A New Norm

I could start this off by lamenting about how long it has been since I have updated here, how busy I have been, and woe is me'ing about where to begin writing. Instead of making all these excuses, I will just start writing.

Back in the summer, shortly after taking up running, and training towards my goal, Jamie and I had "the talk"and decided that it was time to increase our family in one of two ways, either a puppy or a baby. Since I had been dropping not so subtle hints that I really wanted to have another baby sooner then later, and I'm more a cat person then a dog person, it was fairly obvious as to which option I chose.

By October, we were pregnant, excited and had our first appointment set up and ready, the next day, a Saturday, the cramps started. We tried keeping things as normal for Anna as possible, picking out our pumpkins from a local church, like we do every year, taking pictures, and with me trying not to be too scared about how sharp the cramps were. I was only 6 weeks along, and remembered having fairly strong cramps with Anna, with implantation, but didn't remember them feeling quite like this. After the pumpkin patch, home we went, I lay down for a nap that afternoon, and lost the baby/fetus/embryo take your pick 4 hours later. I went through my grief, wondering where I went wrong, and Monday went in for an ultrasound to make sure everything was gone. My normal Dr was out, and today I can see why things happened as they did, my Dr's replacement saw me, and we clicked instantly. She was warm, caring, vibrant, funny, empathetic, and understanding. She reassured me that miscarriages are normal, and even common, and helped me understand that it was nothing that I had done; Not my running, or anything else.

A month later, we started to try again, and my Mom's birthday present that year, Dec 7, was a positive pregnancy pee stick picture. Try saying that 5 times fast. She was overjoyed, and a couple weeks later she could congratulate us in person, as the 3 of us went up to BC for the Christmas holidays.

We spent part of the trip with Mom,then the other half up visiting Dad. Anna got to have her very first snowy adventure, and Jamie, his first white Christmas, despite the fact the snow had all but melted by Christmas day. It was a fabulous trip, with lots of family, and food, though a distinct lack of alcohol consumption on my part.

With hormones in full pregnancy glory, and the brain cells starting to deteriorate with the onslaught of " mommy brain" we decided to get a puppy in February. We didn't get just any puppy either, we got a puppy who would grow to be roughly the same size as Anna within a month, and double her weight within 6 months. We got a puppy who would be a companion, a buddy, a walking motivation, (until the heat index hit the 105 mark anyways), and Anna's future best friend.

Bear, or Fluffy Bear if your name is Anna, is currently 10 months and 70 lbs or Rottweiler crossed with Black Lab crossed with who knows what else. He routinely chews on cords if they are left dangling, has made 3 holes in our carpet to date, eaten 5 loaves of bread, 3 different nights thawing meat, 2 bags of hot dog buns and a plate of cookies. We won't mention the chunks taken out of the coffee table, or the upper teeth marks on the ledge of his favorite window he sits at to watch the yard and any feathered or furry intruders.

He is a wonderful friend to Anna, and has the utmost patience for all the crap Anna puts him through. She lays on him, grabs his neck, and pretty much any other abuse a 4yr old could think of doing. He dotes on her, goes down her slide with him, plays tag in the back yard with him, and loves to be wherever she is. We couldn't have asked for a better dog for her, as much as he drives me insane.

So here we were, with a 3 month old puppy, and me 3 months pregnant, and not having the slightest clue what I was in for in the coming days, weeks and months.