Waking up to find that your daughter’s fish has died puts a damper on your day. Poor Rooster. Poor Olivia.
When we went to Petco to purchase a fish, we relied on the pet store to show us what we needed. I know all about hamsters, bunnies, guinea pigs, rats and cats. . .not fish. We were directed to a Petco 2 gallon Hex Aquarium that includes a filter. Now, when you buy a car, you don’t feel that it’s necessary to make sure the engine is compatible with the car. It just comes with it! So, we set it all up and waited 24 hours to make sure the water is brought to room temperature and the pH level of the water is where it should be. We’ve done tons of research online and bought a betta fish book. I take very seriously all living things that are in my care! Last night, we put Rooster in his new home. When we woke up this morning, I found Rooster up against the filter with his fins sucked into the slots on the side. Bettas have an organ through which they obtain oxygen from the air. They don’t get enough oxygen through their gills, so they must be able to reach the surface of the water to get air. So, Rooster probably drowned.
After further investigation as to how it happened, we noticed that the filter (included with the 2 gallon tank) was a 55 gph filter. It filtered 55 gallons of water per hour which is way too strong for a 2 gallon tank. Contrary to what people say, I do believe that all fish tanks need a filter. However, it must be one compatible to the size of the tank. Poor thing didn’t stand a chance! Now, why would they sell such a thing for a fish? We WILL be going back to Petco and returning the tank for a full refund. But, that doesn’t give my daughter back her Rooster. Can you tell that I’m a bit upset about the whole thing? What an awful feeling to know that you inadvertently killed your daughter’s fish. RIP Rooster.
Tomorrow, my husband and I will celebrate our 9th anniversary. Nine years ago, we were eagerly anticipating our wedding. Who knew that nine years later, we would be fretting about the pH level of our daughter’s fish tank. LOL! And that’s so beautifully ordinary. I don’t think most people wish for their lives to be ordinary until their lives are turned upside down by the unthinkable. Then, you are praying for ordinary.
Thanks, Ryan, for the past nine years. I know we can’t say that they’ve been the best nine years. They’ve had some of the worst moments of our life, but they’ve also had some of the best. I look forward to a future that’s beautifully ordinary!
Hmm. . .I’m not quite that toned anymore. LOL! I think Ryan and I should recreate that pose.
The ladies! Marilee, Tiffany, Stacie, Kim, Tamar, Me and my flower girl, Julia (she’s 12 now.)
For better or worse, here we come!
Olivia has been explaining this to our three cats tonight because we have a new little member of the family. . . .her new betta fish named Rooster!
Yes, we decided to let her have a fish. We went to the pet store and told her to pick out a fish that she liked. She ran straight to a fantail goldfish who grows to be over 8” long!! Woah. . .hold on a second. That’s kind of frightening! I kept directing her over to the betta fish and with a bit of persuasion, she decided on one of them. Whew! Ryan agreed to do all the cleaning and upkeep of the tank and Olivia and I only have to remember to feed him every day. So, I could live with that. It was actually a very fun evening spent as a family, picking out the fish and the gravel and his house and a plant for the tank. Olivia is so very excited!
I think the fish might actually might be a good thing. She likes to sleep with some sort of light on and the fish tank makes a great night light. She also gets lonely at night by herself and she’s looking forward to sleeping right beside Rooster. We can’t put him in his new tank for 24 hours, so she was a little disappointed with that. But, she is very proud of her new pet!! Welcome Home Rooster!
Well, I’m entering a challenging part of my pregnancy. For one, I am extremely emotional and I cry at the drop of a hat. I think I’ve cried every day this week and I don’t think I shed any tears during my first trimester. I’ve seriously had a headache, too, for a week straight. And, my blood sugar is proving to be a challenge. As you know, I have diabetes and my blood sugar spikes pretty high. . .especially after eating. About a month ago, I realized that I wasn’t having problems with the real high numbers anymore, so I got a bit lazy about testing it. Before my surgery, my blood sugar was 67 and they wanted it a bit higher before surgery so I was given some dextrose. I hadn’t eaten in almost 12 hours, so that is to be expected. Lately, I’ve been ravenously hungry. I feel like I eat the same amount as three grown men!!! And if I don’t eat every 3 hours, I get extremely shaky and irritable. So, I eat breakfast, my first lunch at noon, second lunch at 3 pm, dinner with snacks in between. I have to do a second full lunch or the shakiness does not go away! Nibbling on carrots or crackers does not do it for me. Well, tonight it had barely been over 3 hours and I was waiting for my husband to get home to eat dinner. I started feeling awful. Shaky, unsteady, very lightheaded. I made it over to the cabinet and grabbed my blood glucose meter. Luckily, Ryan was home and I told him that I didn’t feel well and showed him my number and he took over from there. It was 52 and I felt awful! He grabbed a bag of M&Ms and they helped raise my number back into a normal range. I’m so frustrated by it all. I was diagnosed with diabetes 2-3 years ago and they basically handed me a blood glucose meter and put me on a diabetes medication and that is it. I don’t feel like I’ve gotten a good grasp as to how to handle it. And pregnancy has definitely made it more of a challenge. I just want this baby to be getting everything he/she needs.
In other news, Olivia has been crazy about fish for some time now. She’s even going to have an Under The Sea birthday party in August. She really wants her own fish and I hate fish. I had one goldfish growing up named Bubbles and he lived for a week. I made my dad bury him in the backyard because the thought of flushing him down the toilet seemed cruel. But, seriously, any pet but a fish. . .you can’t even pet it!! Aughhh!! However, her pretend fish/fish bowl beside her bed is quickly losing its appeal. Haha!
But, we’ve been thinking about getting her a betta fish. I hear they are inexpensive and easy to take care of. . .and they make kitty-proof bowls for them. So, who knows?! Wait until you hear what she wants to name her fish, though. Hilarious!!! I’ll share if we break down and actually get her one. And pray one of the cats doesn’t eat it because knowing me right now, I would bawl.
Current size of baby: Lemon
How far along? 14 weeks
Total weight gain: 5 lbs
Inches Gained: 2 inches
Maternity clothes? A mix of maternity and non-maternity clothes.
Sleep: Good
How I'm feeling: Ravenously hungry and very fatigued. I was hoping the fatigue would go away in the 2nd trimester, but since I’m fatigued even when I’m NOT pregnant, I doubted it would. It has just gotten worse.
Best moment this week: Being incredibly spoiled by all those who chipped in to help out this week. We had multiple homemade dinners made for us (four, I believe.)
Movement: Can’t be certain. At certain times if I lay really really still, I feel a little flutter on my right side.
Food cravings: Nothing really in particular. Whatever seems to sound good at that moment.
Food aversions: Becoming less and less as my nausea improves. Although, the other night I had horrible nausea out of nowhere.
Gender: Unknown
Labor Signs: NO
Belly Button in or out? in
What I miss: Cooler weather. This pregnant gal can’t take the 100+ degree heat.
What I am looking forward to: My husband and I have our 9th wedding anniversary this week. For our gifts to one another, we are buying something for the baby. It seems very fitting.
Milestones: I made it through the cerclage with no complications!!
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