Sunday, May 17, 2009

Scratchy


It was 3 years ago this month that our cat, Scratchy, was diagnosed with diabetes. We were told that she would need insulin shots for life, were taught how to do it by the vet, and sent on our way with our insulin and needles. Over the next couple of months, Scratchy's health deteriorated, so that she had lost quite a bit of weight and could barely move around the house. It was clear that the treatment was not working. That's when I began doing research and came across a new approach to treating feline diabetes - Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins' Tight Regulation Protocol. As per the protocol, we changed her diet to a low-carb wet food, began testing her blood glucose, and dosing the insulin based on her blood glucose values. Five weeks later, on Friday October 13, 2006, Scratchy received her last shot of insulin. It has now been 2 years and 7 months that Scratchy has been in remission. We have switched her to a raw food diet as well, and she is healthier than ever. At almost 15 years old, she still often plays like a kitten. Dr. Hodgkins, with her protocol, saved Scratchy's life. I have no doubt that if we'd continued on the traditional vet protocol for diabetes, Scratchy would not be with us today.

Recently, some friends and I started a website, Diabetic Cat Care, and forum to inform and support those with diabetic cats who wish to use Dr. Hodgkin's TR protocol. If you or anyone you know has a diabetic cat, please send them to http://www.diabeticcatcare.com/.

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Oliver's Labels

If you're looking for labels for your kids' belongings and clothes, or even some classy labels for yourself, check out the new link to the right. I just became an agent for Oliver's Labels (and ordered some for the kids!). There are a variety of different styles and formats of labels.

The feature that drew me to this company over the others was their "Found-itTM" program. This is a free online lost and found system, whereby a tracking code is printed on your labels, along with a website so that anyone who finds a lost item can go to the website to report the item, and an email will be sent to you to notify you that the item has been found.

This is a Canadian company, based in Toronto, so as an added bonus, I am supporting a local business.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

A rose by any other name...

Christian likes to make up nicknames for Jacqueline. Some of them are quite funny. Here's a few that I can recall...

Smackeline
Whackeline
Jackmeister
Jacklee
little pookie
Dickelo
Jickelo (my personal favorite)

edited to add today's.....Smickelo :)

Sunday, May 3, 2009

9 months - a status update and some pics

Jacqueline has had lots of progress in the past few weeks. 

One thing that's striking is that although she bears a physical resemblance to Christian, she's very different in many ways.   (must get some comparison pics up soon though, because although she does often  resemble him, she really has her own look too, and I find she also looks very different than he did at this age)

Her motor development has been slower.  She's still not crawling, although getting closer.  She can now pull herself forward with her arms, and can easily move about the room.  Now that she can do this, she's much more content to play on her own without needing to be picked up.  She also learned how to pull herself up to stand in her crib this week.   

Her language development, on the other hand, seems to be earlier than his.  Christian never babbled.  for 9-10 months, he was a silent baby.  Jacqueline is a talker.  No real words yet, but can she ever babble, and in the past couple of weeks, she's been babbling with intonation, almost like she's really talking to you.  

She loves her food, and eats nearly anything.  Her favorite is plain yogurt, but really, she likes it all.  She's just started picking up finger foods, although they still have to be small pieces.   Didn't take her long to get the hang of "chewing" 

She loves our cat, Scratchy.  And Scratchy must love her too, as she gamely puts up with all the hair pulling. We've been trying to teach Jacqueline "gentle" and to "stroke her fur"  (while taking her hand and doing the motions).  she will break out into a grin now if we say "Stroke scratchy's fur"  She seems to be beginning to get the motions, but you still have to be at the ready to rescue the poor cat.  

Her top two teeth are finally poking through.   not too much trouble with them, thank goodness. 

She's about 27" tall and weighs just over 18 lbs.    She weighs more  than Christian was at this age, but I suspect her weight gain will slow once she's crawling.  Christian had almost 3 months on her in the crawling department, so I'm sure that played a role in his slower weight gain! 

The sun rises and sets on Christian.  he's the only one who can reliably make her laugh...great big belly laughs that we rarely see otherwise.  She sure loves her big brother and he dotes on her too. 

Some recent pics: 








Fun With Grampa


Dad visited for a couple of days over the past week.  Christian had a blast with Grampa and Grampa was even able to elicit lots of smiles and laughs from Jacqueline...no small feat.  We will be seeing Grampa again in June when we head out east, and Christian is looking forward to seeing Grampa's gargoyles.   A few pics:

Grampa's so funny! 
Swingin' fun: 



ya gotta be quick witted around here....

Christian has lately developed an aversion to washing his hands after going to the bathroom.  I think it is his personal quest to outwit the washing police (aka Mom). But he's not ahead of me....yet.

Yesterday's conversation went like this:

Me: (after he came down from the bathroom) Did you wash your hands?
C: yes
Me: let me see them (I feel his hands, and they're completely dry)...your hands aren't wet
C: I just dried them really well
Me: So if I go upstairs and check the sink, will I find that it's wet? 
C: (sighs) I'll go back and wash them


Close call...aka pea in the nose

I thought since Christian is now past 4, that we had surpassed the stage of putting food into orifices other than the mouth.  Well, I thought wrong.  We're sitting at the dinner table, eating our meal of chicken, peas & corn, when what do I see, but Christian very nonchalantly inserting a pea into his nostril.  I told him to stop, but he just kept slowly pushing it up further, until Hugo grabbed his arm to stop him.  Luckily, it had not gone far enough yet and Hugo was able to get it out by just pinching his nostril.  Whew!  what a relief! I had visions of us heading to the emergency room.  

Once it was out, I actually had a hard time not laughing, but if Christian thinks we think it's funny...well, you can see where that may lead. So I gave him a stern talking to about what would happen if he stuck it up there too far and he had to go to the hospital to get it out with tweezers.  I think he grasped the seriousness of it, because, very unlike him, he just sat there, seriously, just listening, and not saying one word.  

Lets hope this is our one and only foray into the world of foreign bodies!