Rosie was a happy girl

[kendrafitz]

Jef was away this week. He left Monday and returned today. This means Rosie has me to herself with the exception of the kids. She wants the kids to pay attention to her, so she is fine with them around.

Monday morning the school called, my daughter was sick. Monday night, my son starts with a fever. So the kids were home Tues and Wed. We spent the time mostly in the family room, fire going, watching movies or The Office.

Rosie was thrilled. She had all 3 of us to herself for two uninterrupted days. She was singing, dancing and behaving like the sweet girl I know she is (deep, deep down, under the ornery, opinionated girl we normally live with). Lol.

She even started working on some new phrases in the shower. I love you Mama, what a good girl, love you BooBoo. Not anything clear, but because I am her Mommy, I understood it. :)

Who would have thought sick kids would make my red girl so happy?

The kids went back to school today and I ran out to do some errands. Then we all got home and about 30 minutes later Jef arrived home. Rosie started yelling again, not happy that I was out earlier, that Daddy was back, and I was talking to him. Sigh... She is jealous of Jef getting attention from me I guess.

[spiritbird]

She is letting you know she wants more people time.

[PlaxMacaws]

It sounds like Rosie and Jef pretty much have a hate-hate relationship going on there...that's too bad :(. She only wants love from everyone as well as to be the center of attention (24/7) :pinkgrin:

Now Salsa is feeling happiest when he's making a scene. Lately he has been climbing down to (or up to, depending upon where he happens to be) his cage's water bowl port/bay, unlatching and pulling open its swinging door, then pulling the water bowl out and allowing it to drop to and spill all over the floor. He just loves doing this.. and he well knows that it's a no-no. But of course that doesn't stop him ;). He in fact did it again this morning. It occurred to me that maybe he simply does it so he can crawl into the cage through the opening. But I'm sure that's not it because he gets way too much enjoyment from the bowl hitting the floor and the resulting mess. What a scoundrel!

[kendrafitz]

Dianne - you are probably right. My spoiled girl - she is out with me all day unless I have too run an errand. Then she goes to her cage and the only other time she is in her cage to sleep. I think she liked that Jef wasn't around but the rest of us were with her.

Tony - lol. I love Salsa, he is so funny and mischievous. I am sure he likes both the clang/mess and a different way to get in his cage.

Funny, Rosie figured out how to unscrew her food dish from her java tree today. She was having a blast dumping her food out and was about to throw the bowl itself when I intercepted. She and Salsa are on the same page today.

[Lady]

Glad to hear the kids are feeling better Kendra! But could it be that Rosie yells because she wants Jeff to come over to her? I have a similar issue with Lady and my hubby. She makes more noise when he pops in the room to tell me something or bring me coffee. Lady gets excited and starts getting a bit louder than before he came in. If he sits down and we have a conversation Lady does a lot of mumbling under her breath so to speak. I find it quite interesting, but yes sometimes it can become a bit too much and not so amusing. If he tells her to quiet down she will for a short time, and even when he leaves the room she will grumble for a minute or two. He doesn't spend much time with her when she is outside the cage yet, but I got some plans for the up coming summer to change that :th_shh:.

[Mare]

Sorry about the kids being sick but sounds like a fun day, anyways :). That's a good question that Alice asked about maybe Rosie would like MORE attention from Jef? Has he tried? Tim tried really hard to be friends with Amigo but Amigo wanted none of that! They get along well now, just as long as Tim doesn't try and touch him. He's been bit ,HARD, enough times that he doesn't even want to try anymore!

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

It took nearly a year for Casper to trust me. It eventually happened because he had his eyes shut while Margaret was scratching his neck and I took over. When he opened his eyes and saw it was me and I was doing it very nicely his attitude started to change and we soon became best buddies. It still took a few blood drawing bites but they gradually became non wounding and eventually stopped (apart from the occasional random offering just to remind us who is boss around here).

[kendrafitz]

Alice - it is possible I guess. I think she knows how Jef feels and he makes her a bit nervous. I am not sure he has ever touched her except for taking her from point a to point b. He has never given her scritches, he has zero interest. So, when I bring her over to him and he talks to her she gets very still and quiet. So I am not sure.

Mare - no, he really hasn't tried. As soon as she starts yelling, he leaves. So I think she is happy with that result since she quiets down once he is gone. But she gets very happy when he does pay attention to her. I just don't know. But I will suggest it to Jef.

Jean-Pierre - I am so happy that you managed to win Casper over!! The main issue here is Jef does not really want anything to do with Rosie. When she was a baby I tried to get him to hold her and he refused. He did try to be nice to her by sticking his finger in her cage when I was out when she first came home. He was rewarded by a chomp - dopey guy didn't think that one through. Although once in a while I see pretzels at the bottom of her cage, so he does share his snacks with her when no one is looking. ;)

[Mare]

Aww..that's a bummer, Kendra :(. I hope he can finally see the light and try to make more of an effort, that would be nice...best of luck!

[Lady]

Well if nothing else I do hope they both learn to tolerate each others presence. I know it would make life more peaceful for everyone. Who knows maybe the time they spend together sharing a snack is a beginning of some sort :).

[PlaxMacaws]

Kendra: It's sad to read your descriptions about Jef disliking Rosie :(. I'm sure she senses this fact... and to a great degree. And I bet that's one of the things that perpetuates some of her screaming episodes. I understand that Jef becomes angered by her screaming. Beyond that, though, may I ask you if he's not an animal person as well? Or does he perhaps just dislike birds as pets? Or is it more that he specifically dislikes Rosie?

It's been easy for me to feel sympathy for Jef based upon your descriptions of Rosie's unwanted screaming while he's attempting to work. But now I'm feeling quite sorry for Rosie :disturbed:

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

Ah yes! screaming whilst I am trying to think, saying bye-bye as soon as I pick up the phone to a customer, bites out of packets ready for posting, sitting on my wrist while I am trying to type, all part of the average working day. I can see Jeff's point.

[kendrafitz]

Tony - the answer to your questions are multifaceted.

I thought Jef was an animal person, evidentially more than he is. I think Jef didn't realize what an animal person I really am. When we were dating, I had a leopard gecko and two cats, Jef had a dog. When we got married, I took one of the cats to live with us. We were planning on getting a Berner, but that fell through at the same time I found out I was pregnant with my son. So we put plans for a dog aside until my daughter was about 4. By that point, my cat had passed and we had no pets. He hemmed and hawed about getting a dog, but finally gave in. I saw Bailey and her sister and wanted Jef and the kids to decide. He just came to the puppy store, gave the woman his credit card and said, let's go. He didn't interact with the puppies at all. That was my first inkling that he wasn't as much of an animal loving person as I am. When Bailey was about a year old, I wanted to get her a friend. My husband was adamant that he didn't want more than one animal in the house. Which was a shock to me, since I have always envisioned living in a home filled with animals. (He was still not adoring Bailey and was embarrassed that she was so small and the guys in the neighborhood teased him when he walked her). My daughter and son begged and one day I went to the puppy hut and saw Teddy. I fell in love and then bothered Jef until he agreed. This time he would not even go to the store and was very annoyed with all of us. He then decided he loved Bailey and Teddy was an intruder. Which was great for Bailey since she adores Jef. He still wasn't crazy for Teddy and then Rosie came aboard. At that point, Jef decided he loved both dogs and Rosie was a huge PITA. I am sure if I was to get another pet he would end up liking Rosie and not the new pet since this is his pattern. I can't even mention an animal without his blood pressure going up. I went and saw a German Shepard the other day and I think he was terrified I would beg to bring him home.

The answer to the other part of of your question is, no, he does not like birds. His mom has always been terrified of parrots and I think it affected his opinion. He also has mentioned birds being dumb pets in the past. He also specifically dislikes Rosie since she is giving him such a run for his money.

We have discussed the issue recently. He said he would get rid of her in a second if I didn't love her so much. But since I do, she isn't going anywhere, so he is going to try. We have agreed on a plan to get her to stop screaming and he said he will work on having his own relationship with her. I have seen him chatting with her since he has been home so I am hopeful.

So even though Jef is not the animal person I thought he was, he goes against his nature for me and the kids. Rosie has really put him to the test, but if he can make friends, then all will be good.

I feel sorry for both of them. Rosie is a baby and trying to get her way as a toddler would. Jef is frustrated by the noise, her neediness and the mess. But I love them both and we will figure it all out somehow. :)

[kendrafitz]

So true, Jean-Pierre! I love that Casper says bye bye when you pick up the phone!!!

I had Rosie on my shoulder when I answered the phone yesterday. It was on speaker and after I said hello, Rosie said hello a couple of times while the person was speaking. The poor person on the other end sounded a bit confused. ;)

[Mare]

Kendra, you and your family have plenty of time to work through your issues, I'm happy to hear, for all of you, that Jef will make a try to help with matters, you're a good man, Jef :)

[PlaxMacaws]

Tony - the answer to your questions are multifaceted.

I thought Jef was an animal person, evidentially more than he is. I think Jef didn't realize what an animal person I really am. When we were dating, I had a leopard gecko and two cats, Jef had a dog. When we got married, I took one of the cats to live with us. We were planning on getting a Berner, but that fell through at the same time I found out I was pregnant with my son. So we put plans for a dog aside until my daughter was about 4. By that point, my cat had passed and we had no pets. He hemmed and hawed about getting a dog, but finally gave in. I saw Bailey and her sister and wanted Jef and the kids to decide. He just came to the puppy store, gave the woman his credit card and said, let's go. He didn't interact with the puppies at all. That was my first inkling that he wasn't as much of an animal loving person as I am. When Bailey was about a year old, I wanted to get her a friend. My husband was adamant that he didn't want more than one animal in the house. Which was a shock to me, since I have always envisioned living in a home filled with animals. (He was still not adoring Bailey and was embarrassed that she was so small and the guys in the neighborhood teased him when he walked her). My daughter and son begged and one day I went to the puppy hut and saw Teddy. I fell in love and then bothered Jef until he agreed. This time he would not even go to the store and was very annoyed with all of us. He then decided he loved Bailey and Teddy was an intruder. Which was great for Bailey since she adores Jef. He still wasn't crazy for Teddy and then Rosie came aboard. At that point, Jef decided he loved both dogs and Rosie was a huge PITA. I am sure if I was to get another pet he would end up liking Rosie and not the new pet since this is his pattern. I can't even mention an animal without his blood pressure going up. I went and saw a German Shepard the other day and I think he was terrified I would beg to bring him home.

The answer to the other part of of your question is, no, he does not like birds. His mom has always been terrified of parrots and I think it affected his opinion. He also has mentioned birds being dumb pets in the past. He also specifically dislikes Rosie since she is giving him such a run for his money.

We have discussed the issue recently. He said he would get rid of her in a second if I didn't love her so much. But since I do, she isn't going anywhere, so he is going to try. We have agreed on a plan to get her to stop screaming and he said he will work on having his own relationship with her. I have seen him chatting with her since he has been home so I am hopeful.

So even though Jef is not the animal person I thought he was, he goes against his nature for me and the kids. Rosie has really put him to the test, but if he can make friends, then all will be good.

I feel sorry for both of them. Rosie is a baby and trying to get her way as a toddler would. Jef is frustrated by the noise, her neediness and the mess. But I love them both and we will figure it all out somehow. :)Thanks for the detailed explanation of your situation, Kendra. I think it's great that Jef is willing to work on a relationship with Roise! As I mentioned, I suspect that some of her screaming episodes have to do with her feelings toward his responses to her. No one likes to be rejected or feel that they are an object of contempt. Jef may think that birds are "dumb pets", but scientific studies have shown that parrots are among the most intelligent animals on our planet. They can certainly detect when they're not appreciated by the humans who live with them.

I wish you, Rosie, and the rest of your family the best of luck as far as developing some workable compatibility in your home.

[kendrafitz]

Mare - Yes, my Jef is a great guy.

Tony - agreed about birds intellect and I'm sure she knows how he feels. Although when he said birds are a dumb pet I don't think he was referring to the birds intellect. I think he meant it was a dumb choice for a pet. He just doesn't see the noise and mess as a desirable choice...

[plax]

Tony - agreed about birds intellect and I'm sure she knows how he feels. Although when he said birds are a dumb pet I don't think he was referring to the birds intellect. I think he meant it was a dumb choice for a pet. He just doesn't see the noise and mess as a desirable choice...Ah, okay. He didn't mean that as pets go birds are inferior mentally to other animals. He meant more that he feels birds cause more problems as pets than various other animals might. I can agree with that :smug:. But I'm still sad for Rosie :(. I think I've said it before... I hope you're going to be around for a long, long time, Kendra!

[kendrafitz]

You and me both Tony!!

[Mare]

The bummer is, Kendra, once the bird is on the scene, there is a whole lot of drama before you can turn back and I'm guessing there will never be a point where you can make it all better, a point of no return, so to speak..

[Mare]

Our point of no return was when Amigo hit the driveway in the back of my 4Runner! :)

[kendrafitz]

Wait, what Mare???

[Mare]

I should have said, "when we rolled into the driveway with Amigo in the back of my 4Runner" :)

[kendrafitz]

Oh, ok. I was totally confused. Thought I missed a good Amigo story. You know how I love those. In fact, a new story is long overdue!!!

Yes, same here.