Surgery

So, I had my surgical consultation appointment this morning. I was nervous going in, and had a bit of trouble finding the place(although that's not much of a surprise, as I was looking for a completely incorrect street # that didn't exist, most likely my fault, as I heard 191, not 190). It went well. I asked the questions I wanted to(whether physio, chiro or RMT would help some), and he answered me honestly that, while it wouldn't hurt, it really won't give any relief. He based this on his research, my nerve conduction test results, and the fact that I don't have any chronic neck pain that would indicate a different cause for my hand problems. He also did a small test on my hand which resulted in mild numbness within a few seconds.

My surgery is scheduled for January 12th in the afternoon. I could have had it done sooner, but with the recovery time frame and the fact that Kevin is for sure going away for work in October/November, and then it's the holidays, January looked better.

5 Years

That's how old Aidan is now. I cannot believe that he's 5 years old already, it seems like not that long ago, he was a newborn. We had his party last weekend, hoping to have it outside, but due to the wind, clouds and cooler temperatures from the hurricane passing to the far south-east, we had to have most things indoors. 3 of Aidans' classmates were able to come, so that was a real boost for him. He got lots of car related toys, along with some clothes and money that he'll be able to either save or buy something he would really like(I think he wants to get a game for his Leapster). He asked for a fortress cake for his birthday, and that's what he got. I think it turned out pretty good. I had more than one person tell me that I really should go into the cake business, but I'm not so sure my cakes are worth charging people for.

Blog Title Change

I decided it was time to change the title of my blog, since we no longer have more than one cat. I've decided to keep with a similar title, but just change a word. So now, instead of Kids, Cats, and Life, it's Kids, Pets, and Life to reflect the change our house had gone through in the last few weeks.

Speaking of changes, today was the day that Brynna got her Big Girl Bed(aka a mattress on the floor). I spent a good chunk of the morning taking apart the crib for the last time, tidying up the room, placing the mattress and getting the cover and sheet on it. She looks so teeny tiny in it(it's a double), and I think she has the most comfortable bed in the house now.

The rest of this week will be spent getting ready for Aidan's 5th birthday party on Sunday. I've got cakes to make and decorate, pizza ingredients to prep, house to clean(in case of rain), patio and yard to tidy(in case of sun), and loot bags to put together(although so far we have only 2 of Aidan's classmates coming).

Crazy Vacation

We did so much during our week in Vermont that it seems like we never really stopped. Our first day, we drove down to St Johnsbury, had lunch at the Moore Reservoir, which was very pretty, then we went back to the house after picking up some groceries. Next up was Jay Peak, which included a ride up in the tram and a hike back down. Then we went to Ben & Jerry's, Green Mountain Coffee Company and then finally found the outlet mall in Essex(just outside of Burlington) and picked up shoes for all 3 kids and some attachments for the KitchenAide. We came back through the Smuggler's Notch Pass(I can see why that road is closed in the winter). On Thursday we went to Cabot Creamery, White River Junction and then finished up the day at the Quechee Gorge. Friday, we did another drive to St Johnsbury, taking a more scenic route, which resulted in us being able to see a blade for a windmill being trucked to the construction site just south of Barton.

Saturday came, we did our last minute clean up, closed up, took recycling to the depot, stopped at the Duty Free, then crossed into Quebec, where we headed to the lake after a quick stop to pick up some lunch food and a visit to the cemetery.

Family Vacation

Our vacation this year is going to be a shorter, less-time in the car affair this year. We're headed to Derby Line for a week starting on Sunday. We're bringing Patches with us, and hoping to have a quiet, uneventful border crossing with him(we have his health certificate from his vet, showing that his shots are all up to date and he's healthy). I'm hoping to make a day trip down to the Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory for a tour, and maybe to pick up some Green Mountain Coffee Company Kcups for my brewer. I also found a shop that's supposed to sell the KnitPicks knitting needles, so I hope that they might have the Options set available while I'm there, as I'd really like to replace my Boye set, as it really isn't good for the type of knitting patterns I'm working on these days because of the uneven joins(which snag yarn) and the super stiff cables. If not, I know that Knit Knackers here in Ottawa is listed as carrying KP needles.

Should be an interesting week, to say the least.

Where did the week go?

It was a busy one! First, on Tuesday, there was a day-trip to Kingston to see Luc and Antonio arrive in town while they were participating in the Friends for Life bike rally from Toronto to Montreal. We didn't get to see them for long, but they were tired, and wanted to take the opportunity to do their laundry and relax. We managed to squeeze in a visit with my parents after taking a drive past the house I grew up in and my old elementary school.  Thursday was my dentist appointment and then Friday was our 11th wedding anniversary. I didn't manage to get out shopping for a gift for Kevin, so I made a nice spaghetti dinner, complete with fresh baked rolls, salad and a banana cream pie. Today, I did the usual groceries, then Aidan and I took a walk to Walmart and picked up a smaller carrier for Patches to ride in on our trip to Derby Line next week.

Losing a Friend

It's the end of an era here. Tigger stopped eating properly earlier in the week, he had already stopped properly grooming himself(to the point of having huge mats build up in his hair) and then he stopped drinking water. Our regular vet is on vacation so we took Tigger to a vet that Dr Murray's staff takes their pets to when Dr Murray isn't available. We saw Dr McKenna, who wanted to take blood and urine samples and get us to an emergency animal hospital where they could admit Tigger and do some u/s work to see what was going on. We waited for about 2 hours at the hospital, only to find out that his test results from Liston Animal Hospital for kidney function were off the charts, and that the treatment they wanted him to have we couldn't afford. In the end, we decided to have them give him some subcutaneous fluids, abx, and some other med to help him pass a slightly more comfortable evening at home. The feeling of being judged by the vet for our decision was almost too much to bear. We brought him home and made him as comfortable as possible. Kevin wanted him to sleep up on the bed with me, so we made a safe little spot with an old t-shirt over a piddle pad just in case and that is where he spent the night until about quarter to 6, when he got off and threw up blood. I got him cleaned up and quietly took him outside to enjoy the fresh cool air, the grass, birdsong and the rising sunshine. Eventually everyone got up and came out with us.

Once Liston Animal Hospital opened, we called and got a time to bring Tigger out for his last ever visit to the vet. Everyone there was wonderful, understanding and compassionate. Much more so than the emergency hospital staff. I will most definitely be sending a thank you card to them this week. Next will be informing our regular vet's office of Tigger's passing.