When I see you smile (ahh, ahhhhhhh)....

'Nuff Said!

Hair gel, Schmair gel

Who needs hair gel when applesauce works just as well????

Douglas decided he wanted to be a big boy & feed himself his applesauce the other day. I think more of it ended up on his face, bib, tray, chair, hands than actually made it into his mouth. Oh well - it's a "learn by error" way of eating. The part that cracked me up was when he rubbed his hands all over his hair and made it stand up all funny because of the applesauce in it! The pictures really don't do it justice.

Green Thumb, I have not.

I am not a gardener. I never have been. In fact, I am notoriously good at killing just about every plant I come near. Must be my smell or something. BUT, all that aside, Allen & I planted gardens this year. He wanted to grow our own veggies and I wanted some plants in our yard aside from grass, weeds & trees. So we planted. And (surprise of all surprises to me), the plants are surviving AND growing. The gardens are by no means perfect...but the fact that we have them, the plants are still living and in some instances GROWING by leaps and bounds makes me thrilled to the gills! Enjoy the photos!

2 Weeks!!

Two weeks. That's a pretty important segment of time for me right now. Two weeks ago, I gave my cat away. (sadness ensued and continues still...) Two weeks from now, my mom-in-law is coming for a two-week visit! (EXCITEMENT GALORE!!) TWO WEEKS! How interesting to me how a simple segment of time can mean so much...

HINT, HINT!!

Since this is my first time around the "mom block", I can easily say that I miss hints and clues that are given to me. Sometimes I feel so thickheaded that it would take a baseball bat to the skull to get my attention. The other day, Douglas was whining at me. I figured he was hungry because it had been a little bit since he ate anything. So I offered him crackers, fruit snacks, some bread, a bagel, yogurt, pretty much everything I could think of. Finally, he just grabbed hold of my legs, looked up at me and said, "Wan Mama" (which means, WANT MAMA). I felt so stupid that of all the things I was offering to him, the one thing he wanted, well, was me. There are other things he does, some more obvious than others, to get my attention. These pics are an example -- I take this to mean, "Mom, you don't take me on enough walks." It amazes me just how much our kids can tell us without actually saying a thing.

Toesies

I have been so upset lately (see previous post) that I actually decided to do something to make myself feel a little bit better. I painted my toes. A fun color too. At least Douglas digs 'em!

Good-bye, Dear Friend

Many people have pets. Many people have children. Many people have pets AND children. I fell into that last category up until yesterday. Yesterday, I said good-bye to my dear friend, Krak-hed. For the last several months, really since Douglas became mobile, the cat has been having some serious behavioral issues. He would pee in the room where he cat box was located or he would poo just in front of the box. He has also been licking great big bald patches on his stomach. He lost a few pounds in the last few months too. Lately, I had noticed that the cat was spending more and more time sleeping in our room and would only come out once Douglas was asleep. I took him to the vet and she looked him over. She says he is a perfectly healthy, seven-year-old cat but that he was very stressed out and it was most likely due to Douglas. She said that many cats can't handle the change that comes with a new baby and it appeared that Krak-hed was definitely one of these cats. After the last incident of the cat using the floor instead of the cat box, Allen said he thought it would be best if the cat went to a different home or a shelter. So I put an ad on Craig's List and then proceeded to contact several local "no-kill" shelters. All of the shelters told me that they were full to capacity and wouldn't take an "owner relinquishment". I was getting very upset because I didn't want to take him to the pound where he could get put to sleep if he didn't get adopted right away...then I got an email in response to my ad. The lady told me that she & her husband lived out in the country in a decent sized home. Their kids are grown and out and she just has a soft-spot for black cats. We talked for a while & then I packed all of the cat's stuff up into the car & took him to her house. He now lives about an hour away and the report is that he's been having quite a time exploring his new house and that he really likes his new "dad". I am exceptionally sad that I don't have him anymore. He was a very dear friend and was with me through some of the roughest patches of my life. I can only hope that this new home allows him to destress and that he will enjoy peace & quiet & get lots of love.

You made a fabulous friend and I will never forget you, Krak-hed.