Washing and Brushing

I am absolutely loving this stage of Autumn's life right now. Yes, it can be a little difficult at times. She is starting to learn that she can push our patience if she wants to. However, just the fact that's she's constantly talking. Putting long sentences together. Understanding conversations between her and myself. It's amazing!

I started encouraging Autumn's independence and control. In the morning I'll ask her what she wants to eat for breakfast and give her 2 options. She usually repeats back both of them. However, I keep repeating them back until she gets really excited about one over the other. The look in her eyes when she actually gets what she "asked" for is amazing. Makes me smile :-) I also have her "pick our her clothes" as well. Same thing, give her a couple of options and she chooses out of those what she wants to wear. She even tries to put the clothes on herself. It's hilarious to watch. She usually ends up getting frustrated and I'll show her how in the end.

Speaking of frustration. It's amazing how you really have to watch what you say around Autumn. I'm really great at not swearing around her. I cut that out when I found out I was pregnant with her. No way I wanted her to learn those words (at an early age, she's gonna find out sooner or later). However, there is one phrase that she caught onto very quickly and it cracks me up... GOOD GRIEF!!! Hahaha. I noticed that about a week ago. She was trying to put on one of her shoes, it didn't work, so she threw her shoe down and said "good grief!" I had to walk away and laugh because it was just too cute coming out of her quiet little voice. So now she says it whenever something doesn't go her way.

Autumn has also become obsessed with washing her hands. Not that I don't mind. Just starting to get a little harder for me to hold Autumn up to the sink everything we need to wash them. I don't let her wash her hands everytime. Otherwise she'd never leave the sink. I even thought about getting her a step stool for our upstairs bathroom. Again, she would never leave the sink. However, her little potty turns into a step stool, so I turned it over for her one day and let her brush her teeth and wash her hands. Guess what? She didn't want to leave the sink. I had to pull her away, crying, or our water bill would be through the roof! She had fun and I enjoy taking some cute pictures.

Put some product in Autumn's hair to "enhance" her curl :-)

Quick Note

I just realized that I never updated about the dog situation at hand. After some much consideration, Jordan and I agreed to not bring another dog into our home. As much as we would had LOVED to bring Kitara (that was her name) into our house, just the thought of another dog to feed, to pick up poop after, to retrain, gave me a head ache.

In all honestly, we're spoiled by Jade. She sits outside nicely with us in the front yard when we're working on it. I can't tell you how many times people have walked by with their dogs and were in shock that Jade wouldn't even get up or chase them. I love that we are able to do that. Jade is EXCELLENT with Autumn. I don't have to worry about her biting or knocking Autumn over. She's careful around Autumn. Doesn't bite her hand if Autumn is waving food in front of her face. Doesn't growl at Autumn if she thinks it's funny to jump on Jade's back over and over again (poor Jade, lol). Also, bringing a newborn into our home this fall does not make me nervous, what-so-ever. Not to mention that Jade's on a diet and is losing weight, so that's less dog food that I have to feed her (plus I started her on a different dog food which she actually eats less of than the Iams I was feeding her before). Also, Jade and I have been taking regular walks almost every night to help her lose weight and keep me from getting fat. Ha! Not to mention the walks are beyond, beyond excellent for my Restless Leg Syndrome.

So, in conclusion, even though we wanted Kitara, so so badly, this just isn't the time for us. We're happy with Jade and after going through 3 other dogs (that didn't end well), we're just not up for another disappointment. And Jade definitely hasn't disappointed us :)

Two surveys for the price of one!

I had my 28 week check up today, which went well. The best part of it was that Kaelyn decided that we didn't need to hear her heartbeat today. She worked really hard at trying to move away from the little machine and even kicked it several times. The nurse and I had a good laugh. We were able to hear the heartbeat (because lil Kaelyn can only go so far) and it sounded beautifully. A nice 145 bpm.

One thing I was definitely not crazy about was how much weight I gained this past month. Ugh! My doctor told me that this is completely normal to have a month where you spike really high (I did the same with Autumn as well). I just wasn't prepared for it. Like I stated before in my last blog post, I've been working at trying to not gain as much weight this time around. However, when I asked what my start weight was, I felt much better because I've only gained a total of 15 lbs so far. I looked back at one of my surveys and I had gained 24 lbs at about this time with Autumn. So a huge sigh of relief for me. Hehe.

Speaking of surveys, I thought it would be fun to compare surveys from now and back with Autumn. So my pregnancy with Kaelyn will be in bold and my pregnancy with Autumn won't. Enjoy!

How far along? 27 weeks and 6 days (28 weeks and 6 days)
Total weight gain/loss: Gained 15 lbs (Gained 24 lbs)
Maternity clothes? Definitely in the maternity pants and still trying to wear some of my old t-shirts. (I'd rather wear my lounge pants (that I made) with a sports bra and an oversized t-shirt... Ahhhh, sounds so much better than tight clothes!)
Stretch marks? My old ones are getting darker and I've noticed some new ones around my belly button (whose idea was it to get my belly button pierced?) (None (so far...))
Sleep: Ugh... Sleep is overrated. Especially now that I have to get up with Autumn in the morning. I don't get to sleep in til 10am like I did last pregnancy. LOL (Sleep? What's that?! Definitely tossing and turning or up and peeing... Take your pick!)
Best moment this week: Having Jordan feel Kaelyn's hiccups. He thought that was kinda funny. (Actually being woken up by her moving. I know it sounds crazy, but I kinda enjoyed it :-))
Movement: She moves, a lot! I'm beginning to think it was more than Autumn did. She's very active and isn't very shy. She's definitely let a lot of people feel her move. (Everyday, several times a day. She's a very active baby!)
Food cravings: Cool Ranch Doritos!!! (Pickles and Culver's Icecream (but not together... Ewww))
Gender: It's a girl!!! (It's a girl :-D)
Labor Signs: None... (None (yet...))
Belly Button in or out? Belly button is definitely an outie now. (Neither. It's more of an even-ny... LOL... I guess it depends on how I am sitting. But definitely more out than in sometimes.)
What I miss: Again... Sleeping on my stomach! (SLEEPING ON MY STOMACH!!!!!! :-/)
What I am looking forward to: I would have to say the same thing, being able to hold her in my arms and introduce her to Autumn and Jordan. However, I can wait (hehe). (Being able to hold her in my arms, kiss her little cheeks and see that beautiful face that Jordan and I created. Miracle of life is such a beautiful thing!)
Weekly Wisdom: Your house doesn't always have to be 100% clean. Anybody who has kids (recently or not) will understand that there are toys everywhere and food everywhere. If they don't, don't invite them over. Hehe (Make sure you don't sneeze on a full bladder....... :-/)
Milestones: I think it's funny how excited I was with Autumn that I was going to have a baby in 3 months. But now I'm going into panic mode, because I have nothing ready for this baby that's coming in 3 months!!! (I think just being less than 3 months away from my due date is a milestone.)
Realization of the week: SO MUCH TO DO IN 3 MONTHS!!! (I'm gonna have a baby in 3 months!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!)

Now and Then

I was finally able to take a picture of my baby bump today. I've been lazy when it comes to makeup and making myself look decent. And on the days that I do, I forget to take a picture. Well, I enjoy Jordan taking my picture for me. That's a chore in and of itself ;-)

As I was posting my picture on facebook, my friend Jen asked if I had one of my pregnancy with Autumn around the same time (27 weeks). Sure enough, I did! I had one of myself at 27 weeks with Autumn. Perfect! After emailing the pictures to Jen, she did a little side by side... Wow... What a difference!

I've been working really hard on being healthier this time around. I gained way too much weight when I was pregnant with Autumn (almost 50 lbs to be exact). I wasn't going to let that happen again. With Autumn I was lazy, I didn't go out much, I sat on my computer all day. Ate the wrong foods. Wasn't having the best sleep schedule (sleeping too much or not enough). Just basically being lazy in general. I ate way, way too much fast food as well. Ugh, I feel sick just thinking about it. Now I am walking 1 1/2 miles a day with Jade. Running around with Autumn ALL DAY LONG. Eating much, much healthier. It helps having Autumn around to feed because I don't want her to eat junk food period. I'm still struggling with portions. My eyes are bigger than my stomach and I feel like I always have to eat what's on my plate. So it's something I need to work on.

I went back on my blog to my 27th week with Autumn, just to see what I wrote about. It wasn't what I was hoping for, but it'll do. I was really more curious about numbers and my survey that I usually do. But that was at 28 weeks so I think I'll wait until my doctor's appointment on Wednesday before I compare those numbers. For now, enjoy the picture that Jen sent me. It's amazing, how much healthier I look this time around. I feel much better too!

What to do?

Friends, I need your help! My brother called me yesterday and said that my parent's neighbor wants to know if we want to take their dog...

Here is what my thoughts are. I absolutely love this dog. She's beautiful, young and wasn't given much attention or exercise from her owners. They left her on a leash all day outside. She would run away from them when she had a chance and would try to pull away from me when I went to bring her back. She's been around Autumn and Jade several times (we used to let her in the house when she got away) and even though she's a little puppy hyper, it wasn't horrible.

The cons... Autumn just got bit by another dog. I'm still horrified by that idea and Jordan and I said we weren't going to get another dog because of it. More dog food to go through, we'll have to get a dog cage because she's still young and could chew up stuff. I enjoy gardening outside with Autumn and Jade (who doesn't run away and will stay on command).

A little background about her. She's a Native American Indian dog. Kind of like a husky, but a little less hyper. Still higher energy, needs a firm owner (which we are) and exercise. I think she's just under a year old. And the reason why they want to find her a new home is because they don't give her the time and energy that she needs. They came to my brother first because we have shown interest to these neighbors before that we want their dog.

So please, I need some external advice from you guys. I really would love to take her. I've wanted her since I first met her, but I'm honestly scared. Or, is this why God had Kallie bite Autumn? So we could have the dog we've always wanted? I wish I knew the answer...

(The pic was taken during one of her many visits to my parent's house).

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Updated Look

So on my last blog post a friend of mine mentioned that I needed to "update" my name and look of my blog. I was definitely thinking about it, because for one thing, it's not just Autumn's story anymore. She's going to have to learn to share soon enough :-)

Trying to think of a new blog name was difficult enough. I'm still not 100% sure if I'm gonna stick with this one or not. This title popped into my head first because number 1, my life is crazy. Between the new house, Autumn getting a mind of her own, baby #2 on her way and Jordan and I constantly running around like a chicken with its head cut off... Well, you get the picture... Then number 2, our family is built on a foundation of love. We would be here without it (and, of course, God). So then the phrase "crazy little thing called love" just popped into my head and I couldn't get rid of it. So this'll be my title (for now).

Jordan and I planted our first garden last night. I started small, because this is new to me and I didn't want to overwhelm myself. We have tomatoes (already planted from a few weeks ago), green beans and sugar snaps. Can't wait til we're able to finally eat from our garden! I was going to take pictures, but my battery was dead. So it's currently charging. I need to start taking more pictures. I've been slacking.

Let me know what you think about the new blog. I'm going to take some pictures of Autumn this afternoon and make a new post about her. It's been a while since I've posted any pictures of her. It's time you got to see my lil cutie again!

My poor baby :-(

I feel, absolutely horrible. I never would have purposefully put my daughter, or anyone else for that matter, in this sort of danger. I still, can't believe it actually happened...

What am I talking about do you ask? Our newest dog, Kallie, bit Autumn in the face last night and even drew blood. I was in the other room when it happened. Jordan was sitting on the couch. Kallie on her bed next to the couch. Autumn was right on top of her. (Autumn is used to climbing all over Jade. She tolerates it. If Jade has had enough, she'll get up and walk away. Simple as that. Kallie has growled at Autumn a couple of times. It was something we were working on. But I didn't think it was going to be a big issue because she came from a family with 3 boys and a girl all around Autumn's age. So she couldn't have done anything horrible there.)

So apparently Autumn was laying over Kallie's mid section and playing with something behind Kallie's back. Kallie growled at Autumn and Jordan corrected her. Not a big deal to me. However, shortly after, Kallie reared back and bit Autumn in the face. Jordan said that it happened way too fast. All I heard was the sound of something getting hit (Jordan did punch Kallie, twice, I don't blame him) and then Autumn crying. Jordan got her away from Kallie as fast as he could. I ran into the room asking what had happened. Honestly, I just thought that Autumn fell while playing with Jordan. I had no idea what he was about to say next...

"Kallie bit Autumn." I can still hear it ringing in my ears. Words that I never thought I would ever hear. Ugh, gives me chills. Autumn was definitely very scared. I knew, right then, that Kallie couldn't stay with us. I wanted her out of the house. I also knew that if she drew blood, she would have to be put down. I know a lot of you readers out there have opinions on this topic. But I am a firm believer that if a dog is comfortable biting a human being and draws blood, then that animal will most likely do it again. I will not put any other human being in that sort of danger. Autumn did no harm, what-so-ever, to Kallie. Who's to say what's going to happen if someone did accidentally hurt her (I can't tell you how many times I've accidentally stepped on Jade's tail or feet and she never showed aggression. I've stepped on Kallie's foot once and she nipped at my ankles...)

Sure enough. After Autumn calmed down a little bit, I brought her face up to inspect and there was blood. Ugh. I immediately broke down in tears because I was almost 100% sure what was going to happen to Kallie. Honestly, Jordan was so ticked off that he was about to kill her himself. I knew he would regret it if he did. We didn't really know who to call at that time. It was a Saturday evening, who was open? Someone suggested Animal Control. So Jordan got their number and had them come over. We ended up taking a picture of Autumn's face just minutes after it happened in case she was in bed before AC got to our house.

Super nice lady came and filled out paperwork for Kallie, looked Autumn over and then took Kallie away. Honestly, yes, I am sad. Kallie was a super, super sweet dog. Don't get me wrong. She had improved, SO MUCH, in the 2 weeks that we had her. I worked so hard on her! However, she was 4 years old with a history that wasn't very well known when we got her. Who knows what she was like with other owners. Kallie is going to be quarantined for 10 days before they put her down. I thought that this was silly at first until I read the paperwork that Jordan got. It's mostly for the person who got bit because if Autumn were to get rabies or something else, they would have to test Kallie's blood.

So again, yes, I am sad. I'm getting teary eyed just writing this post. I also know that I am going to get a lot of hate messages as well for this. However, put yourself in my position. My child, my own flesh and blood, was injured by a dog who is definitely capable of doing it again or worse. Autumn is incapable of defending herself and does not completely understand the difference between Jade and other dogs. What if this was your child? What if this was my dog who bit your child? What would you do?