Another good night’s sleep! I know what will happen, I’ll start getting comfort with this sleep schedule we got going on and just like that he’ll stop sleep again. Like I’ve said before, he is the boss. He’s still had a lot of congestion and I’m here to tell you, the nose frida is amazing; sucks those boogers right out! My friends were telling me about this before I had Jasper and I thought it was one of the nastiness things I’d ever heard of (almost gage worthy). Now that I’m a mom, there’s a weird satisfaction that comes with sucking snot out of my baby’s nose. I’ve gone as far as taking pictures to show Pake how much snot I got or how big a booger was. I’m weird, I know.

In other news, I spent the first half of the morning figuring the checkbook and bills and also working on brochures for Pake. After that, Jasper and I took a trip to town to run errands and then down to Alva to pick up some material for Pake. While in alva we hit up the local market for groceries and I’m here to tell you, for $70 we filled our freezer with meat and stocked up on nonperishables. Definitely not Aldi’s, but much cheaper then Walmart. My prized selection was a whole lemon peppered seasoned chicken that was on sale for a mere $4: Score! I have to add that Jasper is the best baby when it comes to travelling and shopping. He’s very content chilling in his carseat.

After getting home and putting groceries up, I did some light housework and some baby holding (much better then housework). I’m not going to lie, I was pretty excited about cooking that chicken. I’m no Gordon Ramsey, but I’m pretty handy in the kitchen. It looked perfect and smell just as wonderful after coming out of the oven–I was pretty proud of myself. Along with fried sweet potatoes and mixed veggies, we sat down to feast on our chicken. IT. WAS. HORRIBLE! Probably one of the worst things I’ve ever tasted in my life! It could possibly have been made of rubber, like I could have dropped it and it would have bounced back up. I also don’t think the word “seasoned” was referring to the lemon pepper; I mean this poor chicken must have been 100-years-old before someone decided to put her out of her misery. Needless to say, I was very disappointed with my “prized” selection…

Moving on to some of our less furry four-legged family members. Meet Napoleon!

So, Napoleon came to live with us in May of 2016. We were living in Hardtner on the highway, with two dogs and no backyard. Probably not the best decision on our part, but I wasn’t taking no for an answer! Let’s just say, we had a lot of learning to do! First off, pigs are incredible smart, and you have to pretty much ninja proof your trash can and child proof all the cabinets. I had a hard time explain to the health department that I needed more birth control pills because my pig got in the bathroom cabinet and ate all 6 months’ worth of packets (maybe this is the reason he’s such a drama queen now).  I’m surprised we didn’t cause any wrecks when we were out in the yard, especially when Napoleon decided he didn’t want to come inside, and we were literally chasing him around the front yard– right next to highway 281. He also really liked going to the farm just like the dogs. One time in particular, the dogs weren’t with us, we were in our single cab manual truck, I was driving, Napoleon was in the middle and Pake was in the passenger seat and everything was fine until it wasn’t… All of a sudden, Pake is screaming “he’s pooping on me!” Sure enough, he was pooping! And of course, Pake’s is in full on panic, I’m trying to get pulled off the road while I’m holding Napoleon in a head lock to keep him from pooping on Pake. I also have tears running down my face because I’m laughing so hard. He ended up pooping another 4 times and peeing once before we got to the farm. Apparently not having the dogs with us stressed him out. I don’t know how we didn’t wreck that day.

We’ve had quite a few adventures with Napoleon, but now he’s most content with just hanging out around the house, going on the occasional walk, and don’t forget his favorite activity… Eating!! He’s easily pushing 250 pounds. Though it may not have been the right time in our lives to get a pig, I can’t imagine doing it differently. Did I mention pot belly pigs can live to be 30-years-old?? Yea, I forgot to mention that part to Pake as well. Oops.

It amazes me how before having a baby 5 hours of sleep was not nearly enough, but with a baby 5 hours is the most wonderful thing in the world! He finally slept last night more than 30 minutes to an hour at a time! IT. WAS. AMAZING!!! Our day; however,was not nearly as productive. Everyone needs a “cuddle your baby day”, and today was my day!! I did some more work on the computer for Pake’s business–just letting you know if you need business cards, brochure, or anything business related, Vistaprint has a 50% off promo going on until Friday!!! Pretty dang awesome! Other then that, Jasper and I cuddles on the couch and watched movies today.

We were very fortunate to be gifted plenty of diapers at our baby shower. It’s nice to be able to try the different brands to find out what you like best before spending money on them–they are so expensive!! So far I have not found any that I really dislike; they all seem to get the job done. Pake, on the other hand, gets diaper anxiety. Some of the brands have the nice little yellow line that turns blue when it gets wet, but if they don’t, Pake panics! He’s getting better at it now, but at first his philosophy was, “If you don’t check it; it’s not dirty”! I quickly explained to him that that’s not how it works. If Pake ever wants a career change, he could definitely become a diaper analyzer–that’s a thing, right?

I don’t know about the other new moms, but I was absolutely terrified coming home from the hospital. What was I suppose to do with this little human?! The first diaper change after getting home was horrible; I will never recover from it. We had him laying on the bed, got the diaper off and got him cleaned up, then all hell broke loose. He starts peeing! So I’m blocking it with my hand, still holding his legs up, yelling at Pake to get a towel. Then he starts pooping while he’s still peeing! So I move the pee blocking hand to catch the poop! By the time Pake is back with the towel, the baby has pee on is face and so does my pillow, I have a handful of baby poop, and we’re both crying. At that point I was ready to check back into the the hospital for another week…or two. I wasn’t ready! Since this time, I feel like a diaper changing pro. Jasper still enjoys peeing on Pake occasionally. I’m fine with that. I’ll save the inside out diaper story for another time.

Moving on to dog number 4–Petey Pablo!!! (I thought we were name him after the dog off Little Rascals…I was wrong)

Petey was the last to join the gang! We adopted him from the local shelter, so we’re not really sure what breed he is (I’m guessing heeler mix) and we believe he’ll be turning 1 in/around June or July. He might be the smallest dog we have size-wise, but he makes up for it with his very vocal, demanding personality. He’s definitely living his best life here and making up for anytime spent in the kennel. This dog also has no guilty conscious. He doesn’t get in to much anymore, but when he use to, you could pop him and he’d just smile at you–literally smile–and he’s too dang cute to stay mad at. One of his favorite things to do is steal my flip flops while I’m showering, and if I yell at him he just runs away faster…still with my flip flop. Like Renzo, he’s also very taken with Jasper. As long as they’re around, I can have a little piece of mind. This little dog always keeps you on your toes and laughing. I’m so glad he came into our lives!

I’m a day behind getting this posted, Monday was a busy day! To start with, I did not get near enough sleep and finally gave up the battle around 6 am. I honestly don’t know how I’d survive without coffee. Since I was up, I got a start on pricing marketing supplies for Pake’s business or I tried to until Jasper decided he needed my full attention (I didn’t mind). While I was up the majority of the night, I started doing some research on what might cause a 6-week-old baby to not sleep at night. Turns out, this is completely normal. It’s called Sleep Regression. Here’s a peek at an article I found and the address if you’d like to read the whole article:

https://sleeptightconsultants.com/2013/10/common-sleep-regressions-handle/

“Sleep regressions can last anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks and often coincide with cognitive or developmental milestones. Commonly sleep regressions tend to happen at 6 weeks, 3-4 months, 6 months, 8-10 months, 12 months, 18 months and 2 years old. Here’s what is likely to be going on at each regression 6 weeks: Newborns frequently go through a series of growth spurts leading to increase hunger and fussiness. Think about how rapidly your newborn is growing at this age! So much happens in a relatively short span of time and this all takes lots of work on your baby’s part.”

So that makes sense, but I’m not crazy about it lasting 2 to 6 weeks! Maybe I’ll get lucky and it’ll only last a week. It’s possible, right?

Besides entertaining my baby, I’m only a wall away from the kitchen being completely painted! After that, I have a couple shelving units I want to paint, going to be putting up back splash, figure out something for the counters, and would like to make some floating shelves! Big, big plans!!

On to Renzo!! The biggest baby we got!

Renzo aka “The Puppy”, is a Cane Corso/Pitt Mix and will be turning 2 in May. He weighs roughly 110-120 pounds and if you can’t tell by the pictures, his favorite activity is cuddling. He has zero idea how big he is and loves to “sneak” onto your lap. Not saying I have favorites, but he is by far the most loyal and protective dog we have. He’s a gentle giant. He loved “his” kitty, dobby and his new baby, Jasper. Jasper already has a great protector; he makes sure the other dogs don’t get too close and checks on him regularly while he’s in is swing or pack n’ play. We still have to watch him closely because he doesn’t realize that his head weighs more than Jasper right now.  I can see it now, these two are going to get into a lot of mischief when Jasper’s old enough. This puppy will forever have my heart!

How is it already 9 pm?! Where did the day go?! After another fitful, sleepless night, morning came way too soon. I did get to shower this morning, more than 3 minutes (thanks mom)! Then I spent some quality cuddle/nap time with my little man on the couch–Jasper, not Pake . After some much need rest, the 3 of us went on a walk, soaking up the nice weather.

I got a little more painting done in the kitchen! It’s already looking way, way better then it did. I remembered to take some pictures today, not quite all the way before, but close enough! I’ll wait until I’m finished before posting. I’m kind of becoming a DIY guru, I haven’t actually done anything but pin ideas on pinterest, but it can’t be that hard, right? (famous last words) it’s all about maximum space in very little space. I already got a list of things I need help with, and I’m hoping my very talented, wonderful father-in-law will help me with them (he told me he was reading my blog)–hint, hint.

Really that’s about all the happened today. Pake and I also started planning for for his booth at SXSW(South by Southwest) fitness expo in March. This is going to be a huge step for his business and we have a lot to do to prepare for it. Its going to be the biggest event we’ve ever add a booth at–by far! Kind of like going from T-ball to the Major leagues in one jump. It’s going to be awesome!

On to our second dog introduction.

Tucker came into our lives the summer of 2015. He just turned 4 the first of this month and if you can’t tell he’s a German Shepherd. We got him from a friend of a friend when he was 8-months-old. He was so scared and timid. He rode on the floorboard the whole way home. And lets just say things did not start out smoothly. This was the first “puppy” Pake had had in 10 years and he didn’t realize how long it could take for him to adapt and trust us. He never missed a chance to slip out the door and go on a run around the big town of Hardtner. He also didn’t listen…at all…to anyone. He was absolutely terrified of riding in the car. The first time I took Dixie and him on a ride to the farm, about half way there I started smelling something, not good I may add. I looked in my rear view mirror and our eyes locked as he was crouched down in the back seat. Yes, you guessed it, this dog was relieving himself in my car. HE WAS SHITTING IN MY BACK SEAT!! I almost wrecked trying to pull off the road. So there I was, on the side of the highway, red in the face and gagging, scraping dog poop out of my back seat with an ice scraper (it was all I had). There were several more accidents like that, but that was the by far the worst.

It wasn’t until we moved out to the farm that he really came out of his shell and to our surprise started to like us (somewhat tolerate us). With all the room to run, he started listening better and even enjoyed being loved on. Dixie and him became thick as thieves and still are. They have yet to learn to stop messing with porcupines though; we usually make 4 or 5 trips to the vet each summer to get quills pulled– good thing I know a good one.

Even though he is the most independent dog we have and has no desire to go anywhere, besides the river or grandma’s house, and clearly needs no man (or woman), he does like curling up on the couch at night and the occasional dog treat. Our life wouldn’t be complete without him!

Hope you have a great week!

After getting a much better nights sleep and even getting to sleep in (thanks Pake), I started the morning off cleaning house. With 5 dogs, 2 cats, and a husband (the baby’s still in the clear), its pretty much an every day thing–the one time it doesn’t bother me having a small house. Pake did do the dishes, I know this because he told me…several times. I can honestly say that we hardly ever fight, our fights are more like little squabbles. Pake does like to “poke the bear” as he would say. Two examples of these are as listed:

After getting a much better nights sleep and even getting to sleep in (thanks Pake), I started the morning off cleaning house. With 5 dogs, 2 cats, and a husband (the baby’s still in the clear), it’s pretty much an everyday thing–the one time it doesn’t bother me having a small house. Pake did do the dishes, I know this because he told me…several times. I can honestly say that we hardly ever fight, our fights are more like little squabbles. Pake does like to “poke the bear” as he would say. Two examples of these are as listed:

1. When he washes the dishes (which he does quiet often) , he will never wash all the dishes…ever! He will always leave at least 2 or 3 dirty dishes and he never wipes off the counter afterwards so it’s always soaking wet. He knows this annoys me, but also knows I won’t say anything because I’m not stupid.
2. Whether is leftovers, butter, jelly, or anything in the fridge, Pake will never use/eat all of anything. Oh no, he will always leave just a little bit and put it back. Which wouldn’t bother me so much, but it’s never enough for me to actually use/eat! Like seriously just use it all!!! This is something I tell him about, but it’d be no fun to listen to your wife…

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure I do plenty of “poking the bear” as far as Pake’s concerned, but we would get in to that.

Besides cleaning, Pake got a lot done with the skid steer and I started painting the kitchen! Yay!! It’s going to be a slow process with Jasper but no worries, I’m not in too big of a hurry. Plus, I like taking breaks to hold my boy.

We also had one of our good friends, Logan, stop by for a visit before heading back to Nebraska. He brought a couple friends back with him; one was from France and the other from Germany. They both found our pigs to be pretty entertaining. Though the Frenchman didn’t understand why we named our pig Napoleon. We told him we named him after the book Animal Farm; he has never read it!!! I just assumed everyone read it in high school…I was wrong.

I want to start introducing you to are four-legged family in a little more depth. If you don’t know me, just be warned, I am the epitome of a crazy dog lady! Today we’ll start with Dixie.

Dixie will be turning 6 this June; she is a black lab/German shepherd mix. I moved to South Carolina in the summer of 2013 to work on a cutting horse ranch, I knew after getting there I wanted to get a dog; it was literally in the middle of nowhere, with no cell reception. I found Dixie online for $20 (I was broke at the time) and picked her up the next day! She was the worst puppy ever!!! I even contemplated re-homing her–which is not something I take lightly. She destroyed everything, ate a hole in my trailer floor, knocked the glass out of a bedroom windows, and did not listen to me at all! It took 4-6 months before we started getting along, then she was the best dog ever. She never left my side and listens better than most people. She’s traveled all over the country with me and was my constant co-pilot back and forth on several trips home.

She’s also an accident prone, here are just a couple of accidents:

1. At 12 weeks old, she jumped out the window of my car AS I was driving. No broken bones, just some road rash and a very scared puppy!
2. Then in 2016, she was hit by a semi, going 30-40 mph, while chasing a squirrel. Amazingly, her only injuries were some nasty road rash and a dislocated hip, which Dr. Stone was able to fix and its barely noticeable today. When she got hit, I one the other hand, was a completely basket case. I called Pake, who was in Alva (we lived in Hardtner at the time; about 15-minute drive) at the time, I swear it was the fastest he’s ever drove in his entire life–he drives like a 90-year-old lady, no offense to any 90-year-old lady reading this. After everything was over and we were driving home, I told Pake I didn’t realize he liked Dixie so much; to which he responded, I was just worried you’d divorce me if she died! Not going to say that’s a true statement, but…just kidding. Now she’s calmed down somewhat, but still likes to run and play in the river. She’s definitely the boss of our dog clan, and she will forever be a momma’s girl!!…Pake’s ok too…sometimes.

Until next time!!! Have a fantastic evening!!