Maynard the Wonder Dog!!!

So, you remember that mouse problem we had a few months ago? Yeah, I thought that was over.
Sure, I've heard a few squeaks here and there, but those were just the house settling, right? Or the wind?

Nope. I guess it was a mouse. Still in my house. Not anymore though!

A few minutes ago, my husband and I heard a little squeaking. I figured it was nothing, being naive and all. The dog took off though like he used to do when he was chasing a mouse. The mice were always too fast for him though. Well, not this one!

My dog caught a mouse!!!!! He killed it, too.

He also would have eaten it had my husband not quickly picked it up and disposed of it. My sister pointed out on the phone, "I wonder how many mice he's eaten when you weren't home to stop him?" I say, "Ewwwwwww!!!" to that.

Anybody want a cat?? Free!!!!!

See, she's even cute. You might recall from previous posts a while back though that she is evil. Her looks are deceptive. Her most recent meanness resulted in my mother having to get a tetanus shot and antibiotics.

Sunday morning, early, Quincy and I went to my parents so that he could go to church with them. It was a big deal. His first trip to church in big boy underwear. My mother was running around, getting everything together and ready to go. The cat, Abby, got disturbed by all the movement and came from out of nowhere and bit/scratched the back of my mother's ankle. It looked minor so she went on to church. Quincy did okay. He made it into the bathroom, but not to the potty. He told me later that he made a puddle of pee on the bathroom floor.

Monday morning, my mother's ankle was swollen and red. She went to the doctor, hence the tetanus shot and antibiotics. The cat bite/scratch had gotten infected. Last night, the back of her ankle was swollen about twice the normal size and red. She stayed home from teaching preschool yesterday and today. She says that she's okay, but every time I talk to her, she sounds very groggy. Last night, she was having trouble getting around because it hurt to walk.

This is at least the second time the cat has done this. My parents are going to check and see is the Humane Society takes house cats. They didn't used to. If not, anyone want an antisocial cat??

Moo, Moo, Meow, Meow, Quack, Quack, Neigh

Those are sounds I hear all the time around my house, although not as much as I used to since I "lost" the animals that go in the Old McDonald singing tractor. My son loves to make animal sounds. He especially enjoys a good, loud "neigh" just when you are getting comfortable on the couch, usually in a ear. He uses "Meow,Meow" as a greeting, not just at home, but at preschool, too. If he see a cow while riding in the car, then he throws out a "moo" and, when the ducks still lived at our subdivision entrance, "quacks" were frequent as we turned in.

I also hear a lot about monkeys around here. My son recently learned the words to the Monkeys jumping on a bed song. He likes to sing it while jumping on my bed. How's that for toddler irony? Gee, maybe it's a good idea to sing a song about monkeys jumping on a bed and falling off while I jump on a bed. That doesn't seem like a bad idea at all! Also, you know how monkeys throw things? My son throws all types of food at the dog, even some that the dog won't eat, like grapes, pretzels, and peanuts. I can see where he would get confused since the dog will eat most anything. I do get sick of cleaning under the couch and finding so much food there. And the sheer volume of food contained within the couch is kind of scary. There are entire meals of toddler finger food down there! Goldfish crackers, popcorn, cheetos, grapes, cheerios, kix, all types of nuts. Those are just a few things that I have found. My couch is a snacker's dream! Sometimes you can even find an m&m or two.

The noise level around here also sometimes makes me feel like I live at the zoo. Just this afternoon, when the principal of the school that my new job is at called to offer it to me, I could barely hear him because of the toddler screaming at me. I had to go into another room and I still had trouble hearing him. It's worse in the afternoons than any other time of day. I think that's when my toddler's energy is highest or when he is most fighting the need to crash. I know that he is loudest from 3-7 p.m. Sometimes it's like being around a pack of hyenas, especially when he cracks himself up!

If you like zoo animals, go check out Generation Next's new program for teaching your child to read called iKnow Animals, Letters, and Sounds. For more posts about zoo-like life with children, go to the PBN blog and check out the list of this weekend's blog blast posts.

What? I didn't do anything!

This is my dog. His name is Maynard. He is a food stealer, a-take-any-opportunity kind of dog, if you will. If I go outside for five minutes and unwisely leave my sandwich unguarded, it'll be gone when I get back. Last night, I left a tiny bit of taco on a plate at midnight, went to the bathroom, and came back to any empty plate. You'd think I would learn.

I wish I could say he was a good guard dog, but he actually barks just as much at me as he does at a stranger. He freaks out if it rains, whether it thunders or not.

One time, the lights went out after dark and I could hear Maynard crying somewhere. I could not find him because it was dark and I could not find the flashlight. I was not even sure we had a flashlight. So I followed the sound of dog whimpering in the dark and found him in the laundry room. Quincy had shut him in there right before the electricity cut off. Poor dog!

The picture is Maynard looking guilty because he got caught finishing Quincy's lunch. Does anybody else have a pet like this?

Abby the evil kitty

My parents have this cat, Abby. Instead of being cuddly and sweet and wanting to be petted, like a cat, she tends to puff up and hiss and bite. She also likes to stalk me if I am dumb enough to walk around their house in the semi-dark. It will be quiet and I'll think I'm safe and then she'll ambush me from out of nowhere and either smack at me or try to bite. She looks really cute though in pictures.



The poor cat had a bad day yesterday though. My parents had a room painted so there were (gasp!) strangers in the house. This scared the cat. She hid. When she finally came out, Quincy was there making noise and bothering her. Then he quieted down a little and a skunk sprayed right outside of their house. The smell came in the house. It was pretty bad, but it was worse outside. I held my breath walking to my car. Ugh.

sleepy Abby update

ok Quincy is asleep....which is where I'd like to be but I am waiting on the chicken to boil for a casserole my husband wants for dinner so here I am...sleepy and all.

Both Abby's are doing well. Abby the person feels better and is no longer having to drive a long way to student teach because she got a new assignment here in town for 6 weeks or so---I think. Not having to get uo so early to drive so far probably is helping her to heal faster. Abby the cat has been all medicined up and is almost perky though not back to her normal hateful self yet.

On another familial note--besides Abby the cat--my grandfather had knee replacement today, but is doing okay last I heard. The surgery took longer than expected because he was slightly bow-legged and the replacement knee has to go on perfectly straight so they had to shave off some of the bone. He is in no pain thanks to a morphin drip, but it is making him nauseous and so he is on medicine for that. He should get through the night ok though they are talking about having him up in some sort of chair device tonight which seems awfully early to me, but then I was up walking 3 or 4 hours after Quincy was born so what do I know...

Nothing else going on around here..

Update on Abby

So the E.R. here doesn't know what they're talking about. They life flighted Abby to Vanderbilt for nothing terribly serious. It's not an aneurysm. It's pneumonia. She is being transferred out of ICU and into a regular room as I post this and, hopefully, she'll get to come home and finish out the semester and graduate. Yay!!!!!

A Bad Day for Abby's

yes, that says Abby's not Arby's although I am thinking about lunch....

Anyway, yesterday was a bad day for the Abby's in my life--Abby the Cat and Abby Brueggen. Abby the Cat, who belongs to my sister, cannot hold down anything and has been sick every three hours or so. She has a colon condition and won't eat or drink, but is acting normal. Well, pretty normal. That cat is evil most of the time. She bites, she corners, and she chases. She's also sneaky and she ambushes me. I usually have to have a blocker to get past her. Last night, I got within 2 feet of her and she stayed where she was. That's unusual.

Abby Brueggen is my friend from work. She lives here, but is from Wisconsin. She had a stroke 2 years ago and has phlebotomies and such things regularly. Last night, she wasn't feeling well and went to the local E.R. They wanted to send her straight to Nashville for surgery and life flighted her to Vanderbilt, where. after some tests, they found that it was not as bad as they had initially thought. They thought she has a bleeding vein near her heart. Last I heard, it was an aneurysm, but has not burst so they have her on medication and her oxygen levels are up. She was supposed to graduate in May and was very excited. She'll be discouraged by this setback.

It seems like everywhere I turn someone has a cough. My father, who is an avid bicyclist and will ride in weather from 110 degrees to 10, has been coughing for days and is still out riding his bike this afternoon. I don't really blame him though. It's about 65 degrees outside and lovely.

well, time to do some laundry, make some lunch, wake up the husband, and go buy a high chair.....