Baxter and the Baby

3 Month Update

2012-02-08T17:11:00.000-05:00

Well hello there, Scott is now three and a half months old and as you can see from the lack of blog posts life has been busy. Here are some pictures of the little guy:

Basically Scott can be described in one word, Happy! Unless he is starving or asleep we can always get him to smile.

Here is what Scott is like these days:

-loves to "talk" and make noises, he is going to be one talkative toddler

-kicks and moves his limbs a lot, if he is laying beside you, watch out for the punches!

-plays with simple toys that he can grab and put in his mouth

-starting to teethe

-can roll onto his side (it's nice not to have to worry about him rolling off the couch yet)

-can lift his head and look around while on his belly

-can fully hold his neck up, he is very strong

-can sit up straight in his bumbo and jumperoo (yes these are really words)

-still is in the stage where anyone can hold him and he won't cry unless he is hungry or needs to be changed

-eats like a champ and drinks from a bottle once a day with no problems

And the number one best thing that Scott does is...........

HE SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!

(we are so so so lucky)

Every day for me revolves around Scott and there are a few things that I couldn't live without.

Bouncing Chair

http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index.jsp?productId=11129882

It's really great because you can pick it up, even with him in it and put it anywhere. He sits in it enough that he doesn't have to be strapped in (yet). If he is fussy, you can bounce it with one foot. There is room to put toys beside him and they are easy to grab.

Cloth Diapers

https://www.gro-via.com/hybrid/grovia-shell-snap-closure.html

I have two different types of cloth diapers and these ones are amazing and easy. It's amazing how many diapers a baby can go through in one day but with these there is no waste and the amount of disposable diapers we use is drastically cut. They are adjustable for different sizes and wash really well.

Links/ Rings

http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index.jsp?productId=3822380

So basic but Scott loves them. They are easy to wash and throw in the diaper bag. Also easy to grab, chew on and Scotts latest discovery, easy to throw.

Pump

http://www.medela.com/CA/en/breastfeeding-consumer/products/pumping/swing.html

*there is no need for a picture, only breastfeeding women should have to see breast pumps.

I pump once a day in the morning and give Scott a bottle every night, it helps to fill him up so he sleeps all night. Also if Granny is baby sitting, Scott doesn't have to starve.

And Baxter update: he is even more amazing with Scott!!

Scott Jeffrey Underwood

2011-12-15T10:17:00.000-05:00

Scott Jeffrey Underwood

October 20, 2011

10:19 pm

8.0 lbs

52 cm

Our little guy has been here for weeks now and we couldn't love him anymore.

Here's our story:

I went into labour ten days early, on Wednesday October 19. That day we had a large pressure system move in with tons of rain. I learned later, once we were in the hospital that this probably pushed me into labour. (There were eight other women that came in that night, all because their water broke and almost all were early) In the evening I started to feel strange and we decided to give it the night and go to the hospital if it was worse in the morning. At three in the morning though I woke up and jumped out of bed, pure instinct I think and seconds later my water broke. I quickly woke Mike up by yelling "Mike we have to go to the hospital NOW, my water broke". I've never seen Mike move so fast, "ok what do you need me to do, just stop moving and relax, I'll get everything!?!?". There was no looking lovingly at each other saying the baby is coming like in the movies, I'm sorry but when your first child decides to come early and at 3 in the morning you kinda panic. So we grabbed our somewhat pre packed bags and went to the hospital, leaving Baxter in shock, he was so confused. We checked into the hospital and I was hooked up for a stress test. My doctor was on call the night and we saw him in his last few hours of his shift, he looked at my print outs and said "do you feel those contraction?" my response was "No, what?!" Mike and I were shocked I do not have a high tolerance for pain and I didn't start to feel my contractions until later in the afternoon. We were set up in our room by 5am and called my parents. When you have a dog, part of planning for a baby coming is finding someone to dog sit for you. So my parents picked Baxter up and he got to have his own little vacation at their house. Once we were settled in our birthing room I was set up to an IV and given something to help my contractions become stronger. I really was feeling fine, other than being tired from practically no sleep the night before and freaking out because in hours we would be parents. Very slowly though the contractions started to kick in, eventually Mike started watching the readings and helping we through the big ones. And then I got to the point where it was too much pain to have to go though for hours and I got an epidural. Wow was I glad I did that! The pain was almost gone and I got some sleep. A few hours later though it was time to start pushing. The nurse went though everything that we needed to know, what I had to do and what Mike had to do (so glad we didn't go to prenatal classes because the nurse told us everything in five minutes). I will spare you with the details, don't worry Mike and I will never forget them. After two hours of pushing and some help from the Doctor, Scott was born and cried right away. They put him on my chest and I was in shock, that just came out of me?!? and it's a real person?!? He was perfect! The nurses took him and did there thing and then they gave him to Mike. I know that I did the actual work but to see Mike hold him that soon after was defiantly rewarding to him after all he did. Mike was beyond amazing, he got me though everything, I'm one lucky wife. After I was all cleaned up Scott and I laid together, it was amazing. Then we made our way to our postpartum room. The first night was pretty good, we all got some much needed sleep. We spent the next day and night there as well and came home on Saturday.
Unfortunately Scott developed jaundice though and we were sent back to the hospital the following Monday and had to spend two days in pediatrics but that's a story for another day, it took me seven weeks to write this post.

Here are some pictures of Scott from day one to today:

Veva

2011-10-04T14:10:00.001-04:00

On Thursday September 22, we lost our best friend Veva. Veva lived a few weeks past her thirteenth birthday; her aging body just got the best of her. If you ever got to meet Veva you knew that she was something special. She was a beautiful yellow lab that came from a very strong and talented family and brought so much joy into our family. Sorry I didn't write this right away but losing her has been a lot harder than I ever thought it would be, yes partly because I am loaded with pregnancy hormones but also because of the huge part of my heart that I had for her.

Here's a brief story of how she came into our life and how she made it wonderful.

About fourteen years ago I wanted one thing and one thing only, a dog. What kid doesn't want a dog?? I begged and begged for my parents to get one and since my brother was around the age of five it was easy to get him on the "Can we get a dog?!?!" bandwagon. My parents seemed reluctant to the idea, like any parent should, what if I lost interest after a week and then they had to do everything, did I really know how much work it would be? It seemed like we were begging forever but I know now after getting my own dog with Mike it is a very big decision. My parents would often dog sit for friends and my brother and I were told that if we wanted a dog we had to prove that we could help with dog sitting duties and did we ever. The next stipulation was I had to find a breeder and do all the necessary research. We decided that we wanted to get a Lab, a yellow lab to be specific. I got dog magazines, looked in the paper and called many places. Then we a found a breeder near Lindsay that had puppies on the way. My mom and I went to visit shortly after the puppies were born and confirmed that we did want one once they were ready to leave their mother. I couldn't believe it, we were getting a dog, and I was so excited. We got everything we needed, food, collar, leash, crate... awaiting the day that we could bring our puppy home. Once the puppies were six weeks old we went to pick out our female. Have you ever heard that puppies chose their owners? Well when we went to "pick" our pup, we were walking into the breeders yard and this cute little female came running to us, my brother sat down and she jumped all over him. Yes, Veva choose us. On the way home in the car we put her in a crate, we wanted to do everything right with this puppy but the breeder lived pretty far from our house and the crying was getting to be much, so we opened the crate and she sat with my bother and I all the way home. From that point on the four of us had a new best friend, a new member of our family.

Veva went on adventures with us, protected us and was there by our side through many many things. For everything that Veva gave to us we gave back to her. She was so lucky to live at my parent's house, there was a large yard for her to run in, a pond and a river to swim in and a forest for her to explore in. Veva was still a young pup until she was at least the age of eight; she was very active and attentive. This and the constant attention that she received from my family is why she lived as long as she lived. Once Veva started to age my mom started to make her food, she would give her different food depending on how she was feeling or acting. My mom made feeding and medication schedules for everyone to follow depending on who was home. Thank you mom for everything you did for Veva. Thank you also Dad and Ryan for taking care of Veva, like I said before she was a best friend to all of us.

Mike and I brought Baxter into Veva's life at a late age; she often wanted to play with him but really didn't have the energy or knew she couldn't keep up with him like she would have been able to years earlier. They would go outside for walks around the yard together, well actually Veva would walk and Baxter would run circles around her and the yard and re-smell everything she smelt. Baxter is always ready to play, his favourite thing to do is play with other dogs so he would sometimes try to get Veva going but she would put him in his place. Veva was the only dog that could control Baxter, one growl, one snap and he knew she was in charge (sometimes she was better than me at disciplining him). Baxter knew who she was to him, the first time they met was one week after we brought him home and he tried to drink milk from her, she was the "mom" dog. Whenever we would take Baxter to my parent's house we would say "Baxter do you want to go to Veva's house?" and he would bolt for the door. He's defiantly going to miss her.

Here are some pictures of our Veva.

The impact that an animal can have on your life is amazing, no one can understand the bond until they have experienced it for themselves. Dogs are incredible beings and everyone should experience them. My sadness for the loss of my "first" dog is because of how large the bond the two of us had. Even on her last day she wagged her tail the minute she saw me, I'm very grateful that I was able to say goodbye and rub her belly one last time. Even though I moved away from home she was always excited to see me, get attention from me and show me that she loved me. She had the same love for Mike, often going right from me to Mike for his affection.

Veva I will never forget you, thank you for all the happiness you have brought to my life.

The End Is Near

2011-09-16T11:31:00.000-04:00

I'm coming into the home stretch now. I will be 34 weeks on Saturday and really feeling pregnant now. I'm actually gaining the proper amount of weight now and not having to worry about not gaining enough. I feel like the boy is running out of room and he is definitely getting stronger, if I sit where he is squished he can push right on my ribs to make my move. Sleeping is not my friend anymore, I used to be the best sleeper, my husband hates it about me, he was just jealous, I could sleep through a freight train going by (I actually have before) but now I'm waking up all throughout the night. I may be exhausted during the day but at least I know my baby will be able to wake me up probably just from moving. I've packed up a bag for myself and the baby to go to the hospital, the baby's bag is the amazing diaper bag my parents got me for my birthday, love it so much. I'm hoping that we don't have to make the trip with them until I'm actually due but you can never be too prepared.

Here's a picture of what I look like this week, sorry about blocking my face but 7am is way too early for pictures when you don't get enough sleep.

*notice the baby gate, we are used to it already. now it's a dog/ cat gate, it's going to be a very long time before we don't have one of these around. now we just need two more.

Baxter has been good lately, as long as he gets a walk in at some point of the day. Mike is on afternoons this month so I've been taking advantage of being able to relax and do nothing for a good chunk of the night and Baxter, well he thinks he might as well do the same.

*He started by playing with the ropes but then gave up and decided to try and get a belly rub instead.

Week 25

2011-07-21T12:10:00.000-04:00

Well things have gotten interesting, we may have chosen a name for the boy, which is good because we were worried that we were going to have to call him Ekim (mike backwards and our little joke). Unfortunately we have decided not to tell anyone until he is born, so who knows the name might change. The baby's room is empty now and awaiting a crib and dresser ( I had to pick the only set that wasn't instock, so I'm hoping the store gets more). I registered at Babies R Us with everything that we are going to need. I'm so excited about the stroller, I know crazy right? this is what I get excited about these days. The baby's kicks keep getting stronger, Mike saw one the other day from the other side of the couch, just look at my belly when I'm eating, you are sure to see it move. So that's the good news, baby is good and everything is starting to come together.
Bad news is I'm not doing the greatest, well I wasn't last week and am recovering. Two weeks ago I was having back pain, nothing to be concerned about when you are pregnant. Then the back pain went away and I started to have pain in my tailbone on Friday, again could have been nothing to worry about when you are pregnant. Except with each day the pain was getting worse and turing into pressure and where the pressure was I could feel a lump that was getting bigger and bigger. When it got so bad that I was brought to tears just by sitting down Mike said that's it you need to go to the hospital. So last Monday morning I went to the emergency room just to get a doctors opinion. The triage nurse laughed at me and told me "that's pregnancy, I couldn't sit the whole second half of my pregnancy" so I felt a little stupid for going to the ER for pregnancy pain but told her the lump was concerning and I just wanted to get it checked out. So I waited only for about twenty minutes and was in with the doctor, 7 am on Monday morning is a good time (if there is any) to go the ER. I explained everything to the doctor and he checked my tailbone out, which was the most pain I had had yet. The doctor walked over to the other side of the room and said "ya, that's not normal", my heart sank. He explained to me that I had a Pilonidal Infection and that I needed to take antibiotics (baby safe) but there was only a 50/50 chance that the infection would go away. If not the infection would turn into a Abscess and I would have to come in for Surgery in three to five days. So in the morning of the second day of taking the Antibiotics, Tuesday, I started to feel better but then the afternoon came and I could hardly move and once again Mike said your going to the hospital again tomorrow. That night was the worst, I had to have four showers, hot water was the only thing that gave me any relief, I gave in a finally took Tylenol and hardly slept. We were at the hospital by 10am on Wednesday and I was booked to have the surgery. The surgery meant I would have to be knocked out for five minutes, Mike and I were hesitant and Mike said flat out to the doctor "if this was your wife would you want her to be knocked out and have this surgery", the doctor reassured us and I said "do it, please get rid of this pressure". So I was hooked up to an IV and laid on a gurney until they came in to do the surgery at 1pm. There were at least six doctors/ nurses in the room with me and they say it took me awhile to go to sleep but it felt like ten seconds to me. When I woke up there was only one nurse there are she said everything went great and I had thanked them all for coming to my house when I came out of it, I knew I would say something stupid. I was still in a lot of pain and a little drowsy but was hopeful that it would get better. The worst part at this point was was hips were killing me, I had to keep switching sides to lay on but would have to lift my self up because I couldn't lay on back. My blood pressure was down so I had to stay until my IV was done, I was allowed to go home at 4.
I have been home ever since and the hospital has set up for a nurse to come to my house once everyday to change packing and dressings (sorry tmi), I might been home from work for another two weeks but hopefully will be back to normal earlier than that. Having to rest and do nothing for most of the day can get pretty boring but the more I do it the faster I will heal and I am in a much better mood now, the first couple of days after my surgery got me really down. I think that my pregnancy hormones got the best of me, I hated the way I felt, I'm not a sad person and I felt extremely sad but being able to move around a lot more and to be able to sit even if only for short periods of time makes me feel a lot better.

Week 23

2011-07-07T08:53:00.000-04:00

I think we are ready for this little guy, we may not have our nursery set up yet but we do have a Sophie and a pair of Osh Kosh Bgosh overalls. What more does a kid need? I loved my Osh Kosh overalls as a kid, I even had a fancy pink pair. (Thank you Mom)

Everything is going well with me, I had an interesting doctors appointment last week. It was my last appointment with my regular doctor, my next appointment I start going to an OB, closer to home. I went into the doctors office worried about my weight, not because I thought I gained too much but because I felt like I wasn't gaining enough. I'm having so much trouble wrapping my head around this. Worried about not gaining weight? Women do that?!? From all the research I did, I thought that I should have gained, in four weeks, 4 to 8 lbs but I wasn't even close to that. The nurse said nothing and when I asked my doctor he said I was fine. I guess since I did gain something and my belly is growing (a lot) I'm good. When my doctor was checking my belly he got out his measuring tape and measured the size of my belly, the first thing he said was "hmmmm". That's exactly what I wanted to hear, wow. Then he said "you are measuring at 24 weeks" and I was only 22 weeks and "well, he's a big boy". I wasn't surprised that he thought he was big but my doctor is very soft spoken and polite, so for him to make a comment like that, we are in for a big kid, this guy is probably going to grow to be taller than Mike. My mom is convinced that he's draining everything I've got, sounds about right.

Baxter has also grown more and more attached to me, he needs to snuggle me every morning and every night. I think he's protecting me and the baby. I really don't mind but the only problem is he thinks that my belly is his personal pillow. Ummm sorry, but no, Mike has to keep pulling him off of me and he just looks at him like "come on, it's so comfortable".

"Our" Bed

2011-06-21T16:02:00.000-04:00

Well I'm really getting used to this King size bed and guess who else is?

Ya, the dog. Before you think we are too crazy, we do not let him sleep under the covers. In the morning I make the bed when I get up, Baxter stays at the bottom of the bed but when I come out of the shower some days this is what my bed looks like. At least he is sleeping on Mike's pillow and not mine. Oh to be a dog....

I have started walking Baxter in the morning, just around the block. It's perfect for everyone, he's too tired to pull on his leash too much, I get some exercise before my day of sitting at a desk and he's not going crazy waiting for Mike to get home to let him out.

This past weekend we went up to Collingwood with some good friends/family and it was just the escape we needed. Here are some pics from our great weekend. Forgot to take some while Mike and I were golfing though, hopefully I will remember next time. Golfing pregnant is awesome, until you go to make a difficult putt and your son starts to kick you, as Mike said "Make this putt Mom!"

*the fancy pants pictures are from the Instagram app on my iPhone, love it!!

Funny Funny

2011-06-14T09:01:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I discovered a new (to me) blog through twitter (has technology taken over my life?). It had me laughing so hard I've already read the post three times. Amber Dusick made a blog post about what it her nights are like with two kids, it's amazing and hilarious, check it out here. After looking at her blog some more I found another post about changing diapers here. So, so funny.

Also here's what I look like now, at least I look pregnant now.

Just Don't Ask

2011-06-08T15:50:00.000-04:00

I recently discovered a great website, Babble is awesome! I signed up for their daily emails and yesterday there was a link to this article, Things you should never say to a pregnant woman. I've been asked a couple of the questions already and I've politely answered but after thought about what was asked and started thinking about peoples pop judgements. Most of these questions are one thing if your mom, close relative or girlfriend asks but co-workers and strangers? Many pregnant women are emotional and if they are pregnant for the first time, are getting used to all the changes that are going on and don't want everyone to know the intimate details of their pregnancy.

King Size

2011-06-06T09:23:00.000-04:00

Mike and I made a big upgrade a little while ago, we now have an awesome King Size Bed taking up half our bedroom. Thank you Ikea!! We bought the bedframe and our matress there. We have been thinking about and planning this purchase for months now, with a house that constantly needs things and life getting in the way we kept putting it aside. When you start to have night after night of horrible sleeping a new bigger bed rises to the top of your list pretty fast. Yes part of the reason is because we let our dog sleep on the bed (ya ya ya I know) but I'm starting to get uncomfortable sleeping, the baby really doesn't like certain postions and I kept walking up through out the night and Mike starting working earlier in the day so the Queen just wasn't cutting it. We have a beautiful oak bedroom set, minus a bed frame that my parents bought me while I was growing up but a Mennonite custom made bedframe wasn't in our budget right now so we went with a black/ brown frame that matches our floors and it looks great. Sometimes instead of trying to match types of wood and strong contrast can make a statement. This was definatly a good investment on our part.

Boy Oh Boy

2011-06-01T09:35:00.000-04:00

Get out the hockey sticks, Hot Wheels and Tonka Trucks*, the Underwood's are having a boy!!!

Apparently Underwood and Boy go hand in hand but we really didn't know either way until we were shown yesterday. Almost everyone thought we were having a girl.

The ultrasound went really well, it was a lot longer than the other two I had and I kept falling asleep but the technician had a list of things to check and she said that everything looks good. Apparently the little guy doesn't like to sit still and she had to take extra time to get the right pictures, not suprising at all, I hate to sit still. At the end she brought Mike in and showed us the head, spine, arms.... but he kept wiggling and moving around and then I would laugh and make things harder to see.

*what's funny is I played with those toys more than my Barbies

Heartbeat

2011-05-30T16:51:00.001-04:00

Today I got to hear the babies heartbeat, it was really cool. Our doctor said that it sounded healthy. He let me listen to my own and then compared it to the babies. Very cool but tomorrow will defiantly be better.

The New Member

2011-05-27T09:52:00.000-04:00

Tuesday is a special day for us and we can't wait for it!

It is our three year wedding anniversary.

and we get to see this little one again

and we should be able to find out the sex.

Every time I show this ultrasound to someone they tell me that it is extremely clear for being taken at 13 weeks, Mike likes to joke that it's the radiation in the air, I just think the baby is already a star.

I'm so excited to see how much the baby has grown and to be able to call it he or she.

The New Garden

2011-05-27T09:19:00.000-04:00

Last weekend Mike, with some help from myself, my brother and a friend built this vegetable garden in our backyard.

Baxter was exhausted from watching us work all weekend

I can't wait to get in there are plant, last years attempt at vegetables in hanging baskets was a bust.

This weekend we are working more on the garden and maybe getting a start on the deck, it is in dire need of stain and can't go much longer.

Changes

2011-05-11T16:52:00.000-04:00

I'm thinking of changing my blog a bit. I have a new blog style obsession and it probably has something to do with the little one growing in me. That's right Baxter is going to have to move over (a little bit) because I'm pregnant. I'm mostly just thinking of sleeping these day but I think this blog is going to be more our family than just the not so little man.

Baxter is doing good though, he is extremely happy with this weather, we actually think that summer is coming, it's beautiful out. He can't get enough of me, they say animals know when your expecting.

The past two Saturday's we took Baxter to Scanlon Creek, a conservation area with lots of trails in the woods to walk/ hike on. We are trying to get him to know that going there is called a hike and not a walk, when we tell him that we are going for a walk but then we put him in the car he gets all kinds of confused. We also resently traded in my car for a small SUV (don't worry it's very good on gas) and we have taught Baxter to jump into the back and he doesn't go on the back seat anymore, early training for when we have a carseat and a little one back there.

Here are some pictures from our latest hike at Scanlon Creek, it was a beautiful day but when we were there the sun was hiding:

Map of the area, we made sure to take a picture this time (we may have gotten lost the last time)

Baxter tried to smell every tree and then of course mark it, it is now his area

Trilliums were starting to come up everywhere near the entrance, we tried to keep Baxter off them (they are our provincial flower)

Walking down to the lake, looking through these trees reminded me off being up North in the summer (for those of you have been where I'm talking about you know).

The beautiful lake hidden deep in the woods

Boardwalk through the marsh, we had to make Baxter run at the end of the leash because all of us standing together made parts start to sink.

Heading back into the woods.

Our Pack

2011-04-01T12:42:00.000-04:00

We have been watching The Dog Whisperer and I have constantly been using the term Pack and Pack Leader. When we first got Baxter I felt that he listened to myself more than Mike, I thought him a lot of the commands he knows and it seemed like I was his replacement mom. Now though, Mike is defiantly our Pack Leader, most dogs listen to males better and Baxter is defiantly doing that. I can see this most when Baxter decides to bark until he gets all the attention in the world, this is not cool with us at all, he's a big dog and his bark is even bigger. We refuse to give him what he wants, a dog barking for attention is like a child whining to get what they want. Baxter only stops for me when he can see that I am about to yell and lose it but Mike can talk to him the calmest voice, tell him to lay down and shush him and he will stop. If you have meet my dog you know that when he has to do something he doesn't want to he whines and starts to sound like Chewbacca from Star Wars but Mike can even get him to stop doing that! It's pretty impressive.

Isn't he cute when he is sleeping (and not barking)?

It's funny because as soon as we got Baxter everyone that knows Boxers told us just wait until he's two, everything will change. Well Baxter only has 19 more days but he is well on his way to (finnally) growing up.

Paparazzi

2011-02-03T12:38:00.000-05:00

Our friends that live around the corner from us are both very talented and yesterday in the wonderful snow storm they dropped by and Paul took some pictures of our "little family". Paul is part of Photo280dg and did an amazing job at capturing Baxter's characteristics.

Here are some of my favourites:

As you can see from the pictures we got A LOT of snow yesterday and that Mike and I are just big kids at heart.

Paul is also planning a blog post and you will be able to find it here.

Bed Sharing

2011-01-25T09:52:00.000-05:00

Over Christmas Princess Veva started letting Baxter share her bed. (really he isn't allowed on the furniture up North and by the end of the night Veva is too tired to really care, if he's calm and not doing bunny hops around her he can do whatever he wants.)

It started as this, Baxter taking up the small amount of real estate left.

Then two weekends ago Veva let him have (almost) half of the bed. He was in heaven, close to the fire and on a warm bed near his favourite puppy!

and then Veva learned first hand that Baxter is a cuddlier. (sorry the picture is so dark but I had to act quickly)

Twitter

2011-01-22T15:49:00.001-05:00

and I'm on twitter

http://twitter.com/ashunderwood

Phoenix relaxing.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ouch

2011-01-19T15:37:00.000-05:00

Just before Christmas we had a lot of icy snow and Baxter ripped one of his dew claws. He came in the house after running circles around the back yard and there was a lot of blood. Mike and I quickly grabbed our (home made) first aid kit (not just for people!) and put a dressing and a lot of tape around his paw. He wasn't too impressed that he couldn't tear it off but it helped it heal and after some research on line we did exactly the right thing.

The morning after.

Veva gave him her mittens, she wore them once and it may have been the hardest my family has ever laughed. Imagine a Lab running around, legs and paws in the air like and elephant or a new born deer.

This is the only time he has worn them, he didn't know what was going on and they didn't stay on that well because of his small ankles.

Well Hello There!

2011-01-17T14:44:00.000-05:00

Saying I haven't blogged in awhile is an understatement.

Baxter is up to his same old crazy antics.

Here's a recap of what you have missed since last time.

Halloween came once again and this year Baxter was much bigger and even more excited.

Some of the little ones started coming by early and Baxter was standing guard.

By the middle of the night he was just watching, only barking when kids come right up to the window to see him (I got a few "I like your dog but is he mean?" oh, ya he will lick you to death!)

By 8:30 his guarding knocked him out but he stayed close to the door just in case.

Then winter came....

Baxter was extremely excited for the snow!

In one weekend in December we got 17 inches of snow!!!! It was amazing!

Baxter went out every chance he could, this is him trying to convince us to come out too.

Then Christmas....

He didn't understand why there was a big stick in the dining room?? and why he couldn't chew on it??

He was not impressed. This is his "fine I'll be good and do what you say but I don't like it" position.

Wanna Go for a Walk?

2010-09-23T13:31:00.000-04:00

Getting Baxter to give me the head tilt never gets old.

This is usually followed by jumping like a rabbit at the front door.

Happy Dog, Happy House

2010-09-14T08:09:00.000-04:00

Baxter and I went out for a long walk last night and when we got back Baxter practiced his Yoga moves on the deck.

Always remember to stretch!

Birthday Girl

2010-08-23T14:31:00.000-04:00

Today is special day. It's Veva's birthday!!

Veva is one lucky girl she lives at my parents house with a big pond and lots of room to run and play.

At her age you don't talk about years, you talk about how wonderful she is and she's one of the best!

Happy birthday Veva, you will always be my best friend!

Always ready to play

2010-08-19T15:50:00.000-04:00

As I was walking out the door yesterday.

Children

2010-08-09T12:29:00.000-04:00

We had some lovely company on Saturday. My cousins daughter, can now call Baxter, Baxter instead of Baxis and she now calls me Auntie Ashley and not Hockey, (very exciting to me).

Baxter is getting a lot better around her and she has started to copy him, here they are watching our neighbour in the front yard.

Looks like this is going to be a great friendship.

Another Long Weekend

2010-08-06T08:34:00.000-04:00

On the weekend we did some much needed relaxing.

Here are some pictures:

Baxter making sure we're safe in the backyard, because we all know how dangerous it is living in the country, you just never know, a bird could attack us or something.

We took Baxter over to my parents house and invited Mike's brother and family. If you remember from one of my first posts their male yellow lab, Rye is terrified of the water. He realized though that the pond is just one big bowl of water and got his feet wet a few times but only when the other three dogs were somewhere else and he didn't see us looking at him.

Our nephew Owen, he knows he's cool.

Monday Baxter was done like dinner, he did this all day just changed locations.

Once Tuesday night came though, he was back in top form and kept cool by playing in the sprinkler.

Park Watching

2010-07-28T15:52:00.000-04:00

So Baxter is finally doing better, he broke out in hives the day after his bee sting and had them until Sunday. Nothing a little Benadryl couldn't fix. He was acting normal just had bumps all over his neck and luckily our awesome vet has time to talk on the phone and eased my mind, telling me it was nothing to worry about as long as he was behaving normally and eating.

Here's a picture from a few weeks ago when we were visiting the Port of Orillia and Baxter was people watching while I worked on my tan.

Vet

2010-07-21T20:20:00.000-04:00

Today when Mike came home, Baxter's left side of his face was swollen and his eye was hardly open, he was slow and not acting like his normal happy self. I rushed home and Mike rushed to the vet, they think he was stung by a bee in the morning before we went to work. He got some shots, goo in his eye and took some benadryl.
He's doing a lot better now but it was still scary.

Here's a picture after the swelling started to go down.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Fridays

2010-07-09T14:37:00.000-04:00

What do you do when it's raining outside and Mike is working on the computer??

You get really comfortable and take a nap.

The FURminator

2010-07-09T10:56:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we also invested in a FURminator for Baxter and Phoenix. This is brush is incredible, it is the only thing that works on Baxter and he likes it. If you have a boxer or any pet you should invest in one of these. We used it on our cat as well and we brushed a whole other cat out of her.

We bought ours at Pet Smart.

Long Weekend of Fun

2010-07-08T12:34:00.000-04:00

Over to long weekend we spent lots of time with Baxter.

Here's some highlights:

Saturday we went to Port of Orillia and Mike and I realized how much we miss it. Its just not the same when you drive there, e-star.calm was defiantly the way to go.

* e-star.calm was my parents boat

Baxter and I worked on our Tan in the wonderful sun.

Mike got a new/used Bike and was trying it out in the backyard. Baxter is still a bit scared of it.

He really likes when Mike brings it on our walks, my arm and shoulder don't though.

By Sunday night Baxter was spent from the heat and fun.

Wednesday that's like Friday

2010-06-30T08:28:00.001-04:00

Since Canada Day is tomorrow, today is the last day of the work week, so four day weekend!!! Not sure who is going to enjoy it more, Mike and I or Baxter. And can you believe it?? the weather is going to be perfect.

Anyway here are some pictures, (sorry about the quality, some were taken with Mike's phone in not enough light)

Our kids are starting to get along!

After a fun weekend up north playing with our "niece" Anna and a bit of a sore tummy Baxter was burnt out.

On the ride home.

and when we got home.

but we also brought home a new friend from Bark and Fitz

we call him Monkey Man and Baxter can't get enough of him. (hope he can handle Baxter's Power Jaw)

Happy Canada Day!!!!

Can You Find Baxter??

2010-06-23T12:57:00.000-04:00

I just checked on Baxter from my phone and it took me a couple of seconds to find him.

*he's on the left, sleeping upside down on the couch.

Oh the life of a dog!!

A Taste of Freedom

2010-06-21T08:34:00.004-04:00

Yesterday Baxter and I went over to visit my dad for Father's Day and Baxter had a blast. He was running so much that my dad compared him to an Antelope. He did a bit of swimming last summer but I was curious to see how he would do this summer. He is amazing! He swam out pretty far (gave me a bit of a scare) and only had a problem when he realized there was a stick that he missed. I didn't have my phone to film his swimming but I caught his playing and running.

Something that's going good

2010-06-16T16:47:00.000-04:00

On Saturday I took Baxter to the Vet to get his face checked out and it turns out that he has a bad case of dog acne. (Yes dogs get acne) He is on a prescription and we have to put acne medicine (like the kind you had when you were a teenager) on a couple times a day.

Good news though! It's a lot better and hopefully will be all cleared up soon.

What's been going on.

2010-06-11T15:43:00.000-04:00

Here's a large post on what's been going on.

My mom and I went to New York City this past weekend and had a blast. We walked too much, ate too much and shopped too much.

Times Square at Night

The steps of the Met (anyone watch Gossip Girl??)

The Guggenheim Museum.

Central Park from the top of 30 Rock

The Empire State Building from the Top of 30 Rock.

Live entertainment in Central Park, we had to tip them of course.

It was a blast and now I'm looking forward to taking Mike there.

Now on to the Little Man.

Baxter is still enjoying the weather and the yard.

He has now had his new bed for two weeks and it still looks brand new, it's lasted two weeks longer than the last one. We keep it in the basement and don't let him have it when we are not there.

So glad we noticed this at Pet Smart, they were having a sale and it was $40 off!!

Mr. Handsome!

I wasn't a fan of choke collars until Baxter grew to be 75 lbs of muscle. What a difference our walks are!! Now don't think I'm torturing him I hardly have to pull it tight, it just gives him a warning and he stops pulling.

Can't Take the Heat

2010-06-08T10:48:00.000-04:00

We were under a bit of a heat wave last week and the week before (not sure where it went this week). Having only experienced maybe two days a heat last summer, Baxter didn't really know what to do when it felt like 40 C outside. He would run out the back door, from the AC to the heat and have to take a break in the middle of the yard. He's been enjoying this week so far but it's only going to get hot again (ya for us!).

p.s. Hasn't Mike done a great job on the lawn??

Long Weekend of Work

2010-05-25T10:49:00.000-04:00

This weekend Mike and I worked our butts off outside in the front and back yard. Baxter for the most part just watched us while we were working in the front yard. While we were in the back though he helped by moving rocks from an area we were covering with gravel to the lawn, should be great for the lawn mower. Look out Mike!

So the weekend wasn't too exciting for the little guy but Mike and I are happy with the result, no more switching cars in the morning and when your husband doubles the size of your garden how can you complain? Hope your weekend was as great as ours and you got to take advantage of actually having nice weather on May 24, remember when it snowed two or three years ago??

Birds and Ducks

2010-05-07T08:26:00.000-04:00

Baxter is discovering his love for (chasing) birds and last night on our walk he noticed a family of ducks in the pond.

We were trying to sit for a nice picture but hello! there were ducks in the pond, how dare they swim away!

No wonder they were swimming away from us they just had babies.

I guess he will just have to stick to crows and robins.

Uncrating the dog

2010-05-05T08:19:00.003-04:00

We have started to uncrate Baxter, we've slowly been leaving him out for short periods of time but on Monday we started leaving him out while we are at work. Mike has set up a web cam that we can watch on our iPhones and see what he's up to.

From what we can see he stays in the dining room and sleeps or looks out the window.

One!

2010-04-19T09:46:00.003-04:00

Today is Baxters Birthday!!!

We got him a new stuffed animal on Saturday and as you can see from the movie he loved it!!

but.... the fun only lasted for a few minutes, it's a good thing it was on sale.

Birthday

2010-04-14T16:33:00.006-04:00

Well Monday is the big day, Baxter turns one!!!!! Wow, times really does fly!

We have started him on his adult food now, as per our Vet's instructions. He is now eating Royal Canin Boxer food and he loves it. We are starting him with a 25/75 split of new food to his puppy kibble to make sure he doesn't get sick from the change. When we put the food in his bowl he eats the new kibble right away and leaves the puppy kibble for later.

Here are some recent pictures from this past weekend. Baxter has been loving the warmer weather, he spends all day outside in the backyard but if we are inside he's always trying to get us to join him.

Watch Baxter get distracted by the smells in the air.

Doggy Vacation

2010-04-05T12:34:00.000-04:00

While Mike and I were on Vacation, Baxter and Phoenix stayed at my parents house. Baxter loved every minute of it I'm sure. He discovered chasing birds, following deer tracks and making Ryan (my brother) chase him into the woods. He was so spoiled that my mom made him (and Veva) home made dog food. Mike and I are thinking of making some more for Baxter because although he eats pretty good quaility food, its nice to see what actually goes into it.

Baxter was so exhasted from his week away, he did a lot of sleeping after we brought him home.

Thanks again Mom, Dad and Ryan!!!!!!!!!!!

Back at it

2010-04-05T09:02:00.000-04:00

Mike and I went to Panorama two weeks ago for a ski and snowboard vacation and it was (mostly) awesome. Unfortunately Mike's suitcase decided to fly on a Sunwing flight to Cuba, Westjet took two days to find it, then took two days to get it back to Toronto and we picked it up when we came home.

On Wednesday morning Mike and I were on the phone with Westjet for three hours trying to get everything straightened out and were beyond mad, I was checking my email for Westjet updates and was surprised to see that I had won a blogging award!! It definitely lifted my spirits.

Dogster.com sent me this award to post on my blog:

Thanks again!!

Here are some pictures from our trip. Panorama is wonderful, we highly recomend it (just don't fly Westjet).

There was wildlife everywhere!

This weekend Mike and I worked non stop around the house. Friday we spent most of the day in the backyard cleaning and working on the lawn, Baxter was in his glory!

Tough Guy

2010-03-09T08:42:00.000-05:00

Baxter was in need of a new collar, so we took him to Pet Smart on the weekend. You may think we are a bit crazy taking a puppy to a large pet store on a Saturday but we think it's really good for Baxter (and there is no way we could take him if we both aren't there). There were a couple dogs being trained in the store, they had to walk around and not interact with any dogs or pick up any thing off the floor. It was kinda funny to watch, the dogs wanted nothing to do with the training and the owners look like they were ready to run away screaming. Baxter sat and looked at them as they walked by and tried to tackle him. Honestly why would you train your dog at Pet Smart on a Saturday?? and why would Pet Smart run classes on there busiest day?? We had to wait five minutes before we could go down the isle with the collars because a "trainer" was blocking the end for training! I'm sorry but do you want my money or not??

Anyway, Baxter now looks like an even tougher Boxer with his new collar.

Saying Goodbye

2010-03-03T16:12:00.000-05:00

We have been leaving Baxter out of his crate in the mornings lately until Mike gets up. He seems to be doing really good; he just sleeps and doesn't get into too much trouble. Unfortunately though he has to watch me leave for work, and that makes him (and me) very sad.

This past weekend we went up to Blue to take advantage of the snow. Wow was there a lot of it!!

We had to make a path for Baxter because the snow was up to his back!

Mike decided to see what the powder was like but he got stuck, the snow was wet and very heavy!

We had an awesome time together, so much fun that we are now going skiing for our vacation instead of going to the beach, now that's love for snow!

Snow Jumper

2010-02-23T20:11:00.001-05:00

Yesterday afternoon it started to snow and it hasn't stopped since!! Everything is snow covered again and Baxter couldn't be happier. Baxter and I went out tonight to play and he was practicing his catches and jumps.

*I weighted Baxter tonight and he is up to 70lbs!!! (average male Boxers are 60-70lbs)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

New Toy

2010-02-16T14:10:00.000-05:00

Last week Baxter got a special treat, we got him the biggest bone he's ever seen (really they were out of the size we usually get him). When he saw us opening it he sat down in about .5 seconds and started to drool. It took him a few tries before he could actually lift it off the ground, he's getting better but as you can see in the movie he needs some help.

Animal House

2010-01-27T08:32:00.000-05:00

It's funny when I think that we have our hands full with a dog and a cat, what's going to happen when we have children?? You may say we do have it easy but have you ever had to deal with a rebellious cat?? On Saturday night Phoenix decided to show us that she needs more attention (trust me she gets a lot) and used our bed as a toilet. It was only pee but still she peed on our bed!! So we've been giving Phoenix even more attention and she seems to be fine.

Phoenix being pretty for Baxter.

Baxter wondering why the mattress pad is in the bathtub (drying).

Baxter and Phoenix

2010-01-08T16:26:00.000-05:00

Well it only took seven months but Baxter and Phoenix can finally be together with out too much disaster. We have been putting a gate on the stairs to keep Phoenix upstairs and Baxter downstairs because Baxter is a bit puppy crazy and Phoenix well some say she's a bit of a *&^%& (she loves us though). Everything isn't 100% yet though, as you can see from the video we have to keep our eye on them not just because of Baxter but also because Phoenix likes to tease Baxter.

Mike is very comfy to sit with.

Christmas Holidays

2010-01-07T15:13:00.000-05:00

Well we are back at work and in our normal routine, I miss wearing sweat pants everyday and hanging out with Mike, Baxter and Phoenix but summer will be here before we know it.

Below are a bunch of pictures from our holiday and they were all taken with my new iPhone!!!!!! (best husband ever! love you)

Baxter loves to eat plants and he could not understand why everyone had big trees in their houses and he wasn't aloud to eat them.

We were able to play some pond hockey at my mom and dads. Baxter wanted to play so bad with the boys but skate blades and dogs don't mix so we watched from inside.

While they were playing Baxter went on his first walk on the trail. It was very exciting!!

New Years brought lots of snow!!!!! Very exciting. On New Years day while Mike was playing hockey Baxter and I went over to play in the snow and have a visit at mom and dads.

How can you not love snow and living in the country when it looks like this??

Baxter didn't stop running the whole time we were there, he went for lots of adventures in the woods and took himself on some trail walks.

This weekend we went to Collingwood to take advantage of the snow, it was really cold but the skiing was incredible!

Even Baxter was amazed at all the snow, he could hardly walk in it.

Here's a video of Baxter in the backyard doing his regular crazy run. (more movies to come)

Getting Ready for Christmas

2009-12-21T10:45:00.000-05:00

Baxter is getting ready for his first Christmas, left on his list is more snow. As you can see from the middle picture he has investigated every last snow flake in the back yard and is ready for a new blanket. It is pretty entertaining to watch him in the backyard because he hops at all the pieces a ice on the deck. In case you don't know Boxers love to hop at things, it can put a smile on anyones face, (trust me and google it).

Here are some pictures from the weekend.

If I don't get around to making a post before Christmas, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays love the Underwoods!!!!!

In the Dog House

2009-12-01T08:39:00.000-05:00

On Saturday Mike and I bought Baxter his first bed.

On Monday Baxter and the bed had a cage match.

Can you guess who won???

Thank goodness we didn't splurge on the bed we wanted.

Behind

2009-11-30T16:38:00.000-05:00

So as I was told yesterday "Baxter is behind on his blogging", sorry. I think I was waiting to take some more snow pictures but apparently it doesn't snow here anymore!!! Hopefully December will be better.

Santa came early for Baxter, he is now the proud owner of a fleece lined rain coat. I think he knows how handsome he is in it, he was walking very proudly on Saturday in it. Thanks Santa, we love you!!! (I'm sure you can guess who Santa is). I will have pictures up soon, we will have to have a photo shoot.

We have now had at least three encounters with people walking their dogs WITHOUT a leash. I personally think that all dogs should be walked on a leash, even the best ones. One walk through the park Baxter got body checked by a very interested female dog. Her owner just ran by us calling her dogs name while I was trying to hold Baxter back. I had to grab the other dog by it's collar and wait until her owner came jogging back (she was across the soccer field). Here's the kicker- she didn't even have a leash with her! That's worse than not having a bag with you for clean up. And just last week Baxter and I got the evil eye from a guy because his Jack Russel ran up to play with Baxter, I'm sorry but not our fault. Then he stood there waiting for us to walk away like I had the problem dog, I wanted to say "do you mind I'm trying to pull my 60lbs dog away from your crazy Jack Russel". Ohwell, maybe I will just have to start saying something to people.

Well here are some new pictures of the ~~not so~~ little man.

Snow!!!!

2009-11-10T16:49:00.000-05:00

On Thursday night I went to let Baxter outside and to our surprise it was snowing like crazy!! It didn't snow for long but it was cold enough that it lasted until the sun came out on Friday morning. Baxter was in his glory, jumping and running like crazy. He kept begging me to come out and play with him but with the beginning of a flu bug coming I opted to throw some snowballs for him from the doorway.

We can't wait for the next snowfall (hopefully it will be one to stay) it is the best entertainment we have found yet! Luckily we have a dog that loves the snow as much as we do.

Costumes

2009-10-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

Everyone keeps asking me if I am going to dress Baxter up for Halloween, I want to but as you can see from the video below he doesn't. I think we will just call him Tyson for the day, he does love to bite.

Angry

2009-10-27T15:47:00.000-04:00

Today I was looking over the Toronto Star website and clicked on the article with the cute dog picture and strange headline Man's best friend, mankind's worst enemy? . It is about Robert and Brenda Vale;

New Zealand

based researchers who wrote a book called Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living. So they don’t suggest eating your dog, (even though one commenter took it there) they compare dogs to SUV’s. Really?!?! Now we should all stop having dogs just like we should sell our SUV and get a small car to drive on the highway in the Canadian winter? I’m sorry but this is one thing that I’m not willing to give up, I love my dogs and they bring a lot of joy to my life. I fell that Mike and I are environmentally conscience people (well minus the SUV) but honestly having a dog isn’t something we are going to change. Maybe they shouldn’t tell people to look at what they are buying their dog because last time I checked dogs didn’t buy their own food and toys. I had to comment on the story because really who is going to be blamed next? And why are their so many dog haters? Because when you went to the park there were some droppings? Well that’s not the dogs fault, its bad owners.

There’s my rant for the day.

Here's some pictures of my puppies to lighten the mood.

Friends

2009-10-23T09:56:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday I cleaned out my old closet at my parents house, what a job! After my mom and I were done we had six bags of stuff to go to Goodwill and three that were garbage, in my defence it wasn't all my stuff (almost though). I swear some fifteen year old is going to be so happy! While we were cleaning I was also trying to keep Baxter entertained, I kept giving him stuffed animals to toss around and he wasn't too interested until he saw snake/ lizard thing I won at Wonderland years and years ago. He is in love, he even snuggled with him on the drive home.

*I included a picture of our cat, Phoenix, whenever Baxter is outside this is what she is doing.

Update- Baxter and his new stuffed friend had a bit of a wrestling match last night and now I have some sewing to do, obviously Baxter won.

Very Thankful

2009-10-13T12:04:00.000-04:00

This Thanksgiving Baxter has a lot to be thankful for.

First off our deck is finished so once again Baxter can walk out from the kitchen into the backyard on his own!
We are letting Baxter in the dining room again (when we fist got him, if he was going to have an accident this is where he would go because it's carpet and hidden). His new favourite thing to do is watch everyone outside.
On Saturday we had our Underwood Thanksgiving and Baxter's best bud McGruff came over, there are some battle wounds but they had a blast.
On Sunday we went to my parent's house for Thanksgiving and of course Baxter had tons to do but two things really stood out, he was exhausted from the day before and took a nap every hour and he was awesome with little Anna. They were planning all the trouble they could get into and Baxter was busy making sure she didn't go to close to the stairs.

Saturday morning watching the lawn dry.

Inside to warm up for a bit watching for other dogs.

and finally Monday, time for lots of R&R.

Mr and Mrs Underwood

2009-09-30T12:30:00.000-04:00

Since Linda is getting married on Saturday she has asked her blog followers to post some of their wedding pictures. I know that I opted for the pet blog rather than the fashion blog but I thought I would post some anyway. Our wedding was at my parents house on May 31, 2008.

Enjoy and good luck Linda.

About to make an entrance

Waiting out the rain (it was a long wait)

Our wedding party (look it's not raining!!)

Happy to relax for a few minutes

Linda and Chelsea

Our beautiful tent, good choice mom!!

Married and very happy!!

Here Comes the Rain

2009-09-25T16:50:00.000-04:00

So now that part of my daily routine is walking Baxter I have to think of the proper footwear (not just for fashion but to be practical). On Monday it had rained buckets right before we went out and since Baxter is not afraid of water he kept jumping in puddles and getting me wet, I can only imagine if was raining for our whole walk. So I've been thinking that it is time to buckle down and get some rubber boots. The problem is since rubber boots became fashionable I have been a little bitter because I am sick of seeing girls wearing rubber boots with skirts on a hot sunny day. Its not that I think it looks bad but I grew up in the country and rubber boots were not for dressing up an outfit, trust me all the farmers in town who couldn't rinse off their boots before going to Zehrs to pick up bread?? too much. So of course I don't just want any rubber boots, I want Hunter rubber boots. They are the rubber boots of rubber boots, they are both practical and fashionable and they come in a lot of different colours. The only problem is they are very much out of my price range, so much so that when my mom showed my brother them he said something a long the lines of "who in the &%# would pay that much for rubber boots". Oh well I guess I will have to have to work with what I've got because as Mike would say "you have tons of shoes" (or maybe there will be a sale).

Baxter attacking his shadow on Thursday.

The Evans' House

2009-09-17T08:20:00.000-04:00

Since we are fixing our deck Baxter can't run freely in his backyard like he normally does so he is a little sad. He has been going on extra long walks but it still isn't the same. On Tuesday though he had tons of freedom doing what he does best, being crazy. We went over to my parents house and Baxter did not stop for one minute. Luckily Veva actually played with Baxter (once she warned him not to come too close). Veva took Baxter around the yard, she walked calmly like normal and he ran circles around her, they went swimming and Veva tried to chase him on the beach but when your in the double digits it is pretty obvious that you can't keep up to a 5 month old pup.

While my parents and I were eating diner Veva took her normal spot and hoped that someone would drop something or feel bad for her that I had brought over that crazy dog again. Baxter didn't understand what she was doing so he just kept trying to play with her, he kept barking and putting his head down "Come on Veva lets play!!".

Baxter as always was exhausted and slept the whole way home.

Princess Veva

Vacation Wrap Up

2009-09-13T09:44:00.000-04:00

Well today is the last day of our vacation and we are a little sad to go back to work tomorrow but its been a great break. Mike and I got some much needed rest and relaxation, we did lots of stuff around the house, had a round of golf with my dad and spent some more time at Blue Mountain. Baxter had the most fun of all I think, lots of walks at Blue, hours and hours of fun in our backyard and he discovered how much fun a sprinkler can be as you can see from the first picture, very refreshing. Since all of the kids are back in school now Mike will be working a bunch of afternoon shifts and even though that means less time for Mike and Ashley that means much more time for Baxter, so at least going back to work is fun for someone, haha.

Bark & Fitz

2009-08-31T16:40:00.000-04:00

I have to tell everyone about the best Pet Store! Every time we go up to Collingwood we go to Bark & Fitz in the Village at Blue Mountain. What's awesome is taking Baxter in the store but since it's not that big and there are others dogs walking around Mike usually ends up waiting outside and I pick out a few things for Baxter. Sometimes we even get a cat toy or treat for Phoenix. Our mission this trip was to get two things; a refill of Baxter's Peanut Butter treats that come in a really cool Paint Can and a harness. Since we are already on our second harness (Baxter is growing like a weed) we wanted to get one that he can wear when he is full grown. I have always used the tried and true harness that goes around the dogs neck and chest but knowing how hard it is on Veva's (my families female yellow lab) neck I wanted to find something better. We bought a step in harness and we highly recommend them, instead of putting pressure on their neck it pushes on their shoulders/ armpits which isn't very comfortable. We couldn't believe how well Baxter walked home (well until he saw the group of people on some sort of retreat screaming but who wouldn't stare at twenty people wearing the same shirt yelling? it was very confusing) Anyway if you have a pet and you want to get them something special, check them out. They have tons of healthy food and treats many made in Canada, you don't see that too often.

www.barkandfitz.com/home.htm

*click on Media and you can see what Baxter will look like soon

misketch

2009-08-17T16:05:00.000-04:00

With my birthday coming up I though that I would share two illustrations that my talented friend at work made for me, one she made for my birthday and one for when my work threw me a wedding shower. She has a website http://www.misketch.com/ and you can follow her blog http://www.strugglesofacreativemind.blogspot.com/. Her illustrations are always spot on, so if you are looking for an unique present for someone why not check her out. She also on etsy shop, where she sells her beautiful jewellery and illustrations (she is a very busy girl) there is a link on her blog.

Swimming 101

2009-08-17T15:54:00.000-04:00

Baxter has discovered that swimming is so much easier with other dogs because if you start to sink you can just use the other dogs to keep you afloat. This was ok when swimming with Whisky, who is a full grown lab but not so much with McGruff who is the same age (almost to the day) as Baxter. Luckily they didn't go too far together which was good because poor Rye was very uneasy about everyone swimming, he was either too scared to swim or was just playing lifeguard for the day.

McGruff and Whisky teaching Baxter a lesson.

Whisky with her favourite type of toy.

Whisky, Rye, McGruff and Baxter.

After about three hours of being there Rye decided to get in and play too.

Ok, I know this is blurry but it looks like Baxter's ears are pointed? Maybe he can show after all.

Babies, Babies and Baxter

2009-08-06T19:57:00.001-04:00

Last Saturday we went to my parent’s house for a family get together. Kendra was here for a visit and we met her little guy Finn, we met Daphne, my cousin Jenny's daughter and Lindsay and Dan were also there with Anna. So since everyone brought their babies we brought ours, Baxter (ya ya ya I know but that's all we are going to have for now). Baxter did really well; playing in the yard, swimming and of course napping lots, it was a long day for a little puppy. Baxter also got to sleep on the bed since he has now outgrown my parent’s puppy crate and his was at home, I don't think he really noticed though because he was out cold the second we went to bed, he even slept in.

Baxter relaxing in the sun on the patio, who doesn't love patios??.

Finn, Anna and Daphne. How cute is this?

Daphne- "Ok I sat for a minute, now it's time to play"

Anna-" Hey dad he has red hair like us!"
Finn- "Who me??"

Relaxing after a swim with mom.

Anna sailing away.

And on Sunday we saw our little nephew Owen.

While we visited with Owen, Baxter chilled out with his best friend McGruff.

On Monday there wasn't much playing, Baxter tried but laying down was just so much better.

Weekend Getaway

2009-07-30T14:50:00.000-04:00

This past weekend Mike and I took Baxter and Phoenix up to Collingwood. The weather was so bad though that we kept planning to come back home but we did stay and it turned out to be fun and interesting. Here are some highlights:

After four years of being great in the car Phoenix has decided to get car sick everytime she goes in the car. So I guess shes always staying home now.
Baxter did not like going to the bathroom with a leash on. Where was his fence? and why did people keep walking by on the road? After 30 minutes (in the rain) he finally gave in and went pee.
We took Baxter for his first big walk/adventure into the village at Blue Mountain on Saturday afternoon. The village was packed as it was Elvis weekend, side burns and blue suede shoes everywhere! Baxter did really good but he did not understand why everyone that walked by didn't want to pet him. He would sit and stare at them as they walked by.
We were asked by more than one person if Baxter was a full grown dog. Are we the only people that think this is strange? He's crazy, goofy and ... looks like a puppy!
Mike realized just how scared of snakes I am, he pointed out a dead on on the road and I almost ran the whole way home.
Baxter was too tired to make it all the way back, five mintues from the house he laid down in the middle of the road and looked up at us with his sad puppy eyes (see last post picture). Mike picked him up but you can only carry a 25lbs puppy so far.

Here are some pictures:

The animals took up more room than us and our stuff.

Baxter catching the breeze.

ummmm..peanut butter Kong!

and after his big adventure to the village.

See even Baxter can't resist sleeping on these couches.

Trouble

2009-07-28T21:38:00.000-04:00

So at least I waited until the second post to let you know what Baxter did wrong today. Of course because he's a puppy he likes to jump and bite and be crazy, usually the worst that happens is one of us gets a scratch (never Baxter of course) but today was different. When I got home I went to greet the little guy and while he jumped up he decided to also nip at my shirt, normally this would be fine, no harm done just a stern look but today I decided to dress up a bit and wore my pretty sheer black Kate Moss Topshop shirt that my mom bought me for Christmas. I was quite upset as I looked down to see a hole in my shirt, small yes but still a hole and as I look back at Baxter in anger he looked back at me with his little puppy eyes knowing that he was bad. Well it's just a shirt (can't really see the damage so all is ok) and he was just excited to see me, his chew toy, home.

Our First Post

2009-07-28T20:53:00.000-04:00

Ok so I've decided to start the blog, mostly because I spend lots of time looking at other blogs dreaming about what mine would look like (not at work of course, wink wink) and I want to share with the world how awesome Baxter is.

Baxter was born April 19, 2009 and has been a great addition to our home (phoenix isn't 100% sure yet but she's getting better). Hopefully we can show you just how great he is.