Due Date

That's right, I am 40 weeks plus one day today. And still no signs of baby coming. Boo.

Are we ready? You have no idea how ready we both are to have this baby here. The anticipation, waiting, anxiety, excitement, nervousness and elation are beyond their limits.

I've seen his crib empty for too long.
I've smiled as I washed all his clothes and put them away.
I've sat in the glider and rocked dreaming of him here.
I've laid fully awake at night unable to turn my mind off.

It's crazy to think that 40 weeks have come and gone, and he will finally be here no more than a week. 

We had an option to induce tomorrow morning, but decided it was best to not force him. We are going to give it one more week and see what happens. If he doesn't make his debut, by all means, I'm forcing him out!

We might have ourselves a little turkey baby, but as his soon-to-be Uncle Eric put it, "It will be the best Thanksgiving we've had to date!" Love how excited he is.

We're all excited.

But we're not so sure about this guy:

Jake knows something is up. For several months now, he has taken on some new interesting habits:

• Eating toilet paper: He has NEVER done this, but now we will find him pulling toilet paper off the roll or rummaging through the bathroom trashcans.
• Being attached to me: Jake is clearly Brian's dog. Don't get me wrong, I love him and he loves me, but Brian and him have an unexplainable bond. Well, Jake has found a new attachment to his momma.
• Sleeping in the nursery on the comfy white rug: We will find him sleeping in Baby K's room, a room he never used to go in. Maybe he just likes the rug, but I like to think he is excited to protect baby.

Oh, and eating sawdust. When Brian was making the floating shelves for the nursery, we caught him eating sawdust. What!? This dog typically never chews/eats weird things. Sorry Cal, no remotes or thongs for this pup:)!

So the waiting game continues. Hoping to have baby here very soon. My blogging will most definitely be spotty for awhile (who am I kidding, you're already used to that from the past 9 months!), but I'll do my best to post pics and updates.

Na, Nuh, Na, Nuh, Na, Nuh, Na -- Na, Nuh, Na Nuh, Nuh! -- Na Na Na Na Na (to the tune of the Final Jeopardy Round)

Cabin Fever

For the past few days, I've been sniffling, sneezing and trying to breathe. Taking shots of cold medicine every four hours, and reaching for the Afrin like a crack fiend.

Fighting a cold isn't fun, but it typically causes one to be glued to the couch for several days.

And that's just what I did pretty much the entire weekend.

Except for when I forced myself out of the house to get some fresh air. In the freezing cold. All for the sake of my depressed dog who was suffering from cabin fever.

The three of us bundled up and made our way to the park near our house, with an inkling of hope that some of the sidewalks would be clear.

We were too optimistic. Everything was still covered. So, we walked, dragging our feet, as they were swallowed up by the wet snow, while Jake enjoyed every last minute.

He may be a City dog these days, but he is a hunting farm dog at heart. One of the great things Shawnee has to offer are open fields and fewer busy streets:)

Weaving in and out of the wooded brush every few yards collecting more stick tites for mom and dad to remove later.

Then, we came upon this beauty.

An open field just beyond a fence (technically someone's back yard) without a single snow track. Ahhhhh, I love that. Until, Jake ruined it.

But, he had fun, which brings a smile to my face.

As my limbs gradually changed to an icy chill, I questioned our decision to venture out in the snow. The tips of my fingers turning numb as I was snapping pics.

(Please ignore my horrid old, nail polish)

But these babies make it a little more enjoyable. Dually purposed for shooting and warmth, with an added removable mitten to cover my cold fingers when needed. 

Love em. Thanks Target.

And we mustn't forget the one thing every girl must own in a city of snow.

Uggs. Because every girl deserves to have toasty warm toes and a fur hood.

And a memory of snow from childhood. Whether it be sledding, making snow angels, building snow forts or having a snow ball fight. Snow tends to bring out the child in all of us.

These boys were having so much fun. I had fun watching them. Up the hill, down the hill, repeat, repeat, repeat. 

I may have been cold, and a little wet, but I enjoyed our little walk through the snow. I know Jake did too.

Until the next snowfall. Stay warm.

Quick Fix

Wouldn't it be awesome if dogs could talk?

Jake makes me laugh enough with his needy personality, but if he could talk, I know our conversations would be hysterical.

Well, according to my husband, him and Jake do have conversations. There are times when we will be in a tiff, and I will hear Brian talking to someone in the other room. When I say "who are you talking to?", he responds with, "I am talking to Jake, not you, and he told me that you need to lose the Biddle-tude."

If Jake could really talk, I think he would tell us how much he needs a friend. And how insanely bored he is during the day when he is all alone.

He loves to be around people so much, and at all times, that he just couldn't resist breaking the neighbor's fence pickets multiple times to avoid from being all by himself.

There's our newly installed fence pickets from the ones he broke through

 

And the neighbor's new pickets

Sadly, this stint caused us to make multiple trips home for three days straight (Note: that's a 22 mile commute each way people!). On the third day, as Brian made his second trip home for the day, he made a decision for a quick fix. An electric fence.

This was Brian installing it last week, after work, in the dark and the cold.

He's happy to stop inconveniencing our neighbor.

And yes, that's maximum power. Don't worry, I made him turn it all the way to the left after this pic.

Poor Jake. All he wants is a friend.

Taken as Brian was installing, "What mom? Just don't leave me and this wouldn't be a problem."

You'll be happy to hear that the fence is working wonders. The neighbor hasn't experienced any Jake sitings for days.

Did you miss me?

Imagine this:
You're a stay-at-home mom (or dad for the few men that read this, lol), so you spend much of your time at su casa. On this particular day, you are sitting at your kitchen table sipping on a cup of coffee as you catch up on bills. Your two dogs are both sprawled out living the life -- one at your feet another on the rug in front of the sink.

All of a sudden, a familiar, four-legged friend comes barreling through your doggy door to say "Hi! I'm back! Did you miss me?" You are startled, but know exactly who it is.

Can you guess who the four-legged friend is?

Ah yes, our dearest Jake who decided to greet our nice neighbor in her kitchen today. I guess he had so much fun at the neighbor's house the other day that he found a loose picket between our yards to break through.

What can I say? Jake is just THAT dog. He's needy and likes to be around people at all times.

The end.

Jake going through our doggy door in the garage. He's a pro with doggy doors.

I Just Love Mondays

NOT.

I really hate Mondays if you want me to be completely honest, but at least I get to offer you a Memoir Monday (hosted by Mrs. Ruby), recapping our much-needed 'kick-start to our basement project' weekend.

Oh joy, we started painting. Another thing I love so very much. We started with the trim, going from oak wood to clean creamy white, and will hopefully paint the walls this weekend. The room has a ledge that goes around the entire middle of the wall, so it will take a few days to get several coats of prime and paint applied.

However, I keep telling my overly-anal husband, that if we would just go to town on priming/painting and not get too caught up in sanding, removing floor trim from the wall, sanding again, etc. etc, these projects would go much faster. But he doesn't listen.

He wins most battles when it comes to painting.

And as I stated in my last post, we had some time to do a little family photo shoot for our Christmas Card. The photographer you ask? Only our good friends, Tripod and Timer. Tripod is very trust worthy and always stands very still.

Not sure which one(s) we will use, but I think we have some pretty good choices considering our quick, self-photo shoot, sans photographer, at a park near our house.

Brian hates this one because of his culdesacs, but I just love it:)

Isn't Jake such a cutie? He was such a good boy while we were snapping photos on the bridge. He stayed close by and wasn't even leashed!

So, I was so excited seeing the photos on camera screen that I applied them to my Shutterfly drafted cards last night. I am very pleased with how they turned out, but am even more confused on which card to go with now! The colors in a photo can make the card look completely different.

Sunday, we had the pleasure of visiting the Greens and baby Grace. More to come on that adventure, along with the crock-pot taco soup recipe I took over there. Delish.

Here's to a happy Monday!

Bystanders Beware

Taking advantage of the cooler weather, Brian and I took Jake for a long walk last night. It was perfect walking/jogging weather.

Of course Brian decided to let dumb dog off the leash. Remember, he's a transformed City Dog. He always lets him do what he wants. And I think Jake secretly knows that he can get away with more with Brian. However, when discipline time comes, he is strict. Brian is definitely the disciplinary in the house. I don't like the discipline part of the job.

So, Jake was taking full advantage of his off-leash time. He loves it. I think he gets to relive his good 'ole days when he could run through fields of nothingness at Brian's dad's ranch house.

Now, he gets to scurry in and out of bushes, up and down driveways, dodge in between houses, run along fences and dip into the occasional flower bed. A little different than the countryside, but he'll take it.

And he did just that. Found himself a nice flower bed to scamper through and then wouldn't listen as his dad called for him to come. "Jake, come here!" his dad yelled. But he decided to ignore him for as long as possible. Typical behavior for Jake.

The next action that took place was Brian smacking him on the head and grabbing him by the mouth to tell him "NO! You better listen to me!", just as several neighborhood kids watched in horror. Of course Brian had to make a show out of it, both of them stopped dead in the street as Brian made sure to make eye contact with his dog, letting him know who's master.

I was the mortified mother that kept walking.

When we were away from the kids, I said, "Babe, you can't discipline him in public like that. What are you going to do when we have children soon? That's how child services get called."

He responds with, "Oh you better believe I will be the parent that smacks his kid in Wal-Mart if they are giving me the Biddle-tude."

Oh geez...the boy has so much to learn.

(Note: the Biddle-tude is Brian's word for when I am moody or giving him attitude. He has used this expression for years.)

All About Me

Woof! Woof! My name is Jake, aka dumb dog, retard or nimrod, take your pick. I pretty much answer to anything, but don't approach my house if you don't want me to bark at you at first. I have a mean bark, but I'm really a big sissy.

I may be a re-re, but I sure am spoiled! My mom and dad love me so much that it was all about me this weekend! I got to play in the sprinklers twice, go for a car ride, and play at the dog park.

They even let me sleep in the bed because they felt bad for leaving me on Saturday night while they went out. I put on a major mopey walk and sad face when they made me go to the kennel before they left. And look what it got me? A night in the bed! That doesn't happen very often! Ha ha, suckers.

Check out all the pics I posed for this weekend. I'm such a good model. I'm definitely one of the most ideal dogs out there. Just sayin'.

 I love playing in the sprinklers. I like to think the sprinkler head is a bird. I have a mean stare.

 Then I take it in the face.

 Then I run all around like a nimrod.

Sometimes I bite the sprinkler head.

That was fun!

 On our way to the dog park! I was so excited!

 I'm the King of the world! Too bad I'm cuter than you Leo.

Look at me mom and dad! I can swim really good!

 This isn't my ball, but I'll go after it anyways.

 Friends!

 I'll admit, I like to pick on the little guys.

 Best parents ever.

Thanks Mom and Dad. I had a great doggie day!