Oh, don't be silly. Not human babies. And not guppy babies (at least not yet, I'll keep you posted).
No, this time it's triops. 5 of them. Tinier than the head of a straight pin (for those of you that do not sew, this is something used for sewing). They are supposed to grow anywhere from 1 inch to 2 inches but I think Cristina had one that grew longer than that. I'm not sure I can handle it if they get that big. They are ... well, I don't know, unusual-looking. I mean, they have been around for a really, really long time. They look like tiny horseshoe crabs to me. The kids already knew all about their background and we finally decided to set up the tank that I had bought months ago. These things take time and diligence. Use the wrong water and they might not hatch. Over heat them and they die. I have difficulty being so responsible for something so fragile.
First we had to find a light source that would work. I remembered I had a desk light packed up in the garage somewhere ... bingo! I found it. We decided on a location for the tank but the cord of the lamp wouldn't reach an outlet (it's always something, isn't it?) All the extension cords are in with the Christmas lights. Then I spied an extension cord in with the slot cars - hooray! If anyone wants to race slot cars, I guess the triops are out of luck. So we did everything right and now all we had to do is wait. Do you know how hard it is for a 7 year old to wait for anything? Every hour, Carmen would ask how long it would be before we could see eggs hatched. After two days, thank the Lord, there they were! First, 3 of them appeared. Then today, we found 2 more. Carmen is delighted.
It will be fun to watch them grow. A few years ago, we hatched those silly Sea Monkeys and it was fun until they started to mate. Now that was difficult to explain (they like to dance). But they all died before any new eggs were hatched. We've also had an ant farm which I vowed I'd never do again but we are thinking about getting the newer gel ant farm (don't ask me why). It was horrible when all the ants died. This kind of thing really upsets me. I don't handle the death of anything very well. So it is with trepidation that I continue with these triops, knowing their existence on earth is a short one (to us, anyway). I can only hope we can provide them with a good quality of life while they are here. In return, they will teach and entertain our family (I know, I know, SPARE ME, right? I'm such a geek!)
I asked my daughter if we should name them but she doesn't think she'll be able to tell them apart. I don't think she feels the same as I do about small living things. She informed me tonight that if her new guppies give birth, the deformed ones can be fed to the other guppies. Her sainted brother told her this. I was aghast but I hid it well. I said we would just have to wait and see, but I was thinking "I DON'T THINK SO!"
Such is the mind of a tenderhearted soul.
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Hehehe! We had our triops for about 3 months. There is a picture of one here:
http://jugglingpaynes.blogspot.com/2006/11/dino-shrimp.html
They are the greatest pet. Ours thrived in a warm sunny spot and we fed them frozen brine shrimp from the pet store. For a while, we considered raising sea monkeys for them. :-O You do need to make sure they are well fed or they start eating each other. Also, look on their sides for egg sacs. We could have raised another generation if we had prepared the tank for eggs. (We didn't have any sand or gravel in the tank)
Google triops. There are some good sites about them.
Our middle son is also very tenderhearted when we have pets die. But he is getting a little less so as he gets older and we have more pets that (unfortuantly) die. :o)
Sometimes I wonder what our next pet will be. LOL
Have fun with your triops!
guppies are so fun! Yay!
WE recently had a bunch of baby sea hermit crabs the kids caught to watch for the day, and they all died. I'll have to blog about it. Sophie cried and sobbed as if a relative had died. So, we know how that is! Hopefully the guppies will make it!
Congratulations on your new family addition...from one tender heart soul to another...bless you ;-)
Thanks for your prayers...the agency gave us until lunch time today to make our decision. We certainly covet prayer.
Kimmie
mama to 6
one homemade and 5 adopted
We did triops!-- about 2-1/2 yrs ago. My hubby came home from a trip to Hobby Lobby w/the kids and said, "Look! I bought you & the kids a science experiment!" And I went, "Oh goody, thanks a lot" but pretended to be enthusiastic for the kids' sake. It *was* kinda fun. We ended up with 6, whom we named Wesley, Buttercup, Inigo, Vizzeni, Fezzik, and Bob. At least one of them turned out to be a cannibal, but I don't remember which one or who was the victim. Anyway, they all eventually died and were flushed, but they were kinda fun while they lasted.
I might sound silly, but I didn't even know what triops were until I looked them up.
I like the sort of pets you mention. You don't need to worry about them too much if you decide to go off on holiday, or taking them out for walks.
Hey, thanks for the feedback on the covers. Of course there'll be one for you guys. We'll set up International Pay Pal just as we did for the Quenardens.
And tell Todd he asked me the same question I'm getting used to being asked by teenagers. He must be young at heart. I'll have to tell him the same as I tell them. Q4 is definitely happening some time (almost 11 chapters have already happened) but I'm not sure exactly when. I'll be looking forward to your feedback on this contemporary novel.
Blessings,
Paula
PS I hope you recovered from that fall. And I have my collection of "feel good" books too.
I honestly have to say that I don't mind not currnetly having any pets to tend to. The younger two still get very upset when things die, though it is part of "life." I hope all continues to go well with your new additions.
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