The Death Of The Ducky

It's offical. My kid is growing up.

I went to put her in my favorite outfit of hers, a yellow bodysuit with a ducky on the butt, and it's too small.

:-(

I was so sad. I wanted to stuff her into it for one last hurrah while we were out at breakfast with my in-laws, but she can't even straighten out her legs. Then she spit up on it. Point taken.

R.I.P Ducky 

The past two days or so we've really started to get into a good rythem with this whole 'being dad-less' thing. It's making the nighttime easier, and I'm getting more sleep, which means less mood swings, frantic text messages to my husband, and the cat hardly gets shut in the fridge anymore.

In my defense, he's the one that crawls in there. It's not like I put him in there on purpose. Sheesh.

I get up around 630-7, but the dog out, feed the animals, get the coffee started and get some small chores done. Usually the litter box, sweeping, and sometimes the dishes.

By 730, Shannon is up and I change her diaper and she nurses while I drink my coffee, enjoy a Clif Bar, and watch an episode or two of HIMYM.

She's awake and we do tummy time and play on her play mat until about 9, then she goes in her swing and sleeps in there from 9 until about 11. I use that to have some quiet time for myself. I get caught up on laundry, try to get a blog banged out, shower, do other small chores.

She's up from 11 until between 1-130. She eats again, has more playtime and if I have any errand running to do, I usually try to set out at about that time. She'll fall back asleep until about 3 (sometimes) and that makes it a good time to go grocery shopping or anything else I have to do out of the house.

She's up and at 'em from 3 until about 9. Usually we squeeze in a walk and my uh-mazing Mom will come up. We have a bath at 8, more playtime, then I nurse her and try to put her down by 9. I talk to Mike while I wait for her to fall asleep. The whole house is usually asleep by 10.

We're up again at 11, 1, 3, and 5. Ish. Some nights she skips the 3 am feeding, which is much appreciated.

Rinse. Repeat.

Dixie has continued to prove that she was a great choice when we were looking to add another member to our family (if only having more kids were as easy and enjoyable as adopting a puppy) except for one thing. She's annoying as all get out when she wants attention. If you start petting her, you'll be sorry when you stop because she nips at your fingers, paws at your arm, and crawls upsidedown into your lap with her legs flailing. I know a lot of it has to do with being a puppy, and I'm trying to work through it by pushing her off with a firm 'no', but she's a pretty stubborn thing.

All the research I've been doing about her breed mixture (Jack Russell, Corgi, and I think a bit of Border Collie...it's those eyes) says that they are stubborn, bossy, and smart. She is all those things, no questions. I put an e-mail into the trainer that Elmore gave me to use as a resource, and her solution was to say 'no' and then offer a toy. It's not really working out so well. She could care less about the toy. She wants to be petted, and she wants to be petted NOW thank you very much! I'm staying as consistent as possible with my repremanning, but her favorite time to do it is when I'm nursing the wee one. Jealousy much?

Anybody have any ideas?

I also got some much needed barn time yesterday. I really do love cleaning stalls, and my boss makes for great company. Our stall cleaning conversations usually have me cracking up, and it's nice not to have to worry about the dishes or laundry or a dirty diaper. I didn't have time to hang around and play with Willow, but there is something really nice about leaving a clean barn full of happy horses.

It's getting to be about that time of year where a group of them goes to live outside 24-7. That really is the best place for them to be, and as long as they have a shed to get out of the weather, I'd love for Willow to be living outside as much as possible! The Omega-3 in the grass is so amazingly good for them, and I've noticed in the past that the guys living outside are usually more personable, have coats that shine up easier, and are just happy horses all the time. I'm a huge advocate of turning the foals out after their weaned and letting them live outside in a herd as long as possible. Nothing is better for babies then fresh air, sunshine, good equine role models, and lots of grass. It's how nature intended them to grow up, and we always get compliments on how our babies look. They grow up great!

I'm really getting excited for summer... and have even started working on memorizing Training Level Tests 1 & 2. Our first outing will be Intro A & B to get our feet wet and make sure Miss Pilly-Pants doesn't kill me, but I really want to qualify for Regionals, and you have to be showing at least Training. We'll see if we get there, but that's my equine goal for the summer. Hopefully our first show will be early June. CDSS puts on great schooling shows, that have inexpensive class fees, are usually just a day, and are great to get your horse going! I love them! Hopefully if the June show goes well, we'll be able to go to Vermont Dressage Days, where you can qualify got Regionals over the weekend. I'm showing open (!!) this year, which is pretty exciting. I missed show season last year, and that made me pretty sad. Having a baby gives me an excuse to buy a pretty new dressage coat though... since my old one won't strech over these awesome new boobs my excess baby weight shrank in the wash. ;-)

We're off to meet the in-laws for breakfast, then do some shopping with my Mom.

I'll keep the credit card in check, love.

Umm... yea. That's my awesome kid. <3

This is seriously the story of my life. I love it!



Road Rules

Now that it's offically almost kinda summer, I've been seeing a ton of people out of hibernation. They're walking, running, biking, or walking their dogs/husbands/children. I think it's great that everybody is so excited to get in shape for the warm weather, but it'd be even more great to do it safely!

I was walking the dog last night, and passed a few people that got my wheels turning about writing a post about getting in shape outside in a safe way.

I try to get to the local sports center as often as I can. They have a nice paved bike path, a track, and a bunch of sports fields, it's all fenced in and really safe. With a 2 month old though, sometimes it just doesn't happen. My life works around her schedule, and if we're having a fussy day I sometimes end up walking the dog by myself while my amazing Mom comes up for some quality Nana time. We live in a pretty rural community, so sidewalks are few and far between. I came up with a list of the things that I do to keep everybody safe on our daily walks. It seems like common sense to a lot of people, but I see a ton of people around here playing with fire.

• I expect Dixie to behave when she's on the leash. I'm more strict with her when I'm pushing the stroller. She's expected to walk quietly at my left heel, and we don't stop to sniff every single piece of grass. If we have to stop to cross the road, or for any other reason, I tell her to 'sit' and 'wait'. She doesn't move until I say 'ok'. We do our potty buisness before and afterwards. Nothing makes the neighbors more angry than a dump and run. I stay consistent with the rules, and she picked it up really quickly. We went on a few family walks with my husband pushing the stroller so I could focus on working with her. She also has a good 'recall' and I wouldn't take her with us if I didn't know that she would come right back to me if I were to drop the leash. Bringing your dog with you is a great way to get them the daily exercise that they need, but if they can't behave in a way that makes them managable don't risk it. You don't want to chance them getting hit by a car, or even worse, pulling you and the stroller into traffic or a ditch. I recommend this harness. We use it with Dixie, and it's worked wonderfully. Just make sure that you adjust it properly.

• On the days that are too hectic to bring the baby to the sports center, my Mom ends up coming up to watch the baby so I can get the dog out, and it's usually around dusk. It's a beautiful time of the day to walk. There have been a ton of people disappearing lately, so I forgo my normally hilly route, for a more populated area. There are houses on either side of the road, and no long stretches of nothingness, unlike on my usual route. I'm about 5'2 and I weigh 120 lbs. I'm not exactly a ninja master, so any type of fight would be pathetic. (My husband and I used to wrestle all the time, and he was a GREAT teacher when it came to teaching me to wiggle out of any restraint, but when I got pregnant we stopped.) It makes me a pretty easy target. Staying in a populated, well traveled area is the safest option for me. I have had a handful of people stop to try to talk to me while I'm walking with the dog. I just ignore them and keep walking. 9 times out of 10 they drive off, but if they do stick around I make sure to stay aware of the type of car they are driving, liscence plate number, and the person themselves. I wouldn't hesitate to call the police if I really felt that there was a threat, and I always carry my phone with me. No exceptions. Ever. With the press of two buttons, my husband is on the line and I trust him to make the proper decision in any type of emergency situation, even if he's 1,000 miles away. Listen to your gut, and don't fall for any smooth talk.

• We have a great wildlife population in the area. It's fun to watch the deer in the fields, or see all the different types of birds and cute little chipmunks. I've also seen a bear. I carry pepper spray with me on every walk for that reason. (I talked to one woman who carries a small handgun, but I don't feel comfortable with that. If anything were to happen with another person, it could be easily wrestled away, and used on me or my daughter. I've been sprayed with pepper spray twice and it really sucks. Like really, REALLY sucks, but I'm confident that I'd be able to work through it.) If you were to see a bear, or other dangerous animal while you're out walking don't chase it. Most of the time they are more afraid of you then you think. Jump up and down, scream, make obnoxious nosises. They'll probably run. Call your local police station or game warden, report the sighting, and make your way straight home.

• The cars on these roads usually travel at a pretty high rate of speed. We don't have a local police station, and while the State Troopers are great about having a presence in the area, speed limits are usually just a suggestion. I walk into oncoming traffic and stay as far on the shoulder as possible. It's easier when I'm walking with just Dixie as Shannon is still too small for our jogging stroller so I have to load her in the 'mall stroller'. I also wear highly visible clothing. Bright colors are your friend. When I walk Dixie closer to dusk, I usually steal one of husband's reflective belt things and Dixie's leash is also reflective. I see SO many people with just the reflectors on their shoes, or bike spokes, beboppin' around at night. It's not enough people! I'm sure I look like a fool wearing that giant yellow(ish) belt like a prom queen sash, but I think I'd look even worse with my face caved in. Maybe I should get a light up tiara to top off the outfit. I also have reflective tape that I put on Shannon's stroller. She doesn't come with us on our dusk walks, but better safe than sorry. Unfortunatly accidents still happen but take all the precautions that you can to be visible. If you're driving and see somebody on the road, slow the **** down! Taking the time to slow 10-15 mph down is so much eaiser than the guilt of hitting somebody.

•  I love to listen to music when I work out. In fact I can't exercise without it. I blast it in the gym, and at home (when the baby isn't sleeping), but I don't blast it when I'm on the road. I can't hear cars coming up behind me, other people walking or biking, animals, or if the baby starts crying. I'm not a hard core runner. I walk/jog to get cardio into my workout routine in a way that I can include the dog, and get the pumpkin out in the fresh air. When M is home, its a great way to spend time as a family. I don't need to have music blasting as a way to motivate myself to pump out that last mile, like I do when I need motivation to bust out those last 10 Russin Twists. Keep the music at a reasonable level, or keep one earbud out. I also don't text or make phone calls while I'm walking. I will stop (when it's safe) to take a picture or two, but I'm always aware of cars and I take my earbuds out.

•  I don't talk to people that I don't know on the road. I have a wicked cute dog, and an even cuter baby so more often than not people want to peek into the stroller, or give the dog a scratch. I don't stop. I'll flash a quick smile, or wave, but I keep the same pace. It makes me feel like I'm making less of a target of myself. That and it gets really annoying when people are constantly sticking their face in my kid's face. I don't know if you're sick or not.

I know that this was a pretty long winded post, so if you've made it to this point... go you! I feel really strongly (now that I'm a Mom) that precautions should be made when you're exercising on a road. I want to set a good example for my daughter, and I want to be around for her! It's a wonderful way to get out, but I beg you to be safe!!

Stop Humping My Throw Pillows!!

I just had to yell that at the dog about 18 times and I was at a loss for a title for this thing.

I have the worst time coming up with headers for these posts, it's often the last thing that I do before hitting the publish button. I probably should make proofreading the last thing that I do, but alas.

Last night was brutal. Shannon was wide awake and ready to party from 9 until about 3 in the morning. We bounced, we rocked, we nursed, we swang, we went for a drive, we tried EVERYTHING. The kid just refused to sleep. I was so frustrated, over-tired, and sick of the whole mess that when the dog cried to go out this morning, I just booted her out of the room. I didn't even care if she peed on the floor. I was that tired.

Shannon was beat this morning too, and slept for a while in her swing. I love that thing. Maybe a little bit too much. I probably should have cleaned my house or done some other productive thing, but I just made a cup of coffee and reveled in the peace and quiet.

It was such a beautiful day outside, that I thought it would be nice to enjoy my coffee from the front porch, so that the dog could do her thing in the yard, and I could still hear the baby cry. It was a nice thought. I got all cozy on the steps when the wind picked up and the front door slammed shut behind me. I jumped up to open it again, and discovered that it was locked.

Holy shit.

If you lock the handle, it stays locked until you turn the little knobby job from the inside. We normally never lock it, for that exact reason, but since M has been gone I've wanted to be extra careful at night, so I lock both the deadbolt and the handle.

I figured that it would be no worries, and I could just crawl in through the kitchen window. I bent the screen almost in half trying to get it out of the window, but I did so only to discover that the kitchen window was locked too. I cursed myself for being so careful at night. M is constantly telling me to lock the windows, lock the doors, etc... and I never do. Except for last night.

I circled the house but all the other windows were up too high for me to reach. I started to panic then. I had no phone, no keys, and not even my shoes!

I finally swallowed my pride and knocked on the neighbors door. Luckily she was still awake, and when I explained what had happened she was more than willing to let me use her phone. My only issue, I had nobody to call. My husband and his keys were about 1,000 miles away. I told her that I was going to have to call 911, which I didn't want to do since then CPS has to get involved.

Just what I needed. Stupid wind.

She then asked me if my slider door was open to my back porch. Turns out they have a porch that's just like ours.

I ninja-ed (that's not a word I know) my way from their porch to ours. It was totally mission impossible. If I hadn't have been so freaked out about having locked myself out of the house, sans child, I would have been wicked impressed with my mad skills.

I managed to get in, safe and sound. Shannon slept through the whole thing. All was well in the world again.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. My horse got her feet done, and was a brat for my boss and the farrier. She's was feeling what little bit of Thoroughbred heritage she had. After I dropped the munchkin off to my mom, I went back and got to watch Skippy's owner ride him.

I've been at B's for over 3 years now, and I've yet to see her right. It was a delightful sight. Skippy is so enamoured with his Mommy. It was nice to see him take such good care of her, and to also watch the progress he's made from the ground. He looks wonderful. :-)

Willow was up next, and she was her usual hot headed self. She's 17h of hugeness when she's in one of her moods. It's a little intimidating to say the least, but I'm getting much more comfortable around her. She got spun around on the lunge line, and we trotted the stupid right out of her. I love lunge lines. I'll tell you what though, when that beast gets a topline...watch out world.

I ended the day with the baby at my Mom's (I got there right as she had fallen asleep) and I got to come home to catch up on my laundry, dishes, and get my house picked up a little bit. I feel like M would be extremly disappointed if he'd walked in this afternoon. The place looked a little bit like it exploded.

I'm off to try and get some sleep, but from the sounds of the fussing going on in the crib upstairs, it might not happen right away. Here's hoping!!



2 Months!

2 posts in one day!

Whoa.

Shannon is two months old today!!

I really can't belive how quickly time is going. You never believe it when people tell you that your kid is going to grow up so fast, but it's really true. You never really understand it until you have one of your own. Trust me.

She's getting more and more alert, sleeping longer stretches, and really starting to develop a personality. It's amazing.

She's getting bigger too, she's outgrown ALL her preemie clothes, and some of her newborns are even getting a little tight. We have our two month check up next week Friday, and I'm excited too see how much she weighs.

We are LOVING our gDiapers, although I discovered that I didn't need to buy 8 covers. I went a little bit crazy because they are just so darn cute. When she grows out of these I'm only going to buy a couple of the next size up. They stay SUPER clean, and I love that they keep her butt from getting all red. I'd use them again in a heartbeat, and when we go the next size up I'm planning on getting the cloth inserts for nighttime.

Speaking of night time, her sleep schedule is still fairly erratic, and we had a pretty sleepless (I don't want to call them bad) night the night before M left for training, but she'll sleep for 3-4 hour stretches. She sleeps in her cradle next to our bed, but if she's really fussy I have no problem cuddling her in our bed until she falls into a deep sleep. I think that she just needs the closeness, I'm happy to provide, moreso now that big Daddy is gone.

Breastfeeding is going really well. I'm a pro at wipping it out just about anywheres, and we just nurse away. M is still a little on edge about me nursing her in public. He doesn't want to make a scene and then have to jump in to resuce me. Breastfeeding in public is entierly legal, and I do cover up for my own modesty. I found that it's easier to use just a regular blanket than those stupid nursing covers. It attracts more attention when you're swearing at the thing because it's choking you so hard you think your eyeballs are going to explode out of your head and hit the bald guy at the next table over. I wear tank tops under everything so nobody can see my 'excess', and off we go. Easy peasy!

We spent her 2 month birthday running around. I had a doctor's appointment and we went and hung out at the barn for a while, since it was such a beautiful day.

Willow is getting ridden for the first time tomorrow. I'm wicked excited! I exchanged her bridle for the next size up, and she got a new bit. We're going to try her in a 5 1/2" 3 piece (french link) loose ring and see how that goes.

My Mom was awesome enough to come up for a little bit so that I could get the dog out for a walk. It's been looking like it was going to rain all day, and the air feels really heavy and wet. I didn't want to get caught in a storm with the baby, so my Mom had some 1-1 time, and the dog and I went for a interval run. 2 miles of alternating sprinting and walking tires Dixie out very quickly. Her legs are only about 6 inches long. She needs the exercise though, she's MUCH better behaved that way.

On our walk I learned a new skill that may or may not come in handy some day.

Leaping 10 feet in the air mid-stride while shrieking, compliments of this thing...

I hate, hate, hate snakes. Dixie and I were just running along, I wasn't paying attention, then all the sudden... this thing. I screamed and lept into the air. Like really lept. Over the dog, into a ditch. My husband would say 'you got ups.'

Cereal ups husband. Cereal.

If you don't read this honey... I just said cereal (twice!) and anybody who reads this thinks that I'm freakin' nuts...but you understand it. :-) Love you!

We also passed the 'haunted house'.

I never see anybody there, it always looks the same, and I swear that it's the perfect setting for a horror novel. I say that to M everytime we pass it on one of our walks. It gives me shivers.

Now I'm off to recuse my kid from the horror that she's convinced is her swing, and were going to snuggle on the couch and watch some How I Met Your Mother on Netflix. This show is totally getting me through this month. I'm sucked in. It's bad.

It seriously don't get much cuter... :-)

Yea... he's mine. I'm one lucky Momma!!

We made a video for Daddy this morning too.

Your girls love you and miss you lots honey!

xoxo

 

Damn You Murphy!

I was reading an article a while back that said it was Murphy's Law that as soon as the man of the house leaves, something is bound to break, fall apart, or some other obnoxious thing will happen that will force his wife to deal with it.

Murphy is dirty rat bastard.

Within the first 24 hours of M being gone my skill of holding down the fort is being stretched to it's limits.

We woke up on Saturday morning and the water in both toilets was brown. Nasty sewer color (and smell). I freaked and tried to flush them, but the water level just got higher. Almost like it was clogged. I stood in the bathroom squealing, "don't overflow, ew, ew, ew, don't overflow!" 

How's that for crisis managment?

I decided to just leave it for the time being, sent M a text, and tended to the baby.

M's reponse was that they were probably flushing the pipes in Fairfax and to hit it up with the plunger. I plunged the hell out of the upstairs toilet and after a few flushes it was back to normal. The water still looks a little funny colored, but it smells normal. Phew!

We had a pretty laid back morning, went grocery shopping with no incident, came home and suited up for a nice walk. We had a great hilly 5k walk! When I got home, I put the dog out on the back porch (we leave the door open on nice days to get fresh air moving through the house) and she started barking like mad. I went out to see what she was barking at this time, and almost swallowed my eyeballs.

The people with the giant house behind the condo complex had a bear in their dumpster.

Cue screaming.

Dixie didn't stop barking, and I remembered what M told me to do if I ever saw one in the woods. I started jumping up and down and screaming like an idiot. The bear took off into the woods, I dragged an extremly overexcited Dixie back in the house, and called the police.

Another text to M.

Everything managed to stay in one piece and Mom and I went to watch my sister and my Dad perform at a local resturant. They are freakin' amazing... so seriously check out their videos.

Freaking amazing huh?!

I think so.

It was the middle of the night when Murphy really showed me what he meant with his silly laws.

The dog normally needs to go out at least once in the middle of the night, so when Shannon gets up for her middle of the night feeding, I put Dixie out, feed the baby, then bring the dog back in.

I put her out, as usual and she started barking like a mad thing right away. We live in a condo community type thing, and I'm sure nobody would be pleased to be woken up by a barking dog at 230 in the morning. I opened the door to call her in and she did her best impression of a dog blatently ignoring me. I was just in one of M's big tshirts and a pair of underwear, and the damn dog was out at the end of her line.

Damn.

I looked around, then darted out to reel Dixie's happy ass back in the house. When I looked up, not 3 feet away from us was a big mother of a skunk. I squealed, grabbed the dog by the collar and we hot footed it back into the house. On the way in I was so focused on the stupid wildlife that I didn't notice the nice fresh pile of dog poop.

Yup, you guessed where this is going.

Bare feet...meet pile of dog poop.

There is no sensation like that of warm dog poop squising through your toes at 230am. It was less than glorious.

I unhooked the dog, hopped to the paper towel rack, cleaned my foot off with the first spray bottle of cleaner I could find and then ran back upstairs just in time for the baby to start screaming. I got her nursed, got the dog settled back down and tucked the three of us in for the night.

5 minutes later all I hear is growling.

The orange devil cat who has a personal vendetta aganist the dog for no reason had snuck into the room while I was de-pooping my toes. I climb out of bed, grab the flashlight that M insists on keeping next to the bed (thank you honey! I understand now), and proceed to wiggle under the bed to haul the devil child out. He was so focused on his hatred for the dog that when I grabbed him, he immediatly launches himself at me, firmly attaching his claws into my scalp.

Dixie gets overly excited at the thumping, hissing, and swearing going on under the bed and starts barking.

Cue baby screaming.

I managed to drag happy feet out from under the bed and chuck him in the most undelicate way out the door with more profanities that I care to admit.

I get the baby calmed down, the dog settled, and everybody tucked back in.

5 minutes later I hear a pitiful little meow from the floor next to the bed.

*headdesk*

Lucca managed to squeak her way in, and wanted a snuggle. Dixie didn't agree in the least. She jumps off the bed and proceeds to chase Lucca 'round and 'round about the room. The baby wakes up again. I grab the first furry body that runs past me (Dixie) and shut her in her crate. I dragged Lucca out from under the bed by her tail and chuck her calico butt out the door.

I get the baby calmed down, the dog settled, a pitiful text message sent to M, and tuck everybody back in. By this point, it's almost 5 AM.

Baby wakes up at 515 starving.

Damn you Murphy. Damn you.



Saying Goodbye...

Wasn't really as hard as I thought that it was going to be.

I managed to keep myself together when I dropped M off at the office, and didn't turn into a hot mess. I was pretty proud of myself. I figure that my job isn't to make him feel bad about leaving, it's to let him focus on the task at hand.

He unloaded his stuff, gave Shannon a kiss goodbye, gave the dog a scratch, and I got a hug and a kiss and then off we went. I didn't stick around, I didn't make things longer, and I didn't look in the rearview mirror to watch him waving goodbye. I managed to hold my bologna until I left the parking lot, then let myself feel bad about the whole thing. I still managed to not break down and make people in the cars passing me wonder what the hell was going on. I'd be lying if I said that there weren't tears though.

When we got home, it was really really quiet.

Luckily I had just enough time to nurse the baby, change my clothes and turn right back around to head to the barn. I dropped Shannon off to my Mom and went to soak up the sun at the barn.

I've been rehabbing Skippy from a leg injury, so I got to sit on him while my boss gave him a look over. She said that he's doing really well. He still has a lot of muscle to rebuild, but he's looking better than when we started. My job is to keep him walking forward, encourage him to really stretch and get that leg under himself, and help him to balance. His owners are really pleased with how he's come along. I believe that the vet comes out next week and is going to look him over as well. Go Skippy! It's been almost a year long process since he got tangled up in the fence, and I'm lucky enough to have been a part of the team that helped bring him back to where he is now. I'm a pro at hock wrapping. ;-)

I also worked Willow for the first time in a week, since it's been raining like crazy. She was really good. She was very, very forward, but mostly listening. She didn't pull any stupid stunts, and her ground work is improving by leaps and bounds as well. I have to get the bridle that we bought for her exchanged before I get on her next week (!!!), since I was a dummy and didn't read the tag.

Oops.

After I got done at the barn, I went and picked the munchkin up at my parents, had a slice of pizza, then loaded her up in the car to head home and thats when I lost it.

The whole time that we've been preparing for M to leave, I've been nervous about dealing with the nights by myself. I won't lie, I have a horrible time waking up. Like really horrible.

I think that heading home from my parents really solidified that I was doing this all by myself, and that I had no other options. The feeling of being overwhelmed hit me like a ton of bricks and I sobbed all the way home. It was a bit pathetic really.

I walked in the door, let the dog out, took a deep breathe and decided that I was going to tackle things one at a time.

I'm not going to lie and say that it was easy, but last night wasn't as bad as I thought that it was going to be. Shannon slept from 9-11 then was up for an hour and finally fell back asleep until almost 4. That's four hours of sleep, which was a good thing since she decided that she did not want to go back to bed, no matter what I tried. I finally dragged her happy little butt into bed with me, and she conked out until almost 8.

Good baby.

I decided that I'm just taking this thing one day at a time, and really throwing myself into making progress with Willow, and enjoying spending time with Shannon. I'm not looking at a calender, or counting down the days. I don't want to focus on the fact that he's gone, or obsess about the day that he comes back. I miss him like whoa, but life isn't going to come to a screeching halt just for me and my self-pity.

You can bet your dollar that there will be a lot of the Kardashians on in this house though.

;-)

<3

Easter Sunday & A New Family Member!

So I guess I've been pretty horrible about keeping everybody updated. We've been super busy preparing for M's impending leave to SC for training, and that's meant us spending a lot more time as a family, than us spending time on our computers.

Prepare yourselves for photospam...my family is just so amazing I can't help it.

:-)

Easter Sunday we all got dressed up (well kinda) and went to church with my Mom. Sunday service has always been an Easter tradition in my family, and while I've slacked a few years in a row, I have a family of my own and I want to keep it going. M is less than thrilled about the whole thing, but he put on his game face (and a tie!) and went with us. Shannon did GREAT and didn't lose her marbles until about 20 minutes to the end. M scooped her up, did the walk n' bounce by the door and crisis was averted.

Doesn't he look so handsome in a tie!? Shannon, on the other hand, just slept. Silly goose.

Before we went to church, however, my motivation switch got flipped and I set out on a tortureous lovely run. I had my new shoes on for the first time and this happened....

It brought me back down to a walk, and I was REALLY discouraged, but I just kept reminding myself that anything was better than sitting at home on the couch. I huffed and puffed through 2 miles before calling it good.

Hot shower + raw blisters = Screaming Cate.

Sunday night, we finally got the okay from our landlord to get a dog.

!!!!

I've been wanting one since we got married, but he made it quite clear that we weren't allowed one in our rental agreement, so M said no everytime I asked.

I finally pestered him enough that he agreed we could get one as long as the landlord said that it was ok.

!!!!

We looked on Petfinder for hours Sunday afternoon arguing about what kind of dog that we wanted. A friend of mine had found both her dogs at the Elmore SPCA so I decided to check out their website and see what they had going on. In the meantime M found another dog that he liked so we decided that we wanted to make a day trip over to NY on Monday.

Bright and early Monday morning we loaded up the baby and off we went!

Our first stop was a small shelter in Plattsburgh to look at a German Shephard x Rottie that both M and I agreed that we loved. Unfortunatly he was an 80 lb puppy who loved to jump, and the idea of dealing with both him and a new baby at the same time was really intimidating to me. The last thing I wanted was to be coming through the door with the baby and have him knock me over. He was a sweet, sweet boy, but just too big and too excited about everything.

M really liked him though, so we put in an app for him anyways and went to check out Elmore while we waited for it to be processed.

I had seen a Jack Russell x Cogi on the web site that I fell in love with, but M argued that she was too small and he HATED Jacks. I begged to see her anyways, and when they brought us outside I instantly fell in love with her. All the other dogs were barking and going nuts as soon as we opened the door, but she just ran over and sat by the door to her pen. Her tail was going a mile a minute, but she wasn't barking like a fool.

We brought her inside and she flopped over on her belly for some love, then very carefully sniffed Shannon in her car seat. When she licked Shannon's little hand, and Shannon started grinning the deal was sealed.

We had been told that another couple had come in and put in a application for her, but they hadn't been able to get ahold of them since.  We made it known that we were ready to put in an app of our own and wanted to take her home that day. Within twenty minutes she was all ours! As we were walking out a lady pulled in and said that she was there to pick her up.

You snooze you lose.

So without further ado I present to you Ms. Dixie J!

She's hit the ground running with us, including taking a 4 hour round trip to NH to get M's liscene renewed and hitting up my sister's lacrosse game, and settled in perfectly. She sleeps in the room with us, and has already decided that the best place for her to sleep is by making a nest in our dirty clothes pile. She has a crate with a fluffy bed, but we haven't used it yet.

She has some little quirks. She really has something aganist the bed that we got her. Instead of sleeping on it she 'attacks' it and then starts humping the begeezues out of it. She is really pretty smart, however, and learned sit, lay down, come, and drop within the first 24 hours that she was home.

Milo is having some serious issues, and can't be within sight of her without getting all puffy and hissing. It's caused a few fights of the two cats ganging up on her, and Lucca tried to climb up my leg once. I was not so pleased about that.

Dixie loves 'her' baby, and usually isn't too far away.

Her favorite job is supervising tummy time, and keeping the cats away from her.

We had a few moments of peace yesterday...

But it didn't last very long. Alas.

Today we took advantage of the nice weather and went on a great three and a half mile family walk.

Yes. I am in a down jacket, and my husband is in a t-shirt. He's a freak of nature. :-) He sure looks great pushing that stroller though.

We live in such a nice area, with some great places to walk. I'm glad that we took advantage of the weather, and went exploring. I found a nice, safe route to take when it's just me, the dog, and the baby which was the most important thing to me. The views were beautiful to boot and the route has enough hills to make me feel like I'm actually accomplishing something, without killing myself. It was a great way to spend our last day together as a family for a little while.

Unfortunatly I've had NO barn time so far this week, because this is the first day that we've had that it hasn't been raining. That means that Willow has made no progress at all. M has a video of her, and I'm trying to figure out how to upload it off his phone. Mine was in the barn at the time. He's got one of those Andriod deals, so I'm at a loss. It's a totally different set up than my iPhone.

Oh well.

I'm off to go get the baby ready and we're going to get haircuts. My Mom is coming over to watch her so M and I can go out to dinner tonight. He leaves early tomorrow morning so the date night is much appreciated. I have the best Mommy!

Enjoy some pictures of the munchkin!