Halloween Cuteness & Sadness

Here are the Fairy Princess, Spiderman and Batman prepared for holiday fun.



Batman chooses his own poses.

Spiderman has a flare for the dramatic

Here we are looting the neighborhood with friends.

Sunday morning (before trick or treat in our city) Ben had to visit Acute Care because we couldn't control his asthma. JJ was ill tempered and Anna seemed to have a bad cold. So for Trick or Treating we had whining Spiderman, Wheezing Batman and the Fairy Princess O' Boogers.

On Tuesday Anna developed a high fever and rash. Wednesday she was diagnosed with Scarlet Fever. Grandma became ill on Thursday with a condition I will not detail. She was so ill on Friday that I kept Ben home from preschool rather than risk leaving her unattended. Grandma was feeling so yucky on Friday night she told me to take her to her house and leave her to die. I also noticed that my cat Keagan who still not feeling well after having his teeth cleaned on Tuesday, was vomiting after drinking water.

Saturday I called the vet and made an appointment for Keagan. I had to call back about 20 minutes later as the cat started to pant and hiss at things that were not there. I took the cat in to the vet right away. Unfortunately he was in acute renal failure with fluid in his lungs. While I could have opted for extreme, expensive emergency care the vet offered little hope that his kidneys would resume functioning. I said goodbye to my old friend and held him while the vet put him down.

Bad things always happen when John and I have plans to go out without the kids, as we did Saturday. It seems like securing a babysitter is like damning ourselves to something awful. Since the cat had been fine when he had his teeth cleaned I would never have anticipated his death. We had tickets to see our nephew Eddie in Les Miserables and dinner plans with friends, so we went. No doubt people thought my tears were the result of the over wrought teen acting. I kept thinking, could this show be anymore depressing? Why couldn't this have been something less intense like, Honk?

We did go out and have a great dinner at Bacci's. I had some fabulous seared sear scallops in a marscarpone basil sauce over angel hair pasta. It was amazing. The good food and company were comforting.

We told the kids about the cat when we got home. They cried. Anna didn't understand and kept asking to give him cat treats like she did nearly every night.

Keagan was a good cat. He slept with me most nights for the last 14 years. He was a comfort to me when I couldn't sleep. He laid next to my babies like a furry bed rail while I nursed them. He liked the kids and could always be counted on to hunt down and howl at loose socks. I imagine him in kitty heaven- giant couches to shred, fluffy beds in sunny places, socks to chase, unlimited canned cat food, and a liter box full of leather shoes to piss on.