The Birthday Weekend: Survivor Edition

Two weeks ago, David’s brother, Alex, asked us to take in his dog, Callie.

Remember Alex?

So, we now have three dogs.  Which is fine and dandy, but, also, not that great.  Not because Callie is necessarily a bad dog, but just because three dogs is a bit too much.  We have Tank, our old dog, who is an angel and is far too lazy to cause any mischief.  We have Abbie, Handsome Dude’s new-ish dog, who has gotten a lot better, but can cause a bit of mischief.  Our property is a complete mud pit and we have lots of muddy paw prints and Callie fancies jumping up on couches and beds.  Which is less than ideal.

Abbie and Callie together decided to be gal pals and go and explore the neighborhood together.  And we were contacted by three neighbors who told us the two had been running amok on their property.

So, David and Alex decided to put in an in ground fence that would shock them (sad, I know) if they tried to escape our property.  The nice thing about this would be that, once the dogs got used to it, they could roam all 20 of our acres and we would not have to worry about them leaving and causing trouble.

So Alex drove in to help David this weekend and stay at our house.  And this weekend also happens to be:  Birthday Weekend.

Friday Night.

Friday was Handsome Dude’s birthday.  He turned ELEVEN.  I don’t know how this is happening.  My kids just keep getting older.  It is strange.

Anyways, since David was in charge of installing a fence and bonding with his brother, I was elected to be in charge of the birthday festivities.  I took both boys and picked up Handsome Dude’s friend.  I took them out for pizza, and then to a mini amusement park type place.  And because of this, I deserve a Woman of the Year Award.

I was told many jokes.  Would you like to hear one?

Why can’t you hear a pterodactyl go to the bathroom?

Because the “p” is silent.

*giggle, giggle*

And . . .

“Hey, Mom!  Spell I-cup!”

Go ahead.  Spell it out loud.

Yes.  It was a long night.

HD’s friend stayed the night. I only had to tell/yell at them about 18 times to go to bed.  So, overall, it was a pretty successful sleepover.

Saturday

Saturday was Daisy Mae’s 14th birthday.  We woke up to about 4 inches of fresh snow on the ground.  Which was perfect for David and Alex’s fence installing day.

It was a crazy morning.  Lots of people and dogs going in and out.  I was in the kitchen trying to get some food prep done for all this birthday madness, when I heard screams coming from downstairs.  5 children plus 3 dogs were yelling and running about because:

“Mama Cat is having babies on the boys’ bed!”

And yes, dear readers.  Mama Cat was giving birth.  On the bottom bunk.

I knew she was pregnant, but I didn’t think she was close to giving birth.  I have been a bit overwhelmed as of late, what with Sweet Pea’s knee surgery and the addition of the 3rd dog.  So, I guess I let “Keep Track Of Mama Cat’s Pregnancy So You Don’t End Up With Birthing Fluids On One Of Your Children’s Beds” slide.  It happens.

So I shoo everyone away so the poor feline can have some privacy and try to herd everyone upstairs.  But all the commotion must have been too much for Mama Cat because a few minutes later, I see her running around the house, looking terrified, with a newborn kitten in her mouth.

And oh the squealing and the yelling and noise! Right when I was in the middle of making HOMEMADE BREADSTICKS because Daisy Mae requested it for her birthday lunch.

Who has time to make homemade breadsticks?  Like with yeast?  Certainly not I, and yet there I was, working with yeast while Mama Cat dropped her newborn on the stairs and then ran.

Meanwhile, David and Alex are using heavy machinery and there is all the noise going on and kids going in and out, letting dogs out, and I can’t keep track of Callie and Abbie, the two meandering gal pals.  Were they at the neighbors?  Possibly.  Did I have time to find them?  Certainly not!  I had a kitten to save.  And dough to rise.

This poor pathetic kitten was mewing and squirming.  The umbilical cord stub was still there.  I decided I needed to help Mama Cat find a safe, quiet place.  Now, I needed to pick up the kitten, but I am not sure if I should touch it?  Will Mama shun it if my scent is on it?  I have no idea.  I was never meant to live this farm and ranch life, but we all already knew that.

I grab a box and put a towel in it.  I get a second towel and use it to pick up the kitten and put it in the box.  I am not sure why, but it all sounded reasonable.  I took the box with the kitten and placed it in a quiet corner of an empty room of the house.  Next I grab Mama Cat and carry her down to the box.  She was not pleased with me carrying her, probably because she was in labor.  Her belly was still full with more kittens and I can imagine this was not her most favorite day.  I leave to go and grab her some food and water and when I came back she had already moved her kitten to a more secluded spot in the room.  She is a good Mama Cat.

Soon it was time for me to leave and start Daisy Mae’s party.  David and Alex were still doing the fence, so I went to town on my own with the girls.  I took them to a movie and out for ice cream, then we came home for sleepover #2.  And let me tell you, middle school girls might be a bit louder than 5th grade boys.

One of DM’s friends is a bit of an animal lover.

Friend:  Miss Taylor (they all call me that.  I know not why), can I please pet the new kittens?

Me:  No.  Don’t go in there.  Mama Cat has been too stressed out.  If people go in there, she will move them.

Friend:  Oh, but please, I will be careful!

Me:  No.

Later . . .

Friend:  Miss Taylor, I have a confession to make.  I went in and saw the kittens!  A lot!

*sigh*

I went to check later and Mama Cat has moved them again.  I haven’t found them yet.  But I know she had three.

The fence got finished.  The dogs got shocked.  Abbie was traumatized and Callie just went through it and kept going down the road.  So, that’s a problem.

I have cooked a lot of food.  My washing machine and dishwasher have not stopped running.  I am exhausted.  David and Alex cut down three huge trees.  Alex went home, and we bought 20 chicks.  Because, why not?

But Birthday Weekend is over.  And I survived.

Happy Sunday!