3 Years!!

Can you believe I have been blogging for THREE YEARS!? Yup, this past Saturday marked 3 years.

My very first post is on the old blog.  I will copy and paste it at the end of this entry.

I think it goes without saying how much blogging has brought to my life.  So many great friends!
I used to write a lot more often...but you know, life gets busy!

You know what else I love (besides imaginary friends?)   SPRING!!
I LOVE when everything COMES ALIVE!

Here are a few things in bloom in my yard right now..

 Daffodils. These are kind of in the woods and they are about to die anyway.  This Saturday I slept in a bit and Andrew had Anika outside.  I was just waking up and they came up to my room and Andrew was holding Anika. She was holding a daffodil and started to hand it to me...so I started to take it and say Thank you, and then she SNAPPED it back, put it under her Arm, and looked at me with stern eyes and said "no. No." ...nice, huh? I thought she was giving it to me, but I guess not!

 Forsythia

Oh, these are not alive in my yard, but they made it in the iphone dump of photos. ha.
Anika calls all 3 of these bananas. Spaghetti squash, summer squash and a banana. She gets all excited over bananas ...and other yellow veggies!

THIS Tree in my front yard. The cherry tree. I love it. I really want one with pink blossoms, but this white one will do!

 So pretty!
And now for something not so pretty....
Last week my uncle died. My gram found him at his house, dead.  That was Tuesday. Wednesday, I brought dinner to my grandparents house after work.   Anika was a doll. She was putting on a show being all sweet and smart. My Grampa was even so impressed and happy to have her.   I was glad to help get my Gram's mind off of things.
THen, on the ride home, I heard something...it sounded like choking...I reached my hand around and felt the yuck. I pulled over and I found this!

I had put Anika's Jammies on before we left my Gram's...you know, so she would be ready for bed! Something I have NEVER done before! YUP!  She had one avocado and lentils for dinner. BOTH foods she eats all the time.

 IT WAS EVERYWHERE. ALl over my new car. All over her seat and her...I had to take the whole convertible seat in the house with her in it.  We both took a shower. I put her to bed and took the monitor down with me to take apart the seat to clean it.  ANd, then I heard it again- I ran up and she puked ALL over her bed.  I just put a blanket down because I still had to clean up downstairs.   I ran up when I heard her gettins sick again. The poor thing.  I was afraid to let her sleep alone in case she choked, so I brought her in bed with me and laid her on towels. Yup, she puked more and more. I was awoken quite a few times with vomit (by then it was clear, not green) splashing my face.  That lasted until 3 AM.   She nursed between it all so she didn't get dehydrated, but she was dry heaving and the sound of it was so sad. I felt so bad for her.   I thought she had a bug so I called into work and we slept until 8:30.  She woke up HAPPY as a clam and never got sick again! No more symptoms- nada.  That was a week ago and no one else got sick...and My Gram and I had been kissing A's mouth...so I think it must have been something she ate....OR again, I have an awesome immune system and my milk has super healing powers and cures the bug in 7 hours. Who knows.

It was definitely the sickest she has been since we've had her. 

This was her- EVEN CUDDLING with me. That is RARE!! She will never sleep like that with me. I covered my face because although she was the sick one, I looked like death in this photo.

I had another gift card to Saks. Two years ago I got a pair of Jack Rogers sandals with a gift card. I have WORN Them into the ground. I used the gift card to get the blue pair this year....I didnt know how dirty and worn my old ones were until I got the new pair!

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AND HERE IS my first POST COPY and PASTED...HAPPY 3 YEARS TO ME!

MY First! So, I have been saying for a while, I wanted to start a blog! I read so many of my friends' blogs…and the blogs of people I want to be my friends! Haha. I was hesitant because I am self conscious of my writing abilities…and my life is not very interesting… But today, I decided we have a lot of exciting things going on, and I wanted to document our exciting happenings! We bought our first house (First house together, anyway) and we just adopted a DOGGY that we will meet on Saturday and bring home! I think our move and new addition will provide me with many exciting stories! I actually decided to finally start a blog about….1 hour ago- while I was the gym! I emailed one of my Bestests, Erin, http://adventure986.blogspot.com/, from my Blackberry, while on the elliptical, asking what she thought a good name for my blog would be! I had Kiwi Lover in the air… due to the fact, my husband is from New Zealand (and New Zealanders are called Kiwis, for those of you who do not know!). Well, Erin suggested the Kiwis and Cocktails! She is always on top of what I love most! I mean, My husband is definitely my first love, but Cocktails are definitely high on the list too!  I will write more about meeting my husband in New Zealand, Our wedding TWO years ago, and being a newlywed in later posts. I just needed to start something ASAP before I changed my mind again!

There were wedding photos in that First post, but they wont copy over. AND, WOW- this month will be 5 years of being married...and this Wednesday is Piri's "Birthday"...the day she came to us. 

Piri -Did she "Lassie" up?

I have a little confession about my first born child- If you don't know- that would be our dog, Piri.

I loved her from the second I saw her on the rescue website.  We treated her like our baby.  I wasn't even a big dog person, but I quickly became obsessed with little Piri. In fact,one of my very first posts was when we decided to adopt her. (2.5 years ago). 
You see, these days, SHE DRIVES ME CRAZY. Ok, I said it.  I know SOO many other new moms to human babies, who had furry babies before the human came along. No one else seems to share these feelings I have. I used to be obsessed with cuddling Piri and dressing her up in one of her 25 scarves. We would wear matching bandannas when we went for walks or runs. Piri has not had on a scarf or bandannas since the day Anika came home with us for the first time.  I haven't even made Piri homemade treats since Anika has been born.  I used to love Piri cuddling with me on the couch or in bed.  NOW- Now she smothers me.  She is CONSTANTLY up in my shit. She will just sit ON me while I am trying to nurse, change, or play with Anika.  I am CONSTANTLY telling her "OFF" and she just doesn't get it. I feel a lot of guilt for this. When Piri used to get away and run through the woods and be missing for hours, I would cry. I would go out driving around and walking down the street calling her name over and over.  She has pulled the same shit a few times since I have had Anika- and I just wait it out until she comes home. Andrew still loves Piri just as much, so that is a good thing. At least she still gets the same amount of love from him! But, I am the one home with her all week and she is just NON stop NEEDY!  I almost like having the gates at the top of the stairs for Anika now, so I can "OOPSY" close it and leave Piri on the other side.  I really hope these feelings pass. I really do. I feel horrible. Anika Loves Piri and Piri seems to love Anika, so at least they have each other! haha

There is something from Monday  night I forgot to write In my previous post.  You see- before Anika fell down the stairs, Piri was barking.  She never barks for no reason. Usually, she only barks when someone is at the house, or there is an animal outside in the yard.  Well, right before I Heard the Bang BANG Bang (of ANika falling) Piri barked and I remember thinking "Oh, there must be an animal outside"  BUT, maybe- Piri was trying to tell me something.  I was telling Andrew on Monday night after we got home with Anika from the ER, that Piri should have "Lassied" up and saved Anika from falling, but when I told him how she barked, he thought she was trying to tell me. I mean, Piri could have used those fangs  of hers and grabbed onto Anika's shirt or nappy to stop her...NO? 
I was telling DSS this (she thinks her cutie, Louis, rolls in shit on purpose so he can get free baths at daycare-smart pup). And as she put it:  I'll bet Piri was trying to warn you!!!  Piri considers her part of her pack.   So I'll bet A was crawling over to those stairs and Piri was saying "hold up there partner!  mom!  mom!  someone stop this small 2-legged thing from crawling to the stairs!"

I would like to think DSS is right. That Piri was trying to warn me or stop Anika.  I wont lie- it did enter my head that maybe Piri got jealous and pushed her, but I know that is just horrible. She would never do that.  She has been nothing but gentle with her since the day she came home.

I may not have a lot of patience for Piri these days, but I am going to take her for an extra Long walk this weekend (HER favorite thing to do) and slip her some special treats :)