Pets...

If you have ever had a pet than you know how much they mean to you. We have been lucky to have the ones that we do, even though they sometimes have had some bad habits. Before Bob and I were even married we had a dog, Katie. She was rescued from the pound in January of 1990. She has truly been a member of our family for a long time. On January 11 she became so sick that we had to make the unhappy decision to have her put to sleep. It was a hard decision, but one that had to be made. We had to make that same decision for our German Shepard, Siggy, two years ago.

Towards then end of her life, Katie could barely walk and was probably deaf. Just about every morning Bob carried her out to the bathroom. He would have continued to do this indefinitely if he had to, because Katie was his best friend. I think he took her death much harder than I did, because I had a feeling that the end was near for her. I prayed that she would not die on his birthday and mericifully, she waited two days. She would have done anything for Bob, because he was her best friend, too.

We have always loved having pets and after Siggy died probably would have got another dog, but I truly felt that because Katie was over 13 years old at the time, it would not have been fair. She probably would have been fine, but I thought she should have some peace in her old age.

After she died, we wanted to get a new dog right away. We had the space in our home and hearts for a new friend. So I started to look online and eventually went to the Baltimore County Humane Society. I found a really neat dog there and unfortunately, he had a family that was coming back for him on the weekend. So on a friends suggestion, I went to the kennel where I used to board Siggy, to look at some hurricane Katrina puppies. By this point, I was fed up with the whole resue process. You have to wait at least a week at times, while they check vet references and personal references and in some cases do a home inspection. The problem with this seems to be that they have all of this red tape and make it hard to adopt a pet. After speaking to somebody who boards rescue animals, I was left with the impression that some rescue groups board the animals, but never find homes for them. This is truly annoying. Thankfully, the owner of the kennel remebered my dog Siggy and suggested that I call somebody regarding a dog that needed a home. I called that day and had the dog that evening.

Then comes Vinny...

Vinny is just over a year old and is a weird mix of German Shepard, Great Dane and Saint Bernard. He is not as big as you would think. Just like the other dogs we used to have, he has some annoying habits. He barks a good bit and is a chewer. These habits make him a bit hard to deal with (Sorry Amanda), but I think with proper training, he will become a much better dog. I have contacted a trainer and he will start obedience classes on March 2nd. I will keep you guys posted on his progress.

Having a pet is never easy, but honestly, the work that it takes is truly rewarded by a very good friend.

Sleep...

Once you have a child, your sleep is never the same again. Actually, this starts before the baby is born, for the mother. During the last month of my pregnancy, I was up at least four times a night to go to the bathroom and then when I did lay down, I could not get comfortable enough to sleep. Honestly, this is the way that your body gets ready for the long nights that lay ahead.

Once Sophia was at home, she was up just about every two hours to eat. She also was a bit colicky and had to be held to fall asleep for the first six months of her life and still continued to wake up at night to eat.

Now that Sophia is two, I thought that stage of things would have ended, however, I am still up at least once a night. Right now she is getting two-year molars and is very unhappy. I have been giving her motrin to help and sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. She will wake up and want only me and then I will crawl into bed with her half asleep. Once in bed with her, the sleep challenge does not go away, because anybody who has ever slept with a toddler will tell you that they toss and turn and so you still don't get sleep.

Sleep has become very strange for me. I used to be able to sleep for eight to nine hours straight and sleep so soundly that not even a phone would wake me up, but now, I am up all night and feel unrested in the morning. I have to say that this sucks. Thankfully, sometimes Bob helps, but I try not to depend on him, since he has to work, but it is great when I can actually sleep while Sophia is being tended to. No sleep makes Linda a cranky girl.

For all of you parents and about to be parents, my thoughts are with you. I know your pain.

Here is hoping that you all get a good nights rest.

I'm back, well sort of...

It has been so long since I have posted that I am sure anybody who ever glanced at this blog has forgotten about it, but just in case, here is a little update.

Halloween was great and before I knew it, it was Thanksgiving and now Christmas and New Year have also passed.

Life has been treating me very well. One of my best friends from childhood got married in November. It was fun to get all dressed up. I have not done that in years and besides being in somebody's wedding there really is no reason to do so. I had lost 18 pounds for the occasion and am sad to say that I have since gained it all back. Damn holidays.

Sophia had a wonderful Christmas. She is such a lucky kid. Santa visited not only her house, but her grandparents house as well. I have toys all over the place, but I am so glad for her. When I look back at my own childhood, I did not have as much and I want her to have what I could not, so as for the material things that childhood needs to have, we are succeeding.

It was great to watch her get excited before Christmas. She had no fear of Santa.When you think about Santa, he is sort of bizarre, so it is no wonder that kids are scared of him. She liked the idea of giving out presents, so hopefully the spirit of giving to others will be instilled in her during this early part of her life.

She got this really cool Barbie motorized Jeep for Christmas. At first she did not like it, but after driving it the other day, I think she has changed her mind. She was a bit scared when she got in the first time, because she thought it was "too fast." Come spring time, I don't think we will be able to keep up with her. I know one thing is for sure, I would have killed for something so neat when I was a kid.

As for New Years, ours was great. We went to Sophia's godparent's house. Thankfully, Bob's parents watched her overnight so Bob and I could stay out. We never got home until after 5:30am. It was a welcomed break and I have to admit a really awesome time.

I hope that you all will have a wonderful new year.