x-mas tree got decorated by the kids (Keith bouncing back sooner than I) while I sat on the couch bundled up in blankets and in a stupor. I can't even tell you the last time I was that sick. Then Mary got sick a full week after that, but she only had a slight fever for about half a day, so we don't know WHAT she had. So, when it came time for Mary's and Izzy's annual appointment, I went ahead and skipped the flu shots. I mean, what was the point? We'd already had it. (I hope that doesn't bite me in the butt later this season!) And...we passed the nastiness on to my friend who was watching Sophie while I worked--and her family. NASTY FLU, folks. NASTY. Oh, and Sophie, who had had her flu shots? She only came down with a runny nose!!!
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