Way Overdue

Wow!  I am WAY overdue for a post.  I also feel awful that my last post was a long rant.  Oh well!  Life has been beyond crazy lately, and if I'm not working or running I'm generally sleeping.  Things are starting to wind down a little now that the Christmas season has passed, and life is starting to return back to normal.  So, for this first post back after a month-long hiatus, I suppose I have some filling in to do.

Well, honestly, life hasn't been super exciting.  Thanksgiving kicked off the busy season at the kennel, and Hans and I have been so pleased with how well things are going.  The only issue is that, until we hire some more people, we're also working a lot more.  Hans has done a wonderful job of taking up my slack (I can't believe how much faster I wear out now), but he's starting to wear down too.  So, we are looking at hiring some new people.  I'd really love to get to the point where I only have to work part time and Hans can come in only as absolutely needed.  As it is, I made a point this month of making sure we always have at least 1 day off a week.  We need that time together.

Things in Baby-land are progressing nicely.  The biggest issue I've had is putting on weight.  I was starting to do well, but then I caught the flu and dropped 5 pounds in 2 days.  I'm now 1.5 pounds UNDER my starting weight, and I'm worried the doctor will scold me for not taking it easy enough.  Of course, the alternative would be putting on TOO MUCH weight, and I certainly wouldn't want that to happen.  I'm really just trying to make healthy decisions while occasionally throwing in a high calorie option every now and then (like the cheese steak I ate tonight).  I am still running, although my time has slowed considerably.  I just get winded so easily now!

Hans and I are starting to really focus on preparing the nursery.  I have big ideas for it, and I really just need to get in there and play with the space.  I have the feeling we'll be making a trip or two to Ikea here soon.

In other big purchases news, we did do something yesterday to really focus on preparing for a family.  We bought a new car!!  Hans and I both LOVE our Prius, and it's been a wonderful car for the past 7 years, but on our last trip to MN it became startlingly obvious that we would never be able to fit 2 dogs, 2 adults, and a baby in it.  And that's without even considering the times we've also transported the cats, other dogs, or even other people.  We needed something larger...preferably something with three rows of seats.  So, started looking around.

We'd been looking at the Toyota Highlander or the Toyota Sienna, but after asking other families and reading consumer reports, we finally opted for the Honda Odyssey.  I completely love it.  It's large enough for everyone and everything, and it's completely luxurious.  I'm starting to feel a bit like a soccer mom!

Ours is Celestial Blue.  On my screen, though, this photo is showing up as more of a grey / silver.

 In Dog-land, Cody and Lollie are doing quite well.  I think they both thoroughly enjoyed a little break after Christmas, followed by three days of lying in bed with me while I recovered from my flu bug.  They were wonderful care takers, and I could not have asked for more.  Cody, who had been nursing a pulled groin, seems to be doing much better, and I'm starting to take him out on longer walks and even some slow runs with me.  He hates getting up early enough to go out, but he's always so happy afterward, so I know I'm doing the right thing.  Lollie continues to slowly warm up to Hans, but had a bit of a set back after snuggling with me for three days.  It's all about Mom now, and I'm kind of OK with that.  At least she's starting to get comfortable enough to play with him now.  She did have a bit of an allergic outbreak this month, and its hesitancy to completely calm down has caused me to schedule another vet appointment.  Ah, my poor special-needs child!

Well, that's about it for now.  I hope all is well out in blog land!