Corgi Butts

LOL Gibson

2012-01-28T08:19:00.000-08:00

I love cloth diapers :)

2012-01-27T15:08:00.000-08:00

What? You know I love talking about Gibson's bathroom habits, you didn't think I'd want to talk about my daughter's too?? ;) But it's true... I love cloth diapering!! Honestly, I think everyone should do it. It's easy, it's cost-effective, and it's eco-friendly!

I know what you're thinking.. "Easy? Yeah right!" But it is. It probably takes about 30 extra seconds per diaper change compared to disposables. Yes, there is a lot of laundry to be done, but it's easy laundry and babies already need things washed about every day anyways.

The eco-friendliness is a great perk too, but what really made us choose to go cloth is the cost. They say you'll save close to $2000 by choosing cloth over disposables. Seriously! Yes, the upfront cost is more, but it's more than worth it. And if you choose the diapers that we did, you can get way more bang for your buck.

Oh and did I mention that they are super cute?

So much more fun than ucky disposables, don't you think? Yes, they are kind of bulky. In fact, Hadley is only 3 months old (omg), but she wears 6month clothes already! Haha, but she is a big girl to begin with.. Oh yeah, and they are fun to pair with different outfits.. Her diapers can add a nice pop of color to a sleeper ;)

If you are still reading this, you might be interested in some more details about what diapers we use. Well, we went the super economical route and chose prefold diapers! Flip prefolds and covers to be exact..

They are organic and made by the same people who make Bum Genius diapers, so the quality is great! Prefolds seem a little complicated compared to All-in-Ones, but I actually think they are easier. We own some Bum Genius Elementals as well and it seems like so much extra laundry since the cover is attached. With prefolds, you can reuse the cover over and over again until it gets dirty (which usually only happens when she poops), so you just lift her butt up and replace the prefold. With the All-In-Ones, you have to replace the entire thing. I don't know, call me crazy, but that seems like more work. Also, the prefolds dry sooo much faster!

Anyways, we have been using cloth diapers since Hadley was 5 days old. A lot of people wait til their babies are a little older, but I did not want to spend any money on disposables, so I wanted to get the show on the road :) For when she was tiny (which wasn't very long), I bought some cheap generic prefolds..

..and size XS Thirsties brand covers (which are now in the drawer of things that do not fit Hadley anymore)..

The prefolds still fit her (and should til she's about 18lbs), so they really bulk up our 'stash' of diapers. We currently have 24 of the generic prefolds and 18 of the Flip brand prefolds and also 6 of the Flip covers. About the perfect size for our little pee pod. Seriously, this girl pees more than anyone one ever. And she does not like being wet one bit and lets us know! :) Which means.. lots of diaper changes!

This is another reason why I love cloth.. my baby will pee, and then pee 10 minutes after you change her and then poop right when you put on a new diaper. That's 3 diapers in a matter of minutes. It'd just be throwing away money w/disposables. Means lots of laundry, but we have that under control..

We toss each dirty diaper in our handy dandy wet bags! We hang one by each changing table (one up in her nursery and one down stairs attached to her pack and play) and they make clean up a breeze!

When they get full, it means it's time for laundry! It usually takes about a day and a half to fill up both bags. I counted the other day, and that meant 28 diapers, 31 wipes and 3 covers. Oh yes, did I mention we do cloth wipes too? haha.. That's a whole nuther post ;)

wipes!

So, anyways, the wet bags are cool cause you throw them in the wash right along with your dirty dipes and wipes :) Which means, no touch of gross poopy diapers. They also keep the smell in, so your house doesn't stink. Win-win!

For the detergent, we use Charlie's Soap Powder..

Just half a tablespoon per load of diapers. We've been using it since November and there is still about a quarter of the tub left. For about $10, it's not too bad cost-wise!

Soooo, I think that's it.. haha. I've probably spent about $200 on all the diapers, covers, wipes, wet bags and accessories, and I can't recommend it enough.

Sorry for the disorganized rambling of a post. I swear, this is hard when you have a baby!! :) If I left something out or you have any questions, ask me in the comments section and I'll reply when Hadley actually decides to take a nap ;)

Couch Potatoes

2012-01-23T13:31:00.000-08:00

One of Hadley's favorite things to do is watch tv. I know. We're already teaching her bad habits. But whatever keeps her quiet and happy!! :) I thought I'd prop her up on the pillow next to Gibson (one of his favorite things is to lounge on the couch all day long) to watch some HGTV and see what happened..

Not sure about this mom, but I'll give her a kiss..

She's moving too much. Watch the feet, kid!

This is AWEsome!

This is not so awesome. I want my pillow back.

Srsly mom??

I will lay on this other pillow but I will not be happy about it!

What a grump!! :)

Gibson's Enzymes and Glucosamine Treats for Dogs

2012-01-17T08:48:00.000-08:00

A little update on Gibson's health today!

So, back in the summer, Gibson had multiple episodes of what we think were pancreatitis and then about a month or so ago, he started limping really badly. Well, for the tummy issues we began adding an enzyme supplement to his food, called D-Zymes Powder by Solid Gold. For his limping, we started giving him Hip Action Glucosamine Treats by Zukes. Both have worked wonders!!!

I put an 1/8 of a teaspoon of the D-Zymes on his food each meal and he hasn't had diarrhea or thrown up since before we started using them in August.

And there is still about a quarter of the jar left!

It was $17 for this jar, so it's only cost us about $3 a month! Much cheaper than all the vet visits we were having to make!

The Hip Action treats have been great as well! Gibson's limp started to immediately improve and within a few weeks it was completely gone.

They are a good size and looks super tasty too. He gets 1 treat every night before we go to bed. at $12.99 for a 1lb bag, they are little bit on the pricey side, but well worth it if it means a non-limping dog!

So, yay for Gibson feeling better!

Thanks, mama! My eyes are still goopy though...

Neglected

2012-01-13T12:59:00.000-08:00

Poor Gibbers has been super neglected lately.. I wonder why?

He used to be the center of attention and now he's off on the sidelines...

(and apparently I haven't had time to clean the house either.. hahaha)

I guess he can blame his baby sissy!

He's down to 1 walk a day (if he's lucky) and play time is often forgotten :( I feel so bad. I haven't even brushed his fur in weeks (maybe months?). It's super hard juggling a baby with a furbaby.. I don't know how people have more than one dog.. or kid! And it's way hard to find time to blog. I've had a lot to write about, but not much time. In fact, she's crying now... gotta run!

Sorry dude...

I promise to be back with more.. tomorrow? Or the next day.. or the next... :)

Accent Vlog

2012-01-09T07:24:00.000-08:00

And now for something completely different! A video blog! AKA, vlog. An accent vlog to be exact. What is an accent vlog? Basically, you are supposed to take a video of yourself saying different words and phrases so people, who normally just read your words, can actually hear what you sound like :) It's fun. I've watched a ton of these from other people (most recently, Aparna from Not A Leaf), so I figured I should join in and share mine too.

So here’s how it works. I’m supposed to record a video of myself saying the following words:

aunt, route, wash, oil, theater, iron, salmon, caramel, fire, water, sure, data, ruin, crayon, toilet, new orleans, pecan, both, again, probably, spitting image, alabama, lawyer, coupon, mayonnaise, syrup, pajamas, caught

And then I’m supposed to answer the following questions:

what is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
what is the bug that curls into a ball when you touch it?
what is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
what do you call gym shoes?
what do you say to address a group of people?
what do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
what do you called the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
what do you call it when rain falls when the sun is shining?
what is the thing you change the tv channel with?

So, here it is.. No makeup.. messy hair.. pjs... baby in arms... dog barkin... normal Monday morning for me :)

Hope you enjoyed it.. and hope you do one too!! So do you think I have an accent??

Buh Bye 2011!

2012-01-01T06:34:00.000-08:00

Hellooo 2012!

Time to hang up this year's calendar!

I haven't thought too much about resolutions for next year (or much else really, lol), but I do know that I want to start working out again and eat healthier. Boring and typical I know :) I also want to try to balance my life a little better. Balanced Kelly = Happy Kelly :)

Have a great year everyone!

2 Months

2011-12-30T11:01:00.000-08:00

Baby girl is 2 months old!

I'd say time is flying, but it seems like she's been in our lives much longer than that! I can't imagine life without her :)

Things have been going much better since the first month. The new normal is feeling more normal... if that makes sense :) And I've been making a point to get out of the house at least every other day and going shopping or some other type of outing. She's now been to Costco, Trader Joes, Christmas tree shopping, Ben's work, my old work, Target and Kohls. I can tell she likes the new scenery and new things to look at.

She's still sleeping and eating like a champ. She sometimes sleeps 8 or 9 hours so I can't complain at all! And breastfeeding has been going fabulously. I feel so lucky about that too!

Hi, little sister

She had her 2 month appointment yesterday and she is now 12.3lbs! Still a chunky butt! Other than that she is doing great, but is apparently favoring her left side too much :( So we are having to do some stretches and kind of forcing her to lay her head on the right side more so her head does not become misshapen. Poo :( Hopefully we can correct it before she needs physical therapy or has to wear a helmet! Yikes!

Besides that though, she's perfect :) She's begun smiling, laughing and cooing and it is so cute!

Her first Christmas was great. We spent Christmas Eve & morning at our house and then traveled to my parents and then Ben's parent's the day after. I was pretty stressed about how she'd do in the car for that long (1.5 hrs and 2.5 hrs ), but she did amazing! She slept the whole way the first two trips and then only cried a few times on the way back. I don't know how we got so lucky!

Check out my super snazzy Christmas dress, while Gibson checks out my foot!

So, things have been going well. It makes me think about how things were when we first got Gibson and everything was soo difficult, but now those things seem like second nature. Hopefully, it will be the same with Miss Hadley :)

Grumpson's Christmas

2011-12-29T11:58:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! Gibson got yet another nickname (Grumpson) and got totally spoiled in the gifts department. Here's a quick recap of what went down:

1. Gibson was totally spoiled on Christmas morning! Thanks to Karen & Bailey who were his Secret Santas this year :) He loved all of the gifts. Here are some pics and a video:

Sorry about the cursing.... :)

And sorry about the blurrys ;)

2. He slept a total of MAYBE 2 hours in 3 days. Which made him such a grumpy butt!! He was snarling and growling at all the other dogs. I've never seen him be sooo mean. And he was being so protective of me and Hadley. If another dog (or another man besides his dad) came near us he snarled at them. Such an old man!

3. Since he was up in the middle of the night, he decided one night to rummage through our bags and find ALL of the treats that I packed him and eat ALL of them. ALL. This included a bag of expensive dog bakery treats Ben put in his stocking and also a bag of treats my cousin got him. He has been a pooping machine since.

I am a big meanie!

His poor cousin who he was meeting for the first time and greeted him with his teeth! Rude much?

4. He has now been Mr. Sleepy Pants and has slept pretty much the entire day. He didn't even wake me up this morning. I didn't come down stairs til 8am and he was totally cool with that! So silly :)

I sleep now, guys.

I have so much to post in the next few days.. Hopefully I can get back on some sort of blogging schedule soon! :)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T16:17:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas, Corgi Community! Love, Gibson

My Little Corgi Pal

2011-12-21T12:46:00.000-08:00

We ♥ Corgi Pals!

Calendar Corgi of the Month: Sookie!

2011-12-20T04:57:00.000-08:00

on the wall

on my screen

Miss December

Name: Sookie
Blog: Make Way for Cupcakes
Corgi Mom:Kitten

Sookie Cuteness:

December Calendar Ideas
(it's a great time to take those photos for next year's calendar!)

-Snow
-Christmas
-Holidays
-Family
-Corgis in Winter Clothes
-Corgis by the fire
-Corgis warm inside

Note: Every month I'll be featuring the corgi of the month on the "Corgis (with blogs) Calendar" and giving tips on the types of photos I'll be looking for for the current month next year.

Gimpson

2011-12-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

For the past couple of weeks, Gibson has been renamed Gimpson. Or Gimpy. The poor guy has been limping :(

He is fine 90% of the time though. Going on walks, running, playing fetch, zooming through the house, jumping up on furniture.. everything normal. When he gets up from laying down though, he limps. It almost looks like his foot fell asleep and he needs to walk it off for a few seconds and then he is fine.

Normally, I would have taken him to the vet by now, but, ya know.. newborn baby. He seems fine, but I am still worried that it could be the first signs of hip dysplasia and that scares me to death. I've been massaging him and poking his leg/foot/hip to see if he yelps, but nope. Seems perfectly happy.. just a little gimpy :(

Anyone else ever see symptoms like this w/their dog?

1 Month

2011-11-30T13:24:00.000-08:00

My baby is one month old already! OH and she's a super chunk. Her 1 month check up was today and she weighs almost 11lbs! That's 2lbs gained since she was born. Sheesh!

Things have been crazy and I've pretty much been running on Hadley time. The only time I get anything done is when she's sleeping, so I apologize for the lack of posts. Luckily, she is a wonderful sleeper at night *knock on wood*. She consistantly sleeps 5-6hrs straight at night (and then 3 more after that) and this weekend she slept for 8 hrs straight! It was nuts, but I'm not complaining :)

She may have been extra sleepy from all the visitors we had over this weekend. Both of our families came over for Thanksgiving! It was nice and I think Mr. Gibson especially liked the attention.

With someone else here, we were FINALLY able to take our first family photo!

Hurrah!

But yeah.. I've been trying to figure out how to get back to life on my new baby schedule. Gibson has been neglected, but he is being a good boy about it and not complaining too much. I used to wake up with Gibson whenever the sun came up. Fed him, hopped my computer, walked him, then ate breakfast and got ready for the day. NOW, I wake up whenever Hadley wakes me up, change her, feed her, put her back to bed, let Gibson out, and then hand the monitor off to Ben before he has to go to work. This is when I try to walk the dog. It sometimes works out and sometimes doesn't. The past few days it hasn't worked out :(

But I am trying to make things work! Yesterday, I took Hadley for an afternoon walk w/Gibson in our Ergo Carrier and today I took her for a walk with us in her stroller when we got back from the doctors! I felt so accomplished to do something out of the house without Ben. It's the little things, people ;)

So, life has been crazy, but slowly getting a little easier. Still can't complain much :) I love my fatty dog and fatty baby!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T07:14:00.001-08:00

From my turkeys, to yours :)

Brother Love

2011-11-17T14:16:00.000-08:00

This week, Ben went back to work so I have been alone w/my two kids for most of the day. It was pretty tough at first. I've had to change a lot of my normal routines. I find myself rushing around trying to get things done (that used to seem simple) whenever Hadley decides to sleep for 5 minutes ;) Things like showering, cooking dinner and (unfortunately for him) walking Gibson are now big accomplishments for me.

Luckily, I have a little helper...

I keep finding Gibson hovering around wherever Hadley is sleeping. The cutest is when he looks over the couch into her pack-n-play to check on her..

He also randomly runs up the stairs into her room when she's sleeping in her crib. Such a good big brother for being oh so terribly neglected by his mommy.

I guess he thinks this little face is worth it too ;)

Kong Cozies!

2011-11-15T07:11:00.000-08:00

Gibson was sent a new fun toy from Kong to check out a few weeks ago, called a Kong Cozie.

It arrived the day after we got home from the hospital, so it was great timing since Gibson was feeling pretty neglected ;)

What is it? Basically a super duper soft plush dog toy, that squeaks and has an extra thick layer of material underneath the softness to make it more durable.

What do I think? I love how soft it is! And the extra material makes it feel pretty neat when you squeak it.. sort of like there is a layer of gel.. Not sure how to explain it :)

What does Gibson think? He really likes it! We play fetch and tug w/it and also wrestle w/it! He loves attacking it like it's a real animal and he's on the prowl ;)

How's it holding up two weeks later? Sad to say his head has been de-stuffed :( I believe this is because only the body part of the toy has the extra durable layer. I'm sure Gibson will still find some fun in it though. Especially since the squeaker is protected by the thick layer.. and I think the soft fur will be fun for him for quite a while!

Calendar Corgi of the Month: Finley!

2011-11-11T07:52:00.000-08:00

on the wall

on my screen

Miss November

Name: Finley
Blog: The Corgi Chronicles
Corgi Parents:Sam

Finley Cuteness:

November Calendar Ideas
(it's a great time to take those photos for next year's calendar!)

- Fall
- Thanksgiving
- Leaves
- Pumpkins

Note: Every month I'll be featuring the corgi of the month on the "Corgis (with blogs) Calendar" and giving tips on the types of photos I'll be looking for for the current month next year.

Corgi Kisses

2011-11-08T05:35:00.000-08:00

Told ya he loves her..

And we caught it on film!

Hadley's Story

2011-11-06T08:45:00.000-08:00

My darling daughter is 1 week old!

Time is flying and I have lost track of what day it is. I never know if it's the weekend or a week day. My days consist of breast feeding, changing diapers and juggling getting rest and getting some chores done. Luckily, Ben's mom helped to take care of us the first week, which was so helpful! Very nice to have someone cook and clean and shop for you!

I suppose I should back up though and tell you a little about her birth..

So, I flew through my pregnancy w/o any complications whatsoever UNTIL week 38. I went to my normal weekly checkup and my blood pressure was way high. They were concerned so they had my do a 24 hour urine collection (lots of fun) and then come back the next day to do blood work. We were told if those labs didn't come back clear I would be induced the next day. Luckily, they were normal, so I was good for another week and was told to 'take it easy' so my blood pressure would lower. This was a little bit hard, since the St. Louis Cardinals were in the World Series! You may remember that they are Ben's favorite team, so we are a bit invested in the games. Haha, anyways...

My next appointment was the next Wednesday (10/26) and my blood pressure was higher than the week before. My doctor sent me to the hospital (!!) to be monitored and if my blood pressure didn't lower, I'd be induced that day! We were freaking out, but 3 boring hours later, my blood pressure was normal and we were sent home and told to follow up on Friday.

You may have guessed that my blood pressure was high again for that appointment. My doctor said "Let's call it a day" and I was sent to the hospital to be induced (for real).

To speed up this story, I was put on Pitocin for 12 hours and no progress was really made. This at least let us watch game 7 of the World Series w/o me being in much pain :) (Cardinals won!) I was having lots of contractions, but they were not very painful and weren't moving things along like they were supposed to. So after the game (I think my doc waited til it was over on purpose haha), they took me off of that and switched me to a different drug, which they said could take 16 hours and may or may not work!! This was not fun news to hear at all and we wondered why were in the hospital if my body was not ready.

Well, this drug did work. And it worked in a big way. I woke up around 2 or 3 in the morning with my first "real" contraction. I had a nurse come in and ask if I was ok because my contractions were only 2 minutes apart already. They didn't hurt THAT bad yet, so I said I was. Then, at 6am, I asked to use the bathroom and when I came out, my water broke. That is when the contractions started to become unbearable. They were almost non stop and at a pain level of about 9. I called Ben around 7:30 crying in pain and told him to get back to the hospital. Around 8:30 I broke down and asked for an epidural (I was planning on going w/o, but the pain was too much for me to handle). Unfortunately, it takes 45 minutes to order the epidural so I'd be in pain for a bit longer. As soon as I got it though, I felt the need to push (I went from 1-2 cm to 8-9 cm in just an hour!). It had barely kicked in when I started to push at around 9:30am.

And then, at 10:09am, this little miracle happened:

They asked me to reach down and pull her on my chest and we stayed that way for a long time to bond. They thought she was "sooo big" and she was! Almost 9lbs!! We could not believe it. We thought that since Ben and I are both kind of small, she'd be a small baby, but nope! I don't know how she fit inside me or made her way out of me! lol

Since then, she's been the love of our lives. She's such an angel.

An eating, pooping, peeing, crying, angel ;)

And how is Gibson doing?

He loves her. The first thing he did after he gave me a billion kisses and got his "big brother gift" was give her kisses all over. He's been more protective of the house than usual too. And whenever someone new holds her, he has to supervise.

It has been hard not being able to give him as much attention as usual. Very hard. I have cried about it a few times this week. But, hopefully, we'll be able to get back into a somewhat normal routine. I got to take him for a walk for the first time this morning while Hadley was still sleeping :)

And that is the story of Hadley's first week of life. There is not much to complain about when you have this face to look at every day :)

Hadley Grace

2011-11-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

Hadley Grace was born October 29, 2011 at 10:09 a.m. She weighed a whopping 8lbs 13.1oz and measured 20 inches long. We are all doing wonderfully :)

Will update you w/more details once I get the time! So in love :)

Randoms

2011-10-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am. 4 days away from my due date and just playing the waiting game. We shall see when she comes, but honestly, I have no idea. Could be today, could be 2 weeks from now! I've been killing time by working on some designs and watching a lot of On Demand tv. And taking some photos of Gibson..

I've been trying to figure out how to use the actual settings on my camera (I usually just do auto) so I can take some nice photos of my daughter (we've opted to do our own newborn photos).

I always love the Gibson looking out the window shot :)

Nose!

Serious Gibson.

One of my last errands I had to run before baby comes is to get Gibson a special 'Big Brother' gift for when we bring the baby home from the hospital. I settled for this cute squeaky hedgehog ball (Martha Stewart no less!):

I think he'll dig it. I've also been letting him inspect all the baby clothes and diapers and gave him 'the talk' about the fact that there will be another person living w/us soon. That counts as 'preparing pets for baby', right? haha

This weekend is Pumpkin Fest here in town, and it is the most wonderful time of the year ;) Our house is decked out nicely..

Complete w/matching corgi!

I heart fall :)

Ok, that is the end of my randomness. Hopefully the next time you hear from me, I'll be a mama!

Mommy & Gibby Time

2011-10-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

Well, my last day of work was on Friday and now I am just playing the waiting game until baby comes. I've been trying to get things done around the house and spending time w/my two guys before the little lady makes her appearance. This means Gibson has had lots of mommy time the past few days. I've been trying to spoil him a bit, so we've taken fun walks and have played lots of fetch. Oh and there has been lots of this:

He is being so snuggly! And he's been curling his head right up against my belly.. almost like he knows that his little sister is in there :)

And look how crazy my belly looks.. It is so shifted over to the right. She loves it over there! Does that mean she'll be right handed? lol

Anyways, I'm enjoying this time w/my first kid, Gibson. Hope he's enjoying it too! Your life is about to change, kiddo!

Wellness Check

2011-10-14T06:42:00.000-07:00

I lost Gibson last night. I found him 20 minutes later under our bed. But that has nothing to do w/the title of the post does it? So let's back up a bit...

Last night I took Gibson to the vet for a non-emergency! Woohoo. Just his annual Wellness Check and he passed w/an 'A'. The only thing negative the vet had to say about him was that he had 'Stage 1' plaque build up. Makes sense since I've been seriously slacking in the teeth brushing department. Whoops. Guess I should start making a point to do that more regularly (instead of when we just can't take his stanky breath any longer). His weight only increased 6 oz from last year.. he was 23.9lbs, which the vet said was perfect. Ben and I were thinking he's been looking kind of skinny.. but I guess that's just compared to most other corgis. So, anyways, yay for a good checkup!

Now, back to me losing him. I woke up in the middle of the night last night.. This is nothing new. I always do around 2 or 3 to pee or to stretch out a leg cramp. I was about to get up when I heard it... *CHIRP!* Seriously?? We just went through this smoke detector battery nightmare (did I blog about this? I forget) a month ago and it's happening again?? It sounded somewhat distant so I knew it was downstairs so I headed down that way. As suspected, it was our freaky Co2 detector, that we JUST put new batteries in. I think it is just mad at us because it is more than 5 years old. Luckily, a change of batteries fixed things (for now), but I'm guessing we need to get a new one of these stupid things.

At this point I realized that I haven't seen Gibson curled up in a corner somewhere shaking.. and he wasn't crawling on top of us in bed to save him. So, I started looking for him. I looked everywhere. Twice. I looked again and started having a heart attack when I couldn't find him, so I woke Ben up and he turned on the light so I could look under the bed. There he was. Like a dork. And he stayed there til this morning... *rolls eyes*

So, that's my story. Today is my last day of work. Scary stuff. Quite bittersweet...

Bumpdate: 37 Weeks

2011-10-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

37 weeks today! Can you believe it? This means that I am technically "full-term", so it is safe for me to give birth at any moment. Talk about scary! My last day of work is Friday, which makes things even scarier!! But, exciting, of course, at the same time :) I just can't believe that I am going to have a baby soon. Seems like yesterday I was becoming a corgi-mama for the first time!

How am I feeling? Ehhhhhh.. not the greatest. I am huge and lugging around 25-30 extra pounds isn't easy. My feet and ankles have been swelling and most of my shoes do not fit... haha. Exercise has pretty much been narrowed down to walks w/Gibson, but apparently walking is the best thing for preggers anyways so oh well.

Speaking of Gibson... we had a party over the weekend w/3 babies under 4 months old and he was such a good boy! He did not bark at any of them, so yay! And he also stayed in our yard w/o a leash on the entire time. It was awesome, I was proud :)

So, yesterday my boss decided we should be off for Columbus Day, so I took the time to finish the nursery!! And here it is:

I love it! :) The blanket, pillow and bedskirt were made by me!

Here is the other side:

Here is the 'storage wall' w/my homemade curtains for the closet. Notice anything corgi-licious? :)

This artwork is the inspiration for the entire room. Ben bought it in San Francisco back in April!

Changing table (with a billion cloth diapers), rocker and paintings!

These paintings were done by me in highschool, and I decided to finally get them framed to hang up in the nursery!

The adorable decal! Love it so much :)

The little hedgehog is a tribute to our hedgehog, Maeby, who died a few years ago. And more owls :)

That's it. I love it :) I'm so glad that it is done!!!

Calendar Corgi of the Month: Herman!

2011-10-10T05:36:00.000-07:00

on the wall

on my screen

Mr. October

Name: Herman
Blog: The Adventures of Killer & Fruitbat
Corgi Parents:Lesley & Al

Herman Cuteness:

October Calendar Ideas
(it's a great time to take those photos for next year's calendar!)

- Fall
- Pumpkin Patches
- Leaves
- Halloween

Note: Every month I'll be featuring the corgi of the month on the "Corgis (with blogs) Calendar" and giving tips on the types of photos I'll be looking for for the current month next year.

Soakin' Up the Sun

2011-10-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

It is gorgeous here in the midwest. All week it has been in the high 70's and sunny during the day and then nice and cool at night! While I do miss wearing my cute boots and (maternity) sweaters, I can't complain much about this weather! Pretty much perfection. Gibson thinks so too.

I always wake him from a deep sleep when I come home for lunch, so he's kind of out of it when I let him out to potty. He struts out to pee and then usually runs back in to get his treat. This whole week, however, he pees and then walks over into the sunny grassy area and 'makes love to the warm grass'... Like so:

Mannn, it sure is nice out.

Hmm what to doo?

I knows!

*Face plant*

*Stretchhhhhh*

*wiggle*

*roll*

*wiggle*

*roll*

Ohhhhh yeaaahhhhh that's the stuff.

10 minutes later, we go back in for a treat ;) He loves warm grass!

Hope it's beautiful where you are too! Have a great weekend!

The 2012 Corgis (with blogs) DIGITAL Calendar now available!

2011-10-06T06:59:00.000-07:00

The digital version of the 2012 Corgis (with blogs) Calendar is now available! 100% of the profits will be donated to the Lakeshore Corgi Rescue! Purchase may be made through paypal by clicking the buy now button below:

2012 Corgis (with blogs) Digital Calendar
$5

When I receive your payment, I will send you a link to download the calendar. Please be certain that the email that you use is the email you would like me to contact you at. If it is not, add your preferred email address to the comments box at check out.

So what is the digital calendar exactly? Well, basically you will receive 12 background images for your computer and it will look like this!:

Each month, you can change your background image on your computer to the new calendar page! Each 'page' looks just like the printed calendar, but it also features a mini calendar of the current month. The file that you receive will include both fullscreen and widescreen images to fit any resolution of monitor you may have. Let me know if you have any questions, thanks!

BUY NOW! The Corgi Butts & Friends Calendar now available!

2011-09-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

Two options:

Cafepress
$19.99
click here to buy!

Zazzle
$23.00
click here to buy!

$1 per calendar will go to Corgi Pals!

BUY NOW! The 2012 Corgis (with blogs) Calendar now available!

2011-09-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

The printed calendar is now ready to order (digital version coming very soon)!

Two options:

Cafepress
$19.99
click here to buy!

Zazzle
$22.90
click here to buy!

100% of the profits of both of these will go to the Lakeshore Corgi Rescue!

Such a tough life..

2011-09-25T08:56:00.001-07:00

Bumpdate: 34 Weeks

2011-09-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

Only 6 weeks to go!

I've been feeling pretty good for the most part! Leg cramps are not as frequent and I've been sleeping a little better. Nausea has decided to return though :( It's just mildly annoying though. Nothing like the first trimester :) I'm still able to move around pretty well, so Gibson is still getting his 1.5-2 mile morning walks in! As for eating, I mainly want veggies, fruit and chocolate :) Anything spicy or fatty gives me horrible heartburn/acid reflux. That supposedly means my baby will have a full head of hair when she's born, but I doubt it.

Gibson has barked at 3 babies this summer. The third one being yesterday (which I guess isn't summer anymore..but you get the point). I think they just totally freak him out cause they are so small! It's not a mean bark.. more like a "whoa! Who are you and why are you so small and quiet and not moving much? Why don't you want to love me??" He just doesn't get it :-/ I am hoping hoping hoping that he'll get used to Baby H quickly and then never bark at a baby again...

I mentioned that I had my first baby shower a few weeks ago and I finally got a few photos to share :) It was an awesome shower! My mom and best friend threw it for me and did an awesome job. It was owl themed to match the nursery!

Look at the awesome cupcakes my bff made!!

There were also jars made to look like owls (which I don't have a good photo of) filled with "puppy chow" for the favors and the centerpieces were bowls filled w/candy and chocolate covered pretzels w/little owls on them. So cute!

I also got a bunch of owl gifts :)

My family and friends were so generous that we received most of the things we needed! And I have another shower in a few weeks, which my friends here in town are sweetly throwing me :) I feel so lucky to have such great family and friends!!!

The nursery is still coming along and is more crowded than ever ;) We built Baby H a little closet and I made a curtain for it last weekend. Turned out pretty well if I do say so myself. I also hung a decal over her crib, but I will keep that a secret for now... mainly because it keeps falling off so I'm not sure it will stay there ;)

Oh and if you are interested.. here's more of the bathroom progress...

It's almost done.. just a few finishing touches that need to be completed before the 'Big Reveal' ;)

That's it for now. Have a good day!!

An end in sight..

2011-09-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

I think allergy season may be coming to an end!

Gibson's scratching and licking has been almost non-existant the past few days, I am so excited :) He's been more of his funny little self lately too. I love it. Last night, I let him out and gave him his allergy pill/treat and went back to the living room to watch tv. He didn't come out of the kitchen for awhile and I wondered where he was.. well he came strolling out w/the measuring cup from his bag of food over his nose lol. I guess he had to show us that he found it on the floor (I dropped it and bending over isn't easy nowadays so I left it on the floor) and proceeded to lick it clean. I found it hilarious ;)

Anyways, I think we faired pretty well this year in terms of Gibson looking non-ugly! No bald spots on his head and he only had a few scabbies. His eyeliner is a little faded, but not non-existant like it's been in years past. He didn't scratch off any whiskers and his snout never got puffy and red :)

His feet became red, but they are looking better now. Only a hint of pink through his fur.

The biggest casualty is probably his armpits, which are still dark red and painful looking :( Poor dude.

But overall, not bad!

Oh and check out our sweet new travel system! I love it. Gibson ran around barking at it last night. I figured we should leave it out where he is all day so he gets used to seeing it!!

That's it for now. How are you all fairing w/allergies???

What's been up

2011-09-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the deadness around here this week... I've been busy this week training my replacement at work! Quite a weird experience. On one hand, I'm excited to start a new chapter in my life... but on the other, I am jealous that this other person will be doing MY job and sitting in MY desk and using MY computer. Ah well. What can ya do? :)

Gibson seems to be slowly getting over his allergies. I think the cold weather that we've been having has been killing all the ragweed and whatever else he's allergic to. He's itching and licking less, for sure. He's also been sleeping in places other than our bed! We had been kicking him off of it when his scratching would shake us awake at night. I brought up his dog bed and one night he used my body pillow (which I decided I didn't like) and has loved it! I find him sleeping on it when I come home from work some days :) He also sometimes randomly sleeps all the way downstairs. By himself! Crazy town.

Besides his allergies, he seems to be doing quite well on the enzymes I've put him on. His poop has been nice and solid since we've been adding it to his food :) I am thinking about changing the flavor of his food (Wellness Core) to the ocean variety, since that's supposed to be better for sensitive tummies. Too bad it's the priciest of all the flavors :-P

In baby news.. My first baby shower was last weekend! I promise to share more about it once I get photos from everyone who was there (Ben had our camera in New York. So I had to be relaxed pregnant lady and let everyone else worry about it). The nursery is full of so many goodies!

In house news.. Our new bathroom is almost complete! Stay tuned for lots of photos of that too!

OH and I'm still waiting for Cafepress to release their 2012 calendars so we can get the Corgi Butts & Friends and Corgis (with blogs) Calendars up for sale! Hopefully that should happen soon!!!

Ok, that's it for now. Hope everyone is having a great week!!

Scout

2011-09-08T05:39:00.000-07:00

I really don't dress Gibson up much, but I occasionally like to make him wear a bandana for a day. When I do this, I magically have a brand new dog. His name is Scout.

Doesn't he just look like a Scout?

And I am serious. I go around calling him Scout all day long. It just comes naturally. I can't look at him w/o thinking "Scout". I guess it's Gibson's alter-ego.

Although, I wish his alter-ego was less itchy than Gibson! Go away, stupid allergies!!

Bumpdate: Week 32

2011-09-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

Guess what? I'm huge!

I'm 32 weeks along now.. only 8ish weeks to go! Isn't that crazy?? It seems to be going so fast, but maybe I'll change my tune when there is only 2 or 3 weeks to go and want this baby OUT :)

The uncomfortable-ness has begun to set in. It's hard to move around by the end of the day, and sleeping is a chore. I've changed up my workout routine a bit and now stick to walking, strength training and prenatal yoga. Any sort of jogging in place/moving too fast was getting too uncomfortable.

Other than that, everything seems to be going great!

The nursery is coming along. We were sent a glider and changing table from Ben's sweet sister, grandma and aunts and put them together this past weekend. So, we really just need some stuff on the walls and this place will be good to go!

So, time for some big news.. October 14th will be my last day of work. I'm going to be a self-employed stay at home mom! I am super scared about this, but I think it is best for our family. Wish me luck!

Hmm, I think that's it. Hope you aren't getting too sick of these non-corgi related updates! :)

Calendar Corgi of the Month: Simon!

2011-09-06T05:36:00.000-07:00

on the wall

on my screen

Mr. September

Name: Simon
Blog: Cardigan Complex
Corgi Mom: Shep

Simon Cuteness:

September Calendar Ideas
(it's a great time to take those photos for next year's calendar!)

- End of Summer
- Back to School
- Picnics
- Camping
- Leaves
- Apple Orchards

Note: Every month I'll be featuring the corgi of the month on the "Corgis (with blogs) Calendar" and giving tips on the types of photos I'll be looking for for the current month next year.

Is it over yet?

2011-09-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about having a blog is that it documents things that I can go back and see for years to come. This comes in handy for times when Gibson isn't feeling too hot. For instance, if Gibson gets sick, I can go to the archives and see if it is a trend that happens at the same time every year or if it's just some fluke sickness. I've done this to check on when his late summer allergies usually start, which has been pretty consistant every year. Only problem is that I never seem to post when his allergies END.

When the heck to do they end???! It's only been about 2 weeks, but Gibson, Ben and I have all had enough of them. I have been giving Gibson Benadryl twice a day since they started, but he still scratches, licks and bites himself all day long. Well, he does in-between his long drug-induced naps anyways.

Sleeping has been really fun. Usually between 3 & 4am, he wakes up and scratches for the rest of the night. I brought his dog bed up and put it in our room, so we can kick him off the bed when he starts.. but sometimes that even gets annoying. One night, I locked him out so I could get some peace and quiet! Did you know it's kind of hard to sleep when you're a big 'ol pregnant lady as it is? Between the leg cramps, trying to find a somewhat comfortable position and having to pee all the time.. it's not a walk in the park. Throw in a dog w/crazy allergies and sleep is pretty much a rare occurance. Last night I felt lucky because it was a cramp in my calf that woke me up instead of my scratching dog. hah.

Anyways, as bad as it sounds, he seems to be doing a bit better than the last few years. I think the fact that I started him on allergy medicine as soon as I saw the first symptoms and have been giving him baths at least once a week has helped.

Here's how he's looking, 2 weeks into his allergies:

He still has some eyeliner which is nice! And he hasn't lost too much fur on his head yet. His nose isn't bright bred and his snout isn't puffy. But his paws are all fairly pink and his armpits are looking pretty raw :(

I hope the end is almost here. I was looking through flickr photos and saw that he looked back to his old self around September 20th of last year.. That's not too far off.. I suppose.... I think next year, I may break down and get him the allergy shot at the vet :(

Corgis (with blogs) 2012 Calendar WINNERS!

2011-09-01T06:49:00.000-07:00

After almost 500 votes have been tallied (only 150 people voted last year!), it is time to announce the winners of the 2012 Corgis (with blogs) Calendar Contest!!

I think we all liked the voting system better this year than last year, am I right? Made things easier for everyone and kept things private so less feelings were hurt.

Anyways, I wanted to thank everyone again who submitted photos this year. After starting off kind of slow w/entries, there ended up being an abundance of quality photos! It was hard for me to see a few that didn't quite make the cut that I thought were shoe-ins. If your photo didn't win this year, I hope you try again next year!

And now (finally), here is your 2012 Corgis (with blogs) Calendar!!

Mr. Januarys

Simon and Caleb of Cardigan Complex

Mr. February

Ninja of Ninja the Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Mr. March

Gimli of Corgified Candy

Miss April

Sookie of Make Way for Cupcakes

Miss May

Mollie of Mollie the Corgi

Mr. June

Bender of Bender's Adventure Dog Blog

Miss July

Whiskey of All That Jazz

Mr. August

Maestro of Maestro's Magical Misadventures

Mr. September

Bailey of Bailey the Corgi

Mr. October

Gibson of Corgi Butts

Miss Novembers

Darby and Pumpkin of Darby & Pumpkin's Daily

Mr. December

Bryson of The Senakams: Corgi + 3

Congratulations, all!!! I will be contacting you soon w/a link to your free digital calendar! Printed calendars will be available for purchase in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!!!

30 Finalists: Time to Vote!!

2011-08-26T05:44:00.000-07:00

Here they are! The top 30 finalists in this year's Corgis (with blogs) Calendar Contest! Congratulations to you all! Voting information is below.

VOTE NOW!!
Use the poll below or click this link to vote! You can choose up to 12 photos that you'd like to see in this year's calendar! Only one vote per person, please! Winners will be announced September 1st!

1 Day Left to Submit!! Corgis (with blogs) Calendar Contest!

2011-08-24T07:01:00.000-07:00

Friendly reminder! You only have until TOMORROW, August 25th to submit for the Corgis (with blogs) Calendar contest! Submission info here

The 30 finalists will be posted on Friday morning for you all to vote on! Who's excited??! :)

3 years ago today...

2011-08-23T05:24:00.000-07:00

... we picked up our first bundle of joy :)

SurPRIZEs

2011-08-19T05:46:00.000-07:00

I love when I get packages from Amazon and I KNOW that I haven't ordered anything recently. I'm kind of an Amazon.com junkie, so I get a lot of packages from them.. but when it's something that I personally didn't order, it is way more fun!

I recently won two blog giveaways and the prizes came 2 days in a row!

The first was from Karen and Bailey! Gibson totally thought it was for him....

It was a plush corgi!!

But, not a doggy toy, Gibby...

This one is going to Baby H! She's going to love it!!! Thanks Karen & Bailey!!

Next, I received a package from Amy & Winnie! The contest was to win this book, The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs.

And she also threw in a Hol-ee Roller Dog Toy! Gibson was ecstatic!!

He did his little happy dance with it and played with it by himself for 10 minutes! Sign of approval for sure!

Thanks so much Karen & Amy!!!

1 WEEK LEFT TO SUBMIT - Corgis (with blogs) Calendar Contest

2011-08-18T05:34:00.000-07:00

Friendly reminder! You only have until August 25th to submit for the Corgis (with blogs) Calendar contest!

Entries are still WAY down this year. I hope to see a flood of them in the next week!! Come on people!! :) Submission info here

Bumpdate: Week 29

2011-08-16T06:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I am still growing!

I am 29 weeks pregnant today and a week into my third trimester! So crazy that I am in the home stretch :) I'm still feeling pretty good, but am starting to get more and more uncomfortable.. especially at night. Waking up w/leg/hip pain is an almost every night occurrence. And I can almost feel and SEE my belly stretching to make more room for baby. Speaking of baby, she has gotten a burst of energy and strength the past few days! Kicks are starting to actually hurt and I look down and my belly is moving like crazy. Pregnancy is such cool/weird experience!

We've been trying to get the house ready for Baby H's arrival and actually started a huge project a few weeks ago: Putting a bathroom downstairs! We used to only have one bathroom, which was upstairs. The previous owners, for some strange reason, converted the downstairs bathroom into an office (and we have been using it as a junk room). Why? No clue. So, we thought we'd change it back :)

In the past 2 weeks it's gone from this:

To this:

Yay! It just needs paint and then the guys can finish installing everything and we'll be good to go! We also decided since the room was so big, that we'd only use part of it for the bathroom and use the other part for a walk in closet! So, our guest room (which the bathroom is off of) will be a "master suite". Aren't we fancy? ;)

The nursery is also coming along. I broke out my new sewing machine and made a blanket and a pillow using some bright green fabric w/owls on it. I also made a no sew crib skirt, which was a pain in the ass, but ended up looking nice! Next time, I think I'd rather just use a sewing machine. For accessories so far, I found a lamp at target that matched perfectly, we bought an owl hamper on our babymoon and recently bought a swirly green rug to add some warmth/comfort to the hardwood floor. Here's how it's looking..

The art behind the crib and the mirror (I think) are gonna go at some point.. along w/all my sewing/measuring tools on the dresser ;) But I think it's looking somewhat nursery-ish so far! :)

Well, that's all for now. Hope everyone has a great day!

Allergies & Smoke Alarms

2011-08-15T08:33:00.000-07:00

It's here. The time of year I've been dreading. Allergy season.

I was hoping Gibson's new enzymes would help ward off any allergies, but a few days ago I heard that horrible sound: *slurp slurp slurp slurp slurp*. That'd be the sound of Gibson licking his feet. Fun stuff. And with feet licking, comes head scratching: *scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch*.

Terrible.

I headed to the store to pick him up his yearly doses of Benedryl, and am HOPING to minimize them as much as possible so he doesn't end up like this again:

I call that 'ugly face'. Cause it is, right? haha :)

Another reason I've dreaded allergy season is because of the *slurp slurp slurping* and *scratch scratch scratching* that happens in the middle of the night. In our bed. Fun. Last night, I gave him a benedryl before bed, to hopefully help him out (or knock him out lol) through the night so we all could sleep peacefully.. But around 3 or 4 am, I woke up to Ben huffing about something. I asked what was wrong and couldn't find the dog near my feet. Was he on the floor puking? Did Ben kick him off cause he was scratching and slurping? No. Gibson was curled up on his pillow shaking to death because one of our *#($@&! smoke alarms was chirping.

I've mentioned Gibson's complete fear of the chirping smoke alarm before. Whenever it happens he thinks the world is ending. He shakes and shakes and tries to get to the safest spot far away from the noise that is piercing his brain as possible (which he apparently thought was on my husband's pillow last night. Awwwww, they're bonding ;) ). It is just a completely horrible sound. How horrible? Horrible enough for Modern Family to have an entire episode about it.. haha

(That was fun to watch w/Gibson in the house.. lol. I actually ended up watching it online w/headphones. I find it extra hilarious, since almost the same thing happened to us one time.. We couldn't figure out where the chirping was coming from, and it ended up being one of our old detectors that was packed away in our basement! )

Anyways, Protector Daddy saved the ~~day~~ night by taking the battery out of the stupid alarm. We thought Gibson would stop shaking, but no. He shook for at least a half an hour longer. Poor dude! He was smushed up in between both of our heads, apparently not believing that daddy killed the evil chirping thing.

Eventually, he settled down with one of my arms under his head and one over the rest of him. Really comfortable ;) Again, he's preparing us for a baby..

For sure.

How do your dogs deal w/allergies... and chirping smoke alarms?

Gibson's Health

2011-08-09T05:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a few weeks since Gibson's last health scare. I'd love to say that things have been fabulous since then, but last week the little fella scared me a bit again. Things had totally cleared up, solid poops, healthy doggie, and then.. squishy poops and blood. Yes, more blood. But nothing else was wrong. It wasn't diarrhea, and he was eating his food normally, not eating grass, not puking.. just squishy poop w/some blood... which freaked me out.

I racked my brain for anything that Gibson could have eaten or has been eating over the summer that could trigger this. Since the last incident, I have been super diligent about not giving him as many treats or people food and not letting him graze in the grass outside at all. He's been kitty poop-free for almost a month! lol. But it was happening again. Something was wrong and I had to do something about it. I decided to give enzymes a try.

During his first sickness of the summer, my mom recommended that I try giving him enzyme supplements. Nzymes to be exact. A neighbor dog down the street from her has had life long horrible allergies and no medications or changes in food helped him. They then tried Nzymes and he has been a completely new dog. It makes sense. This stuff helps dogs digest their food properly and absorb nutrients that they need and it is especially helpful for pancreas problems. I was sold. But I wanted it right away, so I looked on Amazon for a brand that I could buy using my Prime membership so I could get 1 day shipping :) I chose Solid Gold D-Zyme Digestive Enzyme Powder.

Solid Gold is a brand I already know, so I felt good about buying from them. And so far, so good. Gibson's poop is back to normal. I'm hoping it will help him w/his allergies (which he always gets in august) too. I just have to sprinkle 1/8 of a teaspoon on each of his meals (1/2 cup of food).. and it smells kind of like blueberry yogurt, which is fun :)

So that's that. I'll update you w/how he's doing on it soon :) Anyone else give their dogs enzyme supplements?

Photo Poll

2011-08-07T16:37:00.000-07:00

Help! Which of these photos is your favorite for next year's Corgis (with blogs) Calendar?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

I'm leaning towards 5....

P.S. Have you submitted your photos yet?? You only have until August 25th, yo! :)

The Prince

2011-08-06T05:37:00.001-07:00

Gibson has all of a sudden claimed this chair as his doggy bed. It always looks like he's hopping up on his little throne :)

Calendar Corgi of the Month: Gibson!

2011-08-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

on the wall

on my screen

Mr. August

Name: Gibson
Blog: This one!
Corgi Mom: Me!

Gibson Cuteness:

August Calendar Ideas
(it's a great time to take those photos for next year's calendar!)

- Summer
- Back to School
- Picnics
- Camping
- Pools/Swimming
- Beaches

Note: Every month I'll be featuring the corgi of the month on the "Corgis (with blogs) Calendar" and giving tips on the types of photos I'll be looking for for the current month next year.

Corgi Butts & Friends Calendar Winners!

2011-08-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

Here it is!! The Corgi Butts & Friends Calendar!!

January

Nick - http://www.flickr.com/photos/silviawada
Gibson - Illinois
Dexter - Minnesota - http://corgitopia.blogspot.com/

Feburary

Lilu- Arizona www.indignantcorgi.com

March

Casablanca- California

April

Porter - Kentucky
Percy - Italy
Brian - California http://einchronicles.blogspot.com/

May

Holly - Georgia

June

Gibson - Illinois

July

Sadie - New York http://sweetsadiethecorgi.blogspot.com/
Whiskey - Florida ktjazz.blogspot.com
Gibson - Illinois

August

Koko - Hong Kong

September

Charlotte - Florida http://corgionmymind.blogspot.com/

October

Gibson - Illinois

November

Mazie & Holly - Georgia
Chloe - California
Bailey - California - http://baileythecorgi.blogspot.com

December

Gryff - Michigan http://notaleaf.com/

I did mention that I was going to use a lot of Gibson photos, right? ;) There were still 16 winners though! Congrats to you!

I will let you know as soon as this is up for sale. I can post it on Zazzle asap, but Cafepress does not release their 2012 Calendars until late September/early October, I believe. If it happens before then, I will let you know! Oh and a reminder that $1 from every calendar sold will be donated to Corgi Pals!

I hope you all like it!!! :)

Innova Giveaway Winners!

2011-08-02T05:39:00.000-07:00

Congratulations go to....

Michelle - email(at)michellematzke.com

AND

Emerald & Kella - darthemerald(at)yahoo.com

You've won a coupon for a FREE 6.6lb bag of Innova Dog or Cat Food! Please email me at ksteck23(at)gmail.com with your name and address to claim your prize! :)

Corgi Butts Calendar Deadline: Sunday! July 31!!

2011-07-29T06:56:00.000-07:00

You have until this Sunday, July 31, to enter you photos for the Corgis Butts & Friends Calendar Contest! For more information, click here.

There have been lots of great entries so far, but please remember: Only 3 submissions per person and those submissions should be high resolution (check your file size, it should be around 500k-3mb)!

I will start finalizing the calendar on Sunday night and hopefully announce the winners early next week! Oh and something kind of fun: Since there are so many fabulous entries, I've decided to make some of the pages collages w/multiple photos! Which means there will be more than 12 corgis featured! Woohoo! :)

Also, you have until August 25th to submit for the big contest.. the Corgis (with blogs) Calendar!

I still have not received many entries, but I'm hoping you all are procrastinators (I am not..haha). So, take those photos, people! Submission info here

Have a great weekend!!! Hope to see your photos! :)

Innova Giveaway!

2011-07-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I was contacted by Innova asking if I'd like to receive one of their sample kits in the mail. Of course, I said, "yes!", so Gibson received some fun mail a few weeks ago...

Happy day!

Let's back up a second though. I have to talk about the wonderful presentation that Innova sent..

Isn't that impressive?? I have a lot of respect for a company that is well organized!

Innova has been a leader in healthy and holistic pet foods for years. I actually used to feed the Innova cat food to my hedgehog, Maeby! Their food & treats include lots of healthy benefits, including:

Made with healthful ingredients from all five food groups
Includes nutrients from fresh fruits and vegetables
Preserved with Vitamin E
Contains a source of live naturally-occurring microorganisms normally found in a healthy digestive tract
Rich in important fatty acids

Sounds pretty good, no? The kit included INNOVA Health Bars for dogs and some kitty treats, which I gave to a friend (and a new measuring cup for Gibson's food! Woohooo!). So, how did Gibson like the treats?

One word: NOM! He loves them. They are so special, that he has to take them into the living room and do a little dance w/them before he eats them. Seal of Gibson approval, for sure!

Oh yes, and there were a few other things in the box of goodies: Coupons for a free bag of food! Which means, giveaway time!

The Giveaway
2 winners will receive a coupon for a FREE bag of Innova Dog or Cat Food (up to 6.6lbs).

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and include a way for me to contact you if you win. Sound good? 2 winners will be chosen randomly next Tuesday, August 2nd!

Good luck!

Back from Vay-Cay

2011-07-27T05:41:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Gibson and I are back from our little getaways. Gibson went to "summer camp" at my parents house and Ben and I went on our "babymoon" to Indianapolis and St. Louis!

It was nice for one final road trip getaway before the baby comes along. Although, it was super duper hot hot hot. Especially the first 2 days in Indy. We went to the Symphony on the Prairie on Friday night and an Indianapolis Indians game (minor league baseball) on Saturday night and it was sooo uncomfortably hot. It was still fun though. On Sunday, we drove through a monsoon on our way to St. Louis, which seemed to cool things down a bit. It actually felt nice outside! But, the heat came back on Monday, so we mostly drove around in our air conditioned car all day and then went to a Cardinals game at night! :)

Gibson was a good boy apparently and stayed by my parents and came when he was called :) I missed him bunches almost immediately when we left him. It was nice to get a little break from responsibility.. for the last time.. lol. He was excited to see us yesterday and actually followed us to the car and hopped in himself to go home w/us! He usually wants to stay at my parents forever, but I guess he missed home :)

I hope everyone else had a good weekend and is surviving the heat dome. Back w/normal posts soon!

Bumpdate: Week 25

2011-07-20T05:28:00.000-07:00

Whelp, I am now 25 weeks pregnant! Some of you have asked to see the bump, so here it is!

Yep, still growing! I think I've gained about 15lbs so far, which is apparently right on track (though, it freaked me out a little at the doctors when she kept having to move the little weight farther down.. haha). I'm currently in the 'honeymoon' phase of my pregnancy, which means there's not much to complain about. I'm feeling pretty good and eating a lot of ice cream and chocolate :) I've been keeping up w/exercising (long walks w/Gibson every day and EA Sports Active 2 three-four times a week) and trying to maintain a healthy diet (besides the ice cream and chocolate). The bump is starting to get in the way (how exactly am I supposed to cut my toenails??), but it's manageable :)

The nursery is slowly coming along. I bought a super cute lamp and made a diy crib skirt last weekend, w/help from Young House Love. Pictures soon, I promise ;)

Ben and I have our 'babymoon' coming up, which we are exited about. Just a short trip out of town, which I will tell you more about when we get back! Gibson gets a little vacation out of the deal too!

Speaking of Gibson.. A lot of you have asked if we have been preparing him for the baby. Nope, not really yet! I think he's noticing my belly getting bigger and me slowing down, but we haven't done any real preparation yet. We plan on bringing home a blanket from the hospital for him to get used to her smell ahead of time.. and bringing him a toy when we bring her home... but not really sure what else we are supposed to do! Any advice veteran corgi + baby moms? :)

And finally, yes, we've picked a name. We actually had a girls name picked out before I was pregnant. I think I'll keep it a secret on the blog til the end if you don't mind... but for now, let's just call her 'Baby H'. Do w/that what you'd like ;) (but please don't spoil it if you already know.. geez! ;) )

Kong Squiggles

2011-07-19T04:56:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile, but I was recently sent a new toy to test out: a KONG Squiggle!

Kong Squiggles combine some of Gibson's favorite things: It's plush, it squeaks, it stretches, and you can tug with it!

Gibson received the elephant variety :)

Kind of girlie colors, but he doesn't seem to mind ;)

And yes, he loves it!

Unlike other plush toys he's received that were immediately torn apart, this one does not have a stitch out of place after 2 weeks! And we play with it almost every night!

He loves to see how long it will stretch out..

Here he is demonstrating how long it gets. Isn't he a good model? ;)

So, all in all, I really like this toy! It is pretty well constructed and FUN! I think Gibson prefers his rope toys for really hardcore tugging, but for light play, he has lots of fun w/this :) I recommend it!!

(Less Than) 2 Weeks Left to Submit! Corgi Butts Calendar!

2011-07-18T05:33:00.000-07:00

2 weeks left to enter you photos for the Corgis Butts & Friends Calendar Contest! For more information, click here.

There have been lots of great entries so far, but please remember: Only 3 submissions per person and those submissions should be high resolution!

Also, just over a month left to submit for the big contest.. the Corgis (with blogs) Calendar!

I have received.. OH.. 1 submission for this so far :( I had tons of entries by this time last year.. So, I guess if you submit, you have a pretty good chance at winning! haha. Seriously, please submit.. I'm getting worried ;) Info here

In Gibson news.. He's doing better! He went 2 days w/o pooping though..but I guess he was just pooped out ;) Hopefully he'll be back to normal soon.

Ok, that's it. Hope you all had a great weekend!

Waiting Game.. (or not!)

2011-07-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

So, Gibson went to the vet yesterday. I had never seen him so look so bad. The first thing that scared me was that his weight dropped about a pound and a half since last time I took him in (about a month ago). They didn't say anything about it, but yikes! Anyways, he got his temperature taken (normal) and I told the assistant what was going on...

20 minutes later the vet came in and checked him out. He was immediately concerned since he had just been in a month earlier w/the same problems and because Gibson yelped a bit when the vet touched his tummy, which he didn't do last time :( He started talking about possible food allergies and then said he wanted to get some x-rays looking for a blockage and do some blood work to rule out pancreatitis and *gulp* addison's disease :( I agreed, since I wanted my bubby get get better.. So, they took him back and I waited in the room for him to come back for another 20 minutes.

While he was back there, they gave him fluids (which made him look like the hunchback of notre dame) and an anti-vomiting/diarrhea medicine. The X-Ray was clear of blockages, but showed lots of extra gas (looked like little bubbles everywhere).. which I guess can be gastroenteritis? And it also showed that his liver was kind of small.. which could have been because he was dehydrated or because of possible pancreatitis. He then decided to give him pain medication for is tummy and sent us on our way (close to $500 later..).

I was completely freaked out that there could be something seriously wrong w/him. As soon as we got in the car, he threw up on his bed and then he started panting.. and shaking. I called Ben when I got home to update him, and could not stop crying. I tried to compose myself and go back into work, but as soon as my boss asked how he was I started crying again, so she sent me home. I'm glad she did because Gibson was still shaking and panting when I got back. His tongue was hanging out and he just did not look right :( I called the vet (in tears) to see if it could be a reaction to something that they gave him.. but ALL the vets in the office had just taken lunch and wouldn't be back for 2 HOURS. 2. I honestly thought he was seizing or having a heart attack! I tried to calm him down by laying down w/him (pretty much in the spoon position) and holding his feet still.

Eventually, his breathing slowed and the shakes were less frequent. And THEN the vet called me back to tell me it was a side effect of the pain meds he gave him (couldn't you have told me this was a possibility?!). After that, Gibson pretty much slept the whole day. He seemed super out of it (I'm guessing whatever the pain meds he was given were super strong) and would sometimes wake up, walk over and look at me, then lay back down. Ben and I were actually missing his barking :(

I was told not to give him any food or water until morning, so I could tell by evening he was starving... but also too tired to beg properly. I was pretty exhausted too, so we both hit the hay at 9..

..and slept through the whole night!! It was the first time since Saturday night that we had all fallen asleep and woken up in the same bed! Without having to go out for pottys! I woke up before my alarm because I was anxious to see how he was doing. He seemed super tired still, but back to his old self (yay, corgi stretches!). I let him out (to pee only!) and then fed him his stupid bland food, which he ate up and then drank a bunch of water. We went for our normal walk and the only thing that seemed wrong was that he was more focused on finding more food than chasing squirrels or bunnies.

So, when I started writing this post, I was waiting to hear from the vet about his blood work...

Is I better yet, moms??

Well, Ben just called me and let me know it came back NORMAL!!!! I am so happy! I guess it was just an infection or something that he ate like usual (just a bad case of it). Thank you all for your thoughts (again). He will be getting antibiotics and eating bland food for awhile, but he should be his normal Gibson self soon :) YAYAYAYAY! :) :) :) :)

(I actually had some fun blog posts planned for this week, but I guess they'll have to wait bit longer)

He's seriously preparing me for an infant..

2011-07-14T04:46:00.000-07:00

You can probably guess what today's post is about. Yes. Gibson is sick. Again.

I don't know what to do. I don't know what is causing it. At the first sight of runny poops I switched him to a bland diet and cut off any treats. He seemed to be doing better yesterday (a solid-ish poop! yay!), but then the runny poops AND vomiting went on ALL last night. Now, he is just looking pathetic :( Calling the vet when they open. Blerg :(

Roly Poly Gibson

2011-07-11T05:33:00.000-07:00

I think this is one of Gibson's favorite things to do. The carpet is his bestest friend sometimes ;)

Do you talk to your dog? IN PUBLIC?

2011-07-08T05:23:00.000-07:00

Hi Mommy, how was your day today?

Of course we all talk to our dogs. Gibson is the best listener I know! I talk to him like he is talking back (and a lot of the times I talk back for him). Comes in handy when you are home alone and bored. BUT I ask you this: Do you ever do this in public?

Not around your friends or your family or other dog people.. I mean out on walks when you THINK you're all alone, and you're telling your dog that he 'took a nice poopy', and then.. BAM! Someone is 2 feet away from you watering their flowers and looking at you like you are insane.

Raise your hand if this has happened to you. Please tell me I'm not the only one :)

I've also been caught off guard by people while cussing at Gibson (for eating cat poop) or just chit chatting w/him (It's a beautiful day, isn't it, Buddy?). I usually play it off like it's no big deal and say hi to the person and then move on. I mean.. doesn't everyone talk to their dogs? I hope so, cause otherwise, it'd be really embarrassing when I got caught :)

Do you do this? Please tell me you do. Pretty please? ;)

P.S. My little scare w/Gibson on Monday was just that: A scare! He was completely fine the rest of the day and has been since. Phew!!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Calendar Corgi of the Month: Sammy!

2011-07-07T05:42:00.000-07:00

on the wall

on my screen

Mr. July

Name: Sammy

Blog: The Adventures of Sammy & Norman

Corgi Mom: Bri

Sammy Cuteness:

July Calendar Ideas

(it's a great time to take those photos for next year's calendar!)

- Summer

- 4th of July

- Picnics

- Pools/Swimming

- Beaches

Note: Every month I'll be featuring the corgi of the month on the "Corgis (with blogs) Calendar" and giving tips on the types of photos I'll be looking for for the current month next year.

doggy hangover

2011-07-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

My poor guy had a rough weekend. He had a blast for 2 days, but it was just too much for his little body to handle. This is what he looked like all day yesterday...

It started on Friday w/his birthday celebration. We just kind of spoiled him and let him take longer walks and we hung out outside w/him and played w/him all night. Nice and relaxing, but fun, birthday.

On Saturday, we headed over to my parents house. It was super hot, so we were in the pool most of the day. Gibson had to be put in and cooled off at least 10 times. Yet, he wouldn't take a break. He was running around like a mad man the entire day. At night, we lit off fireworks and he wanted to be right in on the action. He does ok w/fireworks, but a few times he would actually try to run up to scare the fireworks away/protect us from them. He is nuts. But whenever we'd put him inside, he'd cry and scratch to get out. What to do w/this little dude... I stayed up pretty late for me (almost midnight!) and Gibson did the same. Only, I don't think he slept at all. Not even a single nap since he had woken up that morning. I knew the next day was going to be rough...

Sunday started off the same as the day before. He was still being a nut and wanting to run around and play fetch and not stop. Around 3 we headed over to my cousin's for a 4th of July party and I think Gibson was excited to get into the car so he could finally sleep. Little did he know, we were going to even more excitement and people at another house. I wouldn't normally have taken him w/us, but Ben and I were heading straight home from the party so we kind of needed our precious cargo w/us. Well, Gibson was completely overwhelmed at this party. I think there were at least 25-30 people there and about 6 dogs. He was running around, barking at anyone who dared to throw a ball (playing bags or volleyball) and eating any food he found on the ground. We only stayed for a few hours and I couldn't take it anymore, so we left.

Gibson was so dead tired that he couldn't even jump into the car to go home. I hadn't fed him yet, so I threw a half cup of his food in his crate and then we headed home.

When we got there, the first thing he did was drink almost an entire bowl of water :( I felt so bad that he was so thirsty for the hour and a half ride home. Poor guy :( We were all exhausted and all three of us went to bed before 9:30.

Yesterday, things started to get back to normal for Gibson. We took a nice long walk in the morning and then he slept pretty much the rest of the day. He had spurts of energy where he wanted to play, but I think sometimes that he feels like he needs to entertain me. I could tell that he was really actually very sleepy. Last night, we were changing the sheets, and he couldn't wait to get in bed so we made him into it :)

So, I thought he was fine after a stressful weekend and just needed some rest.. but today was off again. The first thing he did this morning was go out and eat a bunch of grass.... And then refuse to eat his breakfast... We took a shorter walk where he pooped 2 normal poops, then he came back in and ate what was in his bowl... but then I could tell he had a tummy ache. He curled up by me and gave me the saddest eyes :( Ugh! He is such a sensitive little guy!! I let him out to see if he needed to go, but he just laid down in the grass. He perked up later when I made myself breakfast and seemed fine when I left for work, so hopefully it was just a temporary tummy ache.. *sigh* we will see...

Hope everyone else had a nice holiday weekend and was less eventful for your doggy than mine was..

Cake Eater

2011-07-02T05:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, he enjoyed the cake ;)

Today, the birthday weekend celebration continues.. Hope everyone has fun family gatherings to attend!!

Happy Birthday, Gibson!!!

2011-07-01T05:27:00.000-07:00

Today is Gibson's 3rd Birthday!!! He is 3! Which means 21 in people years. Holy cow, isn't it about time you move out, dude? ;) Ben joked yesterday that he'll give him some beer today, haha.

I thought I'd make Gibson a birthday cake this year, since I like to bake and I never have made a doggy treat before. Well, it was kind of a failure. I won't even share the recipe that I found because it was that terrible. I knew something was wrong when the "batter" looked more like bread dough. It turned out like a crumbly cookie mess.. BUT! It doesn't taste that bad from a human's perspective, so I'm sure Gibson will gobble it up regardless :) Anyways, here it is in all it's messy glory:

hehe, yummy, no? It is a peanut butter and banana cake w/cream cheese frosting and goldfish topping! I was going to give it to him this morning, but I apparently left my camera on all night last night and drained it's battery. I will have to do another post showing him eating the goods :)

So, today will be a day of spoiling for Gibson. I'm letting him run around "in his birthday suit" all day so he's nice and comfy. We took a walk this morning and he went all sorts of weird ways and I let him chase a squirrel up a tree (in our yard, so I knew he wasn't going anywhere :) ) and also go say hi to his friend, Bingo, across the street.

And now he wants my breakfast I'm eating. Hang on dude. You've got cake to eat later!!! :)

Happy 3rd Birthday, Buddy boy!! It's your last birthday as an only child ;)

House Changes

2011-06-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we did a little rearranging. Gibson was quite confused. I think he thought we were leaving or going on vacation or leaving him forever. Something dramatic ;) But no, we were just moving furniture around and everything was fine in Gibsonland in a few hours ;)

So anyways, here WAS our guest room:

I loved the quilt and euro pillows I bought for this room. They will be missed. Both were pottery barn, but bought on eBay for cheap cheap!

The other wall has these built in cabinets. I tried to make it look cozy and relaxing for guests ;)

But now.. this stuff has been moved out to make room for our nursery!

Just the crib and dresser in there now, but it's a start!

I have big plans already swirling in my brain for this room. One of which is the overall theme, which you can preview in this photo:

Yep, that's a bunch of fabric I bought to make bedding and other room decor. I do not sew! I am crazy! But I'm going to try :) Stay tuned!

Oh yes, and that guest room? It is now downstairs in my office (now office/guest room). I kind of like it here! I can take naps (ha!) when I am too tired from working so hard..

So, that's it. Not sure why I felt like sharing this, but there ya go :) Have you made any changes to your house lately? Does your dog freak out when you do?

Evenings Outdoors

2011-06-29T05:38:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about summer is the long evenings you can spend outside. Gibson thinks so too. He loves it when we leave the door to our screened in porch open until we go to sleep, so he can just sit out there and watch the world go by...

And bark and anything and everything that walks onto our property of course.

But sometimes, that's not enough for the Gibbers.

I wants some grass, ma!

So, we go out for some fetch!

Yayz!

Gibson has gotten very good at fetch, but lately he's been calling it quits after about 3 tosses. Maybe he's losing some of his puppy energy finally? Or it's just too hot out.. Or he has a.d.d. and there's just too much else going on outside! Whatever it is, he still begs me to play fetch w/him and loves it while he's running around :)

We also love sitting on our patio in the summer and Gibson has been VERY good about keeping close OFF LEASH. Yep, I decided to let him have a little freedom and see how it went. He loves to sit near us and keep an eye on the yard...

When he gets up and looks a little too excited, we just tell him to stay and he does :) Good boy! When he wanders a little too far off we tell him to come back and he does that too. Is 3 years of training finally clicking with him?? Could be!

We also love our evening walks to the popcorn stand in the summer. Gibson especially loves it because he gets to eat popcorn the whole way home :)

How bout you? Do you and your dog spend a lot of time outdoors in the evenings now that it's summer?

2012 Corgis (with blogs) Calendar Contest!

2011-06-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting to announce this.. but I just noticed that I now have over 1000 followers on Facebook! So, here's a special treat for you all! :)

I am now accepting entries to this years calendar contest! The only requirement is that you have a corgi & a blog (that hopefully is about or features your corgi more often than not). The goal of this project is to show love for our corgis, help promote each others blogs, and to raise money for corgi rescue! We were able to donate $500 last year, which was $200 more than the first year. I'm hoping to follow that trend and am shooting for $750 this year!! :)

The Details

Each month will feature a corgi's photo, it's name, your blog name & web address!

100% of the profits will be donated to the Lakeshore Corgi Rescue.

Winners will receive a free digital version of the calendar.

I would like to feature a different corgi/blog every month, but the most important thing is to have high quality images, so it is possible that a corgi may be featured more than once.

The calendar will be ready to go for the holiday shopping season!

Submission Guidelines

All entries should be emailed to ksteck23(at)gmail.com - replace (at) with the @ symbol - no later than August 25, 2011. 30 finalists will be chosen at this date and will be put to the public vote. Winners will be announced on September 1st!

You must have a blog that features your corgi.

Only 3 entries per person, please!

When you submit your entries, please include your dog's name and your blog's name & web address.

Please send the original sized version of your photos (high resolution). They should be at least 11.25" wide and 8.75" high at at least 150dpi to ensure the highest quality calendar.

Photos received may be cropped and resized and edited to fit specific calendar sizes and guidelines.

You will retain the rights to your own photos, and can still submit them to any other contest, sell them, or use them however else you like!

Photo Tips

Photos w/just corgis (no humans) will be more likely to get accepted.

Photos can be from previous years if they are your best photos.

Outdoor and season specific shots always work well!

There can be multiple corgis per photo submission.

Pembrokes, Cardigans AND Corgi Mixes are all acceptable.

View our Corgis of the Month so far for tips on submitting great photos geared towards each month!

So there you have it! Let me know if you have any questions. I hope to see some awesome photos soon! Please spread the word!! :) Remember, if you don't have a blog and would like to participate, enter the Corgi Butts & Friends Calendar Contest!!! :)

Happy Birthday Auntie Coaly! + Advice Needed

2011-06-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

Gibson's Auntie Coaly (my 4 legged sister) is 7 years old today!! I hope you are spoiled by the rents today sweet girl! :)

Advice Needed
I received this message on the Corgi Butts wall today from Miranda asking for advice/help:

Last week, while on a walk it started to thunder, and Bomber was terrified. He started to run towards home, pulling me all the way. When he got inside, he climbed into bed with me and shivered and panted like crazy in my arms for the duration of the storm. Since then, he won't go for walks, which he previously could not get enough of, nor will he willingly go outside, even in the yard, even to pee and poop. I have to coax him outside with treats. I have to leash him and walk him until he goes potty, then he runs for the door. He has no interest in playing with toys. He will eat, however, although not with his usual interest. I spoke with the vet who said it's not all that uncommon to happen, but I'm very worried. Bomber was always such a happy dog, not scared of anything, he loved laying outside for hours on end, playing frisbee and fetch, running and tugging on ropes. You could not ask for a better dog really. He was not even scared of fireworks that we set off at our home on new years eve this year.the vet recommended that I slowly get him outside, coaxing him with treats and reassuring him, which I've been doing. The vet also gave me a sedative for him to use when bad storms are approaching and for the 4th of July. I hate to use it, but I don't think I have any other choice. He's so anxious now, he clings to me all day, never leaving my side. He's not being aggressive or showing distractive behavior, nor is he barking. He's just scared and he trembles if he hears a loud noise (even thunder on tv), but power tools dont seem to bother him (we are renovating our house, almost completed). We haven't had any storms since, but he seems to be getting worse by the day, even with the reassurance. I'm so worried about my little corgi, he's just not himself. He was never abused, or hurt ever at all, we got him as a puppy. And up until last week he was totally normal. I'm a mess seeing him like this. Do any corgi/dog owners have any suggestions on things I can do to bring him out of this slump? He is so anxious all the time, it's almost as if I have a completely different dog, as if I rescued a formerly abused animal. Please help! Any suggestions are welcome! Summer is here and I was hoping to be bringing him to the park for walks, and to the beach, but he's even scared to go into the front yard on a leash with me! Help!

If you have any experience w/this, could you please leave a comment here or directly on her Facebook Po st to help Miranda out? Thanks!! :)

20 weeks preggers

2011-06-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

We interrupt this corgi themed blog for a pregnancy post...

But first! A little update on Gibson: Today he is finally done w/his antibiotics and is totally switched back to his normal kibble. Yay! He's back to his old stinky self :)

Oh and also, did you see my new calendar contest that is open to everyone?? I'm sure you have some photos of your corgi's butt lying around. Send them my way and they can be in a calendar! Here are the submission details :) And if you're waiting for the Corgis (with blogs) Calendar announcement, that will be coming by the end of June!

Ok NOW. Back to the off-topic stuff ;) I am halfway through my pregnancy! 20 weeks. Look how I grow:

Don't mind my face, it was an emotional day :)

Yesterday, was the exciting 20 week ultrasound, which means we had the opportunity to find out the gender.. and we did :) So, come November 1st-ish, I will have this little boy...

AND this little girl :)

Yep, we're having a girl! I am super excited :) Everything else looked great. We seem to have a healthy little one growing inside me :)

Now, it's time to design the nursery and pick out fun girlie stuff! Who wouldn't like that?!

I've been feeling pretty great the past few weeks. I had a bit of off-and-on nausea going on a few weeks ago, but it has seemed to taper off. Now I barely feel pregnant.. besides the fact that there is lots of movement going on in there. Like right now.. thump thump thump :) I love it. I have lots more energy than before and even enjoy working out again! And it is nice to have gotten past that 'is she pregnant or is she just getting fat' stage.. I think I definitely look preggo now!

So that's it. My update. Now back to your regularly scheduled programing ;)

Calling all Corgi Butts! (calendar contest!)

2011-06-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

First off, I want to update you on Gibson's health: He's doing much, much better! Eating, playing, pooping, peeing. Normal dog stuff! He's still getting his antibiotics and eating about half kibble/half bland vet food and is doing fabulously. I'm trying to just keep his stress level minimal and not letting him eat anything and everything he can get his jaws on. I think he'll be just fine though!

Now onto the fun stuff.

Last month I asked you all if you'd be interested in a second calendar contest this year that everyone could be involved with..and you seemed quite interested in it! So, here we go.. Announcing..

The Corgi Butts & Friends Calendar!

The theme? Corgi Butts of course! I am looking for your best shots of your corgi's tushies, rear ends, fluffy pants, nubs, etc!

Here are some examples of what I am looking for...

Doesn't seem too hard does it? Want to participate? Well, here's the scoop:

The Details

Each month will feature a corgi's (or multiple corgis) photo (must show it's backside), it's name & location (+website if it has one)
$1 per calendar sold will be donated to Corgi Pals.
No prizes for this one, besides having your corgi's photo in a cute calendar for the world to see!
I am planning on using the photos posted above and then filling in the rest of the months with your submitted photos. If there are lots of photos better than mine though, I'd be happy to choose those over my own!
I may do a few collages of photos if there are a ton of great entries!
The calendar will be ready to go for the holiday shopping season!
This is a very casual contest, so there will be no voting, or finalists.. I will just choose the best photos for the calendar and then put it up for sale!

Submission Guidelines

ANYONE can submit to this contest. You do not need a blog/website/etc, but if you do have a blog, you are more than welcome to submit as well!
All entries should be emailed to ksteck23(at)gmail.com - replace (at) with the @ symbol - no later than July 31, 2011.
Please keep your entries down to 3 per person.
When you submit your entries, please include your dog's name and location or web address if you have one.
Please send your original high resolution version of the photos (do not resize or shrink) to ensure the highest quality calendar.
Photos received may be cropped and resized/edited to fit specific calendar sizes and guidelines.
You will retain the rights to your own photos, and can still submit them to any other contest, sell them, or use them however else you like!

Photo Tips

Photos needs to show your corgi's butt :) but if their face is in there as well, that is fine!
Try to get down on their level (on the ground) to get the best possible photo. It makes a huge difference! :)
Photos should not include humans or any other type of breed/animal.
Photos can be from previous years if they are your best photos.
Outdoor and season specific shots always work well!
There can be multiple corgis per photo submission.
Pembrokes, Cardigans AND Corgi Mixes are all acceptable.

So there you have it! Let me know if you have any questions. I hope to see some awesome photos soon! Please spread the word!! :) And check back in the next few weeks for submission information for the Corgis (with blogs) 2012 Calendar!!!! :)

Sick Boy Update

2011-06-08T05:36:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that Gibson seems to be doing better since the vet. I'm not 100% unworried yet, but I'm a little bit less worried.

The first day was really hard not being able to feed him. He was just so confused as to why he wasn't getting his dinner and 5 billion treats that he normally does. I had to cave and give him a tiny bit of the food the vet gave me. The vet tech told me I could! I swear! haha. She said she knows how hard it can be w/those eyes looking at you, so it'd be ok to give him a couple of meatballs of food... so I did :) He was definitely not satisfied from it though. He just begged and begged and begged for more food. He laid by the trash can in the kitchen for most of the evening because I threw the top of the can of food in there and he wanted to lick it. Poor dude. He didn't poop that night, but I figured he wouldn't w/what happened that morning + the lack of food.

Yesterday morning, he was up and ready to go and he wanted FOOD. I was excited to give him some so we woke up before my alarm went off and I let him out to pee. I watched to see if he'd go eat some grass (like he does when his tummy is upset), but nope! He SPRINTED back inside to get fed :) So, I rolled his antibiotic pill in some food and gave it to him then fed him his 1/4 of a can of food... which was gone in .01 seconds flat.

A little bit later we went for our walk and he pooped.. and it was solid! Woohoo! We walked after that and he seemed happy and content the whole time.. if not super duper hot.. seriously... this is how we have been feeling the past few days:

hehe

Anyways.. the rest of the day pretty much went like normal. Gibson begged and begged for everything I was eating. I skipped our walk when I got home from lunch since it was 95 degrees and just fed him immediately instead. After that, I got a little bit worried because he just curled up at laid on the couch next to me instead of wanting to play like normal. He looked so sad, but I'm not sure if it's just because he was mad because we didn't walk.. or confused why we didn't.. or he was upset cause he wanted more food? Not sure, but it kind of worried me, so later I tried to get him to play.. He didn't really play much, but he had the most slap-happy look on his face and he was acting super silly...

Hi Mommy! Why so serious?!

I'm just a silly guy!

I'm thinking he just doesn't have as much energy, since he is getting less food and has had a rough few days.. plus the ridiculous heat! Hope that's it at least. We took him for a walk later when it "cooled off" a little and he pooped another solid poop (yay!).

This morning he wanted to get up at 5:30 to eat (joy!) so we did and when I took him for a walk, his poop was solid, but kind of odd looking. It might just be from the change of food though. We'll see. I'm going to let the antibiotics do their thing before I jump to any conclusions :)

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. Gibson's a lucky guy to have so many supporters :) I'll keep ya updated.

Sick Puppernutter

2011-06-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

I had to take Gibson to the vet this morning. Not fun :(

This morning he went out like usual to pee, but then he sat and ate a bunch of grass before he came inside. This usually means a tummy ache, so I was prepared for him not to want to eat, but he ate his breakfast like normal. A few minutes later, we went out for our walk and he pooped like normal (twice), but then he just did not want to walk anymore. I really wanted him to walk because I didn't get a chance to take him for one last night because we had people over, so I got him excited by saying "kitty" and "squirrel" a lot. He perked up from that and seemed better, but a ways down the road, he pulled over to the side and started to poop again.. but it was diarrhea.. but not normal diarrhea..

Cover your eyes or skip the next paragraph if you are super squeamish about these things...

It was weirdly colored and then it turned red. Like raspberry jam red. And there was a lot of it. I immediately started crying and almost left it there because it was so gross.. but then realized he'd need to go to the vet and they'd need a sample. So I scooped it up, and it was the most disgusting consistency ever. Just mucusy and gross. I had to seriously concentrate on not puking. So gross..

After that though, he seemed so much better. He felt better and wanted to walk his little heart out. Of course, I am freaking out and want to take him home, but he wanted to keep going so we finished our normal morning walk and I waited until 7:30 for the vet's office to open. LUCKILY they were able to get us in at 8:30. I was thinking the worst. He had a piece of glass or something stuck inside of him or he had cancer. There was a lot of crying going on if you can imagine. I've just never seen anything like this.

Well, the vet did a fecal floatation test and a fecal scrape? or something. The floatation came back normal (no parasites), but the scrape showed lots of bad bacteria. The vet said it could have been something that he ate (we had a party last night and a friend's kid kept feeding him tomato/basil potato chips and fritos) or stress (from having so many people over yesterday? or because I'm pregnant? or the heat? or the loud band we walked by on Saturday night?).. and that blood vessels were just working in overdrive.. He's thinking it's colitis from one of those and I'm hoping he's right. He gave him a shot of antibiotics and steroids (for his inflamed stomach/intestines) and prescribed him a bland diet and meds. I am hoping that this will do the trick. I am still really scared and am not allowed to feed the poor guy til tomorrow morning :(

Keep him in your thoughts... I'll keep you updated.

Calendar Corgi of the Month: Stanley!

2011-06-03T05:45:00.000-07:00

on the wall

on my screen

Mr. June

Name: Stanley

Blog: Corgi on My Mind

Corgi Mom: Jenny

Stanley Cuteness:

June Calendar Ideas

(it's a great time to take those photos for next year's calendar!)

-Summer

-Pools/Lakes/Water

-Outdoor activities

-Father's Day

Note: Every month I'll be featuring the corgi of the month on the "Corgis (with blogs) Calendar" and giving tips on the types of photos I'll be looking for for the current month next year.

It's that time of year again..

2011-05-31T05:44:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great long weekend! Ours started off w/yucky weather, but yesterday was perfect!

We sort of skipped spring this year and went straight to summer.. but we didn't skip shedding season because of it... that's for sure! Gibson has been shedding like crazy the past few months. I usually furminate him once a week and most of his body had lost it's undercoat by now.. Except one area: His butt. For some reason, every year around this time, there is a build up of hair on his butt and nub and I can't seem to brush it out and his tail ends up getting bigger and bigger. Well, yesterday I decided to change to a normal flat brush instead of the furminator on that area and this happened in three brush strokes:

All that from just his butt fluff and nub. In only 3 brush strokes. Craziness.

I think there is still more to go though.. such a fluffy little butt!!

I did good, ma. Gives me back my hairs :)

How is the shedding season going for you? Does your corgi have an excess of butt hair!?

Good Luck Charm

2011-05-27T05:45:00.000-07:00

I'm a White Sox fan. Have I mentioned this? Well, I am. I've been into them more so than usual so far this year.. since I'm pregnant and have nothing better to do w/my time ;) Anyways.. I've really wanted a Sox collar for Gibson (and Ben wanted a Cardinals one for him.. sorry, I win!), but I could never find one that was martingale style. I asked Pam from Big Doggy Bling if she could make one for me last year, but she could never find the fabric for it.

Fast forward to this spring when out of the blue I received an email from Pam letting me know that she found White Sox fabric and all I had to do was buy it and send it to her and she'd whip me up a collar! Sweeeeet, right? I followed her instructions, and a few weeks later, this little beauty showed up at my doorstep:

(the collar, not the Gibson)

Love it!

AND.. I should knock on wood while I say this.. it seems to have brought some luck to the team...*knock on wood* They were going through a HORRIBLE slump the first month of the sesason and THE DAY that I put the collar on Gibson, things started to turn around. *knock on wood* Now they are starting to look like a real baseball team again, so yay!

(haha, I just noticed the wine bottle rolling around in the background.. we're classy ;) )

So, keep up that good luck, Gibson! You are not allowed to take this collar off til October ;)

Do you have any superstitions involving your pet?? Or is it just me? I did the same thing w/his Colts collar a few years ago :)

Good to know..

2011-05-24T07:11:00.000-07:00

I received this in an email from whattoexpect.com today about my 17th week of pregnancy:

Your baby is almost certainly listening up by now. In fact, loud noises — the dog barking, the doorbell ringing — will actually startle your baby (and also get him or her used to such noises; for instance, fetuses who regularly hear a dog barking will become babies who sleep right through Fido's outburst)

Nice! Um, keep on barking, Gibson? lol

Speaking of the corgi of the blog.. Last night he went crazy! Ben had a softball game, so we left for that around 6:30 and went to the bar afterwards (for some water, yeehaw ;) ).. so we didn't get back til after 9. Well, Gibson was wired! When I went to bed at 10, he wanted to PLAY. He went back downstairs w/Ben when we turned off the light.. but then a few minutes later I hear him CHARGING up the stairs and zooming into our room. I thought Ben was chasing him, but nope. He zoomed right around our bed and decided to crawl underneath it (well, scooting himself underneath it.. I don't think he can stand up at all under there), came out the other side and then did about 10 zoomies back and forth through the hallway! Haha, now THAT is what I call frapping, my friends. There were track marks on our carpet this morning from it. He just wanted to RUN! And then... he wanted to sleep. Poor guy passed out about a minute later :)

Endless entertainment when you own a corgi ;)

Gooby Eyes

2011-05-20T05:44:00.000-07:00

Gibson has a little secret.. He has gooby eyes...

That's what me and Ben call it.. I guess goopy eyes would work too. Whatever they're called.. they run all the time and I'm constantly wiping them for him. And (confession) I've been photoshopping the goopiness out of his photos for the past 6 months. I know, I'm terrible.... :)

At first, I thought it was allergies, or that his tear ducts were cloggged.. but now I think he just has sensitive eyes. It happens mostly after we get back from a walk and has been happening since the winter (when things weren't blooming).. so I don't know. It's not that big of a deal, but it's annoying.

Does anyone else's dog have this problem? What do you do to help it? I was putting warm compresses on his face, but it didn't seem to help. I know it's not his food.. Maybe he just needs a pair of doggles :)

In pregnancy news, I took my very first bump picture, which I may regret posting here.. haha... but here it goes anyway:

I'm 16weeks, 3 days now and am doing great! Morning sickness is pretty much a thing of the past, so yay! Only a month til we find out the gender!!!

Have a great weekend!

Snack Time

2011-05-17T05:36:00.000-07:00

I have a new favorite treat to give Gibson.. It's the snack that smiles back...

Goldfish!

This is another pregnancy thing of mine. When I was feeling really sick.. Goldfish were all I could stomach. Now they are a nice little snack when my tummy starts growling (which it is doing more often than ever! You'd think there was another person inside me ;) ).

Anyways, I kept my box of Goldfish on the coffee table, and every time I reached for them Gibson was very interested.. So one day I let him have one. And he is in loves! Not that that is any big surprise... but actually, after thinking about it, they make a pretty good dog treat!

The ingredients are dog friendly, and they are fairly low in calories.. I would compare them to Charley Bear treats... Only cheaper than Charley Bears! And those are pretty cheap treats to begin with! I got 3 large boxes of them at Costco for about $7. That's quite a bargain for pupper treats (even if they really are just human treats..).

So, in conclusion, Gibson gets Goldfish crackers as treats now. I love them, he loves them. It's a bonding experience ;)

Are there any other people treats that you think would be good for dog treats??

Calendar Poll

2011-05-12T07:06:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's almost that time again! 2012 Calendar contest time! That is, if you all are still interested in participating.. I'm thinking of changing things up a bit this year and wanted to get your opinions first. If you could take the time to answer the questions below, I would be super grateful :)

Here we go..

1. Would you still participate if there was no free calendar as the prize? This eats up over $200 of total donations collected for corgi rescue (BTW, this year's calendar was able to donate $500 to the Lakeshore Corgi Rescue.. $200 more than last year!). Digital Calendars will still be given out to winners, since they don't cost me anything. Is this ok? Or is the free calendar the main motivation for you sending your photos in?

2. How did you feel about the voting process last year? Would you like to have finalists and vote again, or would you rather I just pick the winners by myself (and not have 30 finalists). Is voting in the comments ok, or would you rather have a more sophisticated poll? I've decided that I will not do a second calendar for the finalists not making the main calendar this year, if that sways your decision at all :)

3. While I won't do the second calendar for the finalists, I AM thinking of doing a second calendar for people who's corgis do not have blogs (although, those WITH blogs can participate as well)! Which would be called... Corgi Butts! Which would feature... pictures of corgi butts! What do you think of that idea? I know a lot of people feel left out every year because they do not have a blog.. or they start one up for the sole purpose of getting in the Corgis (with blogs) Calendar and then never update it.. so I thought this would be a good idea. Or do you think it would take away from the other calendar contest? Or get confusing? Also, would you care if this one's profits did not go to corgi rescue (in other words, I get paid from it :) ).. or should it definitely be donated? Please be honest! :)

4. Is it annoying that Gibson pretty much automatically gets his photo in the calendar(s), just cause I'm the one in charge? Or am I allowed to do that? haha :)

Ok, that's it I think! Please let me know your opinions! Thanks so much!!!! :)

Happy Mother's Day from Gibson!

2011-05-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

Cravings

2011-05-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

I learned something this morning: Kitty Poop > Bunnies

Aren't you glad you all learned that fact? ;) Anyways, I always knew Gibson loved both. He goes nuts whenever he sees a bunny (fun! chase time!) and he can sniff cat poop a mile away and use his nose like a metal detector to find/eat it (gross). Never before has he been faced w/the dilemma of choosing between the two though... until this morning.

To his left, was a tree w/kitty poop buried in the mulch (he already tried to eat it yesterday). To his right, was a bunny, trying to hide himself in some tall grass. Gibson first lunged towards the bunny, but quickly remembered the kitty poop on his left, so decided that that was more important. I knew what he was doing, so I tightened his leash so he couldn't reach the tasty morsel (barf). So, he went back to trying to chase the bunny. It was his consolation prize.

I will never understand why dogs love cat poop so much. I mean, it's poop! But Gibson craves it. He lives for it! Nothing can get in his way when he picks up that scent and gots to haves his kitty.. OK, I'm getting gross here.. but I'm trying to segway into how this reminds me of pregnancy cravings ;)

So! Pregnancy cravings! haha, I finally understand what they are all about. People asked me in the first trimester (Oh yeah, I'm in the 2nd trimester now, woot woot!) if I had any cravings yet, but it was more like 'this is the only thing that sounds vaguely edible so I need to eat that'. But, now that I can eat normally, I have experienced a few cravings.

The first was a few weeks ago: Salt & Vinegar chips. I needed them. I thought subway would have them, so I went there for lunch, but no dice. I ate a different type of chip, but it did nothing to lessen the craving. So I then went to 7/11 to find some.. but they were no where to be seen! I was getting so frustrated and almost cried, but then.. there they were. Right by the register. And all was right with the world again :)

Then, a few days ago, I was watching the Barefoot Contessa, and she happened to be making Key Lime Pie for a mexican fiesta dinner. At that moment, I was going to die if I did not have Key Lime Pie in front of me soon. It was all I could think about. I had never made it before, but it looked easy when Ina made it. So, right after work, I ran to the store and picked up what I needed and a few hours later, this happened:

And all was right with the world again. Seriously. It is insane how worked up you can get about something when you crave it when you are pregnant. It will be fun to see what other things I crave in the next few months. Hopefully it's not.. I won't say it.. ok, I will.. kitty poop. lol (barf)

Now that I've whetted your appetite (sorry!), here's the recipe I used for my heavenly pie:

Key Lime Pie
Adapted from All Recipes

2 cans of sweetened condensed milk (the little cans.. 8 oz or so? Darn, I should've looked at that...)
4 egg yolks
2 tbsp key lime zest
2/3 cup key lime juice (I got about 1/2 cup of juice from a dozen key limes and then subbed regular lime juice for the rest.. my hands were cramping from all the squeezing ;) )
1 (9") graham cracker crust (or make your own, I was in a hurry)

Mix first 4 ingredients together and then pour into the pie crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Freeze for an hour and serve (the longer you freeze, the better the consistency)!

Enjoy! Make a pie this weekend :)

Calendar Corgi of the Month: Bailey!

2011-05-04T05:38:00.000-07:00

on the wall

on my screen

Mr. May

Name: Bailey

Blog: Bailey the Corgi

Corgi Mom: Karen

Bailey Cuteness:

May Calendar Ideas

(it's a great time to take those photos for next year's calendar!)

-Spring/Outdoors

-Flowers/Gardens

-Mother's Day

Note: Every month I'll be featuring the corgi of the month on the "Corgis (with blogs) Calendar" and giving tips on the types of photos I'll be looking for for the current month next year.

A Royal Day

2011-04-29T05:36:00.000-07:00

Gibson and I have declared it, "International Corgi Day!" Time to treat your corgis like the princes and princesses that they are ;)

What Royal Wedding?

I could kind of care less about the Royal Wedding.. I was actually up in time to watch it if I wanted to (couldn't sleep), but decided to lay in bed and try to sleep instead.. then I watched a recap of it in 5 minutes :) Kate looked absolutely beautiful.. now, can we all go on w/our lives? :)

Anyways, the one thing I did actually enjoy about all the wedding hype, were all the fun corgi things popping up everywhere in promotion of it! Corgis are the Royal Dog, of course, so they should be honored today too.

You've probably already seen these, but here are some super cute ads to promote the wedding using corgis!! Sooooo cute :)

Oh and apparently they are adding a corgi to Farmville soon! Not that I play it.. but if I did, I'd be pretty stoked :)

(source)

Did you get up to watch the Royal Wedding?? Will you treat your corgi like royalty today?? :)

A glimpse at my future?

2011-04-26T05:34:00.000-07:00

I think Gibson is starting to feel a little better.. I now have him on a bland diet and he seems back to his normal self. Only problem is that his schedule is all screwed up. He now does not poop in the day time and needs to go out multiple times per night. Yes, I think he's preparing us for a newborn.

Sunday night was the worst. Ben and I went to a concert (The National & Arcade Fire. Awesome. Baby's first rock concert and I made it all the way to the end! I usually go to bed at 9:30! :) ), and didn't get back home til midnight.. Well, then I got to get up at 1am (he had to poops), 4am (he had to pukes :( ) and 5am (he had to barks). We were all like zombies yesterday. Good job training us for becoming parents, Gibby!! *sarcasm*

Here's a more fun glimpse at our future.. A corgi kissing a baby (make sure you watch around 2:15!):

Thanks for the link, Hannah!! :) The first time I watched this video, I cried. Silly pregnancy hormones ;)

Giveaway Winners! + sick doggy :(

2011-04-22T05:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day! I loved hearing all the ways you and your corgi help the environment. Congratulations to the following 6 lucky dogs who won a 5lb bag of Healthy Omega Gourmet Dog Food to try!:

Rebecca Pugh who said...

Always pick up her "number 2's" and put all that extra corgi undercoat outside near the birds so they can make some super soft nests!

That corgi :) who said...

Honestly, we are so bad about helping the environment, BUT we do always pick up his messes no matter where we are at.

DSS who said...

We donate the toys that Louis doesn't "love" to animal shelters, rather than throwing them away. We've encouraged our friends to do the same. We also have purchased a travel water bottle & bowl for him so that we don't have to use a disposable one when traveling.

And finally, his poo bags are biodegradable. We spend a little bit extra to purchase them..but feel much better about it!

Rachel who said...

We saved up the dog hair from brushing and sent it to the people helping with the oil spill last year.

Bones is an amazing digger and has already decided where my garden will go this year. (I count that as him helping the environment and motivating me.)

We also are lucky enough that we can walk to the vet and save on gas in the car.

Katie who said...

We help the enviroment by picking up the #2's, and when possible we put them in my dad compost pile, for his gardening. We also put all the extra corgi fluff under the trees for other little critters to use. We also reuse water bottles for drinks on the go, and plastic bags from the stores for the picker-upping.

Aparna E. who said...

I always pick up after Gryff and we use biodegradable bags after he TCB's. We also get his toys and treats from a store in town called Green Pawz, which is an eco-friendly store!

Congratulations, winners! Please email me at ksteck23(at)gmail.com with your name and address and your bags of food should be mailed to you soon! :)

In other news, Gibson has not been feeling well the past few days.. I think it's sympathy pains for me ;) He's thrown up twice and had diarrhea yesterday morning.. he even scared me by not eating his breakfast right away, but he did eventually... and he's been obsessed with eating grass.. :( I've had to get up with him 3 of the past 4 nights to let him out, which is really fun. It just sucks. I've been giving him canned pumpkin to help settle his tummy.. but if that doesn't work, it maybe be the 'ol bland diet that we'll have to try. He SEEMS better today, but was still moping around on our walk. We'll see...

Big News

2011-04-20T06:53:00.000-07:00

So last week I promised you some fun and exciting posts this week.. Well, the first one was yesterday's giveaway! You can win a 5lb bag of some awesome healthy dog food! Click here to enter :)

And the second one is this...

No, we aren't getting another corgi.. Or any pet for that matter. He's gonna be this kind of big brother...

Yep, I'm pregnant! 12 weeks pregnant to be exact! Due on or around November 1st!

It was super hard keeping it a secret for this long. I found out the night before my birthday (2/22), which explains why posts have been down since then :) I've pretty much been sick ever since I tested. At first, I caught a horrible cold (which I mentioned here), and as soon as that started to go away, morning sickness kicked in. Although, of course, it's more like "all day and night long sickness". Fun stuff, let me tell you ;) I'm finally starting to feel a bit better though. Or at least, I am getting used to it.

Other than that, I've been tired, but am starting to get some more energy the past week or so (and I hear the 2nd trimester is much easier!), and am slowly getting a little bump :)

Gibson has been a trooper since I haven't been able to play as much with him (I pretty much live on the couch). Ben has been picking up the slack in that department :) Now, daddy is the fun one and mommy sucks. Oh well, as long as the pup is happy!

Everyone keeps saying that 'Gibson is going to be soo jealous' and 'How is Gibson going to deal w/a baby?' But I have confidence in the little dude. He is so good and gentle with kids and and I can see him being very protective of his little sibling. It's all very exciting to think about :)

So there you have it.. a big ol fat piece of gossip ;) Ben and I are super happy and I am very excited to share my journey w/you all.. that is, if you don't mind me posting pregnancy/baby stuff on here from time to time! I promise to still keep you updated on all things Gibson as well :) If you have any questions, let me know!

Healthy Omega Gourmet Dog Food Review & Giveaway!

2011-04-19T05:51:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Pet Botanics asked me if I'd like to do a review/giveaway of their new dog food, Healthy Omega Gourmet Dog Food. I, of course, said, "Sure!" and last week I received 3 5lb bags of the stuff.

Gibson wanted some...

I am ever so cute, please give me!

Healthy Omega comes in 3 flavors.

Salmon:

Chicken:

And Lamb:

I must say, it takes a lot for me to be impressed by a dog food, and this food impresses me. 1. It has no corn, soy, wheat, added fillers or artificial flavors or colors. Off to a good start! It's grain free as an added bonus and uses peas and other veggies and fruits as the main carbs. A whole protein or "meal" is the number 1 ingredient in each flavor and it also contains essential Omega 3 Fatty Acids (hence the name) for healthy skin and coat. Oh, and the coolest thing of all: The bag is made of Eco-Friendly Compostable materials! Cool, huh??

Gibson loves it..but that is no surprise.. :) I mix it in with his Wellness and he digs around to pick out the pieces of this food first to eat!

5lb bags are available at Petsmart for $14.99. A perfect size for trying out a new food. Hopefully, they'll get more sizes soon!

OR

You can be one of 6 winners to be sent a 5lb bag of Healthy Omega Gourmet Dog Food to try!

To Enter:
Simply answer this question in the comments below: What have you done with your dog to help the environment?

You must live in the US to be eligible to win. Please leave your email or blog so I can contact you. 6 winners will be selected randomly on Earth Day! Friday, April 22! Good Luck!

Friday Flashback

2011-04-15T05:34:00.000-07:00

I just realized I haven't posted anything in almost 10 days. Whoops! I promise that there will be some exciting posts on the way next week (giveaway!). In the meantime, I figured some adorable photos and videos of Gibson as a wee little guy might tide you over until then :) Enjoy!

10 years

2011-04-06T05:46:00.000-07:00

10 years ago today, I met my best friend and love of my life.

(Canvas print from Easy Canvas Prints! I love it!!!! :) )

Well, in person. We had met months earlier online (which wasn't as common as it is today!). But April 6th marks the day where he drove up from Indy to meet me in a gas station and 5 seconds later say, "Excuse me, my pants are ringing." (his mom called)

:)

And then 3 years ago today, this happened:

We chose our anniversary as out wedding date to make things ever more special. And I must say, I am so happy that we did. April 6th will always be one of the best days of the year :)

Oh and then 4 months later, this happened ;)

And the honeymoon was over ;) Just kidding.. sort of.... :)

Happy Anniversary, Ben. I love you :)

Calendar Corgi of the Month: Whiskey!

2011-04-05T05:42:00.000-07:00

on the wall

on my screen

Miss April

Name: Whiskey

Blog: All That Jazz

Corgi Mom: Katie

Whiskey Cuteness:

April Calendar Ideas

(it's a great time to take those photos for next year's calendar!)

-Spring/Outdoors

-Easter/Passover

-Bunnies/Bunny Butts

-Flowers

-Rain/Rain Coats

Note: Every month I'll be featuring the corgi of the month on the "Corgis (with blogs) Calendar" and giving tips on the types of photos I'll be looking for for the current month next year.

Gibson watches baseball

2011-04-04T05:35:00.000-07:00

Baseball season is back! Who's excited? Well, we certainly are over here. Gibson too... He thinks it's way fun to watch baseball games. Why? Well because there is someone playing fetch w/him on tv! Yes.. apparently dogs can actually see what is going on on tv because EVERY TIME he sees the pitcher about to release the ball, this happens:

Yep. "Woof, woof, woof! Throw the ball this way, dummy!" I must say, at first it is hilarious, but after a few innings, not so much ;)

Does your dog do this?? If not baseball, do they watch any tv???

Grandmother, what big eyes you have!

2011-03-30T05:41:00.000-07:00

...I might die laughing..... :-D

Corgi + Peanut Butter Jar = Dog Ecstasy

2011-03-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

OMG seriously??!

This is good. This is gooooooood.

nom nom nom nom nom

pure...

...heaven

Gettin cozy w/my toys

I hope this never ends..

nommmm

nommmmmmmmm

*burp!*

What's New

2011-03-23T07:53:00.000-07:00

Well, it hasn't seemed like anything too exciting has been going on here lately (I haven't even taken any photos!).. but I suppose some of you may be interested in what Gibson has been up to!

Let's see.. um, well last night he woke us up to poop 3 times. Fun stuff! I actually ended up sleeping on the couch so I was closer to the door if he needed to go out again. Not sure what that was all about. Here's hoping for a less poopy night!!

This past weekend we went to my parents house and Gibson had the time of his life. We got to take the fun walk through the woods around the lake for the first time this year and guess what he did... He JUMPED in the lake! I know, I couldn't believe it. My mom always chucks the ball for Coal across the lake onto the other side..and she jumps into the lake, swims across, finds the ball and swims back. It's impressive. Usually, Gibson just stands and cries and barks until she gets back, but this time he jumped in! With no hesitation. And got some air! It was awesome. Another moment where I wish I had my camera.. but basically, he looked like this:

...only picture cold murky lake water instead of a nice warm pool. He was so excited to jump in, but as soon as he did he swam out a tiny bit and then circled around with that look on his face like, "holy crud it is freezing!" He still thought he was pretty cool though ;)

Spring is finally starting to pop up and Gibson is a happy dude. Walks are way more fun now that it isn't freezing. We now walk 2 miles almost every morning! It is crazy, but it makes Gibby happy. He gets so sad when I do not walk the way he wants to go (geez, I'm a pushover).. so we keep going. I can't complain though.. it's good exercise and it lets me spend more time with the pup!

Spring also means it's chucking season! Playing fetch outside is way more fun and gives Gibson a much better work out.. which means less whining to play and an earlier bedtime. Score!

Well, I think that's it for now. Hopefully there'll be more to talk about soon!

Lucky

2011-03-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

Today, on St. Patrick's Day, I feel very lucky for my little puppernutter, Gibson. He is my good luck charm and can always put a smile on my face (even when I am exhausted 5 minutes after I wake up in the morning and just want to snuggle under some blankets for a little while longer, but he demands a 2 mi walk.. yes, even then.). All he has to do is look up at me with a huge grin on his face as if he's saying, "I love you mommy, life is so awesome!"

After that, he owns me. I'll do whatever he wants.. and it's worth it :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Antler Winner!

2011-03-11T06:21:00.000-08:00

Wow, so many entries!! Thanks everyone.. even if you don't win, I hope you purchase an antler from The Peak Antler Company. They are so much better for your dog than rawhides and the free shipping makes it so easy :)

Ok, and the winner as chosen by random.org is....

Briese who said...

"Luna has never had an antler chew. Currently Luna loves chewing on plain rawhide the most. Yes, she has had her bully rings that she adores as well, but my brother/roommate thrills at letting people in on what it is made from."

Congratulations, Briese!! Please email me at ksteck23(at)gmail.com with your name, address and size of antler you'd like for Luna.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-09T07:27:00.001-08:00

Corgi Butts

LOL Gibson

I love cloth diapers :)

Couch Potatoes

Gibson's Enzymes and Glucosamine Treats for Dogs

Neglected

Accent Vlog

Buh Bye 2011!

Top 20 Posts of 2011

2 Months

Grumpson's Christmas

Merry Christmas!

My Little Corgi Pal

Calendar Corgi of the Month: Sookie!

Gimpson

1 Month

Happy Thanksgiving!

Brother Love

Kong Cozies!

Calendar Corgi of the Month: Finley!

Corgi Kisses

Hadley's Story

Hadley Grace

Randoms

Mommy & Gibby Time

Wellness Check

Bumpdate: 37 Weeks

Calendar Corgi of the Month: Herman!

Soakin' Up the Sun

The 2012 Corgis (with blogs) DIGITAL Calendar now available!

BUY NOW! The Corgi Butts & Friends Calendar now available!

BUY NOW! The 2012 Corgis (with blogs) Calendar now available!

Such a tough life..

Bumpdate: 34 Weeks

An end in sight..

What's been up

Scout

Bumpdate: Week 32

Calendar Corgi of the Month: Simon!

Is it over yet?

Corgis (with blogs) 2012 Calendar WINNERS!

30 Finalists: Time to Vote!!

1 Day Left to Submit!! Corgis (with blogs) Calendar Contest!

3 years ago today...

SurPRIZEs

1 WEEK LEFT TO SUBMIT - Corgis (with blogs) Calendar Contest

Bumpdate: Week 29

Allergies & Smoke Alarms

Gibson's Health

Photo Poll

The Prince

Calendar Corgi of the Month: Gibson!

Corgi Butts & Friends Calendar Winners!

Innova Giveaway Winners!

Corgi Butts Calendar Deadline: Sunday! July 31!!

Innova Giveaway!

Back from Vay-Cay

Bumpdate: Week 25

Kong Squiggles

(Less Than) 2 Weeks Left to Submit! Corgi Butts Calendar!

Waiting Game.. (or not!)

He's seriously preparing me for an infant..

Roly Poly Gibson

Do you talk to your dog? IN PUBLIC?

Calendar Corgi of the Month: Sammy!

doggy hangover

Cake Eater

Happy Birthday, Gibson!!!

House Changes

Evenings Outdoors

2012 Corgis (with blogs) Calendar Contest!

Happy Birthday Auntie Coaly! + Advice Needed

20 weeks preggers

Calling all Corgi Butts! (calendar contest!)

Sick Boy Update

Sick Puppernutter

Calendar Corgi of the Month: Stanley!

It's that time of year again..

Good Luck Charm

Good to know..