Trouble In Guinea Pig Paradise

The guinea pigs are just darling.   They keep growing and are learning more about us and are starting to trust us some.   The love to come to the edge of the cage and ask for pea flakes.   Pea flakes are dehydrated peas that have been smashed flat and for some reason they are the top of the list of delicious to guinea pigs.   

But there is trouble with both of the "children."  Cheerio has what might be fungus on his nose, but we're not sure.  We were debating taking him to see a veterinarian but wanted to give it a few days to see if it wasn't a scrape first.  

Then today my daughter noticed a lump on Kix.   It's not a small lump either.  It's sizeable and I'm assuming is an abscess.  I spoke with several different locations trying to find somewhere that saw "exotics" and ended up on a call at the veterinarian school with a doctor who said as long as he was eating and drinking normally to call their exotics clinic on Monday morning. 

I was glad to find someone who could see them and my daughter was relieved to hear Kix wasn't in danger.

Children Will Be Children;  My children are eleven and ten and yet today what were they doing?  Taking their crib mattresses and sliding down the stairs on them.   Really?   

The Branch That Died

My daughter came inside wailing this evening.   It sounded like anguished or scared or hurt but I wasn't sure.   My husband went to check on her and things quieted down until she walked into the bonus room where I was feeding the guinea pigs some vegetables.   She was unconsolable.   And Angry all at the same time. 

It seems that a very special branch had broken off the climbing tree in our front yard.   This branch was extremely special to my daughter, but her brother (she said with pure hatred in her tone) wanted to cut the branch up and make weapons with it.  

This was a special branch.   There was one very special part, and that's the part he wanted and I had to stop him from taking it!

I tried to honor her feelings while at the same time reassuring her that we wouldn't let him use the branch if it was important to you both.  I said it sounded like we needed a family conference on this.  

We haven't solved things yet, but when I saw the branch I understood.   There was a branch that had a low dip in it.  It was just at a height where the children could grab it and climb up the tree.   As they grew, that branch grew with them.   It was that branch that enabled all the climbing.   And now it was gone.  

The branch had died some time back but hadn't broken off.   We knew this was going to happen, but we didn't know it would be so upsetting to my daughter.   She does tend to cling to things very tightly.  

I Forgot I Forgot!

Last night was getting late and I needed to get to sleep as I had an appointment at seven-forty in the morning.   I had three alarms set and for some reason, the first two didn't go off.  I was sleepy when I set them, but I don't know how I could have gotten two wrong.   

It didn't matter though because the third alarm woke me up and out I dashed, with time to spare to get a chai tea latte at Starbucks on the way.  

My morning went off without a hitch and I came home, arriving at the same time as my husband returned from taking my son to school.   My daughter was still asleep so he and I went upstairs for some time with, "the boys" as the guinea pigs are called from time to time here. 

The Tiny Girl Bored:  My daughter is tracked out and all alone at home this week.  She and I are doing some things, but she wants to be alone some of the time and I have to work some of the time.   We had some good times today.   

The Big Boy Rule Breaker:  My son couldn't sleep last night so he got up to get something to eat.  He took his father's iPad and proceeded to do things on it for some time until he was caught.   He was upset that surprisingly he lost screens for today.   I don't understand how he was so surprised.  

They Are The Best

For as many things in this life as I feel I'm not good at.  For all the things I feel like I fail at daily as a parent, wife, daughter, and friend.   For all the kindnesses people show me and the understanding I receive—that I don't feel I deserve.   For two special children who get frustrated at and by me, but also understand and love me.   And for the best husband I could ever ask for.   Thank you. 

I'm not sure where I'm going with this.   It's another day with progress made, but not nearly enough.  Christmas still isn't all the way back in the attic.  It should have been up a week ago.   There are linens that need to be put away and things children have left here and there and things I've left there and here that need to be put away.  There is a lot to do and no one is upset it isn't done yet.   Everyone understands.  

I do have a very special family.  To me.   I couldn't imagine or want to imagine any of my biological family or those through marriage any differently.   As my neighbor used to say, "I hit the jackpot" when it comes to family. 

There is one thing I would change.   I would wish for my daughter to have sight.   I sometimes try to imagine what she would be like with vision.   She is so tenacious now, I can't imagine what she would be like if she could see. 

My son I will take exactly as he is.   He's the best.  

A Peace Cake

My husband and I were on a conference call today and my daughter kept asking about things for the kitchen like where she could find a nine-inch cake pan and how to line said pan with aluminum foil.   She was making a recipe from her Doctor Seuss cookbook. 

We helped here and there and I missed the end part because she called out on Alexa that she'd lost "him" and to come quick.  Him being a guinea pig. After the call and the found animal, she and her father finished it.   This is what she wanted on it. 

The Big Boy Update:  My son wants to have the guinea pigs and dog get along.   Tonight she saw Matisse get the predator drive take over as she lunged for Kix.   My son was there and caught it in time, but I had been warning him not five minutes before to not leave Kix where Matisse could get to him.   He was rather cavalier about it until later, and now he is going to be much more cautious, he said. 

I Can't Do It

I have a job to do that I can't physically get done in time.  I keep hoping it will get faster and I'll be able to confirm the links and update the database with relevant information, but there are hundreds of links to go and they all take time.   

My web developer has a go live date of the ninth or eleventh.   I just don't think I can possibly do everything in time.  I'm ignoring everything else that I can so I can focus on this one thing.   My husband has tried to help, but he can't work any faster.   

We may have to move the launch date.  I hate that we might have to.  I'm not giving up yet. 

The Waterlogged Children:  My children were outside on January 2nd, playing with neighbors and the garden hose.   They were all wet.   They got towels, but weren't particularly bothered by being wet.   IN JANUARY!   When a week ago it was in the teens.  My word weather this year is wild.  

No One Was Hungover

We worked and spent time as a family on New Year's Eve.  We didn't go to my in-law's house because they weren't feeling well.   So we did our thing, like it was a normal night. Only close to midnight my husband and son and I went out to watch our house. 

You may remember from the past that my husband has a show counting down on the house.  He's masked the whole house out and videos of Christmasy things play for December. Then, on New Year's Eve, the house counts down.  

I would bet we have the only house that counts down to New Years with their family.   We celebrated, danced about (my daughter couldn't wake up, just like most other years) and then forty seconds later we heard the houses on either side counting down. 

What had happened?  Janet Jacksin's nipple I'd venture to guess.   That "Wardrobe Malfunction" caused live television to move to a bit longer than a few seconds delay.   

Our house was two seconds off.   Not bad for a house.  

We went to sleep and no one work up with a hangover because none of use were drinking.  We celebrated with Apple Cider (juice)