Reunited: {Almost} Wordless Wednesday

No, this isn't who you think. Sophie is still AWOL (somewhere decomposing with Snoop's poop I assume). This is Sophie's twin. Sophie #2. I'm still convinced Snoop ate the first one. Especially since I found him sitting on Sophie #2 last week. Either way, we're glad to have her back.

Sad thing is we seemed to have misplaced her shortly after taking this photo. Oy vey!

RIP Sophie

I sat on the bed in the nursery with Lil' J. We were playing with some of her toys for the first time. I dug them out of her toybox. A rattle, a soft block, and Sophie the Giraffe.

I only took Sophie out periodically to show it to her but my daughter never really showed much interest. She's a fancy squeaky chew toy for babies, created in Europe, sold like crazy in the US to almost every green-fanatic mom I know. You know, the moms who shop at Whole Paycheck Foods. A line of moms in our yoga class each had one out during class. They're in high demand lately because the toy in hand-painted with "natural-food-paint" and "natural rubber."

I got my Sophie toy in exchange for writing this post and was so excited for Lil' J to play with it. I was also excited to get it for free since $25 seems like a lot for a toy.

As we played on the bed, and I squeaked it at her, and kissed Sophie to her nose. Snoop watched with excitement outside the room. He's not allowed in the nursery so he knows to stay on the other side of the threshold. But out of excitement when I was squeaking the toy he ran in and jumped on the bed. I yelled at him and my husband yelled at me saying I was teasing him. Ok, so maybe I was. Not intentionally, but I did hope that by watching, he'd see that it was her toy, not his.

That was the last time I saw that little giraffe. 

A few weeks ago Lil' J stared grabbing things--Everything--and putting it in her mouth. Last week at yoga I saw the line of giraffes and made a mental note to bring it next week. But when I went back in her nursery it wasn't there.

I looked all over. Under the bed, under the crib, in her toy box. She's gone.

I think she died, and I know who killed her.
I can't prove it. I haven't found any giraffe remnants but I wouldn't put it past him to have devoured the whole thing. I considered examining some Snoop poop but decided since it was made of "natural rubber" it probably was just reabsorbed into his body or something.

You'd think I'd let it go, but every time I'm out I see this toy everywhere. I live in the Whole Foods Mecca and it's haunting me. So I just ordered another one on eBay.

I hope she is mesmerized cause $17 is a heckovalot of money for a baby chew toy which can easily be mistaken for a Snoop toy. But this time I'm putting that thing on lock-down!

Books, Toys and Snoop, Oh My!

Oh how I look forward to reading to my little girl. I already will grab a book from her little bookshelves, plop myself down and read her a story. I just think it'll be so much cooler once she's here so I can see her reaction.

At first I guess it'll just be blinks, blank stares, quite possibly tears and toots, but that won't keep me from reading a story to her every day and night!
On my baby shower invites, guests were asked to bring a book instead of a card to sign their name in. This quickly multiplied the size of Lil' J's library. From hand puppet books, to touch and feel books, to bigger, children's books, we've got a good stash going now! That and my addiction to Half Priced Books doesn't hurt. I get Dr. Seuss books for a fraction of the normal cost.
There are a few books we don't have yet that I'd like to get fairly soon. For one, I want a children's version of The Good Book... The scriptures I mean. I need some recommendations for that! There's SO many to choose from, and I want to pick a good one.

I'm also trying to get some of the "classics" like Goodnight Moon, Guess How Much I Love You, Cat in The Hat, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and others I have yet to hear about (which if you know of any good ones please let me know!)
I have a couple of books coming from Incredibundles.com. It's an online store that sells children's gifts in the bundle, so you save money versus buying everything in the bundle separate. They have lots of book bundles, but I saw a toy bundle I had to get. A few friends kept recommending the Sophie giraffe to me... It's a chew toy... Excuse me, teething toy, for babies. SO many people told me their kid/nephew/cousin loved it so I've decided to give it a try.
I'm a little worried that Snoop will get that crazy look in his eyes after the first squeak (yes, she squeaks, I told you it's like a chew toy) and just wait for the opportune time to eat it up. I can just picture it now... Us coming home to find Sophie torn to shreds, Snoop with a satisfied look in his eyes. I guess training a dog to know the difference between his toys and the baby's toys is a battle I'll soon learn to fight.
"I didn't do it" his face will say... And I'll have to remind him that there are Lil' J's toys...And his toys... ... Lil' J and Snoop dog, I just realized our family is beginning to sound like a rap group.

**Update!**

We just got Sophie and our toy bundle and here's Snoop's first reaction:

(yes, I know I'm bad for taunting my dog with a baby toy)

Anyway, adding to Lil' J's toybox, Incredibundles.com is sending her the Learn and Grow Premium Bundle. I'm excited to see how she likes all of the toys, and I can't wait to add the Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes and the touch and feel book to her collection.I'm also thrilled cause I get to share the gift of reading with you! 25 of you! Want a free book, or TWO? I know a lot of you like to show off your kiddos so this shouldn't be hard.

The first 25 Babymakinmachine.com Readers who enter the IncrediBundles.com Happy Baby Contest will receive a free children’s book!
Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Enter the Happy Baby Contest (www.happybabycontest.com) for a chance to win A Year of Diapers and A Year of Triple Paste.
Step 2: Send an email to happybaby@incredibundles.com with “babymakinmachine” in the subject line. IncrediBundles.com will respond with instructions on how to redeem your free book.

BONUS - GET A SECOND BOOK FREE!

“Like” IncrediBundles.com on Facebook to get a second book for free!
If Lil' J starts laughing before August 31st (the entry deadline) we may enter ourselves! If you don't have a baby, and can't borrow one to make a video, there's still a discount code you can use!

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*Opinions expressed are my own. Thanks Incredibundles.com for letting me experience being a customer and order a bundle set for free.*

My Dog SO Knows I'm Pregnant

There were a few clues that made me think I was pregnant before I knew for sure... My strange cravings for breakfast tacos at 11 o'clock at night several days in a row. My unusual urge to pee in the middle of the night. And my lack of some "time of the month" symptoms. But one little nudge I didn't expect was the constant cold, wet one between my legs by my dog Snoop.
Yea, I know dogs sniffing people in the butt or crotch-region isn't anything unusual for many people who are around dogs a lot, but this generally isn't like Snoop. I racked my brain to remember where I had been through the day... Around other animals? Good-tasting food? What the heck was he sniffing?

His weird tendencies continued. He got a hold of my underwear.. And would chew out the very-important crotch area... What? Thanks a lot Snoop! I have to drive a hour and a half to get these (I know some of you know what I mean)! Thanks pup, but if I wanted crotchless panties I would have gone to Fredericks of Hollywood!

He literally ruined 5 pairs of underwear, and he's NEVER done this before... Oh, and he has never chewed up any kind of clothing before. It did made me feel a little better when I found a pair of my husband's underwear chewed up too earlier this week, but I still don't get it. Clean, dirty, he didn't seem to mind. But he'd find the hamper, his victim and chew it up.Then he started acting weird around me... While calm, he'll look at me and whine and ALWAYS have to be near me. He follows me around everywhere and sits as close to me as he can. He use to follow either me or my husband around, but now it's always me. There have been a few times that I've been watching TV and he'll come over, pace back and forth in front of me then actually jump on my lap... And this is a 50 pound dog we're talking about. He'll move slightly to my side then put his face on my lap.

At night he usually sat on the foot of the bed, to the side so he wasn't in either of our way. Now, he tries to lay near my stomach, or on top of my legs. It was cute at first, but now it's pretty annoying. I yell at him and kick him to move... Mean, I know but you can't mess with a preggo's sleep!

I've read on a few sites that animals, particularly dogs can sense when their owner is pregnant. They can get more protective, more attached, and just act weird. Sometimes it's because they notice their owners are are more sleepy, and or sick, they are getting less attention... And later, when you're bigger, because you're changing shape and walking weird.

Snoop, being part Shar-pei and I think Shepherd mix, has always been pretty protective, but now when we're on a walk he's extra alert of people walking buy us. He always runs to the door side-window when someone walks by or knocks on the door, he's keeping an eye (and ear) out.

We watched a two-month-old for a few early hours on Black Friday. I slept downstairs with the baby in the bassinet, Snoop stayed with us, and was curious, yet calm and gentle around her.
I think Snoop will be a great big brother/ pet to little Spawnie. He already seems to be taking an interest.

Did your pets know you were pregnant? Or is Snoop just as weird as I am?

Wordless Wednesday: Snoop Prepares for Baby

I think he's going to be a great big brother! What do you think?

Updates on the trip and more coming soon!

Also, check out my "Wifey Wisdom" over here.

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Shabby Apple Anchor's Away Dress Giveaway winner according to random.org:
#580: Bonnie Congrats Please email me your address (babymakingmachine{at}gmail{dot}com) so I can get it to you!

The Non-Pregnancy/Baby/Fertility Post

I'm doing this for the 12 people so far who say they'd like to see more posts on things other than that stuff... This is for you, so I hope you're reading this! Other than the title of this post I won't mention the "B" word or talk about my plans to become... You know. I'll warn you though that you may be pretty disappointed because my life... It really isn't that exciting. But let this be my exercise,... my experiment, and we'll see how it goes.

I'm really tired right now because I worked the early-morning shift at work. Meaning I had to be at work at 5am and I was live on TV by 6. What was I talking about?-- Back to school shopping and tax-free weekend. I also did a story about unique students using innovative technology at a school in Texas. I'm not sure if I mentioned before but I am an education reporter so I work a lot at schools, and covering stories about topics related to students and parents.

One thing that's weird about having a job like I do is when people know what I do... They ask me random facts, expecting me to know everything. Like yesterday a lady in my neighborhood asked me when Cash for Clunkers ends. I really wanted to tell her to look it up but I was trying to be nice. She gave me her cell phone number so I could call her and tell her later. Yes, I work for the news but I can't remember the dates and number and names of everything!

I'm not sure why but the rest of this post has transformed into a combination of my random thoughts right now so umm... Sorry.

I'm really craving some potato chips right now... Not sure why.

I can't wait to take a nap... I love naps.

I'm a little sick of seeing Rob Patterson on the cover of every magazine... I mean, ok if he's going to be a cover model but can he get a different pose? I'm tired of that blank zoolanderish look. The Edward in my mind is way hotter.

I went to the store last night to get some grapes and I came out with everything but grapes. I hate when that happens!

...Then when I was leaving I couldn't find my car. I hear they have an ap for that but I haven't looked it up yet.

Before bed, I set my alarm for 3:30, thinking I'd wake up extra early and eat a nice breakfast and relax before getting ready for work... Did that happen?--Am I kidding? I woke up at 4:30.

I really want to whiten my teeth some more. I've been using Crest white strips and they work SO GOOD, but I have to remember to use them twice a day. I've been using them more like once every-other day. Not sure that has the same effect.

I'm going to get the Canon Rebel XS sooner than I thought! I am planning to get it in the next couple of weeks... I've saved enough. But the downside?... In order to get it early (before Christmas) I have to "help" my husband with his papers for his independent study class. You ladies with hubbys who hate to write know what that means!

I'm tempted to just go out and buy it anyway but I'm sure that wouldn't go over well. I think we have an unwritten rule that we don't spend more than $40 on a single item without asking the other.

Wow... I know just because I'm not writing about one topic doesn't mean I have to write about 50 others at one time, but apparently that's all I can do at the moment. At least now you have a glimpse into the small portion of my brain that's NOT thinking about you-know-what.

And added for your entertainment purposes... Pictures I was taking today when I got home from work. I was trying to get a cute picture of me and Snoop but he kept licking my face at the last second!Close but he looked away!!

And then hubs wanted in on the picture fun too... Snoop didn't dare lick his face!

For those of you who'd like to read more personal stories or topics other than little people, any particular thing you're wondering about? ... Or have I bored you enough? Just askin!

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Winner of my Conceive Goodie Bag giveaway according to Random.org: #37 CageQueen! Congrats!! Email your address to babymakingmachine{at}gmail{.}com

The Replacement-- Not quite

It took me three years to convince my husband that we should get a dog. I knew they take a lot of patients and practice. My family went through a dozen dogs growing up, none of them ever even made it to being house broken, so I was nervous about it, but when the time was right (last Valentines) we adopted Snoop from a local shelter.

When new moms at work or church talk about little things and experiences with their new baby I can't help but chime in with "Yea, I know! With my puppy..." And I usually get the same strange look in response. I don't mean to compare my love for my dog with their love for their child because believe me... I know there's a difference. But in my eyes, there are a lot of similarities.

I did come across a blog a week or so ago (the name slips my mind, if it was you let me know and I'll insert link here) about a woman who said she couldn't believe how some people have dogs instead of children. She had a cute picture of the comparison between a dog and her cute baby. Her baby was way cuter than the dog pictured but that's not always the case.Take this for example:

I thought my husband and I would be good candidates for having a cute baby but ever since trying the computerized analalysis and seeing we have a possibility of our baby looking like this:And I've changed my mind. Umm, totally white? Lopsided cheeks? If that's the case I do think my dog here:is cuter. I love Snoop, but he's not my replacement child. He will always have a special place in my heart, even after human spawn.

However, I have been thinking lately of how my dog is great practice for a child. Here are a few things I've thought of:

1. Building maternal instincts: When he wakes up in the middle of the night I jump up... It's become an instinct. He usually has to either go outside to go potty, or rush outside to puke (after sneaking some snaks).

2. Getting mom smart: I've learned to learn. I've been reading a lot of "parenting" books about raising a dog, how to be a "pack leader" and really trying to follow through.

3. Mommy talk good and bad: It's easy to let your children walk all over you. Same with my dog. Even I have a hard time holding my ground when he gives me his sad puppy eyes, and he knows when I mean business. I turn on my "serious mom" voice and he obeys. I also have my cute googoo mommy voice for when he's being all cute and cuddly. Oh, and I'm beginning to use mom phrases like: "Yea I can see you, I have eyes in the back of my head."

4. Selflessness: I know a lot of you may be chuckling at this right now but really... Baby steps ok? I use to hate to exercise but since getting Snoop and learning daily walks are crutial I've sacrificed sleep for his fitness.

5. Poop? Who cares?!: I'm use to gross things. Puke, poop, diarreah. I'm acustomed to it all now. And I don't know for sure but I'm guessing human stuff isn't as gross, and I know dog farts smell WAY worse.

6. Teaching skills: Just like I want to teach my kids... My dog knows good manners. No jumping on people, sitting before he's pet, that kind of stuff.

7. Homemaking: I learned how to sew just so I cold make him dog collars and matching leashes. This is kind of in the spoiling category but I think I'll be one of those people who wants to dress my baby in something different EVERY time we're out. I imagine that because I refuse to let my dog wear the same collar to Petsmart twice in a row... Usually he won't wear a duplicate for at least a month, and his collar and leash HAVE to match. And sometimes I'll wear a bandanna that matches his.

8. Healthcare: I take him to the veternarian regularly and stay very in-tune with his health needs.

9. Selective listening: I read a lot of blogs about women who lock themselves in the room away from their kids while the blog... Yea, I do that with my dog.

10. Patients: Lots of carpet shampoo, ripped jeans, chewed up shoes, 5 new sets of blinds, 2 training classes, lots of practice and a bark collar later, I've learned a lot of patients, and boy if you stick with it it pays off!

Sure, you can't throw a kid in the backyard all day, or leave them at home alone, but if you ask me, it's still good practice, and baby steps in the right direction.