Happy 8th Birthday Baxter

You'll always be a puppy to us. Glad you were able to teach Uncle Matt your appreciation of the word "hamburger" and hope you got a ride out of me saying "do you want to go for a R I D E?," oh how we miss saying those words to you. Happy Birthday!

And Speaking of Speaking With His Teachers...

The October material that came home from preschool today made us aware that this month is animal awareness month. They'll be learning more about pets and animals and have a service project to bring in supplies for animals at the local animal shelter. And while I think this is wonderful, Roo is really missing Baxter. The last few days he's brought his huge stuffed dog downstairs and groomed it. No joke, he lovingly brushes the dogs hair (creating balls of "fur" everywhere on the carpet). And he's also been asking why he's the only one who doesn't have a dog. I'll have to let the teachers know that Baxter moved out and he's really sad about it. We're all really missing B!

Happy Early Birthday B!

Today Roo and I went to Uncle Matt's house for a birthday party for Baxter. Baxter turns 7 this year! Roo's been talking about how much he misses Baxter so this was really risky. Once I got him out of the house and settled down and told him what we were going to do, he got pretty excited to see Baxter. We stopped at the "Red Cart Store" as Roo calls it and got him some birthday presents; a bag of food, some treats, denta stix and some toys. After a short stop at Ikea which was a success and once on the bottom floor Roo likened to Lowe's (his favorite store) we stopped to get Baxter a birthday cake. While we were picking out the cake Roo explained to the cake lady that he was going to B's birthday party. On the way out of the store Roo told me that B is a good dog. I really couldn't believe how excited Roo was to see him. He did keep asking if we were going to bring him home.

When we got to Uncle Matt's, Roo was so excited to see him and play with him. He even made sure he was gated in so he wouldn't get out. We enjoyed a nice party with Uncle Matt and Grandma and Grandpa and when we were ready to go we explained why Baxter couldn't come home with us, but that he was allowed to visit anytime. Roo seemed ok with the idea that Uncle Matt needs company since he doesn't have a mommy and daddy or Roo Roo or Love Bug living with him.

It was a fun day and great to see Baxter. It's nice to know he's living in a good home!

Rename the Blog?

Now that Baxter has moved out, should I rename the blog? What should I call it if I do rename it; I want to continue not using the kids names.

On a side note, Uncle Matt has been taking great care of Baxter. They are enjoying daily walks and Baxter is helping Uncle Matt meet lots of new people. His approach could be better as he is, um, there's no nice way to say it, humping, 2 out of 3 dogs he meets. Uncle Matt asked if Baxter had ever hung out with other dogs and I explained that he talked to the neighbor dogs but was really a house dog so not really. They're working on this problem and Baxter is making good progress.

Sleep has been another issue. Baxter is jumping into bed way too early for Uncle Matt. Uncle Matt has been kicking him out of bed and he's finally starting to listen and sleep in. It's only been a week, so that's pretty good. The best was when Uncle Matt called to let us know that Baxter had fallen out of bed. Yeah, he's special like that sometimes. Glad he's feeling at home enough to let Uncle Matt in on some of his finer qualities!

Anyway, to rename the blog or not to rename the blog.....

Aloha Baxter!

Because aloha doesn't make it sound as bad. Baxter will be moving out on Sunday. Bug's allergy blood work came back as a Level 3 or High for dog dander. Daddy and I discussed and we could only agree that Baxter should move out and do so sooner than later. Luckily, Uncle Matt was thinking of getting a dog this summer and is able to take Baxter in and give him a loving home. So, Daddy and I haven't really talked about what's going to happen much, I think we're in denial. :*(

Big Day

Today was Bug's surgery day. He had ear tubes inserted and a frenectomy (his tongue tie was clipped). The surgery itself didn't last very long. Daddy arrived with Bug, I dropped Roo off and then arrived. We played with Bug as much as we could before his surgery but he was a bit grumpy because he had a very empty tummy. The nurses were wonderful and made him comfortable enough that when they took him back, he didn't cry. I think handing him over and them carrying him back was the hardest part for me. When he got back he was even more grumpy and wanted nothing to do with the bottle full of water I had prepared for him. This is what I figured would happen so I was prepared with milk to pour into his baba. The nurse got some hot water, we warmed the baba, finished all the discharge paperwork and wa la, we were outta there.

Bug cried the entire way home. I was hoping he'd fall asleep in the car but no such luck. We got home and he was in bed for a nap by 9am. He woke up after just about an hour and I went and napped with him in his chair until a little before noon. He was still pretty grouchy when he got up so I gave him some lunch and had him back down for a nap at 1. He got up around 2 and was in much better spirits. He had a blast playing with Baxter for the rest of the day until we picked up Roo.

We're glad the surgery went smoothly and hopefully he'll be ear infection free!

Bug's First Haircut

It makes me sort of sad that Bug had his first haircut today. It looks amazing and he cried the entire time but it means he's not a baby anymore. We went to Jenny's Barber Shop, the same place we go for Roo and Jenny cut his hair so quickly and perfectly and he just cried and cried. He took a break now and then from the crying to watch Roo get his haircut. His hair looks wonderful and he got a certificate and she put his first clippings in a little bag for us.

Roo was great getting his haircut. He wasn't thrilled at first but he knows that they give him candy and a juice box afterwards.

And we even took Baxter to get washed today. He has a nice shiny coat and nicely trimmed nails.

Now mommy needs a haircut!

Cone Head

Since we weren't home with Baxter today, he had to wear his cone.  He did really well last night and didn't scratch at his head at all....we did let him sleep in bed with us just to keep an eye on him too.  So this morning before we left we put his cone on his head.  He was not a fan.  They boys on the other hand, thought it was hilarious, especially Bug.  

He kept bumping into walls so we knew he wouldn't have a fun day.  As soon as we got home we took it off.  He's healing nicely and will get to keep it off again tonight.  But he'll have to wear it again tomorrow.  Poor Baxter :(

Love Letters

Dear Baxter,

We all love you very much.  

Love Bug says that you are the best in the whole world to cuddle with.   He loves snuggling up with you at night and can't wait until you can sleep on his bed one day when he is older. 

Roo says that you are fun to play house with and that he also really likes to make sure you are clean. 

Both boys told us that you make them feel better when they're not feeling well and that you're fun to feed their extra food to.  

Even though you lick too much and your farts are increasingly stinky, you're the best dog ever! Thanks for being such a great dog and making your boys so happy.

Love,

Your Human Family

xoxo

Catching Up

I'm a little behind with the blogging but have lots to share.  

Over the holidays Juice Jam was in town and Roo and I went to visit with her.  We met up at the mall and took Roo to the play area.  Roo put on his new "Uncle Matt's School" jacket before we left and Roo was excited to meet this friend named Juice Jam.  

We practiced her name in the car and he was really shy when he first met her.  He warmed up quickly and showed off his jumping and sliding skills in the play/germ area.  I think of the mall play area as one big germ infestation.  Juice made fun of me at first and then quickly agreed on my assessment.  After playing in the play area, we walked over to the cookie stand and got a cookie for Roo and a cookie for mommy.  Roo thought mommy's cookie looked much better than his, so I let him have it.  Juice encouraged him to get really messy.  He got an A+ for that effort!  It was great to see Juice and Roo had a blast, we can't wait to hang out again! 

Love Bug had a fever last weekend that we figured was more molars coming in.  3 days later, his fever broke and he was covered in a rash.  Hooray for Roseola.  Nothing huge to worry about and it didn't require a trip to the doctor.  Just made him miserable but all things considered could have been a lot worse.  We didn't do his normal skin regime so once the rash was gone his eczema was pretty bad in a few spots.  It's all looking a lot better now and we can cross Roseola off the list for both boys.

Love Bug's walking has really taken of in the last few weeks.  His balance is getting better every day and he's just as happy as can be walking around.  But, with walking comes those first few walking accidents.  You can see Love Bug's result from his first big accident where he fell and hit the leg of the end table with his head.

I've been testing out a lot of new recipes.  My friend Michele from high school has a great blog where she posts all of her recipes.  She had one for Blueberry Applesauce Muffins.  They use whole wheat flour and only have a tiny bit of oil and sugar in them.  They turned out great and it seems that Love Bug absolutely loves them.  He's been eating one or two per sitting.  I made a double batch of them today so he has them for the week.  This is sure to become a staple in our house and they're really healthy!

One of the biggest events from over the holidays was Baxter's vacation to Uncle Matt's house.  Uncle Matt has his own place now and is trying to figure out if he wants a dog.  We thought Baxter would give him a good test run, daddy also thought that if Uncle Matt really wanted, he could keep Baxter.  Crazy, I know!  Well, it didn't last long.  I really missed B and Roo eventually missed him and then Daddy decided he missed him too.  But worse, Uncle Matt said Baxter would pace around by the door at around 430 in the afternoon every day and when no one would come home he would cry.  Poor Baxter missed his boys!  He's done this with me when I've been alone with him in the afternoon.  No doubt, Baxter definitely thinks he's a human.  

When went and got him from Uncle Matt, who took really good care of him and returned him very nicely groomed.  And when we got home, Roo took some time to clean him a little more and made sure that he got a really warm welcome.  Today he let Baxter into his hangout he made and gave him a big hug.  Baxter wanted nothing more than to escape!  Silly boys!

Oh, and Roo spent the afternoon cleaning all of those chairs in the picture.  He had a blast and they looked great when he was done!

I think that's it for now!

Puppy Scarf

Ah, mommy earned a puppy scarf in the middle of the night.  What is a puppy scarf you ask.  Pure love and warmth from Baxter.  He has this way of wrapping his body around your neck and head and keeping you warm.  And they don't come free.

What does one do to earn a puppy scarf?  Love Bug was crying off and on over the course of a few hours last night.  I got daddy up and we went in and gave him some Motrin, gave him some love and put him back to sleep.  It was right around 0300, so it was early.

We got back in bed and I guess Baxter approved of our caring for Love Bug and mommy was rewarded with a puppy scarf.  Unfortunately, I had to move him to a different spot in bed.  When he's wrapped around you that way it makes it hard to hear and I needed to listen for Love Bug.  

Hopefully I'll earn one again sometime this winter.  Until then, we've been enjoying a Baxter free bed for a couple of months now.

Bananas for Baxter

Whew......the past 4 weeks have been tough. Love Bug has always had some cradle cap and a crusty ear. Well it all got worse and he broke out with eczema head to toe. Then he started waking up every 2 hours at night because he was so itchy. Poor little guy. So off the the pediatricians office we went and then began our experimenting with different bath and body products. Well, after going to the pediatrician almost every week since he turned 3 months old and eliminating dairy from mommy's diet we thought, oh no, he's allergic to Baxter.

So last Monday we took Baxter to the kennel. We cleaned the house from top to bottom. Had Stanley Steamer clean the carpet and couches. And then guess what....the next day Love Bug broke out again. What could it be? So mommy eliminated eggs, chocolate and nuts (the dairy free granola bars had all sorts of nuts in them). We also made an appointment with a pediatric allergist.

Today we took Love Bug to the allergist. He was so good. Everyone in the office was also incredibly nice. His appointment went really well. They were actually able to do a skin test to see what he's allergic to.

The results: milk, clams, almonds (remember the granola bars), and bananas!

Bananas? Really, that's so odd. But we now know not to give him bananas, which also happen to be a very common first food. And did you know bananas can be related to a latex allergy? We're going to ask about that at his next appt.

Roo loves bananas, has one every single morning when we leave the house. We'll have to worry about how we'll manage that later on. For now he can keep eating his bananas.

And Baxter, we're going to pick him up from the kennel tomorrow. Hopefully he enjoyed his all expenses paid vacation.

Oh, and if you happen upon this blog and wonder what skin products have worked best for the eczema, because it really is a battle of trial and error...we've found that applying either Vaseline or Aquaphor Ointment and then putting on the cortisone/Eucerin mix has worked very well for the itching and healing. We're using Cetaphil for his soap/shampoo.

Welcome home B, we missed you!

Inspiration for Baxter and The Roo