Puppy - Week Two

Elsa's getting so big!
She's gained over 5# since we brought her home! She's starting to follow commands (except come - we're working on it). Now she can go up and down the stairs, but can't quite get on the couch.
The biting is still an issue, but it will be for a little while, and then it'll be an issue again in a few months. If we say "ow" or make a bark noise, she backs off. It's something for now.
Currently, she is pestering the cat. Spenser does not appreciate Elsa's interest. At the same time, she seems to purposefully tease the dog - swishing her tail at the puppy's level, slowly cruising through the room...
Yesterday was kind of a rough day. Baby B was here. Elsa was great with him, but really biting me and snarling at me. I think it was a combination of jealousy, being overwhelmed, and feeding off of my anxiety that she was going to get too rambunctious with the baby. Then, she peed in the toybox - all over the little people. I cut my thumb while trying to rush to get dinner going since both babies were sleeping. Not bad enough for stitches, but in a bad place and bad enough that it won't stop bleeding and I still had to wash all of the peed upon little people and the toy box. By the time That Man got home, I was fried. And we still had a meeting to attend which we were taking Baby B with us so K1 & J could take care of some things.
I was in bed and completely sacked hours before normal.
Behave!

Kicking Butt...

Way back when I first started this blog, I used to say how much I loved Monday! Then, I didn't. For a long time. But now... For right now... I really think Monday is my day! I have kicked total ass today!
Everyone was up and out the door on time! That's a first in over a week around here.
Elsa has not had one accident in the house in two days. Today she began telling me when she needed to go out. Progress!
Job hunting this morning. The resumes sent nearly reach 100. Maybe more. I'm becoming desperate and discouraged. And depressed. I am waiting to hear about two positions, but too afraid to get my hopes up. As much as I would love to be able to stay home and run this house, we absolutely need a second paycheck. I need a job. Immediately.
I met a good friend and fellow author for breakfast today. After making everyone in my local restaurant raise their eyebrows because I was having breakfast with a man that wasn't my husband, (the looks I got. I was very amused! K3 used to work there, so a lot of folks know us) we came back here to write and have puppy time. (When I told That Man about breakfast, he laughed. I'm sure he'll hear something about it from the folks at the diner. LOL)
I kicked total ass.
I only have about 30 pages to edit before I'm ready to submit again. That means I did almost 200 pages today! Awesome! Then! New writing!
I made a fantastic curry dinner. Chicken, mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus, peppers, onions, and lots of garlic. I had to get "big bertha" (our biggest cooking vessel) out, and there was not much left. AND it was low fat, low carb, and low calorie. Can't beat that with a stick!
It's supposed to be stupid, really stupid, cold tomorrow. There's a chance school will be delayed. I kind of hope for that. A few schools in our area have already delayed. It'll be another hour or so until we get a call if they delay tonight. *Fingers crossed*
Though there isn't much sleeping in right now. That puppy needs to go out early because she can't hold it very long and when she's up, she's in crazy puppy (baby elephant) mode for a little while so by the time she takes a nap, I'm too hyped up on caffeine to even think about going back to sleep. (And think about taking a puppy out in the subzero temps. Not fun at all!!) Which is fine in a lot of ways. I get more done that way. But I'm exhausted every night.
School just called. We're on a delay! I think it's time for an adult beverage! Yippee!
Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The New Puppy Edition

Elsa is home!
She's adjusting pretty well - some moments of crying and being scared of everything, but for the most part she's making herself at home! She slept with K4 last night and did reasonably well. K4 said she woke about every hour - licked her face and then tried to find a comfy spot to sleep. We'd taken a blanket to her a few weeks ago so it'd smell like her momma and siblings when we brought her home. It seems to have been a good idea because she's dragging that blankie everywhere.
Potty training is going well. We had a teeny accident this morning, but that's it. She slept in her crate for a few minutes yesterday, but that's the only time she's been inside. I changed my plans today so I could be here with her. It's like having a newborn though. I'm not getting much done. She's very interested in my fingers as I type, but right now she's napping in the dining room. (I had to run the vacuum in the living room and it scared her into the dining room, where she crashed on her bed. I don't have the heart to wake her.)

So anyway... Here's the Feel Good Friday list...
1. See above. Obviously.
2. Release date on Monday!
3. Spending a lot of the day yesterday with K2. She went with me to pick up Elsa. It was really nice to just hang and talk.
4. Chinese food for dinner last night. It's been a while since we've had such a treat. It was so good and wonderful not to cook for a change.
5. Weekend plans - or lack thereof. We cleared our calendar so we would be home with Elsa. For the most part. We have a few errands to run, but no major plans. We'll have visitors at varying times - family and friends who want to meet Elsa and that's great!
6. Interviews and networking. My fingers are crossed!
7. Baby B. He came over to meet his new sibling last night. We want to make sure they're together as much as possible so Baby B isn't scared of her and Elsa is conditioned to a baby. Baby B was a riot. He would crawl away fast, look back and Elsa and make a noise like he wanted her to chase him. It won't be long until that happens. Baby B is so much fun. He gave me big sloppy kisses, spent a lot of time trying to figure out Pappy's beard and dumping cheerios on the living room floor (hence the vacuuming).
8. K2 coming over today for lunch. We've been trying to get together for weeks now. We'd planned lunch at the beginning of the week, and then this morning I bailed on her because of the puppy. Now she's bringing lunch over. Nice.
9. Dinner with the BFF's soon!
10. Even though I still have Christmas decorations to put away, I feel like I'm getting stuff done. That's a good thing.
That's all for now!
Behave!

Lost...

I have no idea what day it is...
So that cold I mentioned on Sunday... well, turns out it's the flu. Yay me! I'm on day 5 - doing better today, but still not right. I spent a lot of time on the couch today - in between editing, setting up job interviews, and moaning. It's been a long week. Monday night and Tuesday morning, I dragged my sorry butt to job interviews. I have no idea how I think they went. My head hurt so badly on Monday, I could barely focus, but I was glad I went.
Yesterday it was extremely cold here. So cold they closed schools yesterday and delayed them today. Yeah, ridiculously cold. Temps are supposed to be on the rise now. Hopefully.
And...
Our new puppy's name is... Elsa.
She's a princess from Frozen (which I haven't seen yet, but K4 has). After holding her, it really suits her. We did do it the fair way though - each of us chose two names and we put them in a hat. I think her name was meant to be Elsa, because obviously that's what was picked! Still 3 weeks until we can pick her up and it's killing us!
That's all for now. I have to moan some more.
Behave!

Weekend Wrapup...

Look at this face!!

 Isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen?
Meet our new baby! She is still without a  name, but we're working on it!
We went to see her yesterday and instantly fell in love. She's four weeks old right now, and we have until the end of the month until we can bring her home.
The people we're getting her from are awesome! They spend a lot of time with the puppies (fourteen of them - all with homes), calling them their new names, loving them, holding them. She'll be very socialized when we get her, which is a good thing. Their other dogs are very well trained and lovable.
We're all in love. (Yes, I know I said that already). K4 was holding her and she snuggled in against her neck and went to sleep. She's just... so sweet and such a lovey.

I know we'll have days... days that make me wonder why we decided to add to our family. I know there will be frustrations, training snafu's, chewed up and destroyed things.
We've been talking and reading a lot about training and consistency. She's not our first dog, but we know there are things we could have done better with Abbie, and there are things specific to her mixed breed that will be different.
So, now we wait and gather what we'll need to take care of her.
And I go back to nursing this horrific cold that slammed me against the wall yesterday and hasn't stopped making me want to crawl under the covers and cry.
That is all...
Behave!

A Brief Announcement...

It's no secret that we decided we are ready for a new dog after having a furry houseguest for over a week!

Well... Just today we found out that we will be adding a new member to our family! She's only 3 weeks old right now, so she can't come home until the end of January! She's a tan Mastiff & St. Bernard mix... Yes, we know she will be enormous! And we've only seen pictures of her, but we're already in love! 

We hope to meet her this weekend! We're in the process of choosing a name, but we all have different opinions! 

I'm kind of scared that something will happen and that she won't be able to come home, but for now I am excited!!!

Behave!

Adventures in Puppy Sitting - Day Five

We're at five out of ten days in with this puppy sitting gig. She's a very very sweet dog. Very sweet and super smart. We've all decided we're ready for a new dog - a puppy, preferably. We've been talking about what type of dog we would like, how to train it, and all of that stuff...
Yesterday was a different kind of day though...
1. The puppy puked all over K4's floor.
2. I took this country dog for a walk. Our second one and our longest one. She doesn't do well with sidewalk walking and listening. She's too interested in smells, sounds, and other stuff. We went to the park and once we got on the trail, she did well. Until... I'd walked past her as she studiously sniffed out something. I called her and she ran. Right past me, and ended up knocking my on my butt. I hit my head. My glasses went flying. I'm sore and bruised, worse today than yesterday. Luckily, no one saw me fall. I don't know if there will be a walk today. (Plus, it's really freaking cold outside)
3. We're in the yard so she can potty. She finally decides to go number two and it's not working well. She's got something hanging from her behind and it won't come off. Probably due to the stuffed animal she tried to ingest the day before. Luckily, I had a plastic bag in my pocket... Yeah. You can imagine the rest.
4. My grandson came over today. He's sick and had to go to the doctor. The puppy scared him because she would not calm down and stop trying to greet him. Baby B is crying. The dog is out of control trying to jump on him and kiss him. Crate time.
5. That Man took the puppy for an evening walk to tire her out since yesterday was the longest time she'd spent in the crate. I was out for most of the day - first helping my mother-in-law and the grocery store, then helping J with Baby B at the docs. It went a little better than my walk with her.
Today has been better so far. She's sacked on the floor at my feet and hasn't tried to kill me yet.
That is all...
Behave!

Houseguest...

Here's our guest...
Jordan.
She's sacked on the couch. Totally sacked.
I didn't realize how much I missed having a dog until Jordan came. The weird thing is that she's only been here a few hours. She's sweet and bad and obnoxious, but smart and funny and she listens most of the time.
And we're spoiling her. She's on the couch. She'll sleep with K4.
My kids are in love. That Man and I are in love.
K4 keeps saying "I want a puppy". I want a puppy, too.
We'll see what happens next...
Behave!

The Best Kind of Surprise...

Our parents will celebrate their 50th anniversary next weekend.
So, of course, you know what we did...
We've been planning this party for ages. Some things didn't turn out the way we'd planned, and illness kept a few people away, but I think this party ranks as the best.
My uncle from California came in, and my cousins from Georgia, and my aunt and cousins from Delaware (who have never been here before).
And even though my dad knew something was up and my mom was suspicious (how could you not be with such a milestone?), they had no idea we (and when I say we, I really mean my very persistent and persuasive sister) convinced them all to come. There were tears (the good kind) and shock and for a minute there we worried that we shouldn't have surprised them with everyone all at once, but it was all good.
Good food, good company, lots of good stories, lots and lots of laughing, staying up until nearly 3:30 am and then getting up a few hours later, stink bugs (my sister might just have them worse than me!), ghosts, puppies, lots of laughing....it was a fantastic weekend.
...and that's why I missed posting yesterday...
Behave!

In Case You Wondered...

We're not getting a puppy.
Things didn't work out. I'm sure (really sure) it happened the way it was supposed to. When I think of everything that goes along with brand new baby dogs, I know. When I think of how our dog reacts when we simply rearrange the furniture, I know. When I think of the chaos that lives in my house on a daily basis, I really know.
The K's took it well. They were disappointed, but not overly so. We were very open with them about the possible outcomes, so they didn't have their hopes up too much.
And now you know, too.
Behave!

Feel Good Friday

The post-Christmas edition.
1. That the lovely stomach virus I was gifted with on Christmas Eve didn't quite spoil everything for me the past 2 days. It totally ruined Christmas Eve, but not Christmas Day/K4's Birthday. Though, it's still not quite gone yet and B's starting to feel the same way I did Wednesday. Joy.
2. My baby girl and her birthday.
3. The excitement from all the K's even though they knew Christmas was going to be slim this year, and the fact that none of them expressed any type of disappointment in their gifts.
4. Family and friends.
5. Getting to talk to my uncle and cousin from California.
6. The birthday cake coming out pretty darned good even though I was just winging it.
7. Warm socks.
8. Our funny dog and how much she loves opening presents.
9. The food - though I got to eat none of it.
10. Tacos for Christmas dinner. (again, I tried. I really wanted to, but my stomach reminded me I shouldn't)
11. Weekend plans.
12. The fact that the decision on the puppy will be made soon and either way, I can stop worrying about it. Though if it's a yes, oh geeze, let's not go there right now.
13. Sleeping in this morning.
14. Supernatural being on last night - and it being the Christmas episode from last year, and B staying up to watch it with me. I miss the boys so much and we still have 3 weeks until new episodes!
Okay, I think that's enough. Yes, I'm glad it's over, but the day turned out a lot better than I thought it would even with the sickness. The tree needs to go soon - the needles are raining down at an alarming rate. We won't be doing any New Year's gathering this year since we have to help the Boy Scouts with our town's "drop" event this year. That's pretty sad, but maybe only to me since everyone else seems to have fun alternate plans. Not that we won't have fun, but we won't be with the gang.
I think that's enough for now...
Behave!

Puppies!

This one is the one I liked.
Then we found out she was already sold.
I love her face and she's so sweet.









So, we looked at this one.
Then, found out she was already sold.
(Yes, she has some kind of rash on her face, but she's on medicine for it.)
She has beautiful blue eyes. I don't think you can tell in the pic.








So...
There's this little girl.
She's adorable. Black with a white star-ish spot on her chest. She's a little tank - heavier than the other girls, but with a very sweet disposition. She's the one K4 likes the best.

At this point, all I can say is...we'll see...
If it's meant to be, it'll happen. If not, well, then, okay. The status of all three is still up in the air. They're not ready to go to their new homes for another 2 weeks yet.
You'll know when I know...

Call me crazy. Call me insane. I don't care. I'm completely out voted here, so it doesn't really matter what I say about the whole deal. Not like I'm fighting it so much. If I said absolutely not, the matter would be dropped. But I haven't said that. So... Like I said, if it works out, then it was meant to be. If it doesn't the same principal applies. I'm not worrying about it too much right now. I know I said we weren't getting a puppy, but you all knew my fight was only a half-hearted one, right? Come one. You know you did.

In other news...How awesome is it that my parents gave us a fantastic crockpot for our anniversary? It's got three different sized cooking bowls! The thing is sweet beyond sweet. I'm so thrilled. I can't even tell you how much!

It's supposed to snow tonight. We'll see.
Behave

We Are Not Getting a Puppy!

We're not! I mean it!

But if we were...it would be between these two pretty girls. I'm sorta partial to the one in the front - the gray, tan, and black spotted one.

They're about 3 weeks old. Their eyes just opened and they make the cutest little grunting noise. There are 9 in the litter. I can't remember how many of each.

The kids and B are in love. They want. A lot.

Oh. What kind of puppies? Great Dane.

As if we're not already insane enough around here with our Newfoundland/Border Collie mix. Two huge dogs?

No one is listening to me...

I think I'm doomed!

Behave!