The Cat came back / First official Mother's day for EJ

Lots to write about gang.  Last week was pretty sad for us.  Don't worry, everyone of our members came through pretty much unscathed, but it was touch and go for our little trouble maker cat (Cosmo) for a while.   It all started while I was packing early in the morning for a short road trip.  Cosmo, always one for adventure and intrigue, must have slipped out the front door whilst I was blearily packing the car at 4 am (admittedly I had worked approximately 12 hours the day before too!).  I suspect this is how he escaped.  Though we can't fully rule out that he didn't escape as someone else was exiting the house (don't tell her I said that ;-) ).

This was not Cosmo's first great adventure.  He has snuck out while we were trying to get in the house laden with groceries, baby gear or other goods.  He has pushed out screens to go on nightly jaunts only to return for breakfast in the morning.  He would have got away with that escapade as well except for the muddy footprints on the counter.  Typically, like many indoor/outdoor cats we know, he eats a little grass, rolls around in the mulch, stalks a few birds at our feeders and returns for the cushy inside life again.  Despite EJ's strict diet plan, his prominent fat pouch clearly showed his pampered existence.  So you can imagine our concern and consternation when we returned the next evening and had only 3 feline friends begging for food.  Where was our little tuxedo boy?  Surely, I thought he would show up that night or early the next morning looking for his meals and gazing scornfully at us for making him miss 3 whole feeding opportunities.  Not much sleep was had by me that night friends, and it had nothing to do with our 3 month old.  Jake slept through the night, but daddy was up every hour to turn on the porch light and call out for Cosmo to return.  Why didn't he come back?  Was he injured somewhere and suffering?  Was he trapped in someone's shed or garage?  Had some good Samaritan picked him up and brought him to the shelter?  Worse could some crazy cat lady or Satanic worshipper have taken him to a fate worse than death?

I desperately tried to push these thoughts from my mind as I went for my daily run the next morning (which now was also cat scouting mission).  Surely, he was either having the time of his life like the cats in the book "Tailchaser's song,"  or he was in the room of some young girl all dressed up for a tea party.  Alternatively, maybe he was fatter than Garfield chuckling to himself on a window seat as I looked for him  while he enjoyed his third portion of salmon tar-tar.  This is what kept me going during the next week.  Cosmo has always been more of EJ's pet than mine (she is the one who saved his life initially), but his cool demeanor and joy for life always impressed me.  His absence left a large void in our household and besides it made my wife super sad :-(

Several of our family friends and Elsa's technicians worked like crazy to spread the word about Cosmo's absence and made a wonderful lost cat poster (seen above).  Their support during our week long rescue mission was priceless.  My wife tirelessly canvassed all the surrounding neighborhoods handing out posters and business cards.  By the by, don't think that my 5 foot blond wife with my 3 month infant walking around talking to strangers for days on end didn't make me a little nervous.  However, consider 2 things 1) she is Cuban, feisty, intelligent and far tougher than I will ever hope to be and 2) nothing I could say or do was going to discourage her.  Both of us looked in the woods, down storm drains, in the park, at local shelters, around known feral cat colonies, and through neighbors yard (once permission was given of course).   We would drive around at dawn and dusk (figuring he would be most active then) as well, looking in sheds, under bushes, around dumpsters ... anywhere a cat would find fun to go or could get trapped near.  Our friends and family offered support, prayers, and at the end when prognosis seemed most grave even condolences. What did we get for our efforts?  Nada, zip, zilch... simply put the little stinker was laying pretty darn low.  Countless times I cursed myself for not reregistering his microchip from his previous owner (its done now don't you worry about that!) or for not being more careful that early morning.  Several times I dragged myself through our nasty crawlspace, climbed around our sweltering attic, emptied closets, searched under beds, and behind furniture in order to assure that he was dead or dying IN the house.  Can you imagine finding that 2-3 months later?  Hello Dr. Shrink ... I'm gonna need to book a couple sessions so you can go ahead and buy that boat or summer home you always wanted :)  Ej even hung some scissors from our window because an old wives tale guaranteed a safe return upon doing so.

Old wives tale or magical charn?

No dice my friends ... 10 days and no cat.  However, there was hope... we had received 2 potential Cosmo sighting around a park across a river near our house.  I had been going there for 3 nights straight calling and looking for Cos with no success.  When we got the second sighting info though, I had renewed excitement.  "Sure" I told my wife, I would go again tonight after work "but why don't you go down now and see if you can see him."  You see I am not an overly proud man.  I know he is EJ's cat and he is more likely to respond to her call than mine.  Whatever, it takes to get him back to our house and me out of the dog house if you will.  She did not find him at the park... but not even an hour after her return home to feed the baby before resuming her search he was standing at the door wide eyed and asking to come in.  The little stinker!

He say "what's the problem?!"

So where was he?  No idea, how much would I love to have a cat cam to see what his week was lke.  Why did he come back now?  I don't know, but the day before was rainy and cold following a rather mild (weather wise) week.  Maybe he decided that adventuring was not his bag after all.  Perhaps, he was trapped in a sense across the river and needed to follow Elsa's car home.  Who knows, maybe it was the "magic" scissors. All we know is he is back.  Poor lil poop head got shipped right to the hospital for a thorough de-fleaing (note he like all our cats is on monthly revolution but the time had come for frontline as well), de-worming, blood letting (I mean testing of course), and physical once over.  I am happy to say, other than an upset tummy from over indulging on his return the furry devil is doing fine now.  Yay!


While, Cosmo's great adventure did take up the vast majority of this post, I would be remiss not to mention that today is Mother's day.  We are spending it up at Elsa's parents house in Sparta the new mom (EJ) is enjoying her day thoroughly.  Jake got her some pretty grand presents after all.  A personalized wine glass to celebrate our house's return to full capacity or to relax after a day of being a super star mom and two awesome movies (to help with said relaxing).  Best gift of all ... well you'll have to ask her (hint it better be one or two males with four letter nicknames :) )

Getting ready for a mama's day walk

And you thought only dogs went around in packs!

Chillin' cousins!

Talk to you next time
Z and the misfits especially our prodigal son

Spring has indeed sprung!

Hey gang,

The Pinewood Lane Welcome Committee

  To be completely honest with you all, I have been planning to write this blog since Easter.  Yup since Easter, weeks ago.... well its been a little busy sorry.  The lil' man is still growing like a weed and continues to amaze us with new random acts of abject cuteness.  The flowers are in bloom and the weather keeps changing from unseasonably warm to seasonably mild.  Apparently, either March or April (I forget which but maybe one of my gentle readers can enlighten me) was subject to an extreme weather phenomena due to the number of warm days... err climate change much.. but lets move on.

So the human portion of our little band (while the dogs, cats, and bunny enjoyed a short stay at hotel de Oakhurst) packed our selves up and headed up to see the Weiner clan for Easter (or if you are so inclined Spring equinox, Passover, or mini-family reunion) weekend.  EJ and Jacob were just getting over the previously mentioned microplague, I was in full thralls of the dreaded respiratory monster.  We arrived on Pinewood ave at around 12:30 in the morning (yes 2 am we left after I got home from work ... wanted plenty of family time).  Now typically we are able to sneak in at this time of night like delinquent teenagers, feed the baby and head to bed.  Our goal was to be a very welcome surprise when the sleeping denizens of the house arose in a few hours.  Think again .... for the anxious grandparents and auntie were already well awake and waiting to meet the newest member of their clan.  Good news... well Grandma Weiner got to feed Jacob his midnight bottle snack.  Better news Grandpa Weiner was able to sing him a lovely Yiddish lullaby (I think it was something about the alphabet).  Bad news.... well a very tired Zach after a 12 hour work day and a 6 hour drive ... he didn't get to go straight to bed... he had to wait another hour or so.  Small sacrifice obviously... plus Jacob opened a new surprise sanctum for us.  Yes ... you are hearing correctly, we were allowed to stay in the master bedroom which had its own separate bathroom.  YAY!!!

Lil' man meeting the family

Jacob as a newborn and my dad as a newborn.
 Quite the resemblance.

All dressed up, but where to go?

The weekend was very fun.  EJ and I both got to have a semi-weekend off because everyone and I mean everyone wanted to hold Jacob.  He was (reluctantly by whoever was currently holding him) passed from adoring Great Aunt to doting Great Great Grandma to kvelling Grandparents... to friends, cousins, uncles aunts you get the drift.  We were able to suffer through the Bosox opening series struggles with Detroit, watch the Celts win a game or two and eat tons of delicious food.   We even dressed lil Jake up to see his Grandpa read at Easter service.  It was totally not our fault that we got there late due to slightly incorrect directions (the gentle nudge is aimed at you Grandpa Weiner ;-) ).  In all a wonderful time... the drive back though not so much.  About 3-4 hours in (about midway through Connecticut) the congestion, running nose, itchy throat, and headache did me in.  We got back safe and sound, but I was out of commission for the next day.  Still all and all, we were happy we could make the trip and show Jake Daddy's old stomping grounds.  Hopefully,  next time I am up in the Baystate I will be well enough to show him around to family and friends (that means you high school, college, vet school, and internship buddies).  We did get to show off many of Jake's cute outfits though .... and he is growing enough to be big enough for a whole new crop.  All I am saying is get your popcorn ready and check Facebook often :)

Yankees ...suck.. just remember that little one.

Enjoying nature at Ag. Field Day Fair

Easter isn't the only thing that we have been able to enjoy recently.  The warm weather has convinced me to set up the bird feeders again.  Already this year we have been able to show Jake (and the kitties who love the feathered friends),  cardinals (male and female), house finches, goldfinches, sparrows, blue jays, doves, and some acrobatic squirrels.  In fact the furry lil' dudes were making such a mess that I had to construct some pretty cool baffles.  In Elsa's daily walks in our "wild" backyard with Jake, she even saw a raccoon in the hollow of one of our trees.  I know, I know, my first concern was that it might be sick too.... but it stayed far away from her and we haven't seen it since.  So hopefully no Rabies or Distemper in our backyard.  We also have been hiking in the local parks and Jacob went to his first agricultural fair!  On the lighter side he did step foot in his first bar (luckily there is no smoking inside in Jersey and it was early so no really loud music).  Jacob wanted to show support to his Aunt and Uncle during there Ovarian Cancer awareness event ... which he did quite well until nap time.  Elsa especially is trying to cram as much fun time in with our little miracle before her leave ends later in May.  We have many more fun days ahead for sure... but after Memorial day we will start a new adventure.  This my friends is ... daycare!  Trust me, I'm sure many fun stories will come from that phase of our lives.

No this is not a professional wildlife photo/ Elsa
took this with our videocamera
(has really good zoom capabilities in our backyard.

As for our furry family mates, pretty much status quot.  They seems to either not care about Jake or like him.  The dogs don't know how much trouble he will be yet (when moving, chasing and pulling) or how much bounty they can steal when he starts eating.  Right now he is just another small (loud) alpha.  As for the cats... well besides the fact that Nemo will occasionally steal a pacifier to tick off EJ, they don't give Jacob a second glance.  All of them are as healthy and happy as ever.

I am hoping to add many new blog entries about our Spring and Summer adventures very soon.  Our good friends the Danowitzes gave us a baby backpack ... so a hiking we will be!

Until then miss you all and can't wait to see you again.

 Zach and the House of Misfit Pets

Enjoying Passion Puddle with the family

Jake can't wait to see you all soon!

Spring means we don't always have to watch the "lightshow"

Oh No! Houston, we have a head cold.

Alas gentle readers, its been a bit of a trial this past week.  Luckily, I have escaped fairly unscathed, but this can not be said for our newest addition Jacob or my lovely wife.  You see ... we have been introduced to the bane of all small children and new parents alike.  Yes ... I know its hard to hear these words without cringing... Jacob <gasp> got sick.  Now ... hold on... slowly take your hand off the panic button and step back for a second... I'll explain.

   We tried really hard to keep Jacob from getting ill.  We bundled him up whenever taking him out into the fresh air. I personally cleaned the humidifier and changed the water as directed (weekly and daily). I was vigilant about cleaning the house daily and removing as much pet dander, dust, and general bad stuff as possible.  We bathed him, played with him, baby massaged him, fed him, and avoided areas of high risk public traffic.  Still, neither EJ or I thought that the little man should live in a bubble.  A kids gotta get socialized and besides we didn't want to get cabin fever ourselves.  So whether he caught a virus from his cousins Jack and Josie, from our "kids" at Cast/church, whilst we were out on a walk, or even at our favorite breakfast nook, our little man has developed a nasty head cold.

He was bundled up and it was warm ....

Cousins do love to play don't they?

Jack does like everyone to share :)  Course adults were watching closely don't worry.

Safe,  but what about all the hair?? Suspicious :)

It started with congestion and an occasional cough and has progressed to bronchitis and bronchiolitis especially after being fed a lot...with somewhat comical results :)

Jake's say "What!?"

Its hard not to feel for the little man.  He has to be hungry after losing so much of his lunch, and he doesn't even know how to blow his nose yet.  In fact, we have to do the job for him with a suction bulb and saline.  Let me tell you something, I thought bath time and tummy time were rough.  PIECE OF CAKE compared to suction time.  He HATES nose suction time .... sigh.

Of course, since we are such chill and grounded first time parents we are taking this all in stride.  Elsa certainly has not stayed up for several nights straight just to make sure he keeps breathing, I definitely haven't camped out in the nursery to do the same.  Besides if I did, I absolutely wouldn't be checking his nose, mouth and chest every 30-60 minutes in the process.  Nope ... what do you think we are ... crazy!?! Come on, you all know us better than that.

Still, with the limited therapeutic options that we have available for such a lil' tenderfoot (namely shower nebulization, bulb suction, saline drops, smaller more frequent feedings, elevated sleeping arrangements and a trusty thermometer) we began to worry when he seemed to be getting worse (as would normally happen with a cold) after a few days.  Could this be the dreaded pertussis? Did Jake aspirate or get bronchopneumonia?, Would I ever get to sleep in the same bed as my wife again? (errr how did that get into the worry list?)   It eventually got to a point where EJ took charge and trekked him over to his pediatrician.  His normal doc was off that day (a Saturday ... must be nice :) ), but the covering doctor was actually a very good client of Elsa's (EJ cares for her cats).  This doc loves her cats a lot.... surely she needed no extra incentive to be an awesome doctor (which she is), but it is nice to have in the back pocket just in case.  Anywho... doc said he is doing well, lungs sound ok and to continue TLC at home and he will be just fine.  Nice to hear even if we knew it already.  Whoever said knowledge is power must know that a little too much knowledge can be more trouble than it is worth :-P

In any case, Jake seems to have turned the corner this morning and is on the rebound.  In the meantime, with the lack of sleep and such close contact with the baby, EJ has caught the cold.  As for me, well I don't have time to get sick.  I have a lot of work to do at the hospital and a trip up to Massachusetts for Easter to plan.  Maybe I'll schedule a sick day in a month or two.  That is how it works right?

Next blog should have holiday undertones, but I leave you with this good note.  Thanks to my AWESOME inlaws EJ and I were able to sneak away for a double date Seder dinner at Elsa's hometown church .. and it was delicious.

mmm lamb dinner :)

Love ya all
Zach and the rest of the misfits

Its official 2 is now 3!

Well gang, guess what?  The house has a brand new 1 month old member.  Initially, I was going to try to rush out a post on the actual day of his birth ... but as you can imagine, I was a little busy with other matters.  

He's here!

A rose in Jake's honor at our church

So Jacob (my son) was born a little over a month ago on his due date!  Now some of you may be saying to yourself, "Self, why did he put an exclamation point there."  I would respond to this in two ways.  First, you silly reader, DUH, this is our first <human> son, OF COURSE he deserves an exclamation point.  Secondly, now this is super cool as well.  Apparently, less than 5% of babies are born on their official due date.  Already, my son is showing his exemplary nature.  Jacob Tristan weighed in at a little over 7 lbs.  According to the Chinese calendar, Jacob has been born in the year of the water dragon.  This is apparently a really lucky thing ... hopefully he won't need to cash it in on that to often.   The first night was both exciting and terrifying, but we made it through.  It was looking dicey but thanks to a great pacifier (THANKS AUNT DOTTY!), and the knowledge that we could trade nap times the next day ... we were soon through.  Luckily, the nights have gone pretty well since then.

I have to say the little guy has been quite the superstar.  He sleeps well at night, want to interact with us during the day, and is growing like a weed.  His coos are enough to melt your heart, and when he stretches and puckers his lips you will do anything at all for him.
 Some of the pets love the little guy.  Nemo especially likes to curl up next to the him while he is sleeping on our chest or nursing with EJ.  Frisby is still trying to figure out how to get the food he is eating (when he is nursing of course).  The others, well they don't really care as long as they get fed and the house is clean.  So the household has had no problems with the transition which takes a huge weight off of our minds.

At this point, we have a pretty good routine.... of course I have no illusions that this will last forever.  We will need to change frequently as we are forced to adapt to Elsa's return to work and Jake's growth .... but its clearly worth it.  The little man likes to sleep at night, will sometimes nap during the day, but prefers to be played with, cooed to, or held a lot when he is active.  He really likes it when we take him for a walk <in his nifty Bob stroller -- the Cadillac of baby transport devices> to the beach.  Studies show that sun exposure (don't worry we protect him from directed sun rays) in the afternoon assists in better sleeping at night.  This seems to be working quite well so far.  EJ is likely going to teach him Spanish as well as English and we have started reading to him.  He can't see very well yet and when he grabs toys its kinda accidental, but I've already started to dream about playing ball someday, or going on hikes or ski trips.  I swear the lil' man gets more fun everyday!

Ready for his big day out.

We can't wait until he meets everyone.  We have already had a bunch of visitors, but if any of you readers want to stop by for a visit consider this an open invite.  Just call first as I haven't notified the wife about this :-)

Jake's first play date and sleepover... how advanced :)

I will try to write more often... but bear with me if there are delays.  Elsa won't always let me get away with blogging while she does all the work after all.


Love Zach, Elsa, Frisby, Kitty, Nemo, Jamie, Cosmo, Paulie, Dirt Dawg, and of course the superstar himself JACOB!!!

Hey Kid it could be worse.... you could be a Cubs fan now!

Busy October/November

Hi all,
   It has been a long time since last I posted because I have been a little busy (and addicted to a new app game called Jelly Defense).  Still, as I looked at the amount of stuff that needed to be posted, I thought I would sit down and blog away.

Some congrats flowers, one from me, one from a client.  Guess which is which.

   We have had an early blizzard, a crazy birthday weekend, a whirlwind visit to my parents in Massachusetts and don't forget some Thanksgiving fun.  Here are some selected pictures for you all.  Enjoy!

This was taken very shortly before Josie entered our life.  The sisters decided to pose for the obligatory belly pose.  Elsa and her sister Laura are pictured here the week before Halloween.  (Josie born 10/27/11).

Part of the baby naming contest at work.

Josie our new niece with her mom looking cute!

No this is not Canada or February... this was October in Jersey

Can you believe all of this snow before November even started? Neither can these deer.

Us with our brand new niece

Elsa napping with her new niece on Halloween weekend.

Elsa, Ken, and Katherine hanging out before the Tufts Vet School reunion dinner.

Old Professors in lederhosen  how quaint!

EJ getting ready for the holidays!

Some of the member of my vet school class at the reunion.  Yup the male to female ratio is pretty accurate :)

Pets and kids

So the house of misfit pets is bound to grow very soon. While we are certainly stressed for many reasons (money, time, sleep, health), there has been one concern lingering in the back of our minds that supersedes all of these. How will the pets react? Dirt dog and Kitty should not be a problem as they will be kept away from the baby under most circumstances. Likewise Jamie and Cosmo will likely just avoid him or her. Our main concerns are regarding Paulie and Frisby. We fear that Paulie will try to cuddle with the baby and wake him or her ( and thus us). Problem is we will have to be vigilant to keep him from being over affectionate all the time and accidentally hurting (or waking) the baby.  Don't forget about that whole sucking the breath out thing! (just kidding) As long as we can set some boundaries all should be well though it will take constant vigilance with this little Casanova. As for Frisby, we are afraid how the crotchety old lady would respond. However, last night as she was cuddling with EJ, Paulie started to lick her head. Though clearly upset she did no more then groan in protest.... Good sign ... I think she'll be just fine.  Plus once the free food comes ... they may become best buddies!

We aren't scaredy cats ... we are just careful

Frisby puts up with a lot ... a baby should not be too much more taxing for her!

Cosmo should be pretty chill about the experience .. but can Paulie keep his hands to himself?

Just hope the little one is not allergic.

Oye

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