April (Snow) Showers

When we got up at 6 am, the yard was green.  But by 7:45, it was starting to look pretty white.

Scout was in disbelief!  "What, Mommy???" 

Abbey took it in stride, though.  She went right for Scout's favorite ball, and of course Scout couldn't resist joining her! 

They are starting to play together!  I'm so proud and excited.  Last night, after rolling around on the floor together, they both fell asleep on Mommy's lap.  Abbey starting whining a little bit in her sleep, and Scout put her paw on Abbey.  My heart melted!  Sadly, I couldn't get a picture without disturbing them, but I'm feeling more confident that they'll develop a bond.

Did Someone Call for Housekeeping?

My little helper found the broom and pitched right in!  Go Abbey.  The vacuum cleaner is in the toy room, in case you get bored with sweeping! 

Introducing Abbey

Our new baby has arrived!  On Saturday, March 31, we happily welcomed a new Miniature Schnauzer into our family.  After much debate and discussion, we named her Abbey (because Mommy is a big Beatles fan, and Abbey Road is iconic!)  

Abbey and Mommy in the car, let's go HOME!  

Scout and Abbey check out their Easter baskets.  Can you see Sebastian in the background?  He likes to keep an eye on things from a safe distance!  

Scout is always polite, but Abbey decided to dive right in!

The toys and treats were pretty cool, but she's just as happy to chew on the basket!

So far, things are going well.  Abbey will sleep in a kennel overnight until she is completely potty trained, and the first night, I did not hear a single peep out of her until about 5 am, when she needed to go outside.  The second night, she did cry a bit after I closed the kennel door, but within 15 minutes, she was quiet.  She already understands that a trip outside means "do your business," and she's very efficient at doing it quickly ... YAY!  

Scout is a little jealous, but of course we expected that.  They've done plenty of sniffing and barking at each other, but I think they'll become happy playmates soon.  That's the HOPE, anyway!  For now, Abbey is still afraid of stairs, so if Scout gets sick of her, she just runs down the stairs and then stares up at Abbey, as if to say "ha!"  But I doubt it will last very long, because Abbey is a determined little puppy!  She'll master the stairs in no time.  Then Scout will have to invent a new game!  

There's something very joyful about having a new puppy in the house.  Abbey prances and rolls and paws with such exuberance that we all find ourselves with a little more spring in our step!  Life is good.

Scout Suggests an Exercise Routine

It's been a couple days, and I want to thank those of you who wished us well with Scout's latest bout of vomiting.  I am trying pumpkin now, and the good news is that she LIKES it, so if I mix a spoonful in with her food, she eats without much coaxing. 

Apparently, she thinks we should revamp our exercise routine, too.  Yesterday, as I was carrying groceries in the house, she managed to dart out the front door and proceeded to lead me on a nice leisurely SPRINT through the neighborhood.  Wow, she has little legs but she can move them!  Luckily, about a block and a half away from our house, nature called so she had to stop and tinkle.  I managed to catch up with her and carry her safely back home. 

After a run, the only thing to do is take a nap, right???

Scout naps on Mommy's lap while Sebastian enjoys a good chin scratch.

Yes, all is well when my babies are safely within reach.  Just the way I like it.

Bilious Vomiting Syndrome

Today is one of my favorite pictures of Scoutie, with a quick bit of writing, because we're fighting with Scout's bilious vomiting syndrome.  She's had it most of her life, and it basically causes her to vomit bile (hence the name of the syndrome) whenever her stomach is empty for too long.  She's on medication to reduce stomach acid, and we feed her three small meals per day, to avoid her stomach sitting empty too long.  BUT, she doesn't always want to eat ... because she's finicky.  So we have ups and downs in successfully controlling the vomiting.  Before this episode, she hadn't vomited in a couple weeks, but now she's back to doing it daily.  She's still always very active and playful, and the vet assures us she's otherwise healthy (I think she gets sick of fielding my calls.)  But it's hard, as a Mommy, not to react with concern when your baby is retching. 

What about Maddux?

I realized today that I haven't shared many pictures of Maddux on the blog.  Believe me, it isn't because he's unimportant or uninteresting!  Sebastian, our yellow cat, is very sweet, but a lot of the time, he can be found in a quiet corner.  Maddux, on the other hand, likes to be in the middle of the action.  He's not shy, and he gets along with just about everyone.  He's always been more playful than his brother, so when we got a puppy, Maddux actually embraced Scout's energy and enthusiasm.  They typically play together very well.

Scout and Maddux sharing Franklin, the giant stuffed turtle with long arms and legs.  This toy was a gift from Grandma, and they like it a lot, but let me tell you, it is a dangerous weapon in the hands mouth of an animal who likes to shake and whip toys around!  Franklin's long limbs have smacked us all in the face numerous times!

Of course, after a rigorous session of tug with the dog, Maddux can be found napping among the boy's things.  This is the most logical place to nap, because if the boy decides to play a game, Maddux needs to be ready to help by batting all the game pieces off the board!  Or stealing the dice.

Honestly, a huge percentage of the pictures I take of Maddux are of him sleeping, because when he's not sleeping, he's zipping around.  That gray blur I often spy in the corner of my photos?  Yep, that's Maddux! 

New friends and family

Late last fall, our neighbor adopted a yellow lab pup named Frankie.  Being ME, I was extremely excited to get to know him, but he was painfully timid.  He would never approach us.  He kept his distance and quietly observed the chaos our gang creates.  When we shoveled our driveway, he would try to catch any snow we accidentally flung up in the air, but if we went near the fence, he would back away.

Well, I'm very pleased to report that in the last couple weeks, he has really come out of his shell.  The weather is nicer, we're outside more often, and he finally got brave enough to come near the fence.  Every day, we say "hello" and with the neighbor's permission, we sometimes offer him a couple treats.  I think he's deciding that new friends aren't so bad, after all!

Meanwhile, we are busy preparing for OUR new family member.  Our still unnamed puppy will arrive on Easter (give or take a day.)  The UPS driver delivered her kennel today, and we set it up near Scout's.  The whole ordeal was rather upsetting for Scout, because:

• UPS drivers are always upsetting, even though I'm sure they're perfectly lovely people AND they often bring us goodies.
• Why do we even need a new kennel???
• No treats were found in the delivery box
• Why do we even need a new kennel?  We already have one, and it isn't broken.
• Toys were moved to make room for the kennel, and last but not least ....
• WHY DO WE EVEN NEED A NEW KENNEL?

Our new baby.  What should we name her?