Turning point

I'm totally going to kick myself for admitting this, as it's going to come back to bite me in the ass, but I feel like this week Pippi's behavior took a turn for the better. She's never been a bad dog, by any means, but her puppy antics have seemed a little less IN YOUR FACE. (Of course I say this now, and this morning she got into my lip gloss again. But I can blame that on myself for not learning from last time and leaving my purse within her reach).

I have no evidence that this has any part in this behavior shift, but I bought my friend's baby a Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Soothe and Glow Seahorse for Christmas, and I fell in love with it. It plays the most soothing music and sea "bubbling" sounds and its belly lights up. Ok, so my favorite part is the music. I could've used this thing last night when I was trying to fall asleep but couldn't.

I decided to see what would happen if I showed it to the dogs. I expected them to go nuts and want to rip it out of my hands, but they were seriously mesmerized! Like, I've never seen them like this, mesmerized.

I've been told this thing is like "baby crack", but I never
expected this.

Mine?

I added it to my Amazon wish list. No, I'm not kidding.

Speaking of Pippi, I've decided all her adorable jumping on me and scratching and bruising me has got to stop. I understand that she's a puppy, but dude! I decided to follow Kara's example and try Squirt Bottle Training (yes, I made up that very technical term). I know it's a controversial topic, but my findings are this: IT WORKS. I got the squirt bottles yesterday and Pippi only had to be squirted once for jumping and once for getting on the counter. She didn't do it again. All we had to do after that was pick up the spray bottle and she sat down instead.

And now, in case that put a bee in your bonnet, another cute dog picture for you. This is my friend's dog the day I was at her house for my birthday.

Notice all the rawhides beside her bed. She kept going to her toy basket and getting one and then laying down, and then after a while she'd get up and get another. Proof dogs have a sense of humor.

...as do baby Halloween costume makers.

This weekend I'm getting back on track with a long run, because, as Kara reminded me, "half marathons don't run themselves". Cripes.


Have you tried any controversial pet training techniques?

Do you have friends who make you feel guilty when you slack on working out?

Can dogs get the stomach flu?

I'd like to thank Kara for this little gem.

 

Not only did it make me almost spit my dinner out last night, but every time she brings it up, Pippi's ears really do remind me more and more of Yoda. My dog makes me laugh every day.

Oh yeah? Caption this, sucka!

I had a super spectacular morning of cleaning up dog vomit. It started around 2am when I was awoken by that awful sound of "dog-seconds-before-yakking" and then it happened again twice more later in the morning. Apparently Rocco threw up in my brother's room around 2am as well. Vomit party! Wee! I decided to go in to work late today just to make sure they were ok. I think they're fine now, but will be ready for dinner very early tonight.

So, training.

Saturday I set out to set a new PDR of seven miles. The only way I was going to do it was to venture to explore a new route. A friend told me to try a route, which would be 8 miles. Since I had yet to run 7 I just decided to run out 3.5 miles and then run back. No biggie. 

It looks innocent enough, right?

Yeah, it wasn't innocent. My butt can tell you.

Instead of making it to 3.5, I only made it to about 3.15 before I decided that as long as I make it over six miles, it's still a PDR (read: I wimped out a little bit).

That mark? That's where the devil lives.

To tell the truth, I was pissed off at the hills. I wanted to punch the hills.

But this Saturday I'll be tackling that route again, and this time I plan on making those hills go crying for their mamas.

I spent the majority of the rest of the weekend with my friend and her itty bitty baby girl.

Hopefully someday I'll have the honor of her calling me "Auntie Em" :)

Oink oink

Sometimes you just need to vent in a passive-aggressive manner.



...and now my day may begin.


I'll fill you in on my weekend at the beach with my mom a bit later.

What do you think? Do we look alike?

But first, my best friend had her baby! I told her she had to wait to come into this world until after I got back from the beach. Did she listen? Nope! I got to meet her and hold her yesterday. All six pounds of her. SIX POUNDS! That's so crazy to me. I lift up a five-pound weight and think she's only one more pound than that. So tiny! The craziest thing is I was only a little over five pounds when I was born. I was that tiny at one point in my existence.

Sorry for the rant, this is all just blowing my mind.

Do I look scared enough?

Adorable times infinity...squared. I'm an "aunt" to a two-legged being now! (Not that I'm any less of an aunt to my nephew-dog, Rocco. It's just a different kind of love :)

And I must end the recap there (to be continued), as I have a lot of work to catch up on. But before I close, I need to pick the winners of my giveaway!

There were sixteen total entries. I've decided there will be four winners (giving everyone a 1:4 chance of winning), and that the winners get to choose, from my etsy shop, either two headbands OR one collar.

And now, random.org, do your thing!

The WINNERS are:
1. Kara
9. Sarah
13. autumn1329
8. Alyssa (who, I'm sure, will be choosing a dog collar ;-)

Congratulations to all four of you! Leave a comment on this post and let me know which two headbands or which one collar you'd like. If you didn't win this time, don't worry, I sense many other shop giveaways in the future!