Thursdays with Caleb. {19}

{I'm embracing the blurry photo phase of life right now}

  We have a word! Caleb's first word! I'm sure I could argue that he has been saying 'mama' and 'dada' for months now, but really- he hasn't. He says them all the time, but assigns no meaning to them at all, so I don't count them as actual words. But anyways. He really truly has a word now. DOG! 
  I know. Could my dog-loving heart be any happier? He not only loves our dogs, he made it his very first word! He points at them or looks around for them, exclaiming 'DA!'- he's very clear interpretation of the word 'dog'. IT IS THE BEST THING EVER. 
  Every morning and after every nap, I let the dogs into Caleb's room before I go in and he loves it. He stands right up, points and reaches to pet them, and screams DA!  You can hardly tell from these photos {turns out dogs and toddlers don't cooperate for photos. rude}, but it is adorable. I usually make Murphy stand close to crib so Caleb and pet him and I can shake his fluffy tail for Caleb to giggle at. You'd be right in assuming Murphy hates it, but totally tolerates it.
  So that's it. you can resume your Thursday activities knowing that my life is 100% complete because my child's first word is DOG! :)

Thursday.

  I mean, c'mon. I know I'm totally biased, but do you see those dogs? And that last photo? She's so unaware of her lady bits being so on display. Also, I have nothing else to say today since I'm still catching up on this. So dog photos are my default! Happy Thursday! 

A blog post about my dog.

...because she had a birthday this weekend! Jersey turned 4 on Saturday! The tradition in our house is to make our go-to carrot {dog} cake for her birthday and Murph's adoptaversary. Justin thinks its a bit ridiculous, but I love it. She devoured the cake in seconds and is making a good dent on her birthday bone {we only let her have it for a little bit at a time}. We also got in two really, really good walks with her over the weekend.
  I love this little pup. She's a bit wild, but has calmed down so much over the last 4 years. She's is fiercely sweet and attached to us. She sleeps under the covers and shares my pillow at night, and I love it. The best way to describe her is balls to the wall. In everything. She plays hard, cuddles intensely, eats with passion, and just does everything and anything will all she has. Such a big personality for such a little pup {for a weim, at least}. Happy birthday, Jersey! 

Dogs.

  How about a post about my dogs? Because, you know, everyone said I'd be a little less obsessed with them once I had a baby. Ha. There's even a slight chance I'm a little bit more of a crazy dog person than ever. I feel like that's totally warranted, because who doesn't love forced dog/baby photos? Also, let's chat about how I think Jersey is done eating poop. Wahoo! It's the small things in life, you know? 

Puppy love.

 
 Everyone says that my relationship with my dogs will change when our baby gets here. But, my husband also swore my obsession with them would wear off after a few months or years of having them...and that hasn't happened. I just really, really love my dogs. Now, I obviously can't predict how things might change when our little guy arrives. But I'm willing to bet they won't change much. Every single time I pull in our driveway, I get excited to see them. I cuddle with both every single day. I love taking them on walks {but, two dogs and a stroller? We'll see.}. I talk to them. They make me laugh and make hard days better. That's what I love about pets. They make everything a bit better. In fact, I've been so thankful that my sweet friends, who are walking through the toughest grief, have their own pup to help them heal. Did you know that having a pet is considered a protective factor? Having a pet to love and care for helps people be more resilient during hard things, especially kids. No joke. Isn't that amazing?
  I can't imagine not having my dogs or having my kids grow up with pets {seriously, I will die if my kids end up being allergic}. They are so special and truly, truly part of our family. And I think when our baby comes, I will probably just end up loving our pups even more, you know? 
   All that to say, happy pet appreciation week! {And thank you, Allison, for the head's up about it!} If you have a pet, give them some extra love this week. If not, find a shelter and make a small donation? Or just find someone else's pet and give them a hug!

Easter {begg} Hunt.

   It's absolutely no secret that I love my dogs. Perhaps it borders on obsession? Either way, I can't ever pass up a good excuse to do cheesy things with my dogs. Case in point: a dog-only Easter egg hunt. You guys. I can't even begin to explain the extreme cuteness! A local dog bakery held the event in two different locations around Indy and we joined some of our good friends this past weekend. {A perk of having friends who are as dog-crazy as me}. 
   We left Jersey at home because, well, crowds aren't her thing. Murphy, on the other hand, is a complete ham and lover of all people, dogs, and babies. He especially loves other dogs and babies. We had really low expectations of him being interested in any of the treat-filled eggs, because if there are other dogs around, treats are meaningless to him. But he sort of dominated at the actual egg hunt {I use the term 'hunt' loosely since the eggs were covering the ground}. Afterwards, we walked to the bakery to pick up some more treats and he was SO proud of himself. And in case you're concerned about Jersey feeling left out, she gorged on treats when we got home and was none the wiser. Ok, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. 

  Please tell me I'm not the only one who loves these types of cheesy pet-owner things! Has your dog ever gone to an Easter egg hunt?

A dog person.

"A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he'll give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you feel rare and pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?" Marley & Me

Happy Birthday! {Water Street Designs}

  Guess who is officially turning 3 tomorrow? Jersey baby! It's been so much fun celebrating her all month and I'm a little sad to see it end. I'm thinking another etsy pet series is in order for Murph's adoptaversary in the Spring? 
  I'm excited to tell you about Water Street Designs today, because would wouldn't love a custom print of their pet? Kim is a sweetheart and SO easy to work with. I just sent her two of my favorite photos of Jersey and she nailed it. I mean, look at those eyes. Those are Jersey's pouty baby eyes, for sure!
  But Kim goes way beyond custom pet portraits- you can also snag some ADORABLE personalized pet cards, a family portrait, or any other custom illustration or paper good you might need. How adorable are these guys??

 The dog lover in me can barely stand all the cuteness! I'm kind of obsesses now, and may even order some personalized cards for some of the dog lovers on my Christmas list. And of course, Kim is offering you all an amazing discount to get jump-started on your holiday shopping! So even if you're rolling your eyes at my dog obsession, I know you know someone who loves their dog like I do! What better gift than personalized pet stationary? Besides a new puppy. Oh my gosh, I would love a new puppy for Christmas. {not going to happen} Just use coupon code WSD1024 to get a whopping 25% of any minimum purchase of $15 in Kim's shop! 

 Be sure to check back next week for all the details on Jersey's fun birthday celebration! {All I'll say is cake, dresses, and potentially a tutu}