It's a puppy party!

About a year ago it became clear to be that I was going to have to adopt my children. Why, you ask? Well I came to the conclusion if I couldn't handle the stress of my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Lexie being pregnant, clearly I'd have to be sedated and possibly institutionalized through my own pregnancy.

But my Lexie made it through with flying colors, giving birth by C-section to quadruplets on July 17 of last year. I was so relieved to see 4 healthy puppies, 2 girls and 2 boys. All had pallets, eyes, and legs and none of them were the dreaded 1 in a million "water puppies" I'd googled for weeks. I could breathe again.

The relief was short lived when I realized that occasionally dogs reject their puppies which my rotten little Lexie did for the first 24 hours. Puppies die, get smothered and occasionally get eaten by their mothers. I slept on an air mattress beside their whelping box for 2 weeks. I set an alarm for every 2 hours to make sure Lexie was feeding them (and not eating them). There was an incident involving the county fair when the puppies were about 8 days old that may or may not have led to me being taken home due to a thunderstorm and my fear of Lexie panicking, smothering, and eating her little bundles of joy. Like I said, I need psychiatric medicine.

This is when I came to the conclusion I may have to adopt a 2 year old. If newborn puppies stressed me out that much, clearly my own future children would be doomed. Ask Ally, Cooper, and Spencer. They all probably have scars where I poked them in their sleep for their first 6 months of life to make sure they were still breathing.

But magically, they all survived. They all found wonderful homes, they all thrived, and now they're all turning ONE!

So in honor of all my babies, we are having a first birthday party on Sunday! Now if you know me at all, this shouldn't be at all shocking. As I've said before on this blog, yes. I do throw my dogs birthday parties and I'm really not ashamed of it. With so many depressing things going on, why not have a party? Especially one that involves friends and puppies.

It actually looks like we are going to have an amazing turn out. I was expecting just the puppies and maybe a few friends. As of right now I've counted about 25 dog friends coming. I'm happy to know that I've raised some popular pups! Unfortunately we will be missing one puppy at the party.

Dietrich who now lives with my Dad in North Carolina won't be attending due to the fact that he has taken on the role as prodigal dog in my Dad's life. My dad called and said sincerely that he would just miss him too much, that if he could hand picked the perfect dog, it would have been Dietrich. So Dieters will be celebrating at home with his friends Bevin the Chihuahua, Spot the mutt, and Finnick and Gaby the Papillons.

So now everyone cross your fingers that it isn't 110 degrees, it doesn't rain, and most importantly, that my baby dog Sprinkles behaves herself. She has some jealousy issues with her sister Cera that usually end in Sprinkles trying to rip her throat out.

Terrible Palsy

The past few days I've submerged myself into CP blogs. The best idea? Probably not. But sometimes I think the best research that can be done is the kind you find through blogging. You get to see in a way first hand, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I can see why so many people refer to this diagnosis as "terrible palsy". There are kids on all ends of the spectrum, all with varying ability levels and all struggling for their own "normal". On one hand these blogs make me so thankful that Cooper's CP is so mild. 90% of people who saw him on a good day would never know anything was wrong. I will admit, I've even tricked my mind into thinking "Wow, why am I worried? He's got it so easy! He can walk, talk, and play!"

And then he trips, or chokes on a drink, or tries desperately to tell me something I can't understand. He doesn't have it easy at all. Mild is in the eye of the beholder. Even at it's mildest he still struggles with so much more than his siblings and friends have too, and that in itself is enough to make the whole thing simply unfair. What makes this all even worse? I've never once heard this little boy complain about what he can't do. If he falls off of a kitchen stool because of balance (which happens about once a day) he gets right back up.

I normally try not to think about the things Cooper can't do or the things he's struggles with. There is so much that he CAN do that overshadows everything else. Unfortunately the past week has been a real challenge. When he falls, he falls hard. If there is an uneven surface, he does trip over it. Today at lunch he chocked on his Cars 2 Mater juice box 4 times which is pretty unusual for him (normally he chokes once or twice and then slows down). I'm not really sure what's going on. Maybe he's tired from traveling, maybe he's growing, maybe it's simply just a bad week. Whatever the deal is, it needs to end. Selfishly I'm enjoying the extra snuggle time, but I'm ready for him to be back to his happy-go-lucky "hiya" self.

So everyone please say a little prayer for my favorite "yellow" loving boy. He needs one this week.

Beach Blog

It's been a great week so far! Cooper finished his infusion and did amazing. We've been on the beach everyday. I don't blend in with the albino population anymore. Life is good. Here are a few beach stories for those of you who enjoy laughing at my suffering.

We caught sand fiddlers on the beach today along with periwinkles. Cooper called the periwinkles"buttons" but was deathly afraid of the sand fiddlers. He definitely doesn't like anything resembling a crab. The other day a crab washed by us in the surf and we showed him. He proceeded to sprint out of the water, run to our beach house steps, and look for Mommy. When we finally caught him he was saying "Hand boo boo! Crab bite hand!" In case you didn't know, NC has these amazing crabs that can become invisible, fly through the air and actually bite 2 year olds. It's rather scary.

Ally has been her usual self. All she wants to do is catch animals and cook them. Crabs, fish, sand fiddlers, sharks, you name it. She's obsessed with eating "baby lobsters" aka shrimp to the rest of the population. I'm guessing there's no chance I'll have a sister join Peta anytime soon.

Today she decided while relaxing in her favorite "rock rock" chair here that she was getting married... to a dog. Not just any dog but Dexter, our amazing dog trainer Becka's, old english sheep dog. Ally kind of worships Becka and Dexter. Apparently it only made since to marry a dog since she is going to be a lion vet. Shortly after this announcement (and cheating on Dexter with my sister's Papillon, Finnick) she decided to become a dog. She gave me the option of either letting her pee either A) on the beach or B) on a dog pad. She made it very clear that there were no other options.

It was really difficult to rationally explain to her why she couldn't become a dog when Cooper has recently become a nudist who enjoys doing interpretative art with his own urine. He's really quite talented.

Now i'll leave you with my current facebook status:

It's kind of funny that our beach rental doesn't allow dogs, but they have no problem with a 4 year old who forgets where she left her Popsicles, an almost 3 year old who has decided to become a nudist (that isn't potty trained) and a 10 month old who is, well a 10 month old... if they only knew...haha.

Cooper

I have no doubt...

that no matter what happens...



this little boy



is going to conquer the world.

I love you "Yellow Hiya"!

Lazy day with my piggy

Today Ally and I had one of those days. You know the kind where you stay in your pajamas all day and watch The Lion King 4 times in a row? Best. Day. Ever.

After our 4th time watching Mufassa die, Ally decided she felt really bad for Simba and wanted to send him a letter to "The Lion Kingdom" to make him feel better. For all of you who don't know... Cartoons ARE real animals and they have feelings. And they live in a place called "Ikyka-poopy" (because EVERY sentence must somehow include the words "Poop, butt, booty, pooty, poopy" or it isn't a productive sentence)

I was quite proud of my favorite little piggy. She drew this picture all by herself (minus the spelling help). For those who can't quite read 4 year old hand-writing it says "I heart my daddy" and she signed her name and drew a picture of Mufassa.

Afterwards she and I had a lengthy conversation about how she wanted to go to the cartoon animal heaven and be a vet to help the dead Lions. I was so proud...but a little un-nerved. This was NOT a typical day with Ally. She was being so...sweet?!

Then...

Spencer ran over her toe in his walker and our Chihuahua Mansie's tail, who then lashed out at Ally by growling and air biting.

Ally: Son on a "bench" you stupid Chihuahua butt! You can go die and live with Mufassa! Damn it!"

And I remembered why I love that girl so much.

The Royal Wedding

So I'm the first to admit that I am completely caught up in the Royal Wedding insanity. Obsessed might be a better word. It reinvents the same hope I had when I was 5, that I really can marry a Prince.

So obviously I was trying to explain to my Ally about the wedding and how we are going to wake up really early on Friday. I did my best to explain the whole thing in 4 year old words...

Jordan: Guess what! On Friday we are are going to wake up really early and watch a REAL girl become a real Princess.

Ally: And live in a castle?

Jordan: Yep and marry a Prince...

Ally: And wear a crown?

Jordan: Of course.

Ally: Sessa, will they cheer for me on Friday?

Jordan: What?

Ally: When I am a Princess on Friday, will they cheer for me?

I just might be in trouble come Friday...Luckily at the ripe age of 4, the only Prince Ally is interested in marrying has hair and pees outside...

I give you "Sir Maxi-million of Sheffield Place"

The pirate hooker

Other than animals... Ally's next greatest love is of course Pirates. At Disneyland we rode the ride endlessly. She and Cooper even insisted on becoming real pirates so that they could be on Captain Jacks crew. She also informed me one day on the way to school that I needed to stay home and watch the mail because they were going to be delivering her "own" Pirates ride any day now... and it was going to be VERY hard to put together.


So for her "family" party (1 of the 10002902292929 parties Ally insisted she was having) she wanted a girl pirate cake. Easy enough I thought. So I called the undisclosed cake bakery and ordered one...the conversation went like this.

Me: I need a girl pirate cake for my sisters 4th birthday

Cake store: Okay, any specifics?

Me: I guess just as girly pirate as you can do. Pinks and purples... maybe a little girl pirate?

Cake Store: Like a disney princess, but a pirate?

Me: Exactly

The conversation ended there and obviously I was very excited to see the adorable cake that Ally was going to flip over. After all, I figured when they googled disney and pirate they'd get a picture of Ally's favorite girl pirate, Izzy, from Jake and the Neverland Pirates

Instead...She got this.

A pirate hooker.

Of course Ally absolutely loved it and now walks around dressed like that same pirate...complete with her pirate skirt tucked into her underwear.

Day 1

I'm Jordan (obviously). Most everyone who reads this blog knows my life story, but just in case here are my 15 random facts.

1. When I was little, I basically never got homesick. Now it kills me to be away from my family.

2. I hate chicken. Like am absolutely repulsed by it.

3. I worry about everything.

4. Everything makes me cry. Happy, sad, angry...my emotions are attached to my tear ducts.

5. I would rather spend the night playing with kids than be out partying. They're much more intelligent than drink people.

6. I am obsessive about school work and strive for straight A's...and get them 99% of the time.

7. I love my dogs too much. I'm sure people probably refer to me as "that crazy dog girl" but I'm okay with that.

8. I am most interested in pet oriented child psychopathology. Children and dogs are my two passions, so I can't think of a better way of incorporating them into a career.

9. I pick on my mom for having so many kids, but I am so thankful for every one of my siblings.

10. I like to eat tomato soup for breakfast. It stems back to my high school days when Courtney and I ate soup for breakfast while watching ER on TNT or Dawson's Creek on TBS.

11. I am obsessive about TV show couples. If my favorite couple breaks up I basically stop watching the show.

12. I am a huge procrastinator when it comes to studying and papers, but apparently the whole "night before" thing works for me.

13. My biggest fear is something happening to one of my family members. My second biggest is not achieving my goals in life.

14. I am least stressed when I am marathoning a box set of a new TV show at 4AM with my best friend Rachel while cooking spaghetti and vampire pizza.

15. I've learned over the past few years that what works for most people my age isn't always what works for me. I take life at my own pace and have learned that I am much happier for it.

30 days!

30 days

Day 1-Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts

Day 2-Meaning behind your blog name

Day 3-Your first love

Day 4-Your parents

Day 5-Your siblings

Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy

Day 7-Favorite movies

Day 8-A place you’ve traveled to

Day 9-A picture of your friends

Day 10-Something you’re afraid of

Day 11-Favorite TV shows

Day 12-What you believe

Day 13-Goals

Day 14-A picture you love

Day 15-Bible verse

Day 16-Dream house

Day 17-Something you’re looking forward to

Day 18-Something you regret

Day 19-Something you miss

Day 20-Nicknames

Day 21-Picture of yourself

Day 22-Favorite city

Day 23-Favorite vacation

Day 24-Something you’ve learned

Day 25-Favorite memory

Day 26-Picture of your family

Day 27-Pets

Day 28-Something that stresses you out

Day 29-3 Wishes

Day 30-a picture

Dalmatian Celebration

For those of you who don't know, Ally is OBSESSED with Animals. Her favorite movies consist of Babe, Lady and the Tramp, Bolt, 101 Dalmatians, Lady and the Tramp 2, 101 Dalmatians 2, Babe 2... you get the picture.

So when we asked her what kind of birthday party she wanted a few months ago, I'm not really sure why I was expecting the normal Disney Princess answer. I mean seriously... buying a pre-sold set like this would have just been too easy.

Her answer? 101 Dalmatians. Great I thought! That's kind of fun and different. No one will have the same party theme as her! And I was right... I don't think anyone has had a 101 Dalmatian party since somewhere around 1999...

So the planning began, the invitations were hand made (all 75 of them) by me. For those philosophers who ask the definition of love? See below. My poor fingers...

Luckily Rachel came out to help with the madness. It was necessary to hand make confetti, name tags, cupcake toppers... and oh yea, hand paint and "dalmatian-ify" 50 picture frames for gift bags.

"Wag bag" loot

Ally making confetti

We also came up with the brilliant idea to make the cupcakes for the party...the final count? Somewhere around 300.

Over all the party was "paw-fection" if I do say so myself. Although it would have NEVER been this amazing without the help of the amazing Rachel and Courtney. You both are so awesome!

Ally decided instead of gifts, she wanted donations for the Lexington Humane Society so all the hard work went towards a great cause! Overall we had about 40-45 kids show up and they had a blast! And Ally had an amazing birthday, which was all that really mattered.

updates

Hello everyone!

I’ve kind of been slacking in blog world lately…ok well I guess it’s more like I dropped off the blog planet. I’ve been super busy trying to become a productive human being…or finding a rich husband, whichever comes first.

But now my mom has started a blog and I figure if she has time to update, so can I. Plus, one of my best friends Kristie and her sister Michelle have given me some motivation. So back to the crazy life that is mine…living with 3 kids under 4…and 6 dogs that I’m pretty sure are actually pigs in disguise.

A lot has been going on around here too that I just haven’t had the heart to write about. Mostly because it makes me tear up whenever I start to type it out…but now that my mom has started her amazing blog, I guess it’s time I can fill everyone in.

Cooper (or “Woody” as he is now basically morphed into) was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy over Christmas. I’m not going to go into great detail about his symptoms, issues, and technical medical terms here because this blog isn’t about what he has. This blog is about who he is. I never want him to be labeled as “that kid with cerebral palsy”. I want him to grow up proud that he is a person OVERCOMING this diagnosis. Cerebral palsy is part of who Cooper is…but it isn’t Cooper. He isn’t a diagnosis or symptom and so I will never focus on that aspect of his life here. I don’t ever want him to read this and think that his diagnosis was all I saw because when I look at him all I see are those beautiful big brown eyes and the sweetest, most spectacular little boy I’ve ever met. He gives me motivation to succeed because he does…he also drives me crazy sometimes because he’s 2. That’s just Cooper. A normal toy story obsessed 2 year old who happens to have one more challenge on this plate than the rest of us. However, if you would like to follow his progress more in depth you can follow my moms blog. She’s on a mission to give him the best most normal life possible and she WILL succeed.

Now for the fun updates!

My Princess Piggy turned 4 today! Can you believe it? I’m not really sure how this happened…I guess the same way she magically transformed from “Pink Pig” into Ally overnight. She’s definitely growing up and it’s amazing…and so sad at the same time. She is playing a Mango in her Pre K 3 program in Thursday. When my mom asked her if she knew what a mango was her response was “Mommmmm (because she’s 4 going on 16 and every word is drug out in an annoyed whine) It’s that dance you do, you know a MANGO!” I’m sure she’ll be absolutely adorable on stage and I’ll embarrass everyone by screaming like a 13 year old girl at a Justin Bieber concert.

For her birthday all she really wanted was a “real Dalmatian”. She’s still obsessed with pigs but I think she’s come to terms with the fact that she isn’t getting one anytime soon. I guess a Dalmatian seemed a little more plausible. She even offered to give away the Chihuahuas. This is possibly because the only way I can wake her up in the mornings is by telling her that our smallest Chihuahua Mansie has peed on something she finds hilarious (my shoes, robe, shirt, leg…you get the picture). She then lectures him about how she is coming to call Cruella De Ville to come and get him so that she can get her real Dalmatian. I’d feel bad for Mansie if it weren’t for the fact that he has peed on all of the above mentioned items before.

The good news is that at the age of 4 I’d say that Ally is officially potty trained! There was another bathtub pooping incident a few months ago but apparently she was just trying to get Cooper out of the tub and that was the only way she could think to do it.

However Cooper has quickly filled our pooper role. While my best friend Rachel was out here this week he pooped all over his room, the hallway, and my moms room. It was like a rabbit hopping through the house leaving a trail. I have pictures but I thought I’d spare everyone the graphic seen. I think he was just testing Rachel to make sure she really loved him enough to come and be his new Nanny next year.

Cooper is unhealthily obsessed with toy story. It’s like a drug… if he goes longer than a few hours without watching it you start to see the withdrawal symptoms…the moaning of “woooooooody” haunts me in my sleep. Cooper is also amazing when it comes to torturing Ally. He knows every single button of hers to press to completely infuriate her. Even with his diagnosis he’s a little more coordinated than the Piggy… so he’s learned to work with that advantage. The other day he literally had her pinned to the floor sitting on her! She’s 20 pounds more than him and he had her pinned…that takes talent.

Now for my Dr. Spencer Reed! He’s basically just the best baby ever. He’s like a mellow version of Ally which is a good combination. Next to his Mommy his favorite thing in the house is Lexie. She spends every second she can get licking him. He’s either the cleanest or dirtiest (depending on what Lexie’s been eating) baby ever haha. He’s at that hard blogging age so I’ll just have to post some pictures of his cute face soon.

Anyway…I’ll try to keep a running list of updates and post once or twice a week. It helps me procrastinate the work I have to put forth to become an upstanding educated citizen.

Birthday planning :)

The Princess Pig has officially decided on a birthday theme for her 4th birthday in March. I think I can say with 100% certainty that its possibly the hardest theme to plan. Ever. Courtney, our sister would agree. I'll add more info as the date gets closer but here is a hint...

Time flies...