We had started sitting Brian on the potty recently. The first time that I started doing it at home was the week that Tink got very sick. On Wednesday of that week, I sat him on the potty for a minute every 30 minutes for two hours. On Thursday, I didn't do it that long. It was that Thursday that Tink began to look a little unlike herself, although it wasn't until Friday that she definitely looked ill.
That was nearly four weeks ago. Tink became very sick and it was a number of days before I started sitting him on the potty again. At home, during sessions, his tutors and I sat him on the potty, too, but aside from this time we weren't doing it very consistently at home.
Although Brian didn't have any problems sitting on the potty, he hadn't eliminated either. He would either wet himself slightly afterwards while wearing under pants or eliminate in his diaper. That was until last Thursday, April 20th, when I went to pick him up at the center and Laura told me excitedly that Brian had gone in the potty three times. She explained that she sat him on the potty when she noticed that he had begun to wet himself and then quickly sat him on the potty where she sat him for about 10 minutes at a time. He was hesitant and he didn't fully eliminate but he went in the potty a little each time.
Over the weekend we didn't sit Brian on the potty very much, which is why I was surprised by what he did on Monday afternoon after he woke from his nap. He was wearing his diaper and he told me that he had to go "poo-poo." To clarify, I asked him if he had to go to the potty and he said yes, so to the potty we went. Brian had taken to throwing bathroom tissue in the toilet, flushing and washing his hands afterwards so I wasn't expecting much at the time. As expected, he threw wads of tissue paper in to the toilet. I told him to "go pee-pee" and he positioned himself on the seat so that he could look and he eliminated a little. It was exciting to see my little boy eliminate like a "big boy"!
"Can you do that again?" I asked him.
"Yeah," he replied. And then he looked downward again and did it a little more.
A number of times I continued to ask him if he could do it again, and he would reply "yeah" and eliminate. I was cheering for him and even he raised his hand and asked for a few "hi-fives" after he eliminated successfully.
Once he was done, but before he got off the potty, he asked for a "prize." As an incentive, I had a plastic shopping bag full of inexpensive toys that he could claim after a successful elimination.
Also yesterday evening, while I was talking to Mother on the phone, Brian went in the potty with Daddy's help twice. Once I was off the phone, he went in the potty with me twice also.
This evening he continued telling us that he had to "poo-poo" and sure enough, he went in the potty repeatedly!
He's doing so well that he's exhausted my "potty prizes" supply and I'm thinking that we'll have to shift to a token board, where by he'll have to earn a number of tokens before earning his potty prize.
Friday, April 28, 2017
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Can't Help Falling in Love with Tink
This evening, after Jeff came home I went to get Tink's ashes. The veterinarian center had called last week to notify us that they had her remains but I wanted to be the one to go get Tink. I didn't get to say good-bye to her. Jeff took her to the veterinarian while Brian and I slept at home on that Monday morning.
With the Easter weekend and my weekly visits to the Bay Area, there would be no time in which I would be able to go the veterinarian center alone. I wasn't sure how I would feel or what my response would be upon having to ask for Tink's ashes or upon being handed her remains in a box, and so I just didn't think that Brian should be with me.
I hadn't been to the veterinarian clinic before. I sat in the lobby while an employee helped another woman. I didn't want anyone in the lobby to be there, but there was a woman there and a couple when I was asked if I had been helped. Tears started welling in my eyes after I told her what I needed while I stood at the counter. She pulled out a drawer and reached for Tink's box, a small wooden coffer. A white plaque with Tink's paw print was tied to the top of the box with pink ribbons. It struck me how small her little box was, she had been a small dog, the smallest dog that I've ever had. There was my Tink. I didn't want the small box, I wanted my little girl back.
With Tink's remains in my hands I walked back to our car. I had laid my sweater out on the passenger seat so that I could lay Tink on it. When she was our only dog, she often sat on the passenger seat beside me. I drove our compact Saturn which meant that everything was within reach in that small car. When I stopped for a Frappucino, Tink was happy to be offered the whipped cream on top. I would have wanted to get one for her again but due to my health condition I was unable to do that.
While we sat in the car together today, I told Tink once again that I loved her and missed her dearly. I told her that I appreciated her undying love and friendship. I told her that if she was happy, then that would bring me comfort.
I still miss her. Those unsettling "firsts" have already occurred, such as having that extra dinner meat that no one is begging for and not hearing any barking when the bell is rung. When Jeff's parents had stopped for a visit a week earlier they had their two dogs with them, Bob and Charlie. I remember thinking that Tink would have loved their visit. She loved attention from Karen. She and Pip would sit beside her or on her lap as she petted them. And because Tink had lived with Jeff's parents and Bob, they were family to her, too. She would have enjoyed their visit and unfortunately, she only missed it by about four days.
When everyone is asleep and the house is quiet, I think about our dogs. I miss them very much and I think about the good times that we spent together. Usually before I fall asleep, I imagine Tink in my arms again. I'm dancing with Tink in my arms and Haley Reinhart's "Can't Help Falling in Love" is playing for us. Tink is well again, she's beautiful and youthful once again and she's happy to be in my arms again.
After Brian and Jeff went to bed, I continued working on chores. Then I started playing our song, and in our family room I started dancing softly while I had Tink's remains in my arms. I miss you terribly, Tink. I'll love you forever, my little girl.
With the Easter weekend and my weekly visits to the Bay Area, there would be no time in which I would be able to go the veterinarian center alone. I wasn't sure how I would feel or what my response would be upon having to ask for Tink's ashes or upon being handed her remains in a box, and so I just didn't think that Brian should be with me.
I hadn't been to the veterinarian clinic before. I sat in the lobby while an employee helped another woman. I didn't want anyone in the lobby to be there, but there was a woman there and a couple when I was asked if I had been helped. Tears started welling in my eyes after I told her what I needed while I stood at the counter. She pulled out a drawer and reached for Tink's box, a small wooden coffer. A white plaque with Tink's paw print was tied to the top of the box with pink ribbons. It struck me how small her little box was, she had been a small dog, the smallest dog that I've ever had. There was my Tink. I didn't want the small box, I wanted my little girl back.
With Tink's remains in my hands I walked back to our car. I had laid my sweater out on the passenger seat so that I could lay Tink on it. When she was our only dog, she often sat on the passenger seat beside me. I drove our compact Saturn which meant that everything was within reach in that small car. When I stopped for a Frappucino, Tink was happy to be offered the whipped cream on top. I would have wanted to get one for her again but due to my health condition I was unable to do that.
While we sat in the car together today, I told Tink once again that I loved her and missed her dearly. I told her that I appreciated her undying love and friendship. I told her that if she was happy, then that would bring me comfort.
I still miss her. Those unsettling "firsts" have already occurred, such as having that extra dinner meat that no one is begging for and not hearing any barking when the bell is rung. When Jeff's parents had stopped for a visit a week earlier they had their two dogs with them, Bob and Charlie. I remember thinking that Tink would have loved their visit. She loved attention from Karen. She and Pip would sit beside her or on her lap as she petted them. And because Tink had lived with Jeff's parents and Bob, they were family to her, too. She would have enjoyed their visit and unfortunately, she only missed it by about four days.
When everyone is asleep and the house is quiet, I think about our dogs. I miss them very much and I think about the good times that we spent together. Usually before I fall asleep, I imagine Tink in my arms again. I'm dancing with Tink in my arms and Haley Reinhart's "Can't Help Falling in Love" is playing for us. Tink is well again, she's beautiful and youthful once again and she's happy to be in my arms again.
After Brian and Jeff went to bed, I continued working on chores. Then I started playing our song, and in our family room I started dancing softly while I had Tink's remains in my arms. I miss you terribly, Tink. I'll love you forever, my little girl.
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Another New Day without Tink & Adjusting to "Firsts"
Monday evening was our first night without a dog since '09.' Tuesday morning I found my myself without Tink. Since then, I've experienced many "firsts." Tuesday evening, for example, Brian and I waited for Jeff to come home from work out on the lawn. Brian always liked to ring the door bell and hear the reaction from the dogs. That evening he rang the door bell expecting Tink to bark from inside the house, but Tink wasn't home.
Tuesday was also a day in which I found myself not having to take measures to minimize the possibility of having Tink wake Brian during his nap. I didn't have to leave the TV on in order to have the TV drown Tink's environmental noise. I didn't have to lead her from the bedroom in to the living room, or close the sliding door to the hallway. I didn't have to semi-close the blinds on the large windows so that she wouldn't bark at the activity she spotted in front of our house.
Tonight, even Jeff mentioned that we don't have anyone to which to give our leftover dinner meat to anymore.
Brian and I went to get groceries shortly after his session ended today. At the grocery store I didn't need to buy a bag of treats for Tink. Because we had been out of town for a while, I suspected that Brian might fall asleep on the way home and he did, shortly before we reached our house.
Our living room floor is a sheet of plastic. It bothered me very much that I would pull my young half-asleep child out of the car and walk in to the house where Tink greeted us with her "tap-dancing." Tap-tap-tap-tap... Her feet would clap the floor and because she followed us, we'd here it until we reached the carpeted bedroom. I used to think that the baby, or my now toddler, might continue to sleep, which would allow me to have a little break, if Tink would stop "tap-dancing" every time that a sleepy Brian and I walked in to the house.
And so it was today that we walked in to the house, Brian in my arms with his head resting on my shoulder, and it was completely quite on the other side of the door. I paused for just a moment to take in the silence. Tink wasn't there to happily greet us and she was not tap-dancing, she wasn't making any noise, something that I had complained about for years.
Needless to say that I wanted to see Tink on the other side of the door, I wanted to see her prancing happily with a soft toy or slipper in her mouth. I regret that I never stopped to think that she was dancing happily because she was excited to see us again, to understand that it was a good thing, something that should have been appreciated. Instead, I perceived it as noise that was disturbing my son and making things more difficult for me. I'm very sorry for that, Tink.
Brian UPDATE:
Brian has continued to surprise us daily with new phrases, thoughts and formed sentences. Jeff said that this evening, while he was eating cake, Brian asked him, "Daddy, can I have cake please?"
In the morning, I was showing Brian photos of our dogs and showed him how to find the photos on the mobile phone. He wanted to keep looking at Pip's picture. Pip was his favorite dog. While he was on break from session, he was holding the phone in his hand and looking at Pip's photo. Lydia called him back to work for the third hour and he climbed down from where he was seated on my lap, took the phone with him to the pet gate and proudly showed Lydia Pip's photo. He turned the screen to show her the photo and raised it toward her and said, "Pi."
"Are you showing Lydia a picture of your dog, Pip?'
"Es brown," Brian added.
While we were out of town running errands in the afternoon, we passed the street that leads to the center. I was nearing the Starbucks where I was going to buy him a drink when he said, "Nina." "Nina," he repeated a few times. I didn't know what he was talking about until it occurred to me that he might be referring to his teacher Nina. He hadn't been able to say "Nina," he called her "Nana." I suspect that he will be able to say Nina properly now, too.
It's also become routine to sing songs with Brian when he goes to bed so tonight I asked him to pick a song to sing. There are a total of five songs that we sing together. They are Pat-a-cake, Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Old McDonald, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round.
"E," he said to me.
"E?"
"E," he repeated. I had no idea what he was talking about. "E," he gestured. I named a few of our songs, but, no, those were not it.
"P," he said.
"I'm sorry, Brian. I don't know what you're talking about. He was growing more frustrated. he grabbed my hand and positioned it in a particular way to get his message across but I didn't understand him.
"E," he said trying to help me understand by making a gesture with my hand. He began kicking me for which he was reprimanded and then we laid there in silence momentarily. I couldn't identify what he was thinking about. And then I had an idea.
"A, b, c, d, e..." Yes, that was the one he wanted. We sang it a couple of times for the first time this evening. Jeff said that he had been singing the song with him, but I had never done it before.
Tuesday was also a day in which I found myself not having to take measures to minimize the possibility of having Tink wake Brian during his nap. I didn't have to leave the TV on in order to have the TV drown Tink's environmental noise. I didn't have to lead her from the bedroom in to the living room, or close the sliding door to the hallway. I didn't have to semi-close the blinds on the large windows so that she wouldn't bark at the activity she spotted in front of our house.
Tonight, even Jeff mentioned that we don't have anyone to which to give our leftover dinner meat to anymore.
Brian and I went to get groceries shortly after his session ended today. At the grocery store I didn't need to buy a bag of treats for Tink. Because we had been out of town for a while, I suspected that Brian might fall asleep on the way home and he did, shortly before we reached our house.
Our living room floor is a sheet of plastic. It bothered me very much that I would pull my young half-asleep child out of the car and walk in to the house where Tink greeted us with her "tap-dancing." Tap-tap-tap-tap... Her feet would clap the floor and because she followed us, we'd here it until we reached the carpeted bedroom. I used to think that the baby, or my now toddler, might continue to sleep, which would allow me to have a little break, if Tink would stop "tap-dancing" every time that a sleepy Brian and I walked in to the house.
And so it was today that we walked in to the house, Brian in my arms with his head resting on my shoulder, and it was completely quite on the other side of the door. I paused for just a moment to take in the silence. Tink wasn't there to happily greet us and she was not tap-dancing, she wasn't making any noise, something that I had complained about for years.
Needless to say that I wanted to see Tink on the other side of the door, I wanted to see her prancing happily with a soft toy or slipper in her mouth. I regret that I never stopped to think that she was dancing happily because she was excited to see us again, to understand that it was a good thing, something that should have been appreciated. Instead, I perceived it as noise that was disturbing my son and making things more difficult for me. I'm very sorry for that, Tink.
Brian UPDATE:
Brian has continued to surprise us daily with new phrases, thoughts and formed sentences. Jeff said that this evening, while he was eating cake, Brian asked him, "Daddy, can I have cake please?"
In the morning, I was showing Brian photos of our dogs and showed him how to find the photos on the mobile phone. He wanted to keep looking at Pip's picture. Pip was his favorite dog. While he was on break from session, he was holding the phone in his hand and looking at Pip's photo. Lydia called him back to work for the third hour and he climbed down from where he was seated on my lap, took the phone with him to the pet gate and proudly showed Lydia Pip's photo. He turned the screen to show her the photo and raised it toward her and said, "Pi."
"Are you showing Lydia a picture of your dog, Pip?'
"Es brown," Brian added.
While we were out of town running errands in the afternoon, we passed the street that leads to the center. I was nearing the Starbucks where I was going to buy him a drink when he said, "Nina." "Nina," he repeated a few times. I didn't know what he was talking about until it occurred to me that he might be referring to his teacher Nina. He hadn't been able to say "Nina," he called her "Nana." I suspect that he will be able to say Nina properly now, too.
It's also become routine to sing songs with Brian when he goes to bed so tonight I asked him to pick a song to sing. There are a total of five songs that we sing together. They are Pat-a-cake, Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Old McDonald, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round.
"E," he said to me.
"E?"
"E," he repeated. I had no idea what he was talking about. "E," he gestured. I named a few of our songs, but, no, those were not it.
"P," he said.
"I'm sorry, Brian. I don't know what you're talking about. He was growing more frustrated. he grabbed my hand and positioned it in a particular way to get his message across but I didn't understand him.
"E," he said trying to help me understand by making a gesture with my hand. He began kicking me for which he was reprimanded and then we laid there in silence momentarily. I couldn't identify what he was thinking about. And then I had an idea.
"A, b, c, d, e..." Yes, that was the one he wanted. We sang it a couple of times for the first time this evening. Jeff said that he had been singing the song with him, but I had never done it before.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Sweetest Tink
I miss Tink very much. I'm constantly reminded of Tink and Pip at home because we have a house fit for a dog. We have the pet beds, the unopened bags of treats, the pet door and pet gate, just to name a few examples.
Tink was the sweetest, most loving dog. She was adorable, too, as she had her characteristic habits and quirks. Possibly my favorite was the way she greeted her family. When she heard us approaching to enter the house, she'd get excited, let out a sharp and abrupt shrill and rush to the door where she would greet us, happily prancing on the other side of the door with a soft toy in her mouth. She always had to have something in her mouth, such as a dog chew or treat of hers or a soft toy. In her latter years here, she usually held a soft dog toy, because I didn't give her chews very much anymore. After Brian's arrival, one would open the door to find her with one of Brian's soft toys in her mouth or one of his baby slippers. At times, perhaps because she didn't have anything else with in reach, I would find her with my slipper in her mouth. I don't know how she could carry a slipper that was nearly as big and heavy as she was.
Tink also always barked when she heard the mail carrier's work vehicle or other "foreign" work vehicles, such as garbage trucks, UPS, or the Sparklett's truck. She barked when she heard the garage open and she barked every time that she heard a bell ring on the television or other entertainment device, so much so that I either had to change the channel on the TV if a game show was on or I had to scold her to keep her quiet. Of course, too, she barked at the sound of a knock on the door or the door bell. Tink, despite being tiny, was a wonderfully protective dog.
One memory that I have of her is when I was walking her in Del Webb. I believe that Bob was with us at the time, or it might have been Pip; we were walking in that subdivision when a UPS truck came our way. Tink spotted the truck and barked directly at it, she even made the driver laugh. She was silly to bark at a work truck when we were in a subdivision that wasn't our own.
When we lived on Fremont, Jeff used to park on the curb, in front of our house. Our lawn wasn't very big, and our bedroom window was to the right of the front door. Tink and I quickly learned the sound of Jeff's pick up as it pulled up to the curb. Even if she was asleep, she'd usually wake to the sound of Jeff's pick up.
Tink was also a begger. She came from the Davis household where all the dogs learned to beg for food. Every time that she heard the clink of a utensil against a ceramic bowl or a pot she'd make a mad dash for the kitchen or to the location from where the sound had emerged.
Tink was an incredibly beautiful dog, too, and I am not someone who must have a designer dog, we didn't buy her and we didn't know her as a pup. She was discovered roaming the streets by Jeff's parents' neighbors. She was with another dog or two when she was found. The neighbors were already fostering multiple dogs and they asked Jeff's parents if they would care for her until they found Tink a home. I remember the first time that I laid eyes on Tink. I had walked in to Jeff's parents' home and I spotted Tink, then a new dog to the house. I remember thinking, 'Poor little ugly dog.' She was very thin and unhealthy looking. I don't know how long she roamed the streets before she was rescued.
We moved from the area in the fall of '09. That same year, Jeff's parents were house hunting out of state. They had asked Jeff if he wanted to give Tink a home. I was a little reluctant because we had just lost Domino in September, but Jeff wanted to bring her home, so we cared for Jeff's parents three dogs while they were out of state house hunting and when they returned for their dogs they left Tink with us. I remember feeling pity for her because she scratched at our front door when Jeff's parents and their dogs had left, as if she wanted her family to know that they had forgot her and she wanted to go home with them. Because of that, I dedicated myself to caring for her and being very good to her. Although Jeff had brought her home, we quickly became the best of friends.
I have always had the terrible habit of going to bed late and Tink always came to find me on the sofa, or in the other bedroom or came to be in the same room with me until it was time to turn in. I'd turn everything off and grab Tink and to bed we would go together. If she was with me on the sofa or in the bed, I'd simply make a comfortable nest for her and she'd fall asleep until I was ready for bed.
Tink also used to come with me to run errands. I went to Starbucks regularly and there were times when they'd offer Tink a "shot" of whipped cream. She loved it, so much so that she then began helping herself to the whipped cream on my frappucino as we drove away. Other times, I'd have to scold her when I'd find her doing the same when I had left my drink unattended.
Because we had Tink before we had our son, and before we cared for additional dogs, she also came on trips with us. She went to the ranch once when Jeff's brother was there with his new baby, she was at Grandma Davis' house, she came to Fresno with us and she went to Idaho a few times. She remembered the new house in Idaho when we went the second time. She made a bee line for the door. She also came with me to southern California once. When Jeff got sick on the road, we had to stay in a motel in Winnemucca; Tink was with us then, too.
Like all good pet parents, I had a number of nicknames for Tink. I referred to her as my Buttercup, and because we called her Sneaky Tinky when she was mischievous, I also called her Sticky and Stickers. The family that rescued her named her Tinkerbell.
Brian UPDATE:
Brian is progressing rapidly in his speech. This evening I gave him a bath before bed. He said he didn't want to get out of the bath so I asked Jeff to pull him out because I knew that he'd put up a fight.
I went to the other bathroom and I heard Brian fighting his dad, I knew he was physically resisting, too, so I laughed out loud when I heard him cry "Hey, what are you doing?!" as he unleashed his tirade at his father.
Earlier in the day, Brian's tutor Laura also told me that she heard him say, "Just kidding." I had given Brian a couple of cookies during his session break and when he went to join Laura again, she asked him if he had had cookies. "No," he replied. She said that then she thinks she heard him say, "Just kidding!"
Tink was the sweetest, most loving dog. She was adorable, too, as she had her characteristic habits and quirks. Possibly my favorite was the way she greeted her family. When she heard us approaching to enter the house, she'd get excited, let out a sharp and abrupt shrill and rush to the door where she would greet us, happily prancing on the other side of the door with a soft toy in her mouth. She always had to have something in her mouth, such as a dog chew or treat of hers or a soft toy. In her latter years here, she usually held a soft dog toy, because I didn't give her chews very much anymore. After Brian's arrival, one would open the door to find her with one of Brian's soft toys in her mouth or one of his baby slippers. At times, perhaps because she didn't have anything else with in reach, I would find her with my slipper in her mouth. I don't know how she could carry a slipper that was nearly as big and heavy as she was.
Tink also always barked when she heard the mail carrier's work vehicle or other "foreign" work vehicles, such as garbage trucks, UPS, or the Sparklett's truck. She barked when she heard the garage open and she barked every time that she heard a bell ring on the television or other entertainment device, so much so that I either had to change the channel on the TV if a game show was on or I had to scold her to keep her quiet. Of course, too, she barked at the sound of a knock on the door or the door bell. Tink, despite being tiny, was a wonderfully protective dog.
One memory that I have of her is when I was walking her in Del Webb. I believe that Bob was with us at the time, or it might have been Pip; we were walking in that subdivision when a UPS truck came our way. Tink spotted the truck and barked directly at it, she even made the driver laugh. She was silly to bark at a work truck when we were in a subdivision that wasn't our own.
When we lived on Fremont, Jeff used to park on the curb, in front of our house. Our lawn wasn't very big, and our bedroom window was to the right of the front door. Tink and I quickly learned the sound of Jeff's pick up as it pulled up to the curb. Even if she was asleep, she'd usually wake to the sound of Jeff's pick up.
Tink was also a begger. She came from the Davis household where all the dogs learned to beg for food. Every time that she heard the clink of a utensil against a ceramic bowl or a pot she'd make a mad dash for the kitchen or to the location from where the sound had emerged.
Tink was an incredibly beautiful dog, too, and I am not someone who must have a designer dog, we didn't buy her and we didn't know her as a pup. She was discovered roaming the streets by Jeff's parents' neighbors. She was with another dog or two when she was found. The neighbors were already fostering multiple dogs and they asked Jeff's parents if they would care for her until they found Tink a home. I remember the first time that I laid eyes on Tink. I had walked in to Jeff's parents' home and I spotted Tink, then a new dog to the house. I remember thinking, 'Poor little ugly dog.' She was very thin and unhealthy looking. I don't know how long she roamed the streets before she was rescued.
We moved from the area in the fall of '09. That same year, Jeff's parents were house hunting out of state. They had asked Jeff if he wanted to give Tink a home. I was a little reluctant because we had just lost Domino in September, but Jeff wanted to bring her home, so we cared for Jeff's parents three dogs while they were out of state house hunting and when they returned for their dogs they left Tink with us. I remember feeling pity for her because she scratched at our front door when Jeff's parents and their dogs had left, as if she wanted her family to know that they had forgot her and she wanted to go home with them. Because of that, I dedicated myself to caring for her and being very good to her. Although Jeff had brought her home, we quickly became the best of friends.
I have always had the terrible habit of going to bed late and Tink always came to find me on the sofa, or in the other bedroom or came to be in the same room with me until it was time to turn in. I'd turn everything off and grab Tink and to bed we would go together. If she was with me on the sofa or in the bed, I'd simply make a comfortable nest for her and she'd fall asleep until I was ready for bed.
Tink also used to come with me to run errands. I went to Starbucks regularly and there were times when they'd offer Tink a "shot" of whipped cream. She loved it, so much so that she then began helping herself to the whipped cream on my frappucino as we drove away. Other times, I'd have to scold her when I'd find her doing the same when I had left my drink unattended.
Because we had Tink before we had our son, and before we cared for additional dogs, she also came on trips with us. She went to the ranch once when Jeff's brother was there with his new baby, she was at Grandma Davis' house, she came to Fresno with us and she went to Idaho a few times. She remembered the new house in Idaho when we went the second time. She made a bee line for the door. She also came with me to southern California once. When Jeff got sick on the road, we had to stay in a motel in Winnemucca; Tink was with us then, too.
Like all good pet parents, I had a number of nicknames for Tink. I referred to her as my Buttercup, and because we called her Sneaky Tinky when she was mischievous, I also called her Sticky and Stickers. The family that rescued her named her Tinkerbell.
Brian UPDATE:
Brian is progressing rapidly in his speech. This evening I gave him a bath before bed. He said he didn't want to get out of the bath so I asked Jeff to pull him out because I knew that he'd put up a fight.
I went to the other bathroom and I heard Brian fighting his dad, I knew he was physically resisting, too, so I laughed out loud when I heard him cry "Hey, what are you doing?!" as he unleashed his tirade at his father.
Earlier in the day, Brian's tutor Laura also told me that she heard him say, "Just kidding." I had given Brian a couple of cookies during his session break and when he went to join Laura again, she asked him if he had had cookies. "No," he replied. She said that then she thinks she heard him say, "Just kidding!"
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Love, Forever & Ever
Today was a very emotional day for us. I noticed on Thursday that Tink was looking unlike herself, she looked tired to me, as if in a daze. At least twice I noted that she was upright, standing, but she was closing her eyes. At the time, I didn't think much of it. I had canceled Brian's therapy sessions for Wednesday & Thursday because I wanted to introduce him to the potty. Wednesday, I sat him on the potty multiple times; I couldn't do it many times as I had originally planned because I was alone with him and I had dishes to wash and meals to cook and Brian's messes to clean up.
On Thursday, while I was working on chores, he decided that he wanted to go outside, but I couldn't go with him because I was working on chores, and as Daddy was at work, that left Tink as his sole companion and he asked her to go out with him, "Tink, outside. Tink outside," he cried and I told Tink to go out in to the yard with Brian but she was reluctant. I had to pick her up and put her on the patio but she wasn't interested in staying out when Brian wanted her there.
I was too busy to notice that she was growing sick and for that I am very sorry. On Friday, Brian was scheduled to go to the center. Jeff was off that day, so he took Brian to the center on Friday and that allowed me to catch up on some much-needed sleep until they returned home. Brian was due for a nap after his session at the center and Jeff had made plans to meet with friends. Once Brian was asleep, I came out to the family room where it wasn't long before I noticed that Tink was sick. It was then that it made sense to me that she was showing signs of illness the day before, so I called Jeff and asked him to take Tink to the veterinarian while I stayed with Brian at home.
Jeff wasn't happy to cancel his plans, but he agreed to take Tink to the veterinarian. At the clinic, he was upset to be given a $700 estimate in order to try to figure out what the matter was with Tink. He agreed to have her blood analyzed, but her blood work came back clear, so they told Jeff that without further analysis, it wouldn't be easy to identify Tink's problem. They also suggested that perhaps Tink had an upset stomach, and it's true that there were probably a couple of nights on which I could tell that she had an upset stomach that week. I even complained to Jeff about the smells in the bedroom because it smelled like poop.
As Tink was not prescribed any medication, that evening we went to the store to look for ingredients to make her bone broth at home, hoping that that would bring Tink some comfort and relief. She hadn't been moving much that day, but we grew encouraged when she came to be near us, she was walking slowly and wagging her tail when we spoke to her.
Saturday, however, Tink didn't improve. She continued to spend most of her time lying down and she appeared to arbitrarily come in and out of the house, as if she was so uncomfortable that she couldn't decide where she would feel her best. I thought that if she didn't show improvement that day she should be taken back to the clinic on Sunday but Jeff didn't want to take her until Monday. Saturday was also a tiring day for us because we were out of the house until the afternoon for my clinical appointment.
Saturday night, Jeff commented that Tink looked bent out of shape. I just thought she looked awkward because she was uncomfortable and she was moving very gingerly, but by Sunday it was clear that her back was misshapen. Jeff had also gone to get her on Sunday morning from her dog house out on the patio. He thinks that she had spent the cool spring night in her dog house. When I went to bed late on Saturday, Tink was in one her pet beds. I didn't hear the pet door swing while I waited to fall asleep.
On Sunday, Tink drank more bone broth from me than she had the day before and we continued to feed her chicken that we had cooked for ourselves. She came looking for food in the evening.
I was beginning to think that we might lose Tink, so during the day, I had held her in my arms while Brian slept and I told her how precious she was and that I was grateful for all she had given our family. I told her to "fight" it if she wanted to stay, but that I understood if she would prefer to go. We hadn't given her or Pip the attention and care that they had had before our son was born; our circumstances had changed and unfortunately, we no longer had much time for them.
Sunday night, after Brian fell asleep, I brought Tink to lay beside me on the guest bed. Jeff and I had held her in our arms for short periods while she was sick on Sunday and she seemed comforted. I had wanted to hold her more than I did, but I could not do it. We still had a young child to care for at home, after all.
After having been taken to the clinic on Friday, Jeff noted that Tink was now also in pain. I don't remember if he noticed that on Friday evening or on Saturday. She had grown worse. The veterinarian didn't get to learn that she was in pain or that her body had become misshapen because this occurred after Tink's examination.
I couldn't sleep Sunday night, while Tink lay beside me, because I couldn't stop crying. When I finally began to grow very tired, I was repeatedly awoken by Tink's panting, which only worried me further. A couple of times, I went to tell Jeff, who was asleep, that Tink wasn't doing well. Jeff told me that he would take Tink back to the clinic on Monday morning.
I just could not fall asleep with Tink's intermittent panting beside me so I went in to our bedroom and asked Jeff to switch places with me in the early morning. I fell asleep late Monday morning and at some point Jeff awoke me to tell me that he was going to take Tink to the clinic. Brian and I continued sleeping.
After 9 AM Brian awoke me. I was so exhausted that I didn't want to wake. Once awake, I called Jeff to find out how it was going. He told me that he was at the clinic and that he would call me shortly. He called me about 20 minutes later to tell me that he had made the decision to put Tink down. She had made no progress since the night before and looked miserable. Despite the newer symptoms that she was not showing on Friday afternoon, the veterinarian could not identify the exact cause of Tink's condition. She said that it could have been a number of things that were occurring with Tink and she suggested pain medication to relieve her discomfort while they continued to try to identify the problem and appropriate treatment, but Tink had had an awful night; an awful weekend and it just didn't seem prudent to allow her to continue in this manner.
I would have wanted to be one who held her while she crossed in to the next world. She was the most incredibly sweet and loving companion. She was always by my side, if not in the same room. She never stopped loving me, even when I most certainly did not deserve her love. She was my only friend and source of comfort when I felt most lonely. I'm going to miss her; we're going to miss her terribly. We love you, Tink, forever and ever, you're in our hearts. Goodbye for now, sweet girl.
Brian UPDATE:
Brian's chatting a lot more.
He asked Daddy, "Where did Mama go?" when he was looking for me today after his nap.
When we told him that Tink was gone, he went to the window to look for her. We then told him that Tink had said goodbye to us, so he asked, "Where did Tink go?'
As I was preparing him for bed, he asked again, "Where did Tink go?" Daddy told him that Tink went to heaven. We told him that we had to say goodbye to Pip, too, but that we'll all be reunited again in time.
On Thursday, while I was working on chores, he decided that he wanted to go outside, but I couldn't go with him because I was working on chores, and as Daddy was at work, that left Tink as his sole companion and he asked her to go out with him, "Tink, outside. Tink outside," he cried and I told Tink to go out in to the yard with Brian but she was reluctant. I had to pick her up and put her on the patio but she wasn't interested in staying out when Brian wanted her there.
I was too busy to notice that she was growing sick and for that I am very sorry. On Friday, Brian was scheduled to go to the center. Jeff was off that day, so he took Brian to the center on Friday and that allowed me to catch up on some much-needed sleep until they returned home. Brian was due for a nap after his session at the center and Jeff had made plans to meet with friends. Once Brian was asleep, I came out to the family room where it wasn't long before I noticed that Tink was sick. It was then that it made sense to me that she was showing signs of illness the day before, so I called Jeff and asked him to take Tink to the veterinarian while I stayed with Brian at home.
Jeff wasn't happy to cancel his plans, but he agreed to take Tink to the veterinarian. At the clinic, he was upset to be given a $700 estimate in order to try to figure out what the matter was with Tink. He agreed to have her blood analyzed, but her blood work came back clear, so they told Jeff that without further analysis, it wouldn't be easy to identify Tink's problem. They also suggested that perhaps Tink had an upset stomach, and it's true that there were probably a couple of nights on which I could tell that she had an upset stomach that week. I even complained to Jeff about the smells in the bedroom because it smelled like poop.
As Tink was not prescribed any medication, that evening we went to the store to look for ingredients to make her bone broth at home, hoping that that would bring Tink some comfort and relief. She hadn't been moving much that day, but we grew encouraged when she came to be near us, she was walking slowly and wagging her tail when we spoke to her.
Saturday, however, Tink didn't improve. She continued to spend most of her time lying down and she appeared to arbitrarily come in and out of the house, as if she was so uncomfortable that she couldn't decide where she would feel her best. I thought that if she didn't show improvement that day she should be taken back to the clinic on Sunday but Jeff didn't want to take her until Monday. Saturday was also a tiring day for us because we were out of the house until the afternoon for my clinical appointment.
Saturday night, Jeff commented that Tink looked bent out of shape. I just thought she looked awkward because she was uncomfortable and she was moving very gingerly, but by Sunday it was clear that her back was misshapen. Jeff had also gone to get her on Sunday morning from her dog house out on the patio. He thinks that she had spent the cool spring night in her dog house. When I went to bed late on Saturday, Tink was in one her pet beds. I didn't hear the pet door swing while I waited to fall asleep.
On Sunday, Tink drank more bone broth from me than she had the day before and we continued to feed her chicken that we had cooked for ourselves. She came looking for food in the evening.
I was beginning to think that we might lose Tink, so during the day, I had held her in my arms while Brian slept and I told her how precious she was and that I was grateful for all she had given our family. I told her to "fight" it if she wanted to stay, but that I understood if she would prefer to go. We hadn't given her or Pip the attention and care that they had had before our son was born; our circumstances had changed and unfortunately, we no longer had much time for them.
Sunday night, after Brian fell asleep, I brought Tink to lay beside me on the guest bed. Jeff and I had held her in our arms for short periods while she was sick on Sunday and she seemed comforted. I had wanted to hold her more than I did, but I could not do it. We still had a young child to care for at home, after all.
After having been taken to the clinic on Friday, Jeff noted that Tink was now also in pain. I don't remember if he noticed that on Friday evening or on Saturday. She had grown worse. The veterinarian didn't get to learn that she was in pain or that her body had become misshapen because this occurred after Tink's examination.
I couldn't sleep Sunday night, while Tink lay beside me, because I couldn't stop crying. When I finally began to grow very tired, I was repeatedly awoken by Tink's panting, which only worried me further. A couple of times, I went to tell Jeff, who was asleep, that Tink wasn't doing well. Jeff told me that he would take Tink back to the clinic on Monday morning.
I just could not fall asleep with Tink's intermittent panting beside me so I went in to our bedroom and asked Jeff to switch places with me in the early morning. I fell asleep late Monday morning and at some point Jeff awoke me to tell me that he was going to take Tink to the clinic. Brian and I continued sleeping.
After 9 AM Brian awoke me. I was so exhausted that I didn't want to wake. Once awake, I called Jeff to find out how it was going. He told me that he was at the clinic and that he would call me shortly. He called me about 20 minutes later to tell me that he had made the decision to put Tink down. She had made no progress since the night before and looked miserable. Despite the newer symptoms that she was not showing on Friday afternoon, the veterinarian could not identify the exact cause of Tink's condition. She said that it could have been a number of things that were occurring with Tink and she suggested pain medication to relieve her discomfort while they continued to try to identify the problem and appropriate treatment, but Tink had had an awful night; an awful weekend and it just didn't seem prudent to allow her to continue in this manner.
I would have wanted to be one who held her while she crossed in to the next world. She was the most incredibly sweet and loving companion. She was always by my side, if not in the same room. She never stopped loving me, even when I most certainly did not deserve her love. She was my only friend and source of comfort when I felt most lonely. I'm going to miss her; we're going to miss her terribly. We love you, Tink, forever and ever, you're in our hearts. Goodbye for now, sweet girl.
Brian UPDATE:
Brian's chatting a lot more.
He asked Daddy, "Where did Mama go?" when he was looking for me today after his nap.
When we told him that Tink was gone, he went to the window to look for her. We then told him that Tink had said goodbye to us, so he asked, "Where did Tink go?'
As I was preparing him for bed, he asked again, "Where did Tink go?" Daddy told him that Tink went to heaven. We told him that we had to say goodbye to Pip, too, but that we'll all be reunited again in time.
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Potty Totty
Brian has made significant progress recently in language & development. He can identify colors, animals & shapes. He can identify numbers up to ten & count to 10. He identifies the sun, cloud, the moon & stars. He started singing, too. He asks that I sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Wheels on the Bus Go Round & Round, Five Little Monkeys, Pat-a-cake & Old McDonald.
He is coloring much better, he likes painting & playing with play dough.
He now says "thank you" & "sorry." "Pit" means pizza & "mawsh" is milk, two of his favorite foods.
While talking to himself, Brian lists various animals & makes the corresponding sounds. He also lists & points to body parts on himself & his parents.
Today, after waking Brian started watching videos on his tablet. A moment later, while seated on the bed, he pointed to his diaper & said "pee pee." He then climbed out of bed, reached for a diaper, said "chonie" & handed it to me.
"OK, we can change your diaper. You need to get back on the bed so we can change you."
He then climbed back in to bed & allowed me to change him without a fuss! He had never done this before.
He is coloring much better, he likes painting & playing with play dough.
He now says "thank you" & "sorry." "Pit" means pizza & "mawsh" is milk, two of his favorite foods.
While talking to himself, Brian lists various animals & makes the corresponding sounds. He also lists & points to body parts on himself & his parents.
Today, after waking Brian started watching videos on his tablet. A moment later, while seated on the bed, he pointed to his diaper & said "pee pee." He then climbed out of bed, reached for a diaper, said "chonie" & handed it to me.
"OK, we can change your diaper. You need to get back on the bed so we can change you."
He then climbed back in to bed & allowed me to change him without a fuss! He had never done this before.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
"Choo"
Brian has begun repeating words that he hears me say. His first imitation was "go, go, go." We standing by the front door, where we were on our way out; I wanted everyone out so I cried, "Let's go, go, go!" and I heard Brian repeat, "go, go, go"!
His next repetition (if memory serves me right) was at the Panera, where we had stopped after a long day of searching for a car out of town. We ordered some macaroni and cheese for Brian and I was telling him to eat his food. I said "cheese" and I was surprised again to hear him repeat what I had said. I tried, of course, to get him to repeat the words but he didn't do it.
He next surprised me when we were laying in bed. He was watching Thomas and Friends and on the screen a train was coming down the tracks when Brian responded with "Choo"!
He hadn't been prompted, so it was exciting to hear him say that in response to the train on the screen. Now, he had already begun saying "Shoohh" when he lifted a small toy in the air. I make that sound when I raise his small wooden plane in the air while playing and Brian had begun doing the same with the plane of his own accord.
This week, the evening of his birthday, also marked repetition of a new word. Brian was seated on my lap on the rocking chair and I lifted my foot in the air and said "shoe" a few times referring to my slipper and Brian repeated it!
On Thursday night, we were all in the family room. The TV was on and the Sleep Train commercial was running when we heard Brian say "choo" in response to the train on the TV. To our delight, the commercial ran several times and each time that Brian watched it he said "choo" and he's been repeating "choo" since then.
While it's exciting to get to hear Brian's first words and hear him get closer to speaking, it's also bittersweet because just like his first steps, it's a concrete reminder that my baby is growing up.
His next repetition (if memory serves me right) was at the Panera, where we had stopped after a long day of searching for a car out of town. We ordered some macaroni and cheese for Brian and I was telling him to eat his food. I said "cheese" and I was surprised again to hear him repeat what I had said. I tried, of course, to get him to repeat the words but he didn't do it.
He next surprised me when we were laying in bed. He was watching Thomas and Friends and on the screen a train was coming down the tracks when Brian responded with "Choo"!
He hadn't been prompted, so it was exciting to hear him say that in response to the train on the screen. Now, he had already begun saying "Shoohh" when he lifted a small toy in the air. I make that sound when I raise his small wooden plane in the air while playing and Brian had begun doing the same with the plane of his own accord.
This week, the evening of his birthday, also marked repetition of a new word. Brian was seated on my lap on the rocking chair and I lifted my foot in the air and said "shoe" a few times referring to my slipper and Brian repeated it!
On Thursday night, we were all in the family room. The TV was on and the Sleep Train commercial was running when we heard Brian say "choo" in response to the train on the TV. To our delight, the commercial ran several times and each time that Brian watched it he said "choo" and he's been repeating "choo" since then.
While it's exciting to get to hear Brian's first words and hear him get closer to speaking, it's also bittersweet because just like his first steps, it's a concrete reminder that my baby is growing up.
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