$60 for some Name clothing labels!

Jamie will be moving to a new daycare a week from next Monday. It's a larger church run daycare with many more rules and regs, but will allow Jamie to be with her peers (other 2.5 yr olds who aren't potty trained yet) and also allow her to go outside twice daily. WHere she is now is a home daycare who has one other child Jamie's age, one a year younger and the other 3 or 4 are babies. So it is time, and Jamie is looking forward to it. We took her there and showed her the playground and she calls it 'My Park!'

They require that all of Jamies clothes have her name in them. As I hope to sell her clothes at a twice annual consignment sale I don't want to use magic marker on the labels. I think its tacky for the next person who may want the clothes.

So I went in search for some name labels, Walmart didn't have them, which surprised me. I found some options online after checking with Hobby Lobb* and Office *epot. Walmart has a Brother label maker that can use either plastic labels or labels made from material.


Their label maker was marked down from $39 to $19.99 - the same label maker from Office Depot was $40 - neither place has the material tape though. So I found it online - $20 for a roll of it - I will wait to order this until I recieve the label maker from Walmart.

I also found a site where they do sew in labels and stickers so I ordered 200 labels and 80 stickers - the roll for the label maker is iron on and I wanted both, plus you need stickers for the sippy cups and stuff right? Also these labels should last us a long time, maybe throughout Jamie's childhood! And the label maker will come in handy for other things - Mike is a teacher and he should label up all his stuff in his classroom.

Like how I rationalize this $60 worth of stuff just so I follow the rules at the new daycare?!

New toys

I remember when my proudest possessions were my 1970 Cougar, and my newly installed cassette deck with tapes of the Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen, Siouxsie and the Banshees. Now its my MP3 player (I refuse to pay the price for an Ipod) and my Laptop. That's it - two toys I use on a regular basis and couldn't be without.

But lately the tools of old age are creeping into my repertoire. Know what these two items are? I didn't - not the first one anyway. I never really needed to know what a foot rasp was. I have nice feet, they look great in sandals for the most part. Until now, as a result of my age and of wearing open backed shoes for years (even in the winter) my heels have come to need the aid of a rasp. Of course I have always known what an cold pack is, but now I have intimate knowledge of applying it daily. Although the chiropractor has helped I am still having issues with muscle spasms on a daily basis. *sigh*

Blogging at the pool

I feel so lucky, Mike is in making salads and me and Jamie are poolside. We just got our spa fixed and the 3 of us have been in and out of it and the pool all day. We only have the spa up to 97 degrees so the water isn't too hot. Jamie's cheeks got a little flushed earlier - guess we better not let her be in there more than a few minutes or so.

I had to tear myself away to go work a trade show for my job for a couple of hours this afternoon. My new job is better than my other one but does have some extra demands and responsibilities. Thats Ok, I like to talk to people, I just wish I didn't have to do things on the weekends or evenings but I guess that is why I get paid the big bucks. LOL

Vacation at home & Peepee in the potty

I have a few days off and we are sticking close to home. The high cost of gas does have something to do with it, as well as some back pain that I am finally getting a grip on. I have been going to a fantastic Chiropracter & Alternative health center and I can't recommend it enough. I went for the first time on Tuesday and again today and I feel better, after more than 2 weeks of constant pain under my right scapula. (shoulder blade). I tried 2 massages before going to Dr. Will and although they helped, the pain really dissipated after getting adjusted and manipulated. Plus I get a massage at Dr. Will's!! Enough about my pain, or lack thereof.

Today was my first day off and we had a bit of a pool party. My friend Chris and her granddaughter Shelby who is five came over first thing this morning and later my other friend Michelle and her two boys Danny who is 5 and Jordan who is four came for swimming.

Then we had marinated roast beef on the grill with potatoes, cauliflower and 5 bean salad for lunch and brownies for desert. Yum. That was our big meal of the day, Jamie went down for her nap afterwards and I went to see Dr. Will.

After my adjustment I visited a new day care center behind the Dr. office that is affiliated with the local Catholic church in this part of town. I have always thought it looked interesting and even called about it for Jamie before we put her in her first daycare situation (which turned out to be at my good friend Michelles'). Anyway Dr. Will and the massage tech use this daycare for their two year olds (isnt that funny; we all have 2 yr olds) and it is less than a mile from our house, and has a huge shaded playground. I went in and toured the center. Where Jamie is now is a home daycare which is nice as she has interactions with the whole family, loves it there and they love her; but she hardly ever goes outside and she is the oldest kid there now that her older girlfriend Sidney moved to a center. I think it's important for her to be around kids her own age and older some of the time, and I know my girl wants to be outside more.

There are only about 12 or 15 in the 2.5 year old class and there is one opening. I was impressed and I think that is where she will go. The rate is a bit more than we are paying - $125/week or $500/month; but it goes down to $110/week once she is potty trained. I was impressed with the kids there and Dr. Will says they love all the teachers there.

And that leads me to our big news~!!! For the first time ever Jamie went peepee in her potty right after her nap!!! We are so proud, I opened the bathroom window and yelled out to Daddy (guess who just went Peepee) I am sure the neighbors are very proud as well! (JK)

She got a peanut M & M and handed out kisses to both of us. We clapped and cheered, it was quite an occasion. If she goes poo she gets a sucker, and that will really be a big day.

Mike is outside pressure washing the spa, we just may get it working again soon. I am thrilled as I miss it so much.

Well that is all for now. Hope everyone is having a great day. I will add pictures later.

Ok I know I'm an older mommy & Swim lessons

Well it finally happened to me today. Mike has been called Jamies 'Grandpa' on more than one occasion and when he tells me about it, I say "Honey don't worry about it, we are older parents..." but when Jamie's swim teacher referred to me as the Grandma today it was weird. And not in a good way. Darn I wish it hadn't bothered me but it did despite her assurance that she is getting alot of grandmas taking their grandkids to lessons lately.

The swim lessons went ok I guess. What do they teach a 2 year old you may ask? Well Jamie learned how to get in the pool by crawling down the wall by twisting her body, she learned to wait to jump until I say "1, 2, 3, GO!" and she learned how to crawl out of the pool pulling herself up by her elbows and then crawling out. I am not sure she will be able to do it in our pool as we don't have the ledge like at the city pool but we will see. She did not learn to roll over, this maneuver where I have to get her to allow me to support her as she is floating on her back and rolling her over onto her stomach. She even got a little pissed with me for trying it again and again. But she did better than the little boy 'Nicholas' who sobbed the whole time and pleaded to get out. Jamie missed the first 2 lessons this week because of a private swim team meet and a nearly bad weather day on Monday, but she is almost caught up to the rest of the Aqua Tots. We will see if she will roll with it tomorrow.

Here is a meme for you to do if you want

I'm not sure why it is called a meme...something like a memo about 'me' would be my guess. One of my favorite bloggers michellesmiles.com did it on her blog today. Anyway here it is and I tag Patty to do one on her blog!

Ten years ago… I was working at the paper, but single and not even dating. Although I knew of a Mike where I worked I didn't really know him. Come August we started dating - our first date was a home Jaguar game on a Thursday night. God had made me a football fan for some reason that year - I no longer am one - and he had gotten free tickets from the paper. We started out slowly - like a date a week or so. (It was Gator season so Saturdays were out!); but by the following Valentines Day we were engaged.

Five things on my to do list today…Well it is 9pm so I will tell you my list for tomorrow: Take library books back; Do 3 loads of laundry; Swim in the pool with my family; Call about getting the kittens fixed (their poop is very stinky so we are hoping that will help - and yes Patty I know you will think this is too much information!) Try to relax - I have been having muscle spasms in my back all week.

Snacks I enjoy… ICE CREAM! Popcorn, Nuts, chocolate with nuts;

Things I would do if I was a millionaire, Travel alot; Have Jamie enrolled in activities that she loves like dance, or gymnastics or swimming and have means to get her there every day. Have a personnel trainer who would be hard on me so I would get in shape; Buy and sell houses but pay others to do the work; Have a personnel chef; Get involved in animal welfare in some way. I would love to set up a cathouse for kitties with no homes, where people can will their cats to.

Ok now it's your turn, go do one on your blog and leave me word in the comments so I will know to come read it.

Which is the best scratching post for cats?

I have decided that I don't want to declaw these kitties. It really is a cruel procedure and would like to see if we can skip it. I wanted to skip it with my last batch of cats, but when I got Katie my mom lived with me so I had her declawed to satisfy mom...and the other two because it wouldn't be fair to Katie. But since we are starting fresh with these guys I really want to give this a chance. They say behavior issues can arise from declawing...and I have had kitties with behavioral issues. Katie was such a brat cat...nobody but us would dare to pick her up and she did her share of growling at me....Poncho was codependent kitty...he had to be right with me to the point of irritation, and Kimba was very neurotic...he would back into the walls and couches and spray when upset. Who is to say these issues were not because of being declawed?

So the search is on for a good scratching post. This 'Purrfect Post' seems to be among the better of the two, the other is called Top Cat. They are both about $60- which sounds like alot but wouldnt it be worth not getting the furniture messed up?
I hope to get one soon before any of them find the couches, at this point they are scratching at the foam letters blocks on the floor, which I think is fine, but I know they will go for the vertical stretch soon.

Any experience out there?

Life is good

Well we have some good news! Mike finished his tasks Monday! He has finally completed 22 tasks that were assigned to him a year ago and should be getting his permanant certificate sometime soon. Since he stayed up all night on Sunday to finish them on Monday he is still not back to normal. He fell asleep right after we put Jamie to bed tonight and is still sleeping (11pm). Poor baby...too bad he procrastinated so much last summer and fall - he really had to put it into hyperdrive this past month.

During his hyperdrive, his mom and brother visited - Which Miss Jamie thouroughly enjoyed. She just loves her Grandma Fifi and Uncle Bruce. They left this morning - it was a shame Mike had to work on his tasks most of the time during the visit.

Oh but his weight loss campaign seems to be working out nicely he has lost about 15 or 20 lbs or so...hard to tell as he didn't weigh in until he was dieting for over a week. Also because he isn't eating carbs I am not eating so much bread, potatoes pasta and rice I also managed to lose 5 lbs. Now if I can give up sweets and start exercising I should be able to lose more as well.

My mom is settling into living here in our fair town again. She is hoping her Mobile home sells soon on the other side of the state but seems happy to be back in River City.

We are having rain almost every afternoon reminicsent of the early 90's when I first moved to Florida...Doesn't make for enjoyable evenings in the pool, but at least we aren't breathing smoke from forest fires as in years gone by.

My job is great, I am busy driving all over town most days, but for the most part I love it. It's just a tough time to sell advertising, but it will pay off later when the market picks up again, or so we hope.

The kittens are good, mostly affectionate and loving, but also playful and full of fun. They really enjoyed Mikes mother being here as she gave them plenty of extra attention. They are getting bigger, and I need to set appointments for them to be fixed soon, I don't want to take the chance of any hormones starting up. We had a kitty who would 'mark' his territory and we don't want to go down that road again.

Ok good news about the hubby, the relatives, the pets and the weather, now to what truly matters - News about the Princess of the house:

Jamie is quite recalcitrant recently - She was really quite a challenge at dinner tonight, frowning and backtalking both of us. Whenever visitors leave she suffers a bit of a social hangover I am afraid, but this too shall pass.

She uses whole sentences now, missing some of the smaller sight words but I can usually understand her. She enjoys a dill pickle most mornings on the way to daycare and likes wearing dresses and skirts. She is also getting interested in her dolls. I need to look for some Barbie Doll clothes for her.

She gets a bit rough with the kitties, but I am being firm and watching her closely. I will not allow her to be mean to them...they are so affectionate, and I want that to continue. If she is rough with them I am afraid they will hide from her, and that's no fun!

Ok off to bed, what is good in your world?

Fun at the zoo

We got an annual pass to the zoo courtesy of our city foster & adoptive parent agency, or courtesy of the zoo...not sure who, but it was a great bonus. We went for the first time in over a year so this time Jamie was really aware of what animals she wanted to see - the Giraffes and the Monkeys. We saw both, but the giraffes are much more photogenic because they come right up to you and you can feed them. Last time we went the giraffes heads came right up into the enclosure, but the put some rocks down on the edge of their field so they cant reach so close. I guess their heads were swinging and hitting folks...could be quite the liability. Did you know that a giraffe's tongue comes out of thier mouths about 8-10 inches?! We really enjoyed the visit, it was amazing how good it went with 2 two year olds and a three year old.

Our zoo is a wonderful facility with gorgeous flowers and greenery and some pretty natural settings. (Except the bears, I bad for their little area surrounded by a driveway and some sort of shed.) It's nice that they put in a water park for the kids to cool off in too. Next time I may wear a suit underneath and get wet as well. Speaking of suits, I lost Jamies Nemo suit...I had it hanging on the handlebars of the stroller and it didn't make it out of the park. I meant to call today and see if it was in Lost and Found.

******************************** Speaking of not so fun stuff I am having a colonoscopy on Friday. So at least this will be a short week at work.

Kitties vet check

I had to take the kittens back to the Animal Control today. Jamie got hysterical in the driveway when I left the house with them this morning, and silly me thought she was sad to see me go to work without taking her to daycare. No...she was freaking out cuz she thought I was taking the kittens away...for good! "Daddy kitties gone?" she sobbed...Anyway the kittens were due for their shots and to get weighed. They were less than 2 lbs each when we picked them up 3 wks ago. Now Truman (the Siamese) is 2 lb 15 oz and Minnie (the dark calico) and Spicy (the dilute calico) weight about 2 1/2 lb each. They were very happy to see me come back to pick them up! Next I get to take them back to be spayed and neutered. Can you believe they are able to do that to such young kittens? they just need to be at least 2 lbs and 8 weeks old. Then we can adopt them. So we're still a foster family. A gal I used to work with just started working there doing PR and I saw her on the news Thursday and again this morning. Sounds like an interesting job but I am afraid I would want all of the animals. I remember once going to a kennel with a friend who was thinking about getting a cat, and just sobbing in front of the cages, knowing that most of them would be put down soon.

Truman is the most loving or codependent of the 3 - he reminds me a bit of my dear Poncho- he follows me and wants to be where I am and talks alot. I am glad Jamie loves the kittens as they will be part of her life a good long time. I hope they play with her and follow her around as time goes by- right now they tolerate her petting them and thrusting stuff in their face all the time. She is starting to play with them though, she was rolling a ball for Spicy for over 10 minutes earlier.

The kittens are about 11 weeks old now, I figured their birthday is March 23 2008, my 15th anniversary of working at the paper. (Who'd a thunk I would be at this job so long!)

Truman is sitting on my tummy (I am laying on the couch typing this on my laptop)...he is such a lovey. I am so happy to have kitties in our lives again.

Move over Dora, Elmo, Barney & Boobah ~ Make room for Thomas!

As Jamie gets older she is much more demanding about what she would like to watch. Although our public library here in town has a fine selection of dvds available to borrow at no cost, OnDemand is a wonderful, convenient source for all of her faves, including the new one on the list - Thomas the train. Who'da thunk that a show about a train would be so popular...but there is something about it I like...could be I love me some Alec Baldwin voiceover and the use of 'cross' instead of mad always makes me smile.

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Mike installed 'Twitter' recently (see the sidebar on the right) and it's kind of neat, but it is a bit of a new widget program. I wanted one that would allow me to announce a sort of 'swimming pool open house' whenever we were in the pool...so far nobody has taken us up on it. I guess people are just more comfortable with a phone conversation instead when you are talking about coming by...there is a function that can alert people via cell phone but I think it involves text messaging and my friends and I just arent there yet. Also before I got in today Twitter was down so I couldnt change the widget to say we were in the pool.

So anyway everyone I know irl if you read my blog and its Sat or Sun, check it to see if we are 'in the swim'.

These kitties are so much fun

The first couple of days with the kittens Jamie behaved very badly...a bit like a (need I say it?) B R A T (Now we are the only ones to be able to call her that. I don't believe in calling her that to her face. She is not a brat, she just acts tht way sometimes). She was clearly a bit upset at the change in dynamics in our household. When we realized that, we changed our behavior. When I got home at night I would ignore the kittens (which was hard) and focus on Jamie. Her behavior has improved and she also seems more amused by them lately. Its hard not to be - they are constantly wrestling under foot, tumbling, skidding and mewing away. We of course are in love with all 3 and they won't be up for adoption by anyone else. We have always been a three cat family, so we will continue in that vein. The dilute calico - Spicy is a hoot, she can growl and mew so fiercely when they are play fighting, but she also purrs the loudest and will come often for cuddles. Truman - the siamese, is also very affectionate and seems to tolerate Jamie the best. Minnie is a bit more aloof which is typical of a calico, but she has her affectionate moments as well. She is alot quieter than the others but seems a bit more laid back. We shall see...

Boy! Am I hungry!

Since I really haven't contributed to the family blog as of yet I decided it was time to do so for a couple of reasons. As my girth has now reached the "beached whale" phase of by being now is the time to contemplate the old diet and exercise regime. Now that we have Jamie, I want to make sure I'm around to see her thrive and grow into adulthood along with my beautiful wife. There simply are not words one could utter to express the sheer joy my wife and I have felt ever since we have been fortunate enough to have Jamie come into our lives. Now though, it's time to get the health issues in line and go for the "fighting weight" I need to get down to in order to start feeling better and give me a chance to keep up with our daughter.

Though I wasn't really into the prospect of taking on three new additions to the household in the form of three kittens I have to how wonderful it has been to have them around. I just wasn't sure I was ready to handle three of them Pancho's loss still so fresh in our minds. I still can't believe we lost our other three cats so quickly. It's like I turned around and they were just "gone." The emotional price is always greater than you realize when it does eventually happen.

Jamie's reaction to them have been interesting to say the least. She seems to like them well enough but her behavior had taken on a noticable change since we've gotten them. There is no doubt in her mind there is a competition for attention now with our three new additions. Martha and I have even, as late as last night, taken to not discussing the kittens when we need to focus on here. I think later she'll be o.k. and fall in love with them as we already have.

Now, back to the fact I'm sitting here at school where class just ended and I'm so hungry. Martha and I have planned to take out as much carbs in my diet as possible. Bread, pasta, rice, or anything related to spuds is now out. Since Monday morning I have been pretty good about holding to it. How's that for bragging about 24 hrs. of will power. One thing though, last night in a fit of determination checked to see how much carbs are in raisons and my jaw dropped when I looked closer: 33grams per serving. Aaarrrrgggghhhh. No more raisons in salads for me. The last time Martha and I struck out on this journey towards slimsville we did pretty well. This time though, I hope to get within the neighborhool of my target weight: 215 to 220 lbs. In the next day or two I'll do a weigh in to start tracking my progress. Jeez, actually weighing myself to see my true weight is not something I'm looking forward to. I imagine I'll put it off as long as possible to keep the denial train in full throttle but I know it has to be done for a point of reference goal wise..

Hopefully blogging about it will give me the incentive and a good way to track my progress. Hmmmm...should I do a before and after photo? The answer is yes, but I won't post it until I've dropped at least 20 lbs.

kittens are us

Minnie, Truman and Spicy (names so far, not etched in stone!)

Jamie holding the boy kitten (Truman?) on the way home from the shelter. Isn't she a serious kitty mommy?

Here they are and have they ever settled in to our home! We are fostering these three and I had told Mike we didn't necessarily have to keep all of them but I think they have all found their way into our heart. And as there are no birth parents to get them back I think we are pretty much assured that they will be here forever. I didn't realized how big Truman was until I downloaded these pictures, but the dominent one seems to be the 'Dilute Calico' who we have nicknamed Spice or Spicy as she bulls her way t whatever food or comfie spot there is in sight. They are very sociallized, the litter had been found by someone how nursed them for a couple weeks, and then relinguished these three to the shelter. So they have been handled and socialized which is extremely important for kittens btn 5 and 8 weeks. If they don't get that human interaction they will often be skittish and not very affectionate with humans their entire life.

The city animal shelter is a wonderful place to adopt. Yes they do have to euthanize many animals, but as an enticement to folks to adopt, they offer lots of benefits with getting a shelter pet. For only $60 per head they give them all their beginning shots, spay or neuter them and microchip them. It's much more of a bargain than getting a 'free' kitten.

I miss having a kitty

Here are 3 kittens that were found as strays by our towns animal control. I just fell in love with them especially the calico in the back. They were in the found pages and have to stay there until they see if someone lost them. I really doubt someone 'lost' a litter of kittens so I thought I would check into them as Mike said it was time we got a kitty or two. It just so happens that an ex-coworker emailed everyone at the office yesterday and said she just got a new job as an Animal Care and Control worker - good job in PR or something...Anyway I emailed her yesterday about them and when I hadn't heard back I called this morning. The guy on the phone just wanted to get me off..." they are in foster care and aren't available for adoption" When I pressed him he said all I could do is call back or check the internet every day to see when they come up for adoption...15 minutes later my friend emailed me and asked if I would be interested in fostering...Later she emailed me an application, so I just signed up to be a foster mommy again! I am not sure I will get these kitties, but will probably get a couple or a few. Mike really doesn't want 3, but my one friend said she may take one of the kittens, maybe the one in the front, which is cool cuz I really like the calico and the siamese.

I miss Poncho, but I really need to have a kitty in my life. I have been wandering over to the neighbor lady's driveway, as she has 15 cats to try to get one of them to let me pet her...but they are pretty wild so I can't get my kitty fix. This is really been the first time since '93 I haven't had a kitty and then it was only a few months after my first kitty Iggy died. So really it has been since '85 since I didn't have a kitty in my life and home. I miss having a kitty.

Happy Mothers Day! << @ @ @>>

Mike got Jamie up and was changing her this morning, when I came in Jamie said 'Ha..y mdders AY!' Hee hee so sweet of Mike to prompt her with that greeting!
Then after breakfast (Mike cooked us French Toast - yum!) we spent a good part of the morning in the pool and had a great time despite alot of wind and an approaching storm.

Jamie wanted her 'Waddy' earlier when Daddy was cleaning up after breakfast and I was striping the beds and putting her clothes away. As we had the big bed stripped her Waddy was up on the tall dresser too high for her to reach. Waddy usually spends the day on our bed as Jamie doesn't get to bring Waddy downstairs. Waddy is excusively for napping and bedtime. It has become quite the cue to her to bring on sleepiness, fingers go in the mouth and she begins rubbing her eyes furiously once she 'assumes the position'.



Anyway she asked me more than once for Waddy while I was running around upstairs and I kept telling her 'not now sweetie', or 'it's not naptime yet' So next thing I know she went downstairs and got her little chair and dragged it up the stairs, took it to the high dresser where Waddy was and got him down! She's a smart one, maybe she will be an engineer! Uncle Bruce thinks so.

I want to get some sort of widget on the side that would let our friends know that we are in the pool and they are welcome to come by and join us. Any ideas? I thought I could post something during the week like: Tentative pool schedule for the upcoming weekend is 12:30 - 2:30 Saturday and 11-1pm on Sunday, come back and check the blog to see if we are in the pool! Then have the widget indicate that we are 'In the swim'. I don't want to use the Live Video function though I did think about it, as it is a bit of a pain to set up. I love to have people over to swim in the pool but if it is a formal affair it always involves a meal and I can't stay in the pool with the guests very much of the time - I have to be setting up the meal or cleaning up. So I was thinking I really like to just have people over to swim...this would allow me to enjoy the pool with my friends, then when I do have a Pool Party where a meal is involved it would be easier to tear myself away from the action.

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I was looking at my stat counter at the bottom, it gives me lots of info on where people are coming from who read my blog. I had some wierd 'come froms'

One of them is a search for 'Michigan lawn tractors on craigslist
another is a search for a bounce house on craigslist, ( I guess I do mention Craigslist now and then) but the oddest by far is a search for 'the pony went poop on the couch' Strange indeed. I did the search and we were 8 pages in and of course it was fragments of what I have posted in the past all strung together:

Jamie & Us Now and Forever He was in the kitchen when I cooked, on the couch or in my lap when I was on the .... And she Picked the pony ride. She cried a bit when we went to leave, ...

I don't see poop mentioned in this fragment, but know it has been mentioned on more than one occasion on this blog. :-)

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A fellow blogger (Click on Leap of Faith on the right) got these shoes for Mothers Day today:


After going to the site and reading reviews I just had to have them! They are Crocs with a kick! So much cuter than the Caymens and one of the reviews I read said they are more comfortable than Birks!! They were $30, they didn't have the Khaki colored so I got black as I have been holding off buying the Black birks I want for the last 5 years! So I told Mike this was like saving $100~! How do you like my rationale?

Jamie & Friends - Ander and more

First time in the pool!

First she went in the little pool that I warmed up for an hour or so, then it was time to plunge in the big pool. A girl after my own heart! 80 degrees sounds warm but it felt a bit chilly.

RIP Poncho 1997-2008

I will miss him so very much. He was my constant companion whenever I was home. He would follow me into the bathroom even while I took my shower, sitting on the vanity waiting for me to pet him...He was in the kitchen when I cooked, on the couch or in my lap when I was on the couch, following me down to laundry, out on the porch or on his leash when I went outside etc.

After the downturn on Sunday, and going to the vet, he just got worse every day. I started to force him to eat on Monday, and Tuesday morning, but it was apparent he didn't care to go on. He would just lay there moaning...and last night he crawled under the couch - I think to die...I was able to get him out this morning by wedging Jamies step stool under it when I managed to raise it, thinking he was dead. He was alive, barely...I had an important meeting at 9am in Flem Island so I went and made an appt at the vet for late this afternoon. I sat and held him and cried and said Goodbye, Jamie sat with us for a couple of minutes before we left the house...Mike and I took him together to the vet this afternoon and the Dr agreed - It was time. It was very peaceful...

We decided to share the experience with Jamie as when we got home she asked for Poncho and cried when he wasn't there. We showed Jamie his body and explained that this was Poncho's body and that Poncho was gone. But we had to go into further detail because she knows the word gone in the context of her best friend in daycare Sydney who left the home daycare 2 weeks ago. She is constantly telling us in a very sorrowfilled voice 'Syndey gone' so we had to explain Poncho had died. Not just gone, but died.

Then tonight we did our regular ritual and watched the beginning of a dvd I bought for .50 at a garage sale called Cats & Dogs (we finished Finding Nemo last nite - it was great) and read her "goodnight Moon" and "the Napping book" and we put her down as we always do. Well she was crying like her heart was breaking. Mike went in a couple times, and then I did and rocked her for a while, she was really crying...and she said "Poncho Gone?" "Yes baby Poncho is gone, he died" She calmed down and went immediately to sleep when I put her back in the crib.

Gosh I hope it was Ok to handle it this way...I am so sad.

I think my kitty is dying

Poncho is the last of our three cats, Kimba died in Oct and Katie died 2 years ago at Christmas. Poncho has a kidney stone which was diagnosed a year and half ago and we hve been administering fluids subq (under the skin) three times a week since the diagnosis. The diagnosis came shortly after we got Jamie and we were just leaving for a trip north to see the relatives - Mikes folks in N. Carolina and my dad in Michigan. A friend of mine had been a medic in the army and she felt able to come in and not only feed and scoop poop but irrigate Poncho.

Sunday Poncho had a downturn, he was crying (Yowling) and straining at the litter box, and just lying on his side. So we took him to the vet yesterday and did his bloodwork. The vet said he could live another year or another month or two, that there wasn't really anything we could do and that he wasn't in any pain. So we brought him home. He isn't doing well...I am not so sure he isn't in pain, he doing a lot of yowling and not much of anything else. I force fed him by syringe last night this morning...but I hesitate to do it tonight. I think he wants to go. I have an important meeting first thing in the morning, I think I will come home from that and if he is still so bad, I will take him in. This is so hard.