Scare

I'll go on the record as saying this: Chipper is a bad dog!  Sure, he is sweet and loving...and boy is he good to my boys, BUT Chipper is mischief, and energy, and chaos a lot of the time.  His antics exhaust me.  I don't know whether he is getting worse or may patience is wearing thinner (after all, we also have two pretty rambunctious boys to contend with as well), but recently I have found myself at my wit's end with that dog.  I even reached a low point when I had an inner debate with whether or not we should just find him a new home.  For the record, I decided I could not do it, but I was really sad that I would have even entertained the thought.

And isn't it interesting how life always provides you with a bit of clarity just when you need it most? 

A couple days after that little inner conversation, I came home a little late from a night out with friends (as I typed that, I felt like I needed to clarify because it sounds like this a regular occurrence when in actuality it was a rare treat to celebrate a good friend's birthday...and I was home around 10:30...not crazy late...again just to clarify...anyways..).  I came into the door, and while Chipper is usually there to greet me, he was nowhere to be seen.  I went back to our bedroom, and sure enough he was laying there in bed with Josh.  I greeted him with some pets and went to pick him up and he yelped, a loud, piercing yelp.  I was a little concerned, but reasoned we really couldn't do anything at that time of day anyways, so I put him to bed out on the couch hoping he would sleep it off.

The next morning Josh went out to go to work per usual, and when Chipper didn't attempt to come back to our bedroom (as he usually does immediately), Josh went to greet him.  And again, as soon as Josh petted him, he yelped.  I came out from the bedroom and we poked and prodded a bit and determined that the problem seemed to be around Chipper's neck, or ear, or tooth.  We decided to watch him, but I already knew I would be calling the vet as soon as they opened (I'm not very patient when it comes to these sorts of things).  

Over the next couple hours, Chipper's condition scared the crap out of me and broke my heart.  My usually playful pup (yes, at 5 years old, he is still much more puppy than grown-up dog!) was completely immobile and clearly in pain.  His face was the worst; his expression literally reminded me of the images of the abused dogs on tv.  He looked so terrified and in pain.  And it was just awful! 

Well, Josh came home from work to take Chipper to the vet, and luckily his official diagnosis was just a pulled muscle in his neck.  They prescribed him a pain reliever and an anti-inflammatory medication.  At around 3:00 that afternoon, the medication must have kicked in because all of a sudden Chipper leaped off the couch (I had had to pick him up and down all day), went outside to go to the bathroom, and came in and started playing with his ball.  I thought he would slow down after the medication wore off, but a couple weeks later, he hasn't.  In fact, he's very much back to his same ole, mischief-making self.  

While I can hardly say I don't get annoyed with him any longer, our little scare certainly reinforced the fact that Chipper is a very important member of our family.  He was technically our first baby, and even though the human ones that came along after him kind of dominate the attention getting these days, I will always view Chipper as one of our children.  I remember my mom used to tell me in my teenage years that she may not always like me, but she'll always love me.  Well, I guess that old adage holds true for my Chipper dog.  

Random Musings

As a blogger, I am constantly on the look out for things that are blog worthy: recipes we love, project we accomplish, fun moments or topics with the kiddos, etc.  Every now and then, I have a whole bunch of things  that don't necessarily warrant a whole post, but that I feel like I want to share anyway.  Today is one of those days.  And as the title or that explanation may explain, bear with me because these are certainly all over the place!
1.  Chipper got a hair cut!  Let's be honest: Chipper was waaayyy overdue for his haircut when we finally took him last week.  Check out this mop:

Poor guy!  And if you know anything about our pup, you know that the fact that he is even sitting still long enough to let Levi piggyback on him is shocking!  But sadly, for the last week or so before we got Chipper's new do, he was much more lethargic/isolated than his usual self.  He was spending a lot of time alone down in the playroom, just kind of laying on the floor down there.  I noticed, but really didn't think too much of it....until we got his hair cut and his normal, chipper self (like that pun...yes, we picked his name appropriately!) returned.  He's playing again, sitting in the living room with us again, etc.  Josh thinks I'm crazy, but I honestly think he was either pissed off at us, depressed, or maybe both because of that crazy hair.  Or maybe he couldn't even freaking see?!?  Either way, he looks much better now, and we've switched vets/groomers now to somewhere more convenient to us (his other was almost a half hour away and only took grooming appointments once every couple of weeks so it was hard to coordinate), so I swear he will never get to that point again!

2.  My big boy is swimming!!!!  We had Colton in swim lessons for a bulk of the spring, but he was absolutely hated putting his face in the water, so he really didn't progress much.  We started up again a few weeks ago, and really weren't getting much further....until last week!  All of a sudden, he decided he liked putting his face in!!!  And now is obsessed with doing it!  So, while we were at the pool the last time, I tried taking off his "swim coat" and letting him kick to me...face in and everything.  He LOVED it!  I taught swim lessons for years, so I kind of know what I'm doing and I can't wait to work with him more!  Man, what a relief it would be to go back to only having one kid I feel like I have to watch like a hawk when we're around water!

3.  I think I scarred my neighbor for life.  The boys were napping a few days ago, and I decided to hop in the shower.  I forgot to close the front door beforehand (I usually just keep the storm door closed, but the wooden one open).  Well, I'm in there a few minutes when I hear Chipper hysterical at the front door in a way that could only mean someone was there.  It immediately dawned on me that it was probably our neighbor because he and his daughter had been out of town the week before (while his wife is away for work for a month), and we had collected their mail for them, but I freaked anyway because 1. I didn't want him to wake up the boys and 2. I didn't want him to push open the door with his jumping on it and get out(which he's done before!).  So, I hopped out, wrapped my towel around myself, and went out to give him his mail.  Seriously, I think he was mortified!

4.  I am in love with my new makeup brush holder.  I used to keep them in my drawer, but one of Levi's favorite activities recently had been to take them out and "paint" all over the house.  So I took a mason jar I had laying around, filled it with a $2 bag of stones I picked up at AC Moore, and voila!  It looks cute...and my budding Picasso has had to actually find appropriate surfaces and tools to paint with!

One of the Fam

On Thursday, May 23rd, Chipper (dog) turned five years old!  As our first "baby," Chipper enjoyed a couple years of pure spoiling.  People warned me that his role in our family would change with the arrival of real children, but I didn't necessarily believe them.  When Colton was born, he got slightly less attention, but since Levi has come along as well, I must admit poor Chip Chip has really gotten the short end of the stick at times.
It's not that we don't still love him.  Obviously, we do!  But with all of our energy going in to keeping a toddler and big boy (as Colton refers to the two of them) fed/dressed/bathed, off each other, and entertained, it is hard to find time to really indulge Chipper.  Especially because some of Chipper's favorite games and activities include barking incessantly, taking things he's not supposed to and subsequently chewing them up, and fetching items over and over and over again.  I'm thinking it should come as no surprise that  my patience for these has drastically dwindled since adding the other two children that we have to constantly contend with.
But Chipper is a key member of our family.  And while it feels like we sometimes dwell on the frustrations he causes, he actually has tons of really good traits.  Chipper is just about the sweetest dog you'll ever meet.  He greets us with happy tail wags and lots of sweet kisses whenever we walk in the door...even if we have only been gone a few seconds.  Chipper is an excellent cuddler.  He comes back to share the bed with me every morning after Josh leaves for work, is an excellent companion when Josh is out of town, and I will never forget how he kept me company on all those sleepless pregnant nights.  And Chipper is the most patient brother we could have asked for.  He lets these boys chase him, pull on him, swing their toys at him all without ever getting rough in retaliation.
 We love our Chipper dog, and with it being his big day and all, we knew he deserved a celebration on par with that of every other member of our family.  We started off the day by making him some birthday cake pancakes.  The boys sang "happy birthday" to him, and he even joined in for a bit.

 

Later in the day, Colton insisted on making Chipper a cake (that he and Levi ate the next day because daddy forgot to give it to them and mom was out for dinner with friends) and once Josh got home, we gave Chipper his presents.  Both boys had picked out something for him from the toy aisle at PetSmart.

One of the most obvious ways Chipper has gotten jipped over the past year or so is his serious declines in walks and play dates.  When it was just him and I, I would walk him twice a day and take him to the dog park at least once a week.  Even once Colton came along, I would still walk him most days (we also had a much bigger yard, so that helped me justify it!).  But once Levi joined the fam, Chipper's walks pretty much disappeared, mainly because getting everything and everyone all ready to go took way more effort than seemed worth the 20 minute-ish walk.  Oh, and dog park trips were completely cut out.

Well, we had big plans to take Chippy on a special trip to the dog park, but the weather was absolutely awful.  We did manage to squeeze in a walk (and quickly remembered why we don't do them more often.), and then made it up to him later with a weekend trip to the dog park.  The good news, for Chipper at least, is that the dog park, may officially be my two dog-loving boys' new favorite place on Earth, so trips there may become more frequent for him!

Overall, I think we paid proper homage to our sweet puppy dog (yes, at 5 he is still way more puppy than dog!).  So we'll end this with Colton's words of the day..."happy birthday Chipper dog.  I love you!"...he repeated that about a bajillion times that day...literally.

Flashback Friday

As we were cleaning out the shed last week, we came across this little gem:

Back in the days when it was just Josh and I (pre children, pre doggy), I decided I wanted a puppy.  Josh pretended to not be so convinced and told me to come up with good reasons for getting a dog.  I love a challenge, so I took this task very seriously...and came up with these 15 reasons.   Needless to say, we got Chipper a few weeks later. 

I must say, even now, I'm quite impressed with myself!  But the one that really sticks out to me in our present life is #2: puppy (grown dog later) completes family.  My goodness...I could have never predicted just how true that would be.  Chipper can be a pain in the arse (and he has definitely ruined carpets despite #10's claim that it wouldn't happen), but both of our boys have formed a strong and true bond with him.  Both of their first word (outside of mama and dada) was dog.  They both look for Chipper as soon as they get up, and eagerly await...mouths wide open...his kisses.  They love playing with him and crack up at his antics (even as Josh and I threaten him with a life at the pound...kidding).  Chipper is truly a pivotal member of our family, and even though, I could certainly see a more peaceful existence without him, we most definitely wouldn't be the same.  Good thing Josh listed to me...for once!

Cause I Know You've Been Waiting

I mean, what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't share photos with you of the boys' trick or treating escapades?  I know you all have probably been holding your collective breaths for the 24+ hours in anticipation...no?  Well, you're getting pictures anyway!
As I previewed last week the boys went as a football (Levi) and football player...Steelers of course(Colton).

 Chipper gets really excited at the sight of people, so he can't go trick or treating with us (we learned that one house in last year!), but we did put his costume on him just for fun.

I had dreamed of a really cute staged group shot, but that was about the best I could do.  Instead, Colton seemed to think that their costumes meant tackling Levi was fair game.  Luckily, Levi seemed to enjoy that game too.

Even though Levi was not really old enough for trick-or-treating, both Josh and I wanted to take Colton, so he got all bundled up and joined Colton in the wagon. 

Colton was super pumped for trick-or-treating this year!  He had been practicing for days and seemed to know exactly what to do.  So when we finally let him get out of the wagon and get started, he was thrilled.

 Meanwhile, Levi seemed to think the wagon ride was just about the coolest thing ever.

As the night wore on (we only lasted 45 minutes or so), Colton got even more skilled at the whole trick-or-treating thing.  He perfected the ring the doorbell, stand back and wait, say "trick-or-treat" when the nice person answers the door, and then a quick "thank you" after collecting his candy.  He was even directing us at to which houses we needed to go to next.

Honestly, I don't think Colton even realized he was getting candy per se.  He just seemed to really think it was cool to go to knock on someone's door and have them give him something!  When we got home, though, we did allow him to pick one piece to eat.  And not to be left out, Levi got a couple M and M's (cut!) to try out as well.

It was a really good time, but I'll tell you what...that trick-or-treating was EXHAUSTING!  I don't know if it was the rush of getting the boys into their costumes and fed and all, or just putting up with Colton's hyperactivity for the afternoon in anticipation of the event, but I was worn out by the time it was done...and had to treat myself to a glass of wine!  But it was fun and for someone who hasn't really been a Halloween fan before (I'm not clever enough to come up with a clever costume nor sexy enough to pull off a slutty costume, so I usually just chose not to participate), I must say watching the sheer joy on Colton's face may have just made me fan!

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

One of the best parts of our trip a couple of weeks ago was that all of my favorite people were right there with us...my husband, my boys, even my parents and brother and sister (and significant others).  Well, except for one...

For obvious reasons, Chipper could not make the trip with us.  And let me tell you something, we sure did miss that pup.
Poor Chipper gets a pretty bad rap most of the time.  And in fairness, he kind of deserves it.  The dog could certainly never be called well-behaved.  He's a shit...and he knows it...and he revels in it!
But when he's not getting into mischief, he is one of the sweetest, most loyal, most friendly, loving, patient dogs you'll ever meet.
After we were reunited last week, I noticed  him with a new appreciation. He is always right at the door, tail wagging, when we get home, and how he patiently waits while I put down the stuff and the boys, and then he jumps up to give me my welcome home kisses.  He comes sprinting back to join me and snuggle with me in bed in the mornings once Josh has gone to work (he's not allowed to sleep in our bed, but I usually let him back there once Josh leaves around 6).  He lets the boys pull on him relentlessly.

the three brothers

There's no doubt Chipper is an integral part of our family.  When our flight got in late that Friday night, we brought both boys into the house sound asleep.  But when they heard Chipper  jumping around, both of them perked up and gave him big smiles.
Everyone warned us that with children, the dog becomes an afterthought.  Sadly, I can admit that Chipper's attention has certainly decreased since having the boys, BUT he is no way an afterthought.
He may not be the best dog in the world, but he's the best dog for our family.  And we sure do love having him!

Happy Birthday Chipper Dog!

Yesterday was Chipper's 4th birthday!  I can hardly believe that our pup is that old...shoot, in people years (or is it doggy years...I always get this confused) he's basically my age now. Usually I love birthdays, but Chipper's always make me a tad sad.  Not to be pessimistic but dogs certainly have a much shorter life span than us...I just wish Chipper wouldn't age!  At least Chipper is absolutely showing no signs of slowing down.
 Here's the thing about Chipper...he can be an absolute pain in the ass.  He is in constant need of attention and with two little brothers around, that isn't always happening. To make up for it, Chipper spends his days taking things he's not supposed to (flip flops, the boys' socks, underwear, the boys' toys, etc), prancing into the room to show us he's got them, and then literally smiling at us in hopes that we will either chase him or give him a treat.  I've honestly made him watch those starving dog commercials and tried to show him how lucky he is.  Every family has a problem child; Chipper is ours.

But Chipper is also one of the sweetest, most loyal, most loving dogs there ever was!  Even if I only step out of the door for a minute, he will greet me with a wagging tail, a round of kisses, and enough enthusiasm to think I have been gone for years.  Chipper cuddles up to me as soon as the boys go to sleep and comes bounding into our room once Josh leaves for work in the morning.  And best of all, Chipper is absolutely amazing with his brothers.  He lets Colton (and Levi hast started now as well) pull on him, jump on him, whatever and he just takes it.
Chipper is Colton's very best friend, my cuddle buddy (especially during those pregnancy insomnia nights both times), and our family would most certainly not be the same without him.
In our family, birthdays are a big deal.  And I wanted to make sure Chipper got the very special treatment.
As in past years, we started off the day with Chipper's very own special pancake breakfast.

Usually we take Chipper to the dog park, but I didn't know how smart of an idea that was with a toddler and infant in tow.  So instead the boys and I took him to Nene and Papa's beach for some play time.  I don't know if Chipper or Colton was more excited at this idea!

Once Josh got home, we gave Chipper his presents (some treats and a special toy Colton had picked out from Target).

And finally, the boys concluded the big birthday celebration with a special cupcake for each of them.  I debated making Chipper his dog-friendly treat, but decided that would just be really wasteful.  Luckily, a local bakery happens to make Chipper-friendly treats along with regular people-friendly cupcakes, so the boys each got to enjoy something yummy.

Not only did I want to give Chipper a special day, but I also wanted to make sure that Colton understood it was his brother's birthday now that he understands birthdays and all!  He started off the day by saying "me" each time I said birthday, but by the end of it, he was saying "day Chip, day Chip" (which I'm thinking must be "Happy Birthday Chipper!"  Mission accomplished.