He's Not Just a Dog

Remember this guy?



There seems to be some confusion....At first glance, you may think he's nothing but a dog. But I assure you he's more - much, much more than that.

For instance, did you know he hates pineapple but still begs for it so he can surprise his mama with a living room floor full of this yummy treat?

Did you know he's obsessed with tuna and can easily recognize the sound of the can opener being used even if he's in the other room?

Are you aware that he understands the phrase "Daddy's home!" and runs to the backdoor to greet his favorite friend?

I bet you had no clue he still falls asleep in my arms at night, exhaling his smelly puppy breath in my face and twitching in response to his dreams.

How about the fact that he still gets shaken up at the sight of men and will stand behind my legs when he feels threatened?

Have you ever had the joy of waking up and realizing a pup has made his way to crook behind your knees or even better, right along your stomach?

Do you realize how adorable tired puppy sighs, helicopter ears and squeaky yawns are?



Sometimes you should spend a day with Bailey and see that he needs a long morning nap but is ready to play in the afternoon.

You should know that, if given the opportunity, he could easily eat 100 baby carrots without stopping [too bad I'll never let him].

You'd probably be darn impressed with the fact that he won't eat any food off our plates if we walk away for a second, but he has no problem sneaking a piece of pizza off the kitchen counter.

You'd learn that he barks at the FedEx guy, children walking to the bus stop and fellow dog friends, but in the end, he wouldn't hurt a fly.



If given the chance, you'd probably notice the white patch along Bailey's chest resembles the straps of a backpack and at times he gets "bed head" on the back of his neck.

You'd see that "potty?" sends him to the backdoor, "let's go ni-night" makes him charge upstairs and "munchy stick?" has him running for the pantry door in one second flat.

You'd know how much your heart could swell at the joyous greeting from this furry friend.

And finally, you'd realize the responsibility of knowing my little man depends on you for food, water, toys, a big old yummy bone once in a while and more importantly, unconditional love and safety.



So to you, Bailey may be "just a dog", but to me, he's the world.

Pregnancy: Week 22 and 23

Did you know that these updates aren't in real time? At the present moment, I'm actually at the beginning of my 25th week. I thought this delay would give me time to gather my thoughts, edit photos and write up a post but then it hit me today...when baby boy is here, I'm definitely NOT going to wait to post his birth story in lieu of my 39-40 week post. So, I might just give a quick recap of weeks 24 and 25 soon and get back on track!

Weeks 22 and 23 were fabulously productive. Like I really can't remember the last time I've been so thorough in my cleaning and organizing. I think it stemmed from the fact that so many pregnant friends and family members due a mere few weeks ahead of me already had their nurseries DONE and we did nothing....nada, zilch. I literally woke up in a panic one day and thus began our week of household cleaning.

Besides working on the nursery, I really just wanted to get this house in tip-top shape, that way when baby boy arrives, I won't have projects and messes to worry me silly. So, we started with the downstairs closets and I can promise you this....every single cleaning product, every light bulb and every gosh darn rag has a perfect spot at the moment. You won't open a closet and find a mess. Instead you'll find bathroom cleaners in one section, wood polish in another and rags folded by size stacked nicely. Winter coats are hung and facing in one direction, blankets and pillows are washed and organized and every corner of every closet is immaculate..no siree, I dare you to find a dust bunny lingering around!

Jim and I also made a pact. Now here's where I reveal a pretty embarrassing thing about myself. Jim and I aren't...well, the cleanest freaks on the planet. Don't get me wrong, we aren't disgusting slobs but we will let the dishes go for a day and we have no problem letting a few clothes reside on the bedroom floor until laundry day. And yes, sometimes I'll be removing a water glass that's been sitting on the coffee table since last night, so like I said, we can get a tad bit lazy with the maintenance of this place. But things have changed, my friends! I started having visions of us rushing for the hospital leaving a mess of a household behind. And I just can't stomach the idea of coming home with a newborn with a to-do list at my fingertips. So, with that said, Jim and I are trying to accomplish three things on a daily basis: 1. Always clean the dishes 2. At the end of the day, put all clothes in the hamper or hang them back up in the closet and 3. Make the bed. And you know what? Easy peasy. Of course, me being home makes a world of difference but tackling these three things have been a walk in the park for me. PLUS, it makes cleaning day a breeze! I'm definitely liking this way of living much more and I no longer worry about surprise visits from friends.

Finally, Jim and I tackled the upstairs and that could literally be a post of it's own. But two days and a truckload of stuff to Goodwill later and we now have an empty just-waiting-to-be-painted nursery, clean closets, an organized desk [drawers and all] and not a single piece of junk we no longer want taking up residency in our house [ahem..even those wedding gifts that made me shutter but I kept around because I felt horrible for getting rid of them]. The nursery and closet transition was probably the biggest project of them all. Up until this point, the extra bedroom has been Jim's domain. He kept all of his clothes in that closet and any firefighter, triathlon or random junk Jim had usually found itself up in that room and out of my sight! As much as I'm not that big of a clean freak, I can NOT stand crap piles. They drive me insane and my husband is the king of crap piles which has inevitably lead to much bickering, mostly on my part. But the extra bedroom had to be completely emptied out so it was time for Jim to get serious with his crap piles. And let me tell you, that boy did me proud. I must have gotten side tracked when I stumbled across a drawer full of photos but when I looked up 30 minutes later, everything was either thrown away or packed in one of the million storage bins we bought earlier that week. Within a half day, the nursery was empty much to my surprise. We also somehow managed to cram both of our clothes nicely into our bedroom closet. It was sad day when I had to say good-bye to having that closet all to myself. I'm not gonna lie...I have a LOT of clothes and I had no idea how we were going to pull this one off but we did. I suppose it was easy because I could pack away 90% of my non-maternity clothes and I STILL had other upstairs closets at my disposal [which are now full, thankfyouvermuch]. But it was still difficult to relinquish full control of our bedroom closet. I even told Jim to settle in for orientation because there were rules to follow such as NO WIRE HANGERS allowed and all clothes must face the left when hung. Again, not a neat freak but there are just some things that have to be done a certain way with me. It's been a few weeks and the co-ownership of the closet has been wonderful. Part of me feels like I moved in with a guy! And let me tell you...having Jim's t-shirts within reach has doubled my lounge wear selection, which is wonderful for a stay at home wife such as myself.

At the end of the week, we had the crib fully assembled and the bedding washed and set up.






Jim was also in the midst of stripping, sanding and re-staining an old bookshelf and DIY projects were making their way to my head. Stay tuned for those. One if the bane of my existence but I'm hoping it turns out as fabulously as it looks in my head.

On the baby front, Mr. Man's jabs seemed to be occurring less often. At my monthly ob appointment I mentioned this to my doc and she informed me he's still pretty small so I shouldn't be alarmed when I don't feel things on a consistent basis. Well, I think Junior heard and wanted to console his mama because ever since that day, he's been a mover and a groover all day long. In fact as I'm resting my laptop on my belly, I can see the screen slightly jumping. It's clear my boy loves attention and you know what..I like giving it to him :)

Finally, the weekly photo. The preggo just gets more preggo.



And before you ask - No, I'm not carrying twins and yes, my doctor says I'm measuring right on track. I get asked these questions at least once a week and well...let's just leave it at that :)

DIY Nursery Art

For some reason I couldn't sleep last night. I found myself lying in bed wide awake at 2 am and after some tossing and turning [which is NOT easy to do when your preggo!], I decided to come downstairs and play around a bit in Photoshop. Now that the nursery is painted and most of the furniture is set up, visions and creative juices are flowing! I think I'm going to wait for a big reveal of the boy's room only because the BIG project that Jim and I are working on won't be done for a while and it's really what makes the room come together, in my opinion. But in the meantime, I don't mind sharing with you some of my DIY projects.

Here's a monogram, which sadly, does not contain a first initial yet. Don't get me wrong...names are being tossed around and one seems to be sticking. In fact, Jim refers to the peanut by this name but until it's set in stone, I think I'll keep hush hush... Baby Boy's middle name WILL be James however.



I'm going to attempt to paint this on three canvases today. The dots and stripes are do-able but the font is what freaks me out a bit. There's definitely no room for shaky hands.

Next we have the name and stats of Mr. Man. Look at me being all optimistic! Right now I have him projected to arrive right on his due date measuring in at a manageable 7 lbs! One can hope, right? :)

Obviously this is going to be filled in with the appropriate information once he arrives.



Still not sure if this is going to be a canvas or not. I guess I'll see how the monogram turns out and go from there.

These next two pieces might be my faves. These bible verses mean so much to me and I really love how they turned out. I'm definitely putting these in white frames to make those colors pop.





So, that's my start. Like I said earlier, Jim and I are undertaking a pretty big project for the room and quite frankly, I still don't know where to begin! Fingers crossed that it turns out because both of us have our heart set on it.

Yes, I'm Still At It!

Photography, that is. Unfortunately, my love for this hobby took a backseat while I fulfilled my prerequisites for PT school. I still had many sessions with repeat clients and I think it's time to dive back into the archive and showcase my faves. Now that I'm going to be off until May 2011, my goal is to jump head first back into this art and hopefully find myself back in a pool of opportunities :) God willing.

Let's start with this little man. I have never had the chance yet to photograph such amazing blue eyes! Isn't he such a cutie!?!?! And believe me when I say he was one of the happiest babies I have ever worked with.

















As I look back at these photos, I feel as though I'm finally beginning to truly develop "my look". I always aim for crisp, colorful, sharp photos and sometimes I get extremely frustrated with myself when my vision fails to translate during the editing process. Slowly but surely I think these baby steps in Photoshop might be getting me somewhere!

The Big THREE-OH

Thirty years ago today, a woman went into labor a month earlier than expected. Despite the fact that she felt bigger than normal [this was her third pregnancy], her doctor told not to worry...she was probably going to deliver a healthy 7 lb baby girl in a few short weeks. After a few hours of laboring, it was time to push and shortly thereafter she feasted her eyes on a beautiful baby BOY. She was thrilled...after two girls, a boy was a very much welcome addition to her growing family. Her happiness and excitement, however, were quickly replaced by a very strange suspicion that something wasn't right. Not only were her contractions continuing in full force, the fetal monitor was also still detecting a baby heartbeat....even though her precious baby boy was already in this world - right in front of her face!! Her doctor did a quick survey of the situation and told her to brace herself...she was about to deliver ANOTHER BABY!!! Ten minutes later, her second son...and my husband was born.

I can't tell you how much I love this story. The fact that Jim's mom didn't know she was having twins just continues to shock me. And now that I'm experiencing my own pregnancy and preparing for one baby, I just can't fathom delivering two babies without ANY prior knowledge. Wow...just wow!

Today, my husband turns 30 years old. I've been teasing him these past few weeks about the fact that he's forever leaving his 20's and I have to say, he's taking it pretty well. I did get a little serious with him and asked if he felt any sadness about this next stage of his life and he gave me the perfect answer....he's got a great marriage [his words, not mine :)], his dream job, a house to his name and a baby boy on the way. He is and has, as he said, everything he wanted at the age of 30. If anyone has a positive outlook on aging, it's Jim!

On Friday night, we had a big ol' birthday bash for the boys here at our house. I sent out invitations about three weeks ago and didn't pass up the opportunity to slightly embarrass the guys.



The big question during the rsvp process was "which one is Jim and which is Joe?". Twenty bucks to the reader who can confidently answer that one! Surprisingly I figured it out pretty early on. And if you think I have an advantage because I'm married to one of them, think again. I can't tell them apart in pictures until they hit their adolescent years!

In addition to the invite picture, I picked out about 20-30 photos of the boys growing up and displayed them on our pantry door.



[Please take a moment to notice our brand spankin' new white trim done by the birthday boy himself].

And here is Jim and his expanding wife. Despite the fact that I can't believe my size in photos, I'm surprisingly okay with my curves and think I'm going to embrace them until May :)



My mom, stepdad and me....



Of course, the bff and I.



Me and my cousin, Sarah, who loves to touch my belly. I love it.



This next sequence is cute. The guys were trying to duplicate a photo taken back in 2004 or something. Look closely at the second photo from the top of the pantry door...you'll see what I'm talking about.

Studying it..


And executing...


I guess someone did a count during the night and we had over 30 people in our house!!! And that was before everyone arrived. As you can see the kitchen was packed and that didn't even include the firefighter group congregating in the living room and those who were lounging upstairs in our bonus room.



Joe and Aaron [Elizabeth's hubby] being silly with Jim's mom. This was after a few kazillion drinks, I'm sure :)



And finally at the end of the night, we were able to get a decent shot of the boys and their parents.



Jim's eyes [left] look a bit woozy, no?

We were true rock stars, that's for sure. Our last guests left here at 2am and besides nursing some freakishly huge swollen ankles, I was pretty feeling good. See, you can have a good time with alcohol-free wine :)

The next morning Jim was so pumped and excited about how everything turned out. Friends and family commented on how much fun it was and it seemed as though everyone mingled and jived extremely well even though we invited numerous different groups of friends. So, party = success!

Even though Jim doesn't read the blog, I'd like to publicly wish my hubby a VERY HAPPY 30th birthday. I can't wait to experience the next 30 years [and beyond] with you, baby ;)

Pregnancy: Week 20 and 21

Half way! We're half way there! Can somebody please tell me where these past 20 weeks have gone? I swear time speeds up when you're preggers because I cannot believe I have crossed over to the "other side". And by the "other side", I mean the part of pregnancy where you begin to count down to your due date.

So, right off the bat, I have to say...the carpal tunnel is getting progressively worse. Had it not been for my doctor assuring me my hand isn't going to fall off, I might be worried that...well, my hand is going to fall off. For the majority of the day, my right hand is 90% numb and gets much worse when I'm typing, holding a book or gripping an object really hard. I've resorted to wearing my wrist split whenever I can and doing LOTS of stretching which feels heavenly. But I've come to grips [get it? grip? ha!] with the fact that this is something I'm going to deal with until May 20th or whenever Mr. Man decides he's ready to debut his adorable face to this world. Until then, I'm going to muster all the hand massages I can get out of Jim when we're watching TV together :)

But now onto the biggest occurrence of weeks 20 and 21 - the arrival of the weepy pregnant lady. Yes, I really thought I was going to bypass this one. All my pregnancy books say a woman's hormones are going crazy so don't be surprised if you find yourself in tears for no reason. I've wanted this pregnancy for so long, I thought, what reason would I have to cry? Well, it all started on New Years Eve. Jim had to work [ugh!] so I found myself bringing in the new year alone and in bed for the second time since we've been married. I don't know about you, but NYE always brings out a bit of sadness in me. Maybe it's the recognition of the passing of time ... maybe it's just the reminiscing, but a part of me always feels a bit melancholy as the ball drops. This year I believe the sadness was due to three things: 1. Thoughts about the tumultuous roller coaster Jim and I have been on this past year and how thankful I was that we made it through, 2. Thoughts about where we are headed [oh my gosh...we're going to be PARENTS!!!] and 3. The fact that I was alone, without my hubby, on a night when you should really be with your significant other. So, needless to say, Bailey and I were asleep before midnight and I was a bit in a "mood". The following day, Jim and I headed out bright and early to spend the rest of the weekend up north. About 30 minutes out of Milwaukee, I told Jim not to judge me and just let the waterworks flow. I spilled to him all my feelings and was relieved to see just how understanding he really is. It was then that I realized I needed to divulge more of my innermost thoughts and feelings to Jim because he's surprisingly good at making me feel better. As soon as everything was out, I felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders and was able to smile and laugh for the rest of the ride to the cabin.

Unfortunately I was not out of the clear. Jim's entire family was at the cabin so I think the fact that I couldn't cry, made me want to weep like a baby even more. I caught myself sneaking away to our bed and letting out a few tears before anyone saw. Jim was with me a few times and talked me through the moment and afterwards I was able to put on a happy face and join the rest of the family. My crazy meltdown, however, occurred our last night there. The whole family was in the living room playing Wii and suddenly I heard Bailey let out the loudest, most painful whelp. [Just revisiting this memory is making me sick with sadness]. I suddenly realized the person who was "bowling" smacked the Wii remote right into Bailey's head. A quick look and it hit me that my baby was having an impossible time opening his left eye. To say I panicked is an understatement. I immediately knelt down while calling Jim to my side. I soothed Bailey until I was sure he was okay and afterwards I realized the entire room had come to a standstill. When all was said and done I stood up and it was then that I heard a really REALLY crappy comment from somebody. As I walked away, someone [and I know who it is] said "Oh..who cares. It's just a dog." Now Jim and I aren't stupid. We always say no one loves your dog as much as you do. Not everybody is a dog person - we get it. But that comment really stung. Anybody with a heart and ears to hear the pain in Bailey's yelp wouldn't make that comment. So needless to say, my sad mood was made much worse. I nonchalantly moved to a quieter part of the room while still soothing and petting Bailey and shortly afterwards I retreated downstairs to our bed. That's when I lost it BIG TIME. I just cried my eyes out in Bailey's fur and at that point I really didn't care if anyone found me. Luckily Jim was the only one to come downstairs and he completely understood my frustration with that comment.

That night, I fell asleep with Bailey wrapped in my arms...under the covers...after giving him a million smooches :)

When we got home the following day, I decided to call my mom and let everything out. Afterwards I treated myself to a heavenly bubble bath and had my final big cry. I prayed, cried some more and honestly, haven't felt a touch of weepiness since then. In fact, I may be slightly bipolar in that my excitement about this pregnancy and where we are headed has reached a new level. Thank you God :) I'm sure this roller coaster of emotions will continue for the next 19 weeks but I'm just happy to say I survived my first bout of hormone induced tears.

To end, let's take a gander at my weekly photo. The belly is HUGE, there's no denying it. I just can't believe I have 19 more weeks to go....sigh...will there be enough room?!?!

10 Years

Today I took my grandma on a few errands and while discussing the new year, she asked where these past 10 years have gone. I suppose I can recall New Years Eve 1999 like it was yesterday but the truth is, my life has drastically changed the most it ever has since the year 2000.

The year was 2000. I graduated from high school, started college while living at home and decided physical therapy was the path for me. Little did I know switching majors would cost me [literally!] big time in a few short years.


[Halloween 2000 in Madison. Had a fight with the then-boyfriend so I decided to party it up with the BFF and her awesome blonde wig. One of the best nights of my entire life...I don't think I have ever laughed so hard. And yes, that is a dude in the back!]

2001 brought about some huge changes. Instead of seeing myself at a small, local college for three more years, I decided to venture out and boy, did I do it big. Big 10, in fact! I transferred to UW- Madison and proudly declared myself a Badger. I lived on a transfer student floor in a private dorm and there is where I met my Tinas.


[Moving day!]


2002 was a pretty hard year for me. The then-boyfriend cheated for the millionth time and left me in the dust. I cried my eyes out for months on end wondering if I would ever smile again. Looking back now I can't believe I wasted so much time on that lose-bag, but live and learn, right? Oh, I also moved into my first adult apartment with 5 other girls and discovered more than two roommates are NOT my thing. Junior year also equated to studying all hours of the night, frat parties and dates..many, many dates with guys named Mike for some reason or another! Luckily none of them went anywhere.


[Celebrating Ms. Alicia's 21st birthday in Milwaukee.]

2003 was a wonderful year as I did in fact meet Mr. Wonderful himself! Jim and I were set up on a date and I still think back fondly on June 29, 2003. Elizabeth, Aaron and Jim picked me up for a double date and I can recall sitting in the backseat nervous as heck just knowing this cutie was inches away from me. A few dates later I declared him my future husband and couldn't believe my prayers were answered....and pefectly so!


[Group camping trip a few months after we started dating]

2004 was extremely bittersweet for me. For one thing, I was graduating with Honors from UW-Madison's Business school and moving back to Milwaukee - the city my future husband resided in. Oh, how I missed him so. But on the other hand, I was saying good-bye to my college years and living in an apartment with two of my closest chicas. I honestly cannot think of anything more fun than a year of slumber parties.
The worst thing of 2004 though was my dreaded welcome to the business world. Ugh..I can still remember seeing that horrid cubicle on my first day on the job. Shivers, I tell you.


[Last hurrah in Mad-town with my Tinas]


[Graduation day with my friend Walley. Every grad needs a picture in front of the Kohl Center!]

2005 allowed me to settle back in the 'rent's house and get used to the 9-5 gig. This was also the year my left ring finger started itching for a fatty diamond and my heart started wishing for a non-desk job.


[Last day at my first job. I did pretty well...stuck with it for 9 months and got some hefty raises along the way!]

Oh, I forgot to mention 2005 was also the year of a trillion weddings, hence my need to move to fiance status, stat!


[At a wedding...wishing it was mine...Jim's probably not thrilled with my constant evil eye that night]

Jim finally got his much desired dream of being hired by a fire department the summer of 2005 and it was then that he proposed! So that brings us to...

2006 - The year I said "I do!"





Ok, best day of my life but that of course is a post of its own.

Jim and I also became homeowners and I swear, 2006 was a money draining year if I ever saw one!



2007 brought along more frustration with the desk job even though I was working as an assistant buyer. Jim and I celebrated one year of marital bliss and decided to take on some responsiblity and add to our little family.



Even though we ditched town a few months later and soaked up some rays in gorgeous Punta Cana!



2008 was the year we started talking about adding a little bambino to the mix. Little did we know the road ahead of us! But we still enjoyed being a family of two and went on dates, headed up north for weekends and went to Disney..of course, Disney.


[My 27th birthday]


[I'm cool, right?]

2009 - quite possibly the craziest year yet. I quit my full-time job in order to fall back into student status to pursue a degree in Physical Therapy. Jim has done a WONDERFUL job of supporting the two of us and I can honestly say I never felt as though I had to "go without". He's a true provider, that one. We also had some bumps in the road to getting pregnant which was dreadfully painful but also amazing in that I got to see a side of my husband I would have unfortunatly missed had we hit the bullseye right away. The love, admiration and respect I have for the man I married has grown tenfold since last January. There are no words to describe what I feel when I think God set aside James R. Weiss to be my life partner. None.


[During our last trip up north...quite possibly a few days before sperm met egg!]

Our faith was tested but ultimately increased and in August we got our long awaited answered prayer. Two lines and tears of joy.



You have no idea how excited I am to start 2010! Believe me when I say I know I have no clue what lies ahead of us regarding parenthood but I'm just so thankful who's in the driver's seat [God] and who's on the journey with me [Jim].

Happy New Year everyone!! May 2010 bring you much MUCH joy and happiness!!