Grandma and Grandpa Dykstra drove all the way from Iowa and got to meet little AJ this weekend for the first time. And for that privilege we put them to work. I’m not kidding. Marc and Dad had a few minor projects they wanted to work on this weekend. They were let loose in Home Depot and Lowe’s and a few projects turned literally into an Extreme Lawn Makeover. They worked so hard, but our yard looks amazing! They chopped a tree, planted a tree, planted a bunch (and I mean a bunch) of perennials, separated and distributed hostas, laid bricks, dirt, and mulch, and much more that I probably don’t even know about. We also put mom to work sanding and painting our front door and cleaning up our back deck. I did move some rocks for about 15 minutes…. that is until one of my children beckoned…then it was back inside for me. Fortunately, gardening/landscaping is something dad loves to do, because he and Marc really worked hard all day. But I am so impressed with all the work…it looks amazing. But wait, there’s more. This morning, Dad and Marc built a bench style toy box for Andrew.
I really really wish I had my camera, or I would have done some before and after pictures.
So, Mom, Dad, Marc…thank you, thank you, thank you!
Speaking of my camera, I should be getting it back from being serviced some time around the 7th of May…or so they say. I am just so bummed that I don’t have it…especially with a new baby. It’s killing me!!
Oh, and Grandma and Grandpa even let Andrew boss them around his train table when he told them to, "play choo-choo".
And, since our Saturday’s menu consisted of grilled hotdogs (for Coney dogs) for lunch and grilled hamburgers for dinner, and because Marc was so busy with dad… I grilled for my first time. I went from not even knowing how to turn the grill on, to making two meals that were pretty good, I think. However, I have no intention of taking the grilling reins from Marc. As far as I am concerned, Marc is still the grill master of this house. (Fewer meals I need to cook).
We don’t have too much planned for this weekend. Our good friends are in the hospital working on having their twins, so we will probably visit them sometime this week. And there are a few more things that need to be finished outside yet and of course the usual… daycare, upkeep of the homestead, and maintenance of the boys. And all that will keep us busy enough. Have a great week!
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Thursday, April 27, 2006
I guess he showed me.
Today, a little while after putting Andrew to bed for his nap, I head back upstairs and notice that his light is on. Getting ready to scold him for getting up, I realize that I can not open the door. I also notice that his white noise maker is off. So I peak in the crack of the door and see his bare feet right inside the door. Then I hear him snoring. Yes, my man, in an effort to be defiant, got up, turned off his noise maker, turned on his light, only to fall asleep right in the front of the closed door.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Are they just spoiling me today?
God is good. Thank you for your prayers. Today is running so smoothly! AJ has been sleeping since 11am, woke up to eat at 2pm and went right back to sleep, still sleeping now at 3pm. And Andrew went down at 1pm and is still down, going on over a 2 hour nap. I've been able to do some laundry, dishes, make calls, write thank yous and keep my sanity. (Granted, I am still in my sweatpants....sshhhh, I have to take some advantages of maternity leave).
However, I did get to pick up toddler poop off the carpet today. What can I say...no day is perfect. I am not complaining.
However, I did get to pick up toddler poop off the carpet today. What can I say...no day is perfect. I am not complaining.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
My little vampire
Up until now, I've been able to evade the never-ending "What you doing?" question from Andrew while nursing AJ by answering, "I'm snugging AJ."
However, today Andrew saw what was going on and with a concerned expression informed me that, "He biting you, mama."
However, today Andrew saw what was going on and with a concerned expression informed me that, "He biting you, mama."
One on One
"Both boys have poopy diapers, which one do you want?"
My hubby picks the eldest boy whose dirty diapers are in a solid state, whose legs don't flail about and whose diapers are big enough to manage. I, on the other hand, get the boy who decides to have his first up the back blowout.
Also, right on cue, when the due date came, so did the 'real' baby. He's expessing himself with a voice, some crying and fussiness, Nothing terrible by any means, but not the perfectly quiet, content, make-sure-he's-still-breathing self he was the first two weeks.
We didn't go to church today. Per our pediatricians directions we are not supposed to take AJ to public places for the first month including church. Although we didn't listen last week. I mean...It was Easter after all.
Well, we pretty much just been managing the boys today. Getting used to two bodies to be responsible for. Pray for me tomorrow as I attempt this feat all by myself. We also did a small amount of cleaning as we have company stopping by in a bit to bring us a dinner for tomorrow. Of course tonight the Pistons play thier first game of the playoffs.
Well, I must go. I need to get something pulled together for dinner tonight. Probably something easy (and not super nutritional) like fish sticks or chicken nuggets and boxed mac and cheese unless I get a brilliant idea in the next few minutes.
Have a wonderful week!
My hubby picks the eldest boy whose dirty diapers are in a solid state, whose legs don't flail about and whose diapers are big enough to manage. I, on the other hand, get the boy who decides to have his first up the back blowout.
Also, right on cue, when the due date came, so did the 'real' baby. He's expessing himself with a voice, some crying and fussiness, Nothing terrible by any means, but not the perfectly quiet, content, make-sure-he's-still-breathing self he was the first two weeks.
We didn't go to church today. Per our pediatricians directions we are not supposed to take AJ to public places for the first month including church. Although we didn't listen last week. I mean...It was Easter after all.
Well, we pretty much just been managing the boys today. Getting used to two bodies to be responsible for. Pray for me tomorrow as I attempt this feat all by myself. We also did a small amount of cleaning as we have company stopping by in a bit to bring us a dinner for tomorrow. Of course tonight the Pistons play thier first game of the playoffs.
Well, I must go. I need to get something pulled together for dinner tonight. Probably something easy (and not super nutritional) like fish sticks or chicken nuggets and boxed mac and cheese unless I get a brilliant idea in the next few minutes.
Have a wonderful week!
Friday, April 21, 2006
Today is the day.
Yes, I am officially due today. Today is my due date. Man, am I SO thankful I didn't make it this long. So hard to believe he's been here for over 2 weeks now.
We had a nice day yesterday. After AJ's appointment and picking Andrew up from daycare, we came home and took nice naps. Then we got our afternoon snack at CONE CITY, which means that spring is officially here! We took our ice cream and went to the airport observation area. It's a nice area off to the side of the runways where you can park. They have a grassy area to play and picnic tables, so you can just hang out and watch the airplanes come and go. Andrew did really well considering the last couple times we went the noise of the large planes scared him a bit. (They do get really really loud!). Of course, AJ slept through the whole thing.
Speaking of AJ, get this. Last night he fell asleep at 10:15pm. And slept in HIS bed until 2:30! I kept getting up to check on him to make sure he was still breathing! Then at 2:30, he started making little noises. I'm not sure if he would have even woke up then but I needed to feed him badly so I woke him up. Other than waking a few minutes (yes, mere minutes) to nurse every couple hours the rest of the night, he slept until about 8:00. It's now 9:45 and he's been sleeping again for a good half hour. Thank you Jesus for this good sleeper!
Not much is planned for today. Just some odds and ends around the house. If the weather stays nice (and it looks like it should), I think we are going to head to the park (a really cool park) this afternoon. Andrew can wear mom out and I can sit and watch with AJ. Sounds like a plan to me.
I hope you have a great weekend. Pray for us this weekend as we attempt to do this parenting thing all by ourselves as my mom leaves tomorrow. Also, pray for her, as she will likely suffer grandchild withdrawal.
We had a nice day yesterday. After AJ's appointment and picking Andrew up from daycare, we came home and took nice naps. Then we got our afternoon snack at CONE CITY, which means that spring is officially here! We took our ice cream and went to the airport observation area. It's a nice area off to the side of the runways where you can park. They have a grassy area to play and picnic tables, so you can just hang out and watch the airplanes come and go. Andrew did really well considering the last couple times we went the noise of the large planes scared him a bit. (They do get really really loud!). Of course, AJ slept through the whole thing.
Speaking of AJ, get this. Last night he fell asleep at 10:15pm. And slept in HIS bed until 2:30! I kept getting up to check on him to make sure he was still breathing! Then at 2:30, he started making little noises. I'm not sure if he would have even woke up then but I needed to feed him badly so I woke him up. Other than waking a few minutes (yes, mere minutes) to nurse every couple hours the rest of the night, he slept until about 8:00. It's now 9:45 and he's been sleeping again for a good half hour. Thank you Jesus for this good sleeper!
Not much is planned for today. Just some odds and ends around the house. If the weather stays nice (and it looks like it should), I think we are going to head to the park (a really cool park) this afternoon. Andrew can wear mom out and I can sit and watch with AJ. Sounds like a plan to me.
I hope you have a great weekend. Pray for us this weekend as we attempt to do this parenting thing all by ourselves as my mom leaves tomorrow. Also, pray for her, as she will likely suffer grandchild withdrawal.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Heard...
Andrew has been in the process of potty training... so every hour or so he sits on the potty. Heard today when sitting on the potty, but not having to go...
"It's not working".
"It's not working".
My, How they grow.
Ok, AJ had his two week check up this morning and here are the stats:
Height - 20 3/4 inches (the pediatrician thinks they got his original height wrong at the hospital because there is no way he would have grown two inches in two weeks)
Weight - 8lbs, 6oz.
So, he got a big thumbs up and everything looks good. He also has exceptionally strong neck muscles as well. My little brut.
Andrew is doing well. He really seems to like his little brother and shows concern for him quite often by asking, "Where's baby AJ?", "What's baby AJ doing", or by bringing him his paci and insisting it go in his mouth. And this morning, when AJ was starting to cry, Andrew asked me if he was hurt. It was very sweet.
However, last night, AJ was fussing in his bouncer a bit. We were in the kitchen cleaning up dinner and Andrew was playing. I look up in time to see Andrew squat down by AJ, with hands on hips and scold in a stern voice, "I SAID NO!". Apperantly, Andrew had had enough of the fussing and had already told AJ once to knock it off without sucess. Have I mentioned that my two year old is bossy? Adorable, sweet, totally lovable and bossy.
Well, I will update more later, but I need to take off and get my eldest monster picked up from daycare.
Height - 20 3/4 inches (the pediatrician thinks they got his original height wrong at the hospital because there is no way he would have grown two inches in two weeks)
Weight - 8lbs, 6oz.
So, he got a big thumbs up and everything looks good. He also has exceptionally strong neck muscles as well. My little brut.
Andrew is doing well. He really seems to like his little brother and shows concern for him quite often by asking, "Where's baby AJ?", "What's baby AJ doing", or by bringing him his paci and insisting it go in his mouth. And this morning, when AJ was starting to cry, Andrew asked me if he was hurt. It was very sweet.
However, last night, AJ was fussing in his bouncer a bit. We were in the kitchen cleaning up dinner and Andrew was playing. I look up in time to see Andrew squat down by AJ, with hands on hips and scold in a stern voice, "I SAID NO!". Apperantly, Andrew had had enough of the fussing and had already told AJ once to knock it off without sucess. Have I mentioned that my two year old is bossy? Adorable, sweet, totally lovable and bossy.
Well, I will update more later, but I need to take off and get my eldest monster picked up from daycare.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Some family pictures
Andrew with his beloved train set
Our first family photo
Andrew is fond of his new little brother
Posing already. I told you, he was a good baby.
My Boys!
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Still here.
Just wanted to let you know that I am still around and kickin'. Sorry I haven't posted much. But we are doing fine, just haven't gotten around to posting lately. I will try to do better. Thanks for continuing to check in.
Happy Easter!
Happy Easter!
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
We are a family of four!
Well, what is life like with two kids? I don’t know yet. I am still recovering and therefore not doing a whole lot, my mom is here to help out (i.e.: keeping up with a super busy Andrew so I can attend to AJ), and the new little man is (gasp, I hate to even put it in writing) a really good baby. And I mean really good. Scary good. All I knew is how Andrew was as a baby and let me tell you…. not easy. Not a bit. So maybe we are due a good baby, or maybe he is still just sleeping off the birth, but regardless I am all for it! (Excuse me, while I find wood to knock on).
So what have we been up to? We got home Saturday late afternoon. Pretty much just hung out through Sunday. Although mom and Andrew did get outside to play Sunday afternoon while Marc worked in the yard. The weather’s been beautiful so far this week!
Yesterday I spent a good portion of the day on the phone. Schedule doctors appts for myself and AJ, multiple calls trying to figure out the daycare situation while I am on maternity leave, calls to human resources for all that good stuff, etc… Plus the calls from caring family and friends. After lunch and afternoon naps, we went to an incredible playground not too far from our house. Mom and Andrew played HARD for a good while, while AJ and I hung out sitting in the shade. Much to Marc’s delight we got Chinese for dinner. Ryan was in town for work, so he spent the night and we had some other friends stop in last night and bring us ice cream. It was a nice day. But boy, Andrew was exhausted by bedtime.
This morning we got up and got Andrew to daycare for his field trip (we didn’t want him to miss it since they’ve been planning it for a little while now). Since I was pretty much ‘at work’, I went ahead and went in and showed off AJ to my co-workers while faxing all the lovely paperwork to HR. Mom and I then hit McDonalds for salads before picking Andrew back up at daycare. They said the field trip was great (they walked to the local library for song, story and craft time) and will be going again every Tuesday during the month of April. Which works perfectly with Andrew’s new daycare schedule of Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9-12p.
Now at this point, we really should have put Andrew down for a nap, but I had a doctor appt that we had to get to. Without being too graphic, I had to get ‘re-stitched’ today, so I am moving S.L.O.W. pretty much the rest of the day. We all came home for late but much needed naps. Now, Marc took Andrew over to some friends house for a boys evening of hamburgers and playing on a swing set. My mom headed out to Kohl’s, AJ is sleeping and I am just sitting here with the remote, the phone and the laptop. My little cockpit.
Overall, things are going well and I can’t complain. My digital camera is on the fritz (which really irritates me…couldn’t be worse timing). Ok, ok, I found something to complain about. Hopefully we’ll get that taken care of soon and get some more pictures posted of my boys here soon. Thanks for all the comments of congrats and care! I really appreciate it.
So what have we been up to? We got home Saturday late afternoon. Pretty much just hung out through Sunday. Although mom and Andrew did get outside to play Sunday afternoon while Marc worked in the yard. The weather’s been beautiful so far this week!
Yesterday I spent a good portion of the day on the phone. Schedule doctors appts for myself and AJ, multiple calls trying to figure out the daycare situation while I am on maternity leave, calls to human resources for all that good stuff, etc… Plus the calls from caring family and friends. After lunch and afternoon naps, we went to an incredible playground not too far from our house. Mom and Andrew played HARD for a good while, while AJ and I hung out sitting in the shade. Much to Marc’s delight we got Chinese for dinner. Ryan was in town for work, so he spent the night and we had some other friends stop in last night and bring us ice cream. It was a nice day. But boy, Andrew was exhausted by bedtime.
This morning we got up and got Andrew to daycare for his field trip (we didn’t want him to miss it since they’ve been planning it for a little while now). Since I was pretty much ‘at work’, I went ahead and went in and showed off AJ to my co-workers while faxing all the lovely paperwork to HR. Mom and I then hit McDonalds for salads before picking Andrew back up at daycare. They said the field trip was great (they walked to the local library for song, story and craft time) and will be going again every Tuesday during the month of April. Which works perfectly with Andrew’s new daycare schedule of Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9-12p.
Now at this point, we really should have put Andrew down for a nap, but I had a doctor appt that we had to get to. Without being too graphic, I had to get ‘re-stitched’ today, so I am moving S.L.O.W. pretty much the rest of the day. We all came home for late but much needed naps. Now, Marc took Andrew over to some friends house for a boys evening of hamburgers and playing on a swing set. My mom headed out to Kohl’s, AJ is sleeping and I am just sitting here with the remote, the phone and the laptop. My little cockpit.
Overall, things are going well and I can’t complain. My digital camera is on the fritz (which really irritates me…couldn’t be worse timing). Ok, ok, I found something to complain about. Hopefully we’ll get that taken care of soon and get some more pictures posted of my boys here soon. Thanks for all the comments of congrats and care! I really appreciate it.
Saturday, April 8, 2006
Friday, April 7, 2006
Thursday, April 6, 2006
Tuesday, April 4, 2006
He's Number One!... 'cause he did number one!
I am not trying to put undue pressure on my child by posting to the world his training experiences, but until he can read... I am going to gloat.
Guess who sat on his potty and actually went tonight? (no, not Marc. Well, he might have, too.)
Andrew did!!! We aren't pushing the potty training business yet, but his potty is out and we'll ask him now and then to check his interest level. So tonight before changing him into the "good" diaper for bedtime, I asked him and he sat and went and he got 5 M&M's as a reward. It was a very exciting time. Practically like a party in the Dykstra household!
Now, there is a downside. The little potty has to be cleaned out and washed down and Lysol-ed, etc... vs. just flushing a "big" potty, or rolling up a diaper and stuffing in the diaper pail.
But I am very proud of my big little man.
Guess who sat on his potty and actually went tonight? (no, not Marc. Well, he might have, too.)
Andrew did!!! We aren't pushing the potty training business yet, but his potty is out and we'll ask him now and then to check his interest level. So tonight before changing him into the "good" diaper for bedtime, I asked him and he sat and went and he got 5 M&M's as a reward. It was a very exciting time. Practically like a party in the Dykstra household!
Now, there is a downside. The little potty has to be cleaned out and washed down and Lysol-ed, etc... vs. just flushing a "big" potty, or rolling up a diaper and stuffing in the diaper pail.
But I am very proud of my big little man.
Now worth much, but still kind of neat!
Tomorrow on Wednesday as of at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be:
01:02:03 04/05/06.
That won't ever happen again.
01:02:03 04/05/06.
That won't ever happen again.
Monday, April 3, 2006
If we knew he could type, we would have kept him!
This was posted in my comments section, but for those of you who may not go back and read the comments after the fact, I am posting the comment here as well:
OK - that last one was just a test! It's hard typing with paws! I wanted to make sure it would work right before I typed a bunch of stuff that didn't get out there!
AND I was just going to send Marc & Kelli an e-mail, but when I saw how much everyone cared, I thought I would send this to the group!!!
Marc & Kelli, you won't believe these people! They really need me!!!! They are WEAK! After only 3 hours of ball playing on Saturday, they were all exhausted! And there were 4 of them and only 1 of me!!!! Mindy said her arm was rubber.
O.K., for those of you who don't know - Stephen is my new man. He has this 4 bedroom house with lots of room for me! He lives with a couple of guys. Stephen's girlfriend, Bethany, loves me! She says I'm cool!!! And Stephen's mom & dad - that's Paul & Mindy - well, I thought they were going to fight over me! You see, they thought I would be great for Stephen - which I am (more on that later) - but they love me too! In fact I now have my own room at their house in the country - they have over 5 acres, some of it with woods, and Stephen says we'll be visiting there a lot. They have a big picture window in the living room that's just right for me - I can stand there and look outside and watch the birds and the cats! They didn't let me out to play much. Paul said I needed to be a little more used to my surroundings before they let me go too far.
I have an uncle - Bradley - he lets me sleep in his bed with him when I visit - and an aunt - Caitlin - she loves me too and gives me treats. Caitlin is sneaky though. I think I must have been too hard on her the first day - after playing for about 1/2 hour, she threw the ball really hard so it went in the other room and when I brought it back, she was gone! But I found her - she was hiding in her room! That was o.k. though - she played with me and she rubbed my belly. She's my friend.
Back to Stephen - I'm his new best friend. We went everywhere together on Sunday! He was going to build this cage thing on the back of his truck for me - he has one of those small Ranger things and it's crowded with him and Beth in there - but Beth decided it would be just fine for me to ride up front with them! Stephen was a little bad though - he didn't go to church on Sunday - but we had fun!
Sunday was Paul's birthday so we went over there Sunday evening. I got to see Grandma & Grandpa Huffer! They played with me in my room. I had fun. Mindy was sad that I couldn't come out, but there were a lot of people there so I understood - when she told me to go to my room, I was a very good boy. Then Stephen came to take me home - I was so excited!!!!
Well - I will keep in touch. I think we're going to Paul & Mindy's again tonight.
OH - I learned a new trick - I think - they didn't think I knew this one anyway - I say 'Please' like all good-mannered boys should! Marc & Kelli, I'll come and show you next time you visit Grandma & Grandpa if you want! And Paul is working on showing me how to flop over the direction his hand is going for optimal belly-rubbing positioning.
I love you guys and I miss you!
The Rockster
AND I was just going to send Marc & Kelli an e-mail, but when I saw how much everyone cared, I thought I would send this to the group!!!
Marc & Kelli, you won't believe these people! They really need me!!!! They are WEAK! After only 3 hours of ball playing on Saturday, they were all exhausted! And there were 4 of them and only 1 of me!!!! Mindy said her arm was rubber.
O.K., for those of you who don't know - Stephen is my new man. He has this 4 bedroom house with lots of room for me! He lives with a couple of guys. Stephen's girlfriend, Bethany, loves me! She says I'm cool!!! And Stephen's mom & dad - that's Paul & Mindy - well, I thought they were going to fight over me! You see, they thought I would be great for Stephen - which I am (more on that later) - but they love me too! In fact I now have my own room at their house in the country - they have over 5 acres, some of it with woods, and Stephen says we'll be visiting there a lot. They have a big picture window in the living room that's just right for me - I can stand there and look outside and watch the birds and the cats! They didn't let me out to play much. Paul said I needed to be a little more used to my surroundings before they let me go too far.
I have an uncle - Bradley - he lets me sleep in his bed with him when I visit - and an aunt - Caitlin - she loves me too and gives me treats. Caitlin is sneaky though. I think I must have been too hard on her the first day - after playing for about 1/2 hour, she threw the ball really hard so it went in the other room and when I brought it back, she was gone! But I found her - she was hiding in her room! That was o.k. though - she played with me and she rubbed my belly. She's my friend.
Back to Stephen - I'm his new best friend. We went everywhere together on Sunday! He was going to build this cage thing on the back of his truck for me - he has one of those small Ranger things and it's crowded with him and Beth in there - but Beth decided it would be just fine for me to ride up front with them! Stephen was a little bad though - he didn't go to church on Sunday - but we had fun!
Sunday was Paul's birthday so we went over there Sunday evening. I got to see Grandma & Grandpa Huffer! They played with me in my room. I had fun. Mindy was sad that I couldn't come out, but there were a lot of people there so I understood - when she told me to go to my room, I was a very good boy. Then Stephen came to take me home - I was so excited!!!!
Well - I will keep in touch. I think we're going to Paul & Mindy's again tonight.
OH - I learned a new trick - I think - they didn't think I knew this one anyway - I say 'Please' like all good-mannered boys should! Marc & Kelli, I'll come and show you next time you visit Grandma & Grandpa if you want! And Paul is working on showing me how to flop over the direction his hand is going for optimal belly-rubbing positioning.
I love you guys and I miss you!
The Rockster
Sunday, April 2, 2006
There were perks to having a dog...
Heard while hubby was making popcorn tonight: "Oh. Now I have to actually pick the popcorn up off the floor"
Can I start counting days instead of weeks yet?
Ok, we are home this morning instead of church. Yes, we played hooky this morning. And yes, we were aware of the time change. We have reasons, but none of them are good excuses. We did get to bed really late last night (once we realized what the ‘new’ time was), Andrew actually slept in until 8:30 (due to the time change) and I slept miserably (which is par for the course, now – but this was really bad…I feel like someone beat me, I am so sore this morning. And our church only has folding chairs or bleachers, which kills me at this point).
So, we have our praise music on and I made baked oatmeal for breakfast for kiddo. I should have some too, but it’s too early to eat, yet. I’ll stick with my hazelnut coffee for now (hey, I’ve been really good up until this point… I need my coffee!)
And fortunately, Andrew has only asked once this morning where Rocky was and didn’t seem heartbroken when I told him that Rocky went bye-bye with Grandma’s friend.
Well, for those of you who don’t own a calendar, it officially became April yesterday. Do you know what that means? I will be having a baby THIS MONTH!! Or at least it better be this month, or I will be one grumpy mama. If you look at my little ticker above, we are technically talking about only 19 days. However, we know that babies are not of the technical sort. If so, I totally got gypped on my instruction manual with my first one.
So, we have our praise music on and I made baked oatmeal for breakfast for kiddo. I should have some too, but it’s too early to eat, yet. I’ll stick with my hazelnut coffee for now (hey, I’ve been really good up until this point… I need my coffee!)
And fortunately, Andrew has only asked once this morning where Rocky was and didn’t seem heartbroken when I told him that Rocky went bye-bye with Grandma’s friend.
Well, for those of you who don’t own a calendar, it officially became April yesterday. Do you know what that means? I will be having a baby THIS MONTH!! Or at least it better be this month, or I will be one grumpy mama. If you look at my little ticker above, we are technically talking about only 19 days. However, we know that babies are not of the technical sort. If so, I totally got gypped on my instruction manual with my first one.
Saturday, April 1, 2006
Rocky
Well, this morning was a very bittersweet morning in our household. Actually it started last night (or even this whole week if you really think about it). You see, today is the day that our Rocky finds a new home.
We’ve had Rocky since he was a mere 6 weeks old and now he is a beautiful four-year-old black lab. A good dog he is…very good. And very pretty. In fact, he was like a child to Marc and myself for a couple years. That is, until a real child came along. Believe it or not, there was actually a time during my first pregnancy that we were worried that we may not love the new baby as much as the dog. I know, it sounds super crazy and you are rolling your eyes, but I was hormonal and we didn’t really know at the time what we had gotten into with the whole parenting thing yet.
Well, slowly and steady (ok, more like a smack in the face), our attention was instantly diverted by this new being that we were instantly responsible for. Unfortunately, the attention was taken from our Rocky. A Rocky that lives for attention. Good or bad, attention is his lifeblood. After two years of dwindling attention (and guilt for that) and realizing that it is not going to get any better when this new baby comes along, and after much much MUCH debate (i.e.: hot button the house for months), we decided to see if we could find a better home for our Rocky.
And I am so thankful to report that we have. We have found a single young man in Ohio who has his own home. He is a friend of my parents (so it’s not like we will never see him again), and is SO excited to get Rocky. In fact, his excitement about taking care of Rocky makes it so much easier to give him away. He will go to a good home. One where he will be walked and ran and played with on a regular basis. So I am happy for both this guy and Rocky. I pray the transition goes well, but in the long run, I am sure this will be a great move for all of us.
We’ve had Rocky since he was a mere 6 weeks old and now he is a beautiful four-year-old black lab. A good dog he is…very good. And very pretty. In fact, he was like a child to Marc and myself for a couple years. That is, until a real child came along. Believe it or not, there was actually a time during my first pregnancy that we were worried that we may not love the new baby as much as the dog. I know, it sounds super crazy and you are rolling your eyes, but I was hormonal and we didn’t really know at the time what we had gotten into with the whole parenting thing yet.
Well, slowly and steady (ok, more like a smack in the face), our attention was instantly diverted by this new being that we were instantly responsible for. Unfortunately, the attention was taken from our Rocky. A Rocky that lives for attention. Good or bad, attention is his lifeblood. After two years of dwindling attention (and guilt for that) and realizing that it is not going to get any better when this new baby comes along, and after much much MUCH debate (i.e.: hot button the house for months), we decided to see if we could find a better home for our Rocky.
And I am so thankful to report that we have. We have found a single young man in Ohio who has his own home. He is a friend of my parents (so it’s not like we will never see him again), and is SO excited to get Rocky. In fact, his excitement about taking care of Rocky makes it so much easier to give him away. He will go to a good home. One where he will be walked and ran and played with on a regular basis. So I am happy for both this guy and Rocky. I pray the transition goes well, but in the long run, I am sure this will be a great move for all of us.
This morning was a little rough, as Marc loaded up all of Rocky’s gear and finally Rocky into the car. Andrew was oblivious, Marc was doing fine since he still had the car ride with him…. but I was choked up and struggling. It will be hard the first couple times Andrew asked where he is. I really am glad we are doing this and I wouldn’t change my mind if given the chance, but it was still a little sad this morning. He will be missed.
So, Stephan, take good care of my Rocky. Grab a tennis ball and you will him over in a heartbeat. May he be the great dog for you that he was for us. Love him and play with him and give him all the attention he deserves. I know he will love you for it.
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