We're back... potty training, kittens, and mountains to catch up on

We got back into town Wednesday night, after visiting with my family in West Virginia for a week. There's no big "highlight reel" of our trip. We had a good time visiting with family - the kids had a ball and didn't want to leave - basically we just relaxed and hung out for a week. I was even too lazy to get out my camera, so the pictures will come later when my mom sends me hers. I am happy to report that, despite lots of eating really bad things while I was away (can we say ECLAIR CAKE??? Thanks, Trinsy - it was yummy!!!), I didn't gain any weight. Amazing!

Potty training is sketchy. I am encouraged by the fact that Isaac woke up dry every morning that we were gone, but I'm a little let down that he hasn't figured out pooping yet. He knows when he needs to go - he goes and hides to have some privacy - but he gets upset when I try to get him to go on the potty. Sigh...

While we were away, Quoc discovered three baby kittens under our bougainvillea at the side of our garage. When we drove up late on Wednesday night, they were all wandering around at the edge of the driveway. We put them back under the bushes so the mother cat would find them, but when Quoc came out for work on Thursday morning, they were in the middle of the driveway, wet and crawling around. He put them back under the hose (right beside the bougainvillea bush) so they would at least have some shelter. By the time the boys and I were leaving for the library, they were still wet and shivering, so I got a storage container, put in some towels and a blanket and put it on our front porch. My thought was that the mother cat could still get to them, but they would be safe and warm and out of the elements. Well, the mother cat never really came back. I saw her prowling around, but she didn't go to her babies at all. So that leaves me as the surrogate mom of three infant kittens that I have no idea how to take care of. After doing some research, it seems that the mother cat has been neglecting the babies for quite some time. They should be chubby and fuzzy, and they are just skin and bones and look like little rats. So........... I went to Wally World and got a tiny kitten bottle and kitten formula. Bet you didn't know there was such a thing, huh? I went home and attempted to feed them. Easier said than done. They were so weak that they couldn't suck very well. I got them each to take a little formula and then moved on to the other task... Oh yeah. I didn't mention that yet, did I? Hmmmm... How should I put this? After reading a little on the internet, I discovered that baby kittens can't pee or poo on their own. You have to "help" them. Basically, you take a warm, damp wash cloth (simulating the mother's tongue when she licks them) and rub them until they pee and poo. Boy this is fun stuff! Yes, I even got excited when they actually peed. No idea why... I guess I thought it wouldn't actually work? The boys and I had to go into to Tampa to drop off some work stuff (and make a pit stop at the Florida Aquarium - to have some fun and sign Hayden up for a summer camp) and when we got back, one of the kittens was acting a little "funny". The kittens had gotten a little overheated since the sun was shining on the front porch at that time of day, so I moved them into the shade, but the one kitten just didn't look right. It was making noises and moving around, but it couldn't stand up. I picked it up and started feeding it, but it was too weak to suck. It stopped moving, and I thought it had died and said so to Hayden, but then it started moving again. I made another attempt at feeding it and then it stopped moving for good. I felt so awful with this little dead kitten in my hand. I guess it didn't have much of a chance, but I really thought I could save it. So now we're left with two tiny black orphan kitties. They made it through the night last night, so I guess that's a good sign. I weighed them this morning, and they are each around 4 ounces. They are supposed to gain about half an ounce daily, but I don't think these kittens are "normal". We'll see how they do. Please say a prayer, cross your fingers, whatever you do, for them. I don't want to see any more dead kittens. Here are some pictures of them and their little sibling that is no longer with us.

This is the one that didn't make it. Sorry, little baby...

One of the others at feeding time

The two remaining babies, sleeping on the porch this morning.

I moved them to the back (screened) porch a little while ago. There's no reason to keep them on the front porch where they're fair game to predators and bugs when their mother obviously is not coming back.

So now, I have mountains of stuff to do since I have been gone for a week. I am overwhelmed since I have so much to do and infant kittens to worry about. One thing at a time, one thing at a time...