It's been a stressful, headache-y, rainy day.

It's been a stressful, headache-y, rainy day. I just discovered Tort Baby asleep in the corner, legs all crazy. That's about to be me, too. I need a nap.

I was going to post this sleepyhead...

I was going to post this sleepyhead this morning when Bear distracted me. Look at this handsome baby!

I gotta trim his beak this weekend. He's gonna love that. 😂

Tort Baby, why?

Tort Baby, why? Why are you climbing the wall? 😂😂😂

He is so unashamed. Look at his face. 😂

Oh my gosh.

Oh my gosh. Tort Baby had to wait until JUST NOW to be fed today because we had to get groceries.

Look at him. Just look. In his hidey area with his head mashed against this rock. I feel like this is a tortoise tantrum. 😂😂😂

As long as you're comfy, dude. 😂😂😂

As long as you're comfy, dude. 😂😂😂

(For the record, he fits all the way under there. It's where he normally sleeps at night.)

Toebean snuggles and Tort Baby passed out after eating. 😂❤️

Toebean snuggles and Tort Baby passed out after eating. 😂❤️

This is Tort Baby's new home.

This is Tort Baby's new home. I think he will really enjoy it here.

So he's not on the bare floor. We used our scrap flooring to make a floor for him, as well as flaps on his hidey areas to hold the humidity/bedding. We rolled the flooring up in the main area of his cage so that no one will bother him and he won't hurt himself trying to get out.

He's got grippy stones so that he can drink his water without getting in, or he can have something to grip to help him get out if he goes in. The stones will also keep him from dumping out his water and it will be good for his nails. He's got his food plate easily accessible to both of us, and I'm hoping he'll do his dooks on the vinyl so it'll be easy to clean up.

Inside his enclosed area is more things to climb, which leads to a box of dirt he can bury himself in. Every time we put him outside in the kennel he buries himself, so I hope he'll make good use of this. When the pool is put in this summer his kennel will be concreted in so he won't be able to to do that anymore.

We've hung his heat lamp. The only thing I have left to do is set up his humidifier. We'll get that done either today or tomorrow.

I love this kid, but tortoises are surprisingly noisy and determined little creatures. When he's hungry or wants out to exercise he scrapes and bumps into things to let us know. I definitely want to meet his needs, but now that my office is downstairs I can't handle the noise when I'm in a meeting or otherwise concentrating. I hope this much larger space will give him plenty to do without us having to carry him in and out so frequently. We used to leave him free-range in the sunroom, but Bear wants to play with him so those days are over (for now).

Thankfully, he seems quite happy so far! ❤️

Bear is checking out Tort Baby's new digs. 😂

Also, that is not poop. Just bedding from the other area that fell out of the flaps.

Fancy dig area that we hope he loves.

I'm feeling extra SPICY today...

I'm feeling extra SPICY today and this is just me blowing off some steam. 😬

I'm cold and uncomfortable and I'm mad about it. The temperature in the house is 70°F and it's sunny out and I'm in a hoodie and socks (with my other clothes, duh) and also under a blanket and I'm still not warming up.

I'm having ANXIETY because there are some things to do around here and they are slow to get done. We're doing the things we have control over (look at my picture - we cleaned the "junk pile" that was in the dining room / other side of my office - so that's nice), but we're waiting on things we just have to wait on. Like the tree trimming that has turned into tree removals 😭😭😭 and the floor situation in the sunroom (we can't put the floor down until it arrives).

I'm sad about the 2 trees were losing, but they're sick and there's no saving them. 😞 The new floor in the sunroom would make cleaning SUPER easy. Right now it's concrete and awful to sweep / vacuum (the litter boxes are out there). We're also waiting for a custom glass panel for our sliding glass door. Right now we have to leave the door open for Bear. The custom one will have a doggie door in it. (Cubba and the cats have been using a doggie door that's placed in a low window with stairs, and Bear can't do stairs.)

The built-in doggie door and the sunroom floor will be super nice to have done because then we can remove the stairs at the window and also have room to move Tort Baby out there, which I am excited to do because I get sensory overload like a bitch when he's scratching next to me and I'm trying to think about / do anything else... Which is a problem because this space is my office now. 😬😂

I am an ENTIRE, WHOLE mess right now because all of these things are nagging at me and on top of it all (or more like, beneath it, probably - and one of the major reasons I'm dealing with things so poorly) is the fact that I've been super terrible with my diet and exercise for a while now so my psoriasis is coming back and my skin feels TERRIBLE. I can only blame myself for that part, but the worse I feel the less good I take care of myself, so it's a bad negative spiral that I need to break ASAP.

Fun times. 😂

Stress sucks.

I think with all of the house changes, losing Oreo, starting a new project at work, the things wrong with Bear, keeping our old cats in good health, etc.... It's been kind of a lot the last few months. No wonder my self-care has been slipping. I need to chill down and focus.

At least having my junk pile cleaned up will help that. It's a good start.

Since Tort Baby has woken up...

Since Tort Baby has woken up he's been SUPER walky, so we've been putting him outside in the kennel to get some sunshine and exercise. By the time I've gotten off work, Tort Baby has played "Hide & Sleep" and it's our turn to find him. Bear and Cub decided to help us today, and Bear was spot on! It's kind of a boring video, but I was pretty shocked at how deep Tort Baby had buried himself.

Snugs. ❤️

Snugs. ❤️

Aww, look who's awake!

Aww, look who's awake! I've missed my Tort Baby these last few months! ❤️❤️❤️

Just look at this sexy boy...

Just look at this sexy boy all splayed out. He kills me. 😍❤️😂

My favorite thing right now...

My favorite thing right now might be taking this kid out in the morning for fresh air and sunshine, and playing "hide-and-sleep" with him in the evenings. He looks so comfy. Check out those splayed legs! 😂😂😂 I hate to disturb him, but I can't bear to leave him out all night. He's gotta come in where it's safe.

I don't even care if I sound crazy

I don't even care if I sound crazy, but I'm pretty sure Tort Baby either knows his name or knows my voice. I haven't figured out which it is yet, but he definitely responds when he hears me talking or say his name.

He likes his play / hide area! Yay!

He likes his play / hide area! Yay!

I've got some seeds I need to plant so he can graze out there. I suppose I need to get on that!

Someone is spoiled. 😂

Someone is spoiled. 😂

Shaun fixed up the dog kennel so we could let Tort Baby have exercise time outdoors without us having to keep eyeballs directly on him. We found out the other day that he disappears quickly in our bushes and can fit under the backyard gate. 😬 Now he's unable to escape, has plenty of room to exercise, sun or shade - whatever he wants, and Shaun even built him a little "playground" from blocks. He seems to like it so far.

Also, I let him sleep loose in the sunroom last night. It's warm enough that he doesn't need his heat lamp constantly. I love that he's able to be so free right now. If we get the sunroom finished I would love to let that be his room while it's warm enough and only put him in his apartment for brumation.

Anyway, he's a spoiled tort - as one should be. 😊😍

I know it's not easy to see our little Tort...

I know it's not easy to see our little Tort because I'm sitting far away in the shade, but Cubba ran over to check on him. Why is our little family so precious? 😭😍 The most drama in our house is among the cats. 😂😂😂 I can't recall us having an interspecies conflict aside from when Rose was here and nearing the height of her mental issues. For the most part our animal children have always been able to get along.

A certain little sexy boy is having a picnic today.

A certain little sexy boy is having a picnic today. He's also wearing that beak and his nails back down to an acceptable level. But he's having fun. 😊

After hibernating for the last few weeks...

After hibernating for the last few weeks and focusing on nothing but my nail polish database I finally left the house today and had a nice time. I guess I've gone on short walks near home a few times, but by and large I've been on my butt in front of the computer for most of that time.

Anyway, Shaun and I packed up Cub and went to the park. They had a lap around the walking trail while I skated for a bit; it was a lot of fun and I didn't fall (I also didn't try anything tricky or new), but I can tell that I am out of practice. I have gotta start making it a priority again now that the weather is beautiful.

After their lap, Cub and Shaun came to me at the skating area and I put my shoes back on and we all walked to the dog park area. Cubba went in and got his sniffs. A very excited pup ran between my legs. Cubba peed and then kicked for a comically long time. Like, ridiculously long. All eyes were on him before he was finished. 😂😂😂 Not long after that he was at the gate - ready to go. Dog business accomplished, I guess. 😂

Before we left I let my little Tort Baby out and he seemed to really enjoy exploring. He walked for probably 2 hours. I trimmed his beak some because it was getting long. He needs a bath and a little more grooming, but I'll get photos of his little sexy self soon. I've missed him so much and I'm happy he awake now.

Anyway, it's been a pretty good day and it was nice to move my body instead of sitting like a lump. I need to learn to be better at life balance. 😂😂😂 Well, I'm off for now. I hope you all are doing well! ❤️

Tort Baby is awake again!

Tort Baby is awake again! He ate some salad and a blueberry. My heart and whole everything is happy. I've MISSED him! ❤️