One of "Those" Days

Have you ever had one of those days?

It starts off with an outside temp of 85 degrees in the afternoon, resulting in an inside temp of 78 degrees that night. Then the air conditioner decides not to work. The breeze outside decides not to blow. And by the next morning it's still 77 degrees. Inside. With no a/c. Or breeze.

Then your puppy, who has been completely sick and lethargic for the past 72 hours, is suddenly better and decides to act like you've never fed her in her life, you've never played with her in her life, she's never seen people before in her life, and she's never been trained (including kennel) in her life. This equates to crazy-hyper-out of control-ball of energy.

Next, since it's a beautiful morning and your porch is clean, you let the kiddos outside to play. Your dear son decides it's a good idea to bust through the screen door so now, instead of sliding horizontally, it opens like a flap, only connected at the top.

Just after that happens, you walk inside to find goldfish all over the floor, 99% not intact.  Also, since your puppy has forgotten that her kennel is her safe place and now thinks it's torturous, which results in non-stop barking and whining, you take all three outside for a walk and potty break.

Note to self: my kid 1 likes going one direction, friend's kid 1 likes going a different direction, puppy has a mind of her own, which does not coordinate with either kid. All of them find joy in running into the street.

When they're finally corralled and headed for home, friend's kid continues her new game of wrapping her arms around my kid and saying "caught you!" He thinks it's hilarious until she comes up behind him. He doesn't have great balance, so she accidentally knocks him over. Face meets concrete.

Since we all need some air conditioning, a break, and Dark Chocolate covered Acai Berries, we head to Costco.

I think my mom finds great joy in my mile-a-minute phone calls recapping every moment of my crazy morning with two kids and a dog. It probably brings back great memories and gives her a tiny twinge of "now you know what I went through. I'm so proud."


And when I bust up laughing and giggling the whole time I'm recapping, I know it's a good day.

because it's ALWAYS better to Laugh!





p.s. Since I know you're dying to know how I'm feeling since I got shingles...well, let me tell ya, it seems like I was never sick. I had about one night and one day I felt pretty weak and icky, but for the most part I was able to carry on with life as normal! Thank goodness! Now the rash has scabbed and is disappearing so I'm not contagious and I feel 100% fine. yay!

Our New Bundle of Love! **edit: with pictures!

Note to Self: In the future, it's okay, no, it's a really good idea, to get a puppy that is older than 8 weeks old. In fact, 12 weeks old would be great.

It's official.
We have now joined the ranks of Dog Owners!

We met our sweet little Kaiya for the first time on February 23, 2012, at about 11:50 am, in Kirksville, MO. She looks exactly like her pictures, only much more fluffy, cute, and small! I believe it's safe to say we were all a little shocked at how little she is. I would guess her weight is somewhere around 2 pounds. (eta: at her vet appointment on 2/25 she weighed 2.9 pounds)

After getting kicked out of Wal-Mart for bringing in a puppy, we began the journey home with a new bundle of joy. She was only really whiny for the first 45 minutes, and I was only really jealous the entire drive home. Mostly because I was driving and not playing with my puppy. We made a pit stop and let the kiddos run around and stretch their legs. Bubs loves Kaiya and Kaiya loves Bubs! She was chasing him all over the place and he was giving her lots of soft pats and giggles.

Kaiya was a complete, utter, bundle of love until it was bedtime. Unfortunately, she did not come to us kennel/crate trained, and she was very clear about letting us know. Neither Mr. Man nor I got any sleep until about 2:30 am, at which point we gave up and let her sleep in our bed. Something I swore I'd never do, however, when it gets to that emergency situation, I prefer to get sleep!

Remember how so many people told me a puppy would be like having another baby? Well, guess what? You're right. I totally feel like I have two kids. Two very needy kids babies. Both of them want my constant attention and the cozy seat on my lap...at the same time. They also both feel the need to be at my heels, always, wherever I go. Luckily, my dear, sweet, man was able to come home for lunch which allowed me to clean up our apartment, serve lunch, and put Bubs down for a nap, thus providing me with an opportunity to shower...at 2 pm. TGIF.

So, what have I learned thus far?

1. Pee pads seem rather worthless (anyone ever had luck with them? how?)
2. I'm grateful for hardwood floors! Though she has only had a couple accidents, which were my fault.
3. Next time we'll get an older puppy who has been crate trained.
4. A 2 pound bundle of black fluff is really easy to lose, even in a small apartment.
5. Puppy crying is ten times worse than baby crying, sorry neighbors!!
6. If I make it through the next 4 months with no major catastrophes, no serious losses, and a head full of hair, I will feel successful.

With that said, we absolutely love her and she is the cutest little puppy I have ever seen! We are totally open for visitors and friends, you can even bring your dog if you want, since she needs to socialize, and it's fun to show her off.

"Boy & Dog"

eta: All photos credit of Kamian Gille, who is awesome. Also, we had a much better 2nd night. She still whines when she first goes in her kennel, but she slept in 2-3 hour increments and pottied outside every time we took her! I have a feeling she will be a very good dog.