Our neighbors just had their well redrilled. I was out by the chicken coop checking on the baby chick one morning while the workers were out drilling. I heard my rooster run over to the fence making his defensive sounds and looked up to see the workers at my fence holding something. I went over there and saw they had a bird covered in mud, seemingly dead. He(I do not know if it was male or female but for the sake of this post I will say "he"...I hate referring to things as "it") must have gotten stuck in all the runout of mud from their drilling. He was cold and wet with hardened mud all over him :( They gave him to me to see if I could save him. The poor thing was so tired and distressed that he didn't move,peep, or put up any fight the whole time I was holding and washing him. Oh, it was a mourning dove.
First I focused on getting its body temperature back up by cupping my hands over his body. It was very cold to the touch which is definitely not normal. Once he felt warmer I rinsed him under some warm water in the sink. It took quite a while to get all the mud and dirt off...it was caked into all of his feathers all the way down to his skin.
After he was nice and clean I wrapped him in a towel and tried to dry up the bulk of the wetness. Then I put him in a box ,with food and water, on a heating pad in the dark, quiet bathroom for a few hours so he could finish drying and destress/regain strength. This is what he looked like clean and dry, before his release!
When it was time to release him I set him on a branch in a bush, He immediately flew away but stopped and landed on the ground in my neighbor's yard. He just sat there for a few minutes so I went and picked him up and put him in another tree. He sat on that branch for a while (my friend who does animal rescue said this was normal since he was so stressed) but I worried as it was nearing nightfall. So I went to recapture him for the night but when I got near him he flew high into a tree...that is a good thing!! I stayed around for a bit to see if he came down, fell, etc but he seemed ok and happy to be back in a tree :)
I am WAY behind on updates! Things have been hectic, plus our desktop isn't working and Kevin hogs the laptop ( hehe) so I have not had a computer to use very often! (and no way am I going to compose a post from my phone). Here are some of the fun things Karis is learning and doing at 12 months and 14 months. Overall it seems 12 and 13 months were not big development months for her, but then she took off!
12 Months:
7 teeth (4 top incisors, 3 bottom incisors)
Stand on her own after pulling up
NOT walking, but taking a couple steps before sitting/falling
Stopped signing and talking all together!
Eating more and more (quantity and variety)
Grapes are her favorite food
Still obsessed with swimming and water :)
Understands well over 50 words
Drinks from a straw
Climbs on everything
Can get down from beds, couches, chairs, etc on her own
Throws A LOT of tantrums, when she gets frustrated trying to communicate or can't figure something out
I don't remember exacts but at her 12 month check up she was about 30 inches and 19.5 pounds
14 Months:
WALKING!!! Started walking just after 14 months! Was a pro within a couple weeks
11 teeth(all incisors plus 3 molars)
Signing 8-10 signs
Signing in succesion (ex: more please)
Consistently says 8-10 words ( dada, mama, dog, cat, uh oh, up, all done, hot, eye)
Repeats words
Imitates EVERYTHING! Her favorite things to imitate: sweeping, vacuuming, cleaning (windows, floors, shower doors), brushing hair and teeth, watering the garden
LOVES to dance when she hears music
Loves sitting on her ball and bouncing (video below!)
Going through a PICKY eating phase....will only eat meat and beans, plus 3 fruits: watermelon, grapes, apples
Eats well with a spoon and fork
Understands well over 100 words (that's a guess, but she knows A LOT)
Follows verbal directions like "Go put the hat on daddy's head", "Please turn the sound machine off", and "Give the dog a kiss on the nose!".
Can throw balls and stack blocks (and knock them over, of course!)
Will go get a book, bring it to you and put the book in your hand
Her tantrums pretty much stopped when she was able to communicate her needs and desires better
All in all she is all toddler and I am wondering when and how that happened! It seems it happened overnight right after she started walking! I think her brain was spending so much time and energy on learning to walk that she stopped progressing in other areas, but once she figured it out everything else took off again. She is so much fun (and tiring!!) and I am loving how much she understands and communicates.
My friend and former gymnastics and diving teammate, Brittany Viola, just made it to the Olympics for 10m platform diving! She was 1 of 2 women who made the US team for the platform. Her mom threw her a London send-off party at Planet Hollywood in Orlando. I, along with other former teammates, was invited to attend. It was a BLAST getting together some of my old teammates...we have been through so much together-literally blood, sweat, and tears (yes, LOTS of tears!!)- ,and spent countless hours together at practice and competitions, and we will always be like family to each other! And of course being able to see and congratulate Britt before she heads off to her 31 day Olympics trip to London was very special. karis tagged along also and I was surprised with how well she did! Everyone loved her, of course ;) Lots of luck to Brittany and the rest of Team USA!
