Seaworld!

Last Tuesday, Matt, Jana and I went to Seaworld (and I got a pass so we can go for the rest of the year). Jana paid--thank you Jana! It was so amazing!!! I was so used to zoo-type experiences, where Matt would be interested slightly, but mostly a passive observer. This was so different!
Matt loved everything! First off, were the killer whales. He was laughing and pressing his face against the glass. Mind you, this is the kid who is scared of finger-sized lizards. But two-ton killer whales? No prob!

Also, Seaworld is small enough to where he can walk everywhere. (He really got worn out, because he was so happy and excited he ran everywhere). After the whales we were off to the starfish. He liked them, but did not enjoy the cold water. Here's him touching one briefly, before deciding that braving the cold water wasn't worth it.

Seaworld also has this place called the "Bay of Play". It is a huge section designed specifically for toddlers. We went on his first ride, and he didn't like it much.

They also have a big free-play area,

a water play area, and a big climbing place for the slightly older toddlers/kids. He sat still for both the Shamu show and the dolphin show, and seemed really interested. We sat in the splash zone and he didn't particularly enjoy being doused with cold salt-water. But it was hot outside, so he got over it fast.
Here's him near the outdoor penguin exhibit.

The indoor one was really cool, but I didn't get any good pictures because we were on a moving walkway.
Here's the walrus:

He was a lot more amazing than I thought he'd be up close. Matt loved him, but every time he was near, there were a billion people.

So Matt entertained himself by running crazily up and down the ramp and stairs.

Here's a video of him in the Arctic Circle exhibit. Notice in the cave how he runs out really fast when he hears the roaring! He did not like that one bit!

And lastly, one more video. Sorry for the yucky quality of these ones, the lighting was really strange in the exhibit.

Anyway to sum up--Matt LOVED every part of the trip! He did not get fussy once and kept being super interested in everything. He really liked the penguins--I think he has some of his Grammy penguin blood surfacing! We will definitely be going again soon, possibly the week after next. Until next time...enjoy!
Oh and on a completely unrelated note: Heroes premiers tomorrow night! I am so excited!!!
Sorry, one more thing...I found this on the internet and this is EXACTLY what Matt does with Jana!!!
This could be Matt
He'll scream and throw a fit if he thinks I am there, but as soon as Auntie Jana goes in and tells him to go to sleep, he does. That little....hmm...

The Last Supper

Tonight I have to wonder--what would I like for my last dinner if I were a dog? Hamburgers? Freshly hunted bird? Kitty roca? Tonight Mai will dine...for the last time!!! Bwahahaha!
Whoops...I realize that I haven't updated this blog in a while. So I will fill you in.
After the passing of Nostromo, I directed my attention to my other animals and their health problems. I noticed that Mai was having trouble holding her urine, and was showing signs of a UTI. She would squat for a long time and not pee anything--pee uncontrollably, pee only a drop, etc. So I took her into the vet for a check up and they performed a urinalysis. It came up positive for a pretty bad infection, but there was more. The vet said they had detected struvite crystals which she said could indicate bladder stones (and if she had those, the infections would keep coming back), and she recommended an x-ray and a urine culture to make sure. The culture would also confirm exactly which antibiotic would kill the infection. I told her I couldn't afford it, and she sent Mai home with a general antibiotic. After the 10 days on it, she had only gotten worse, to the point of peeing blood and eventually having to wear a diaper.
So, I called and got her in for the x-ray and culture. The culture was sent off, and I got a call about the x-ray. They wouldn't tell me over the phone, so I headed down to the vet, expecting the worst.
First off they told me what a strong little dog she is. She was obviously in incredible pain, and she didn't make a sound when peeing/being examined. Then I saw the x-ray. She indeed had a bladder stone--one as big as her bladder! It is about as big as a small egg, which for a 12 pound dog is pretty atrocious. They said for her, it causes lots of pain as it rubs against other organs (causing the bloody urine), and making her feel like she has to "go" all the time. The vet said that it has been there for a while and probably been the cause of her potty problems.
So, to the treatment. The vet said that until the culture came back, he couldn't be sure what type of chemicals were in her body and what could be causing the buildup. He said most stones require surgery (which I got the estimate for--it would be $890)--but one type of stone can respond to a food diet that can dissolve it. That would be a struvite stone, and he said he was cautiously optimistic that it might be a struvite stone due to the struvite crystals in her urine. However, we wouldn't know until the culture was back.
So for a week, I stressed and stressed, watching Mai get slowly worse and worse. She now wears a diaper exclusively. I wondered how I could afford the surgery--there was no way. But there was also no way I was going to let my little girl suffer either.
And today I got the call! The culture confirmed that it is most likely a struvite stone, and also the infection is responsive to every antibiotic they tested against it so the vet was able to prescribe the cheapest. She will probably have to be on antibiotics the rest of her life, because bladder stones are caused by a series of "sub-clinical" UTIs, though she could cut down to a lesser dosage once the stone disappears. So, onto the food therapy.
If I follow an extremely super strict diet of ONLY the prescription food and the antibiotics, her stone could dissolve. However, she cannot get any other food at all. No table scraps, treats, grass, etc. This is going to be hard with a toddler who loves to feed her his leftovers, but it's worth it.
So, tonight is her last meal before the new diet. I'm leaning toward a beggin strip burger...