Operation Rescue. ...The Story of Loki.

   My Mamaw has feral cats at her house. Feral as in you never even see them. Sometimes from a distance you might see them, but they run when they hear even the tiniest sound. That's why when we were all hanging out on the carport one weekend it was a shock when a tiny little head popped out from under her porch. We counted and there were three little kittens. They were terrified and would run back under the porch. Two white kittens and one grey kitten.

To give you some background I've begged Jeremy to get a kitten for years. I've ALWAYS loved cats. He always said no. lol

A few days went by and I couldn't get the kittens off my mind. So I made a deal with Jeremy. Let me bring them home and give me two days to attempt to tame them and find them good homes.

He agreed, but said on day 3 I would have to take them back to my mamaws if no one had taken them.

I went and bought some wet cat food and a litter scoop. We feed a few stray cats outside so we had cat food and litter boxes and litter because of Thumper ( Our Rabbit.)

I had pet carrier in tow and off to mamaws I went on a mission. IT WAS NOT EASY! I set food out and sat on top of the porch ready to grab when they came out. Not long and a white kitty poked its head out and went and began eating the food. I quietly but quickly slipped my hand between the porch rails and picked it up like its mama would. It let out high pitched screams, but I managed to get it in the carrier. Then I waited and waited. The gray one was the most skittish, rarely even poking his head out from the porch at all. So I was surprised when he ventured out next, but it wasn't food he was going for. He came  out to investigate his brothers persistant cries. I grabbed him before he knew it. He frailed, clawed, and hollered. Until I set him in the carrier. Him and his brother curled up and fell asleep. Only I didn't want them to sleep I wanted them to keep crying in hopes their brother would come investigate too. I waited for three more hours. I did not want to leave one behind, but I ended up having to. 

Home we came. They hissed when you touch them,but I didn't stop trying. I placed them in a (BIG) box in our breezeway. I had promised as part of the deal that they wouldn't come in the house. I gave them food and water and placed a litterbox in with them. I gave them some space, but would go out often and pick them up and pet them. Connor would go out and say hi to them repeatedly too. ( so stinking sweet.)

Jeremy came home from work and as soon as he held them I knew he was hooked. Next thing I knew their box was in the living room.

They were eating hard food when I took them, but I still was unsure of their age so I couldn't use flea and tick shampoo. Instead I used Dawn Dish soap which is suppose to kill fleas. I never saw any, but they needed a bath anyway.

Jeremy said since they were so scared I should keep them a few weeks before trying to find them homes. I got them kitten milk replacer which they lapped up each day as well as cat food. They used the litterbox from day one. They were a lot of fun. I just knew I would fall for the white one, but it was the grey one that got me.

They were both boys and since they would be here a couple weeks I decided to name them, LEO and LOKI.  By day 3 they would come up and sit in my lap.

I was honestly shocked. I knew we were getting super attached so I told Jeremy I thought it was time to try to find Leo a home. We agreed we would wait on Loki since he seemed to be the runt. Within a few hours Leo had a home with a friend of mine.  When Leo left Loki became super attached to us. He has to be touching one of us at all times and insist on sleeping in my lap.

I think we always knew Loki was home.
We just cannot part with him.

We were obviously concerned with Thumper. The first time he saw them he gave us his first Thump, which in case you didn't know its not a cute thing like on Bambi. Since he has really come around and is very interested in Loki. I think in time Loki might even win him over. 

What started out as a mission to rescue a few kittens and give them a better life ended with one of the better lifes being with us. 💓

Mission Accomplished.


* I've been back several times to attempt to catch the last kitten with no luck. He is a smart little feller/ or lady. Ill keep trying. 😏

Making a change...

  Heys Guys!  I know every single time I post I talk about getting on here more , and then its weeks/ months before I post again. I honestly think a lot of that is because were home right now and so I'm not having as many interactions with others. Believe it or not sometimes I have nothing to say. Haha

I have a couple things I wanna address If you know me personally and have been apart of Connors page ( Resilient Connor) on facebook than you know things are changing.

I've been super convicted for a while now about what I post about Connor. I always did it out of a good place. It was always about my love for him and as a tool to help advocate for Adoption as well as Down Syndrome. I will not be quiet, but I am taking a step back as far as posting some of the more private matters such as Medical and Development info. This is a tough decision to make. I started Resilient Connor when Connor was in the hospital and we came close to losing him. The page was a way to keep friends and family update each day on how he was doing. After that I continued sharing about specialist appointments and many other details about Connor. Over the last few weeks Ive felt compelled to stop in order to protect him and his privacy. Connor is getting older. This world is a cruel heartless place, and its time to step back a little in order to ensure hes safe. I will still be sharing about Connor of course, it just wont be as indepth info as you've seen before.

I have changed his page to A Million Moments. It will be my blog, and continue stories about our day to day life, as well as thoughts from me. Connor will still be the most talked about topic I can assure you so don't feel sad just yet. 😉

 So if your on facebook feel free to hop on over and like my page  A Million Moments. 

I think that's all I have for now guys. Ill be back soonish. 😝

Wordless Wednesday

 

Essential Season...

  For everything there is a season right.... We've all heard it, most of us even know it by heart. However when its not the "season" we want we try to  skip it, push it aside.  Me included. During our infertility, and then during our adoption journey it was a season of waiting. I didn't want that season. Personally if I'm being honest it was a horrible season We live in a hurry up and go go go world. None of us want to wait. However looking back it might have felt horrible at times, but in reality it was one of the most essential seasons of my life. I grew more in that season than I could ever even explain. I evolved into the woman I needed to be, into the mother I needed to be.  So as much as I wish I could have skipped that season it was a very  important time in my life, a essential time for the growth and change that I didn't even know I needed.

  We all are in a weird season right now. Whether were stuck home or a essential worker. Whether were staying in or going out as normal. Scared or think its a hoax.  Regardless were affected  in some way or another. I won't begin to tell you how to feel or what to do. Because to be honest I don't know how to feel myself most days, but I can tell you that you should do what is best for your family. Remember that this season will pass too. I don't know when and I don't know how, but this too shall pass.

  In the meantime maybe just maybe this season is essential.  Ask youself What can I learn during this season?? How am I growing and changing due to the situation I'm in??  How do I want to come out of this season??  What is this season teaching me??

And maybe just maybe we'll look back and see just how essential this season was for us personally. Changed from who we were before into the best version of us to accomplish the next season ahead.

** I do want to note that my heart goes out to all those who have lost loved ones during this time, and am in no way making light of this situation You are in my thoughts and prayers. 

Wordless Wednesday...

Alot like Noah....

  Six years ago Jeremy and I submitted our first step in the adoption process. We were excited and we were scared. For me the biggest emotion I remember feeling was relief. I know that's odd with the long, tough journey that laid ahead of us. I think it was a number of reasons I felt this way. We had been begging God for a baby for 6 years at that point. The pain was real and intense, but ya'll have heard that story numerous times. I think the feeling of relief had alot to do with that though, I couldn't conceive, It was out of my control, but with adoption I had control. I wasn't working for nothing, each step led us closer to a child. I think that's a big reason I felt relief even though I knew it wouldn't be easy I could see a light at the end of the tunnel if that makes sense.

    Boy did God carry us each step of the way. Our adoption journey was filled with so many mountains, and each time we watched as God moved each one. You wont hear me say it was easy. It was so so hard. And just when we thought we had it all planned out, God threw a curve ball our way when he led us to a special needs orphanage. We felt so unqualified. I guess now you know why one of my favorite quotes is " God doesnt call the qualified, He qualifies the called."  Its true. We didn't have a clue what we were doing. EVERYONE thought we were crazy. Although not everyone said this to our face, we know that very little people believed in what we were doing.  And isn't that the way it goes, I mean look at Noah. Everyone thought he was mad, crazy, delusional. Until the rain came, Or in our case until Connor came....

  After 21 months on one of the hardest journeys of my life, nearly 8 years praying for a child I found myself looking face to face with the most beautiful boy. His dark eyes didnt match our blue, his hair didnt have our curls, and yet he was ours. Suddenly the infertility, the heartache it all made sense when I held him none of it mattered. I was a mom. Something I had wanted since I was a child playing with my babydolls. My arms that ached for 8 years now felt the weight of a son, my son. The red tape, the fundraising, the people who thought we were nuts all but forgotten. Every minute, Every second was for him.

  And those two scared unqualified people arent doing so bad. 

 

 Yeah we were alot like Noah, not crazy,  just trusting God and seeing the bigger picture.

All you needs a bun... 🐇

Five months ago we welcomed Thumper into our family, and it has been one of the BEST decisions!

  I'll be the first to admit we didn't know much about rabbits. I joined a Pet Rabbit Advice group on facebook and boy did I learn ALOT! Ive been asked so many questions about him so I decided to share. Again I'm only five months in and still have alot to learn so I'm no expert and am in no way actting like I know it all.

First off the cage. Rabbits need room. The little small cages ( don't feel bad we started out with one also) they don't cut it. We kept his little small cage so that we can take him places if we need to, but we bought a x-pen to give our boy some room.

 The sheet we keep pulled over the top, at night and when were not home because our guy realized he could jump over.  The small area in the back was our original cage, the x-pen attaches to it. So we can easily unattach it if we ever needed to.

 You can see in the corner there how it attaches. 

Rabbits love hiding places so I made him a hiding spot out of a cardboard box. The red bowl we keep his water in. Rabbits can drink out of the ones that attach to the cage ( he started out with one of those also) however they prefer drinking out of a bowl because its just easier.

Rabbits LOVE to chew. Thats because their teeth never stop growing so they need to file them down. We give Thumper lots of toys for chewing. He LOVES chew toys. Chewing is probably the number one reason people are turned off about having a rabbit as a pet. I totally understand. Thumper LOVES cords, and books. He cannot be out without supervision, or a bunny proof area. We let him out daily in our livingroom, all cords are blocked so he cannot get to them, and we have a baby gate to keep him in the livingroom where we can keep an eye on him. Hes a good rabbit, but its their instincts to chew.  So this is a clear negative about them, and I 100% understand why it deters people from even considering a bunny.

 However I promise you your missing out. 😉 Rooms can easy by bunny proofed by keeping cords up high or blocking your bunny from getting to them.

  Another thing that deters people is the mess. I mean aren't they horribly messy and stinky. Your whole house is gonna smell right. WRONG! Rabbits do not like to be dirty, they groom themselves much like cats. Thumper himself doesn't stink.

What about using the bathroom?? Don't they just go everywhere. What a nightmare! Most rabbits can be easily litter trained. While I cant speak for every rabbit, I can tell you our experience with Thumper. He used the litter box from day one. We kept several litterboxes in various areas in the beginning. We quickly learned his favorite spots and kept them in those areas. Eventually we took away litterboxes until we left only two. One in his cage and one in the livingroom. You can use different things in their litterboxes, but the one must have is hay. They NEED hay. The hay will also help with training. When they eat hay they poop. So if there is hay in the litter box and they use the bathroom as they eat it, they quickly realize oh this is where I use the bathroom. Some people only put hay in their litterboxes we have a different method.

  How we do the litter box is strictly what works for us so this is MY OPINION... First we put a layer of regular cat litter. Some will say this is bad, we have never had a issue. Thats got alot to do with Thumper himself so proceed with caution if you try litter. Next I put a layer of sawdust/wood shavings. I do this for a couple reasons. Number one it keeps litter from sticking to his feet. I personally would rather clean up shavings, then litter. Shavings you can see, litter is harder to see. Also the shavings mask the smell. One thing I had no clue about, but is my favorite thing about Thumper is his poop DOESN'T HAVE A SMELL. I know your not believing me at all right now, but I promise its true. His poop has absolutely no smell. Pee is a different story. Litter helps soak it up, the shavings then mask the smell. On top of the shavings I put his hay. You can get a hay feeder to hang over the litterbox, we did for awhile. However we quickly realized he was mostly knocking it out into the litter box and eating it from there anyway, and for us we find its just easier to put it in the litter box and alot less messy that way.

  This is our litterbox.I cleaned it every couple days, more often if needed, but normally every few days is sufficent.  We chose to get a bigger one because hes growing so so fast. The purple tray is actually the very first cage we got. We took the top off and keep his litter box in it to help catch what he sometimes knocks out when he hops out. You'll also notice his food there. We keep his food in that container because it attaches to the cage and he cannot knock it off. Keeping it in the purple tray helps keep what he knocks out contained. This setup works well for us. We feed Thumper pellets from our local feed store, he also enjoys fruits and veggies. Rabbits can have digestive issues so being mindful of what your feeding them and balancing their diet is a must.

  I mentioned we give Thumper toys. One thing we have learned is you don't have to go out and buy expensive things. One of Thumpers favorites is toliet paper or paper towel rolls. Rabbits are burrowing animals. Lots of people buy then the toy tunnels, and we probably will eventually. However I've found something much more cost effective. I take a box and cut holes in both ends, I use pull up or diaper boxes because they tend to be long. Thumper goes crazy over this. When hes in his cage he spends alot of his time in his.

 He does chew on it also, so I replace it with a new one ever so often. Im able to do this because I always have diaper/ pull up boxes. I just save them for him and when his starts getting worn out I replace it. This works so well for us. Thumper gets so excited when he gets a new one. I try to do something a little different on each one. This one I left the flap on the front, I typically cut them off. He found the flap immediately and played with it, pushing it in and out of the box. There is a hole cut out for him to run in and out each end. Just a fun and yet easy idea for your rabbit. 

I often hear that Rabbits are not good pets for children. The reasoning behind this is they dont like loud noises and sudden movements. I can only speak for Thumper, but Connor is hands down Thumpers favorite. From the moment Jeremy brought him home, and Connor peered in the box and said " HIIII" these two have been best buds. 

 Connor loves to help with him. He mostly opens his cage door to let him out, but as he gets older we are excited to see him be able to help with him more.

 Maybe he'll take over litter box duty someday. 😉😂  

They love to chase each other, and Thumper is always seeking Connors attention. They really are the cutest together. 

Thumper really is the sweetest. He doesnt like to be picked up, some rabbits do, but from what I've heard most share this trait of his. However he LOVES attention and to be petted. He recently has started hopping up in our laps, this is new and just started recently after having him for 5 months which goes to show that it takes time. Rabbits can be as affectionate as dogs, but it depends on your rabbit and it takes time. So do not give up.

Rabbits are smart, funny, and affectionate, and in my opinion one of the best pets. If you have any more questions feel free to reach out to me, You can also follow Thumper on instagram 

 Username: thumper_ton 

https://www.instagram.com/thumper_ton?r=nametag