the price you pay...

D as a pup

It's about time that I mention my other baby, Delilah. She has been a part of mine and Adam's life for 5 years now and it seems like just yesterday when I bought her from a strange couple on the side of the road. To give you a little history, I had wanted a Great Dane for a very very long time and was never at the right place in my life to be able to get one. Or I should say, aside from living at my parents house (who wouldn't let me get a dog, and I don't blame them) I never resided in a place that would allow such a large dog to run and play. So, when Adam bought his house when we were dating, I thought "what a perfect opportunity!". Adam and I discussed this opportunity in length and he had firmly told me that he had no desire to get a dog at this point in time and that no meant no. Now, I know we were only dating but we were on the verge of engagement and we both knew that, but just to let me know how serious he was he told me that he would break up with me if I got a dog, especially a Great Dane!!! Can you believe the nerve??? As bull headed as I am, I didn't like someone telling me what I could or couldn't do. In my eyes, my parents had been telling me that I couldn't have a dog for forever and now that I was an adult with a stable job and this perfect place (albeit it wasn't technically mine) to have a dog that I had desperately wanted for so long, I saw no reason not to get one.

Needless to say, I was presented with this really random opportunity to buy a Great Dane and I couldn't pass it up. I was driving down the street and there was a couple with two Great Dane puppies tied up to a tree and a handmade sign that said "Great Danes- $300". I had been doing a lot of research and $300 was a great deal for a Dane with papers so, I couldn't pass her up. The two were sisters and they were the last of their litter. It was so hard to choose but I picked one and named her right there, Delilah. The name just came to me and it made it feel so meant to be. Adam, of course, had a heart attack. He thought I was lying when I told him on the phone that I had gotten a dog. But I naturally turned on the water works and he let me keep her. It's funny because now I think Adam loves her even more than I do and he actually wishes now that I had gotten both Delilah and her sister.

Loving on Adam while he drives

giving Adam kisses

That's my pretty girl

That's his buddy and she has been the most wonderful dog you could ever ask for. She is very obedient (until recently with the addition of Addie, but I'll blog on that later), completely loyal, and only wants to please her masters and play all day. Couldn't have asked for a better dog. I love her to death, in fact writing this blog has made me a little teary. Crazy how you can get so attached to your animals. But what is the price you pay you ask??? Well, owning a large breed dog puts you in a special category and only other large breed dog owners can truly relate. You must be aware of all things in your house that she can get to, hit, knock over, slobber on, lay on, etc. I mean, you're practically talking about a human being with no manners being in your house all of the time.

She had just gotten her ears docked, that's why they're taped up

Owning the bed

Lounging on the boat

Well, this morning Delilah was so excited to see me that she was doing her "wag your whole back end" tail wag and knocked over my vase....it's the price you pay, but it's worth it.

Can't keep my hands out of my mouth!!

Addison's eating habits: take a bite of food and insert fingers in mouth before swallowing, take a bite of food and try to eat the bib before swallowing, take a bite of food and push it out with my tongue and insert fingers in mouth, take a bite of food and swallow, and repeat. So far her favorite foods are applesauce and sweet potatoes. He least favorite are bananas and pears. She is starting to get the hang of it and so are we! 

Keep rollin' rollin' rollin' rollin'

Addison has rolled over!!! Several times Addison has taken on the challenge to roll from her stomach to her back and it is so exciting to see. You keep waiting and waiting for each milestone and then you almost can't believe your eyes when it happens. However, with Addison you have to have the patience of a fisherman. She does not, in any way, like to be on her stomach. It takes a literal half second for her to start screaming in protest once you put her belly down and it doesn't let up until she is right side up again. Some would say that this is a GOOD way to get her to roll over, let her get agitated enough that she will roll herself over. That doesn't work with pants. At first she will try, lifting her tiny little hiney up and swinging her hips to the side. When she can't get it the even louder protest begins. She straightens her legs out behind her with her butt cheeks squinched  (which apparently is not a word, but I'm using it) super tight and makes somewhat of a seesaw out of her body as she lifts them off the floor. She pretty much stays like this until you get her up (and trust me, we have left her like that for a while trying to "wait it out"). Needless to say, catching a glimpse of this rare act is challenging to say the least and I venture to say that it will be even more rare, if at all, that I see her rolling from her back to her stomach. One can hope!

Next up, sitting up on her own. She is so close!

Pictures of our sweet little girl to come soon, I just have to find a moment to upload the new ones to the computer.

How about we play a game. It's called nap time.

Addison has a new game. It's called, "how many ways can you try and put me to sleep while I try desperately to stay awake!" It's really quite fun. If you haven't tried it before you should. Make sure to block off plenty of time because it will take all afternoon and be sure to get all of your game pieces together: bottle, pacifier, blanket, mobile, and swing (or any other rocking/swinging/vibrating device that you would like to use). You may or may not use all of these pieces but they must be in the game at all times. You may draw a card like "diaper change" or "outfit change due to spit up" but there are no cards that read "go to sleep immediately" or "one free two hour nap". Be sure to practice up on any stealthy skills that you may have because they will definitely come into play. You may also want to focus on your arms and back in any workout sessions as these are the muscle groups that will be hit the hardest. The best part of the game is that it can be played as often as you like and as many times a day as you can possibly squeeze in. Once you have won the game the prize is randomly drawn. It could be free time for an hour or it could just be 15 minutes. That is the excitement of the win, you just don't know what you're going to get. Luck does not play a factor in this game but I do wish you God's speed (and I mean God's speediness of getting your little angel to go to sleep).

Warning: this game is not easy and not meant for the short tempered. It is not recommended for adults without children but they may play at their own risk.

first post ever.

For my first post ever I would like to state that Addison does not like pears, I am balding, and we are dealing with constipation (we, in the sense that, Addison is constipated and I am dealing with it). In lieu of the last sentence, I would like to go ahead and apologize to Addison, and you might as well throw in my husband Adam, for any embarrassing stories and/or photos that may appear on this blog. I am, after all, chronicling our lives and it wouldn't be thorough if I didn't include the good stuff :)

So, back to the pears. We tried them this morning for the first time. Addie showed me how much she enjoyed them by gagging (complete with sound affects) each time I put a spoonful in her mouth. The great thing was that she never stopped opening her mouth to take them. I guess she kept hoping I would get the message and put something different on the spoon. I love her for it. At lunch time I think we'll try.....pears. She's gotta expand those little taste buds and you always have to try something more than once. Ahhhhh, it should be fun.

And my balding. So, most of you know that many women suffer from some hair loss after giving birth. It's a direct effect from those pesky hormones raging out of control. Well, I am going out on a limb and saying that my hair loss is significant. It's actually more than significant, it's gotten ridiculous. Now, my friends and family would say that I'm overreacting, that it's not that bad. Right, well, my receding hair line is receding and my hair is parting in areas that I can't even describe. In a few days, I will be looking for that "hair in an aerosol can" that they sold in the '80's so that I can fill some gaps.

And, last but not least, constipation. Poor little pants (one of Addie's numerous nicknames) has been dealing with constipation for about two and half months now. It all started when she wasn't able to keep down the "regular"' formula anymore so we had to switch her to the spit-up formula, which I always laugh about to myself because it sounds like you're saying the formula is actually spit-up. Anyway, this formula is very thick and causes her to be constipated. We have taken measures to try and alleviate the problem; apple juice, Karo syrup, etc., but it still seems to linger, no pun intended. Which brings me full circle back to the pears that I hope will help remedy some of the constipation. As I'm sure most of you are on the edge of your seat in anticipation, I do promise to keep you updated on her bowels. And to Carrie and Kalen, my beautiful, sweet cousins that I love so dearly, you know what childhood memory this conjures up. All I have to say is bran. Amen?

Until next time...