House news

So, after 9 days on the market we have an accepted offer on our condo!  Yay! They are doing the inspection today and if that goes well (no reason it shouldn't) we will be moving the first week of January. weeeeeee.

We were sort of hoping to get in there before Xmas, but 'twas not to be. So instead, we will be traveling to NB for Xmas, rushing back, packing up, moving, unpacking, hopefully getting M into daycare, and then I'm back to work!  All in the span of about one month.

Does this stress me out? Some parts yes, most parts no. I'm glad that we will be starting our new daily routine in the new house. I'm stressed we don't have a daycare spot yet. I'm happy that before the holidays come we will know that our condo sale is going through and can relax and enjoy (?) M's first Xmas. By driving ten hours in the cold, possibly snowy weather, then struggling to fit in time with everyone then driving back. So relaxing and enjoyable.

But, focusing on the positive - things are looking good that we will be moving and we're very very excited. Right now the thing I'm looking forward to the most? When Tess realizes that the whole big, fenced, wooded, beautiful yard is all for HER! I don't think she will ever want to come in the house!

Surprise for you....

Another post about running! Are you tired of hearing about my running adventures yet? Do you wish I would have just kept all the baby stuff on this blog to bore you with?

We are moving into the last week of our Couch 2 5K program. The program itself is actually 9 weeks, but with our vacation and our ~ahem~ laziness I think we've been working on this for about 6 years now. But we're almost there!

The actual running is getting better. Not much easier, but bringing Tess helps give me something to fuss over to help pass the time. SB also had a great suggestion that I should be listening to audiobooks or podcasts rather than music. Normally I would buck this suggestion, but for once I listened and gave it a try. It's actually great! I have been listening to Q podcasts so far - we'll see what else I can scare up that I like.

M is still very amenable to our runs, although I have learned that I have to go pretty much as soon as she wakes up, otherwise it totally messes with her sleeping schedule. The cooler weather is presenting some challenges, mainly finding a hat that won't fall over her eyes, resulting in screams. Mittens so far are not an option at all. Ever. We've been getting by using hoodies, and thankfully it's usually over 10 degrees in the afternoons when we run... Fingers crossed she becomes more used to winter wear or it could be a LOOOOONG season!

Switch it up

Our last jog was last Friday, and we decided to switch it up a little. We brought Tess!

Pro tip: try not to run on pavement with your dog, or at least as little as possible. Think about how bad you've read it is for your knees, hips and ankles. Now think about your poor dog with no comfy cushy running shoes to help brace the impact for them. Especially if you have a large or giant breed dog like Tessy!

When you think about running with a dog, it usually seems like a better idea then it actually is in practice. Since we run on a dirt/gravelly trail, and we don't run a long distance, I decided to bring Tess along for a little exercise. I didn't really account for the fact that cyclists also use our path, and Tess hates the sound of bikes. And rollerblades. And skateboards. And humans in general.
So, while it did a good job to keep my mind off the actual distance we were running, it was very tiring staying on my game as the pack leader while trying not to wheeze myself into a coma. I'm not saying we won't bring her again (she was very tired out after and a very happy pup for the rest of the evening) but we may try to time our run to hit a lower traffic time of day!

Possibilities

We made it back from vacation!  So far the worst part is Double Baby Time Change, in which we changed an hour when we got there, then changed back 10 days later to come home.  We could also call it Baby Subaru-Lag, since we didn't fly there but it seems to have the same results.  General crankiness and sleep schedule disruptions all around, lasting approximately one day.  

Before vacation, we started nosing around the real estate listings thinking about the possibility of moving our little three ringed circus to a more comfortably-sized location.  The problem with this being that a more comfortably-sized location in our neighborhood would cost us approximately a kajillion dollars, and the sale of our condo plus our savings gives us about negative three dollars, approximately.  Just for comparison's sake.

So we widened our search radius, excluded neighborhoods that were tooooo francais (bitches need to find good anglo schools), too suburby (bitches like diversity), too old (bitches hate renovation), too new (bitches watch Mike Holmes).  And soon us bitches started having to consider things like "is it near a commuter train line" because, yup, that's how far away we ended up.

Long story short, there was a house we loved, but while we were busy hemming and hawing and calculating and re-calculating, and driving by and peeking in the windows someone else was buying that damn house.  But now we love that area, and now I'm stalking Realtors.ca ten times a day, especially on Monday, cause it seems everyone lists on a Monday. 

Maybe we'll move, maybe we won't.  More space would be great right now.  Commuting to work would be a bummer.  Tess would have a yard, and we could have a pool.  But no more walking down the street to the [Bilboquet/Frites Alors/Les Infideles/the grocery store/the SAQ/the toy store/the bank/etc]. 

The things we sacrifice for our kids, and our 100 pound dogs.  (Although while on vacation we discovered that when given the option of sleeping on one of two floors, Tess will choose the one that we are NOT sleeping on.  This makes me sad.)  

Where it's at

So, the kid turned six months old over the weekend.  She seemed non-plussed by the whole thing, but we were feeling a little nostalgic.  Like, hey, remember that ugly little monkey we brought home from the hospital who squawked all the time?  Now she's cute and round and instead of squawking, she screams!  Weeeeee!

Ugly Monkey Squawker

She is still not crawling and still has no teeth.  But she IS a champion eater.  We started "solids" early, and so far she has tried all of the appropriate first foods.  This includes carrots, bananas, three kinds of cereal, squash, apple, pear, peach, beans, peas, zucchini, plums, and more.  She was not so into meats, but the past few days she's been coping alright with those too.  She not only loves the purees, but she has also gummed on a cooked carrot, and some baby rice wafer cookies with gusto.  

With this love of solid foods, also comes the reward of solid poo.  This has made our cloth diapering life much easier and more pleasant.  I think that's enough on that topic for a general update post.  But I'm working on a post about baby feeding, so we'll get more in depth there. 

She loves Tess more than anything - the squeals and screeches of delight are often rewarded with some finger tasting on Tess's part.  I am so happy that Tess is so gentle with her, and her toys, but I am not surprised.  Simon is also very interested in the baby, and lets her pull and tug on his tail or face without complaining.  If she bothers him, he will often get up, circle around her, and settle in on the other side of her still within grabbing distance.  This also doesn't surprise me much.  I think the only unknown we had going into this was how the baby would react to them, and I have to say it has been fantastic!

Sunscreen Hair

We have been spending our days visiting friends, shopping, running, yogaing and sleeping.  We have yet to hit up the new wading pool at our park because I am slightly terrified she will have a meltdown and/or I'll drown her by accident but it's on our list of things to do.  Summer has been quite lovely, but we are looking forward to our vacation out East next month.  And by "looking forward to" I mean "still dreading a 10 hour drive with an infant and a giant dog and all our shit, so the weather better be good". 

Happy Birthday to My Girl!!

Not that one - this one:

Tess turns one year old today!  I can hardly believe it.  When we met her, she was one of these little furballs:  (this is her litter, but we aren't sure which one was Tess)

 
She couldn't even walk around yet at that point.

We waited and waited until we could finally bring her home.  I could barely sleep the whole week before it was time to go get her.  We spent quite a while with the females of the litter, and finally we came home with this:

I think she was 18 pounds when she came home, slightly smaller than Simon.  It's insane to think that she now weighs 90 pounds!

I have always known I wanted a Bernese Mountain Dog.  I love everything about the breed - their size, their soft fur, their sweet temperament, their laziness.  But Tess has really exceeded any expectation I could have had.  Her only flaw is her shyness, but I'll take that over hyperactivity any day.  And besides, it's a good excuse not to stop and talk to everyone who admires her in the park or on the street.  It would take us all day to get anywhere!

I am especially enjoying seeing Tess with Marlowe.  She is sweet and curious, but not overbearing.  She loves to smell her and lick her hands and feet.  Her favorite thing is taking walks, although I'm not sure if it's because she feels like she is protecting Marlowe and the stroller, or if she feels like the stroller is protecting her.  Either way, she loves it, and it makes me so happy that I can incorporate time with her and the baby, even though M is still so small.

Everyone told me that when the baby came, I would love my pets less.  Either they don't know me, or it's a total myth, because not only do I not love them less, I think I may even love them more if that's possible.  And Tess especially at this point.  I was so worried she would feel left out or forgotten, so we make a really big effort to keep her included.  But even on the days that are particularly tough and we only have time for the minimum, she is the one who keeps an even keel and only shows anxiousness when she's really gotta go. 

So, after one year, one baby, one trip to the beach, her first snowfall, her first walk on Mont Royal, her work days at the clinic and about one million cuddles, Happy Birthday to my Tessy,  Baby Girl #1. 

28 weeks, 4 days

Here is the latest belly photo:
Taken this morning. To me, looks exactly like the LAST belly photo I posted. Although my pants would beg to differ. Maybe because I'm wearing black?

I have begun the prep work to The Insider's Lair. Yesterday I filled all the holes in the walls (the previous owner was a BIG fan of drywall anchors, which makes for very heavy patching), and today I will give the walls and baseboards a wash. I may even paint the trim today....although after dragging the contents of the room into our dining room, I'm already pretty exhausted. We'll see. Nesting fail.

We have yet to have even one conversation about possible name choices. I have been slowly building a list (I've gotten through A-M so far!) but I don't think SB has been working on his yet. In this respect, it would have been much easier if the Insider were a boy, since I have had a boy's name picked for years.

Tess says she is compiling some name selections, but will only tell them if we are really stuck.

23 weeks 6 days

A bit slack on the posting this week. But, don't worry, you're not missing anything pregnancy-wise because nothing is changing. Still weird spastic movements, still getting fatter, still feeling great, but tired. Old news.

I am very interested to see how the pets will react when the Insider comes along. They cats are very sensitive and are often the first to tell that a mom is pregnant, but our guys seem completely oblivious. Or, at least, if they ARE onto me, they don't really care either way. They haven't adopted any weird behaviors, which is great because those behaviors usually include peeing in places they shouldn't. Sometimes we catch Simon sleeping in the baby carseat, but that's harmless and pretty hilarious, actually, because he barely fits in the seat part.

I'm curious about how Tess will react. I have no qualms at all about how she will be towards the baby, but she has never known me NOT pregnant, so she may feel differently about me once all these weird hormones quit emitting their vibes. I hope she still likes me. I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of time together with the Insider in the middle of the night.

18 weeks 1 day

Less than a week until vacation! Actually, tomorrow is my last workday before vacation, but we don't leave until Saturday. I can't wait for Tess to see the ocean. I'm pretty certain she is going to be terrified, but I'm hoping it will be a little fun for her at least. Especially since the week we get back she goes in for her spay. Poor Tessy.

It's pretty amazing how fast Tess is growing. Right now she is 55 pounds. I can remember having to carry her up and down the stairs because she was too small to negotiate them herself. She also used to refuse to come to the door so we could go on her walk - we had to clip the leash to her and practically drag her to the door. Then when we got outside, she would refuse to walk anywhere, terrified of everything she saw. And while she's still pretty much traumatized by anyone on two legs, I can remember a time when I thought she would stay petrified forever. That I would be spending the next ten years trying to drag a 100 pound dog around. But she loves her walks, and even moreso she loves the dogpark. And I can't even begin to gush about how smart she is and how obedient with all the commands she learned in her training class. Every day I tell her I can't believe how much I love her. Because I really can't believe it. She is awesome.

On the pregnancy front, still no baby movement. However my legs have been in overdrive. For three out of the last five nights I haven't been able to fall asleep because of restless legs. I've had this happen to me before in normal times but apparently it's a pretty common pregnancy problem too. And a super annoying one. At 12:45 am last night I was ready to go run around the block a few times to get my legs to quit feeling creepy crawly.

Going by too quickly

Monday was a sad day here. Not only had Tess grown out of her baby puppy collar and had to move up to another one, she had also outgrown the loaner crate and we had to buy the big one already. And her puppy fur is starting to come out.

She is still exceeding all expectations I ever could have had. She is so quiet, and sweet, but twice a day has her playful times when she is fun and energetic. Simon still wants little-to-nothing to do with her, but Osha likes to check her out once in a while, which is adorable.

Milestone-wise, she now does "sit" on command (still working on "come" - she understands it, but I think she just doesn't feel like doing it sometimes). She comes to the vet clinic with me, and while the first few days she was a bit quiet and anxious, she is slowly coming out of her shell. Today we had our first trip to the dog park, and she loved it. She doesn't quite get the concept of play yet, and isn't sure if the other dogs are trying to kill her or not. But that will come. She only has enough energy to hang out there for 15-20 minutes at a time, though.

I'm sure next week she will bypass some other monumental stage and my heart will break a little more. But I do love her so much, and I love seeing SB getting to experience a puppy for the first time. He loved Charlie and Gabby very much, but there is nothing quite like raising a puppy - so far I think he's totally loving it.

The puppy has landed.

So, she's here, and all I can say is she is amazing. That is basically the only line that even comes close to describing her.

We decided to name her Tess. We had a friend whose dog's name was Tess, and we always loved it. Then she moved away and took Tess with her, so we felt it was up for grabs. My first choice name was not Tess, but in thinking about her personality during the first 24 hours, and also the physical presence she will have when full grown, Tess seemed to fit better.

So far, she has learned her name, "NO", and "come" (albeit she will only usually come to us when we are kneeling down. We're working on it.) She has also mastered going up the first and third flights of stairs. Because our stairs have open risers, I think it freaks her out that on the second flight she is looking out into the street when climbing.
Potty wise, today is the first day she hasn't had an accident, but I have been pretty diligent with taking her out at key times. She is pretty lazy, so doesn't get excited to go out like most dogs do when you pick up the leash. This makes me think it may take her a while to actually ASK to go out.

Simon is becoming more and more tolerant. He hasn't hissed at her today, which is a start, and he always positions himself in such a way that he can observe her. Each day he observes from closer and closer. I hope they will be playing soon.

That's the update - she is the smartest, sweetest puppy we probably could have chosen. I feel so in love with her it's crazy, and the only way to describe her is amazing.