Gilbert is home

[Ray P]

We all knew she could do it. It was just a matter of time.

We all share in your joy.

[Greywings]

What a great moment, she has fine tuned her timing for this momentous event event, go Gil girl!!

[katana600]

As I was considering if it was a fluke or wishful thinking, when I was out in the kitchen making dinner, I heard the same sound and Gilbert flew again. This time she went over the ottoman and landed on the rug so I am thinking there is something to this. She used to have several curved or "fluted" wing feathers and I have been noticing how much more smooth they have been looking. It could be that it has taken this long for her dietary changes to make a difference. She still has gaps of missing feathers but she is obviously gaining a little momentum. She doesn't have lift, but she is sustaining longer air time. For all of her poker face indifference to me, I am making believe she was actually trying to come be with me. LOL. I took her to the kitchen and put her on a perch on the counter but she was still too nervous to stay. I will have to stay out of sight next time and see where she is trying to go.

[Inara]

Fantastico! Love hearing that Miss GG is initiating flying! One can't help but feel that this will help her feel more secure in the long run, knowing that she can escape situations on her terms, and can seek out comfort and security by searching for you when you are out of range. Terribly exciting!! So love, love, loved the photo of your beautiful girl. She is just so very sweet and such a brave girl. I so enjoy tuning into this thread to catch up, and am patiently awaiting the book (C'mon, do it for us.)

[danmcq]

Sounds like a wonderful shower and oatmeal day you two shared. I'll bet you were beaming.

[katana600]

Things just keep getting better and better, beaming is a mild word for my joy today. Miss Gilbert was confined to her cage today while I was away from the house. Its highly unusual for me to be gone for the full day. She has been working on a six inch long cylinder (4 inch diameter) of hard cardboard like a birdie bagel but much bigger. I put it inside her cage and she chewed over half of it. When I got home, I went to move it to her playtop where she spends time out of her cage while I am home. It startled her when I moved it and she launched off her cage. She beat her wings and headed for the front door but instead of dropping as she usually would do, she banked, turned and for the very first time ever she achieved lift! She flew upward, over the dining room table, to the far side of the dining room where she landed poised and beautifully on a dining room chair. Miss Gilbert really can fly! She stood up tall and proud and hooted. She eagerly stepped up onto my hand and when I came close to her cage, she flew again. She was too tired to get any lift but landed on the living room carpet this time. I saw her from beginning to end and it is more than wishful thinking, she really is capable of flight. This is a game changer and I know her confidence is going to build at an exponential rate. It is going to be a new challenge for me to keep up with her now. Oatmeal to Gil girl is like spinach to Popeye, the magic potion for strength and courage. My fondest dream for her is coming to fruition.

[birdhouse]

Awesome!!!! She's finally got the feathers, strength & courage to soar!

..& now the real fun begins!!! :eek: lol

[katana600]

With missing feathers, a broken wing, at least two vets saying was missing too many follicles and would never fly, I dreamed, I hoped but never let myself really do much more than that. Now that she flew once, I want to go get her and toss her into the air to see it again. I am holding back to let her approach this in her own way. She is definitely learning and seeing her own potential. My mind goes from being wildly excited and happy for her to wondering how to put French doors on the dining room to keep her out of there. She has already taken big chunks out of my furniture. I got her some of the Liberte coconut yogurt and she turned up her beak, stuck out her tongue and tried to wipe it off. I ate it and thought it was wonderful though. LOL. There is no guesswork today, I saw her rise three feet and sustain flight. I believe we are about to meet the real Miss Gilbert, fears and limitations cast off and a new horizon rising.

[birdhouse]

Too bad Miss G doesn't like the yogurt. Glad you did, though. Me, too. I'm about as addicted at the moment as the fids.

 

About Miss G raising havoc in the dining room... If it helps, I use a sheer curtain for keeping the fids out of the kitchen while I'm cooking cuz I've always been a little paranoid about that. I've got it on a push rod for shower curtains so I can take it down at will. But usually I just leave the curtain off to the side when it's not needed & I hardly realize it's there.

 

I've got an open floor plan. Whenever I need a particular room "secured" for whatever reason, I just rig up a sheer & the birds are conditioned not to bother heading in that direction. So if you aren't really attached to the vision of those lovely french doors, maybe the curtain trick could work for you, too.

[Greywings]

I just knew she would achieve flight it was destined.

[katana600]

The sight of her leveling off instead of diving to the floor was exciting enough. When she banked, I was still not aware that it was through conscious effort, but when she lifted to go over the dining room table and sustained height even for a few seconds, I have so much more hope for her to really fly all over the house. I was awake several times in the night just thinking about it and happy for her to be taking this next step. It has been at least six years since she has had her gift of flight. When I got her from Sarah, she said the previous caretaker said she could not fly. I knew I was hoping against logic and reality, but I couldn't stop thinking "maybe". If I start thinking French doors, all I need to do is look at one window pane that was remodeled when I temporarily moved a cage too close while I was cleaning to realize that is going to keep me on my feet just the same. The sheer curtains are a great idea but since I have bolts of sheer fabric, I may try just to drape the three main pieces in the dining room and see if that is a deterent. As for the yogurt, I won't say for sure she doesn't like it, just that when she was expecting warm oatmeal, cold yogurt was rejected with attitude. Besides, I like it so well she may have to fight me for it. I still feel overcome with emotion that I saw Miss Gilbert fly, real flight. I think all of you believed and sent those happy thoughts to lift her tattered wings. She is going to do this!

[Timbersmom]

That is fantastic news! Timber flew a very short distance the other day, but he did go up rather than gliding down. So exciting

[Inara]

What wonderful news that you actually got to see her with your own eyes do such intentional flying!! It will be so exciting to hear all about how Miss GG continues to hone her skills and distances as her flight muscles and brain to wing signals continue to strengthen. Indeed, her confidence will continue to soar literally and figuratively. What a treat!! (ps, no !!!s were harmed in this post -- can you tell how excited I am for you both??!!)

[katana600]

Hooray for Timber, he and Miss Gilbert are kindred spirits. When they regain their flight ability and confidence I believe we will have a whole new world of interaction with them. It's interesting to me that each of them call us by the names they have chosen, LuLu and Jamie. To Inara, it is so exciting I want to use all caps and lots of !!! too! Along with our excitement, GilGirl is tamping down her enthusiasm with a couple of days of quiet. Stepping up to me from her cage is relatively new. When she is out on the door, I step between the opening and her position and she holds her foot right out for stepping up. But... now when she sees me move anywhere in the house, she makes a quick dive to hurry into her cage. That is my sign of too much, too soon. I will give her a few days to relax, find some motivation that helps her move forward and respect her ability to decide when she is ready. Her trust is so fragile and her frustration is so near the surface that I watch and wait for opportunity. I push a little, wait a little and remember always that it was only a short year ago that she started tentatively "playing" with paper tape and coming from being totally shut down to maybe, just maybe taking a risk and stepping forward just a little. She now destroys lightweight toys bigger than her body in one day. I keep holding back my enthusiasm for wanting to start flight training to keep her just wanting a little more without retreating and hiding from me. Her sure fire method of getting that point across from me is not in the avoidance, but in the amount of cussing she does when she has her little beak out of joint just a little. I would so rather let that trait fade into her distant past.

[Timbersmom]

Yes, they are kindred spirits. Both have came a long way, and I like to sit and remember back to the early days. That's when I can really see how far they have came. So rewarding!

[katana600]

What an amazing turn of events. Yesterday when I was in the basement, we had contractors removing some trees in the back lot. David was upstairs and when the chainsaw fired up, we heard the flutter of wings. Well, not just the flutter of wings, the growling grumbling and screeching of a pterodactyl as well. I came up the stairs to find Miss Gilbert in the farthest point from her cage, hanging on the living room window. She was clinging to a small pane divider and she was screeching up a storm. I offered her my arm to help her get down and she was too distracted by the view out the window where all the men were below and a tree was being felled. She did manage to get her bearings and was happy to go back to her cage while I distracted and calmed her with a little oatmeal treat. She went at least thirty feet. This morning, there is no doubt about her flight becoming intentional. As I sat here reading the forum, she launched off her cage and came right toward me. She was definitely flying and not simply maintaining a descent. As she got to me she was still above my head. I put out my arm thinking she was coming to me. Silly me, the little pip banked, turned and landed on the small wire dog crate behind my chair. There is no doubt at all what I have seen with my own eyes. She is flying. When I type that simple sentence, my eyes well up with tears of gratitude. Miss Gilbert is fighting for all she is worth to regain her gift of flight and this little girl is winning.

[Inara]

YAY for Miss GiGi !! A glimpse into that "ragin' Cajun." What a fantastic alarm system she is. Intuitively, I do believe that she was intentionally flying to you in the later situation. I'm wondering where she would have chosen to land had you not raised your arm, but maybe stayed perfectly still. Perhaps she would have landed on your head or near you on the chair. Inara, in her own still early intentional flying prefers to land on the arm of the chair that I'm sitting in with my laptop, and once misjudged her speed and landed upon my laptop making us both laugh after she let out a "wheww!"

 

I can't help but join you in your excitement since HRH's flight is still fairly new at our home also. The unmistakable sound of fluttering (that was not precipitated by some startling noise) is just thrilling, isn't it? It also, as you are already aware, gives our companions so much more control over their own lives. The other day, while showering Inara, she decided she had had enough and flitted from my arm onto a shelf, said "OK," then politely stepped up to go home. In the past, she would have simply started scooting up my arm toward my shoulder when she had had enough.

 

Miss GilGirl is so very fortunate to have companions who seek to understand her ways and who read her so well. Often after the death of another Beloved like your Juno, it is hard not to compare or to feel wistful when thinking back to how much easier things were with them. Many people are unable to move past that point and eventually give up on their newer more difficult companion, or harbor little roads to resentment within their hearts. Your open heart(s) and deep love for Miss GiGi just come shining through every single post, even on difficult days. You have a natural ability to understand and to implement that fine balance between challenging her to move forward to overcome her trepidation and backing off a bit to allow her to maintain a good level of comfort and stability. By doing this, you've kept her from stagnating or completely retreating, while assisting her in regaining her confidence. No small task, and one that takes a lot of finesse and unflagging dedication, love, and patience. You're such a fine example of what rescue/rehoming is all about.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Inara

[katana600]

Bless you for your kindness and understanding. There is no doubt this time that her flight was initiated by desire and while David and I were in chairs an equal distance from her, she was coming toward me. When I put my arm forward, it was more to catch her as she was flying and it did put her her into overdrive and she "did it herself" like any willful two year old. LOL. You are also right about my feelings for Juno. He was our first, our baby, the awaited one. The One. It is not fair to compare him to his brother Kopi who suffered with the same illness and never had the gift of flight. It is not fair to expect Miss Gilbert to elicit the same feelings as Juno did. It was a totally different life. Of course, I would like to have that experience with a baby and I will get that again if I am blessed with grandchildren. I have a different expectation and joy with Miss Gilbert. No less, just different and much harder to earn. There is a little voice inside that says once Miss Gilbert is "okay" we could think about another. That again would not be fair. I am keeping Juno and his wonder all to him and Kopi's is different too. I have to look to the future and I know my girls are capable and willing to take on Miss Gilbert in the event I am no longer able, but to ask them to take a baby that was so much more attached to me for their lifetime is not realistic. To really contemplate it, Miss Gilbert has been so much of a challenge, it is much more rewarding to see her blossom, learn to trust again and to flourish. Flight is the bonus. It took me five months to sort out my grief and loss to really decide if I could love Miss Gilbert and accept her until the end of our days regardless of what I found when I drove down to meet her. The decision was made for me when I knew her caretaker wasn't giving up on her, she was placing her trust that Gilbert would have that elusive forever home as she tended her family during a terminal illness. It is only through the sage advice of other grey loving forum family that bolstered my own beliefs that if I build her trust and don't lose hope, she will come to me, ever so slowly in her own grey time. An analogy that has stuck in my brain is that leading her to find her potential is like working with a wet string. I can push that string but it will be messy and difficult, or I can gently draw that string out and it will follow with much less energy and frustration. Of course that string isn't going to bite me when I turn the "wrong" way and displease it. LOL.

[katana600]

Predictably, Miss G-bird has had a few reclusive days to sort out her adventures and write her memoir. She has reached another milestone in her life makeover. Thursday evening she swung down to the seed catcher to get closer to David. When he wasn't properly attentive and grateful for her offer, she started a siren shriek. I gave him a little shake of the head, don't look at her, don't acknowlege this. He couldn't help it. He told her to stop it. She raised the volume and frequency. I sent him a text, just get up, go in the bedroom, close the door and remove yourself from her sight. He thought he would wait her out. She went on for thirty minutes. When she finally quit, we got up and went to bed with nary a night night or almond treat. When we were behind closed doors, I told him it was a really exciting change of events. She feels safe enough to be a totally annoying snot. Hahahahaha... Just like her messes, this is a sign that we are evolving into a normal happy bird family. Last night she broke the mood by asking for a scratch at bedtime. She was closing her eyes and so totally relaxed that I was just about to fall asleep standing up just looking at her sweet little face. This morning, I walked up and asked for a step up and she didn't even hesitate to raise her foot and come with me.

[Ray P]

The reason for her being a snot is, She knows she can get away with it.

She has your number.

[katana600]

I know that Ray, I am an easy mark. LOL. Plus, her loud noise doesn't affect me much, I raised kids. Hubby is home less often and it did rattle his cage a little. Lucky for us, like with our kids, it was a passing fancy. Last night we both were witness to another intentional flight. She was down low on her seed catching tray this time and was able to rise at least six feet into the air and flew completely across the living room again. The effort she needs to put into it is extraordinary and her control is getting a little better. Afterward, I talked to her and kept her away from her cage as long as I could until she started fluttering and looking for an escape. Not long after that, I came back into the room to discover a feather layer as she chewed a quarter sized spot on her chest. Compared to shredding of feathers in the past, this was minor and she didn't show any real signs of frustrations. She is talkative, active and full of herself today. Its so nice to start peeling away those layers and polishing our little diamond in the rough. Oh yes, and she took my side in a debate today! We were debating the design of our lawnmower, of all things. I thought there should be a switch to turn off the blades while leaving the "self-propelled" part in gear to move from one hilly area to another without cutting a path. Hubby was disdainful that he thought I wasn't hearing him declare it is not possible. He spoke a little louder to emphasize his point. Gil piped up "that's sh*&" and we all decided it was a silly thing to discuss in the first place, it is what it is. Just like the occasional feather destruction, her timing and use of a cuss word occasionally will probably be part of her coping techniques. It sure shut down the debate.

[Ray P]

She is now making the effort to match your effort in being a member of a family flock.

Her world has opened up to new adventures that she now can take new interest in and see life as a great thing to be apart of.

As your relationship and bond accelerate you both will have a new understanding about your life together as a team.

This is what you worked for and two lives are benefiting for it and I am so happy for the both of you.

[Greywings]

She is integrating herself into daily family interactions-Great big Progress.

[katana600]

To take a line from Dr. Seuss, Oh, the places she'll go! This morning, she launched from the seed catcher level and flew to the most distant corner of the living room. She shook off a rough landing and flew back on the same path to her cage. She was only off the floor by six inches or so, but maintained flight the whole way. We are letting her ride that fine line between new excitement and old habit as every time she flies, she get nervous and chews feathers. I say it's a fair trade off since she is making progress and her demeanor is not as a reclusive neurotic, but more just a little talon wringing on the path to indepencdence. There is a little anxious twinge for me when I see snowy forecasts beneath the chairs on the living room and throughout the house. But really in the scheme of things it's her way and I would rather see a few bald spots and the confidence in her eyes after a flight if this is a necessary trade off. She is taking monumental "risks" and I am beyond thrilled to watch this new girl recreating herself. Go Gil Girl!

[Greywings]

Perhaps it would be better to think of it as celebratory confetti!