No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!

Tony only had one real rule when we brought Butters home: NO DOGS ON THE BED! I was fully prepared to honor that request.  From the beginning, Butters had a warm little bed in his crate.  He would willingly trot off to his own bed each night… of course, with the encouragement of carrot treats!

And, here we are 10 months later.  

It turns out that Tony kind of has a soft spot for this little dog... a queen-sized one.  Butters certainly figured out which one of us he needed to win over. 

When we finally caved in, we expected some things to change.  We were ready for him to stretch out to the size of a Great Dane and hog the bed.  The occasional early morning wake up call was planned for. Heck, we even were prepared to put up with his snoring.  But, we weren’t expecting this…

Butters did not come alone…

Sure enough, he has decided he is not the only one who deserves the big bed… so do all of his friends.

Meet the guilty cast of characters...

                                               GIRAFFE MAN

STRING MONKEY

FOREST FOX

...and...

WOODY

On any given night, one (or all) of them ends up scattered like mines all over the bed. 

It is not uncommon that Tony or I will roll over in the middle of the night to be awoken by a squeeker, misplaced limb, or loose tail of one of Butters’ toys.

 It would be easier to exile the group if Butters didn’t look so darn cute cuddling with them

So, we have decided… only one friend per night can come to the sleepover!

We’ll see how long that one lasts too...

It's Just a Mummy

Butters has (thankfully) never been much of a barker.  We only hear a peep out of him about once a week... usually in response to a cat at the window.  He really does not make a very effective guard dog.  Overall, he is just more of a non-verbal communicator.

Recently, Tony and I found a cute little decoration at a local store to start off our fall/Halloween decorating.  Meet... "Mummy!"

He is so cute!  How can you ignore those adorable (although slightly askew) eyes.

Well, Butters didn't seem to agree with us on Mummy.  The morning after we brought Mummy home, I woke up to this...

My normally quiet doggie loudly announced his disdain for this intruder.  Clearly, Butters did not approve of Mummy.

Mummy seemed to bring out all of the bad habits in our normally well-mannered Butters.  Later that day, Tony came in to find...

...yes, Butters ON the table... trying to eat Mummy.

Thankfully, over the last couple of weeks, it seems that Butters may be coming around (a bit) on Mummy.  He now lets Mummy hold his space on the table in peace.  Our little guy no longer announces Mummy's invasion on our household.  And, I think the two might even be becoming friends...

10 weeks

A pregnancy test.  When you think about it, it is just a really expensive piece of soggy paper... simply a urine-soaked combination of antibodies, indicator, and glycoproteins.  But, those two little lines.  When you see them appear before your eyes, you realize that thin strip means so much more than that.

It is the first moment in your life that you go from thinking of yourself, not just as one person, but two.  You realize that your life will change in many ways in the coming months.  A small piece of reality sets in… in just 2 minutes, you realize you are going to be a mom.

The morning that I saw that positive result, I remember just sitting in the bathroom and staring at those two lines.  Starting a week before, I had had an inkling that I might be pregnant.  I had been feeling more tired than usual and terribly bloated.  I had even seen a (maybe) slightly positive result 2 days before that test (which Tony and I still go back and forth on)  

But, nothing really had prepared me for that moment.  I couldn’t stop those happy tears from coming as I saw those double lines appear.  I tiptoed into the bedroom, pregnancy test in hand,  and whispered to my sleeping husband, “You are going to be a Daddy.”  I have never seen him jump out of bed so quickly, as he also confirmed, "Yup, looks like a positive to me!"

Baby Bump

Over the last several weeks, it has felt like living in another person’s body.  I have been roughly the same size since high school, so it has been strange watching even the subtle aspects of my body change.  My flat belly now is starting to round out just a bit.  Not too many people really notice that I am pregnant yet.  I am sure it will be an even bigger change in the next 10 weeks!

“Morning Sickness”

The “morning sickness” was not something I had fully anticipated, as it has been more of an all-day affair since the beginning.  The nausea is unlike anything I had before pregnancy… not the kind where you vomit and feel better!  It has been a constant, queezy, sick-to-my stomach feeling that persists from sunrise to sunset!  Thankfully, I only had one episode of vomiting during these first few weeks.  Now the symptoms are starting to scale off a bit!  

Food

Ladies always talk about the cravings.  But, I have noticed more of the food aversions!  Foods I used to enjoy, including steaks, salads, grilled chicken breasts, calzones, and creamy sauces, now make my stomach turn!  A few of my “cravings,” or rather foods that don’t seem to make me want to hurl, include salt and vinegar chips, ice cream, and Lunchables Pizzas (yes, all healthy options, I know).

Change

The best way to really sum up the first 10 weeks is… change.  Those first few weeks, you start to feel the transformation from a woman into a mom.  You sacrifice foods, your body, and comfort for the little life growing inside of you.  And, you remember those first moments… the positive result on the pregnancy test, the first time you see the baby on ultrasound, and that first time you really notice that little baby bump. 

An Unforgettable Day

I will never forget where I was on September 11th, 2001.  I remember I was sitting in Mr. Ragonese’s Global History class, learning about notable events in ancient China.  Class was abruptly interrupted when Mr. Hoffman, another history teacher, called Mr. Ragonese into the hallway.  When my teacher returned, all of the blood had drained from his face.  “A plane has hit one of the Twin Towers in NYC.”  The class went completely silent.  The rest of the morning, the school's TVs played and replayed the events of one, and then two, planes hitting the World Trade Center… and a third hitting the Pentagon.

In a different way, I will never forget where I was 11 years later… September 11th, 2012. 

That day, I had started my 8th week of pregnancy.   Over the past couple of days, my seemingly endless battle with morning sickness had backed off a bit.  It felt like a good day.  But, as I went to the bathroom at lunchtime, I noticed something I feared seeing... blood.  Just a little bit, but undeniably there... and bright red.  I rushed to the OB clinic in a haze, with terrible thoughts seeping into my mind… blighted ovum... miscarriage… ectopic pregnancy.  A same-day appointment was set for just a couple hours later at 3pm.  The bleeding seemed to have stopped by this time, but I couldn't help but think the worst as I nervously awaited my appointment.  I tried to stay focused on the highlights of 911 memorial events, playing over and over again on the waiting room TV.  Pregnant women were all around me, appearing blissfully happy as they waited for their routine check-ups.

I was finally called back for my appointment.  After a short conversation with the resident, I was told an ultrasound would be done in the office.  I waited in my paper gown for the ultrasound machine to be rolled over from another room, my heart pounding through my chest.  I had seen so many of these done before when I rotated through OB/GYN in medical school, and remember many other nervous women, like myself, sitting on the table.  

The screen was turned away from me as everything was set up.  I kept worrying, “This is it.  Right now, it all could be over."  The resident and attending began discussing the image on the screen.  “Single fetal pole intact” … “measuring 7 weeks 6 days” … “and there’s the heartbeat.”  At that moment, they turned the screen towards me.  I have never seen anything more beautiful.  For the first time, I saw the little life growing inside of me… 4 little limbs, a nice big head, and that strong fluttering heart beating 167 bpm in that tiny chest.  I couldn’t stop the tears at that amazing sight.  My fears were replaced by overwhelming happiness.  The doctors said that everything looked ok.  We both were ok.

Tony had been waiting nervously for the news.  Due to the short notice, he couldn’t join me for the appointment, but hurried downstairs to meet me briefly afterwards.  Picture in hand, I gave him the great news.  He couldn’t help but also tear up, seeing the first photo of our little bean.

Sitting in that high school class room, I thought that September 11th would always be a day of infamy.  Eleven years later, I can see that a day of darkness can be followed by one with so much much light.  Regardless of what the future holds, I know this moment will stay with me as the years pass.  September 11th certainly is, and always will be, an unforgettable day.   

The (new) Sidari Collection

Tony and I have talked about getting a formal bedroom set ever since we moved in together.  We have put this purchase off for many years.  Instead, we have long used our own makeshift bedroom set… fondly known as the Sidari Bedroom Collection (trademark pending).  This unique compilation has grown to include (1) A neat Tonsu chest discovered at an estate sale (and clearly the golden gem of the collection)  (2) A spare end table (errrr… nightstand) borrowed from our living room set (3) A collapsible shelf found on clearance Wegmans and (4) A frameless (but extremely comfy) pillow top mattress bed to include mismatched pillows, sheets, and comforter.

The Sidari Collection has served us well for many years.  However, earlier this month we decided to invest in our first REAL bedroom set.  Since the bedroom decorating clearly has taken the back seat for a long time, we ended up going all-out on this project.  We found a dresser, frame, and nightstand set that we especially liked. To go with the furniture, we selected a MATCHING bed set.  This even included MATCHING decorative pillows (which made me feel so Martha Stewart)! We selected a new lamp for the nightstand and hung some prints of my photographs on the wall. And, we figured that we should also upgrade our mattress while we were at it.

Here are the before photos...

... and the after!

Our well-loved Sidari collection will be finding its new home in the spare bedroom, a huge improvement from the lone futon that has served our guests well for many years.  Now our visitors will have a comfortable place to stay when they come to visit.   Reorganizing that room will certainly be a project for next week.

No Longer New Yorkers

Today, we officially sold our house in Buffalo! The closing took place earlier this afternoon (thanks, Dad!!).  With the final crossing of T’s and dotting of I’s, we ended our reign (for now) as homeowners.  It is a bittersweet moment.  Tony and I are so happy to now only have ONE check to pay each month for housing.  We no longer have the burden of balancing 2 separate sets of utilities (it was starting to get confusing). The final step in our move from Buffalo is complete.   Today, we really feel a little bit more like Texans. 

As a final farewell to the house at the end of Walton Drive, here are some of my favorite memories of our first home.  

• The first day we moved in, we only had a few pieces of furniture transferred from our tiny one-bedroom apartment.  We celebrated the first night by watching Mall Cop on a futon mattress in the new living room sharing a pizza from Bob and John’s Suburban.  It was the BEST feeling to be able to crank the volume up on the TV without having a neighbor banging angrily on the walls.
• Not having a landlord!!!
• Our first home project together as a couple involved ripping up carpet (the previous owners had a not-so-housebroken Chihuahua) and repainting the walls (originally a puke green color) in the living room.  During the many hours we shared together in that room, we felt a great deal of pride in admiring our fine teamwork

• Cooking in our huge kitchen!  This is probably what I miss the most about the old house.  Tony and I cooked so many meals together.  We had enough space to cook at the same time, and we got making meals at record speed down to an art.  Both of us really enjoy cooking, and we tried out a ton of new recipes.  We baked homemade pies for Thanksgiving, prepared various types of chili and dip for football parties, tried our first experiments with Thai food, and greeted weekends with at least 10 different varieties of omelets.  We enjoyed sharing baking nights with friends like Erik and Maggie, which included a delicious raspberry roll recipe and a (not so successful yet delicious) attempt at tiramisu

• Romantic date nights!  We really didn’t have much money at the time to splurge on fancy restaurants, so we brought the restaurants to us!  Steak nights and lobster dinners were my favorite, sharing time together by candlelight with a bottle of wine.  Valentine’s Day 2011 was especially fantastic!

• Double dates with friends, including Heather and Bruce, Whitney and Joe, Matt and Ashley, Marc and Cassie, and Maggie and Erik.  It was fun to share movie nights, play video games, share dinners and conversations together, and of course sample different types of alcoholic beverages at our leisure.  The warm feeling that made the house into a home came from the people we shared it with
• Reliving all of the best (cheesy) action films of the 80’s with Erik
• Spencer living right around the corner.  We enjoyed many episodes of South Park and pizza/wing nights (of course, from Bob and John’s Suburban).  Tony and Spencer made some pretty epic recordings, my favorite being Deathercize 2001 (mocking P90X using a spin off style from the Powerthirst youtube videos).
• Surviving medical school with my sanity!  Without my quiet study places… the big yellow chair, my spot on the living room couch right next to the window, having a kitchen table big enough to fit all of my books… medical school would have been a harder beast to tackle. 
• Our first Halloween: We prepared with abundant outdoor decorations and were armed with 5 bags of candy... unfortunately, only one family came to the door.  We pretty much were eating candy until Christmas.
• We loved weekend visits with family.   We enjoyed reversing the roles and hosting our parents for weekend meals and get-togethers.  I had a chance to spend quality time alone with Kit and Liz.  It was great to have them each visit, where we could casually make plans together and just enjoy conversation and some girl time!
• Listening to Tony fill the house with the sounds of his bass.  I loved when Henry visited from Pennsylvania and joined in on the music.
• Celebrating Christmas!  I enjoyed setting up our full-sized tree (thanks, Lori and Mitch!!) and decorating it with both of our collected ornaments.  We watched Christmas movies all the way up to the big day.  Together, we wrapped presents for family and friends while listening to holiday tunes

• Crashing at the house after my amazing Bachelorette party (thanks, Heather!!) surrounded by my best friends
• Watching kids ride by on their bikes and scooters, and feeling so grateful to live in a safe neighborhood
• Our first snowstorm… shoveling out the driveway and then diving into the snow pile.  We never did get that snowblower!  Getting snowed-in that same winter was great… we turned up the heat, made a ton of food in the Crock Pot, and watched the snow fall
• Enjoying our little neighborhood: the Tops around the corner, Wehrle Restaurant (boy do I miss their Greek food), visiting The Friars Table in shorts (only to learn that everyone wears formal attire there), Brew Pub, and the Irishman.
• We created some of our biggest milestones in that house.  Together, Tony and I planned our wedding in the living room.  We later hosted a good chunk of the wedding party in that little house.  In December 2011, we brought home our first pet.  I loved watching our little dog make that house into his home as well. We celebrated our med school graduation with a house full of friends and family, which was a special conclusion to our time in Buffalo

It was a great 3 years.  I know we will always look fondly back at our time in that little yellow Cape Cod!

Wild Doggie!

There are some dogs that really enjoy baths... Butters is not one of them.  For a brief period of time when we first brought him home, Tony and I thought we may have a chance at convincing him they aren't so bad.  Despite our best efforts, the verdict is in... our dog just really hates getting washed.  Before I even bring out the shampoo, Butters seems to already sense it... oh no... here comes bath time! 

Luckily he is pretty good at tolerating baths once in the tub.  He doesn't fuss too much or try to get out like other dogs might.  However, he is equipped with possibly the most powerful bath-escaping method... it is called... The Look.  

He seriously puts on the saddest face he can muster, hoping his shower can be cut short... Oh, Butters, it isn't that bad!!

Even though he pretty much hates every moment of the bath part, he seems to be pretty fond of the whole drying off process.  As soon as he is out of the tub, he turns into WILD DOGGIE!  

That little dog runs around the house, creating a ruckus.  He will find anything in his path... a sock, shoe, water bottle, or toy... and go in for the attack! 

His favorite part of the whole routine is jumping from couch to couch and rolling around in the cushions to dry off.  We have been working on stopping that part of the post-bath ritual.

As entertaining as it is to watch his dry off routine, Tony and I are most fond of the post-Wild Man cool down period.  He gets pretty tuckered out by the whole event, and we are happy when he turns back into the cuddly little guy we know and love.