Fairy Godmother

I was in Michigan for Easter weekend, visiting Christine, my best friend since childhood and her two adorable children (and my godchildren), Sophie, 2 1/2 years old and Graham, one month old. Graham's baptismal service was that Saturday evening, and I wouldn't have missed it for anything!

I hadn't seen Sophie in about a year, so I didn't really expect her to remember me. But that didn't stop us from becoming fast friends. She is the cutest, smartest and most imaginative 2 1/2-year-old that I've ever met. She's very into the Disney princesses, as many little girls are. So when her grandma told her that her godmother was coming to visit in a few days, she asked, "Godmother? Like a fairy godmother, like Cinderella?" (except in her world, it's pronounced "Sister-lella.") She met me at the airport, and as soon as we got to their house, she ran and got her Sister-lella book, flipped to a page of the fairy godmother, and said, "See, it's you!" So the whole weekend I was the fairy godmother, and I did my best to live up to those high expectations.

Her baby brother Graham is the prettiest baby boy ever. He is a very content baby, and I got to snuggle him a lot. Sophie didn't seem jealous of him, in fact, she would often say, "Graham so cute," and "I love baby Graham." They both made me melt!

The most amazing thing happened the morning after I arrived. Sophie had a swimming lesson that morning, and when we got home, we played the matching game and then we started to do a puzzle together. In the middle of doing the puzzle, Sophie all of a sudden sat up and said, "I tired, I go sleep now," and she marched upstairs and put herself down for a nap, right on schedule. This blew me away, and Christine later told me that she does this quite often! How awesome is that? Sophie would also just randomly say things like, "Mommy, I so happy," and when she had a favorite dress on she'd say, "I so pretty," while twirling around. Cute. Cute. Cute. I only wish we didn't live 1500 miles apart, I would love to visit more often.

"I want something to be wrong with me!"

Daisy's eye is almost completely healed, and we are so happy. After three additional trips back to the vet, more ointment and some inflammation medication, things are looking good. The multiple-times-a-day-treatments should cease completely by the end of the week ... whew! She is acting like her old, happy self again $500 later.

Leyla is just glad that Daisy is not getting as much extra attention anymore. Oooo, can you say jealous? Watching her get so jealous reminded me of a similar situation many years ago ... with humans, not animals.

When I was in fourth grade and my brother was in Kindergarten, we both had accidents at recess on the same day. I fell on the hardtop that made up the playground (when I had to go to school at Oak Park Mall for one year due to asbestos at my elementary school). I cut my knee open and had to get five stitches. My brother fell off the monkey bars while imitating the Gibbons that he had seen on his zoo fieldtrip that day and broke his arm.

Both my brother and I were propped up at home later that evening, and people were stopping by with balloons and Get Well cards, our parents were waiting on us hand and foot and everyone was showering us with attention. All of a sudden, my sister, who was five-years-old, started crying. Everyone turned to stare at her, and my mom said, "Honey, what's wrong?" And between sobs my sister said, "I ... I want something to ... to be wrong with mmmeeeeee!"

If Leyla could talk, I have no doubt that's what she would have said, too!

Easter Cupcakes

Our church recently had a celebration which included a silent auction. I donated, what else, but two-dozen decorated cupcakes made to order. A good family friend ending up being the highest bidder, and she requested her cupcakes for Easter. I thought they turned out pretty cute, especially considering that three out of the five designs were first attempts.

Kent could not guess which animal the above cupcake was supposed to be. What do you think? Is it really not obvious?

Peeps!

I think Easter just might beat Halloween for the sugariest holiday!

Our Little Mexican Martini

Two Sundays ago we were getting ready to take our pups to a dog park for the first time. Plans quickly changed when Kent noticed that Daisy's left eye was really cloudy. She had been holding her eye shut and pawing at it for a few days prior, but we thought it was just allergies since she is prone to them, and we had been giving her Children's Benadryl per the vet's instructions.

So we rushed to the Emergency Pet Clinic where we waited. And waited. AND WAITED. We were there over three hours. Here we are waiting (sister Leyla was there for moral support):

They stained her eye with iodine and determined it to be an ulcer. We have been giving her a combination of drops, ointment, antibiotics and pain meds ever since, some several times a day. We are hopeful that this treatment will do the trick and that she won't have to have surgery.

She also has to wear this cone collar 24/7 and really hates it. She thinks it's the worst outfit we've bought her yet! We think that she resembles a martini glass, and since she is a chihuahua, she's our little Mexican Martini!

Overall she is being a really good patient, and we are keeping her calm and out of direct light, since her eye is sensitive.

Poor girl, we feel so bad for her!