Damn It! I think I kind of like the dog.

I believe I actually uttered those words last Saturday, while I was cuddling with Alley on the kitchen floor. She thinks she's a lap dog, but already doesn't really fit into mine, and I'm curious about how this will pan out when she weighs 70 pounds. We had a lovely Valentine's Day, up at 6am with a whimpering puppy, but a lazy morning on the couch filled with phone conversations with family and a yummy waffle breakfast. We took Alley to Greenlake, a popular area to walk in Seattle. It was VERY busy with people and lots of other dogs, sensory overload for a puppy, but everyone just thought she was so adorable and kept stopping us to ask about her. About 2 miles into the 2.8 miles around the lake, I felt a sudden strange tug on the leash that was trailing behind me, and turned around to see Alley LAYING DOWN, back puppy paws sprawled out behind her, in the middle of the busy trail, with everyone else giggling at Jon and I hysterically. I guess she was tired. Jon had to carry her 25+ pounds the rest of the way! The good news is that she was pretty tuckered out after that, so we were able to enjoy making an artichoke appetizer, beef wellington, squash, and chocolate fondue and strawberries, plus a great bottle of wine from our Napa honeymoon to celebrate our first Valentine's Day as husband and wife.

We've had a good couple of weeks. Alley is truly a sweet dog. She loves to cuddle and has beautiful puppy dog eyes and droopy ears that when she cocks her head to the side will just melt your heart. She is asking to go out and pottying in the backyard almost all the time. She settles down and doesn't cry through the night, and she definitely has "sit" down, even if she doesn't know any other command. A Sprite can filled with coins has been the noise that has helped us get her to stop biting us, which may have saved her from getting kicked back onto the streets last Thursday when I was pretty fed up. Alley loves to play with all of her toys, and she's pretty good at fetch in the backyard already. Many areas still need improvement, like walking on a leash...in one direction, without lagging, pulling, stopping. etc. Alley will be goind to her first day of Puppy Kindergarten, a six week obedience class, next Saturday. I can't wait!

Today's my day off, and we were up at 5am with the whimpering dog, and we were out of coffee beans. I'm hoping for a nap before the weekend begins with a ski trip with Jon's company tonight, dinner with a family from church tomorrow, and work on Sunday morning and then guests at our place for the Oscars.

It's quiet...I gotta go see what the puppy is destroying!

Happy Valentine's Day!

DOUGHNUT make you want to be her valentine? She's ours!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!
Love,
The VanderMeulen's
Jon, Nicole, Oscar, and Alley

We're Parents!!!!?!?!?

Puppy parents!!! Meet Alley!!! She is the newest member of our family. Bored? Did I utter that word in my last post. Hmm...I should have known that would come back to kick me in the ass. That was fast!
Last Thursday, Leya (the woman I nanny for) stopped by church with this GORGEOUS, SWEET puppy in their van. She had found her in the alley behind Goodwill, drinking her own pee. Leya has a heart of gold and couldn't possibly leave her, but the Stefanski's also already have two big dogs, and three small children, so she knew she couldn't keep her. Leya put up posters and sent around pictures on facebook and through email and took the dog to the vet to check for a microchip, but had no luck. The puppy immediately befriended her babies and her dogs and was nothing but sweet and loving, but she was still going to need a new home.
I don't really like dogs. I've never had dogs, and I really prefer cats. I know dogs are a ton of work, especially puppies. I totally prefer cats, especially Oscar, who is loving and friendly, but also quite self sufficient. I want a baby not a dog. Jon wants a dog and isn't quite ready for a baby. The problem is, I met the dog, I listened to her sad, sad story, and I caved. I emailed Jon the pictures and of course he was interested. He met the puppy Thursday evening when we were invited to Grandma Rita's house to celebrate Leya's birthday with their family. We are SO grateful to be included by them! Jon was holding her just like a baby. We asked Leya to keep her for the night so we could think about it, but we were only home minutes before we were brainstorming names for our new puppy, and we knew we'd have to have her. On Friday morning, I convinced our landlord to alter our lease agreement and allow us to have a "small" dog (not so much!); one more hurdle overcome.
Alley (because she was found in an alley!) came home with us on Friday evening, after we promised the Stefanski's that I would be bringing her to visit when I come to babysit ( a win-win situation for all of us I think!). The first night was a little rough with three potty accidents within the first few hours, but she slept through the night in the laundry room without crying, and on Saturday we really started to fall into a good routine. We go out to the backyard after we eat, after we drink, every time we sniff the carpet, and sometimes in between. Last night she slept eight hours with no accidents. Hooray! Alley is also learning to "sit" and "come" quite well, and we've found that if we shriek when she play bites with her baby teeth that she stops because she really is so sweet she doesn't want to hurt anybody. We've gone for walks, and are already practicing not tugging on the leash, and tonight we met Nina, Gretchen and Ryan's dog. Alley also plays independently with her toys on the floor from time to time, and she desperately wants to be friends with Oscar Meyer. The kitten is assertive, which is good, but still timid. He has spent the last few days in the safety of our upstairs, mostly under the guest bed. The way things are going we think they will eventually become friends. We hope!

The last piece of the puppy puzzle fell into place yesterday with a trip to our veterinarian (who randomely is from Grand Rapids, MI, lived in Ann Arbor, and worked in Saline for years!). Alley is completely healthy! Alley weighs 23 pounds and our guess is that she is three or four months old. Basically, everyone who talked me into taking this puppy for Jon lied to me when they said she would be a "medium" sized dog. Remember, I don't like dogs, especially big ones! The vet things Alley is a boxer, pitbull, "something else" mix, and the "something else" may be Mastiff, which if you're not familiar is a HUGE dog. The current guess is that Alley will eventually weigh 70 or 80 lbs. Luckily, her sweet, obedient temperament should not change, and knowing how large she could grow has made Jon VERY devoted to making sure she is trained really well.

I have to admit, Alley is a gem, completely adorable and has already made wonderful strides toward earning her spot in our family. No doubt, we'll be posting pictures and updates here often. Now it's time for these exhausted, new puppy parents to get to bed! Come see Alley soon. She can't wait to meet you!

No News Is Good News

Go ahead call us lame, but it's true, we are just boring newlyweds now. People keep calling and asking me what's new and honestly, we don't have much to report. Since our holiday guests left and we survived our cross country beach trip, our lives have really settled down. We've had two weekends in a row with no real plans or obligations. It's been heavenly, actually; out for sushi, dinner and a movie with Gretchen and Ryan, small Super Bowl gathering, leisurely grocery shopping, new shelving for the garage, a walk in a new spot, and sleeping in! I'm already beginning to feel "bored". I know I should not complain about that...but Jon and I have really never experienced calm, leisurely, drama free time together. It's strange!

Our Oscar Meyer kitten remains the light of our life. And while he is consistently adorable and cuddly....see?He also seems to have come down with a sudden naughty streak. What you see below is a picture of not just one but two ziploc bags containing two leftover pieces of cornbread that Oscar removed from the counter, drug all the way upstairs underneath the far corner of our guest bed, and then chewed through the both bags and ate half of each of the pieces of bread.
The cat has NEVER bothered food on the kitchen counter before. Two days later, I was attempting to make turkey sandwiches for lunch, but the loaf of wheat bread was mysteriously missing. HE DRUG THE ENTIRE LOAF OF BREAD UP THE STAIRS, UNDER THE BED, CHEWED THROUGH THE BAG, AND ATE THE TOP HALF OF EVERY SLICE OF BREAD. I'd have a picture to share as evidence, but Jon was so angry he threw the bread in the food waste before I had a chance to capture the moment.

Needless to say, we will not be leaving ANY food on the kitchen counters anymore.