I wanted to make a happy post

[rkold]

I wanted to make a happy post about my baby. How she is sleeping well, babbling more and starting the process of being able to sit up alone. All these things are exciting and happy. I've started going out more and taking her to Mommy and Baby things so that I'm meeting more moms. And if we ever move and I can make my home look presentable I can actually invite them over and have moms to hang out with. I wanted to share how I managed to not gain weight this time in Walt Disney World, and while I'm nowhere close to my pre-pregnancy weight, I've managed to lose/hold steady and I am determined by the time she is 1 to have lost another 20-25 lbs and be thinner then I was pre-pregnancy.

And then Thursday night while I was half asleep, my husband woke me when he was going to bed to tell me there was an earthquake in Japan and since then I've been going around in a daze and watching new reports non-stop. I was relieved to know that everyone I knew in Japan was all right, including my doujinshika acquaintance living in Miyagi-ken south of Sendai. But the devastation is just painful. The US news stations haven't shown it, but I am scared to think about what Matsushima looks like. I wonder about the islands in the bay and the bridges. I wonder about the cheerful old man who worked for the boat company and showed us how the seagulls would come and pull a french fry from his mouth. Before I gave birth to Adina and in that first month, I played with the idea of going to Japan in March. I wanted to be there for Haru to either try one last time to sell doujinshi or to at the very least see my friends again and share my baby. But as Adina grew, I realized it wouldn't quite work out and the weather in Japan in March can be so changeable. I then dreamed of going back to Japan for Golden Week and this time sharing with my husband Tohoku. With the new shinkansen extension, we could easily visit Hirosaki for sakura and I could share with him all the hikes and beauty of Tohoku and he would love it. I would visit Sendai and see the temple I didn't make it to and go to Yamadera as well. I would go back to Matsushima to explore that island I just did not have time to visit. And I would look into interesting onsen to visit in the area. But after my January trip to Disney, I just knew that wasn't feasible. I couldn't easily pump my 4x a day and I wasn't sure how Adina would deal, and so Japan plans were put off until after her birthday. And now... who knows how long. It's not that I don't want to go back, but I also don't want to be in the way. And with a baby in tow I will need to know that I will be able to rely on various first world conveniences.

And to make matters even worse, my poor baby Cookie is not doing as well. For those who don't know, Cookie is more than 16 1/2, making her a quite old cat. We were told she had bad numbers with her liver and that eventually this would kill her, but the Vet made it sound like she could have another year or two. Yesterday, Cookie did not come down to eat dinner. This really worried me. We brought food to her and she ate it, but she's still not really doing as well as I would like. She's not eating as much as she should and she looks weaker. I'm worried we are going to be saying good bye to her sooner than I had expected. Adina is just really noticing Cookie and it is clear she loves the cat. Adina likes to pet Cookie and watch Cookie and to grab at her fur. And Cookie ever the wonderful cat that she is, just takes it. Cookie has really been so good to us and I am going to miss her.

Comments

[nikittin.livejournal.com]

Glad to read all the people you know in Japan are ok. I hope one day you and Adina will be able to visit under happier circumstances.

Healing thoughts to Cookie. I hope she gets those extra years and more, and that she's healthy during them, so Adina can further connect with her. That's so sweet that Cookie doesn't mind the fur-pulling! <3

Good luck also on the weight loss journey. I would love to fit back into my favorite jeans again, and that's my inspiration because if I fixate on the number on the scale (which I haven't peered for months now), I will just get discouraged.

[chocolate_chip.livejournal.com]

I'm really sorry to hear about Cookie. I hope that she was just feeling a bit under the weather.

To be honest, the first thing I thought about when I heard where the quake was centered was Matsushima. Solid news on it has been almost impossible to find, but it seems like the worst of the damage is that everything is covered in mud. I'm sure that if there were major damage there, it would be all over Japanese TV.

*hugs* Glad to hear Adina is doing well.

[winter]

Best of luck to Cookie from me and both of mine.

And I'm keeping an eye on Japan as well. I was thinking of maybe going again next winter, finally showing my mother just why I enjoy this country so much :(

[dilettantka.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry about your kitty. Keep your chin up; Japan will recover, but it will take time.

[bramblyhedge.livejournal.com]

It's been so horrifying to see on the news what happened to Japan. :(

I'm really sorry about Cookie, it's never easy when pets are elderly. *hugs*

[reynardine.livejournal.com]

*hugs* The whole situation in Japan has me completely torn up, too. My mother actually called me up as soon as she heard, since she knows I don't follow the news all that closely and she knows how much Japan means to me.

So sorry to hear about Cookie. Do keep a close eye on her--hopefully, she may just be having a bad day (Tegan gets like that sometimes, and she has that kidney disease, so we know she's on borrowed time.)

[rkold.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was really worried about that one doujinshika since I just knew she lived near Sendai in Miyagi-ken. I hope we all get to visit again soon.

I understand that kitties no matter how much you love them, won't live forever and it is part of life, it's just this is such a bad time since I feel like I already am more fragile than I would like. I should make a video of the two of them together.

I try to get on the scale a couple times a day to see if I can to get some idea of what I am doing. My goal isn't to be super thin, just thinner since I think I would be healthier and have more energy to chase after Adina. It's really hard right now because she's young enough that I can't easily get a sitter.

[rkold.livejournal.com]

I think it's a sign of things to come. :( It's hard but I keep telling myself 16 1/2 years is a decent lifespan for a cat and she has been happy and healthy during most of it. She's been a wonderful cat.

You think so? I was wondering if people just hadn't been able to get there yet to assess the damage. It would be pretty amazing if that area was mostly spared and something of a miracle.

*hugs* Adina is the big bright spot for me right now. I don't know if I would be able to deal with everything else without her often smiling face.

[rkold.livejournal.com]

Yeah, we were thinking of taking my mother in law as well since she wanted to see pottery centers. :/

Cookie is just getting old and there is nothing we can do about it. I'm trying to make sure she knows how much we love her in whatever time she has left.

[rkold.livejournal.com]

I have faith in Japan recovering. I visited Kobe in 1999, not even 5 years after their quake and I remember being amazed by the city. I would have never known they had a serious quake. It's possible I just was never in the areas that were damaged, but it just seemed like the city was vibrant. Maybe by November things will be looking up, or we can at least visit Kansai and the non-JR East areas, even if that makes me sad.

[rkold.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it must be extra hard for you with the recent destruction in your own country so recent. It's scary how two such large quakes were so close together.

It's hard when pets get elderly, but it is how life works. :/ I'm really glad I have Adina and her smiles right now.

[rkold.livejournal.com]

My parents call me a lot about Japan (and even my in-laws called) My mother is pretty understanding but my father has made some stupid and obnoxious comments unwittingly that just make me upset. I don't tend to follow the news myself, but it feels like all the important things filter through Facebook or LJ to me.

Yeah, Cookie is doing a little better, it just feels like she has weeks to months not 2 years or possibly even more. :/ She's sitting next to me right now. I think once we lose Cookie we will take a short break from pet ownership until Adina is a little bigger. (unless we move and I get chickens.)

[twotone]

*hugs*

I'm so sorry. I hope that Cookie is just feeling under the weather right now and that she feels better soon.

[ad-exia.livejournal.com]

Definitely glad to hear everyone you know in Japan is all right. Things just seem so crazy over there right now (and I'm sure they are), but I know they'll pull back together, and do it well, even if it takes time.

Also, I hope Cookie stays as healthy as she can; she sounds like a wonderful cat, and I know how hard it is to lose one. But she's not done for yet - just keep an eye on her, and try to make sure she's getting enough water (do you feed her wet food? You can add a little water to that, too, if you need to keep her hydrated).

[sumeragiskank.livejournal.com]

Cookie might just be having a bad day, it's crappy weather and she may be feeling it. As long as she is alert and drinking water. I am glad that Adina loves her and is interested in her. I love that silly cat too.

I am trying to be positive about the things in Japan. It's horrible and the photos just depress me and I get sniffly sometimes thinking about things and how hard they are going to be and how little we can help, but they did bounce back after Kobe and I have no doubt they are going to recover from this as well. It's just going to be difficult. I do think a trip to the west later this year might be good. Touristy places are going to be in need of tourists after all.

[mec]

When I got online over breakfast Friday morning it was about half an hour after it happened, and I spent the rest of the day frantically trying to find out if my friends were okay and keeping up with the news. I am so sad that the country I think of as my home away from home is taking such a beating from Mother Nature at the moment. :-(

I'm sorry to hear Cookie isn't doing too well. *hugs* Age gets us all eventually, but hopefully she's just under the weather at the moment and will perk up soon. It's wonderful that Adina's taking to her so well - kids need pets, I'm convinced.

[spazzygirl19.livejournal.com]

*hugs* I'm glad to hear all your friends in Japan are o.k. Good vibes to Cookie.

I'm trying to be more earthquake ready here. All the earthquakes lately ... are making me rather wary. We haven't had any in SoCal (or even up north) in awhile. They said the Sendai quake was 1000x more powerful than the 1994 Northridge quake here ... I can't even imagine.

And glad to hear you guys had a good time at WDW.

[bramblyhedge.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my first reaction was de ja vu when the breaking news reports came on TV. Of course, Christchurch was my home for 3 1/2 years and I've never made it to Japan, so the feeling of shock is totally different.

But the destruction and death toll were just so unbelieveably high in Japan, like a nightmare...I think the only comforting thing is that they're still finding people alive every day.

Forgot to say: it's great to hear that Adina is doing well. :)

[rkold.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

Well, it feels more like her time is limited. I knew she was having liver issues, but I told myself she could still easily live 2 or 3 years more. This was sort of more a wake up call. We're trying to nurse Cookie along and luckily for me, going out on Wednesday really helped to improve my mood.

[rkold.livejournal.com]

Actually, that was one of the problems, Cookie tends to drink a lot, enough that the Vet thought she had kidney issues, and to have her suddenly stop was concerning. We were giving her a mix of human tuna and dry but are now pretty much exclusively feeding her tuna and she is eating again.

I have faith Japan will recover, but visiting Japan in the Fall is seeming to be a less sure thing now.

[rkold.livejournal.com]

The Vet had said her liver was having issues and that it could be the big C, but there was nothing we could do but watch her, treat her well, feed her and wait. I'm hoping we've dodged the bullet for now, since I dont want anything to happen to her just yet.

I think things will bounce back, but I am not sure when I will go back. I'm not so concerned about the actual radiation getting out West, but I am concerned about food grown in soil that had bad radiation throughout Japan until things really are better under control. I also just think there will be probs for a while with the nuclear issues. :/

[rkold.livejournal.com]

It's funny, I always hear how as a Jew I am supposed to see Israel as some sort of special country where I am more concerned over its welfare than any other country. But that just never worked for me, but I can now say I feel that way about Japan. It's both very scary and yet something I've always thought about anytime I've been o the coast in Japan.

*hugs* I think Cookie is slowly improving but I'm still just not sure how long she will last since we've been warned her liver is having issues. I was just sort of in denial I think about how serious it was. :/

[rkold.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Yeah, I was really worried about my friend in Miyagi-ken south of Sendai. All of the areas around the coast there are just awful!

Yeah, I can imagine it's a little scary in CA right now thinking about what happened in Japan. It's really just too bad they can't figure out a way to predict quakes more. I'd been in Japan when a 7 struck Niigata and it made me glad I live on the US East coast. :/

[rkold.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Adina is really a thrill for me.

Yeah, I've always wanted to go to NZ, but I've still not yet made it (someday!) but for me Japan is like a home away from home and I've been to several of the places before which just makes it that much more scary.

[bramblyhedge.livejournal.com]

*nods* It's so surreal to see places you know well destroyed like that. :(

[ad-exia.livejournal.com]

Ah - yeah, that would definitely be something to keep an eye on, then! I'm glad she's eating well again. Honestly, sometimes they just want something different!

Yeah, it might be a good idea to wait a bit longer than that. :x

[rkold.livejournal.com]

*hugs* It really is. I still sometimes have a hard time believing the Trade Center has gone and it will be 10 years in September

[rkold.livejournal.com]

Yeah, we will see how things are going in the Fall, though I really do want to get Adina a passport as well as one for my husband. :D

[bramblyhedge.livejournal.com]

*nods* It must be unbelievable to see that gap in the skyline there. :( Amazing how quickly time flies and it's almost a decade since the attack happened!

[ad-exia.livejournal.com]

Well, at least you've got time! Passports sound like a good first step, and then you can go from there.