The Eagle Has Landed!!

We have arrived in Dallas and are loving being home with family and friends. Bear did great on the flight! You know your child was good when the young surfer dude in front of you at the end of the flight turns to you and says," Hey Lady, I was really nervous about you and your 

little guy sitting behind me, but he did great." And your son is a handsome dude." I replied with," I know we were that row where everyone is praying they aren't around, but he did do great, and thanks :)." I did learn on American they can put an infant block on your row if the flight isn't too full so you can have a row by yourself! It was a saving grace having that extra seat to store blankets,toys, bottle, etc.

The carrier worked great we went with the Ergo which was amazing. My friends Mallory and Meg both have one and they loved it. These two ladies are definitely the travel experts when it comes to traveling with kids, and they were right!!! He fell asleep in it pretty much thru the entire airport. Here is a self pic of us at the gate, unfortunately it's more of me and less of Bear in his carrier:

We have had a busy last couple of days, but it has been amazing. My favorite part has been seeing my nephew just love on Bear. He is too cute with him. He spent the night with us at my moms house on Thursday night and it was so great to see him interact with Bear. I must say Bear was pretty fond of his  older cousin, smiling at him constantly. It was great too to have my sister and brother in law meet Bear as well. I love seeing my sister also his god mother just love on him. Here is an adorable pic that I have of my nephew holding Bear:

Yesterday was awesome my mom got to watch both of her grandsons and was in cloud nine. I got the opportunity to get my haircut. Such a treat, and I love my hair stylist and his stylists and salon. It's always nice to go and catch up with everyone. If you are in Dallas and need a good hair salon check out Hair By Charlie. I have been going to Charlie for at least four years now and I can assure you everyone that works there is top notch! After my hair cut I had to run to DPS to renew my license which was a total beat down. I was there for 3 hours and for any of you moms out there, my boobs were killing me!! I thought I was going to have two wet circles in my DL picture :). Aww, the joys of breastfeeding :).

Last night we hung at my sisters and my moms friend Renee stopped by and so did one of my besties  Lindsey! Here is a pic of my sweet friend holding Bear:

Today is another big day I have a facial this am and then we are meeting up with some of my girlfriends for lunch and then we get to pick up daddy at the airport :)!!! He has been traveling for the past week

 And I know Hayes and I cannot wait to see him!!

I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend!! I can't wait to be out in the Sun, and get some color to these pasty white dry northern legs of mine! I did have a laughing moment yesterday when I put on shorts. I've been using that Jergens natural glow lotion, and I guess the lighting isn't

 Great in our master bath at the townhouse because my legs are totally splotchy!!! Oh well, they will get some Sun here for sure!!!

Have a great weekend and be safe!!

Cheers!!

I am counting down the hours until I'm at Gloria's with my girlfriends indulging in Mexican food and catching up!!!

JNK 

Making a List, Checking it twice...

Tomorrow is the BIG day, Bear and I will be embarking on our first flight together. I am a little nervous about it; which means I won't sleep well tonight because I will be thinking about every little thing. I have us both packed except a few things which I will add in the am. I have made my packing list and checked it twice, to try and bring some ease to my nonstop worrying about what I might need or missed in packing. I love my Dad especially when he goes, pack light Jilly. You are going to Dallas, if you need anything you can just buy it :)! I definitely know who I get my shopping habits from :)

I am grateful to have my dad here, as I called American to see if they have curbside check in and apparently they don't at DTW, so my dad is going to help me get the bags all checked in. I almost was going to have him leave today thinking I could take care of it, but thought I should double check and glad I did. I was debating going back and forth between the stroller or carrier, but have decided to go with the carrier so we shall see how that works out! I am also interested to see how the trusted traveler line goes. Greg and I have our Nexus so with the Nexus you get enrolled in the trusted traveler program, from what I understand should really expedite your wait time thru security, I will report on that after the trip.

I posted about how I was looking for a cute pair of sneakers and found these really cute ones at Tory Burch yesterday, and better yet they were on sale!

I am going to sport them thru the airport tomorrow! I am so excited about my new chic sneaks!

On another note, Bear had his 8 week appointment today which is where he got his shots :(. Little man did great! I was just at the doctor two weeks ago, because I was worried about him not eating the full 10 min on each side and refusing to eat sometimes. I thought it might be reflux, but the dr said let's wait and see what his weight is at his 8 week appt. Well, he weighed 10.3 lbs when I was there almost two weeks ago and today he weighed in at 12.2lbs. Little man is eating just fine then :)! He is growing soo fast, and I can't wait for all of our family and friends to see him in Dallas. Here are some recent pics of the little man:

 For any new moms out there, I'm in love with this wipe down changing pad. My sister's friend Meg had it, and Jodi was so jealous she didn't have it when she had my nephew so she ordered it for me. It has been a life saver! Especially with the pee that sometimes goes all over and not in the diaper or when he had the stomach bug and I would have projectile poop before I could get another diaper down there. Basically, this has been a life saver, so easy to wipe down after accidents!


Ignore my extremely awful pic of myself, I posted mainly to see Bear's big cheeks! Can't resist kissing these cheeks all day long! Ugh, I seriously can't believe I'm posting this pic of myself but oh well. This is mommy after a long day of playing and no make up :).

We recently purchased him a few things from RH baby one being this adorable Puppy chair which he is in love with. He has loved laying/sitting on it since day 1:

I love the bottom pic of him all sprawled out in his white onesie :)!

Please say a prayer for us tomorrow for a smooth flight and continue to pray for those affected in Oklahoma by that awful Tornado. I was a wreck last night watching the news. Being a new mommy I could only put myself in those parent's shoes whose kids were in that elementary school. I just can't imagine the fear that the kids and parents were going through. 

Excited to be in Dallas and be with family and friends, be on the lookout for our Texas Posts!

JNK

Current Obsessions

I have a few current obsessions that I feel like I need to share with ya'll. My first one being the Pace Skirt from Lululemon. Ok, I have never been a fan of the running skirt, I just thought they were a little too shall we say girly for me. But, my gf Mallory says she loves them , and she is someone who I definitely trust when it comes to fashion or working out. So I was in Lululemon this weekend and saw they had a Pace Skirt on sale, and thought what the heck! I picked one up and wearing it today, and I must say I'm hooked!! I think it's super cute and more importantly comfortable. I think you could get away playing tennis in it as well, so it's dual purpose. The best part is the one I'm sporting below is on sale for $49! I normally wear a 4 in Lulu even post baby stuff but for some reason in shorts and this skirt post baby I have had to size up to a size 6, so you may have to size up. Here is me sporting my Pace Skirt:

My other obsession, I started making fun of my hubby for using this Mio liquid water drops to his water. The water up here definitely tastes different even filtered so he swore by this drops to help with the taste and they have a fit and energy flavor to help boost you during a workout or just during the day when you need a pick me up. Well, now I'm hooked on these!! I just got back from Kroger and they are 2 for $7, so if you haven't tried them yet, you should pick some up while they are on sale. I got a new flavor today, Mango Peach and I'm loving it!! Here is a pic of the packaging, small enough to throw it in your handbag to have at all times :).

Another water product that I can't live without is the flavored coconut water, I always bring one with me in my gym bag to drink on the way home. It definitely is a great hydration mechanism after a long workout. I just ran out of them this am, so had to grab an image from the internet, they are on sale at Target right now for 2 for $4 so another great time to try them!

Last but not least is my favorite skin care cleanser and toner. I was walking thru Neiman's in Dec and was stopped by the Amore Pacific counter and got suckered into trying a facial that day.I'm never one to turn down a complimentary facial, and after trying their products I was hooked. I have received countless compliments on my skin and asked what I use. Part of it was pregnancy glow, but I swear I have never had a product that I liked this much. Even some of my girlfriends who are in the skincare business at major retailers praise Amore Pacific. It's a little more expensive $50 for both the cleanser and toner, but definitely worth it. I still have cleanser left and just ran out of the toner, so it does last awhile. The other item I purchased was the stabilizing serum, which I love. Below is the link at Neiman's:

Amore Pacific Cleansing Oil

Amore Pacific Toner


Amore Pacific Stabilizing Serum


Happy Hump Day!! My dad arrives on Friday and I am so excited!! Greg is going on a guys golf trip this weekend, so my dad is coming in town to hang out with Bear and I!! 

Cheers!
JNK

The Target Challenge

Ok, I've been caught red handed.... Greg was going over our spending last month and said what on earth are you buying at Target weekly that each Target visit is at least $100. OOPS! I tried to rationalize with him, but wasn't working :).

I am totally guilty of going in with just diapers and some cleaning supplies on my list and walking out with a whole lot more than I came in for. Right now I love their Threshold line, especially the frames. They keep running % off on their threshold and Nate Berkus frames. I love buying frames because I have this handsome little boy and a husband who is gifted in photography so I want pictures of this little man all around. The problem is I have no space for frames and some are still in a bag :(. And Greg caught me in another bad habit as he asked why we have two full things of detergent in the laundry room :(. Well, I am guilty of that too. I was in Target and they were doing their $2.00 the large Method laundry detergent and I figured hey a sale, I think I maybe low on the other one so I'll just get it. Come home to only find we pretty much have a full one already :(. If you haven't tried the method detergent you should!! I love the packaging (I'm a marketer's dream in that I fall for that) and the detergent is great too! So yes, I go in there and end up sometimes buying duplicates of an item I already have at home. I did it again with their Caldrea soap, because they were running a sale on that a few weeks ago.

I try to be diligent with going in with a list, but I fall for their traps every time! I mean they put their Essie nail polish right in front and those new colors seem to catch my eye :(, so I figure oh what the heck! My other issue is I usually go when Bear is asleep or falling asleep so I tend to linger in their longer which leads to more items falling into my basket. 

So, I have promised Greg that I'm going to take on my Target Challenge. This challenge consists of making a list and truly going in there for only what's on my list. That's right, not one item more, even if it's from the $1 spot. He challenged me with maybe not go to Target, but that's just not an option :). I know I'm not the only one who can't get out of Target for under $100. In fact I am pretty sure most of my girlfriends are in the same boat :)!

Do you dare to take the Target challenge with me??

I am so excited as I have my first Pilates reformer class today since I was 12 weeks pregnant!! I am sure I'm going to be super sore, but so excited to get back into Pilates, I missed it while I was pregnant!



Cheers!
JNK

Weekend Wrap-Up

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, and all the Mothers out there enjoyed their special day!! I had a I wonderful weekend, and a great first Mother's day. On Saturday, I got out of the house for a bit and attended the Nordstrom beauty event with my friend Melissa. It was quite the experience to say the least. Those events are always good people watching for sure :). We strolled around the mall a bit, and I picked up a dress for Bear's baptism which is coming up in a few weeks when we are in Dallas. If you haven't been yet, Neiman's is having their first call sale, and has some great deals on dresses. I couldn't believe the deal I got on the dress for his baptism. Lulu was another place having a sale and I picked up a few things from there :)!!

Sunday the plan was to attend church, but H  man's feeding schedule for the day just happened to correspond with the church services so we ended up not going :(. Greg and I both have agreed that we have to get back in our routine of going to Church, we feel so much better when we go. Like we have both said it's a lot like going to the gym. You need that extra time for fellowship and time with God for your overall well being, and it always makes for a better week. Greg went to the grocery store, which that in itself is a great mother's day gift :). I got to just hang around the house while Bear slept. He made a great meal of Fajitas, since I have a love affair for Mexican food and there really is no place up here in Michigan that has decent Mexican food.  I had already received my mother's day gifts as we just lumped birthday and Mother's day into one, but Greg and Bear surprised me with a few other gifts. I like any woman, love fresh flowers in the house. So it was so nice to wake up to nice fresh flowers on the kitchen island :).

It was a wonderful weekend, besides that the weather has turned her again and we are back in the thirties, which to me is unheard of considering we are in the middle of May!! I am officially a week and a half away from our trip to Texas, and I am so excited!! Bear and I did a little Facetime with his Aunt JoJo and Cousin Coop, and that just made me even more excited for them to meet him in person!! I am getting a little anxious though, because Bear is not a big fan of the carrier and I'm not going to take the stroller, because my sister and mom have everything down there. We have been working on the carrier a little bit each day, but I might be that mom with the screaming baby :).

On a side note, I have been wanting a pair of casual cute sneaks to run around in, and I don't feel like I'm quite "cool" enough to pull of chucks aka converse. I found these Kate Spade pointed toe sneakers yesterday and I feel like these are more my style :):

Kate Spade Pointed Toe Sneaker

I love the stripe, but the solid hot pink is definitely tempting :). What do you think?



We took a few pics yesterday on Mother's Day and captures one of Bear's smiles :), talk about the best Mother's Day gift EVER!! He is just started to do more of his reactive smiles, and I'm loving every minute of his cooing,laughing, and smiling :)

Have a great week!!!

JNK

What it might be like.

Let me preface this blog post by saying this is not meant to be a political post, however this is just an account of what I experienced and feel that I should share my experience. I have stated that I would fill everyone in on why we left Toronto to move to Michigan well my post today will shed some light on one of the reasons that played into us deciding to leave Canada.

The whole healthcare debate was a huge issue in the election, and let me say that I am all for everyone having healthcare, I just feel it doesn't need to be funded by the government. After experiencing government run healthcare in Canada, I think most Americans would not like the government run healthcare.

When we arrived in Toronto I was only 4.5 weeks pregnant and had the blood work from my Dallas office confirming the pregnancy. As soon as we got up there my first mission was to find a doctor. And let me say finding a doctor was near impossible! Since it is government run a lot of doctors don't accept new patients and hardly any of them actually answer the phone when you call, it's all on voicemail with a message that they will call you back within 48 hours. I spent two days trying to find an OB only to finally talk to one office who told me that before I can see an OB I have to go see a family physician for a referral. SHEESH! So, then I spent another 2 days trying to find a family physician, majority were also not accepting patients. Or I encountered that they would only accept patients if you lived in a certain proximity to their office. Can you imagine? So I spent a good week just trying to find a family physician only to breakdown crying to one lady on the phone who told me to just go to a local walk in clinic. We had a walk in clinic located near our apartment so I was able to make an appointment for  a Saturday and Greg was able to accompany me. It was a nightmare. I had to have 13 vials of blood drawn from me, which led me to almost passing out. They had to call Greg in, it was horrific. 

After the appointment they sent me to have a 7 week sonogram because that was apparently mandatory before an OB would accept you.  So we went to what was basically a basement in an office building for our first sonogram. The place was disgusting, and the woman who gave our sonogram barely spoke English. During the sonogram she asked me if I was having cramping, in which I replied, "No, what's wrong?". She then just pointed to a sign that said,"I can't disclose anything please consult doctor." Seriously, WTF, I was soo annoyed and crying at that point. She said you have a little blood but ask your doctor. I had found out the prior week that I had been accepted by an OB and get this I was the last March baby that she was accepting. Can you believe that? Most women don't even find out they are pregnant till 7-10 weeks. She basically "let" me in  because she asked if I was Armenian since we had an ian ending to our last name :).

So our next encounter with this healthcare system was horrific as well, which keep in mind is suppose to be one of the best healthcare systems in the world. UGH! So we went in for our 12 week sonogram at the hospital (thank God, that it wasn't in a basement) and once we arrived we had to get a number. Yes, you read that correctly, a number. There wasn't a, "Mrs. Kirian" called, it was number 16. So frustrating! As we were waiting we witnessed a couple going up the counter to ask what the sex of their baby was because the attendant didn't tell them. The lady responded with,"We couldn't tell baby was in a bad spot, just call your doctor." I felt so bad for this couple, as they had probably been anxiously awaiting to find out the sex and had their family and friends on call so they could share their news. We went in for our sonogram and the tech said everything looked good, but it would be about 10-15 minutes as they would have an OB just look over the sonogram. After this appointment I told Greg, I really did not want to have this baby in Canada. Anytime I had a question for my OB, I basically called an answering service in which they told you they would get back to you within 48 hours, it was a nightmare. The blood that the first tech saw ended up being nothing,and the Canadian OB said that it was such an early sonogram that if we would have had our first one at 10 weeks it wouldn't have even been there. But, this is the real kicker, you don't see an OB until 20 weeks, if you aren't high risk. That's right, 20 weeks. I can't even imagine, I had so many questions in between 12-20 weeks.

So, we decided to move to Michigan where Greg had another offer. The baby was a big reason in moving, but Greg was also ready for a change in work. I will never forget our first sonogram in Michigan, it was in a hospital where we could watch the sonogram on a flat screen with a lady who spoke English. As soon as we left the hospital, Greg and I both felt relieved that we were in the US.

I wanted to write this post today so I could shed some light into what government run healthcare may be like. Doctors may no longer accept patients, and your level of service that you are used to will definitely diminish. Living in Michigan and so close to the border, we hear that lots of Canadian residents come to the US for doctor visits, because they can't get in to see a doctor in Canada. As I said before, I think everyone should have healthcare but not government run. We all deserve the right to have the best care, and I fear that we lose a lot of the level of service we are used to as well as the right to pick and choose doctors should the Government interfere with the Healthcare system.

JNK

Little Luxuries

To me nothing is better after a long hard day then a bath with a glass of wine followed by some nice pajamas. You may be finished with your mother's day shopping but if not then you should definitely explore some of these little luxuries. Or better yet, if you are having a hard week, rough day, or just need some good R&R then go treat yourself, by all means you deserve it.

I am obsessed with Molton Brown products, I haven't found a better bath/shower product out there. I had my first experience with their products about 8 years ago at a Neiman's beauty event, and have been a fan ever since. Here are a few of my fave products for a nice relaxing bath:

Stress Relieving Soak

GingerLilly Bath and Shower Gel

Hydro Tone Lotion

Intensive Foot Cream

If you are a traveler or the mom in your life is a traveler this is a nice little set, or if you just want a good little set to try some of their products:

Traveler Set


As I mentioned before, one of my other favorite luxuries is nice pajamas. Every woman should splurge and by herself a nice pair of pajamas. To me, it's like bed sheets, you should make the investment on at least a few pairs. I came to discover Plum Pretty last year when I was looking for Bridesmaid gifts, and I have fallen in love with their products. Here are a few of my favorites:

Pink Poppy PJ set

Beckoning Creatures Lounge Pant

Cami Dress

They have amazing robes as well:

Beckoning Creatures Robe

Kimono Style Robe


On another note, dinner was a success last night. Greg ended up cooking his steak and my fish, which he was fine with. I started the other dishes before I had to feed Bear, and he just monitored while I fed him. I have never had a cake from Whole Foods, but ours was delish last night. So if you are ever in a cake bind, definitely check them out. Bear and I both had a great time at the Club yesterday, he slept and made some fans with the nursery attendants and I got a good workout in. However, I woke up so sore this am, but I am pushing myself to go back today! 

Happy Hump Day!
JNK

Another milestone

We are hitting another milestone in our house today, as Greg turns the big 35! It felt like just yesterday in which we were celebrating his 30th bday, in which I had 30 presents for him to open.  Tonight will be a very low key night since we have little Bear. I just returned from a trip to Whole Foods, to pick up some ingredients for his bday dinner. I always stress when cooking a more special dinner for Greg, as he is the chef in the family. It's so intimidating to cook for someone who a.) is a great cook and b.) picky :). Me cooking usually ends up with Greg trying to give me pointers in the kitchen, usually in which I get annoyed and frustrated and tell him to finish :). However, tonight I am determined to start and complete majority of the meal myself.

Greg wanted a rib eye which is intimidating in itself because I don't eat red meat. EEK! So I've been reading how to cook a rib eye.. This is one dish I may just have him "help" on because I do not want to screw up the birthday boy's steak. As side dishes I am going to do some butternut squash and brussel sprouts. He said homemade mac n cheese would be nice, and I said yes it would, but I dont think I have time to prep and complete that dish, in addition we both are wanting to get a little leaner. Therefore, Mac N Cheese doesn't need to grace our house.  I picked up a little cake a Whole Foods, so Bear and I can sing to Daddy tonight :)

Another milestone is I got cleared to go back to all normal activity, thank goodness!!! I am so lucky because we go to a great club and they allow babies from 6-12 weeks Mon-Fri from 1-3, you just have to make an appointment. So, Bear and I are tackling the gym today, it will be his first time in the nursery. I am ready to get back to a routine, as I always feel better after a workout.

I will report tomorrow on how the dinner goes tonight. I did pick up a nice bottle of wine, so I'm just going to make sure Greg indulges in some wine that way if the dinner goes array then he won't care :)!

On a side note, have you guys looked at any of the MET pictures? I loved Jessica Alba's look, she looked amazing. In fact, I thought all of Brad Goreski's clients looked MAJ as his nemesis would state. One look who definitely was worst dressed was Kim Kardishian. I swear, she is like Jessica Simpson was on her first baby. I feel bad for saying this, but she looks huge, and wearing body con dresses does not help her at all. I just wish she would start dressing like a pregnant lady. Kourtney always dressed so cute when she was pregnant so I hope as the older sister she would give Kim a few pointers.

Have a great day today!

JNK

"I still remember, when 30 was old"

"I still remember when 30 was old, my biggest fear was September when he had to go...". As I turned the big 30 this past Saturday, I couldn't help but recall that line from one of my all time favorite songs, "Strawberry Wine", by Deana Carter. The line is so perfect, " I still remember when 30 was old.." I remember thinking in my young 20's how old 30 seemed. It seemed like you were just a boring old adult, mature, aging etc. HA! I am so far from that :).

I died laughing from one of my pseudo sisters Kerry, reminded me of the ignorant things I said in my early twenties when consuming one to many adult beverages with she and my sister. She reminded me that I said when you turn 30 you have to cut your hair short and  not wear strapless dresses. As you can see that's when I could relate to the song, I remember when 30 was old.  I however, am excited about this new decade. I have many things I plan to accomplish in the next ten years. And you better believe I'm sporting strapless dresses especially if I'm working my tail off to get my body in shape, and keeping my hair long!

I want to continue to establish my career, I have taken almost a year off mainly due to the fact that there aren't any opportunities for me in Michigan. But during this past year, it has made me realize how much I miss the working environment. I'm competitive so I like the fast pace environment and putting your mind to work. Having said that though, I love spending some time with my little Bear right now and not having to rush back to work too soon. I want to continue to strengthen my marriage. I feel like it is more important as you have kids to carve out time for your partner. I never realized how difficult it is until we brought Bear in, and it definitely is. I plan to cherish and nourish my girlfriends. I have been blessed with truly some of the best girlfriends around. They are great sounding boards for any life problem, and more importantly are great inspiration for me as a friend, mother, wife, sister, and daughter. I want to see more of this great world in the next ten years. There are places and sporting events that are on my bucket list, that I would love to conquer in this decade. I want to pick up a new hobby preferably something Greg and I can do together. I think we are going to join a Tennis league this Summer. It's a great sport that we can do individually and together, and more importantly its something we can do as we age and get a good workout in. 

I am sure this decade will fly by, and I will sit back and hopefully be proud of the woman that I have evolved into during the next ten years and all of the things that I hopefully accomplished. 

We had a wonderful weekend, it was AMAZING weather here. We went and had lunch at a great steakhouse on Saturday, and then just hung out. It was nice to just have downtime with my boys, especially since Greg had been traveling the past week. On Sunday, we drove down to Ohio to spend sometime with Greg's family. It was so nice to get to spend time with them, as I really didn't get to meet his Aunt and one of his sister's until the wedding last year. The nice part of living in Michigan, is getting to see his side of the family more.

I am excited as this am, I head to the doctor to hopefully get clearance to hit the Gym. I was able to squeeze (yep, and you better believe I was not about to not zip up these jeans) into some of my skinnier pre pregnancy jeans. I must admit they are a bit too tight and probably have some muffin top hanging out. Which I am not a fan of, but in this case, I paired them with a nice tunic so no one will know. It's funny though, once I could put them on, I was not about to take them off, I need the boost this am.

Hope everyone is having good weather and can get outside. I hope you have a great week, and make sure and take time for yourself :). That's another goal of mine in the next ten years, as I'm sure life will just get more hectic as Bear gets older.

Cheers!

JNK

Man's Best Friend

As I mentioned before we have had some obstacles in the past year, some being in the past 5 weeks. Our little dog Rex, who turned 5 on St.Patrick's day has brought so much joy into our lives. Having said that though, he has been some would say DIFFICULT when it comes to training.

Rex has had a mind of his own the day he was born. Greg got him for my birthday and I will never forget the day I picked him up at DFW airport, such a cute little furry ball. Needless to say we have had our issues with him and his training. He went to Puppy Kindergarten, in which the teacher told me she didn't know how to help me. Awesome, right? Then we finally bit the bullet and took him to Man's Best Friend, where he boarded for two weeks. He definitely came back so much better. He could walk on his leash without biting it or pulling. And he knew commands by hand signals. Don't let me fool you though, he still jumps on people, barks at the doorbell, and wasn't the best with kids.

Yes, you read that last sentence correctly... He has never been good with kids. Knowing that, I started playing babies crying on my phone, and working with a fake baby doll. He hated the fake baby doll, I mean would lunge at it in my arms. Greg and I did a lot of research on how to introduce Rex to the baby and thought surely this little man who sleeps on my pillow every night will love this baby just as much as we do. WRONG! 

As soon as we brought Bear home, Rex was not a fan. Greg did the whole bring a blanket home with Bear's smell, and we brought Rex out of the house to meet him for the first time. Didn't matter. We ended up having to keep Rex's leash on him at all time and if Bear was out feeding Rex was in his crate. We knew that this was not fair to us or more importantly Rex. He was used to being out and with us when we were home. 

We debated what to do. There were days when we had enough of Rex's behavior and would discuss about calling the Welsh Terrier Rescue group. We knew that if he couldn't adjust to the baby, we would have to give him up. Bear was number one, and I would not to do anything to jeopardize him. I spent many days crying about this decision and praying about it. We had found a training place near us, called Canine Academy. This training facility took the dog for six weeks. They  took the dogs out to a farm, and retrained them. Rex would learn how to feel safe, because the trainer said he was acting out in fear.

We had come to a fork in the road on what to do. I did not want to be that family who gave up their dog. I am an animal lover, and this little guy had been my companion for the past five years, and we spent the past two years just the two of us while Greg was in Toronto. But, like I said before I love Bear more than Rex, and if Rex couldn't adjust then I had come to the conclusion that he would have to go.

So, we did an orientation at the Academy, this place as you can imagine is not cheap at all! Rex by far is the most expensive dog. Greg and I decided to just bite the bullet and do the training. That way even though there wasn't a guarantee he would be better,we would know that we tried everything in our power to make it work.

He left last week and like I said will be there for at least six weeks, maybe even longer if he isn't adapting as quickly. The owner of Canine Academy is great, she said that even if he can't adjust to the baby, that with this training he will be a great dog for a family who has older kids. The academy would even help place him in a great home, should it come to that. I just pray Rex will come back better, and can stay in our home. We know that it's not just Rex, it's Greg and I working with him. I also know that I have to be able to trust him, and if I can't trust Rex, then it may not work out. I tear up just thinking about that.

I have had great support from our family and friends, as they know how much this little guy means to me. I also know that when I was in second grade, I adopted a 5 year old long hair dachshund whose family couldn't keep him because they were newly married and had too many dogs. I adored Freddy, so I  know that if Rex can't adapt that some little girl or boy will fall in love with him and can give him a good home.

I pray for Rex that this training works, and I miss him dearly around the house. I especially miss my pillow buddy at night!

JNK