Feline Drama

Haaaaalcy.
You've met Halcy. She's one of D's two (fat) cats.

Lately, D has been leaving the french doors to the back deck open so that the cats can wander in and out freely. They've always been indoor cats but, when allowed to, they've loved going on to the front porch or back deck and sitting in the open air. Swatting at bugs is an added bonus. D decided it was time to gradually introduce them to more of the outdoor living, thus leaving open the french doors. Hailey usually stays close to the door but Halcy is the more brave of the two and will creep farther and farther away, although she has always stayed on the deck.

Last night D went to lock up the french doors and didn't see the cats on the deck so he shut everything down and we went to bed. He always brushes Hailey before bed and sometimes Halcy will wander in and either want to be brushed or just hang out, but it's not unusual for Halcy to be MIA before we go to bed. I was home all day today but it's also not unusual for me to not notice the cats while I'm here. They meander about and sometimes just stay under the bed all day. So when D asked if I'd seen Halcy and I said "No", that wasn't too unusual. But when he called for her several times and she didn't appear, we got suspicious.

D wandered the house looking for her while I put dinner on the table, thinking he'd find her right away, no problem. I knew it wouldn't be a quick thing when he left to check outdoors. Right about then is when he put it all together and realized she had probably wandered off the deck the night before and he had locked her out. We both thought this was a bit ironic because D had scheduled to get Halcy declawed tomorrow morning at 7am and then all of a sudden she was missing.

Our back yard is fenced, but since it's sloped there are gaps under it where a cat could easily slide under. Before you go thinking our back yard is a typical back yard with some grass and a few plants, let me show you what it looks like.


It gets more "jungley" as it slopes down toward the wetlands in back. I just saw a racoon the size of a yellow lab wandering around on our deck a few nights ago and I know they roam the wetlands so that's what I was most concerned about.

D left because he was meeting his dad at the gun range for target practice. I guess I felt guilty in a way because I had never made it a secret that I did not like the cats. Granted, I never wished them harm in any way but I just didn't want them in my house. During the last few weeks they were wearing on D's nerves, too. Halcy would claw at our new furniture and for some reason Hailey became deathly afraid of the garage where the litter box was so our house became her litter box. I know, say it with me: "EWWWWWWWW!!!" D had gone so far as to email people that we know and ask if anyone wanted the cats, and he called the vet to ask for recommendations for no-kill shelters. So, the cats have not been on our "warm fuzzies" list lately.

Anyway, I didn't want Halcy to be in danger and I felt sick with her being gone because I knew that D would be upset even if he wasn't acting like it. So, while he was at the gun range I got in my car and roamed the neighborhood a bit. THen I walked from our house around the block to the other side of the wetlands and tried calling for her. I was having pretty consistent Braxton Hicks contractions while I was out walking around so I headed back to the house. I stood in the back yard for a while but eventually came inside.

D called on his way home saying that he was going to stop by Lowe's. I was pretty surprised that he was willing to kill daylight that he could be looking for Halcy so I convinced him to come home and spend the evening light looking for her. I guess he'd been thinking of places she might be, because right when he got home he looked here:

Under our hot tub.

And he saw this (look directly to the right of the pole that's in the light):


For some reason the many times we were outside calling for her before this she wasn't meowing. Now, when D was looking at her under the hot tub deck and saying her name she started meowing. D gave her some food and was able to pet her from under the deck, but since there's only one way in and one way out, it was obvious that Halcy either didn't want to come out or didn't know how to come out. She would even hiss at D when he was petting her from the entrance:


She would. not. come. out.

So, we left her there. I mean, D tried getting her out for at least a good 45 minutes but when it became obvious that she didn't want to leave we weren't going to lasso her and drag her out so there she still stays. D left some food for her but I think we're both past the point of feeling sorry for her. She had ample time to get out of there and didn't. Think she knows English and figured out that she was headed to the vet tomorrow?

Anyway, that's our feline drama for this evening. I had some mint chocolate ice cream and some chocolate ice cream so I feel better now. D doesn't work tomorrow so we have a movie date with Netflix tonight. He's playing Call of Duty right now but says he's just waiting on me to finish my blog before he quits his game. Yeah, right. :)

I said it on Facebook, but it bears repeating....it's a little crazy to me that I will have this baby girl before the sour cream in our refrigerator expires.

Probably should get another belly picture tonight, but I decided makeup was entirely unnecessary today so I'm going to rebel against the belly shot. Plus, I have a [sweet friend|starryfish] coming in to town this weekend who takes amazing pictures and she mentioned wanting to get some more belly pictures of me. Does she really know what she's in for? I mean, I've got the belly...I got a lot of belly. Bring the wide angle lense, Sarah!

I'm rambling. You'd think that since I'm not working anymore I'd be more diligent about updating my blog but the truth is that I'm not. I'm lazy about it. I think that's because I like posting pictures when I post a new blog and that takes effort and a subject.

Ok, for real. Signing out.

EDIT: D tried again for 30 minutes and was finally able to coax Halcy out enough so that he could grab her and bring her indoors. So, the cat is now safe and sound...



I'm sorry for my lack of writing skills...I mean really sorry. They're BAD

Monday again.

It's safe to say that my pledge to post every day is a difficult promise to keep. I stress out about it until I post, so here's your post!

D and I are sufficiently perplexed. We've had the cats on the restricted diet since Thursday and we've discovered that they don't eat much. The vet did say that she wouldn't rule out a metabolism issue for Hailey (the 25 pounder), but after seeing how little they both eat I would guess that they both must have issues. They're sisters, after all.

Yesterday was sunny and 71°...today is supposed to be a repeat. This is big news here in Seattle. On Friday when we woke up to a rain/snow mix we were bemoaning the fact that it seemed as if winter would never end. I'm not delusional enough to think that this weather will last - it is Seattle, after all. But, I can appreciate it while it's here.
Yesterday after morning worship we went to Kohl's and bought me a replacement wedding band. My hands are always hot which means they're always swollen. I took my wedding ring off yesterday afternoon and I still have a small indent where it sat on my ring finger. The new ring is pretty obviously fake, but I don't care. I would feel naked without my wedding ring on so I'll take what I can get.

We meandered to the baby section because, of course, if there's a baby section in the store we're in nowadays I have to look. On the "60% off" rack we found 3 matching 0-3 month layette sets...ADORABLE layette sets. They were normally $24 and we got them for $6 so Lindsay & Carrie will be getting one, too. I also found a few outfits that were RIGHT up my ally for Amelia. I had to put a couple of them back because they were $10 each and it was getting pricey. But, I think we bought 3 or 4. Anyway, we get to the register and the guy says "Oh, the sale starts tomorrow on these but I can give you the sale price today - they're all $6". WOOHOO!

Pictures of the ring and the outfits tomorrow.

My boss is out this week. I'll probably work on training material for the person who will fill in for me while I'm gone. Then at 1:30 a coworker and I are going to go for a walk to enjoy the sunshine! I'm hoping for Starbucks but she suggested a local park. There's no iced coffees at the park! I might have to stick my ever-expanding belly out on this one.

Belly picture to come on Thursday. I know you're all at the edge of your seats.

Call me selfish, here's my dilemma:
The next couple of weeks are going to be a little anxious for me. My twin could go into labor any day. Tonight I plan to pack D's and my bags so we can grab them when we get the call. However, D carpools to work every day and I carpool twice a week. For me, it's not a huge deal because my carpool partner only drives once a week (Carrie - don't go into labor this Thursday during the day, ok?). He can take the bus home on the day I drive both of us in. However, D and his 2 carpool partners alternate weeks to drive. This week is his week. If we get the call this week, he would have to abandon his carpool partners (not a huge deal - one of their husbands could pick both of them up and drive them home) or we'd have to wait until 4pm for him to get off work and then drive to Oregon during rush hour. Not real convenient if Carrie goes in to labor at 10am. So what we're hoping is that Anna holds off coming until next week sometime - preferably after Tuesday. Tuesday is Opening Day at SafeCo Field and we have tickets :) Also, if Anna decides to come earlier than, say, next Wednesday, we won't be able to make it back down to Oregon for my other sister's shower.

SEe what I mean? Totally selfish since I know Anna will come when she's ready, but stressful anyway.

Post is getting too lengthy.

Hasta manana.

Yay - Friday! (Fat Cat Photos!)

So I promised you pictures of the fat cats next week, but I'm feeling generous. Actually, since they came home early I took some pictures of them last night. You probably think it's sad that I didn't have a single picture of these beasts prior to last night. The truth is, they run from me. The other truth is, that I used to think it was fun to scare them half to death by chasing them down the hallway. I promise I don't do that anymore. Halcy actually let me pet her last night. Speaking of Halcy, here she is:


Hailey was more shy than Halcy last night, so this is the only shot I got of the 25 pounder:

Doesn't she look like a cartoon character?

So, there are the fat cats. D put their cat food in the kitchen instead of the garage so he'd remember to feed them twice a day but I think he might have to put it back in the garage. Our dog likes cat food, apparently. We do not want her eating cat food. She's not really even allowed in the kitchen, really, but she is a sneaky dog.

I made baked spaghetti last night. I didn't take a picture of it because the thought didn't cross my mind, but it was some good stuff! I'll be making it again, I'm sure, and at that time I'll post the recipe & pictures. D was a fan. I love easy dinners that taste super yummy.

On Tuesday we're hosting the Homeowners Association meeting at our house...any ideas on what kind of cookies to make? I decided on cookies because people can eat them pretty effortlessly without utensils or even plates (napkin, anyone?).

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! I'm going to get my prenatal massage this afternoon so I'm pretty sure I'm starting the weekend off right!

Baby showers, births, & fat cats

27 weeks - I'm officially a 3rd trimesterererer.

Very excited about the 3rd trimester because that means she'll be here very soon - her due date is exactly 3 months from today!

Our Oregon trips might be a little dicey coming up. My younger sister, Lindsay's, baby shower is on my twin sister, Carrie's, due date. Ideally we would love to make it for both...but birth of baby trumps baby shower so we'll have to see how the logistics play out. Carrie already gave me "permission" to miss the birth if Anna comes early and just see her when we come down for Lindsay's shower, but I missed Caleb's birth because I was living in Chicago and I always hated that. It would be great if Carrie went into labor the day after Lindsay's shower...then everyone could make the shower and D and I could be there for Anna's birth. Unfortunately, the 6 hour round trip is a little too much to do in less than a week's time if Anna came a week before Lindsay's shower.

Okay, sorry to ramble.

If we can make it for Lindsay's shower, I'm going to try to make these from Bakerella's site since Lindsay has a lamb theme going on. I bet they won't look even half as good as these, but I hope to give it a shot!

I have recently discovered BabySteals.com. It's a lot like Woot.com in that they have a new "steal" every day, only BabySteals is, obviously, about Baby only! Today, I purchased the red & white one of these:

I'm so excited! Slings are usually pretty pricey (hence the "regularly $64"), especially The Peanut Shell slings.

Now on to other things. D took the cats to the vet this morning. This in and of itself is a feat considering last time he couldn't even get them into the carriers. They scratched him so badly that he was bleeding up and down his arms, so the vet was forfeited last time. This morning was non-negotiable. They're getting their front paws declawed. I don't want to hear about the inhumanness of this - we know and have wrestled with the pros and cons. What would be more inhumane is if one of the cats scratched my baby girl (the fact that they scratch up our carpet and furniture is another less accepted reason). I'm not a cat person, I'll freely admit to that. If it were up to me we would have given them to another family who would love them in all their obese glory. But, I understand and appreciate that they're my husband's babies - he does love them and want them around. Our vet takes extremely good care of the cats and is keeping them under close watch until Saturday morning. We're thankful for that. When the cats get home on Saturday I will post pictures of them for you because I'm sure you don't believe me that they're obese. Just wait.

I actually have work to do today so I better get to it.

Next week:
- The fat cats
- The beautiful cherry blossom pashmina from Mom & Dad
- The adorable Mariner's outfit for Amelia from David's sweet aunt
- Recipes. Yes, recipes. Mmmm...

CAT UPDATE
The vet didn't feel comfortable declawing the cats. D is going to get more information when he goes to pick up the cats today, but basically they're too fat and would have a hard recovery because of their fatness.

Halcy = 18 lbs
Hailey = 25 (!!!!) lbs

D said he's going to put them on a restricted diet and try to get them down to a healthier weight and then maybe we can have them declawed.

I don't want them in the same house as my baby if they still have their claws so I don't know how we'll work through that. I already hate that they shed on everything and my house *never* feels clean enough.