Just falling from my head...

Today was the last day of a three day weekend for Doug. Warren is just over three weeks now and we finally heard from Doug's parents. They live in Bothell, just over an hour away. They didn't want to make plans to see him but talked to Doug about Linux. I am at peace with it. My kids can learn how grandparents are usually more interested by hanging out with friends who have involved grandparents. They got to see a fine example of what a grandma is like on Friday when we met Victoria and her mother-in-law Irene for a trip to the Seattle Childrens Museum.

I'm grateful for:
✿ Having reptiles, life wouldn't be complete without them
✿ Car carts at grocery stores - how lucky are kids these days
✿ Skagit Valley Food Co-op's cloth diaper section. If I still lived in Lynnwood I wouldn't know where to go but Bellevue to buy a Snappie when I misplaced the only one I hard or buy a daiper cover when it turns out all the smalls I had are missing
✿ Costco having a growing selection of gluten/dairy/soy free snacks. Today there was a bag of jalapeño chips for Doug and a bag of Veggie Crisps for the kids and I
✿ Freddy Land - The playland at Fred Meyer. Robin has such a good time playing there and the attendant always puts on Mary Poppins per his request. When we got there today A Bugs Life was playing. He said to me "Mama, this is a bad movie and it's scary so she will turn on Mary Poppins for me and I will be happy." I don't remember A Bugs Life being scary but I have not watched it since having kids to try and see it from their perspective. He was right though, as soon as he was in, she changed the movie for him.

After attending the Breastfeeding Celebration in Everett, we stopped at the reptile zoo where our friend Mary works to check it out. Robin really wanted to see an iguana. We have been planning on adopting one for a while and he is alway bringing me the tape measure and asking me to show him how big and iguana gets (the answer it 6ft). While there they had a couple bearded dragons for sale and Doug and I decided that although adult it would be better to start the kids off with a smaller less intimidating lizard. We have kept iguanas in the past so I hold no intimidation but still would rather not have an aggressive male and would rather start with a juvenile (3-4ft if anyone knows of one needing a home). So while we were there picking out the beardie, an adult red tail became available. She is very pretty and docile. We did reptile rescue for years and have kept and handled snakes much larger than her but after having children I will not keep a snake larger than a red tail. We were also on the list for a juvenile red tail, hoping for again 3-4 ft but it turns out of course my kids know no fear of any animal but spiders, lol. Oddly just like me Robin didn't fear the tarantulas but wanted someone to squish the small wood spider in the corner. Maybe it's hereditary.

We took home a huge slightly damaged tank for the beardie and we had a huge fish tank Doug dragged home from the dump for the red tail. I had plans to put fish in there but the snake looks mighty nice too. We decided to get rid of the couch and bring in a dresser for the snake to sit on instead. The couch was really more of an irritation than a useful piece of furniture most days. The kids loved to jump on it, true but now they will have a place to put toys, the dresser and I really like that better. Doug broke out the stained glass window in the interior kitchen door trying to get the couch out. I had to sit down and cry about that one. Robin said to me "Mama! Oh no! Your tears are dripping away! That made me laugh and Doug said he would fix it.

This bearded dragon, whom we are calling Dragon as opposed to "Tree climber Mountain Climber Dragon" That Robin wanted to call him, is just the coolest ever. They had two for adoption and I held the fatter one first. He acted like a typical untamed lizard trying to get away,wanting me to put him down and really uninterested in me. The thinner one whom Doug didn't really care for at first was bright eyed and active but really let me hold him without complaint. This guy seemed to like me, he cocked his head and looked me in the eye and there was no doubt that he was mine. When we got home The kids and I trying to stay our of Papa's way came in to hold him and feed him some mealworms. I had Robin get the worms out of the tub and hold his hand like a plate and Dragon licked the the bugs right up. Robin was so excited after about 4 mealworms he was telling me over and over "I'm just so excited Mama, SO EXCITED!" and hugging me. He had to get down and run in circles a little to let out some energy, it was cute. I really don't think I have seen him this excited before. But I feel the same way.

The snake has yet to be named. The owner had brought in his Suriname red tail boa and she ended up in the same tree. Well it was feeding day and since no one knew there were two snakes up there, since there usually isn't, the Suriname tried to go after the same rat the Colombian red tail was eating. So the Colombian gets bit. Robin and I are the only ones in the annex watching this happen and Robin starts yelling "You stop that snake, you stop that!" He gets very concerned about anyone getting hurt or bullied. The Suriname lets go of the Colombian who still won't give up her rat, and so starts eating the other end of the rat instead. Now this is very bad. If one doesn't let go one snake will end up suffocating.
I went and told Mary about it and the staff came in to break it up. They only needed one red tail boa and the Suriname has a brighter tail and is worth a lot more than a common boa. That's how I became the new owner of a lovely adult Colombian Red Tail Boa. Her colors are darker and tail isn't a pretty but I think she really throws great rainbows.

The whole time the snake incident is going on, Robin is climbing up bugging the tortoises. He REALLY REALLY wants a tortoise. He has been asking for one for a while. Now that we have a beardie to feed, I think we might as well have a tortoise. The diet is very similar and collar greens only last so long, only come in a bunch and one dragon can only eat so much. I sent an email to a guy in Bellingham who had some listed for sale a little while ago. We'll see what comes of it.