Tag: Leopard Gecko

Chit Chat Coffee Time Post

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn chit chat coffee time14 Comments

I’m really enjoying these quick little snippet posts! I think Bella from Over the Teacups had a good idea with her posts that are conversational, like she is having tea with you, and I feel kind of like that is what these posts have become, a little catch up of our week over coffee. So grab a cup and feel free to share with me in the comments about your own week!

I am typing today from my office! Billy got it basically done, enough for me to use, and I am in love with it. And so is Wyatt – I didn’t anticipate him wanting to be in here all the time too, but that is ok. I am glad that he is enjoying the new space as well, and I have always been a person who feels there is no room a child can’t be in and play in and feel like it is their room as well. So there is a basket of notebooks and crayons, a toy or two, and then the other day he wanted to do his school work in here. So we did! I will do a post about the office after I get the curtains hung and some of the art as well; the totally empty white wall over Dash’s tank bothers me. We are hanging shelving on the wall behind the desk – which for now is an old table until Billy gets a chance to build a desk for me. He is getting a big break for now though!

This week was also Wyatt’s birthday week! It turned into a week long slow celebration. Tuesday was his actual birthday, and he had video chat and driveway visits from loved ones, and a big day of opening gifts. Lots of surprises and goodies for this kiddo! We had another day where we just played with his toys and read his books, then Friday Billy took a day off and we went out for a family day. We asked Wyatt what he wanted to do, and he requested the zoo again, so off we went.

My cousin gave Wyatt this Edgar Allen Poe doll. It cracks me up!

My mom also temporarily moved into my uncle’s condo – she is much closer now, like a ten minute drive instead of 30, and we can start getting her house ready to sell without her being in there. It just makes things so much easier for everyone, and we are so grateful to my cousin for allowing us that opportunity. My mom is also double vaccinated now so yay! I am going to pop over tomorrow morning (masked) and help her set up an area for my niece to use as her homeschool space. My mom has been pretty isolated for so long now, with the exception of her bubble of my brother, his wife, and my niece, that we are trying to get her used to what is our new normal slowly – like getting used to people being in masks, etc. It will be good to spend some time with her. So now, my mom, dad, stepmom, Billy’s parents, two aunts, and an uncle are all double vaccinated. My sister-in-law got her first one on Thursday, and three of my cousins have either one vaccine or are done. Billy, my brother Devin, and I are in the next phase so that should be coming up pretty quickly.

And if we were really at coffee together, I would probably be sharing about my plants and lizards, so here is my new plant baby, a raven ZZ. I have wanted one for a long time so I finally went for it. I got it from Amazon actually, and I am pretty happy with Amazon’s plants so far. This one arrived in great shape, and I sent one as a surprise to my friend in PA, who was tired of seeing so much snow, and hers arrived in good shape as well. (I sent her a rattlesnake plant, part of the prayer plant family because I love them)

And then Harry being all dramatic, just because..

How about you all? How was your week?

Chitchat Coffee Time Post

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn day in the life, family11 Comments

I sat down this morning to type up my Homeschooling Snow post, and realized that was not what I wanted to talk about this morning. Instead I just feel like chatting over my coffee. Also not sure why there is a measuring spoon in my room…

On Monday, Wyatt returned to therapy. This was a big deal for all of us. I was completely nervous and filled with all the anxiety. Would they tell us Wyatt had lost a lot of skills over the last year? How would he be away from me? How would I be away from him? We have been joined at the hip practically for the past year, so there was sure to be some separation anxiety. I drove there, buoyed by the tough love from my friends, feeling like I just wanted to turn the car around and head home to our safe house. But, we couldn’t do that. This was important. We know to stay safe you wear a mask and keep your distance and wash your hands. These are things we can do. And then when we got there, all worry melted away. This place is familiar. These people are like family. They have known Wyatt since he was a year old and love him and care about him. They would do their best by him as they have for five years.

And surprise, they wanted me to go in! I had been told that only Wyatt would be allowed in but things have lifted in Michigan a bit and I was able to join them. I probably won’t always, since Wyatt does need to get used to being away from me again, but this time, I was glad. I could visit with his therapist, I could see what precautions they are taking first hand. And I got to see the joy Wyatt had in returning and being reunited with Stacy, whom he has known for five years. They have always been a great team. And Wyatt is so motivated right now- I am excited to see what happens and how he grows from this return. More good Wyatt news – he finally finally made the growth chart after six years! It’s been a battle, but this kid is now in the 13th percentile. His doctor did a little happy dance and so did I!

The slow evolution from sad anole to happy Dash. I wish I could have taken home all three little anoles but I couldn’t. So sad and grey in that first photo! In the second he is beginning to feel safer and happier. Then one morning I was delighted to see that Dash was green! The sign of a happy little anole.

And in case you need some happy Harry photos…

This week my dad got his second vaccine, my mom got her first, and my aunt got her second as well. I think my uncle is waiting on his second one still. My mom goes for her second shot on Wyatt’s birthday!

My cute little mommy after her shot. My brother took her – he was messing with her and told her that they got a stockboy from the back to administer the shots. Lol.

Wyatt and I had a fun week together too. We did lots of snow activities, read lots of books, painted, made Valentines, and baked some pretty terrible cookies. I mistakenly used quick oats in our oatmeal cookies instead of rolled – and it does make a difference, just saying. Billy couldn’t even identify what type of cookie we had tried to make. LOL. We haven’t been outside too much lately. The weather has been too cold for us to feel comfortable taking Wyatt out – as he is not independently mobile right now he doesn’t generate heat from expending energy so we worry about him getting too cold. We are going to try to go to the zoo tomorrow, and see a quick list of specific animals – crossing my fingers we can do it, we need some fresh air time.

How was your week?

Just Ask Me About My Gecko

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized5 Comments

So.. I realized something this week. If you ask me about my gecko, I will tell you everything I can think of about her and about geckos in general. I should come with some sort of warning label, like ask me about my gecko and you may be forced to listen to my answer for an hour. I am not sure how this happened totally, but I am ok with who I am.

We got Harry in July, but I started thinking about adding a new family member (NOT a baby lol) during the longest months of lockdown. I needed a project, and a new little creature I guess. I was thinking rabbit for a long while, but landed on gecko. Wyatt really likes the Daniel Tiger episode where he finds an anole, and I have always thought that lizards were sort of cute. In July, we adopted Harry (a leopard gecko) and we all adore her. We started with the Leopard Gecko Kit from Reptizoo, and as the months have gone on and she has grown, we upgraded her to a bigger, bioactive tank with live plants and lots more room.

I am not alone in my love for small creatures though, this year – two of my besties are also in the same boat, with their little toad friends. Chrissy has a toad named Cupcake, and Kelly has two toads, Theodora (Teddy) and Betty. We actually sit around now and discuss our bioactives, clean up crews, substrate, isopods, and have tossed around the idea of breeding crickets. All over glasses of wine. They are just as obsessed with their littles, and Kelly and I actually send each other photos of Harry and Teddy and Betty. Who are we now?

This is Cupcake’s abode. She likes to hang out in her little house.

And this is where Teddy and Betty reside. You can see them sitting in their water bowls waiting for breakfast…

Kelly also added two more amphibians to her menagerie as well, two axolotls named Pearl and Faye . They give her more grief than the toads though, and technically belong to her tween..

All in all, they make us happy. Harry is like a cat, and I tell people that leopard geckos are apparently the reptile version of felines. She loves to be pet under her chin, she can be a little moody, likes to bask in warm spots, and is a cute hunter, shaking her tail when she is about to strike. She also honestly was put out with me when I got home after staying in the hospital with Wyatt, much like my cats, giving me the cold shoulder for a day.

These little critters, which we thought would be a nice distraction, turned out to be so much fun and sources of happiness. We just love our Harry! (or as my mom says, we are just wild about Harry!) And if you ask me about her, you might get more than you bargained for!

How about you? Did any of you develop any surprising new hobbies this year?