The Paine family "zoo"
I have at least 25 posts I want to write, but my brain is "blah" today. Kathrynne is transitioning from a crib to a "real bed" so I slept in her room for part of the last night (Any great tips on making that transition, by the way?). As all moms know, that isn't the most restful sleep. Then, I was up for a few hours last night with bad heartburn (Ah, pregnancy! Why don't I remember to not eat lasagna? If you've experienced heartburn before, what have you found to help?). I finally went to sleep and then woke up a few hours later with a horrendous pain, worse than anything I remember experiencing in labor. My husband had to leave for work in the wee hours of the morning this morning and wasn't home or otherwise he probably would have taken me to the ER. Gratefully, after about 15-20 minutes (just a guess, I have no idea since time seemed to stand still) of writhing in pain and crying out to God to please bring relief, it was over. I still have no clue what it was but I put my husband on high alert and have made sure the phone was right by my side all day lest another episode strike. Sometimes it is so easy to forget to be thankful for health and pain-free living!Needless to say, I'm not functioning near 100% today and my brain is not in any shape to think deep thoughts or write profound posts (not that I usually do much of that, anyway!). I'll save those for later. In the mean time, I thought I'd stick to something light - a subject I've never broached on this blog before and probably never really planned to - pets. I'm not sure that there is any correlation to Biblical Womanhood, but it is relevant to our family life right now. Why? Because we just became the proud new owners of our first "pets," all eight of them.
Before you think we've gone mad and have started our own miniature zoo, I'll be quick to assure you that these pets are very small pets, require hardly any effort, make very little mess, and can fit into a one gallon tank. Just my kind of pets!
For Kathrynne's birthday, we had decided we would get her a fish. She loves fish and what could be better than her own fish tank in her room? Plus, I'm sure it could count for some type of life science credit in homeschool and I'm all about making education exciting. So, we set out on Saturday to procure the fish and all the trappings to keep, feed, and care for the said fish.
If you know Jesse and I at all, you'll know we're not ones to do things half-heartedly. Instead of a fish bowl, we got a snazzy tank that lights up and has the bubbles (I'm sure there is some more technical term for the water filtration system than "bubbles" so pardon me all of you a"fish"ionados!). Then we had to buy the plants for the tank, and the rocks, and the water purification drops, and the food. After all that, how could we just buy some measly $0.26 goldfish? We ended up with three small fish, two water frogs, and three ghost shrimp. Surprisingly, since they are all small, they can live in the same tank without, supposedly, eating each other. So far, so good.
Ghost shrimpYes, we are now pet owners for pretty much the first time since the only other pet we've had in our married life was a resilient betta whom we got free as part of a pet store mystery shop I did. It seems a bit more "real" this time since we actually plunked down a little bit of money to buy these pets. However, lest you think we spent a fortune, I must add that we got the whole kit and kaboodle for around $30. Not as cheap as a $5 fish bowl and a $0.26 gold fish, but pretty inexpensive for a birthday present which Kathrynne was utterly thrilled about!
Now that I've rambled on incessantly about our new pets, I thought it would be fun to hear about the animals or other creatures you own. Are we the only people who have shrimp? Anyone have anything really exotic? Don't have any pets and/or think this was the most boring post ever? You can tell me that, too.
posted by Crystal Paine at 3:13 PM
43 Comments:
We have no pets, we're boring. :)
Just wanted to comment on the weird pain experience: the same exact thing happened to me when I was pregnant with Eliyahu. I was about 7 1/2 months along. I suddenly felt very sick and was in awful pain and could absolutely NOT get comfortable, whether I was lying down, walking, going to the bathroom, whatever. It was horrible and Joshua thought I was in labor or something. After about 15 minutes, we were just about ready to call the midwife, when it started fading away. About 30 minutes later, I felt pretty good. And, as you know, I didn't actually go into labor for about 2 1/2 more months. ;)
Anyway, it was an odd experience, so hopefully nothing comes of yours, just like mine. It was worse than labor because it was constant pain and I tried everything to get comfortable but nothing would work. It must have been a little scary for you with Kathrynne since Jesse wasn't there!!
I have your pretty average animals... a tiger, a flamingo, a howler monkey, and a crab. They keep me busy enough without any additional pets. You can see them here. http://zookeepers-luv2bhsmama.blogspot.com/
I hope nothing turns up with your pain.
Hi Crystal!
This may be a pointless recomendation if you already do it, but I am wondering if having the fish tank in Kathrynne's bedroom might help her stay in there and sleep. Perhaps in the beginning of the night, she could have the tank's light on and then as the evening wore on you could turn that off. My rationale is that the sounds of the tank and watching the fish might lull her to sleep and keep her asleep until the morning. Also, doing this would probably depend on whether Kathrynne would get out of bed and watch the fish or put her hands in the water... I gather she's pretty obiedient though and wouldn't do that.
Anyway, just two cents from a mom who hasn't dealt with any of this yet;)
Emma
Crystal-
You may be experiencing some gall bladder pain...very intense, intermittent, may be accompanied by heartburn or nausea...
Luv2bhsmama: Whoa there! I thought you were serious with that for a moment! :)
I forgot to mention that I doubt we'll get "difficult" pets until our children are old enough to take care of them themselves. Though we might not be able to hold out until then on getting a dog - as long as it is an "outside dog." (I don't "do" pets indoors just because I seem to have enough messes without them!). Oh and I really hope to get a few chickens and a goat as soon as we have a large enough yard for that. But, I may be too ambitious on the goat thing. We'll see. And technically, those are not exactly "pets."
your pain could have been kidney stones, which are common in pregnancy, and often pass on your own. sometime after the birth of my 1st, i had a kidney stone, and it was WORSE than labor b/c the pain was constant, and then it can suddenly be over. if you're not experiencing any more pain, the best thing to do is to stay very hydrated, the best defense against kidney stones anyway. i ended up in the er with mine b/c i got a subsequent infection, but normally that doesn't happen - depends on the stone and your body.
Tammy: Thanks for sharing - that was very encouraging to hear. I was hoping I might hear some stories like yours to help put my mind at ease. I have an appointment in a couple of days with the birth center/midwife and I'm most certainly going to ask them about it if nothing more comes of it before then. Like you described, it felt like intense contractions only it didn't let up at all. And the pain was so intense it made me terribly nauseated.
Crystal,
We always had cats, the first we got as kittens, and they grew up with me. Since then we "replaced" them with other finds of different kinds and personalities, but always cats. They're usually nice and cuddly and relatively low maintenance, but we run into the friends with allergies problem a lot. We've never done anything exciting, though I'm not sure I'd want to. I pet-sat for some friends who had snakes and lizards and turtles and frogs, and it was a lot of hands-on feeding, cleaning, watering, and then washing hands. I guess I'm lazy. Why don't pets feed themselves?
Your fish tank sounds exciting, though!
I pray your pain means nothing and won't recur.
To God be all glory,
Lisa of Longbourn
Crystal,
That is wonderful that you have some fish! I would LOVE some but with 19 and 6 month olds, now isn't the time for me. I wanted to give you a friendly warning to make sure there is NO WAY that Kathrynne can pull the tank over. When I was young my mom had a friend that had a son with a tank and he tried to climb his dresser drawers to get to them and knocked the whole thing over and was cut terribly.
Since you asked, I loved your post, hearing about your everyday life is so encouraging. Also, since you asked about the change from cribs to bed, we have just experienced it. Our poor little son Micah has been sleeping in a pack 'n play since he was born and we had a bed given to us so we decided that Alissa was ready to be moved. I could tell she wasn't sure at first but she did well. I made sure to tell her that she was NOT allowed to get out of bed without Mommy telling her she could and it's been a week and she has only gotten up 2-3 times. Make sure to praise Kathrynne when you go in to get her and she's still in her bed! Have fun and God bless!
~Jen
We have had 4 rats and LOVED THEM! Believe it or not they make the BEST pets for children! Rats are hesitant to bite (I cannot begin to tell you what we had to do to our rat in order for them to get shots, but they NEVER bit us!) And they never bit the children (even our two year old who would frequently shove her finger inbetween the bars). They can be trained to come to their name AND to go in a litter box! They can also be shoulder rats (I wish I had taken a picture of Luther on hubby's shoulder before he died). They take very little care and will honestly be the best pet you ever owned!
(previous anon poster)
and i should add that the symptoms you describe are exactly what i experienced - unrelenting pain, nausea, etc... but if it stopped, then that's a good sign. problem was, mine didn't stop :) so i got medicine and what not, and it eventually passed. and then it was as if nothing happened, although before knowing what was happening, i thought death was around the corner!
and we have 2 cats - they're very "human" like... sometimes too much :)
Crystal,
I forgot to comment on your paines(pun intended:-).
I had the same thing happen to me when I was pregnant this last time, when the pain had subsided enough to move I went to the chiropractor and he adjusted me and siad that some ligament was out. I never had it happen again but thought I'd mention it. You didn't say where the pain was but mine has from my side to my belly button.
~Jen
If this pain was preceded by eating anything "rich," I strongly suggest you get checked out for gall bladder problems. I had multiple episodes like the one you described over a 2-year period. In retrospect (I've kept detailed diaries since I was 6, so this was easy to track later), it was something "rich" that seemed to set it off, and that has a lot to do with the gall bladder's function, which makes sense.
The episodes were horrible. Each was worst than the last, and on one occasion it was so severe that my school (I was 16) called an ambulance because I was writhing on the floor screaming in pain. No one thought to check my gall bladder, due to my age, until the fourth or fifth trip to the ER. Then a nurse said, "This is gall bladder, for heaven's sake!" My mother demanded that the doctor check my gall bladder, and I was on the operating table 48 hours later. Problem solved.
If you have another one, please get your gall bladder checked. With laproscopic surgery, you'd be back to full steam in less than a week.
Hi Crystal--
Great idea about posting on pets! We have the cutest little beagle there is; we just love him to pieces. I posted a picture of him over on my blog.
George and I don't have any children so we kind of look upon our dog as our little fur-baby, because he sure gets babied!
Hope all goes well with the fish. I can just see Katheryn being enthralled watching them.
A funny story: when my little brother was Kathrynn's age we had two little goldfish and when no one was looking there the two fish er.... one and a half fish were lying on the table. He had eaten the head half of one! We asked him why and he said it "looked good"
Take Care,
Trixie
Sounds like a great learning environment you've set up for Kathyrnne! Great job. I had awful heartburn with the twins the whole time. The ob let me take Mylanta and Rolaids Soft Chews, also plain Tums. Sorry you were hurting so badly........pray that it's over for good and all will continue to be well.
I'm with you on the outside pets only! We don't currently have any pets but I think it will be my husband not my kids advocating for one. We have decided to wait until we have more of a backyard but my husband looks longingly every time we pass a dog.
Vika
For pets, we have fish, nothing to different just 2 Angel and 4 tetras and 1 catfish. I'm hoping to get something a little more interesting. :)
We also have a siamese cat named Song. Someday the girls are hoping to ahve a horse and an outside dog. :)
Hope you pain does not come back. That would be scary....
We have 2 dogs wt totaling approx 220 pounds-excellent alarm system when the hubby is on the night shift. Crystal, I actually have a friend whose husband owns a herd/flock, whatever you call it of goats...they're just a little south of where you and I live, if you're interested someday! Jill
I've never commented before, but I've been following along since about November. I love reading your posts, especially since I'm pregnant, too! I'm about 22-23 weeks along.
You seem to have lots of helpful advice! I don't know anything about bed transitioning (this is our first) or pets (we always had cats) but I had very similar pains about a month ago. Our midwife said it was most likely round ligament pain. It's an intense pulling, almost cramping feeling on the lower abdomen, especially around the hips and under the uterus. All it means is the ligaments connecting the uterus area to the hips are getting stretched beyond what they're used to and they're resisting. Nothing really helped, it just went away on it's own. I hope yours does, too!
I have no helpful advice on the heartburn. No antacid I've taken works longer than about 10 minutes and so far we've only been able to conclude it does not matter what food I eat!
My best tip for transitioning from crib to bed is to leave the crib up. Most children love to have a new bed. I simply told mine that if they got out of bed, then they had to sleep in the crib. Worked like a charm!
Crystal,
I agree w/some of the previous posts, the pain you're describing (along w/the heartburn) could be gall bladder issues, esp if it happens after eating fatty foods. But then again, it happened in the wee hrs of the morning, so maybe it's kidney stones. I'd get it checked out, though. At your age, it's probably just a fluke thing.
Glad to hear about your fishies! We're really into fish here. One interesting thing about the ghost shrimp is that you can see the food go through their systems when they eat. Gross, but neat. Careful not to get fish too big, though or the shrimp will be eaten. The shrimp will also help keep the tank clean. What kind are the three little fish you got? Your daughter must love them. The bubble thing is called an aerator and it'll help keep the water oxygenated for the fish. Oh, don't forget to change some (not all) of the water every so often and don't overfeed or overcrowd and the fish will last a long time!
We have 10 tanks of various sizes and various types of fish. The most interesting is a cichlid we have that carries her eggs in her mouth until they hatch and then the baby fish (fry) go into her mouth whenver she senses danger. If you go near the tank (near her babies) she comes rushing over in a mad frenzy. I think God really blessed us when he created all of these intersting creatures we have to enjoy.
We also have a Great Dane, a Corgi, two cats an a baby iguana.
After our children move out we will have no more pets! lol
Last week I read a devotional from Elizabeth Elliot about pets:
Here is the link:
http://www.backtothebible.org/devotions/authors_attic/elliot
Here is one part of her devotion:
My husband wrote years ago about a dog he had named Lassie. He believed that she had been "assigned" to him. It was her business to keep him happy, and perhaps of all the marvelous things dogs do for man (herding sheep, retrieving birds, pulling sleds, leading the blind, rescuing the freezing or the drowning), none is more marvelous than this: they are comforters and companions. They think always of their master. What is he doing? Can I accompany him? Is he happy? How can I cheer him?
Hi Crystal,
I hope you are feeling better and are pain free now. I have no idea what would have caused you so much pain. :(
As for the heartburn, I can't help with that one either, I usually drink some milk when I have heartburn but most people tell me that isn't so smart. It works for me though :)
As for pets, we have 3 chihuahuas named: IsaBella, Bleula and Daisy, 1 bird named Tinker and a huge fancy goldfish named "5 Bucks" that Brooke won a the fair a little over a year ago.
Take care and God Bless!
Hi Crystal,
I just wanted to mention to you that when I was pregnant with my 2nd daughter, I thought I had severe heartburn, but it turned out to be awful gallbladder attacks. It turns out that this is not uncommon in pregnant women, but the pain can easily surpass labor! I had to have mine out 3 weeks after Lauryn was born because of the intense pain, so just be careful!
Love and prayers,
Jenny B.
I have a mini-zoo! We had two rabbits, four guinea pigs, and a dog, but recently lost a guinea pig and a rabbit. :( I did not have pets as a kid, and I think I'm making up for it now...
1) pets cool, we have a dog and 2 cats...i'd love to see pics of the aquarium and its inhabitants
2) i had similar pain, made dh come home from work, as i had dd2 at home and i was writhing in pain and it scared her and ME....it faded away, lasted just shy of an hour, i was about 4th month in.....labour was easier than that pain...(also gall blader pain is also more painful and triggered by rich food) NO MORE LASAGNA>...
3) beds....two options...would be leave the aquarium in...
and secondly have a special dolly that sleeps in the big girl bed only...and have her sleep with her...i would avoid going in with her in her bed....but she's well trained and listens to you..so lay the law....make it a super big deal....we used the new big girl dolly thing and it was treated as an honour to have a big girl bed and we avoided all talk of the crib is for the new baby....we removed it completely and it was gone...
good luck with it all
Celina in Canada
We have two fish tanks (one filled with my prolific guppies, snails and platys) this is dd's tank and ds' has his goldfish in it. We also have a dog, a pet squirrel (who we feed and she chases the blackbirds and other squirrels away)the kids want more pets but we are waiting until we mov (I have told them they can have anythign as long a they help take car of it exceot a cat since mommy is seriously allergic to them!)
for heartburn, my ob suggested tums b/c they have calcium, which is good to have when you're pregnant - doesn't last a long time, but you can take several of them throughout the day. we have a 2 story house, so i keep some upstairs and downstairs :)
I have no pets. Got rid of the dogs when my second son was born. I love having no pets and think it will be years before I ever consider getting another one again.
I only like fish in lakes oceans or on my plate. ;-)
I had a really weird episode when I was pregnant with Harry. I had this horrible side ache that lasted all day. It made me nauseous, too. I would rate it an eight on a 0-10 painscale. I couldn't even walk. The doctor thought that the baby was postioned in a weird way.It lasted about two days and then it was gone. It probably was a combination of pulling a muscle and baby acting up.g
Your pain does sound like a gallbladder issue. Definately let someone know.
HI Crystal,
Sorry to hear about your pain, I know how scary that can be. As far as pets go we have a big lovable golden retriever, and an annoying cat. We took the cat in for only two reason, it was being neglected at my brother in laws and my step-daughter had been begging for one. I don't enjoy him at all, but she loves him. The only down side to my dog is that he is a hair machine!!!! I could vaccum several times a day and not keep up. My house is usually really clean but if you look hard enough there is always dog hair somewhere. Hope the fish go well!!!
I just wanted to say that I think it was a good idea that you didn't get the $0.26 goldfish. My family has a 10 gallon that they've maintained for about 5 or 6 years. It all started because I thought it would be fun to get my little sister a little $0.50 goldfish at a fair. Well, that poor little thing died in the cereal bowl we put him in the first night. In the process of replacing him, we ended up with a 10 gallon tanked in which we put the $0.25 goldfish from the pet store. We would put them in the tank (adjusting them slowly to the water temp and all that), sit down to dinner, and by the time dinner was done, they'd all be dead. This happened several times. This may have been due to the fact that we later learned that it is good to get a tank running for about a month before putting any fish in it to let the good bacteria build up. Or it may have been that the goldfish were labeled "feeder fish" and not meant to live very long because you were supposed feed them to other fish. Eventually, we bought some small not-too-expensive tropical fish like platys and they live for quite a while and do very well. So good choice on your fish and I wish you well!
Elissa
Hey Crystal,
Just wanted to leave a comment on what has helped me with my preggy heartburn. My dad's favorite remedy...1/4 tsp baking soda in as little water as possible. It actually works!!! And it works right away! Just be careful because of the sodium in baking soda...use the smallest amount possible to ease the heartburn. Also, don't lie on your right side when you're having symptoms...makes it worse!!!
I wish I had some great insite to tell you about that pain you had, but I'd definitley talk to your doctor/midwife about it!
I just switched my two-year old to his "big boy bed." I wish I could say I have the magic answer, but truthfully, I am just going with what I know to do--instruction, discipline and patience. It has been harmful to my sleep patterns though! But I'll be grateful that the transition is over before my little one is born in May. I'll have enough sleepless nights without adding to them with new changes for my older son!
Enjoy those fish!! That's my kind of pet...LOW mantainance!
Chew gum and it will stop heart burn! I actually hate chewing gum...but it's better than chewing tums constantly!! : )
Try it, it really works!
Blessings!
Tracy
I LOVE pets!! I used to have a big fish tank, as well as a smaller one with a Betta fish. They have all since passed on, and for now we haven't replaced them. I also have two cats and a dog. In the past I've had hamsters and iguanas. I couldn't imagine leaving an animal outside all the time! They are truly part of our family. I keep telling my husband of all the pets I'd like to get someday... A bunny, more hamsters, a leopard gecko, hermit crab. Yes our kids are going to be part of a zoo. :-)
I get heartburn once a month and I take tums, which really seem to help. I'm sure it's not the same as pregnancy heartburn, but that's what I do. :-)
Just sharing some experience on the transition to the new bed for Kathryne. It is actually pretty similar to what some others have said already. In families I have worked for we make a big happy deal of being able to go to sleep in a big kid bed, make sure the room is as child proof as possible, and if they have a room upstair using a temporary gate as a precaution from wandering while sleepy in the middle of the night. A few books they get to pick out by the bed and a special quiet big bed toy are helpful too. As is a set bedtime routine. Congratulations on your new pets :) and I hope that is the last of that pain!
Our family just got a fish tank early this month. It's a 33 gallon tank and sits in the hallway. Fish are kind of finicky, at least in our experience. We've had six die already, and one which is dying. That's even with using 'medicine' for the sickies. Just to warn you that the exotic fish don't usually live as long.
Goldfish on the other hand...nothing can kill them! ;)
Crystal, for the heartburn, drinking a glass of milk always helped me. If it wasn't too bad, I would have cereal with milk.
We don't have any pets now, but I have a funny story. My ds has some issues, and one of them is being terrified of sitting on the potty. So at 4 he is in pullups. I was telling him about this cool toy dinosaur I had seen at the store and told him that if he pooped on the potty we could go and get it for him. he said that he didn't want that toy. I said well what do you want and he said a hermit crab. So I am actually really hoping for a hermit crab one day.
Jennifer
As far as pets:
We have the most unlikely toddler-pets there are, I think. We have a hermit crab and a turtle. The crab was a gift to my little girl when she turned one - from my mother! I was unable to speak properly when I saw what was in the bag. And the turtle may seem harmless, but children are not actually allowed to touch turtles because they may carry salmonella. My husband is the only one who touches him and has to wash his hands immediately afterwards. We found him (the turtle, not my husband) in the parking lot of our old apartment complex. He was the size of a quarter and my husband insisted we adopt him. Olivia loves watching him and saying "Night Night" to him and crab have become part of nap and bedtime routines.
Sigh, all I ever wanted was a cuddly puppy! :-D
Oh, and for heartburn, I'm 8 months pregnant, so I feel your pain! I take two tums before I brush my teeth at night because that's when it hits the worst, and I hate taking them after I brush, because I know then they'll sit in my teeth all night... :-)
Crystal,
Just thought I'd post about the heartburn. While I was pregnant with Collin, I got really terrible heartburn if I ate rich foods or a lot of tomato products. I wasn't about to give up salsa or spaghetti sauce. Anyway, we had some Acidophilus which I started taking before any meals that I knew might cause heartburn (the bottle recommended taking 2-3 about 30 minutes before the meal). It really, truly worked!! As long as I remembered to take it, no heartburn even after lasagna. :) You should give it a try.
Blessings,
Rachel M. <><
Crystal, I pray that this is not what is wrong with you. I started having horrible pain on my right side (almost alwasy at night) when I was about 4 1/2 months pregnant. It lasted for hours, was usually brought on by pizza or anything fatty. To make a long story short I started having the attacks every day for hours. I lost 30 lbs in one month. They were so bad I had my gall bladder out when I was 6 months pregnant (they can remove it between 5-6 month). It had gotten to the stage where it had gangrene that quickly. The hormones in pregnancy can aggravate it, as I never had a problem before. I had a natural delivery and YES the gall bladder pain was much worse.
About the heartburn, I just wanted to suggest a few non-Tums type remedies that have been helpful for me (I"m 22 wks). One is to eat a handful of raw almonds (roasted almonds don't have the same effect). Another is to eat some plain popcorn (no butter or oil), as it absorbs the excess acid. At a health food store, you can get something called Slippery Elm lozenges (choose flavored over regular!) which seem to offer me quite a bit of relief when I suck on them slowly. And lastly, a cup of very strong ginger tea (really good stuff, not a cheap brand, one that's basically only made of dried ginger) sipped on after dinner has been invaluable to me this last little while. Hope you find something that works for you!
Stephanie
Crystal,
I generally don't believe in Better Living Through Chemistry, but may I heartily recommend Zantac for the heartburn? I am 29 weeks, and about two weeks ago was kept up for three hours or so in the middle of the night with really horrible heartburn that wouldn't go away with Tums. I complained in my prenatal class, and everyone immediately said "Zantac!" and they were right! It's on the safe medications list, and ever since I've been kept awake merely by insomnia/aching hips/nowhere to put my belly, but not heartburn ;-)
Crystal,
We just put a fish tank in our just-turned-2 year old's room with just the 28 cent gold fish in it. We got a bout 20 of them knowing that they don't always last very long and we're down to about 15 fish 2 weeks later. Aaron loves having his own fish in his room. He's been really good about staying in bed at night and not messing with them but we turn out the light when he goes to bed. He's been in a "big boy bed" for about 6 or 7 months now so getting out of bed is no longer a novelty so I think that has helped. We didn't have a problem putting him in an actual bed so I don't have any suggestions with Kathryn. Good luck!
Tracy
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