The Cats In The Cradle

It has been a very long time since I have pubished anything. So much has happened in the last little while that's it's a miracle I've been able to retain my sanity. It will probably be several entries to catch up to date.

I suppose I will begin with the latest event. It appears as though we will be getting a cat. Those who know me can testify that I am not a feline type of person. I don't like cats. They are pretentious and moody. They also smell terribly. If anything is a testament as to how much I will do for my daughter, it is allowing her to have this pet.

It all started when the neighbour cat got loose. Naturally when she came back home she was expecting. The neighbour asked if I would like one of the kittens and for two months I steadfastly refused. I didn't want to have to take on the burden of owning a pet just because sombody else's got out. Also, this cat and myself have a tumultuous relationship. We dislike each other immensely.

The other night at about 10:30 p.m. I received a frantic phone call from the neigbour telling me the cat was queening. Neither the cat nor its owner had any idea as to how to cope with this situation, which meant I was in for a long night. Little did I realize to what extent. This process only wrapped up at around 5:30 a.m. and I had spent that time running back and forth between my house and theirs. When all was said and done there were six kittens born.

The only problem was mom. She is a young cat who acted much like a disconnected teenaged mother. She panicked and completely ignored her young, refusing to clean them off or give them any stimulation. To give her some benifit of the doubt, she had a terrible delivery with 3 out of six being breech, and one getting stuck. But still she almost bit one and left the other to suffocate in its membranes. Thus I found myself suddenly thrust into the role of feline midwife. Gross. I cleared airways and dried them off, rubbed the daylights out of them to get their circulation moving, and in the end all survived. They are still tiny and mom needs help nursing but I think they'll be okay.

Anyway the one that worried me most was the runt of the litter. He had an awful time at the start. He couldn't breath well and spent the first several hours gasping. I didn't think he was going to pull through and spent considerable time trying to get him going. He's alright now and we have a kinship now.

I told the neighbour that it was not for certain by any means, but if I would be taking one home it would most definitely be the runt. She told me that I had earned him. I took Camryn to have a peek at the kittens later that first day. She took a shine to the runt right away and was told she could name him. Without knowing anything about what happened to him she came to the name "Lucky". It was fitting to say the least.

When we got home she calmly told me she would love to have a kitten. I told her the story of Lucky and that we may be giving him a home. Of course she went ballistic. She was so happy. So I guess it has pretty well been decided. Provided she is willing take on some of the responsibility of looking after him, she can have her kitten.

He really is cute though. He has a handsome little tiger looking face. He's white but looks to be getting some grey in his colouring. His fur come down into a little heart shape on his pink nose. And he is picking up a little weight, he was 80 grams when we scaled him last. He drinks 2 ml. of formula at each supplement feeding, about every 3-4 hours. He's getting a little feisty, batting the others around when he's jockeying for milk. But he has a cuddly side too and can often be found tucked under his mothers arm. Cutie. I'll post a picture of him in a day or two, so you can see.

Night At The Museum

On Friday my daughter and I went with her Sparks Group for a sleepover at the museum. It was an eagerly anticipated event. Although I must say my enthusiasm was initially dampened due to the fact that I had been ill in the days before.

We began the evening in the Science Gallery. We had visited there before for my daughter's fifth birthday party and had enjoyed ourselves. So we were familiar with the exhibits there. From the Science Gallery the girls were taken to the lunch room where they gorged themselves on pizza and juice. I dumped the hottest cup of coffee I've ever tasted down my throat, and feeling a little recharged, readied myself for the next adventure.

After nightsnack we proceeded to the Main Gallery to start our guided tour. My daughter brought along her little plush buffalo who quickly became our guide's favourite patron. Naturally his favourite gallery was the Orientation Gallery where his bison friends were hanging out. Next came the Earth History Gallery where we learned that there were no actual dinosaurs that roamed our province, this due to the fact that it was under water during that period. What we did have were closely related creatures who would either swim or fly to get around. Some of their fossils are still pretty sizable though.

The Arctic/Sub-Arctic Gallery came next and there we had a really funny moment with my kid startling the other children with her brutal form of honesty. This was a gallery that included a section with artifacts from the inuit settlers, and a diorama of the caribou hunt. Now my daughter is familiar with the native peoples' use of animals for things like food, clothing and tools. Other kids though apparently had no idea, and were even struggling to understand that caribou are not the same thing as moose and deer. Anyway, just as things quieted here came an exchange between Camryn and the tour guide that nobody was ready for. Guide "These are the caribou", Cam "Yep, and those are the people who killed them", Guide "Um....Yes, that's right". The rest of the kids in the group were speechless, and the adults were left wondering what the hell is going on over at our house.

It was now that we decided to break things up a little bit and we took a shortcut through a secret door to the Grasslands Gallery. In the middle of this gallery is a great big tipi. There we stopped to sit and listen to a storyteller relate an old ojibwa legend about dogs, fire, and a man named Nanabush. The kids were blown away by the tipi and were asking what a tipi is, and is it like a tent, things like that. Now again, my daughter has seen one before so this is nothing new to her. She watches the dialogue for a minute the quietly raises her hand and waits for the poor storyteller to bite off more than he can chew. Sure enough in a second or two he asks for it, and gets this. Cam "How do you make a tipi", Storyteller "It's pretty complicated", Cam "Uh-huh, how do you do it". With a defeated laugh the freshly accosted storyteller now has to take several moments to describe for my daughter in detail how one goes about building themselves a tipi. Turns out he's right, it must be a real drag to try and get one of these things together.

After our story we went back through the secret door and proceeded to the Boreal Forest Gallery, and through to the Nonsuch Gallery. For those who have never been, the Nonsuch is a replica ship that was built of the original Nonsuch. The Nonsuch voyage from 17th century England led to the establishment of the Hudson's Bay Company. The replica was built in 1970 and has actually sailed 14,000 kilometers of both salt and fresh water to get to where is resides today. My daughter was positively captivated. She is completely nuts over the Pirates of the Carribbean movies, and as soon as she saw this big old wooden ship, it was game over for her. Grabbing me by the hand and using me for blocking she slammed her way to the front of the group, and nearly knocked our guide off the gangplank. Her efforts paid off though and she was one of the first to board, at which point she let go of my hand and left me on the pier. Nice. In the gallery as well were buildings that the kids could go into to see how things looked in that time period. They were also able to go down to the bottom so they could get the full effect of the great size of the ship. The Nonsuch Gallery was definitely one of Camryn's highlights of the night.

The Hudson's Bay Company Gallery came next, naturally, and most of the kids tried to lie down here. They were starting to wear out. We were beginning to get worried that they wouldn't last becuase there was still so much more to see. The Parklands/Mixed Woods Gallery was new and was quite nice with lots of winding ramps and bright dispays. The kids rejuvenated here, all thanks in part to a giant drawer contaning various specimens of animal poop. The poop drawer...you heard me correctly. The kids loved it and were crowded around it in impish chuckles for a good several minutes. It's the simple things in life that are most appreciated I dare to say.

The last gallery on our tour was the Urban Gallery. This is an exhibit of our city in the 1920's. It is buildings and shops along wooden boardwalks, that you are actually able to enter into. It gives one a really good idea of the types of places you would go to for various things in that era. It is very interesting because when you think about it, we really are not that far removed from those days. So he kids had a blast here too, but I think the adults may have enjoyed this one the most out of all the galleries.

Having finished our tour of the museum, we went back downstairs for some more juice and a quick rest stop. We then went back into the Science Gallery where we would be spending the night, to quickly get the kids into their PJs. And then it was off to the Planetarium for a 45 minute show on the stars, constellations, planets, and phenomenon such as lunar and solar eclipses, and the northern and southern lights. To my amazement Camryn sat and watched the whole thing, and seemed quite interested in what was being shown. After that it was back to set up our sleeping gear and get ready for the flashlight tour.

The flashlight tour is awesome. It takes place at about 11:30 p.m. once all the lights in the museum's main galleries have been turned off. The idea is to go on a self-guided tour and/or a scavenger hunt, with nothing but a flashlight to light your way. A lot of the others tried to talk us out of it, saying that Camryn was too young to be up so late, that she was too tired, that it was too long, or that she'd be too scared. Camryn on the other hand vehemently pushed to go, and I didn't see any reason to deny her such a rare opportunity. Plus she had napped during the day knowing that it would be a long night. With a few ground rules laid out such as no stairs in the dark and the like, we turned on our lights and set out. Buffalo Bill elected to stay behind and keep the bed warm. We started off doing the scavenger hunt but Camryn quickly got diverted, wanting to see instead if she could navigate. Taking the hand of her new 15 year old, and equally independant friend, and with a resounding "let's go" she set off to see if she could remember which way to go next. On one particular ramp I had called her back to come up the few steps like I had done in order to save time. She immediately busted my ass for using the stairs in the dark which was against the rules, and then lectured me for the next five minutes. She did really well though. She has a keen memory and we made it through the galleries by around twelve-thirty.

Immediately after the flashlight tour we called it a night. Camryn and I crept around sleeping bodies to finished getting ready for bed. Once the last ones came back from the tour we were locked in the Science Gallery for the remainder of the night. It didn't take long for sheer exhaustion to take hold and knock us out. After all we'd been going strong since 6:30 p.m. The night was uneventful, though a little chilly. We slept through until 8 a.m. when they woke us up and turned on the lights. We quickly got ready, packed our gear and headed back to the lunch room for a breakfast of bearpaws, fruit, and milk. Again I had coffee. We filled in evaluation sheets as we were eating and then headed for home.

Overall this was a fantastic experience. Not many kids can say they spent the night in their museum, and went through it pitch black. The staff did an amazing job. They were just the right mixture of hyped-up, peppy university kids, some seemingly on the fringes of society, who kept the kids thrilled and the adults entertained. Security did a good job making sure we were all safe and nothing or no one went missing. The kids behaved exceptionally well and it was nice to see them enjoying themselves so immensely. I'm really glad that our museum offers such a unique program. It truly is quite the experience and I would recommend it to anyone. We had a really great time.

Kiddie Korner

My five year old daughter is going through a lot right now, so I figured I would do a positng about it. In the last week especially she has had some very funny, cute, and sometimes trying moments. So let's review them in descending order.

One morning we had been playing polly pockets in the living room when my little one told me she had to go to the bathroom and disappeared upstairs. A few minutes later I heard her screaming frantically for me to get up there. As I go racing upstairs I'm trying desperately to figure out what the hell the problem could be. Camryn at this point is in near hysterics and keeps yelling down "I'm not digesting Mom, I'm not digesting". At this point I'm halfway up the stairs and it finally hits me as to what the situation is. It turns out that my little girl had come to the horrifying realization that the corn she had eaten the night before didn't break down. I couldn't help myself and I started laughing. But as I reached the top of the stairs I found out that she had a horrifying little surprise for me. Held in her little fingers was a niblet she had rescued as a powerful visual cue to illustrate her point. She's like, "Mom it looks the same, it looks the same". Now it was my turn to freak out. After I had got her cleaned up and settled down, I explained to her that corn doesn't always digest in the same way that other foods we eat does. Sometimes it comes out looking very much the way it did on the way in, and that is normal. So now she feels better, but what an adventure.

Last night Camryn and I were talking about what she wants to be when she grows up. She has often changed her mind about her career choices, as children often do. But I was stymied when she rattled off a typical week that she saw for herself in the future. She began on a Tuesday she said that on that day she would be a firefighter. Wednesday followed and on that day she said she would be a cowgirl. On Thursdays when she grows up she plans on being a doctor. Fridays are reserved so that she can be a spaceman. A bus driver is what she plans on being on Saturdays. She wants to be a hair dresser on Sundays. And my absolute favourite is Mondays, when she figures that the local market may need an extra ice-cream scooper. I didn't know what to say to her, because she seemed to have it all so planned out perfectly. So I simply settled for telling her that I believed she could be absolutely anything that she wanted to be, so long as she believed in herself. Cliche I know, but it'll have to do for now.

Her poor little legs have been through a lot in the last wekk or so. First she took a tumble down a flight of stairs at home last Tuesday. She was playing on the landing with a toy, and I had told her that she was inviting trouble in doing so. Sure enough as luck would have it she dropped her toy and lunged after it throwing herself head first down the stairs. She survived her ordeal but her legs, arms, and neck were quite sore for days afterward. This morning she was again comlaining of pain in her legs. Her movements were sluggish and she was annoyingly moody. She has been doing a lot of growing lately and has almost grown taller than her pants will allow. Poor thing. It's interesting though that the old adage grown overnight holds a form of truth to it. They say a child during a growth spurt may grow up to half an inch in as little as a day. That is absolutely incredible. No wonder they are in so much pain.

Like Looking In A Mirror

For those of you who are familiar with my little one, this picture is one that'll knock your socks off. it was sent to me by my aunt who thought it looked an awful lot like my girl when she was about this age. And it surely does, to an almost identical degree. But it is actually a picture of my other aunt on my maternal side, when she was a toddler. My curiosity peaked I have asked them to see what other pictures they can find for me. At least that explains why my kid looks nothing like me. I'd be unsure she was actually mine had I not have the scars to proove it. Anyway I thought it'd be interesting to share. Let me know what you think.

Night Terrors

A friend of mine asked me where the hell I've been lately. I never seem to have the opportunity to post as often as I'd like to. Hopefully that will change. My daughter was invited to a sleepover at a classmate's house this weekend. All of the girls in the class are attending. It sounds like it is going to be so much fun with activities like make your own pizza and little contests. My little one is beside herself and she dragged out all the camping gear last night so I wouldn't forget to help her pack. Cute. I'll bet you I can hear them from here.

I never remember having that much fun when I was her age. I don't think we had those kinds of get togethers until we were much older. As for me I have no idea what to do with my time off. Perhaps I will venture out and about to see what kind of trouble I can get into. Maybe I can have a nice hot soak in the tub without any little person pounding on the door. I don't know yet. Anyway that's all for now.

As Of Late

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. Some people have been asking what's up. It has been pretty busy lately. Not so much in the sense of our own adgendas but in that there are those who have needed extra assistance, and it seems that is one of our areas of specialty.

It has been ridiculously cold. Last week friday I had kept my daughter home from school. When I checked the weather that morning it was minus forty-eight. There was absolutely no way I could get her there without frostbite setting in so we hunkered down at home instead. Now we have gone from those temperatures to minus nine today. Good grief. I sense another round of flus and colds coming on. To be honest it is the tourists I feel particularly badly for. They must be beside themselves this year.

My daughter was invited to a classmate's bithday party this weekend. A little boy from kindergarten is turning six on Sunday and they are all going bowling. All we're required to is to drop them off and then we can leave. That's great, let's face it us parents do not want to have to sit through it. It's bad enough to do it when it's for our kid's birthday party. So to be absolved of that is an added bonus. But it'll be nice for the kids not to have their parents hanging around them also. This is an interesting age where they are beginning to seperate themselves from us in an attempt to gain more independence. It's a necessary evil but sometimes I am left to wonder who the alien lifeform is who has taken over my beautiful baby.

I'm going to make this one short I'm afraid. We have skating tonight and we'll be leaving shortly. Until next time.

Christmas Is Back In The Basement

Well the holiday decorations are safely tucked back into their respective boxes. We dismantled the tree today. After which it dawned on me that I never bothered to take any pictures of the thing as it stood for the first time in our new house. I'm getting lax it would seem. The thing did not go down without a fight though and for the briefest of moments, was actually winning. We prevailed over it finally and were able to wrestle it back into the basement, though we came away with scrapes and gashes of verious sizes and descriptions. That is typical of our christmas tree however and we have a long standing history of such encounters. Usually all ending much the same as this one did.

Now what remains to be taken down are the decorations on the outside of the house. I must be honest when I say that I am in no hurry to scale a ladder in snow and ice, and pry out staples attaching heavy cords to the trim two-stories up. Moreover I am vehemently opposed to falling from such heights. I always end up atop the ladder with no one holding it. They all cut bait and run on the off chance I should drop the hammer. Do they not realize that I'm a much larger weight to fall on them if they don't hold me steady? Jeepers. I don't want to leave the lights where they are until spring because they are large and I don't want to chance them being stolen. I also don't want to have people think that I am tacky. Not to mention that the lights actually belong to the neighbour, so they aren't even mine to keep. I suppose then that I'll just have to wait for a nice day and head up that bloody ladder with a set of pliers and a prayer. It's not something I look forward to in any case. Anyways, wish me luck. I'll write again soon.