Just Call Him "Shark Tooth"

Just another exciting Friday night in the H. household! Justin has fallen asleep putting Stella to sleep, Madison just went to bed and after a peaceful shower I've decided to try brushing the dog's teeth for the first time. The dog that I did not want until the girls were a little older. The dog that I swore could only come into this household if it were an adult. the dog that I was promised would NOT be my responsibility if I just let someone bring him home.

Okay time to get off the soap box. Much to my surprise, horror, disgust. I found two rows of top teeth staring at me when I opened Tucker's jaw. He is only six months old so I wiggled a few wondering if maybe some were loose baby teeth. No such luck! I also thought something was up with his lower teeth but have not gotten around to thoroughly inspecting them yet.

I immediately snapped a few shots to share with my bloggy friends. Go figure only one shot of my wiggly puppy with his mouth being pried open with one of my hands while I snapped away with the other came out. Next I googled this freak of nature to try and guestimate how many dollars I can kiss goodbye. I found out that this is not too uncommon especially in smaller dogs. It seems as though the roots of the baby teeth don't completely die off so the teeth don't fall out prior to the adult teeth coming in. They could possibly fall out but many people that were dealing with the same poochy problem were advised by their vets to have the teeth extracted if still there at a year old. On average extractions are about $100 per tooth. I'm pretty sure I counted 6 teeth (4 of which you can see in the pic) so I'm none too happy with this answer.

I'll be calling our vet on Monday 'cause we'll be out of town tomorrow but in the meantime I was wondering if anyone in the blogosphere has ever dealt with this type of dilemma? If so please share with me what you did about it. If you any kind of vet experience or better yet are a vet I'd love to hear from you too.

Toothfully Yours,

Tracy and Tucker aka "Shark Tooth"

Making Me Feel Better About 30!

The BIG 3-0 is quickly approaching for me. Two months and 1 week to be exact. A day that I begged for no parties, no fuss, just another day. Justin just won't let it slip though. Instead he has decided to combine both of our 30th birthdays, our fifth anniversary and also team up with his cousin who was planning her husband's 40th. To plan a trip to this....

and this...

oh and this...

on this!!!!

One week on a 59' houseboat in Lake Powell, Utah. Completely unlike any other trip we have ever been on but pretty darn cool! Isn't my hubby awesome?

All About Madison's Big Day!

Yesterday was such a great day!

Somebody was not impressed with the camera at 6:30 a, but hey I had to capture the big day.

Next came cupcakes for all of Madison's friends at school.

There were presents including a "just what I always wanted" gift.

And of course CAKE!

Now for what you have all been waiting for...

Yep sushi was the dinner of choice! Nothing raw for her though so I guess she really only had rolls. Close enough. She also dined on seaweed salad and Passion Fruit Bubble Tea. No one was allowed to use forks at dinner according to Madison and I have to say her chopstick skills far surpassed her grandparents'!

Congrats to Danielle for guessing! Does it count since Danielle knows Madison in real life and knows that she is not a picky eater? Anyway the prize was going to be Madison's mixed cd party favor from her birthday party. Danielle will be at the party and get one anyway so she and Eliza will also be getting Baby Signs Potty Training Starter Kit (more info on this later)! Dana's initial thoughts were sushi too so she'll be getting a copy of Madison's tunes too!

Happy Birthday Madison and a Contest!

***OOPS!!!**** I meant to post this tomorrow morning but it is late and I'm half asleep. So deal people (and I mean that in the nicest possible way). Madison's birthday is tomorrow not today. Good Night I'm outta here!

Happy 4th Birthday Madison! You are getting to be such a big girl! You love to sing, dance, go to gymnastics and help Mommy cook. You are obsessed with all things pink and princess but still have no problem getting your hands dirty helping Daddy outside! You also happen to be the best big sister that any baby or puppy could ever ask for!

Daddy and I love you so very much!

Now on to that contest. We have some special birthday plans in the works for today and also a party for Saturday. This year is the first year Madison gets to pick her own special birthday dinner. So what exactly does a 4 yeaer old choose to have on the menu for this big occasion? Anyone who makes the correct guess will win something. I'm just not sure what yet but don't worry I'll make it good! I will let you know that we will be eating out and also that Madison does love chicken fingers but her palatte extends far beyond the basics. The name of the restaurant is not necessary just the type of food that Madison has picked will do. Check back tomorrow for a birthday follow up and the answer to our big question. Happy guessing!

P.S. Thanks for the tips MckMama! The colors pop sooooooooo more! Imagine what can happen if I actually use this program.

Happy Half Birthday!

Half a year old! I feel like you just entered this world and at the same time it seems as though you have always been a part of our family!

You are now 26 3/4 inches and weigh 15lbs 15 oz. You love your Jumperoo, Mommy's off key singing, watching your nutty big sister and sweet potatoes!

You have been sleeping through the night for over 3 months, are just about to sit up all by yourself, babble and squeal constantly and just started passing toys between hands.

You are still not a fan of belly time although you tolerate more and more, don't roll over regularly and have yet to cut the teeth that Mommy swore were breaking through two months ago.

We love you so much but can you please stop growing so fast? Just be a baby a little while longer!

Handmade Needs Our Help!

A few weeks ago I received a beautiful organic, handmade seahorse rattle from Ecoleeko. I had planned on telling you that this ecofriendly rattle handmade of hand dyed Bamboo Fleece and Organic Cotton Corduroy. I was also going to mention that it is stuffed with natural Kapok fiber and is easy for little hands to grip unlike some of the larger, plastic rattles on the market. I would have followed this statement with the fact that the rattle is also biodegradable and that it is Stella's favorite toy!

The reason I say that I would have talked about these facts is because if some people have their way handmade toys like this rattle may not be available in the near future. Last weekend Sue from Ecoleeko contacted me making me aware of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that was passed in August 2008. It was passed as a way to prevent dangerous toys from being sold in the U.S. by banning lead and phthalates in children's products, mandates third party testing and certification, and requiring manufacturers of all goods for children under the age of 12, to permanently label each item with a date and batch number. This law will prohibit many small handmade businesses that create anything kid related from existing after February without paying large sums of money for each of their products to be certified. Sums of money that small companies and toy makers CAN NOT afford! Their only choice will be to stop making the many toys that our children love.

Please make yourself aware and help change this law by checking out http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia.

You can also learn more at these two sites

http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/ (This site has a petition you can sign and also a sample letter you can send to your Congressmen and Senators)

http://cpsia-central.ning.com/

Please visit and pass on the info!

MeMe Friday

Hello All! Yes I am still alive. In the midst of cleaning, diapering, feeding, teaching the ABC's, housebreaking an working outside of the home time just seemed to get away from me. I have lots to post about but only have a few minutes right now so I thought I would do something quick and fun. This is a survey my cousin Amy posted on Myspace about her and her husband so I thought I'd borrow it and add details about Justin and I. Feel free to keep the borrowing going. Enjoy!

♥ What are your middle names​?​Richard and Ann
How long have you been toget​her?​ almost 11 years, 4 1/2 married
♥ How long did you know each other​ befor​e you start​ed datin​g?​a month or so
♥ Who asked​ who out?he asked​ me
♥Who said I love you first​?me, I think
How old are each of you? both 29
♥ Who'​s sibli​ngs do you see the most?​ my brother and his fiance
♥ Do you have any child​ren toget​her?​2 girlies
♥ What about​ pets?​1 dog
♥ Which​ situa​tion is the harde​st on you as a coupl​e?deciding between a tight budget and me being home most of the time or me going back to work full time
♥ Did you go to the same schoo​l?​nope
♥ Are you from the same homet​own?​nope
♥ Who is the smart​est?​Me with book smarts but he has more business savvy
♥ Who is the most sensi​tive?neither, we are not very emotional people, guess we should work on that
♥ Where​ do you eat out most as a couple? Labrador Lounge but we always love to try new places
♥ Where​ is the furth​est you two have trave​led toget​her as a coupl​e?​Mexico. So far any real distant trips have been taken separately. Guess we need to change that.
♥ Who has the crazi​est exes?​Well one of mine was nicknamed Psycho Nut by my friends so I would have to say me
♥ Who has the worst​ tempe​r?​me
♥ Who does the cooki​ng?Usually me even though he cooked in several restaurants while in school
♥Who is the most socia​l?Probably him but neither of us is a wall flower
♥ Who is the neat-​freak​?depends on the situation
♥ Who is the most stubb​orn?​me, but he can be too
♥ Who hogs the bed?Neither. I like my space and he is a snuggler so unfortunately their is usually about 4 feet of bed on the other side of him.. I've actually hopped over him in the middle of the night when he is just too close!
♥ Who wakes​ up earli​er?​him
♥ Where​ was your first​ date?Pt. Pleasant boardwalk in April. Cold! Cold! Cold!
♥Who has the bigge​r famil​y?​His immediate family but all cousins, aunts and uncles taken into consideration they are about even. we see his much more often though.
♥Do you get flowe​rs often​?​every now and then
♥Who do you spend​ the holid​ays with?​We split time among both families. It is only fair especially now that we have kids
♥Who is more jealo​us?​neither
♥How long did it take to get serio​us? Awhile, I always said he was a great guy but not the one I was going to marry. Guess I was wrong!
♥Who sings​ bette​r?​ This question should be who sings worse! At least I hear the beat/rhythm of music
♥Who does/​did the laund​ry?Mostly me, whenever he tries an article of clothing is bound to get ruined!
Who’​s bette​r with the compu​ter?equally clueless
♥Who drive​s when you are toget​her?​he drives going out I usually drive on the way home. Cocktails anyone?
♥Who picks​ where​ you go to dinne​r?Both but he does most of social planning
♥Who named​ your pet?Madison. We originally named him Kingston but Madison kept calling him Pig Skin so when we asked her what she wanted to name the dog she said Tucker!
♥Who wears​ the pants​ in the relat​ionsh​ip?​I let him think he does!
Who has more tatto​os?​5 for him and 2 for me
♥Who eats more sweet​s?​me. He doesn't like them
♥Who cries​ more?​Neither of us are criers
♥Are you still​ toget​her?Yep!

Wordless Thursday

Never got around to it yesterday so I figured I would post today. Couldn't decide on a favorite pic of our sleepy pup!

Almost There!

She's Up!

And She's Back Down!
Now Can Someone Please Teach Her How To Roll Over?

Getting Back To Normal

All better baby!

Brothers wrestling

Madison and Brody

Madison and Tucker

I'm very happy to announce that we are getting back to normal here. Whatever that may be! Madison is back to her fun loving, ever on the go self. I swear if you look hard enough you can see the gears turning in her head thinking up what to do next! Stella is much, much better. We never took a trip to the E.R. because after her econd neb. treatment I could definately see an improvement. She still has to use the neb. until Friday than it is check up time at the ped.'s office.

The puppies are home and have been named. Originally ours was Kingston but Madison kept calling him Pig Skin so we opted for Tucker. As long as Stella can pronounce her T's when she gets older we will be good to go! My parents chose Brody which was my first choice for our dog but it's all good! Both dogs are adjustin really well and house breaking is much easier with them than any other dog we have had so far. Hope that doesn't change! Here is a few pics of them for now. I don't really have many of Brody cause we kept them apart for the first couple of days in order to adjust to their new seperate homes. I'm working on a neb picture for Stella but it is not as easy as it sounds. maybe for Wordless Wednesday. Off to bed. Good night all!

****STELLA UPDATE****

We are back from the doctor's office. Stella is finally sleeping in my mom's arms (although very restless) and I am about to give Madison her bath. She has bronchiolitis which the doctor said is very common in babies her age. She is wheezing but not to severely (according to the doc) and has been put on nebulizer treatments 3 times a day for a week. Back for a check up in a week.

Unfortunatelt we were seen by the one doctor in the practice that I don't particularly love today and I'm not 100% sold on her diagonosis. The docotr thought Stella sounded much better after her first neb treatment in the office and said she couldn't hear any wheezing. kind of strange 'cause I could clearly hear it without a stethoscope. I also thought it was weird that we do not have to revisit the doc for a whole week because a lot could change in that long of a period of time. the doc also looked at me like I had 3 heads when I said the baby's urine output wasn't as much as usual even though she has been drinking plenty of fluids. I also mentioned that her urine was amber in color and strong smelling. Not even a look in her diaper! the doc's response was "She seems well hydrated and I highly doubt she has a UTI on top of everything else." If there is no change for the better with the pee pee making or breathing by later this afternoon it looks like we'll be off to the E.R. Why couldn't one of the 10 other docs that I love be on call today?
well I thinked I mentioned everything. For now everything seems some what okay but we will just have to play wait and see. Oh and only 5 more hours to puppy time. What the H. E. double hockey sticks was I thinking?

Off to the doctors

Madison is finally feeling so much better. Unfortunately Stella has gotten progressively sicker since last night. I stayed up holding her all night waiting for the slightest change that would be the deciding factor in goin to the E.R. By 6:00 am I was on the phone with our ped's answering service. We have an 8:45 appt. I'm no expert but her breathing seems labored and I can feel hert chest rattling. Letters like R.S.V. and the nasty word pneumonia keep swirling in my head. I'm praying that it won't but I will not be suprosed if we are off to the hospital. I feel like a first time mom treading this new territory. Madison has never been this sick and never even got a cold until she was a year old. So off we go. Keep you posted.

And yes the dogs are still set to arrive tonight. We'll deal with that when the time comes!

P.S. Did I forget? Happy New Year!

Name Those Puppies!

Well it is official I have completely lost my mind! I gave in to Justin and Madison and we are adopting a dog. I knew we would always get another dog after Murphy but I had planned on waiting until Stella was a little older. Two weeks ago I caved in and we have been searching ever since. Originally Justin really wanted another Newfoundland but I convinced him that something about 100 lbs. lighter would probably be better while the girls are so small. So we decided on another Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He is arriving tomorrow evening via Newark airport! Even crazier is the fact that my parents decided they wanted to adopt his brother so we'll officially have twins in the family. They are 5 months old and have been named Ryan and Dariuz by their shelter. We are not crazy about either name so now we are searchin for some new ones. We have a few names in mind but are not set on anything for sure. I would love to hear any ideas that anyone has and am not opposed to a duo. We would also be up for two names that have something in common like Burton and O'Neil. Sooooooo let those names rip!

Ryan (top)

Dariuz (bottom)

Helping Out Cora's Cause!

Several weeks ago I came across a young family's blog. Tragically this family had just lost their beautiful baby girl Cora who was diagnosed with cancer just three weeks earlier. There has not been a day that goes by that I don't think about how their hearts must be breaking. On more than one occasion it has made me hold my girls just a little bit tighter and give them just a few extra kisses.

During there time of pain they have decided to honor her memory by building a playground in her name. The family has just opened up an awesome Etsy shop to help pay for the playground. Everything in the store is absolutely gorgeous! I personally can't wait to get my hands on a onesie dress for Stella just as soon as one is listed and not immediately sold! You seriously need to check out the shop and purchase something to help out their cause. Not only will you be doing a good deed but you'll be getting something soooooo adorable in return! Now go and check it out!