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Friday, July 18, 2003 El Chupacabra Been a busy few weeks. I have straightened our garage, put together the toddler bed, painted the office, put together a gazebo for the back yard, mowed and edged, Set up a new shower head and faucet, and weeded and trimmed under the big sycamore tree out front. I did all these tasks while Kristin and Parker visited with her parents, and yet still only just managed to finish in time. Did I tell you all that Kristin might have seen El Chupacabra? It was on the way back from the 4th of July fireworks display in Alachua - a lackluster affair that seemed to have no end (every time you thought it was over, it was just some interminable delay in the display) and that had to compete with a very impressive thunderhead directly behind it. Miraculously, we got out of the traffic snarl with little fuss and were halfway back to Newberry when Kristin said she saw some sort of animal on the side of the road that seemed to be covered in black fur and just radiated evil. It was funny, because we were just talking about the Chupacabra at work. Coincidence? I think not. ------------------------------------------------
Friday, July 04, 2003 Zombie Cats and Corpsified Dogs I spent about an hour this evening in some sort of pet shop for the damned, cradlinga starving, one-eyed cat while a dog with one eye hidden behind some sort of disgusting growth on his nose looked on. Kristin and I spotted the cat on an evening stroll, just around the corner from the house. He was limping, dragging his back left paw. His fur was course and matted, and did little to cover the bones protruding from evry angle, only barely constrained by his tight skin. His right eye was missing, leaving an uncomfortable pink spot on one side of his black and white face. It took us a moment to realize it was a cat, if sat so still as we approached. We thought as first he was leeping, but our incessant tick-tick-ticking brought this feline golem to life, meowing plaintively and shuffling toward us. Concerned, I went back home and braved the bureacracy of calling a government office after hours. Eventually I was led to non-emergency dispatch, who sent first a police officer and then animal control. Trusting my instincts over better judgment, I picked up the kitty and brought him to our house. Despite his injuries and trauma, he was a love-kitty; purring happily, he relaxed in my srms, kneading with his paws and rubbing against by arms (and leaving smeary goo lines that I tried fervently not to imagine from whence they came as his Cyclops head moved back and forth). We tried to get him to drink some water and eat some food, which he meowed for and pawed for but did not eat. All thew while, we were shadowed by one of our neighbors gog, a kind of threadbare ragamuffin with a what looks to be an enormous pimple along the ridge of his nose. :Like the dog who was struck last week, this little mutt often stands in the road and refuses to move, or follows lackadaisically behind moving cars. The dog kept trying to get into the cat's food, who would attack it (the only sign of aggression it would show). After the dog retreated, the cat would resume its endless calling and figure eights among my legs, attempting to be cradled again. Finally, animal control showed up, and the technician made gross assumptions about the cat: he's not neutered, so probably a stray (how come he's so affectionate then?); he's an old cat, the skinniness is probably due to kidney failure (the cat appeared young to Kristin and I). She did discover the cat is not missing its eye, but that it somehow (eww) got pushed back into the cavity. To my surprise, the technician did not seem interested in talking to the people I thought might be the owners (I found the cat in their drive way), nor talking to the owners of the stray dog, despite the fact that both she and the officer affirmed our suspicions that there is in fact a leash law for Alachua County, a fact that has eluded most of our town's residents (remind me some time to tell you how packs of dogs routinely move along our two heavily congested state roads). Unbelievably, I also discovered that strays are only kept for three business days after capture before being put to sleep; I had always thought this was seven days. So I feel glad that I helped the cat out but also concerned for its immediate future and possible demise. On Monday I do plan to follow up and see what the cat's condition is, and ask around at work if anyone has room for a cat. Of course, in doing so, I might be sacrificing an adoptive home for Lockheed if she pees on something again, or for one of the feral kittens our office staff has been eyeing, but this cat was far too friendly to forget. ------------------------------------------------
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Tuesday, July 22, 2003 No, Parker is STILL not asleep. For 21 months now, Parker will not go to sleep on his own. Ever. Not only that, he isn't even tired when other little boys and girls are happily slumbering away. If I had the energy, I'd figure it all out, but for now, I simply wait for those eyes to close and those arms to droop to his side. Life is exciting and wonderful, but you can only enjoy it if you are well rested, little one. ------------------------------------------------
I just don't get it. It seems that virtually EVERY Thursday night/Friday morning after attending a playgroup, sickness enters our house. This time it was me, but I still, despite my best efforts, have passed it on to Parker. Are we constantly catching it FROM our playgroup? Is it other things we encounter along the way (though I'm at a loss to know what)? What should I do? I am loathe to just quit going because the interaction is good for Parker (and me). I have shared our experience with the others in the group, and they still seem to think fairly nothing of it (except for one other mom, who has for all intents and purposed removed herself from the group). Yes, I know it boosts our immune systems. But are they truly THAT weak? I don't know what else to do, except be pissed. I'm sick of not being able to go out, because I refuse to infect yet other people with my sniffling or Parker's. Perhaps I am being to protective of people. Perhaps I should go out and cough on every person I know. It has got to be better than being couped up here. ------------------------------------------------
Friday, July 18, 2003 Well, I guess while I'm listing my desires :D .... INSIDE the house: *wood laminate floors (I'd like to replace the entire living room/dining room carpet with wood laminate and either extend that into the kitchen or do slate or something in there. First off, I think it would look a LOT better, and I wouldn't have to be constantly cleaning the carpet. Second, potty-training ... I could do the no diaper method instead of thinking of other ways. We aren't near potty training/learning yet, but I'm thinking ahead.) *curtains (This is just waiting on me. I need to get my sewing machine out, make it work right again, and get to it!!) *paint living room (If we could decide on how to do this, that would be great. The fact that it is a very open floor plan, with the living room and dining room truly being one BIG room, and open to the kitchen makes it hard.) *attic ladder and attic walking paths (We truly need to be utilizing this space, but we aren't. And thus, our garage is simply a wreck!!) Back to the BACKyard: *compost (I'd really like one of the self-contained units, but would settle for the cheap-o wood box pile.) *shed (I really think we need a shed to store gardening stuff. Our garage will never be able to house our cars with its current contents.) ------------------------------------------------
There are several things I would like to do in our front and back yards. I don't know how many of them would get done, but I have grand ideas;). In the BACKyard: *fence (This is actually in progress, thanks to my sister's generosity ... we are waiting on our neighbors to fence their side though. They have one of those permanent above-ground inflatable pools you can get from Wal-Mart or the like, and are required to put up a fence. They haven't had the money for a fence though, and are debating between wood and chain link. I just HATE waiting, though.) *vegetable garden (This will actually be in a fenced off area to the side of the house. It will be a great dog run for resale value, too. Our plan is to have the fence extend 2/3 or 3/4 up the one side of our house, and have a gate to it from the fenced in back yard, so that kids or animals can't go traipsing through the veggies.) *sandbox (The one I really like is this one from Family Fun, but I know Jeff will balk at it, thinking "it is too hard for us to make ourselves". The truth is, it would cost way too much for us to ever buy, so if we want it, we'll have to build it. Simple as that.) *extended patio (We will be doing this with pavers, so that the garden gazebo isn't crammed up next to the patio anymore. We just need to dig away some area, and get to it. The other alternative is to add 2 feet in concrete, but that'll just look weird, IMO.) *wooden swing set (This is one of those fantasy wishes. We wouldn't build it ourselves, I'd think, and they are mucho expensive. We can dream, right?) *cat enclosure (We've been having repeated problems with Lockheed, culminating in my desire to just toss her out of the house. The problem is, way back when, she was declawed on her front feet so that she could go home with Jeff for a summer. She would love to be outdoors, and this is one way to ensure her safety while still keeping her. She peed on our bed. Twice. After peeing on Parker's bed, Parker's stroller, Parker's diaper bag, sofas, clothing, plastic bags, etc. We took her for a physical and urinalysis. She's very healthy. It is her behavior that is questionable. Some examples are: this, this, this, and this.) *cat fence block (This is an alternative to the above cat enclosure. I've found three different options: buying Cat Fence, creating our own cat fence, or Kitty Klips.) In the FRONTyard: *privacy planting (Truly not a screen of the house, as Jeff is against that, but a definite barrier between the road and our house, to both visually define our front yard and prevent Parker from easily getting to the road, although the driveway and the sides will be available to him. The two garden plans that I most like are Fragrant Garden and Butterfly Garden. I guess we'll just have to see on these. I am not great with gardening and these are tall orders.) *tree bench (Just like this one, but again, Jeff figures we can't do it ourselves and, of course, we can't afford to just buy it.) *extended driveway (On either side of the driveway, I want to add about 6 to 12 inches of river rock like by our front door, to extended the driveway a bit, but also to keep weeds away from the edges. I think it would look really great to have next to the rocks some ornamental grasses or something that would spill over the rocks, too. Maybe a fragrant herb?) *flowering beds (I can't be more specific than that because, well, I have NO clue!!! I love the cottage garden look, but don't have the house for it. So, I'm clueless.) I'm sure there have been more ideas fleeting through my mind, but these are the ones that come to mind. Don't you just wish you could blink your eyes and it would all be done?? ------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, July 01, 2003 Well, I received a call late yesterday afternoon from Parker's pediatric dentist here in town stating they had an immediate opening for an appointment with sedation for today. A little backstory: Parker had an appointment a while back and we were informed that he did, in fact, have a few cavities. We were upset about it, but immediately scheduled the next available appointment for him ..... which was in mid-AUGUST!! So, getting the call that he could be seen on the 1st of July was great news for us. We happily accepted the appointment and began the fretting. Parker was NOT to have any thing to eat OR drink (and thus, no nursing) after midnight, and we were to be at the dentist's office by 8 am. The night actually went smoother than I expected: he woke up 4 times, shut in his room with just Daddy, and either laid back down on his own to sleep or was put back to sleep by Jeff. Even though I was sleeping alone, I didn't sleep well at all. I kept worrying and tossing and turning. Even though I had set the alarm for 7 am, when I woke at 6:30 am, I decided to finally get up and shower (I continued to lay in bed for 15 minutes debating going back to sleep or not). I made sure to wait on waking up Jeff (and thus Parker) until the latest possible, 7:10 am. I am not quite sure how it happened or why, but Parker did NOT ask to nurse or for food when he first got up. I still don't understand it, though I am grateful. We finally head out the door just before 7:30 am.Once we got to the office, we see the dental assistants arriving (some at the same time as us, some after), and we opt to take a short walk, since we were early, and to keep Parker's mind off of wanting to nurse. We watch a squirrel run along a roofline and jump to a tree. I was actually surprised, on looking into the tree, that s/he actually had what seemed to be a nest. I hadn't ever thought of a squirrel seeking comforts like that. We finally decide to see if they've opened up yet, and head back. We get inside, and Parker heads to their train table, except it didn't have a train there. Instead, it had these large Matchbox-brand cars that you could press and they'd light up and make noise. Parker loved it. He happily played while I read and signed the consent form. The receptionist went over with both of us what the gameplan would be. Finally, Dr. Mixon, the dentist comes out and goes over, again, what they'll do: give him Versed nasally, wait 5 to 10 minutes for him to get loopy/drowsy, and then take him back. He also let us know that it should take about an hour once they have him back there, and then we'd go back and wait with him while he came out of the Versed more before we could take him home. I'm getting more and more nervous as we talk about it, but remain brave for Parker. The nasal thing wasn't nearly as bad as any of us (including the dentist and the staff) expected, and it was quickly mitigated by those trucks. The effects were seen quite shortly afterwards, with his eyes drooping closed while he continued to play. I finally sat him in my lap while he played with the trucks, so he wouldn't fall down while standing. After a few more minutes, he moves into Jeff's arms, and then we sit and watch the beginning of the Wiggles. I bring him a little "choo-choo" train, and he happily drives it up and down Jeff's arm until he continually drops it. The nurse then comes and gets him, and there is no protestation at being in the arms of a stranger or leaving his parents behind. That was hard to watch. So, Jeff and I try to settle down for the long wait with some books, not having had any breakfast yet (didn't want Parker to see us eat or drink and want any). So, Jeff heads over to the Village Market and gets us Ghiradella hot chocolate and a muffin and breakfast sandwich to split. We sit and read, and wait. I finally get up to go to the restroom, and the receptionist offers to go back and check on him and let me know when I left the restroom. It had only been a half hour, so I was surprised when she told me he was done. I got back out to the waiting room and told Jeff, and started gathering our stuff. We go to the receptionist's desk, and Jeff starts paying while I go back to see Parker, who I can already hear crying. When I get back to the room, he is being rocked by a nurse, and he is definitely upset. He is happy to see me, and I take him in my arms and get the BIGGEST hug ever. We sit down to rock, and nurse. He's so happy, but I'm worried he'll get too much on his stomach too quickly and get him to stop. We do this a few times, interspersed with him drinking some water. Finally, Jeff has to take him, as he can't be in my arms and not nurse. So, we head on home, stopping briefly to pick up some watermelon and applesauce for him. He falls asleep shortly before we reach home. Once we stop, though, he wakes back up crying. We get inside, and I nurse him, trying to get him to go back to sleep. Jeff ends up rocking him back down, and we all take naps, since it was such an exhausting night and morning. We wake up, eat, and contend with a still unsteady Parker who refuses to accept that he's not at 100%. It is now after 11 pm, he is up, has eaten applesauce, watermelon, yoghurt, french fries (I know, I know), sweet potato, baked beans, and toast today. And mommy milk. And water. He's also had 2 good naps. Now, if he would only get tired again ..... ------------------------------------------------
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