Amelia the Marshmallow

The last couple of months I have been looking at my baby Amelia and thinking... "You're looking extra plumpy today, Amelia." Um, everyday.

Not just like a "fat day." Like, every day.

After somebody left a MEAN, MEAN, MEAN comment on a video where Toulouse and Charlie Brown were wrestling on You Tube (the person called them both fat and said they were going to die from obesity- the dog only weighs 19 pounds! Toulouse is within a healthy range, big cat, but still okay!) I talked to my dad and then thought the only other being besides myself in this house with a legitimate weight problem- Amelia.

So, I put her on the scale. DUN DUN DUN!

The last time she was weighed, she weighed 14 pounds, same as Toulouse. She just carries her weight differently than him so she looks bigger even though they weigh the same. But, lately I have noticed she has not been cleaning "back there" and wondered if maybe she couldn't reach! (Ick!)

The result... 16.2 POUNDS!

OMG. I died. How did she get so chubby?! She's on weight control food! She is VERY sedentary. (More sedentary than me if you can believe it.) And since we've gotten the dog she's been more isolated, does less, isn't out much. Maybe that's why? I've also felt like we've been going through WAY more food lately.

I'm not sure what to do. Toulouse is really active, so eats and needs to. They have always free-fed, but I guess Amelia needs something different now. I guess I will have to start measuring their food. The problem is Toulouse is such a pig I'm afraid he'll eat it all and leave her nothing. I even have an extra bowl of food for him on the counter (where she won't go) of perscription food and he still eats her weight watchers food. He also yowls insanely if he finds the bowls empty. He will wake me out of a dead sleep to alert me to this DISASTER. If I don't respond to that, or lock him out of the room, then he starts going through the trash or knocking things off the counter to make noise. I swear. Because as soon as I get up he runs over to me and gets all lovey- "Feed me, feed me, I'm STARVING!" If I walk away he gets loud again. Argh!

Anyway, so ideas and suggestions are welcome. I have probably heard them all (separate them, timed feedings, blah blah blah) but maybe there is something new. Maybe I just need a cheerleader!

Next I decided I better take action RIGHT AWAY, so at midnight, about 4 minutes after weighing her and receiving this devastating news (it took three tries to weigh her because she kept cheating and taking one paw off, making it look like she weighed around 10 pounds. But I knew that was wrong!) I put on her pink halter and we went for a walk.

This is what she did:

Shimmied on her belly across the grass, started EATING it, and then waddled back to the house!

What am I going to do with her?!

November in Oregon

In November I went to visit my Mom in Oregon for just over two weeks. It was hard. I hard a hard time being around the men in my family and had to have a "coversation" with my mom about it before I came to visit about not being touched or hugged and despite that I still have some conflict with her about it. Since she has been with her partner/common-law husband/signigicant other she has started praying by holding hands with everyone at the table. This is a problem for me. First, I don't pray this way. Also, it forces me to pray with them. Additionally, it draws huge attention to the fact that I can't bring myself to touch Tony's hand while we pray before the meal. I cried at the table twice before my Mom finally realized how upset I was over it. And this was with Tony sticking up for me. Once we got past this it was pretty smooth sailing though.

Granny got Amelia a mirror.... okay she gave me her mirror but Amelia really liked it. What can I say? She's a girl!

I also gained 17 pounds while I was there. My mom got me off the turkey sandwiches and I had constant stomach aches the whole time from the dietary changes. I spent a good chunk of time running to the bathroom after every meal in agonizing pain, and yet I somehow still gained 17 pounds from my mother force feeding me. (Guilt-feeding me? "You have to eat more! It's not healthy to eat like that!" Mom, I can't fit into my pants now!)

My cats came with me on the trip which was 9 hours each way in the car and it went pretty well. They had fun and they got to see snow for the first time. Amelia was NOT a fan of my mom's dog, but Tootie and Buck were doing tricks together after an hour of knowing each other. ("Sit!" Amazing trick for a cat, huh?)

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Look at those happy feet!


We used the next two on Christmas cards. I did the camera settings and my mom snapped the shots.