We had a fun visit with Nonnie today! The boys liked reading/"reading" to her (Luke's "reading" is in quotes, but Kyle's is the real deal!). We then went on a nice walk, with each boy carrying their cool new vehicle that Nonnie gave them. We stopped to look at lots of flowers, bugs, moss, mushrooms, and dirt along the way, and a huge excavator digging a hole for a new pool a few doors down! After our walk, the boys liked showing Nonnie their helicopter that flies (and the kitties were just as excited about it too!), and enjoyed salmon burgers for lunch.
The visit was capped off with the boys running "errands" up and down the hall (e.g. I tell them, "I need you to go to Connecticut and audit the shoe factory", or "I need you to go to the restaurant and show the cook how to make pizza", and they run down the hall and pretend to do the task...incorporates exercise and imagination!). Oh, and I almost forgot the REAL highlight...watching Nonnie write "Great Grampy" on the magnadoodle :)
Friday, April 19, 2013
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Meet Sunday and Patsy!
Luke and I went to the animal shelter on Friday to meet our new kitties (who weren't going to be old/big enough for us to take home for a couple weeks). And while there, we saw 6 month old kitty sisters that I really "connected" with (whatever that means with cats?!). So we made the switch and picked them up yesterday!
"Floyd" is now a girl, so she became Patsy (as in the Pats, hands-down Jared's favorite sports team). So Sunday and Patsy (or "Patsy Pats" as Luke calls her) have been busy exploring their new crib for the last 24 hrs. They've eaten, drank, used the litter box, and even played a little ball with the kids. For the most part though, they have kept a low profile when the boys are running around like maniacs. But after they went to bed last night, both kitties curled up on my lap :)
It's fun to start learning their different personalities. Patsy is definitely a bit bolder and more playful, and she slept on my bed (in her bed) last night. And Sunday seems more shy but VERY relaxed and content in my lap. Not sure where she slept last night. Still learning their hiding places...there are times where I have absolutely no idea where they are!
And yes, they look a LOT like Benson. Purely coincidental. In fact, I would have preferred that they looked totally different. But I like short-hair cats (and these guys have the SOFTEST fur), and I liked their age, and they just seemed really sweet and "right". Now the boys and I just have to remember that they're "shes" (I feel like my mom calling my pet by the wrong gender). At least Mom, Ca and I now all have pets of the same gender, so that should make things easier :)
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Benson, the Best Kitty Ever, 1/1/00(ish) - 4/2/13
At age 13, Benson suddenly stopped eating, going from 16 lbs to 11 lbs (vet suspects from advanced cancer), and developed fatty liver disease. I tried force feeding him for 10 days (swaddled with a syringe...not fun for either of us), on the off-chance that he stopped eating because of an infected tooth that the vet pulled. But he just kept going downhill. He started throwing up, stopped cleaning himself so had litter all stuck in his fur, and just wanted to be off by himself, like he knew he was dying. Seeing him in this state was definitely the hardest part for me, as I hate seeing any creature suffering.
At that point, the decision was pretty obvious. And I am SO thankful that I was able to have him put to sleep at home, while gently patting him on my lap, instead of having his last life experience be a car ride and the vet's office (both of which terrified him). He was such a sweet, cuddly cat. And such a comfort and companion to me, especially since Jared died. And also such a tie to my life with Jared. But I am at peace knowing I did the right thing. I really miss him though, especially at night after the kids go to bed.
The boys are doing fine with it. I had been prepping them, saying that Benson was really, really sick and they (Kyle) deduced that he might die. So on the last night, I had them pat him gently and tell him how much they loved him before bed (they didn't know that was the last time they'd see him, but I feel good that they had a sweet, loving final exchange with him).
His death definitely stirred up feelings/fears in Kyle about death. Ever since, he has been expressing worry that I might die. And he will say "Mommy, I love you so much and don't want you to ever, ever die". Or "Mommy, please don't die first". Per psychologists' recommendations, I don't promise him that I won't die, but I just tell him that most people die when they're really, really old, and that I'm not old so not to worry. And then he wants to know if I did die, would he get a new mommy, and where would he live. And I just tell him that he has lots of people in his life who love him and would take care of him, and that he'd live with Aunt Ca, Uncle Jon, Alex and Rachel because they love him so much. Don't know if I'm telling him too much, but I'm just kind of following his lead and trying to put his fears to rest as best I can. Such sad worries for a four year old. Absolutely breaks my heart.
And then I got an email from his school yesterday, saying Kyle was telling staff that he was going to the mall for breakfast with Mommy and Daddy in the morning. They wanted to know how they should respond when he says things like that. I asked Kyle this morning if he told a lie at school yesterday, and he said yes and described exactly what they told me. I asked why he said that, and he said because he wishes we could do that, and that Daddy could come down from heaven to live with us. And I responded the way I always do "me too baby, I wish that more than anything in the world". I really can't explain the gut-wrenching ache I feel when he says things like that. I know the pain is way worse for me hearing it than it is for him, but it just hurts like nothing else. Really just indescribable hurt.
Oh a happier note, the boys are excited to get TWO new kitties in the coming weeks. I have already decided on names, wanting to choose ones that give us a connection to Jared: Sunday (because Sunday was "Jared's day"...he loved making pancakes, reading the Sunday paper, going to the flea market, going mountain biking, and of course watching football) and Floyd (because Pink Floyd was "our music" that we loved listening to when relaxing and hanging out together). So stay tuned for the arrival of Sunday and Floyd!
Here's a photo tribute to our sweet little (I use that term loosely) Benson...
At that point, the decision was pretty obvious. And I am SO thankful that I was able to have him put to sleep at home, while gently patting him on my lap, instead of having his last life experience be a car ride and the vet's office (both of which terrified him). He was such a sweet, cuddly cat. And such a comfort and companion to me, especially since Jared died. And also such a tie to my life with Jared. But I am at peace knowing I did the right thing. I really miss him though, especially at night after the kids go to bed.
The boys are doing fine with it. I had been prepping them, saying that Benson was really, really sick and they (Kyle) deduced that he might die. So on the last night, I had them pat him gently and tell him how much they loved him before bed (they didn't know that was the last time they'd see him, but I feel good that they had a sweet, loving final exchange with him).
His death definitely stirred up feelings/fears in Kyle about death. Ever since, he has been expressing worry that I might die. And he will say "Mommy, I love you so much and don't want you to ever, ever die". Or "Mommy, please don't die first". Per psychologists' recommendations, I don't promise him that I won't die, but I just tell him that most people die when they're really, really old, and that I'm not old so not to worry. And then he wants to know if I did die, would he get a new mommy, and where would he live. And I just tell him that he has lots of people in his life who love him and would take care of him, and that he'd live with Aunt Ca, Uncle Jon, Alex and Rachel because they love him so much. Don't know if I'm telling him too much, but I'm just kind of following his lead and trying to put his fears to rest as best I can. Such sad worries for a four year old. Absolutely breaks my heart.
And then I got an email from his school yesterday, saying Kyle was telling staff that he was going to the mall for breakfast with Mommy and Daddy in the morning. They wanted to know how they should respond when he says things like that. I asked Kyle this morning if he told a lie at school yesterday, and he said yes and described exactly what they told me. I asked why he said that, and he said because he wishes we could do that, and that Daddy could come down from heaven to live with us. And I responded the way I always do "me too baby, I wish that more than anything in the world". I really can't explain the gut-wrenching ache I feel when he says things like that. I know the pain is way worse for me hearing it than it is for him, but it just hurts like nothing else. Really just indescribable hurt.
Oh a happier note, the boys are excited to get TWO new kitties in the coming weeks. I have already decided on names, wanting to choose ones that give us a connection to Jared: Sunday (because Sunday was "Jared's day"...he loved making pancakes, reading the Sunday paper, going to the flea market, going mountain biking, and of course watching football) and Floyd (because Pink Floyd was "our music" that we loved listening to when relaxing and hanging out together). So stay tuned for the arrival of Sunday and Floyd!
Here's a photo tribute to our sweet little (I use that term loosely) Benson...
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