Don't Forget the Pets

Austin, our kitty, is sick. He was acting funny all day on Thursday, and then in the evening he had a few seizures. I took him to an emergency clinic at 11 p.m., in a thunderstorm, to get checked out. He spent the night there, and in the morning we took him to his regular vet for more testing. More than $1,200 later (eek!), we still have no answers. The vet's best guess is that poor Austin has a brain tumour, and he suggests that we simply wait until he has another seizure and then bring him in to be put down. So sad. He's been fine since we brought him home on Friday, and hopefully he will continue to be fine for a good long time to come. He's 12 years old, which is a decent age, I guess, but I always thought cats tended to live much longer.

Now here's where the guilt comes in. Shortly before the baby was born, Austin started living in our storage closet. He continued to spend all his time in there for weeks after the baby was born. Even when he eventually returned to his normal hangouts, he wasn't getting much attention from us. (You have to understand: he's a very temperamental cat. You can't just pet him whenever you want to; he has to come to you. But he has a talent for choosing the most inconvenient times possible, and more often than not he came looking for affection when we were busy with the baby, and so we pushed him away.) I wonder if stress and depression could have triggered the seizures — could have activated the brain tumour.

We're trying harder now to make sure he gets a daily dose of affection.

In Other News

Andrew is officially two months old! Time is just flying by. I'm happy to say that his life is extremely well documented with photographs so far! I'm a little bit obsessed with taking pictures of my beautiful boy.

Things are going well. I'm definitely more comfortable in my role as a mother these days, now that breastfeeding is going so well and he's a pretty good little sleeper. Fingers crossed on that one, though. I know it can change overnight. We do occasionally have off days, but there are more good than bad.

Now that he's awake for longer stretches I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to keep him occupied and entertained. I think I'm going to have to take him outside more often. Even if he can't play, he can still appreciate the sunlight and the breeze and the greenery, right? Hmm. Any suggestions on activities to do with a two-month-old baby?

Wall Letters

I've been feeling sad because I didn't have the opportunity to decorate a nursery, since we still rent a one-bedroom apartment. A few weeks ago I was suddenly hit with the urge to do something special for Andrew's corner of our bedroom. So I decided to do the easiest project imaginable — decorate wooden wall letters to spell out Andrew's name.

You can buy these pre-made online, but this tends to be a very costly option, and it's such a simple thing to do yourself. There are many, many directions for this project on the Internet, but I'm going to post my own here anyway.


How to decorate wooden wall letters:

First, buy plain wooden letters. You can find these at craft stores or in the craft section of certain big box stores. The ones pictured here cost $2 each. Other supplies you'll need: colourful scrapbook paper, Mod Podge, a sponge brush. You might also want a small can of paint in a coordinating colour and a small brush to paint the sides and backs of the letters.



Start by tracing the letters onto the scrapbook paper and cut them out to fit precisely onto the front of the letters.

Next, paint the sides and backs of the letters, if you choose to do so. I decided to use a cream-coloured paint. It would have been easier had I primed the wood first, but instead I just slathered on two thick coats of paint and hoped for the best.

Once the paint is dry, use the sponge brush to apply Mod Podge to the front of the first letter. Press the scrapbook cutout onto the wood. It's best to do this step one letter at a time, as the Mod Podge dries quickly.



Finally, apply two or three coats of Mod Podge on top of the scrapbook paper to create a durable, shiny surface. I attached mine to the wall with Velcro.



This is so easy and the results are very satisfying.

Eight Weeks

It's official: we have a thumbsucker. An avid thumbsucker at that. He's always shoving his fist at his mouth, impatiently trying to get the thumb. Sometimes he gets frustrated and yells and cries. When he gets it, he makes loud smacking, slurping, and sucking noises. It's pretty entertaining, for us and for him. I figure thumbsucking is better than using a pacifier in that it's self-soothing. We won't have to fetch it and stick it back in when he drops it. Not that I'm against pacis. We have some; I just never got around to giving him one. And now that he's found his thumb, I guess there's no need.

He's also fallen into a decent sleep routine over the past week. That six-hour stretch I was so excited about a couple of weeks ago is now typical. He's slept nine hours straight twice! We're consistently down to one nighttime feeding, which Mommy appreciates ever so much.



I love these pictures. That second one — that's the face he makes while he's talking to us. "A-goooo?" he says. So freaking cute! I just love him to pieces. :)

Seven-Week Update

I'm more in love with my sweet baby all the time. I adore how interactive he's becoming, smiling and cooing and flailing his limbs in excitement when we talk to him. We're still eagerly awaiting the first giggles. His sleep is unpredictable; he has good days and bad days. He's spitting up quite a lot lately.

The breastfeeding is going well now, I think. I haven't used the lactation device in about two weeks, and I haven't had to give him a bottle in about a week. Yep, it's all boob, all the time.

I cancelled my next appointment at the breastfeeding clinic. I always leave there feeling discouraged and deflated. I don't need that now. We're on track, as far as I'm concerned, and I'm not going to give anyone the opportunity to tell me otherwise. As long as my boy is growing and healthy, I'm happy. He has a checkup on Friday. I can't wait to see how much weight he's gained.

And now a couple more pictures, because he's just so cute!

Ah, Sleep

New record: Almost six hours last night! From 10:00 to 3:45. Keep it up, baby!

Some Pictures