missing Max

In the fog of being really sick 2 weeks ago I forgot to write about our little parrot Max. He is such a sweet, lovable bird........with adults. Max is deathly scared of the kids and it's no wonder, he sees them as screaming lunatic death traps. The kids are now scared of Max because he launches preemptive attacks on them when they get near his cage. With the new baby here and my friends baby going to be here later this year during the day we felt that it would be best for all to find Max a new home- especially in our cramped quarters. Dave and I have both struggled with being a responsible pet owner and keeping him vs. doing what's best for our family by finding him a better home where he would get more attention and less stress.

One of Dave's patients works with animals and wanted to get a bird. His family agreed to meet Max and give it a try. We cleaned out his cage and packed up all his things on Valentine's Day so Dave could take him to work to meet the family. He has been gone for 2 weeks now and I'm pretty sure things are going well for him in his new home. Dave said the family, especially Dad, is enjoying him. I guess he is talking A LOT, something he probably couldn't do here because of all the noise already going on. He already imitates sounds in the house; the phone, the whistle that calls the dog (which confuses the poor canine), and all the songs he knew from our house. I miss him a lot sometimes, but will freely admit that my days and the kids are more calm. I still catch myself walking into the kitchen to get Max to take in the shower with me (he LOVES showers!), and I can't fix a meal without thinking about walking some scraps over to Max's cage (he loved those too!).

Jessie was just getting to the age where Max would have behaved for her and she could have helped taking care of him, yet she seemed to be the most afraid of him. The day before Max left us Jessie made him a little toy. When we told J that he was leaving us to go to a new home she ran into her room crying. She said she didn't want Max to go. They could have been such great friends. That made it even harder for me.

He loved to take showers on Mom or Dad's arm One of his favorite activities during the day was just chilin' on my shoulder while I did things around the house. He loves popcorn, the top of peppers with the seeds, sugar snap peas, carrots, dunking crackers in his water bowl, plowing through an apple to get the seeds, corn on the cob, garbanzo beans & fruit. He would start "dialing" the phone with his voice as soon as we picked up the phone to make a call. He did a perfect imitation of the smoke alarm, Toby's scream ;(, mom's laugh, wolf whistles, and whatever whistles and clicks we could make. Since Toby learned to whistle recently he could often be found standing near Max's cage whistling to each other. He loved head rubs when the house was quiet and would nudge your hand when he wanted more. He adored Grandma Evie and would sing her songs as soon as she walked in the front door that he wouldn't sing for anyone else (she was just as upset about Max leaving as me). here he is with Grammy So here's to Max. I never thought I would get so attached to a silly bird. Towards the end of his stay here he caused me too much stress, but he is such a cuddly, sweet parrot and I will miss him for a long time.


And now I'm crying

over a little bird