Jazz's First Christmas '04

Jazz playing with reindeer antlers. It has a neck string so he can wear it like the Santa hat he is wearing. Christmas morning Jazz already knew, before I got up, what Santa brought him in his stocking. He had gotten up in the night, as all cats do, and went to investigate. I got up and found little pieces of his treats all over the carpet in the living room and a gaping hole in the treat package. I didn't wrap his gifts that year. I didn't think it would be a problem. The aroma of the delicious treats was too much for him to resist. I learned my lesson that year and wrap his gifts every year now and keep them hidden so he can't find them until morning. I want to see his excitement as he sees what Santa brings him each year. Jazz has always been interested in the presents under the tree. The first year especially he partially unwrapped at least one present. Weeks before Christmas, as soon as the tree and skirt are in place, we would find Jazz laying on the red fleece skirt under the tree.

Watching a Utah Jazz B-ball game

Of course you know Jazz is named after the Utah Jazz Professional B-ball team for which I've worked 10 years now. Dad and I were watching the game when Jazz walked in and decided to join us. He is sitting on his scratching post which just happened to be right there in front of the TV.

Jazz chillin' on my back '04

He loved this position. He always had to be as high as he could get. He actually tried to climb on my head but I settled him on my shoulders. When he would start to slip down, like he is in this picture, he would simply get up and lay on my shoulders, straddling his front and hind legs around my neck.

ADORABLE Jazz '04

Isn't he just so cute in this picture! His claws were sharp, and digging into my shoulder and back while trying to stay up. Actually the back of my chair helped a little bit to keep him in place.

Hanging out with mommy '04

The men of the family relaxing '04

Still to this day Jazz will lay on "Grandpa's" back or his stomach wherever he is laying. I use the term "grandpa" loosely. Dad doesn't like it much.

Niece, Paige with jazz '04

She must have been sick that day. She's laying down and she looks kind of pale.

Jazz in overalls '04

This is my friend's daughter. Jazz loved being carried like this.

Playing hide and seek '04

Jazz loved to play with sacks. He's roll around in them, bite them, and grab them with his legs. He loved the sound the sack made. Of course, mommy had to supervise to prevent suffocation.

August '01 Sebastian - My first pet

This picture was taken sometime before November 17, 2004. That's when I got Jazz. I know this fish died before that. There's no way I would have gotten Jazz if I had a fish, he would have eaten him.

Even though this blog is about Jazz and me, I thought I'd post a picture of my first pet ever. My turquise beta fish was a good fish while he was alive but, he's in fish heaven now. I never had to feed him. He ate the roots of the plant. You probably can't see, but the plant sits in a little plastic bowl with a hole in it for the roots to get water and so Sabastian can eat. There are clear pebble-like rocks weighing the bowl down to keep the plant in the water, just like the pink ones on the bottom. I had to keep the water up to a certain level so he could eat the roots that were in the water, but not clear up to the bottom of the bowl. He and the plant needed oxygen. I cleaned his bowl out every two weeks. It was difficult to get the water temperature just-right. One day I got the water too warm and he died. I felt so bad!

Jazz - just days after I brought him home

It felt strange at first and even hurt sometimes If he sucked hard or started biting. I'd give him a little tap on his back and say "soft Jazz, soft" he would then suck softly.

About Jazz

Jazz is my very handsome tabby male cat. He will turn 5 later this month. He was born September 23, 2004. I got him November 17, 2004 and was told that he was 4 months old. The Veterinarian told me a few weeks later that Jazz was 4 months old at that time. From the first day, Jazz sucked on my earlobes and on my eyelids. He had apparently been taken away from his mother to early.
Jazz was extremely active as a kitten, and still is, somewhat. You know the saying "Cat's have nine lives"? Well, I think jazz has used up all of his. With everything he's been through, I'm amazed he's still alive. The first year of his life he was the runt in all of the neighborhood cat fights. With bites marks and scratches all over, I was constantly having to rush him to the ER.
The following year, a few of my neighbors were having problems with rats. They placed poison all around their yards. One day my parents and I came home from lunch and discovered a greenish/blue glob on our front porch. I rushed Jazz to the ER again. In December that year, Jazz had either jumped or fell through a hole in the roof of my neighbors shed. He was lost for 3 1/2 weeks when my neighbor discovered him. Being the good mother that I was, I pulled out my air mattress and slept on the floor, every night, by the door he usually came. When Jazz was found he had lost half of his body weight, was extremely weak, and near death. Upon being advised by his Vet, I waited a few days to take him to the ER. He had been traumatized enough. I thank Heavenly Father for the weather being unseasonably warmer during that time.
His third year and this year, nothing major has happened, thank goodness.

About Nancy

This is my first expereince blogging and my first post. I'm still trying to figure out the picture thing so when I get it, you'll see it.

Here's the skinny on me. I am somewhere in my thirty's. I sometimes forget. That's a good thing at times. I am single and have not been blessed with children yet; human, that is. I am a member of the LDS faith. I am currently attending college for the trillionth time. I just can't seem to get enough education, I guess. As a young girl I use to think I would be married and have children at a reasonably young age, but, that is not the case. I fill my days being the best aunt I can be to my 10 nieces and nephews.

I have a disability that prevents me from doing things as someone else might. But, that doesn't prevent me from doing and accomplishing what I want in life. I just have to treek it to accommodate my disability. I am very loving and and nurturing and would love to have all the desires of my heart fullfilld. Whether I will have the opportunity to be married, whether I will have my own children or adopt, or I adopt without being married, who knows. It's a wait and see game I am forced to play right now.