Snow Days

Last week we had a pretty big snow storm. Around here it was called Snowmageddon since we don't get much snow. Daycare was only open 1/2 of one day so we were "stuck" at home for much of the week. We played in the snow some, but Canaan lost interest pretty quickly each time. Every time we went outside, Canaan wanted to eat the snow. We made sure she knew to only eat the really white snow. When we asked her if she understood, she told us not to eat the red, blue, or yellow snow. At least she remembered the part about the yellow snow. There were parts of our yard/deck that had around 8 inches of snow. Unlike many in the Seattle area, we never lost power. We were thankful for that but did get a little cabin fever before the week was over.

More of these days

While eating dinner out with the Bells, Canaan entertained us with her monkey and elephant (do you see her trunk?) impersonations. She is even better at her monkey impression now as she has added a shriek to the end of the "oohoohooh". We really need to get this stuff on video.




We visited the dog park for some exercise and to get out of the house on President's Day. Matthew and I were both home for the day. Neither of us actually had the day as a holiday, but daycare was closed. I had planned to stay home with Canaan, but after my weekend trip to the ER with a kidney stone Matthew stayed home too to make sure everything was ok.




Canaan is quite the fashionista with this new outfit from Grandma. When I asked her to give me a smile, this was the best I got. Clearly she is not impressed with getting her picture taken. We'll just call these action shots.

These days

Here are a few things that have been going on around our house lately.

1. Canaan's daycare class celebrated Valentine's Day with a little party. This is one of my favorite outfits Canaan wears - this looks just like Max as a puppy with some red hearts around it.



2. Canaan still enjoys playing with Max, sharing her food with him, giving him treats, trying to get Max to chase her, cuddling with Max, hugging, and kissing Max.



3. Canaan always enjoys practicing the many faces she likes to make. (I think she gets that from her dad.)



4. We are also seeing signs of Spring. The temperature is getting a little bit warmer, the rain is actually rain and not mist, and we're seeing flowers and trees start to bloom.

50 weeks (May 8th)

We actually had nice weather for a day or two and tried to play with some bubbles outside. Apparently, the $1 deal bubbles at Target were not even worth a dollar. We'll have to get some more to try now that we're having warmer days.

We often see Canaan in this position when she's found anything on the floor. She picks it up and inspects it very seriously.

Enjoying some family time in Mom and Dad's room.

And then the weather got cold again. Here we are after a walk.

While Canaan and I were walking, Matthew and Max were playing. Max swam for a bit and played fetch. Once we all got home, Matthew noticed Max was bleeding and had quite the gash in one of his paws. So here we are at the emergency vet clinic. Max ended up getting 3 stitches in his paw.

Max was supposed to wear this cone for at least a week. He got it late Saturday night. The poor guy ran in to EVERYTHING with that thing on. He looked so depressed and wouldn't eat or go to the bathroom. Matthew took it off him Monday because he couldn't stand seeing Max in it anymore. Max did great and never tried to chew on his paw or bandage.

• Canaan LOVES to open and close everything - doors, her phone, books, etc. Grandma taught her open and close when they kept her a couple of weekends ago.
• She likes to play more (i.e. she teases us by "running" away from us).
• She laughs at, climbs on and over, and teases Max.
• When eating finger foods, Canaan will hold food out to Max, smile, and then put the food in her mouth.
  
  
  
  

49 weeks (May 1st)

Matthew rented a power rake and did this to the entire front and back lawn. He then spent several hours (with help from a friend) bagging all that grass.

This dog knows how to relax!

• If you point to something, generally you can get Canaan to look in that direction.
• When in a high chair in a restaurant, Canaan is really entertained by all that is going on all around her. It is hard to feed her at times because she is looking around.
• She likes to stand up in her bathtub. At almost every bath, she wants to touch the faucet and the drain.
• She fell down the two steps between our laundry room and garage and scraped the side of her face.

34 Weeks (as of Jan 16, 2010)

• This week Canaan tried bananas. They are super sweet. So far, I would guess this is her least favorite by the look on her face. She will still eat them though.
• She took her first bath in her tub without the infant sling.
• She started making what resembles a fish face.
• We had a follow-up visit with Canaan's gastroenterologist this week. We are supposed to use a less hypo-allergenic formula for supplementing and to continue to add solid foods every 5 to 6 days.
• She weighs 16 pounds 3 1/2 ounces. She has gained almost 10 pounds. She was 6 pounds 4 ounces when she was born.
• When sitting in your lap, Canaan will push with her legs to a standing position.
• When interested in something, she very purposefully touches it with her index finger and has almost a scowl on her face.
• Matthew took Max to the park on Tuesday. When Max would run back to Matthew with his ball or toy, Canaan would laugh. Last Saturday was her first stroller ride without her infant carrier. I'm sure she enjoys being able to sit up and see what's going on.
• Canaan almost always smiles when she sees Max come into a room.
• She is very interested in Max's paws.

24 Weeks

Canaan is getting more fun all the time.

I have the hardest time trimming her fingernails. No matter how tightly I think I am holding her fingers, she can always wiggle them.

She has been splashing more in the bathtub. One night this week she splashed soap on Max's nose.

She likes looking in the mirror but mostly looks at who is holding her rather than noticing herself.

She gets excited when she sees her bottle.

She is really entertained by other kids.

I forgot to mention that I started eating nuts when Canaan turned 5 months old. I have really enjoyed being able to eat peanut butter. Thankfully, she has not had any reaction to the nuts.

This week I got some pictures of Matthew reading to her, Canaan playing on her play gym/mat, the day we thought she was getting a cold that thankfully only lasted one day(wearing the green polka-dot pjs, doesn't her nose just look stuffy?), what happens when Max wants to be included in floor playtime, and Canaan with her bunny. I just can't get enough of this girl.

One of Us

Two years ago today, Max became part of our family. At the time, I have to admit I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had only had one dog in my lifetime which was a completely different experience.

I think Max is doing well with Canaan. He is definitely curious about her and likes to sniff and lick her. When I give her a bath each night, he stands by the tub and tries to lick water out of it. 99.4% of the time I am feeding Canaan in the nursery, Max follows us in there and lays there while I feed her. He goes into her room at night after she's in bed or in the morning while she's still in bed to check on her. He has been really good about leaving her toys alone. He will not know what to do when she starts crawling and chasing him around. I hope he will learn soon not to be afraid. I keep telling him that one day he and Canaan will be the best of friends.

Since Canaan's arrival, he has not gotten as much exercise as before. It is more difficult to get to the park or pond now days, and frankly, it just hasn't been a priority for us. He still gets a lot of attention and love; however, he knows something is different.

One strange thing he's been doing (other than bringing the wood pile one log at a time into the yard) is spending time laying in our closet. We have no idea why he's doing this.

Max still thinks he's a lap dog. He loves to lay on Matthew and this week alone he has sat on my lap twice when I've been sitting on the floor.

You can see from at least one of these pictures that this dog knows how to relax. He is allowed on our bed and generally has his head on a pillow. While we would both like to be rid of the dog hair on the bed, we both enjoy Max's cuddling...especially when it's cold outside. On a sad note, I just realized tonight I've only taken a handful of pictures of Max since Canaan came along. Poor Max.

My Theory

You might want to hold on to your seat for this one. I will just give you the disclaimer now. I know that many people have studied and hypothesized about Stonehenge for many years now...many people smarter than I. I do, however, have my own theory about how Stonehenge came into existence.

Are you ready?

Are you sure you're ready?

Ahem...

After much thought and research, I believe either dinosaurs or really large dogs must have been playing with those stones and just left them in that formation once they came across something more entertaining. Please see the research/evidence below.

What do you think?

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Not as much as Max. At least, I think Max would give him a run for his money.




Do you remember this wood pile? This has been Max's new pile of adventure. When Max got out of our yard by chewing through the fence, the vet suggested dousing it with a solution of water and cayenne pepper. He said most dogs will stop chewing because they don't like the cayenne. Max is not one of those dogs. It doesn't seem to bother him at all.

Max got a new toy for his birthday. It was 10 minutes before it turned from a fun toy to a pile of stuffing and string. 10 minutes!! Crazy dog.

Max is 2

Max is 2 today!

Here are a couple of pictures from today and a couple of pictures from the day we brought him home (October 2007).