Purple ears, lame kitties and wrist wraps...

It all started Monday afternoon with a tattle tale from Evan that Spencer was playing "super kitty" (I don't think I even want to know what that is, so I didn't ask) with Dickens and made him hurt his leg again. I use "again" in that sentence because he initially hurt it while we were in Chicago about two hours into my Mom's thirty six hour baby sitting stint. The cat had attempted to jump from the stairs to the couch and missed and immediately started meowing in pain and gimping around on his leg. My Mom was panicked (to say the least) and thought he had broken his leg and that they would surely euthanize him. (They shoot horses don't they?) After my Dad had come to the rescue and taken the cat to the vet for x-rays and kitty Valium it was determined that the leg wasn't broken, only jammed and that he would be alright as long as he kept it "quiet" and rested. OK - he is a kitten. And he lives in a house with three children that maul him all their waking hours. God help him.

He seemed to be fine until Monday and the "super kitty" incident. Even after that, he didn't cry at all just kind of hobbled around again. Needless to say, I was furious at Spencer and he was sent to his room as I threatened to give the cat away to someone who didn't treat him like a toy and play so rough with him. He also had his TV privileges taken away for three days which in actuality is more of a punishment for me than him. Let's face it, one kid sucked into the TV is one less kid to have to deal with. I am kidding...a little.

The kids were all very gentle with him. The threats of them not being ready to have pets had really seemed to sink in. The next morning the cat somehow seemed to hurt his leg worse. I am sure that the kids had nothing to do with it because I was with them almost every minute. I think that he must have forgotten it was hurt again and jumped off of something and jammed it again. He was holding the leg way in the air and meowing a lot more. I called the vet and she said she would prescribe him some anti-inflammatory to help with the pain. And that we should have him keep it "quiet" and rest. Aside from trapping him in his 2x2 square travelling cage...I don't know how that is going to happen.

So all week I have been mothering to my fourth child. Trying to focus extra attention on him and keep the kids away from him. It is an exhausting task.

Isn't he so cute all stretched out in the sunshine? He should be on an inspirational kitty poster with the word "bliss" on it.

Next topic...

While I was getting Hailey dressed on Monday (Monday was just not a good day), I began to comb her hair when I noticed this....

Yeah...no need to adjust your monitors...her ear is purple. The sad part is I don't really know what happened. She was fine on Saturday and I know that because I put her hair in pigtails and I would have noticed this hugely bruised ear. I know that on Sunday she cried two or three times and said that she bumped her head. Apparently one of those times she must have bumped her ear and bumped it mighty hard. Poor little thing. Maybe her loving parents could have brought her an ice pack or something. It doesn't seem to bother her at all. Even if I touch it, she doesn't complain. It just looks totally nasty - I have never seen anything like it. I didn't even realize that you could bruise your ears.

Next....

Last Saturday, Trent and I raked and bagged forty two bags of leaves. It is really not as bad as it seems and it saved us from paying someone a hundred and seventy dollars to do it for us- Cha-ching! In the process of that task I hurt my left wrist. I don't know what I did, but the next day if I bent it a certain way it was very painful. If it is not bent, it doesn't hurt, so I keep forgetting about it until I bend it and it hurts. Follow that? To alleviate the bending, I wrapped it up in the bandage that Spencer used when he dislocated his elbow. For those of you surprised that I still have the bandage that my son wore three years ago, this is my reply. HAVE IT? I was actually surprised that I hadn't put it in his SCRAPBOOK (Spencer's 1st visit to the ER - with festive stickers and children's Tylenol with codeine prescription and a swatch from his Ace bandage) but then I remembered that I am so far behind in my scrapbooks that I am nowhere near the time when it happened. Whew! Tragedy averted. Close call!

Anyway...I know that it hinders on a touch of the drama, but it really helps. I had it off for most of the morning today and my wrist almost feels totally back to normal. So I put it back on so that I wouldn't re-injure it when the kids decide to play "super mommy".

I am hoping for a laid back weekend but by the looks of our calendar, I don't think it is going to happen. In addition, Evan's nose has been running like a faucet today so he either has allergies or is getting a cold. Great. Now if I could only keep him resting and quiet....