Ray's blog

We had a sad morning. Last night we took our cat, Snickers, to the cat hospital. They kept her overnight, and this morning we went back to see her. The cat doctor, Dr. Raab, said she wasn't getting better. Dr. Raab said that because Snickers was so old she probably wouldn't ever get any better.

Let me tell you a little bit about my Mommy. She is strong. Not just her muscles (Dad says, "I wouldn't mess with her") but in her mind, too. She also loves animals. All kinds of animals, even snakes! (Yuck!) She loves Guinea Pigs and mice and of course dogs and cats -- pretty much every kind of animal except spiders. And she especially loves our animals, Pepper and Cinnamon and Snickers. Even though they are so annoying sometimes, she loves to talk to them and pet them and play with them.

But when Dr. Raab said Snickers wasn't going to get any better, Mommy didn't think about herself and how much she loved having Snickers around. She thought about what was best for Snickers, and even though it broke her heart, she asked Dr. Raab to give Snickers some special medicine that would send Snickers to heaven and take her away from us forever. And then Mommy cried, alot. (Hey, I said she was strong, not made of stone.)

Dad says there are too many people in this world who are looking for the easy way to do everything, and only thinking about themselves. Well my Mommy is not like that. She does the hard stuff when it has to be done, even when it's not what she wants. Like this morning with Snickers. Or when she uses that suction thing on my nose when it's stopped up (man I hate that!).

Mommy says Snickers was about 16 years old! (I can't even imagine being that old!) Mommy got her when she was just a little kitten, only about six weeks old. So they had lived together a very long time. I know Mommy misses her terribly.

But our day did get better as it went on: I got to go on my first real estate showing! Mommy showed a house to my Cousin Amanda's boyfriend (he is really old -- he must be like 20 or something!) and I got to go along! I really liked the house. It had a BIG kitchen with nice cabinets and a high ceiling, and it was on a beautiful, peaceful five-acre lot. I thought about buying it myself but I would need a 50- or 60-year mortgage and I think that would be hard to find. Especially since I don't have any income.

After our showing we all went back to Japan for dinner. Mommy ate her dinner with two little sticks! It was actually pretty impressive! Dad says they invented the dinner fork for a reason. I had a bottle.

Then later we went over to Uncle Wayne and Aunt Mary's house and sat by the campfire. I can't figure out why they are always camping in their backyard when they have a perfectly good house, but I guess that's what they like to do. I think they go inside to sleep, though. Anyway my Aunt Mary held me and I got to see my Cousin Emily (she is so sweet!) and, except for coming home smelling like smoke, we had a very nice visit.

And now I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed.

I feel much better today. This stupid croup is not going to keep me down! I still have a pretty lousy cough and I don't quite feel 100% well, but I feel like I'm almost there.

I had a good day at my school with my great teachers. I tried to take Miss Kathy's earring but I couldn't get it off of her ear. This evening Dad picked me up and we came home for just a few minutes. Then when we were leaving again we had some bad luck: Mommy's cat ran behind her car while she was backing out of the garage, and her cat got hurt. We had to take her to the cat hospital right away. The veterinarian was really nice but she didn't have any answers for us, and they kept Snickers for the night. Mommy is worried because Snickers is very old. If you know a cat prayer you should say one for her tonight.

But there is happy news in the world tonight, too: It was a very big night for my Cousin Heather -- her graduation! She is all grown up now. She looked so beautiful in her long white gown, and I really liked her big, flat hat. She had to wear a blue thing around her neck which most of the kids didn't have. I think it had something to do with her grades, which is strange because I thought she always got really good grades. She also got to wear a gold coin around her neck, which was really cool.

The ceremony was nice and they had a band there to play music for me, which I really liked. I also got to see Grandma and Grandpa Graybill, and my Cousins Christopher, Brooklyn, Hayley and Andrea too, which is always great. Plus my Aunt Cookie held me for awhile -- that was great too!

After the graduation we went to a little restaurant where my crazy Uncle Danny was playing some really good music! My Grandpa and Grandma Driever were there too, and of course my Aunt Tammy -- I think Uncle Dan drags her out to all of his gigs. It's always nice to visit with Grandpa and Grandma, and I really enjoyed the music. Mommy had fried chicken and Daddy had a hamburger. I had a bottle.

It was a nice end to the day, but there's one thing I just don't understand: I kept seeing Uncle Danny pick up his keyboard and hold it like a guitar, and when he played it I kept hearing a guitar. But there wasn't any guitar -- he was definitely playing a keyboard! Weird. I can't figure it out.

I have croup. Last night I was wheezing, and when I coughed I sounded like a seal. Mommy was pretty worried. I think she wanted to take me to the hospital, but Dad said we didn't need to go. We went in the bathroom and turned the shower on as hot as it would go and made our own steam room, and after a few minutes I started feeling a little better. (Not much better, but a little bit.)

When I went to bed I was still wheezing but I slept pretty well, and this morning I did feel a little better. Mommy took me down to see Dr. D. this afternoon, and he agreed with Dr. Mom -- I have croup. He said it just has to run its course. (He also said I weigh 18 pounds, 14 ounces now!)

This evening I went to see Grandpa Driever and he gave me a chiropractic adjustment. It seems like it helped, and I feel a little better tonight. I still have a little wheeze when I breathe, and I definitely sound like a seal barking when I cough. I feel O.K., but I'm really tired so that's all I'm going to write for now.

Good night.

I must be the luckiest baby alive. I have the best family. I have the best Grandparents (and lots of them!). I have Aunts and Uncles who love me like I'm some kind of royalty. And I have Cousins and cousins, and they are all so nice and they are all so very good to me. And my Mommy is great! Oh and Dad's o.k. too.

And man do I have lots of friends. (Most of them are grown-ups, but that's o.k.) I have friends like Holly and Lori and Donna and Janet who work with my Mommy and Daddy and Grandpa. I have friends like Shannon and "aunt" Gail and too many others to list at church. My neighbor Judy brought me clothes from JC Penney. My neighbor Michael gave me his pacifier.

And then yesterday the mailman brought me a gift from my friends Mary and Ibrahim. Now, strictly speaking, they are actually Dad's friends from his college days, but now they're my friends too: They sent me some very nice clothes and the nicest card. And Mommy says the clothes will even fit me!

But here's the strange part: Mary and Ib live in North Carolina, and I've never even met them! Can you imagine getting gifts (nice gifts!) from someone you've never even met? How nice are these people? And how lucky am I to have friends like that?

I'll tell you: I am lucky. Very lucky. Dad calls it "blessed."

Let me tell you something else, too -- it's hard work being a baby. My head weighs about 600 pounds, and sometimes it's all I can do to hold it up. My legs are too wobbly to use for anything, and my hands won't go where I want them too. I try to talk but no words come out, just noises.

I can't even microwave a frozen burrito. And even if I could, Mommy wouldn't let me eat it.

But it is very comforting to know that there are so many people who care about me. Old people, like my grandparents (and my Dad). Young people (like my friend Erin and too many cousins to list). People who live close by (like my friend Heather across the street) and people who live far away (like my Great Aunt Judy and all my cousins in North Carolina). And people I haven't even met!

Dad says it's amazing. (He also says it's surreal, but I don't know what that word means.)

Anyway, so that you're up to speed on the events in my life... I've had a good week. On Tuesday Mommy had to to go to training all day and I went to work with Dad. We had lunch at Skyline and I got to see my friend Jill. My friend Lori held me a bunch! All in all it was a good day. Wednesday evening Mommy had to work and I got to visit with Grandma for awhile, which is always great. I saw Grandpa and Grandma Driever one night this week (Thursday I think), and then we all went out to dinner.

Yesterday afternoon I went with Dad to the bank, and my friend Gail held me while he worked on their computers. She even let me sleep on her shoulder for awhile! After that I went with Mommy and Holly to the mall while Dad went out with those goofballs that make music.

Today we had lunch with Grandma and Grandpa (and my friend Bea), and later we made a quick stop at Target (oh yeah!). I tried on a life jacket but it was too big. (If you took the cardboard box that a refrigerator came in, cut arm holes in the sides and then stuck the Michelin Man inside it, that would be what I looked like. Except on a much smaller scale.)

Life is good.

This past week was Teacher Appreciation week at my preschool. I have three teachers and they're all great: Miss Beverly, Miss Kathy and Miss Susan. Some are there in the morning and some are there in the afternoon, but they're always so nice and they take great care of me.

And they take care of the other babies too, of course -- they don't spoil me just because Mommy works in the office. At least I don't think so anyway.

Teachers are great. They change lives! (Some of them change diapers, too, which is also pretty great, let me tell you....)

Anyway Mommy has been sick this week. Last night she really didn't feel well. Dad was out with those goofy musicians and Mommy and me went to see Uncle Wayne and Aunt Mary and my Cousin Emily. But the later it got in the evening, the worse she felt. We came home and we both laid in Mommy's big bed and watched TV. She kept having to get up because she didn't feel well, but I just laid there and watched TV and tried not to bother her. By the time Dad got home I was asleep.

Today she is feeling better but she's still not completely well. This afternoon she fell asleep on the couch, and Dad and I snuck out to the mall to get something called a "Mother's Day" present. Apparently tomorrow is Mother's Day, and I've never been to a Mother's Day before so I don't know what it's all about. But Dad says it's when kids are supposed to tell their Mom how much they care, so we snuck out and got her a necklace. I looked at a whole bunch of them but I really liked the gold one we got her. (We saw my friend Jimmi while we were there, too!)

On the way home we stopped at Walgreen's and Dad read me every single Mother's Day card. Lots of them were nice and some of them were funny, but I picked one about her first Mother's Day because Dad says this is Mommy's first one too. (That doesn't make any sense to me because she's really old and surely she must have been to one of these things before. But Dad never lies to me so I have to believe him.)

Mommy woke up when we got home, but I didn't tell her where we had been -- it's a surprise! Plus I can't talk yet anyway.

I've been a little behind on my blogging, but I wanted to write a little about last Saturday. TWO of my Great Aunts came to my house to visit me!

My Great Aunt Judy was in town and I got to meet her for the first time. She lives in some place called North Carolina -- I don't know where that is but I guess it must somewhere up north. All I know is that it is really far away from here, and that we are going there in July. Anyway since she was in town she came to my house to visit, and she brought my Great Aunt Darlene with her too. Aunt Darlene lives in the land of Goshen, which isn't all that far away, but I think I've only seen her once before. (I know she came to visit me in the hospital the day after I was born, but I don't think I've seen her since.)

Anyway it was great to see them both, and they stayed and visited with me for quite awhile. They are both so nice. They both held me and we had a great visit.