Fun, fun, fun

We had another fun and busy day. I am going, to the best of my ability, take advantage of every summer day, and do fun activities with Quinn, Dalan, and all our loved ones!

Quinn slept from 7:45 pm to 8:15 am. I had to finally wake her up, so she would not sleep too much and get off her usually ideal sleep schedule. (9:30 pm to 9:30 am). I, however, woke up at 5:00 am and could not go back to sleep. Ironic.

Here is what Quinn looks like in the morning with her bed head, and when the flash on the camera blinds her....


Quinn and I then walked to the library. I have been trying to do this every week. It is literally around the corner from our house, and there are few things healthier for a family than exercise, fresh air, and books. Quinn loves the library, and books. I even got her an Elmo DVD, as she recently discovered him and developed an intense love for the red, furry guy.




We then went to Liberty Park to go Tracy Aviary with my mom. My mom and Quinn had never been there, Dalan hadn't been there since he was in elementary school, and I had gone a few years ago on a field trip. We were all so impressed. It has changed so much, and has so many new and nice exhibits.

Quinn loved the birds. We had her repeatedly and excitedly saying the "b" sound for bird by the middle of the trip. We got to see some Patagonia Burrowing Parrots up close and personal. Quinn just giggled and squealed. She also loved some quail-like birds we saw in the South America exhibit, and of course, she loved her spirit animal-the owls.


We then took Quinn over to the Seven Canyons Splash Park. We went from letting her get her feet wet to letting her full on splash. The girl loves to splash in the water. She also insisted on being pretty independent in the water, including standing solo with no hands in the wet, slippery water. She ended up being fine, but it made me a little nervous. I can't wait until she can stand reliably and consistently on her own. However, she has a blast.


We finished up the afternoon with corn dogs and glaciers at Millie's. Quinn fell asleep on the way home on the way, and we just brought her in the house in her car seat. She was very confused and grumpy for about 30 seconds when she woke up. Here is her grumpiest face....

Our Ducks

Every spring, a male and female duck make our row of townhouses their home. They often hang out right in front of our house. They are so cute, and friendly enough. They are not necessarily afraid of humans, but since they are not fed by any of us, they aren't super eager to see us either.

Quinn loves to look at them. They drive Piper nuts. This morning they decided to pay us a visit in the backyard. Quinn was a big girl, and stood up to the sliding glass door all by her self, while Piper did the same. They hung out for quite awhile, and came up very close, despite Piper's warning barks.






*And, yes those are Valentine's decorations still up on my window. Quinn loves them. It is one her favorite activities to go look at them, touch them, lick them, etc.

Quinn hearts Piper

Quinn has become super aware of Piper. If Piper is walking around, you can almost guarantee Quinn is watching her. She loves Piper to lick her hands and feet. She smiles and giggles...and opens her mouth and sticks out her tongue. She absolutely loves Piper to lick her face, and is very eager to full on make out with the dog. We try to keep this part to a minimum. It is really quite sweet how much joy Piper brings to Quinn. I hope they become best of friends, even after Quinn is mobile!

(Quinn staring very intently at Piper...
and some signs of new hair growth on the back of her head!)

Piper says good bye

Putting myself at risk

I practiced high risk behaviors.

I could have contracted salmonella or chlamydia today.

These high risk behaviors, included holding the turtle in my classroom, and changing the newspaper on the bottom of Cooper's cage.

Apparently, turtles can carry salmonella.

And, parrots can pass chlamydia to humans in their feces.

Also, the parrot has been tested (maybe at the free clinic?) and is chlamydia free.

The turtle, on the other hand, could be riddled with salmonella. He hasn't been tested. He is putting his loved ones at risk.

I washed my hands after both activities to minimize risk.

I feel pretty confident that I am disease free.

Adding a new member to the family

Our time with Cooper, the parrot we are babysitting, is quickly coming to an end. It has been an adventure, for sure. And it has made me question, are we ready/willing to become a three species home?

Cooper is a funny, engaging, feisty, and smart animal. So naturally, she fits right in here. She is a beautiful bird, with the prettiest tail feathers I have ever seen. She has a big personality, and always has a lot to say. She is never boring, and has kept us on our toes for the last two weeks. All of these things are things Dalan and I would look for in a new member of our family. If we were to get a new pet, we would not want one that sat in a cage all the time, but offered little back to the rest of the family. Animals, like fish, rodents, reptiles, etc, are generally more work than they are worth in my opinion, but a parrot is a pretty interactive pet. We have had endless Cooper stories for the last two weeks, and she makes us laugh.

However, Cooper is a lot of work, and keeping peace between the dog and the bird is even more work. Cooper can be really loud, and needs a lot of attention. She is also very messy. Piper and Cooper also like to bug each other. They have quickly become like siblings. Cooper likes to "meow" and call Piper. Piper likes to jump up on Cooper's table until Cooper squawks. Piper gets terribly jealous if anyone is paying more attention to Cooper than they are to her. Also, I am not a morning person. I am lucky to get up, shower, and get out of the door on time. If you add Piper's morning meds, and Cooper's morning feeding, I feel like I am running around like crazy to get everything done in the morning.

Basically, it comes down to, while Dalan and I have really liked having Cooper here, and love her and her big personality, we are not ready to become a three species household. Maybe, we could do it if we had a dog that liked other animals, but the added stress of making sure that the dog and parrot do not drive each other crazy and/or hurt one another has been too much. It kills me to say this a little, because I am always the champion of getting new pets, and Dalan is always the dream killer. I guess for now we will just have to remain a two species home. That is ok, though. As far as animals go, humans are ok, and dogs are the best.

Weekend update

This last weekend, we drove up to Heber for Dalan's cousin's wedding. The drive up Parley's Canyon was breathtaking with all the fall colors on the trees. Heber was a perfect backdrop for an early fall wedding. The bride and groom looked so happy, and beautiful. Dalan and I managed to get a few photos of family while we were there. Dalan decided to play paparazzi, and got a few candid photos.

Dalan and Morgan (Dalan's cousin's son)

LaDene (aka Mama Sellers)

LaDene, Jen, and Rob (Dalan's mom and cousins)

Morgan being cheesy!

Mindy, baby Teagan, (Dalan's cousin and baby) and Sam (the groom)

Teagan's close up

Also, things on the Piper and Cooper front continue to go well. Cooper's new favorite trip in to meow just like a cat, and then say, "come here" until Piper goes into the other room. She loves teasing Piper. Piper can ignore Cooper 90% of time, except when she can't see Cooper, and then she goes nuts. We even left them alone today for the first time, because I had class after school. It was only for about an hour, and Piper had already spent all weekend at my parents' house while we were at the wedding, and the Utah football game. Well, it was successful! The dog did not scratch the hell out of the door to the room where we put Cooper, and Cooper was not a crazy, nervous wreck when I got home...Score!

The parrot and the dog

Cooper and Piper: A "Tail" of Two Creatures

Dalan and I volunteered to watch Cooper, an African Gray parrot, for two weeks. Cooper's mama, Randi, is in Vietnam for two weeks with Nghia, and was looking for someone to look after her bird. I was excited to sign up for this opportunity. We had a parrot growing up, and I think they are fascinating. Randi warned us that Cooper would probably bite us. Nghia cautioned that Cooper would be noisy. Dalan worried that the dog would try to attack the bird. Everyone had their concerns, but not me. I was totally psyched. The following is my bird and dog journal. This is what happens when a high-spirited parrot's and a feisty dog's worlds collide and we are only two days into it....Enjoy!

Saturday Night:

8:45 pm: Randi shows up with the bird. Piper is curious, but not aggressive. Cooper lets me hold her. She doesn't even try to bite me. I secretly praise myself for my abilities to "whisper" to animals and bring inter-species peace. Randi and I go over Cooper's routines and diet. We set her up in the spare bedroom upstairs, and put Cooper to bed for the night. Even Nghia comments on how he has never seen Piper or Cooper that calm before. Praise myself in my head again. Should have been thinking this is the calm before the storm.

9:00- 11:00 pm: Piper is curious about the bird behind closed doors. Runs upstairs occasionally, but relaxes.

11:00pm-4:00 am: Piper gets up approximately every 10 to 20 minutes to inform us that there is a BIRD in the house. She does this by scratching at doors, whining at doors, or licking her sleeping parents. I try taking Piper downstairs to sleep. It makes no difference. Makes it worse even, because now she is running up and down the stairs every 10 to 20 minutes to inform me that there is a BIRD in the house.

Sunday:

4:00 am to 11:00 am: Piper calms down somewhat, and Dalan and I get some sleep. Piper is still getting up and informing us that there is a BIRD in the house, but less frequently. I get up at 9:00 am and take Piper outside. We enjoy the morning together. We also get Cooper up, and she whistles and sings pleasantly from the other room. Piper, and I join Dalan back in bed, and hang out in bed for another hour or so. Dalan gets up with Piper, and I take a nap for about an hour.

Noon: Dalan and I decide to move Cooper downstairs, and onto the kitchen counter. This way Piper can see her, but not reach her, and will hopefully get used to the situation. Take the mystery out of it.

Noon to 6:00 pm: We have a lovely afternoon. Piper is indifferent to the bird, unless I am speaking to her, and then she gets jealous. Cooper talks and sings to herself. We watch Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Cooper laughs when Spicoli is on screen. Dalan and I laugh harder.

6:00- 8:00 pm: Sunday dinner at my parents' house. I think this will be a nice break for the dog and the bird, and rejoice that things are going well during the day. Worry about not getting enough sleep as it is a work night. Think maybe I can convince Dalan that we could have a parrot of our own.

8:00-8:30 pm: Time to feed the bird, and change the water in her cage. Lock the dog up, and try to ease the bird out of the cage. No go. Try distracting bird by playing with her toys. Get my hand bitten. OUCH! Once bitten, twice shy. Distract the bird with food while quickly getting her water out and then back into her cage. Decide to just drop some fresh food through the bars. Put Cooper to bed about 30 minutes early, due to her squawking. First time in 24 hours she had made an offensive sound.

8:30-9:30 pm: Piper goes nuts trying to get the bird uncovered. I have to build barriers, and she breaks through all my barriers. Piper will not even be distracted by her bone. I finally get her interested in her bone. UGGGHHHH! I am exhausted.

11:30 pm- 12:30 am: I am awake. Relieved that Piper is calm and sleeping in bed, but I am worried. What if Piper won't go back to bed after her 4:30 am potty break? What if Cooper is noisy all morning while Dalan is trying to sleep after I go to work? What if Piper won't go back to bed after her morning meds? How can I build a better barrier to keep them separated?

Monday:

8:00-11:00 am: Piper whines and scratches for the bird non-stop. Dalan has to come downstairs to sleep. Both dog and parrot stay relaxed all day long.

5:00-7:00 pm: I get home. The bird starts squawking. I give her more attention, and she stops. And starts up again. Piper and I go upstairs, and employ the squawk it out method. Cooper relaxes.

7:00-7:15 pm: Piper and I go on a walk. Return from walk. Piper is whining differently for the bird. I go into the kitchen. Find bird ON her cage, NOT IN her cage. Lock Piper in the bathroom. Try to come up with a strategy to get Cooper back into the cage without getting bit. Cooper says, "Come on, Cooper." and climbs back into her own cage. Whew! Thank goodness.

7:15-8:00 pm: Cooper squawks non-stop for 45 minutes. Attention does not help. Ignoring her does not help. Cooper gets to go to bed an hour early. I build the better barrier that I created in my head last night. It works. Piper quickly becomes disinterested in the bird when she knows she cannot get to it. The house is calm. Are we getting our routines down or is just the eye of the hurricane?

Bird mouth strikes again

Yesterday, was a teacher work day, so I only had to work a half day. It was nice, because I was home in time to join Piper and Dalan on their daily walk. Piper and I headed out to the front porch while Dalan did something quickly inside. While we were waiting Piper was sniffing around on the front lawn, then just as Dalan comes out to the front yard, Piper comes trotting up to us with a very dead bird in her mouth. Dalan got her to drop it and leave it, but GROSS! At least this time, she did not kill it as it was obvious it had been dead for a while, but still, I hate this new bird retriever skill of hers. The rest of the walk she was doing that dog smile/pant, because she was so pleased with herself. Then on the walk we encountered a baby/teenage bird that was hopping along the path, and was not smart enough or did not have the ability to fly away. It took all my strength to keep Piper from eating that one too. Piper! And her stupid bird mouth!