Well Crap. Advice Needed.

OK. So Azul is sick. When I got her I was told her mother had a touch of Conjunctivitis and that Azul was given some meds "just in case". I was told that her sneezing, etc. was allergies. She started sneezing more and more, coughing some, had runny eyes.. NOT allergies. So i took her in to my vet. She has ( so far) feline Chlamydia and Mycoplasma felis, two tenacious illnesses she could have ONLY caught from the cattery breeder. When checking with the vet she "saw" as a kitten I learned that she had NOT had any of her vaccinations, had NOT been tested for FELV ( two things covered under her health guarantee along with "no infectious diseases"). I fact, the ONLY time that vet had seen her was the day before I brought her home to get her meds for........... Mycoplasma. Yes. The breeder knew she had it before she sent her home with me. Told me it was allergies.

So now I'm in a funk. These aren't deadly diseases, but my vet has estimated the full treatment of them to be close to $500. Apparently, esp when together, they are a bitch to get rid of. Also, there is the teeny tiny chance ( very remote) that she could pass the feline version of Chlamydia on to my family. It's not the same as the people version, but still a nasty head ick requiring prescription to get rid of. Plus she will need a full panel of other tests to rule out all of the other things she may have because the breeder didn't do any of them. $$$$

Only after getting a hold of her mentor and a super "big wig" in the Sphynx community who recommended her did I hear back from the breeder ( she moved to Colorado shortly after we brought Azul home). She is offering/ willing to buy the cat back from me.

What do I do??!! That was an EXPENSIVE cat! And I don't want to pay ALL that money for a cat that is SICK because of the breeder! And shell out another $500+ to get the sick taken care of, ON TOP of the regular health costs of maintaining the cat. A big part of me says SELL HER BACK! Set the money aside and wait till after this pregnancy to get another from the super big wig breeder. Or put it in a savings account, as I never should have spent that kind of money on a cat. But another part of me says there is NO WAY I can do that to my kids. I really like the cat. She is a pain in the ass and I HATE her litter box, but she cuddles up with me when I sleep. She snuggles my belly. I like the cat. And my kids completely adore her! They only get a few hours a day with her because the rest of the day she is locked in our room with her litterbox, which we have to keep separate from Kael. So they would MISS her, but they haven't spent TOO much time with her.. I just don't know what to do. I need some advice and feedback. I promised myself that I would never do again what I did with Chloe and Lola. I wanted to make a long term commitment. But can I afford that commitment? Should I try?

Park S'More

Again with the park pictures!! Look, I can't help it if my kids are just stinkin' cute.

Raegan's Art

The whole family; Kael, Mama, Raegan, Daddy.

She's never done that before. Another new thing she did this week? She wrote her name. Her whole name. All by herself. I'd show you, but that particular piece of art was already dedicated to a certain World Class Paddler, and is right now sitting in a mail box for the next few weeks till said paddler comes home.

Driving Mrs. ( and Mr.) Lavender

Stopping to smell the lavender.

We just went around the block a few times to check the mail and burn off some energy, but the kids are all of a sudden having SUCH a good time on their "bikes"!! Raegan has mastered steering ( finally!!) and Kael is definitely getting the hang of it. I think it's time for some 2 wheelers ( with training wheels, of course).

Next, We'll Need Your Kidney

Took Azul to the vet this morning because she's been sneezing, coughing, and has boogery eyes. Called the vet clinic the breeder took her to to have her records forwarded to my vet only to find out that the only time they claim to have seen her was the day before I brought her home to get medicine for... sneezing coughing and boogery eyes. That, I didn't know.
Huh.

Also, I could have sworn I was IN THAT OFFICE 3 weeks prior to that watching them x-ray her so that we could decide what the prognosis was for her wobbly knees. Like, I was standing right there. Apparently that is all in my head.

Also all in my head? Any immunization records. Records that should have been present because she was supposed to have gotten all of the necessary kitten vaccines. And she was supposed to have on her file all of the nasty Sphynx/general cat diseases that her mother had been tested clean for so that we knew what immunities had passed on to her babies.
What I didn't imagine? I didn't I imagine it when the vet said "if we don't know what immunizations and immunities have been passed on to her, we'll need to do all of those tests before we can treat her fully". I mean I assume he said all of that but can't be positive because I was still cleaning up my own urine off of the floor from when they handed me the $230 bill for the two tests they needed done to start off.

Gak.

So we're back to the vet on Monday to start her on whatever treatment we need to clear up the current sickness, and possibly get the blood work done to test her for all of the other things she could carry so that we can line up what shots she can safely get ( Sphynx are super sensitive. Many immunizations they just can't get because they could, you know, kill them). I'll be spending the rest of the week and the weekend trying to get a hold of the breeder to figure out what the hell is going on. Which will be easy, right?

Except that she's moved.

Joy.

Good Luck, Mom!

Have a blast at the races in Malaysia!! Totally planned to call you, but ended up in the ER after Kael found the medicine box ( behind two locked doors, nonetheless). He's fine, by the way. But I am REALLY bummed I didn't get to call you before you left!!

I'll be thinking about you, and please.. HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!

Easiest Shredded Pork EVER

The Players

2-3 pound pork loin roast
1/4 can of beer
1/4 cup water
bottle of Catalina dressing
Onion ( or in my case, fried onions)
Crock pot
fork
Dinner roll
appetite

Combine all ingredients and cook in crock for 3-4 hours.. till done, whenever that is. Use forks to shred the crap out of the incredibly moist pork, which is super easy to do. Serve on top of dinner rolls... or in them. Whatever, find a medium with which to shovel them into your mouth.

Enjoy!

Todays Tally:

Injuries to himself today:

skinned up elbow ( tripped on his own feet running to the park)

smashed finger ( slammed the sliding glass door on it)

bruised big toe ( flung his chair on the floor and bounced it off of his toe)

another smashed finger ( stood and leaned back on same chair and tipped it over, smashing his finger under it)

huge goosegg head bump ( playing follow the leader and, again, tripped on his own feet in the tile entrance, catching himself with his forehead)

bitten tongue ( jumped off the back of the couch and bit his tongue when he landed.. on Raegan)

bruised cheek ( climbed up the side of the shower during bath time and jumped, then lost his feet under him and hit his face on the side of the tub.)

black eye ( threw the Frisbee inside.. it bounced off of the wall and hit him in the face)


And today wasn't even a weird day. It was just a normal Kael-beats-the-crap-out-of-himself day. I wince and hold my breath whenever he runs and isn't on carpet or grass. Why? Because he falls down just about every time. What can I do? Not let my 2 year old run?? Yes, I told him to get off the chair, not climb the couch and shower, not throw the Frisbee, etc. I'm not neglecting his care. He's just.. tenacious. But when I'm in the grocery store and it feels like I'm being judged by every person that sees his little black and blue body, how do I explain it? He is a very active little boy. He has no fear. And unless I chain him to the floor, he's going to hurt himself. A lot. So I smile and wander on through the produce department, pretending I don't see the looks. Because that's all i can do.

Cascade Childrens Festival

What a fun day we had! After a lazy morning we headed off to Drake park and the Cascade Childrens Festival. Oh my gosh, what fun we had!! A hand full of tickets were only pennies a ticket, and there was so much to do it just blew my mind. Just walking down the path we were given a big gift bag full of "healthy teeth" stuff, from toothbrushes to sticker charts and more. A few steps later and they were both clutching new balloons. Both munchkins spent quite a while bouncing in the bounce house, and Raegan got her face painted ( well, dotted. Whatever, she loved it.) They both got "crowns" which were actually princess tiaras (but we won't tell Kael that). Winning the bean bag toss got them each a balloon hat, and tossing rings got them each a Frisbee to color on. Kael had the most fun in the toy pile. A huge mountain of toys is piled up, the children pay their one ticket, then dive in! The best part? They get to leave with one of the toys. After much deliberation Kael chose a football ( of course). But Raegan? She knew exactly what she wanted. She waded in and went right for him; the vulture. Yes, Raegan chose the stuffed vulture toy! To top it all off we had a great lunch of Soba noodles sitting in the shade at the park listening to the free concert. It really was just an awesome morning! MUST mark it on the calendar to do again next year!

( not many pictures of Kael, that little tornado just wouldn't hold still long enough for me to snap one! Plus, my bag was just LOADED down with free goodies to take home. The camera got a little buried. )

Leave Request

With a total of 7 days granted in the last 4 years, I think I have invested enough time in this business to have earned a day off.

I would like to take this time to officially request 24 hours of peace and quiet. No fighting. No hitting or hair pulling. No climbing on the counters. No throwing things or eating things or breaking things that aren't yours. Put the cat down. Stop. No. No no no no no.

The insane jealousy I feel toward those that have a grandparent or other able caretaker to drop their children off at for overnight stays borders on hatred today. I'm not the best person to call for a chipper conversation.

And that is my update.

Cline Falls

We are blessed to live only 5 miles away from Cline Falls State Park. It has become a favorite quick morning hangout this summer, as it's usually pretty quiet there in the AM before the crowds show up and there are some great calm spots for the kids to explore in. I SO wish I'd had the camera out when Kael's diaper finally soaked through to the "tender spots". Funniest dang thing I've ever seen; that kids face. Both kids always have a blast in the sandy mud and this time was no exception. It always takes Raegan a while to warm up to the idea and she usually spends the first ten minutes telling on Kael for getting wet ( "He float away, Mama! Kael! Come back here!!") But eventually it turns into a race for Daddy to keep them in the shallow water as both of them seem to have no fear and will wade right in to the current. Note to self: sign those kids up for swim lessons!!

A Wee Bit More From Our Coast Vacation

^ ( There are fish down there!)^

^The touch and learn pool. Raegan LOVED the sea slug!^

Kael and his love affair with the starfish.

^ "What does a seal do?"^

Indoor pics were tough, but the reflections were great!

The kids had a BLAST. Definately on our "regular to-do" list, it was such fun!

After the Parade

We snuck off to the huge Fourth celebration at Drake Park in Bend. It was so awesome! SO many vendors and fun crafty booths.. SO much awesome food, SO much for the kids to do! Raegan and Corbin even waited very patiently in line for over an HOUR to get their faces painted. They had such a blast!

After taking Corbin home that afternoon we had a quick siesta at the house with dinner then it was off to the Deschutes County Fairgrounds to watch the evening fireworks! We parked in the very back of the fairgrounds area, away from everyone else.... and about 300 feet from where they light off the fireworks display! It was awesome being so close. Loud, but Raegan didn't seem to mind. The kids and I climbed on top of the ven ( with me carefully perched on a support beam) and watched the whole thing. It was a blast, realy a good time. However, since we were in the very back of the lot, it took us FOREVER to get out of there as every other person in town was in front of us leaving out of one of the two exits. It took us more then an hour to get home ( about 3 miles) but the kids fell asleep as soon as we buckled them into their carseats so it was still a great idea to have gone. We plan to do so again next year!

This year was one of the funnest Fouth of July celebrations we've ever had. Both kids were old enough to really enjoy all the entertainment offered to them, and that was just so cool! I love that they are getting older and more able to play with their Mama. Next year I'm hoping to find some way to organize a BBQ at my home, and duplicate the rest of this experience around that with fun literally ALL day ( although all of us took a quick nap and all of us really needed it this year!)

Anyway, I hope your 4th celebrations were fun! I know ours were!