Go-to Girl or Goat Girl

Boy has this past week been a full one. Where do I begin? Hmm, ah, at the beginning.

Here is Sister with her fancy Monday hairdo. Twists and Bows.

And of course I had to do Baby's hair. Tee hee! (Notice the side-swept bangs?)

Monday morning I called the vet for our goat, Squirt (the white goat). She had what we thought might be a broken leg. She kept falling forward and couldn't really place weight on  her left front leg. It had started last Wednesday with a weird sound she was making, (yes, I know, goats make weird sounds anyway, but, this was weirder).  She wasn't really acting herself that week so when she started limping on Saturday I didn't know what to think. She looked pretty bad off so we thought we should get her to the vet. My father-in-law, Gary, came with me so that I would have help with Baby and Sister. When we got there it turned out that the vet we were there to see was gone on an emergency call. That meant we had a long wait. Well, between trying to nurse Baby in a Vet's office surrounded by the smell of animal dung and animal hair, Sister trying to play with Larry, the not-so-friendly cat (she was told not to pet him because he will scratch her—why on earth do you keep a cat like that around when children are going to try to pet him, I have no idea) and Sister then smooshing her tiny fingers in the swinging metal entrance door, I was about to ball. One of the other vets there offered to look at Squirt since out vet was not yet back. In my exasperation, I agreed. Then, after 2 x-rays and some advice later, I went home with a goat that had no broken leg, no signs of any pain whatsoever and a diagnosis of a torn  ligament or nerve damage that would eventually repair itself, oh, and a $142.50 vet bill—I drove home a bit angry!

I dropped Gary off, got home, brought in the kids, took Squirt out of the car, let her out to eat and drink, waited for Brother's bus to get home, grabbed everyone again and went across the street to my neighbor's house for a meeting about a roadshow we are doing for the Stake. No, it is not a "road" show,  it is a road show we LDS people do for FUN! It is a little play or skit. We used to do them all the time when I was younger and then they stopped doing them. Maybe it was because it got so competative that people actually started getting directors and producers—just kidding. I don't know. I think they just got too competative. Anyway, I am not in charge of the road show, but I offered the idea for the skit. Therefore, I am on the roadshow committee! Yay!

I even took a little time to go play volleyball at our friend's house. Brother joined me for a bit. I was really proud of him, he actually tried!

Marc caught me while I was working with Brother on his homework and holding Baby...

After the meeting I get home and the same time Marc drives in, make dinner, eat dinner, help Brother with homework, and then we have a short family home evening. We had fun this time. I set up the little play tent and the kids sat in there while we said the prayer and sang the opening song. It worked like a charm. We reminisced through pictures and memories in the blog book from 2008. (I am still working on the one for 2009.) Then we got them in bed.

I stayed up till 2am working on the script that I based on the Snow White story with a little bit of the Wizard of Oz mixed in. (Trust me, it worked out well.)

Tuesday's hairdo — french braid with ribbons

Sister was so excited for the bus that she was dancing all over the driveway. It was hilarious! Noticed in the pictures her ribbons flying straight up because she is jumping/dancing with excitement. So funny!

Look at her feet off the ground...

Also, Tuesday was fix some legs of Brother's broken Breyer horses day. My sister got a kick out of where and how I lined them up....

Tuesday was so busy that I can't even remember what all kept me so busy, it was just busy! Crazy busy. I just remember that when Marc got home I handed him the kids, told him to take care of dinner and ran out to help with Enrichment Night for Relief Society. It was an Asian theme. I was in charge of announcing the fashion show participants and items.  It was a fun night, and the food was great. I had fun dressing up as an asian woman. I wish I had a picture.

When I got home from the activity, Marc looked at me and wished me "Happy Anniversary!" Oh, my word, I forgot it was our anniversary! I felt so bad. I guess not too bad because we celebrated it over the weekend, but I felt stupid for forgetting... I felt like a guy!! (smile)

Well, because Tuesday was so busy I didn't get around to ever checking on Squirt to see how she was fairing. So when I went out on Wednesday late morning to gather eggs and fill the animals' water, I was shocked to see her leaning forward with her back legs puching her around. Now both her front legs were not working. Her eyes were dilated and she seemed distraught. I called the vet and told them the scinario and the secretary said that she would pass on the message and havethe vet call the next morning.

So began my attempts at aiding Squirt's recovery. She couldn't move her front legs at all so I would place her somewhere warm and safe and then place hay right in fron of her and encourage her to drink. I had to place the water right underneath her so she would drink. I could tell she was really sick. My heart was so sad for her.

Marc had been on call all week and that night he was called out till late so I was on my own with the kids and the goat.

Brother had a well-check/meds appointment and those are always a little on the long side. The doctor told me I have to feed him a lot more because he is so skinny. So instructions for Brother's meals: ice cream cone with every meal, hamburger, steak, chili or PBJ for every meal and extra buttery popcorn and an ice cream cone for a bedtime snack! He was pretty excited.  The doctor just told me to take all his favorite foods and make them available ALL the time. I went out and bought 20 pounds of hamburger patties and fried 40 patties that day to place in the freezer so he can make his own anytime.

I had another roadshow meeting that night at the church and had to take my kids with me. Boy, was that an experience. Brother and Sister were running all over, disappearing here and there, knocking over signs, slamming doors and just generally not obeying. I know one of my friends could see my desperation and helped me out quite a bit, even helped me search a when Sister was missing for a few minutes.

Anyway, got home, and Marc was home. We got the kids bathed and in bed. Sister did not stay in bed though, it was a VERY long night! She was up most of the night screaming and crying. It was in the wee hours of the morning that Marc and I decided that Sister had to be back upstairs closer to us. She has been sharing with Brother so he wouldn't have to be alone after 13 moved out. So, that added to Thursday's chores...

Thursday morning I woke up late because of the long night so Brother missed his bus. He was so upset about that. Luckily, Grandpa Gary came and took him to school. After getting Brother off to school I went out to check on Squirt. She wasn't moving at all. I picked her up and her whole body was limp. She was only able to move her neck, head and mouth! I was devastated. I went right in and called the vet to tell him what was happening. He said what he thought it was and told me to pick up some meds for her. He thought that it would be reversable and that in a few days she would be well.

My mom, my hero lately, picked up the medicine for me at the vet's. I had to give Squirt a shot. Ick! I hate shots. But, I made it. I don't think Squirt could even feel it anyway. I had to pile up straw underneath Squirt's body so that she could kind of be in a upright position and then put objects on each side of her to prop her up. I piled hay leaves under her mouth so that she didn't have to reach to get them and then every hour I came out to give her water. My mom stayed and kept me company for a bit and even cleaned my kitchen. I was grateful to have her there. Other things having to do with my "other" kids were wearing me down and having to take care of our sick animal wasn't helping.  Thanks mom!

Baby loves her cousins Tman and LittleB. She laughs at them and talks to them. They came for a quick visit and I caught a few pictures of her big smiles.

That night I moved around all of Sister's furniture to the upstairs bedroom. Marc helped with the big stuff. I was just really anxious to get it done so that I didn't have to spend another long night with Sister. It worked out well. Brother and Sister were sad to not be sharing a room anymore but when I explained to them that they could still play in each other's rooms they were happy again. Brother said he was so excited to not have to listen to Sister cry all night. Tee hee!

After I moved the furniture I was sitting and playing with Baby and Marc took a picture. Amazing how tiny she is and yet, seems so huge compared to the tiny preemie we initially brought home...

That night I brought Squirt into the garage to keep her warm. I had her in a big box with her food and water and I went out to check on her when I was up with Baby or for the bathroom. No, change, even with the medicine my mom had picked up for her. The vet said there should be a change within a day or two but not even a sign of relief for her.

Friday morning I got Brother off to school. Went out to the garage and brought Squirt out into the sunshine under our hay barn and got her all set up for the day. She was worse that morning and could barely hold her head up at all.

I got Baby and Sister ready and took Baby to her well check 4 month appointment. Her doctor was VERY please with her development and said she is even advanced in some areas. That gave me a lot of hope. She is doing well. She weighs 11 pounds 10 ounces and is 23 inches long! Yahoo! She is doing well.

I went to my mom's afterwards and so did my sister and we hung out a bit. Jessie took Sister to her house after that too so that Sister could play. When Brother got home from school I took him and Baby with me to Jessie's and we watched a movie over there and hung out a bit. I fell asleep on Jessie's couch during the movie. Boy, was I tired.

When I got home, Marc was home. We both took care of Squirt together and tried to make her comfortable for the night, all along she is getting worse.

We hung out with our friends and had ice cream. It was so much fun to get together with them and just talk and watch "The Marriage Ref" which is so funny, by the way! Then we got our kids to bed and then our friends came to our house and we stayed up watching "Old Dogs" which was so funny that our friend fell on the floor from laughing so hard. I don't know if I was laughing harder at him or the movie. It was so good to hang out with friends and laugh and forget my troubles for a bit.

Saturday I got a call bright and early from Jessie, wondering if we were coming over for breakfast. Heck ya! We rounded up the kids pajamas on all of us and headed to Jessie and Joel's for the world's best waffles and great conversation.  The best part of the morning for me, though, was the Uncle Joel making a horse-shaped pancake for Brother. I love that my siblings and my in-laws adore my kids so much. And frankly, I think Brother has a special place in everyone's heart who knows him...

When we got home Squirt was getting worse. She wouldn't really drink and she couldn't move her head to get to her food. It was awful. I started feeling really sick, I think, from lack of sleep and had to lay down for a good nap.

Sadly when I woke up, Squirt was no longer with us. She fought hard, and I tried to keep her going, but eventually the suffering was too much. When Marc left to take her to her resting place, Brother and Sister began to cry and wail, saying how much they were going to miss her. Brother had been out to check on her and talk to her while she had been so sick throughout the week. He really does care about his pets. It was so sad to hear them cry that I started to cry. I think mostly because I ached for Brother and Sister's loss, but also because I had tried so hard to get her well. Joel helped Marc with the task. It's not easy losing a special pet. You can read here about how we got her—surprising circumstances.

This is Hallie with Squirt when she was a couple of weeks old or so.
So tiny.

Squirt's sister, Pepsi, will be a little lonely unless we find her a new home or a new companion.

I feel bad for my kids because there have been a lot of big changes within the last while: New baby, 13 and 18 move out, we sell Twister and then Squirt dies. They keep asking about things we get to keep, when is 13 and 18 coming home and if our other pets will die. In the last 2 years we have had 3 of our animals die. I am starting to think our back yard is cursed!

This is a picture of the evening she died. A somber one.
Marc took it out our window after the big snow.

I know she's just a goat, but she was a sweetheart and loved my kids, even when Sister would carry her everywhere, try to ride her, shove grass up her nose and put her in time out Squirt still came back for more.

We will miss you little Squirt.