I'm working hard to roll with the punches, but it's getting difficult.
I started the week out with a fun crafty idea.
It's a warm compress. I think I'm going to make them for the kids because their room is so cold at night, to heat up their beds. I used rice for the first one but was told I could use flax seed to avoid the rice smell. I also thought about putting in essential oils. It turned out really cute though.
I also have been working on my hexagon blanket a little bit when I get the chance.
It's taking so long because I have so many things I want to do and not enough time to do it.
I've also picked back up and old book (The Widow of Larkspur Inn) I had just stopped reading about half way through. It just sort of fizzled out for me, but when I picked it back up, I immediately started enjoying it again.
I also went shopping and picked up a few more tinted chapsticks that I love! They are great colors and make my lips feel nice and moisturized. I have very dry skin and lips, especially in the winter time, so anything that helps while being fashionable is a major bonus.
Through out the week, there has been lots of housework and yummy homemade meals.
We've been watching movies together and the kids are enjoying it.
Dancing from Elizabeth Tiemann on Vimeo.
We've also been working on spending more time doing things with the kids that don't include electronics, except maybe music in the background, especially since the kids got iPads for Christmas.
We've still been battling Rylie being sick. It's been on going for over two weeks. Sick Rylie is a grumpy baby and doesn't eat well or sleep well.
Yesterday, everything came crashing down. With Rylie being sick, I hadn't slept in days. I got up feeling beyond exhausted and jumped in the shower before making breakfast for the kids. Ben has school on Tuesday and Thursday mornings so those days are up and at it days. I also have my RCIA classes on Thursday evenings. Thursdays are just busy days and then, this specific Thursday we had to take our cat to the vet in the afternoon also. I was mentally preparing myself for the busyness that would be my day.
We had to leave the house a little early on the way to Ben's school to pick up the cat carrier from my brother -in-law's apartment. On the way to taking Ben to school I decided that I'd had enough of waiting for Rylie to get better and not sleeping at night. I set her up a doctor's appointment for that afternoon as well.
We got to the school and I chatted with a couple of other parents while Ben played with his friends and as we were leaving, Ben's teacher ran out the books I had ordered from Ben's book orders. I have a small addiction to books, but a huge addiction to children books. I can't control it, so when the books had arrived less than a week from when I ordered them, I thought that the day would be ok. It was my sign.
I picked up coffee and went home. At home, I watched a couple of shows from the DVR and talked to my mom and a friend on the phone. When it was time to go, I got Sydney in her coat, put Rylie in her carrier and covered her with a blanket. She takes shoes, socks, and hats off pretty quickly, so those just went in my purse. I grabbed my jacket, purse and coffee, and out the door we went. The second I shut the door and the knob was locked, I realized that I did not have my keys. Yup, I locked the girls and myself out of the house and the van. Ben's school was going to be out in about 20 minutes. I didn't know what to do so I called Shawn who works about 45 minutes away. Then I called the school and told them we were having car trouble and would be late picking Ben up. Shawn came to the rescue, picking up Ben and letting us in the house.
Locked out from Elizabeth Tiemann on Vimeo.
Yup, I was not thrilled. And the freeze frame from that video above... not flattering of me in the slightest.
After lunch, it was time to go go go. We loaded up in the car, myself, the kids, and the cat.
The first stop was Rylie's appointment.
She has bronchiolitis, which isn't serious although it's not fun.
Next stop, the vet for Miss Petty.
A little back story on Petty first:
Shawn and I got her when she was a tiny little kitten a couple of months after we moved out. Petty was the cutest all black kitten with giant eyes. She was the sweetest little kitty and everybody loved her. She would try on people's shoes when they would come over and take them. She would dig through purses or anything left on the floor. I'd never seen anything like that before. Not from a cat anyway.
She's the only cat I've ever had that loves when we have lots of company. She demands attention and loves to be cuddled and loved even if it's from the kids who give loves a lot more rough than I would like. She takes all of their abuse and when she's had enough, she leaves. If you are sitting on the couch, she's sitting with you. If you are sitting at the table, she's rubbing against your legs. She drools, a lot, especially when she's getting petted.
About two weeks ago we noticed that she had lost a fang. She's normally pretty healthy, so we decided we'd have to take her to a vet, but she seemed healthy otherwise, and with sick kids, family birthdays, school, work, etc., we all just got side tracked. Last weekend we noticed a mass under her chin. By this point, she was hardly eating and what she was eating, she couldn't keep down well. I called the vet at the beginning of the week and set up an appointment to have her looked at.
Note to self, the cat does not like the carrier and will dig her claws into what ever she can to avoid going in.
I thought she would be a mess at the vet, but she was totally fine. She was walking around the room, rubbing all over everything, but not scared or hiding or anything.
The vet looked at her and discovered that the mass under her chin, is also taking up half of the inside of her mouth, pressing on her ocular nerve, and pulling on her ear canal. They took some tissue samples and looked at them under a microscope. Turns out, it's an extremely aggressive cancer and a secondary infection. We are treating her infection with an antibiotic and a steroid in hopes that we can at least make her more comfortable. We had the tissue samples sent to a pathologist to find out what kind of cancer it is and to find out if there is treatment we can or want to do. Yup, it's not good... Heartbreaking actually. She's such a good cat, and now we are hearing that our time with her may be about up. Explaining to the kids hasn't been fun either. The vet says that this is horribly painful, but you would never know with how she acts. She is just as sweet and cuddly as ever.
I couldn't even go to my class yesterday evening. Between not sleeping, my daughter being sick, and the news about the cat, I couldn't go and sit in a class for an hour and a half. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't do anything. It was awful.
After a day like yesterday, I needed a lazy day where the kids and I watched movies and took naps. We watched Big Miracle which was amazing and inspiring and Three Stooges which was funny, but not great. I fell asleep on the couch and awoke to Rylie sleeping in her playpen, Sydney asleep behind me, and Ben had pulled a ton of his toys into the living room where he was playing and watching Lady and the Tramp 2.
Yup, the kids didn't even make it out of pajamas today. For dinner, Shawn picked up sandwiches. Torren came over and we have just been talking, watching Total Recall, and I've been crocheting also.
Tomorrow is mine and Shawn's 5 year wedding anniversary and I believe we are going out for dinner and then to the casino. A nice little night out. I need things to calm down a little. For time to slow down.
I think I'm going to finish this movie and head to bed...
To end on a happy note, here is a cute and funny video of Sydney (my 2 year old) reading Rylie's Pride and Prejudice book.
Syd reading from Elizabeth Tiemann on Vimeo.
Comments