Been a while...and such BIG news!!!

Well, it has been a while since I have updated our blog here! Which, of course, is completely nuts because I have a lot to blog about!

We have a new addition to our family - Caleb Thomas Glisson.

He was born on April 10th, 2007 at 11:14 AM. Weighing in at 7 lbs. 8 oz., Caleb and Kim both are doing well. Caleb is growing like a weed and Kim's ankles are back to normal!

Here is a slideshow of our newest pictures of the little man!

Merlin's Quirks

Here are a whole bunch of things Merlin did that made him so unique to us. We know it's long, but we didn't want to forget them.

• When we first brought him home, we kept him separated from our other cat, Baby, until she could get used to him. We put him in our guest bedroom, but he cried so much that Kim had to go in and sleep with him. She left him on the floor because he was so little that she was afraid she would squish him. But by morning, he was curled up next to her on the bed.

• We swore he was part ferret because he would steal things all the time. He was a little thief.

• One year at Christmas, he ripped a whole string of garland off of the Christmas tree and ran up the stairs with it trailing behind him.

• He loved stealing pieces of candy out of the Halloween candy bowl. He didn't eat it, he just wanted to play with it.

• He stole the duster from the cleaning lady when she set it down and ran off with it.

• He loved paper clips. Anywhere he would find little metal objects, he would steal them. If there were papers with a paper clip on them, he would scratch and bite at the paper clip to get it off and then he would run off with it.

• Every day, we would find little things in his food dish - paper clips, picture hangers, Christmas tree ornament hangers, his collar and those little furry mice toys. Sometimes we would find one of the furry mice in his water dish and it had turned the water the color of the mouse: green, orange or blue for instance.

• For some reason, he became obsessed with our humidifier. He would stare at the bubbles, the water droplets, and scratch at it. Eventually he would knock it over and get water all over the floor.

• He loved to scratch on the shower door. When we would get out of the shower, he would often get in the shower and lick the walls. His feet, tail and backside would always get wet, but he didn't care.

• When Kim would take a bath, he would race into the bathroom when he heard the water running. He would put his front paws on the armrest of the tub and test to see where the water level was. He would drink some of the water and just hang out while Kim took a bath. Sometimes she would pet him with her wet hands until he was soaking wet, and it never fazed him.
  

• Merlin loved Greenies cat treats. He would sit up on his hind legs and eat them out of your hand. As soon as he heard the crinkling of the Greenies bag, he would come racing.

• He loved his scratching posts. But he was very particular. He only like the kind that were wrapped with rope. We got him a shag carpet-covered scratching post and he wouldn't touch it. He completely destroyed two scratching posts. One was broken into two pieces!

• Kim and Merlin would have meowing matches in the morning. While we were getting ready for work, she would meow at him and he would meow back. Back and forth, back and forth. They would do this at least a dozen times.

• When he was younger, he would climb into the bed and crawl on your chest and purr like a chainsaw. He was so heavy.

• He like to crawl into John's lap. Kim was always jealous because Merlin would very rarely crawl into her lap, but he would crawl into John's lap all the time.

• He liked to tear through the house sometimes. He would get frisky and race up the stairs. He was so big it was like a herd of elephants charging through the house!

• Every time we did laundry, he would jump into the clothes basket. Whether there were clothes in it or not, he would jump into it.

• Merlin was always in the bathroom while we were getting ready for work in the morning. Before John got into the shower, he would take off his t-shirt and drape it over Merlin. Then Merlin would get up and walk around with the shirt draped over his back like a cape; swishing his tail from side-to-side. We think Merlin liked it and was just showing off.

• One time, Kim looked up and saw Merlin walking out of the fireplace! She was so surprised to see that he had gotten in there.

• He loved those little fur mice toys. However, invariably they would end up under the couch. Every month or so we would lift up the couch and there would be at least a half-dozen mice under there. Then Merlin was in kitty heaven because he had all these mice to play with. In a few days, every mouse would end up under the couch again!

• Merlin was very dog-like. When he was younger he would play fetch! He would carry his toys around in his mouth. It was so cute to see him carry his collar around with the tag hanging. He hated wearing a collar, but he loved playing with them.

• We got an umbrella stroller recently and he became obsessed with it for some reason. We had to put it into the closet to keep it away from him.

• Merlin loved to lie on his back with his back legs spread eagle. Kim would find him at the foot of the bed in that position all the time.

• We found several rolls of toilet paper completely wound off of the spool and shredded. What a brat!

• He would drink out of the toilet sometimes. The funny part is that he was so big, he would have his back feet on the floor, his stomach bulging over the side of the rim and his head and front legs completely in the toilet while he would lap at the water. It looked like he was getting sick from a hangover or something!

• If we left any piece of furniture open where he could fit, he was sure to crawl into it; our armoire, our entertainment center, cabinets and the dryer for instance.

• His purr was so loud. It sounded like a chirp because he would vocalize and purr at the same time.

• He loved to sit on the back of the couch. That was probably his favorite spot to sit while we were watching TV or a movie.

• When Kim was taking some Christmas garland off of the handrail upstairs, Merlin was sitting downstairs watching her, pacing back and forth and meowing at her. Eventually he just sat on the coffee table and kept meowing at her for some reason.

• Merlin loved to be where we were. Every morning when Kim would get up, she had a very predictable routine. She would get up, start the shower to warm it up and use the bathroom. By the time she was done with that, Merlin would invariably be sitting outside the door waiting for her to let him in. She would crack the door and let him in. He would greet her this way every morning.

• When Kim would get home, Merlin would either be waiting for her at the door or come around after a few minutes with the cutest sleepy look on his face.

Huge cat in a small tin...

We picked up Merlin's ashes from the vet today. Tomorrow it will be one week ago we lost him.

Merlin was such a huge cat as you can see in this picture! He weighed almost 20 pounds. When we picked up his ashes, they were in a small square tin that is about 4 or 5 inches square. I was immediately struck by how such a large creature was reduced to fit into such a small box.

We are planning on planting a tree in our backyard in the spring and placing Merlin's ashes there. As the tree grows, we can think of him and how much we loved him.

This is the poem that came with Merlin's ashes and his Certificate of Cremation:

"To Those I Love and Those Who Love Me"

When I am gone, Release me, Let me go-
I have so many things to see and do,
You mustn't tie yourself to me with tears,
Be thankful for our beautiful years,

I gave to you my love, You can only guess
How much you gave to me in happiness,
I thank you for the love you each have shown,
But now it's time I travled alone.

So grieve awhile for me, if grieve you must,
Then let your grief be comforted by trust.
It's only for a time that we must part,
So bless the memories within your heart.

I won't be far away, for life goes on,
So if you need me, Call, And I will come.
Though you can't see me or touch me, I'll be near,
And if you listen with your Hearts, you'll hear
All my love around you soft and clear,
And then, when you must come this way alone
I'll greet you with a smile and say:

"Welcome Home"

I got our Christmas pictures out on the web now. You can check them out here: Christmas 2006. As you can see, someone got a goofy redheaded guy for Christmas. Joy!

We also took some photos of our Christmas home decor that you can see here: Christmas Decor 2006.

3-D Pictures of the Monkey!

We had a 3-D ultrasound done today!

Kim is now 25 weeks along in the pregnancy. It was a lot of fun seeing the little boy (aka, the little Monkey) squirming around. We got some really detailed pictures. You can see a lot more than the typical black-and-white ultrasound.

Toward the end of the ultrasound, the Monkey turned over so we couldn't see anything but his back and booty!

The rest of the still pictures can be seen here: 3-D Ultrasound

Oh...and he is definitely a boy!

The Rainbow Bridge

A friend emailed this poem to me today. Another sad, yet timely email...

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Dogs and Cats

John's mom sent us this very sweet and timely email today...

For all pet lovers.

How dogs came to be:

A newly discovered chapter in the Book of Genesis has provided the answer to "Where do pets come from?"

Adam and Eve said, "Lord, when we were in the garden, you walked with us every day Now we do not see you any more. We are lonesome here, and it is difficult for us to remember how much you love us."

And God said, "I will create a companion for you that will be with you and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will love me even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourselves."

And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam and Eve.
And it was a good animal.
And God was pleased.
And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and Eve and he wagged his tail.

And Adam said, "Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal."

And God said, "I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him DOG."

And Dog lived with Adam and Eve and was a companion to them and loved them.
And they were comforted.
And God was pleased.
And Dog was content and wagged his tail.

After a while, it came to pass that an angel came to the Lord and said, "Lord, Adam and Eve have become filled with pride. They strut and preen like peacocks and they believe they are worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught them that they are loved, but perhaps too well."

And God said, I will create for them a companion who will be with them and who will see them as they are. The companion will remind them of their limitations, so they will know that they are not always worthy of adoration."

And God created CAT to be a companion to Adam and Eve.

And Cat would not obey them. And when Adam and Eve gazed into Cat's eyes, they were reminded that they were not the supreme beings.

And Adam and Eve learned humility.
And they were greatly improved.
And God was pleased.
And Dog was happy.

And Cat didn't give a darn one way or the other.

Merlin's Playmate, Baby

This is Merlin's playmate, Baby. She is a very sweet tortoise-shell cat. With all of this talk about Merlin, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Baby.

Baby is more affectionate than Merlin was. But, she is also really shy and a little nervous. When visitors come over, she is quick to find her hiding spot under the bed!

All day today Baby has been very close to me or Kim. I think she misses Merlin too.

You can see more of Baby at here: Baby the Meek

We will miss you very much, Merlin...

Yesterday, New Year's Eve, we lost our beloved ragdoll can, Merlin.

This is the last picture that we have of him from Christmas Eve. He loved hanging out on the catwalk (pun intended) upstairs so he could see everything going on in the great room below.

This is our recounting of yesterday...

This morning about 9:30 we found him having difficulty breathing. At first we thought he was just coughing up a hairball or something. But when I listened closer to his nose, I realized it was his breathing. He was wheezing very badly and his breathing was very labored.

I immediately called a vet and we took him in.

As soon as we got him to the vet, they took him back and did a chest x-ray. He had bad edema (fluid and swelling) in his lungs. The vet said the x-ray looked like he had bitten an electrical cord.

They gave Merlin some steroids (cortisone) and a diuretic to try and get the swelling to go down and get the fluid out of his lungs. They also gave him constant oxygen and several puffs from an inhaler of albuterol to try and help him breathe.

An hour or so later, they took another x-ray and the edema had gotten markedly worse. He was also visibly in a lot of pain and suffering. His breathing had gotten worse too.

Eventually, they put him under with an anesthetic, intubated him, and gave him oxygen through a breathing tube and hand-bag. They put a monitor on him and even with 100% oxygen through the bag they could not get his blood oxygen level to a good place.

There was about a 2% chance that if they put him on a ventilator to breathe for him that the lung damage would reverse itself. However, with as bad as it was, and if it was an electric shock, there was likely damage to other organ systems as well.

We had to make one of the most difficult decisions of our lives...to put our precious Merlin to sleep. Signing that piece of paper was so hard.

By 1pm the ordeal was over. We were there with Merlin the whole time. Watching it all happen ripped our hearts out. It was all so sudden.

When I got home, I immediately searched the house for frayed electrical cords. Sure enough, I found the power cord to the telephone in our bedroom had been chewed. It was right next to the place in the corner where we put our shams and throw pillows from our bed. He liked to lounge and sleep there a lot. I feel somewhat guilty for not being more mindful of the cords there. He had never chewed cords before, so I thought nothing of it. If you have animals...please don't make the same mistake.

It may sound totally goofy, but I was very attached to that cat. His breed (purebred ragdoll) is well-known for attaching to one person. He decided that person would be me. He was my favorite photography subject. I loved taking pictures of that animal. He was only 3 1/2 years old and he was a first anniversary gift from Kim and I to each other. Ragdoll cats are known to live over 15 years. He was just a big, 20 pound baby. :(

My wife and I have cried pretty much all day. We distracted ourselves for a few hours by playing a video game.

Here are some pictures of Merlin. The album was previously entitled, "Merlin the Magnificent." I have since added our latest pictures of him from 12/24, just one week ago, and renamed the album, "Merlin the Magnificent - In Loving Memory."

Merlin the Magnificent - In Loving Memory

Goodbye Merlin...You were a wonderful cat and we loved you very much. We trust the Lord that you are in a better place.