Bits & Pieces

I seem to have come down with a terrible cough (feels like razor blades in the chest) -- but only when I lie down, so I've been up for hours today. . . . Just call me "Zombie Mommy" for the next few days. I did get a little sleep after Avery went to pre-school this morning. At least I didn't get the cold that Avery gave Jordan (that landed her in the PICU for 4 days a couple of weeks ago). That was a nasty one, and everyone around me seemed to have had it. For the most part Jordan has recovered, but she's still a little "juicy."

In the mean time, I thought I'd update on some of the bits and pieces of our life over the last few weeks.

Grey kitty, Sierra, has been having "pee issues" for a couple of months now, and after a 2nd opinion vet, she had surgery this morning to remove bladder stones. Ugh! I wish we had figured this out earlier. I can say that we definitely have a new, better vet for the cats now. She came home this afternoon with a 1.5 inch incision, and staggering like a drunkard. She's really pathetic, but should be on the mend soon.

Orange kitty, Mojave, brought back with him ear mites, after his 27-day outdoor adventure in Aug/Sept. So, each day, twice a day, I'm supposed to catch him, clean out his ears, and put 5 drops of ear mite medicine in each one. Yeah right. Devon and I are lucky to get it done once every other day, but they are slowly getting better. Over the last few days he's been whining like a Siamese cat with a car parked on his tail because his sister Sierra has been at the vet and he misses her. Back to earplugs for me when I try to sleep. Now that she's home he's driving her crazy by "chasing" her around and sniffing her, and she can barely stagger away from him -- but wants to. So now they are separated, and he's whining again. . . .

And speaking of ear drops, Jordan's ears are draining a gelatinous, yellow goo. I should be glad, because this means that her t-tubes ("permanent" ear drainage tubes) are working and her her ears are not getting infected with what's draining out. But, when this happens, we have to keep her ears clean and give her ear drops twice a day (which I personally consider pure torture, so I'm not too excited about administering them, either, to child or cat). We've been doing the drops for a few days now and they seem to be getting less gooey each day.

And as a pure inconvenience, I managed to mangle (break, I think, but I won't go get an x-ray because I'm pregnant) my left index finger a couple of weeks ago when I was leaving with Jordan from the hospital. I was wheeling her to the van after her PICU discharge, stepped on a rock, and we both bit the dust in the ER parking lot. Luckily, at 6.5 months pregnant, and with Jordan well strapped into her wheelchair, my finger seemed to take the brunt of the fall. But now, almost 2 weeks later, it's just a huge inconvenience to have my index finger out of commission. It's particularly difficult washing hands (keeping the splint dry), picking up Jordan, and typing. Ugh.

And to think, just days before falling in a perfectly flat, paved parking lot, I was ice skating with Avery. Which happens to be her new favorite thing. She and BFF Kate started lessons on Monday, and she cannot wait for Monday to get here again so they can go again. Perhaps Devon will be able to take her again on the weekend, but if not (he has a sore foot), she still has 8 lessons to go this fall with her fancy new skates (thanks to an early birthday present from grandma Linda & grandpa Earl).

The weather has been great, so we went out to the pumpkin patch on Sauvie Island yesterday. I haven't sorted through my pics yet, but I did get these 2 from Kelly last night -- which I LOVE. She's such a good photographer. Aren't they great!! More to come later, when I get a chance.

(photo by Kelly Wood)(photo by Kelly Wood)