Southern Comfort, Baby Birthday, and a Dog Whisperer

Two weekends ago, Brett and I headed over to OIB to go to Laney's first birthday party.  I can't believe she is one.  Anyway, I made my way to the beautiful little Southern town of Southport to get coffee with Megan and Whitney at Moore Street Market before Laney's party.  I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to be around these two women.  Although I had to wake up early on my first morning without Piper, it was well worth it.  I love their spirits and hearts, and cherish time with them.

After coffee, I headed over to New Beginnings to Laney's party.  Although it was a little windy, the sun was out, warming the chill that had been on my body from this extended winter weather we're having. Laura and Will did such a great job with everything.  They had a ton of snacks and pizza, a bouncy house and ball pit, cupcakes for the guests, and a lot of balloons and Laney decorations. 

We ate lunch, then went inside to watch Laney eat her cake and open presents.  Laney seemed a little unsure about te cake at first, but ended up loving it. The biggest smile she had was when she shoved a piece in Will and Laura's mouth. Adorable.  I think it is an understatement to say that that child is loved.  Laney was able to last through about half of her presents before she started to check out and get tired.  Girl was a warrior though to get through even half of her presents!

Birthday girl

Cousin and sis-in-love

These two are hilarious together

So sweet.

Hubby

I love how silly he is.

Lillian is stylin' in those shades.

Cousins: Laney and Nora

Laney about ready to dig into her cake.

First bite!

Letting Daddy have a taste.

I think she likes it.

Now Mommy can try it.

My favorite.

Mommy and baby

Laney with our present we got her.  A gift from a coach. Working on that hand-eye coordination. 

One of the great decorations for the party

Uncle Sam and Auntie Maggie's present was a hit.

Uncle B and a tired little Laney

That sweet smile.

Babies' turn in the bouncy house.

Love my niece

After Laney's party, we headed back to the beach house for some ACC basketball tournament and some rest.  Sam mentioned going to Provision Company for dinner.  It ended up being a quadruple date with Brett and me, Sam and Maggie, Yogi and Gail, and Ms. Leslie and Mr. David.  I had such a fun time with them.  Not only was the shrimp burger amazing, the fellowship was great too.

I'm so glad we were able to make it to Laney's party.  The only way that was possible was to have my dad, whom Brett named the "dog whisperer," stay with Piper.  Piper slept through the night for the first time while Dad was here.  He taught her touch and sit.  He also taught her not to bite down too hard.  We wish he could come every week. Piper just loved her granddaddy. Thanks for watching her, Dad!

Piper loves her granddad.  She's even smiling!

Well that's my recap of Laney's first birthday party. So glad we could be a part of that sweet memory.

Piper: Week 9

Today, "Pint Pipe" (as Brett calls her) turns 10 weeks old.  Piper has developed a lot the last week.  Below are her week 9 highlights:

• Piper is probably between 7-9 pounds right now, unlike 4.2 pounds when we went to the vet last week.  It's amazing how fast she's grown.
• She has mastered sit, as long as you have something in your hand that she wants.  We're still working on her sitting whenever we say it.
• She's slowly learning "no bite."  When we say "no bite," she starts barking at us, but doesn't bite as much. Seems like a game to her.
• Piper LOVES to play fetch.  She is quickly learning what "drop" means: she can stalk the ball again and pounce on it when she's almost there.
• Piper also LOVES sweatshirt strings.  She could play with those all day.
• We're working on "lay down" right now. That will be especially helpful when she starts jumping up when Brett and I are eating.  She is driven by her stomach, that's for sure.
• We started going on walks regularly, typically 2-3 times a day.  She started out really well, but now she's hit a little rut where she wants to sit and not move.  We're working through it.
• She has done really, really well with her crate training (knock on wood).  She'll now go to the gate that blocks the hallway to the front door when she needs to go outside.
• Thank goodness she has started to sleep through the night.  We have cut out the 3-5 AM trip outside, and can now go from about 11 PM to 6 or 7 AM.  This tired puppy mommy is very happy about that.  And when I'm happy, Brett is very thankful.
• Her new favorite thing to do to get on Mommy and Daddy's nerves is to go under the couch.  Within one second, she can crawl from one side of the couch all the way to the other.  It's pretty impressive.

Well I think that's a pretty good update on Piper's 9 week update.  She is Daddy's best pal (aside from me of course), and Mommy's lap dog.  We love her so much!

Piper under the couch

Sleepy girl

Piper with her "sister" when we first brought her home versus Piper with her sister this week.

Mommy's lap dog.

Practicing her "free throw" shooting with Dadd

On our walk

One of her favorite sleeping positions.

Meet Piper

Brett and I added a new addition to our family: our golden retriever Piper!  Adopting Piper has been a 4 year process.  When Sasha, my first dog, passed away on January 11, 2010, there was a huge whole in my heart.  In the month following her passing, I searched for a dog.  I almost adopted a 1 year old black lab mix, but didn't given my schedule.  That dog hole was somewhat filled once my parents brought Sierra home in February of that year.

Brett and I started dating shortly after we brought Sierra home.  Because we were in a long distance relationship, I traveled a lot.  I wouldn't have been able to give a dog a great home, with lots of attention and time.  Brett's and my first year and a half of marriage was full of tons of weddings and travel, too.  Again, getting a dog was put on the backburner.

During Brett's first recruiting trip this past recruiting season, I stayed up until 1 AM looking for a golden retriever.  The loneliness of Brett being gone so long during recruiting was really getting to me.  I longed for a dog.  The timing seemed to be right.  I spent every night that he was gone researching.  Finally, Brett and I decided on a breeder (Sure Foundation Kennels), who happened to have a 10 puppy litter that was born on January 13.  Needless to say, I was ecstatic. 

In February, Brett and I made the trip to Liberty, NC to pick out our top two choices (we were number two in line for females).  All of the puppies were adorable, but we made our top two choices: red girl and pink and green girl (the runt).  I was nervous all week while we awaited which puppy the first person picked.  With great disappointment- at the time- he picked our first choice.  I was heartbroken, but quickly focused my attention on our girl: the pink and green girl.  Brett's favorite. The runt. The fighter.  Piper.

Over the three weeks following when we picked Piper out, the breeder Jessica sent me pictures or videos almost daily.  She started calling Piper by name, which was fantastic.  I got to watch her grow.  We got to see her personality blossom.  I couldn't wait to bring her home.

On March 8th, Brett and I headed to pick up our baby.  The 2.5 hours seemed to take forever.  It was hard to contain my excitement.  We were able to meet my mom at the breeder's so she could meet her fur grandbaby.  Mom even brought Piper some treats for when she is older (already spoiling her granddog).  After we made sure Piper had gone to the bathroom, Brett and I got in the car and headed home.  I sat in the back seat with Piper, and she slept the whole way home!!!  Such a good girl.

Jessica took pictures of the puppies every week since they were 1 week old.  I figured I would continue the task of posting one summary post every week about how Piper is doing.  She will be 9 weeks tomorrow, so this is week 8 in review.

Our first week at home has been very tiring.  Piper whined every hour her first night in her crate, which is understandable given she was the runt and was without her siblings.  She's been getting better with her crate training, now only whining less than 5 minutes after we put her in, and sometimes not even whining!

Here are some of her highlights from this week:

• She had her first vet appointment on Monday, and did so well!  She weighed in at a whopping 4.2 pounds.  The vet was fantastic with her, and Piper didn't even whine during her shots. Thanks Kelly for recommending Dr. Moseley to us!
• She started walking on a leash.  We started by getting her used to the weight of the leash (because she's so small).  She now walks on the leash without biting it too much.
• She's had a couple of accidents, to be expected, but she went to the door once to let me know she had to go out.  I consider that progress.
• She learned "touch" from my dad when he stayed with her this weekend.
• She's in the process of learning sit.  She can do it sometimes, but she gets so excited that it doesn't last long.
• She was introduced to the brush.
• She met and played with her best buds, Luke and James. So glad she can be introduced to children.    She does great with them so far!
• She went in her crate for the first time by herself to take a nap. I love that she is getting comfortable with the safety of her crate. 

James telling Piper that she can get in her crate.

Well, now you've been introduced to our little love Piper. Check back here next week for week 9 in review!