Oh where, oh where has my energy gone?

I've been fretting about something over the past few months. I don't seem to have any energy to do anything lately. I know it takes alot of energy to have a 9-month-old, especially when he weighs 26 pounds. But I used to be able to get SO much done. When Gabriel finally started taking two decent naps a day, I would clean house or work on laundry the whole time he was sleeping. Now, I have to force myself to not lay down and either nap or watch TV every time he takes a nap. I'm barely getting daily chores done. What is the deal? Is it just because I had a child late in life and my age has caught up with me? Have I lost my work ethic and am now just lazier than I used to be? I really want to have another baby, but sometimes I wonder if I'll be able to physically handle it. I have many friends who have two or even three kids, and they seem to run circles around me. Maybe it's just that you find the energy to do what you have to do, when you have to do it, no more and no less. I'm going to go lay down and think about it some more.

Are ya sure this is Texas?

The weather so far this summer has been so refreshing. This is a sentence I don't believe I've ever uttered before. By the end of June, we are normally having upper 90 to 100 degree highs with no chance for rain until the Fall. But so far, we've had rain on and off for the whole month and have barely broken 90 degrees. Tomorrow the high is supposed to be 82! I have always wondered what a "normal" summer experience would be like, where summer is meant to be enjoyed and not just endured. Where it is pleasant to sit outside in the late afternoons, instead of hiding in an air-conditioned house. Where you can feel the cool morning air on your arms in the early morning, instead of the muggy, hard to breath, leftover-from-the-night-before heavy air. Where there is still green everywhere you look, instead of dull, crisp browns. This is going to make me realize what I have been missing all of these summers, and I might just refuse to go back.

June has been busting out all over

This month has been a little hectic, needless to say. I had my wonderful girls weekend in Fredericksburg over the 2nd weekend (full posting to come). The trip was SO fun and therapeutic, but it was a little hard to be away from Gabriel. Jav and Gabriel and I traveled to Monterrey Mexico for 4 nights the next weekend to visit Jav's aunts, uncle and cousins and introduce everybody to Gabriel (full posting to come). This in itself was very stressful to get ready for, because I had to have all suitcases packed, all toys and baby food and baby gear bagged up, plus food for our breakfasts and lunches and snacks bought and bagged up so that Jav's parents could take everything in their truck (they drove, we flew). Plus they stayed an extra day, so we didn't get our stuff back until a couple of days after we got home. I've been playing catch up on housework and laundry ever since, and can't seem to get caught up on my sleep. I feel like I've been packing or unpacking for the last month! I've also had pet stresses, with Fred not eating before we left and now still not feeling too good after his surgery. I was also pretty upset about having to leave Stanley for the trip to Monterrey-he's moving really slow these days and I didn't want to be gone if anything happened, to say nothing of what it would have put my parents through. Speaking of my parents, they are in Colorado with some friends, and we are keeping their dog for 8 nights. And to cap off the month, we're going to see The Police Wednesday night. I think I will finally be rested up enough to really enjoy the show.

As of today, we only have two things to do in July. But for some reason, the activities always multiply every time we turn around.

The Grey Ghost

(Notice the fancy English spelling of Gray...)

Fred is our youngest cat, having just turned 5. He is also our most problematic pet, even outdoing Molly. The reason we call him the Grey Ghost is because very few people have actually seen him.

I hearn him meowing as a very small but adorable kitten underneath some scrub brush at the old house. I, of course, set out to catch him and keep him, even though this meant I was getting dangerously close to becoming the Crazy Cat Lady on the Corner. He was very wily, even as a tiny kitten, and would silently but quickly run to another scrub brush every time I got close. One day Stanley was out in the yard, and for some reason Fred decided to be friends with him, and that's how I caught him. Stanley is one of the few dogs that seems inviting to cats.

Unfortunately, I was going through a bit of a "hermit" period just after I caught Fred and brought him inside. I didn't have many people coming over, and he didn't get used to people at all during his very important imprinting time. I was the only person to hold him, and he doesn't even like me to if it's my idea. In true cat style, any contact has to be on his terms. He seems to be afraid of everything and everybody. He still runs away from Jav most of the time.

Fred also ended up having alot of health problems, which adds to his already skittish nature. He's had one urinary tract infection due to lack of water, and his gums are almost constantly infected. He's better about drinking water as long as his gums are healthy. He has to have a cortizone shot every 6 - 8 weeks for his gums. If he is going through one of his bad gum periods he waits until Gabriel is asleep and Jav and I are finished with dinner before he'll come out and finally try to eat. The other cats seem to pick on him because he is the youngest, and also the runt. This drives me crazy, so I get mad at them and they get even more resentful.

Despite all of this, Fred has very lovable qualities, even though they may only be apparent to me. Once he decides he wants to curl up in your lap, he will stay until you kick him off. He is truly the best hunter in the house, tracking down and killing any bug he happens to see. I think if he was allowed outside he would probably take down all kinds of critters. He is a beautiful cat, with blue-green eyes and silvery fur. I constantly go back and forth about whether or not I should have let him be an outside cat. He either would have thrived, or he wouldn't have made it near this long. I'm just not sure.

We leave for Monterrey today, and because Fred doesn't do well with breaks in routine we need to board him while we're gone. He apparantly has figured this out and has gone into hiding. I will go on doing what I can to help Fred be a happier cat, since I feel guilty that part of the reason he is the way he is is my fault.

I must now leave you to continue my quest for the capture of the elusive Grey Ghost.

6/21/07 addendum: I successfully found Fred before our trip, boarded him, and the vet not only cleaned his teeth, but ended up pulling 4 of his molars (two on each side, where he was having the most problems with his gums). The vet told me this is the first time he's ever done anything this drastic to solve a cat's gums problems, but he really thinks this will help Fred to be a happier guy from now on. It's still too early to tell yet, but I hope he's right.