The Kill Zone

For the last few posts, I have started off with mommy news as the birth of our baby boy, Hayden Alexander Weeks, draws nearer.  While mommy is doing well and we have had some professional pregnancy pics taken, I will start with uneventful and gross news with our insane tom cat, Catbert.

We believe that we have finally figured out that Catbert is a Main Coon which is why he seems to be different than the other cats; well at least others that I have had.  We resisted allowing him do go outside because Sara was worried about what might happen to him or if he would run off.  I was not worried at all because he has easy food at our house.  Why would he ever run off when he gets fed and has a warm place to nap whenever he wants!  But, Sara being Sara, decided that she would try to put him on a harness and leash him to our hand rail outside so he could get some fresh air and be tortured by not being able to participate in the outdoor action.

Needless to say, Houdini did his trick and was out of the harness in about 5 seconds flat and out and about.  Of course, Sara being stubborn, decided to try it again and again making tighter adjustments, etc to no avail.  So, one day, I decided to stop the insanity and let him out assuring Sara that he would come back when he was hungry.  And, of course, I LOVE being right..... and while he went on a full out killing spree he has always come home like clock work.

We really regret declawing him but what is done is done BUT, it does not seem to hamper his hunting abilities one bit.  He has killed birds, mice, chipmunks, lizzards, other stuff we probably don't know about.  He did try a toad but he got a frothy mouth so he stays away from them now.  He has gone through different phases of killing; only eating the heads, eating the whole thing, eating everything but the stomach, or leaving parts so he can eat it later.  He even eats all of the bird feathers!

We now have a kill zone in our garage where we have a newer remnant piece of carpet meant to wipe our feet before entering the house.  This has become the place where the prey is brought back for the feast.  Unfortunately, mommy gets to be grossed out when coming home from her many fitness teaching sessions at the YMCA or from work or wherever she is coming from because she is an active little thing and is always somewhere (typically the YMCA; her second home away from home).  So here are a few things mommy gets to deal with upon arrival into the garage:

The Kill Zone with the Stomach left over for later

The Stomach

This is a stomach from this morning's kill - Sara has not come home yet so it will be an interesting entrance.  Hee hee.

Relaxing after the big kill

Looking out of the dining room window into the back yard, is a burm where Catbert loves to hide and poop and do whatever else he does skulking around.  See if you can find him in the pic below:

Where's Waldo?

Ok, enough of the crazy cat :-)....  Mommy is now beyond 37 weeks and my new best friend is coming very soon.  Due on May 17th we are on the countdown and mommy is really feeling good with no signs of small contractions.  He is kicking her and she has had a couple of sleepless nights because his activity wasn't very pleasant feeling.  Also, while she has softened (according to the Doc's visit), he hasn't dropped yet so she while she is carrying a smidge lower, she is still having heart burn and can't eat a lot at one time.  We have a collage of sorts on our mantle because we have sonogram pics as well as our trip to Vegas, our wedding pic, anniversary cards and these really cool blocks that Sara's vendor, Dandy Products, gave to her.  Check out our mantle:

The blocks have weeks, months, days, and years, so they can go as long as he lives.  Very Cool Gift!!  Last week we had some professional pregnancy photos shot and I took the opportunity to shoot a pic of the photographer shooting the pics.  Of course, the professional pics are really cool but for some reason, the link she posted them on so we could choose our favorites is not working this morning so I will have to see if my techie wife can access the link or if I am just being a bad pilot.  Here is a couple of pics of the pics :-):

She does not look over 8 mo. pregnant!

This pose didn't even make the cut because front on she doesn't look pregnant.  The blocks spell "Hayden"

This is a crappy pic above with my camera but the pro's pic looked great!  It was only a pic of the belly and the blocks.  If you look real close you can still see mommy's ab muscles on the side.  When they were taking this photo, I told them she didn't look pregnant on a frontal shot so it got canned.

Well, I have taken enough time.....  Have a happy day and if we act like it will be our last we will savor the day.

//Loren

Week 36: We're on the Home Stretch

Yesterday we had an ultrasound to check the position of Hayden.  The two naive parents went into it thinking we were going to see a full baby in the belly and what he looks like.  We thought we would see these fat little cheeks, arms and legs, and find out if he has hair on his head.  Turns out the bigger the baby is, the harder it is to see anything that looks like a baby.  We did recognize the spine though. 

He is currently 5lbs 12 oz. and will be gaining somewhere around 1oz. per day so we think he will be just over 7lbs.  His head is in the down position facing mommy's pelvis.  His rear end is on her left side and his feet are on the right which is why we can see his kicks on her right side.

As you can see in the pic below, mommy does not look 8 months pregnant and you can still see her muscles on the side of her tummy.

Week 36

Mommy has had 2 baby showers so far and I have no idea how many more.  We have a lot of really nice gifts and I have a feeling our 1st born little boy is going to be spoiled.  He has some really cute outfits and some really great toys that will keep him engaged!

As far as everything else, we are doing fine, our cats are crazy as ever.  Catbert killed a bird the other day and ate the whole thing.  It was very crunchy and I video'd the last part of it just for Sara.  You can see the pic below is after he has eaten the bird because he has a little feather stuck to his whisker.

Catbert Feather-face

Well that's all for now.  

Loren

Belly at Week 34 - The Meaning of Easter

At week 34, mommy seems to be doing well.  According to Babycenter.com, she should start to become a bit tired.  Baby Hayden is kicking and every once in a while you will hear Sara exclaim "Wewwwww! This typically means that he has had a hard kick somewhere in the rib section.  As you can see, mommy hardly looks almost 8 months pregnant and you can still see her ab muscles on her sides which, of course, she is proud of :).

34 Weeks Pregnant

The Meaning of Easter

It seems to me that the meaning of Easter is to honor Christ's life and for Christians to recognize his resurrection from his torturous death.  Jesus lived his life loving everyone regardless.  If that is the case, and we strive to live our life the way he did, then why do we have so much bigotry, hypocrisy and down right crime and war in the name of God?

For me, it defies logic to see people or institutions mistreat people in the name of their "religious beliefs or institutional dogma."  Hide or ignore crimes committed to protect the reputation of individuals and/or religious institutions.  Or to ridicule, ostracize or hate anyone who is different. 

My celebration this Easter is to embrace all the diversity in this world.  Understanding that life is imperfectly perfect, that God does not cause disease or suffering because if he did, he would be a sadistic hateful entity.  That heaven is not a place but a state; we are all energy, forming and transforming; we are all connected to each other and "the source" the thing that powers everything, our fellow humans, the animals, the plants, the universe.

I am a Cosmic.  I believe we are all striving for the same thing ultimately discovering who we really are through our physical experience on this planet.

Maybe everyone should eat a peace lilly and may you all have a peaceful Easter.

Loren

Week 33 Belly Shots