She pretends she doesn't really care

But something makes me think otherwise, and I couldn't be happier about it.

One Mystery Solved A hundred to go...

On our trip to St. George we stopped off at a rest stop. There we noticed a man with an unusual, yet beautiful dog. Brad and I were looking at this dog and saying, "It looks just like an Australian shepherd but small." So of course, we have to ask because it's still our kind of dog just a smaller version. The man tells us he is a Shetland sheepdog (makes sense right "miniature" sheepdog). But they are not to be confused with what is known as a Sheltie (although that is a variant of the breed).

In fact, these dogs came before what is now known as the Sheltie. The dogs were originally called Shetland Collies, but once the Rough Collies (now known as the Sheltie) became established it caused controversy among Rough Collie breeders, and the breed's formal name was changed to Shetland Sheepdog (wikipedia).


The man went on to explain there is another variant of the Shetland Sheepdog, but it looks like a border collie and usually all black. He said, "It looks like a small border collie". Our attention was caught. He explained they are small and double coated dog, now we were hooked. THEN he said they are amazing jumpers. Okay, maybe the mystery of Dixie was solved. We knew Dixie was a border collie but we had no idea what she was mixed with. Unlike Sydney, who has the pretty silky and thin border collie coat, Dixie had a double coat that was thick. And we swear the dog's back legs are made of springs. Brad explained her to the man, and he said "I would bet on it she is a Shetland border collie, they are rare." Oh, yeah we know Dixie is one of a kind. He asked how we got her, "we rescued her". He went on to tell us, he paid $900 for his.

Who would have thought this dog was worth $900? Not the owner's who abused that is for sure. Either way, I love this little spaz. She brightens my day with all her quirks.

We did it we took the plunge...

We shaved it all off.
I realize this isn't the best picture, I should have stood on the stair so I was his height. Throughout the years we have been going shorter and shorter and last night we finally did a #1 blade... all over. I think it was harder for me than him. But he is still good lookin' to me.
Ha, I just realized he has more hair on his face now than on his head ;)

She Wore An...

Itsy bisty teenie weenie yellow polka dot baby dress that she wore for the first time today!

Couldn't resist these ones.




Me and my girl.

First Vacation

We took our first family trip over the Memorial Day Weekend. We were celebrating our 6 Year Anniversary (6 years what?). We visited Zion National Park, which was my first time at the park. It was Apple's first hike - Zions not a bad place to have your first hike.

It was a wonderful weekend.


Here is a canyon in St. George. Our first trip with the babe wasn't too shabby. It took us a little longer to get out the door and extra planning but not bad.


I could not believe the beauty of Zions, it was breathtaking. I felt like I was in something Disney created because the colors were so vibrant. The vibrant green against the even more vibrant red rock. Yes, I'm going to use the cliche but it is so true, the pictures do not give the beauty of this park justice.




Here we are. We didn't exactly plan all that well. I looked up trails that were stroller friendly but once I saw the tour buses I realized bringing our honk of stroller on to one was not going to be easy. However, because I planned to have the stroller we didn't have a back pack or our camel backs just water bottles, so we had to become resourceful. We used the diaper bag. However, it was heavier than the babe, so Brad carried that and I carried her. However, on our way up to the Emerald Pools I sprained my ankle so he carried everything - what a man. (Do you know notice Brad's shirt? Warning it is totally geeky. It's of a "killer" whale.)



The squirrels at the park were bold and just like dogs. They would walk right up to you and stand like this and beg for food.

Non stop Family Fun

How did I miss this? It is only in the 2nd season so I'm not that far behind. But this show cracks me up. A new fave. We have to watch it with the remote in hand so we can rewind to re watch the hilariousness of it.

First Month (Beware: This is a Mommy Post)

So many changes happen in one month:

One Week:

One Month:

We are soaking her up. We are enjoying every minute of her.

• She loves a binky
• She loves to be held upright and cuddled to your chest (love this)
• She sleeps pretty well
  
• She loves the ceiling fan
• She loves to look out windows
• She loves to sit in the boppy pillow
• She tolerates her mother's love of all things frills, bows, and flowers
• She does not love her car seat unless she is moving
• She prefers the bouncer seat over the swing
  
• She smiles, but is still learning when to smile. It's more of a sporadic smile. When she is not tired, full and clean she will smile.
• At first I thought she looked like Brad, now I'm not sure. I think she is a good mix.
• She does not seem to be allergic the dogs (thank the heavens - I'm really hoping she has Brad's allergies which are none and not mine)
• She is growing... like a freakin' weed (and I'm not okay with this).
  
• She likes to be wrapped in a blanket but likes her hands out (Brad did not like to be tightly swaddled either)
  
• She loves sleeping on her tummy with her butt in the air and hands above her heart. Coincidentally, this is how she was in the womb.
• We love her.
  

What is second to a Mother's Love?

A dog's.

I stressed [even prior to the pregnancy] over how the dogs would adjust to a child. Verdict: I stressed for nothing. I didn't worry about Sydney so much (the above picture is how I predicted she would be) but Dixie I was worried. Sydney is much more into the baby than Dixie but Dixie doesn't seem to mind (and I don't mean in a "she tolerates the baby" sort-of-way just frankly doesn't seem to be bothered in the least.

I knew Sydney would like the baby. It was a change and I think Syd was getting bored. She needed a job (after all she is a working dog) and a job she found. Prior to the Apple's arrival during my bath Sydney would guard the door of the bathroom. I took a bath recently during Apple's nap time and noticed Syd wasn't there guarding,but I came to find her guarding the sleeping babe (thus, the above picture - and excuse the mess on the night stand, I wish I could tell you it was just a bad day, but since the baby that is how it always looks). It may be hormones, but it absolutely touches my heart that Sydney loves her as much as her own, like a mother.


And here is Dixie. Dixie will sniff her occasionally, but for the most part doesn't really notice her. It has not affected Dixie's daily routine except the fact that I am home and she loves the extra ear scratches and cuddling time she does with me and the Apple (one thing I read up on when a new child comes into the picture - is that dogs don't need extra attention they just need their routine to stay constant and we have made sure we've done that).

L.O.V.E.

I cannot get enough of her.

Transition

I apologize I have been slacking in the blog department. But it is not because I don't want to, my laptop (the new one I got for my birthday) is out of commission. It just stopped working one day. So I am using Brad's mac (and I'm actually loving it). So I thought I would play catch up.

The transition is moving along nicely. However, I will admit it was more difficult than I anticipated. I always wanted to be a mother, so accepting that the transition is more difficult than expected was hard for me. I would like to blame it on hormones and the fact that at 3 weeks I am still recovering and still not feeling normal. It doesn't help that my leg has still not healed (did I mention a nerve was damaged and my left leg remained numb - it's getting better but my foot is still numb). I want to add and say I love this little girl to pieces and I enjoy every minute with her. I actually get anxiety that as every day passes she is another day older and well, I wish her to remain a baby, my baby. I love holding her. I love napping with her. I just love to be with her. Brad's parents were kind on a Saturday, and told us to bring her by so we could go out to dinner. We were gone for an hour and a half and I missed her terribly. See, I'm babbling. I will move on.

We went on a lunch date with Daddy last week so we got fancy. Which, of course, means pictures.

She is beginning to smile.

Her cord finally fell off, she got a real bath this week. You can see what she thinks of it. This was the only one she has cried since then.

And you can call me a bad mom, but yes, she sleeps on her tummy and it has improved my well being. On her back she was only sleeping in 30 minute intervals. One night (a very sleep deprived night) I put her on her tummy in desperation and she slept for 4 hours. So we bought one of those sound and movement monitor mats and she had slept that way ever since.

My mom came out for a week and a half, and it was so nice to have her. My dad came at the end to meet the new addition. I bawled my eyes out when they left. The bawling actually began 2 days before they left and continued 2 days after they left.