Apparently Elmo has a strange calming effect on my boys... they were running around like crazy and I needed a moment of sanity, so I turned on Sesame Street and they both froze and have been quiet ever since. Thank you, Elmo. Mommy really needed that.
Riese slept through the night for the first time. He woke up at 5 a.m. and I got up with him (because Casey was headed out the door to work) so I played with him and calmed him down a bit. He fell asleep in my lap, and just as I was about to doze off, I heard Keaton- it was 5:45. I put Riese in the crate and ran in to Keaton. He was in a terrible mood, maybe because he finally fell asleep after 9 last night after Meltdown of the Year. Anyway, I rocked him for a little bit, and he proved he was not going back to sleep, so we were up. Riese slept until a little after 7, and we all ate breakfast. Since then, the boys have been running around like crazy. We've been in and out of the house several times already. I'm happy to say that Riese seems to be catching on to the potty training because he ran to the door and went potty right after I let him out. He had quite a few accidents yesterday, but so far he's doing a lot better. Keaton has regressed a bit on the potty training, though. The day we brought Riese home, Keaton told me he had to go "poo poo" in the potty, so we came inside and he actually did it! The next day, he didn't even want to pee in it. People have told me this sort of thing tends to happen when there is a change in routine (new sibling, pet, house, etc) so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. He's starting to come back around, slowly. And I'm okay if he's not potty trained by the time we go to Kansas, because I don't want him to have an accident in his one and only tuxedo!!
It's wedding week!!! I can't wait for the weddings in the next week and a half. I can't wait to be home with family and friends. I know it is going to go fast, but I've been looking forward to this trip for months now. I think we have everything we need, I just have to pick up my bridesmaid dress Wednesday. I am worried about all kinds of things- will Keaton walk down the aisle? Will he have a meltdown? Will Riese do okay out in the heat during the wedding? Will Keaton nap okay on the trip and not be a grump? And then I realize, most of these things are out of my control. I'm kind of driving myself nuts lately, especially trying to have some sort of control over Keaton and the puppy. It's just not happening, and I'm probably wasting a lot of energy on it. The trouble is realizing that in the moment and not getting bent out of shape. So far, I'm not doing so great... but hopefully I will calm down a bit and learn that most of it is out of my control, and that's okay. I don't want to make the time at home less fun by freaking out about things like that. Not worth it. I'd like to thank my husband for pointing that out to me, I needed to hear it.
So, I guess that's all for now. The boys are still getting along well (when Riese isn't biting). Riese is already growing up and out. The collar we had for him last Monday will no longer fit around his neck now, so we had to get another one this weekend. He doesn't really care for it, but he'll get used to it soon. Fun times around here, as usual! K has school tomorrow so I'll spend most of my time getting the house in some kind of order, and probably gathering items to pack for our trip home. Can't wait!!!
-Ash
Casey, Ashley, Keaton, Nikolaus, & Rowan take on Chicagoland...
Monday, June 11, 2012
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Parenthood vs Pet Parenthood
Now that I have a moment to myself... here are my Facebook posts for the last two days.
Yesterday: In a rare occurrence, much like the Venus transit, Keaton and Riese took naps at the same time today. I'm not ashamed to admit that I took one, too. Now I feel this odd feeling inside... some of you may call it...energy?
Today: This almost seems wrong, but I'm going to say it. There are so many similarities between parenthood and pet parenthood. They teethe, potty train, wake up in the middle of the night, have energy when you don't, put things in their mouth that they shouldn't, cry and whine, go to the bathroom at inconvenient times... and make your life more fun. Anyone thinking about having kids should, in my opinion, get a dog first.
*****
Riese only woke up once last night, at midnight, to go potty. He settled down quickly and then slept until 6:15 when Mr. Keaton decided to throw a fit and wake him up. He was full of energy after that! I'm glad he slept, though. Keaton's going through a bit of regression because he will now not use the toilet. I know it's just a phase, and I'm thankful for that. I'm glad the week is almost over and we will get some Daddy time soon! We have moments of harmony in the house between Keaton and Riese, and then suddenly it takes a turn and they are running in separate directions, making their own messes, etc. I have more respect and admiration for people who have more than one child. Especially small children. If you add any additional pets to the mix, I bow down to the people that can do it well. I'm going to reach my stride sometime in the future and figure it all out... until then, I will try my best to figure out ways to make it work, even if that means I go without a shower for a few days. (I normally shower every other day, but didn't get a chance to yesterday because I decided a nap was more important. This morning, I took matters into my own hands and made it work. Yes, Riese was crying in his crate the whole time, and I had to put Keaton in the Pack N Play to do so, but I was tired of smelling like dog and sweat!)
That's all for now. Again, I'm sitting in a pile of laundry and the dog is napping. Time to be productive!!
-Ash
Yesterday: In a rare occurrence, much like the Venus transit, Keaton and Riese took naps at the same time today. I'm not ashamed to admit that I took one, too. Now I feel this odd feeling inside... some of you may call it...energy?
Today: This almost seems wrong, but I'm going to say it. There are so many similarities between parenthood and pet parenthood. They teethe, potty train, wake up in the middle of the night, have energy when you don't, put things in their mouth that they shouldn't, cry and whine, go to the bathroom at inconvenient times... and make your life more fun. Anyone thinking about having kids should, in my opinion, get a dog first.
*****
Riese only woke up once last night, at midnight, to go potty. He settled down quickly and then slept until 6:15 when Mr. Keaton decided to throw a fit and wake him up. He was full of energy after that! I'm glad he slept, though. Keaton's going through a bit of regression because he will now not use the toilet. I know it's just a phase, and I'm thankful for that. I'm glad the week is almost over and we will get some Daddy time soon! We have moments of harmony in the house between Keaton and Riese, and then suddenly it takes a turn and they are running in separate directions, making their own messes, etc. I have more respect and admiration for people who have more than one child. Especially small children. If you add any additional pets to the mix, I bow down to the people that can do it well. I'm going to reach my stride sometime in the future and figure it all out... until then, I will try my best to figure out ways to make it work, even if that means I go without a shower for a few days. (I normally shower every other day, but didn't get a chance to yesterday because I decided a nap was more important. This morning, I took matters into my own hands and made it work. Yes, Riese was crying in his crate the whole time, and I had to put Keaton in the Pack N Play to do so, but I was tired of smelling like dog and sweat!)
That's all for now. Again, I'm sitting in a pile of laundry and the dog is napping. Time to be productive!!
-Ash
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Cuteness Overload
Some observations over the last few days with the new pup:
Charley trained me for parenthood. Keaton retrained me for pet parenthood. There are so many things that I forgot about puppies that I now remember, and so many things that I will do differently with Riese because I have Keaton. When we got Charley, I had no clue what I was doing at all. I would carry him around everywhere and probably didn't help with his separation anxiety because I was so attached to him. When Keaton arrived, I was also clueless. I also carried him around everywhere, and he had a tougher time going to sleep on his own because I didn't want to put him down. Now that Riese is here, I have somewhat of a clue of what I'm doing. When he's sleepy, I *usually* put him in his crate so he gets used to it. So far, he's transitioned well. I think I am finally learning some kind of balance...maybe. I guess we will see. Right now I'm sitting in a pile of laundry that needs to be folded, on a carpet that needs to be vacuumed. Such is life. I guess we will see how Mr. Riese reacts to the vacuum this afternoon.
So far, Riese seems to be a pretty laid back little guy. He's sweet and very attentive. He licks less than Charley (so far). He likes kids and other animals. He will come to you when you call him, and is starting to learn that we go outside to go potty. We praise him a lot when he does so. Keaton even goes over and pets him and says "Good boy potty outside!" Riese even seems to be catching on when I tell him to sit!
Yesterday was kind of a 3-ring circus at our house. Keaton has been moody (getting 2 year molars now!) and is over-excited about Riese, so getting him to nap was nearly impossible. He would lay down and then sit right back up and say, "I'm awake!". It took me about 30 minutes, but I finally convinced him to sleep. As soon as that was over, I came out to the living room and had 5 minutes of time to myself before Riese woke up from his nap. He had the most energy he'd had all day, so I took him outside and tried to wear him out. When he started getting tired, we came back inside, and Keaton woke up. Scratch that, Grumpy Keaton woke up. I thought it might be nice to have Riese sit on Keaton's lap in the beanbag chair so the two could be together and Keaton could regroup a bit. The result was about 30 minutes of pure cute. They were so adorable together, I took about 100 pictures. Check out Riese- The Album for that photo session. Riese is not a morning puppy, so when Keaton's wide awake and wanting to play, Riese has been passed out. I let the two sit in the beanbag again this morning, and Keaton hugged Riese and said, "I love you, puppy!" Heart.Melting.
I think that's about it for now. Riese is asleep and I'm now folding the laundry instead of just sitting on it. Maybe I WILL get something done today!! :)
-Ash
Charley trained me for parenthood. Keaton retrained me for pet parenthood. There are so many things that I forgot about puppies that I now remember, and so many things that I will do differently with Riese because I have Keaton. When we got Charley, I had no clue what I was doing at all. I would carry him around everywhere and probably didn't help with his separation anxiety because I was so attached to him. When Keaton arrived, I was also clueless. I also carried him around everywhere, and he had a tougher time going to sleep on his own because I didn't want to put him down. Now that Riese is here, I have somewhat of a clue of what I'm doing. When he's sleepy, I *usually* put him in his crate so he gets used to it. So far, he's transitioned well. I think I am finally learning some kind of balance...maybe. I guess we will see. Right now I'm sitting in a pile of laundry that needs to be folded, on a carpet that needs to be vacuumed. Such is life. I guess we will see how Mr. Riese reacts to the vacuum this afternoon.
So far, Riese seems to be a pretty laid back little guy. He's sweet and very attentive. He licks less than Charley (so far). He likes kids and other animals. He will come to you when you call him, and is starting to learn that we go outside to go potty. We praise him a lot when he does so. Keaton even goes over and pets him and says "Good boy potty outside!" Riese even seems to be catching on when I tell him to sit!
Yesterday was kind of a 3-ring circus at our house. Keaton has been moody (getting 2 year molars now!) and is over-excited about Riese, so getting him to nap was nearly impossible. He would lay down and then sit right back up and say, "I'm awake!". It took me about 30 minutes, but I finally convinced him to sleep. As soon as that was over, I came out to the living room and had 5 minutes of time to myself before Riese woke up from his nap. He had the most energy he'd had all day, so I took him outside and tried to wear him out. When he started getting tired, we came back inside, and Keaton woke up. Scratch that, Grumpy Keaton woke up. I thought it might be nice to have Riese sit on Keaton's lap in the beanbag chair so the two could be together and Keaton could regroup a bit. The result was about 30 minutes of pure cute. They were so adorable together, I took about 100 pictures. Check out Riese- The Album for that photo session. Riese is not a morning puppy, so when Keaton's wide awake and wanting to play, Riese has been passed out. I let the two sit in the beanbag again this morning, and Keaton hugged Riese and said, "I love you, puppy!" Heart.Melting.
I think that's about it for now. Riese is asleep and I'm now folding the laundry instead of just sitting on it. Maybe I WILL get something done today!! :)
-Ash
Monday, June 4, 2012
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Meet Riese
Houston, we have a puppy!! His name is Riese (pronounced just like 'Reese' but we decided to be all crazy and different...haha) and he's an 8 week old reverse Brindle Boxer. We drove to Michigan today to meet him, and luckily he and Mr. Keaton fell in love. Keaton has been playing with and talking about him all day, and even calls him "my Riese" now. He gets upset when other people try to hold or pet him (currently going through the "mine" stage at our house)... this will probably be a good lesson for Keaton to learn about sharing. Really, though, Keaton has been good with him. About the only thing I would change right now is that Keaton thinks he has to do everything Riese does, i.e. chew on the carpet, eat grass, lick everything. Luckily he hasn't tried to poop in the back yard yet, but I'm going to go ahead and bet he will at least mention it sometime this week.
Other than that, everything has been great. Little Riese sleeps a TON. We played with him for about 15 minutes (he and Keaton took turns chasing each other around the yard) and the little guy passed out on the carpet. He's eating and drinking well, and taking yet another nap. I'm sure I'll be up at least a few times in the night with him to go potty, but that is expected with a "newborn". So, the journey begins. We are dog owners again. I sure do miss Charley, but I know now more than ever, especially after the past 9 hours, that this is the right time for us. I can't wait to see Riese and Keaton grow up together. :)
-Ash
One picture is currently posted on my Flickr site... many, many more to come!!
Other than that, everything has been great. Little Riese sleeps a TON. We played with him for about 15 minutes (he and Keaton took turns chasing each other around the yard) and the little guy passed out on the carpet. He's eating and drinking well, and taking yet another nap. I'm sure I'll be up at least a few times in the night with him to go potty, but that is expected with a "newborn". So, the journey begins. We are dog owners again. I sure do miss Charley, but I know now more than ever, especially after the past 9 hours, that this is the right time for us. I can't wait to see Riese and Keaton grow up together. :)
-Ash
One picture is currently posted on my Flickr site... many, many more to come!!
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