I realize it’s been a while.  And as you can tell by the title, this does not seem adoption related, but with one line at the end, I will bring it all together… watch.  ;)

I just spent 45 minutes at PetSmart.  First, I realized the company that made my cat’s food changed the formulas yet again.  Murphy has a very sensitive stomach, and he’s the only reason I keep buying this brand.  Since they’ve done this several times, I had to switch.  I bought one small bag of their food (I think) and went in search of a food to switch them to.

First,  I started looking for a brand that I was familiar with, and on the way I saw new stuff - grain-free cat food!  Eating grain-free reduces inflammation and can reduce several diseases that people in America suffer from; maybe cats were next.  I survived one diet change, I could do it again.  In January, my cats went on a diet.  I didn’t think it was possible to do it.  I thought I would die listening to their “meow”s for more food all day.  But after just 2 months of feeding them a set amount at the same time of day, they both lost weight.  In addition to losing weight, Tabitha became a different cat!  She used to be standoffish and very anti-social.  In the last two months, she’s become very loving and wants to cuddle.

I started to wonder if my cats were inflamed from eating grain.  Was that pound that Tabitha lost just enough to take stress off of her little  joints and make her a happy cat?  Well, what if I start feeding them grain-free?  Maybe they’ll both come out of their shells and be wonder cats!  I work with nutrition expert, Dr. Dawn Cadwallader. I’ve seen her change diets in children to gluten-free, and they become different kids within a week.  It’s amazing!  Maybe I need to do the same thing with my cats.  I grabbed my phone out to text her.  Dr. Dawn has been there for me for a lot of stuff.  I know I could call her in the middle of the night and she’d answer.  But something told me that texting her a question about cat food on a Friday afternoon while she was at a seminar in Dallas was not the best idea ever.  I put my phone away. (more…)

This weekend, we made the decision to add to our family. Two children just aren’t enough for us, so after much thought and me being very patient (as I was ready weeks ago), we chose to adopt. She’s a beautiful 10 month old girl, and we are all in love with her. She’s very sweet and gentle, but she has a little separation anxiety. I think as she gets used to our house and our routines, that will ease up. I really think that she’s the perfect fit with our family and will be a great little companion for all of us, particularly the boys.

Meet Sabre

I know growing up, having a dog was so perfect for me. I loved having a dog to play with, take for walks, sit with, and just to have close by. For me, I wanted the boys to have this as well. After Buffy was hit in September, it was obvious that something was missing from our family. Even though she wasn’t playful with the boys and kept to herself, it just wasn’t the same. I have missed her terribly, and I know the boys have as well. (more…)

We found one of the blue jay’s babies on the ground under the nest. She was breathing, but barely. I wrapped her in a napkin and set her in an old Christmas card box, and Jeff drove to the emergency vet that’s open on Sunday. They told him that they only treat dogs and cats and gave him some other numbers and addresses to try. As Jeff drove around making calls, he watched the little bird in the box. Her eyes were closed. Soon, he could tell she had stopped breathing. He drove her back home.

We still hadn’t scattered Pearl’s ashes, and I had been keeping Stella’s ashes in a little silver box for the last ten years, never really ready to deal with whatever comes next. Finally, something about the little jay’s passing made this the right time. At Bob’s request, we would be having a memorial service for the baby bird. We let him know that, at the same time, we would be scattering some “special memory dirt” to remember the other pets.

We picked a spot under the yellow rose bush on the side of the house for the burial, and Jeff dug a hole. He said the Kaddish, the Jewish prayer of mourning. He lit the Rainbow Bridge candle the vet gave us when Pearl died. Bob and I decorated the tiny grave. “I know that the little bird never got to fly on earth, but I hope she’ll fly now. I miss Stella and Pearl everyday,” I said.

“Bob? Do you want to say anything?” Jeff said.

“Yeah. That candle smells like gummy fruit snacks.”

“Amen, everyone.”

Could also be title Why Not to Get a Dog When You Are Pregnant with Other Small Children or Why Not to Get a Dog if You Are Not A Dog Person and Like a Clean Fresh House.

Warning:  I’m hormonal and sick.  Also irritated.  I’m using my blog to vent.  And I’m not editing.  I apologize.  I may read this tomorrow and cringe.  But, I live for the moment, so here I go.

Once there was a girl who had a major lapse in judgment.  One that wouldn’t go away any time soon.  One that made the things around her smell unpleasant and added to the chaos of her already crazy life in so many unforeseen ways.  She agreed to get a puppy.    A pooping.   peeing.   stinky.   chewing.   puppy.  A puppy that, of course, everyone else just loves.  These are the people who don’t have to clean up after the puppy and don’t seem to notice how terrible he smells.  The people that don’t already wipe two butts besides their own several times a day and clean up after two other small creatures constantly.  I take full responsibility for my lapse in judgment, but currently, I’m coming down off of a literal urge to throw the dog outside without his leash and shut the door.  Buh-bye chewface!

I know this sounds like a big case of “poor me.”  Dustin reminds me every time I rant about the dog how most people have dogs, bigger than ours, and small children all at the same time and love it.  Well, they must not smell the dogs.  Maybe they weren’t pregnant and nauseous/moving/nesting when they got the dog.  Maybe their kids were out of the stage where they sprinkle all of the toys around the house as expensive chew toys for said dog.  Maybe they aren’t concerned with the seemingly small things that add up over the course of a day and make me work way too hard to be a nice, calm mother to (more…)

She was very thin when she got here and it wasn’t because of a lack of available food. She was sad and had been living alone in the old green craftsman for four months. She had company a few times a day but it was no substitute for her lady. She missed her lady.

She’s been with us for 10 days now. She has stopped hiding behind the washing machine. She lets us (more…)