The Mom Song

As an aspiring fretful mom, I look forward to many years of being a mom and giving grief to Iris. Enjoy...

RIP Alonzo Morton (1992-2008)

My college buddy John Morton's cat Alonzo died late last night after a brief illness. Alonzo had a lot in common with our own Freddy, from birth date (Alonzo was a year older) to their obvious physical similarity - they could have been brothers.

Here's a shot of Alonzo (he's the big guy on the left) with his roommate Weezer I took when we were in Memphis for Mort & Kate's wedding (you already know them from Gracie's Crib).RIP Alonzo

3 months old!

Happy 3 months old, Baby Iris!

Road trip to West Linn

We hit the road this past weekend, driving down to Oregon to visit Shirley, Bob, Ryan and Emily. We weren't sure how she would do in the car for the 3-hour drive. She doesn't always fall asleep when she's in the car, and we dreaded the thought of a crying baby for the whole drive down. She did surprisingly well. She only fussed when she was hungry and had a dirty diaper.

Iris hardly fits on her cousin Emily's lap.

Still Not Patsy; Kilimanjaro Conquerors

Disappointing news from Eddie last night on the Patsy situation:

"this second cat wasn't Patsy either, isn't neutered. But, I have more people than before looking for him so ya never know. I just hope he made it somewhere and that someone is caring for him. Will be in touch but for now still looking for a cat and a job! Hope all is well with you, Irene, Iris and Freddy!"

So that's a bummer but hopefully Patsy will still turn up soon

Also, on a happier note, my friends Pat Gallagher and Larry (Booter) Olmsted successfully summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania last week (highest peak in Africa)Congratulations to Pat & Larry!
They were the only 2 of the 5 people they went with who made it to the top.

Eddie & Patsy's Ongoing Saga

This will be the longest blog post I've ever done, but I think it's worth it.
One caveat: read on only if you like cats.

I've pasted it together from a series of emails I've gotten from my friend Eddie over the past 6 weeks. (He's the guy in the Pats hat & jersey on this posting.) I've known Eddie since we were in 8th grade French class together. He moved out here a few years ago, but decided to move back to NH to be closer to his folks, and drove off early on New Years Day.

Here's the first email I got from Eddie (on January 7) detailing his drive back to NH:

Hello friends,
For those of you who have not heard I finally arrived at my parents in NH Sunday night at 9 p.m. after an arduous 6-day nightmare. I am including those of you who know about this as it may make for lively reading and help you appreciate the things you have in life.

I am lucky to not only be alive but physically unhurt. I left WA New Year's Day a.m. (tuesday) and all was going well until Thurs. night when I hit a patch of black ice on I-80 in Walcott, Iowa (middle of cornfields, 30 miles from anywhere), flipped my truck and U-Haul trailer, and somehow came out without injury thanks to seatbelt and my Dodge holding up incredibly well. The truck landed on its side in the median of the highway where about 2 feet of snow cushioned the crash and I was laying on my driver's side door. The accident itself seemed to take forever as I remember saying to myself 'so this is how it ends' as my truck was rolling with the trailer. My two cats were in there cages in the back of the cab. Firemen smashed my sunroof to get me out and take me to the ambulance to get checked out.

Of course the 1st thing I told them before I was out was that I wanted my cats out ASAP also. When they grabbed Patsy's cage from atop the pass. side door it had been broken so as they pulled out the cage he was able to escape and ran across the freeway into a cornfield. Soxy's cage was intact so she is fine and with me now. Well, firemen and cops spent about 30 mins. in the dark, high winds, about 15 degrees, in heavy traffic looking for Patsy as well as I did when I refused to go to the hospital (again, no real injuries aside from whiplash and twisted knee which will be fine). The firemen finally had to leave and the cops let me keep looking with a flashlight for another 30 mins. or so before he took me to a hotel as other cars and trucks were also skidding off the road around us so it was dangerous to be there. My truck was totaled and the U-Haul damaged but did not open so all was towed to an impound lot.

1st thing Fri. a.m. I got a cab and got dropped off at the milepost where the accident occurred to look for Patsy. Again, I had nothing but my sneakers, sweats, light jacket and Soxy's cage (left her in hotel of course) so I spent about 90 mins. trudging in 2 feet of snow alongside a very busy highway, very cold, but no luck. I called cab to come back and get me and as cabbie was slowing to pull over to get me she was rear-ended by a semi and slightly injured by smacking her head on the steering wheel. So there I am, already traumatized, trying to comfort the petrified cabby and calling 911 which the truck driver had done also. He was pissed at her but said it was either hit a car in passing lane, hit me on the right (so I almost bought it again!), or stay straight and impact the cab. Needless to say I got a free ride back to the hotel by a county sheriff.

From there I had to decide what to do next. Rent a car and just head back or rent a truck and hope some of my stuff was salvageable at the impound lot. Nothing was close to the truck stop hotel I was at but decided to take a chance and rent the truck as it was only $200 more than the car because of Penske's help. Well, the nearest available truck was 30 miles away in Iowa City so I took another $50 cab ride to Penske in Davenport where the rep there was great, gave me 25% discount on truck and personally drove me to Iowa City Penske to get the truck. Of course Davenport was east and Iowa City 60 miles the other way west. After I got the truck I went back, again, to the side of the highway where Patsy was lost. Trudged another hour or so, no luck and was dangerous having the truck on the side of the highway where the shoulder was narrow due to snowbanks. At that point I had to get to the impound lot by 4 pm to start sorting thru stuff so had to give up my search with a devastated heart. Leaving my cat out in the freezing cold and snow is something I can't get over and have cried about ever since. Those of you who know me well know how close I am to my cats.

Then spent 4 hours in dark and cold alone picking out about half of my stuff that was salvageable and transferring from the trailer and from my truck to the Penske truck (not tight packing - just throwing it in). The U-Haul had a gash in the ceiling but stayed in tact pretty well also so I saved more that I thought I would. At about 8 pm Soxy and I began the final piece of our journey. Wasn't able to drive long without stops as I was very sore from the accident, trudging, and moving furniture and boxes for 4 hours. But, as I said, finally made it here to NH Sun. night. Sarah has posted pics and descriptions on Craigslist and Petfinder for me in the search for Patsy. The local Walcott cop, who also has a cat and went to his house Thurs. night and brought me food and litter for Soxy at the hotel, has notified the local farmowners to keep an eye out for Patsy. The sheriff who gave me a ride from the highway also called me back Sat. to let me know she was keeping an eye out for Patsy so these people were awesome to me. I still hold out a little hope for Patsy that he is found but chances are not good for him given the conditions and location where he was lost.

So, there you have it. Sorry for the drama but that's the story of my life!

Thanks to all of you for being there for me and I'll be in touch. Am keeping the same cell # for a month or so and you now have my email address if you didn't already.

Take care,
Eddie

So I'm like HOLY CRAP!, and also about how much it all totally sucks. Poor Eddie. Poor Patsy. I'm feeling kind of guilty too since it was my suggestion that he heads south and take I-80 across rather than I-90, to avoid the worst of the crappy winter weather. I also figured that would be that last we heard of Patsy. Then Eddie emailed again last Wednesday (February 6):

Going to Iowa this Friday thru Sunday to put up posters, distribute fliers, and visit the vets and Humane Society in the area I lost Patsy. Sarah is flying out from Seattle and meeting me to help.

(Sarah is Eddie's ex who still lives out here in Tacoma) I'm really impressed by this & wish him the best but to myself I'm saying that there's no way he'll be that lucky, not a month later. Here's the next chapter from Feb 11:

Get this, I just now got a call from an old lady who thinks she has Patsy! I just got in last night but am flying back out in a couple of days or may drive. Stay tuned! Do you believe in MIRACLES?

Then I got this yesterday Friday Feb.15:

I was originally replying to my friend Jim in Seattle with this email but am including others for the update. Comical in its tragedy. For those who didn't know I drove to Iowa on the same day I flew back as an elderly lady called me Monday 9 hours after I got home from the airport who said she had been taking care of a black stray for a month and her husband saw my poster at one of the gas stations. I 'assumed' it had to be Patsy, right timing, right area, town of only 150 people, but it wasn't him. Was going to keep this 'other' cat anyway but changed mind. Wasted trip. So, read on....

I sent that text msg from the lady's driveway as I was leaving with the 'other' black cat. He had an open wound by his ear and was in need of medical care. The old lady couldn't take care of him so initially thought I'd keep him but decided he would need too much medical stuff and I don't need that right now so on the way thru Davenport I took him to the Humane Society where they'll fix him up and they don't euthanize there (it's the HS where someone would take Patsy so they know me there) so I was happy with that. Decided he couldn't replace Patsy.

So, I drive for 19 straight hours (aside from 2 hour nap at rest area in Scranton - didn't see Steve Carrell though) and I'm on 495 in Lowell, 45 mins. from home, when the phone rings with a 563 Iowa number. Sure enough, another lady, owns a horse farm, saw my flier, and has 11 barn cats including 'Simon', a black cat that showed up a month ago who has been coming and going. She thinks it's Patsy. She saw one of my posters and also got the flier in her paperbox I put out. So, when he comes around, hopefully today, she will bring him inside and THIS TIME it's someone who can take pics and email to me so that my 3rd trip to Iowa won't be a guess as I will know it's him! I may use a Pet Transfer service per a suggestion from Sean and have checked it out so we'll see. Don't even know if it's Patsy yet. Have invested over $1500, flown over 3800 miles (cuz flights went to ATL from MHT to MOLINE, IL) and driven over 2400 miles thus far. Will let y'all know the next phase. Guess I'd better get a job as Patsy is sucking away my unemployment savings! Wish I just had fish.

So that's where we are right now - Eddie's waiting for photos of 'Simon' to see if it really is Patsy. Stay tuned - I'll post an update as soon as I hear.

Happy Valentine's Day

Can't you see I'm trying to get some sleep here? I think I hear a crying baby.

Thanks for the outfit pepere.

Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?

Happy Chinese New Year

It's the year of the earth rat! There are some activities planned in the International District this weekend. It won't be anything like festivities in New York City where I grew up. She won't experience the joy of being handed matches and strings and strings of firecrackers, and sent out to play with friends. The Chinese population in Seattle is much smaller than New York.

Life is hard when you're only 11 weeks old

How does she sleep through the noise?

18-1

Iris is ready for the big game

She says GO PATS!!!

Good luck charm

Iris went to her first Sonics game last night, against the Cleveland Cavaliers. We were disappointed to find out that LeBron (AKA Bron-Bron, LBJ, King James) would not be playing. I guess he didn't think it was worthwhile to play against a team with a losing record. Iris was excited to be there when the Sonics scored 40 points in the first quarter, the most they've scored in a single quarter all season. The Sonics did make it exciting, blowing a 20+ point lead, but eventually winning with a 101-95 score. Last night's game was the Sonic's 11th win of the season (they've lost 35). We like to say that Iris was the good luck that the team needed.

10 Weeks Old!

Happy Ten Weeks Iris! She's smiling at us lots all of a sudden - it's a great feeling when she flashes those tiny gums.

I don't have any good pics of her grinning yet so here's one of me enjoying a maple bar with bacon from Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland that I've been meaning to post for months.

(We found out about this new Breakfast of Champions when Anthony Bourdain had a couple of them when his Travel Channel show featured Portland)In other news, we discovered that Iris enjoys Pink Floyd. We've been putting on "Dark Side of the Moon" when we want her to sleep. It's worked a few times & hopefully it'll keep working for a while longer. Surprisingly she doesn't seem to care much for "Wish You Were Here"

duuuuuuuuude! put on some Floyd!!!

How you've grown

What a difference 8 weeks make? Compare the photo of Iris on the day she left the hospital and the one taken today. She's wearing the same outfit in both photos.

Baby Name Genie

I discovered this site thru my gmail links today - if only we had known about it in November. Here's the perfect name for our little girl, according to the genie:You can keep pushing the wish again button as long as you like, and the genie will keep supplying names, though he gets pretty sarcastic after you've used up the 3 wishes he prefers to grant.

8 days till a Patriots victory

Iris enjoying tales of the mighty Patriots as told by her dad.

2 Month Check Up

Iris turned 2 months yesterday. Today she got to go the pediatrician for her check up. Jim and I are proud to say she now weighs 10.5 lbs., and measures 22 1/4". She's getting to be such a big girl. Those 2 measurements are right at the 50th percentile for length and weight for 2 month olds. Where she really excels is in head size--hers measured 40.5 cm, which they told us is in the 75th-90th percentile. I suppose that means that 40cm is 75th and 41 is 90th, and she's around the middle of that range.

She was super brave too because she had 3 vaccine shots. She cried of course but was fine by the time we got her dressed & left the exam room. Maybe she had a flashback to her first week of life when she was constantly poked and prodded while in hospital.

It's Cold Outside, Baby

With Jim back at work, I'm alone with Iris all day. She's not sleeping much during the day, and she's more aware of herself and things around her. To keep boredom to a minimum and provide stimulation for Iris (and me), we go out for walks. Iris seems to enjoy the walks and sleeps better at night.

I have carpal tunnel syndrome, and it's too painful to push a stroller for long walks. So, instead, Iris gets to be in her Baby Bjorn on the walks. The weather hasn't been great with temperatures below the norm. I have to bundle her up before our walks. Luckily she doesn't mind wearing layer upon layer of clothing.

Update on Fred

With all the excitement (and drama) with Iris, we've neglected to mention Fred in any recent postings. Fred is now 14 1/2 years old, and he's really showing his age. He's taking glucosamine and pain medication to help with his arthritis. Once again, we're trying to get him to lose weight since being overweight worsens his pain. He weighs in about 16.5 pounds now. I'm not sure how much weight he can drop since he's already on a diet (though Jim has been known to offer food scraps off his dinner plate occasionally). Too bad it'll be awhile before Iris can chase Fred around to help with the weight loss.

Fred has been getting acupuncture to help with his pain (and possibly with early signs of kidney failure). He's not completely happy about the treatments, but they have been working. He appears to walk around with less signs of pain after his appointments. It's hard to see in the photo but Fred has about 8-9 needles in him.

Jim's last day of family leave

Today is Jim's last day home before returning back to work. I can't say how much help he's been with Iris. Iris loves her daddy, and I'm sure she'll be as sad as I will be to say goodbye to him tomorrow morning. It's hard to believe that Iris will be 8 weeks old tomorrow. Stay tuned for updates when Iris has her 2-month check up next week. She'll be getting her first shots then. Let's hope she doesn't scream her head off at the doctor's office.

Here's a pic of Jim's favorite way to spend time with Iris (and Fred).