Sorry it's been so long...

I know it's been about a month since my last post. We have started using GMail at work, which is what I use for this blog. But I have a different work log in, so if I want to post to my blog, I have to log out of all my work stuff and log in here. I feel bad about doing it at work, and that's really the only time I'm on the computer. Work isn't very busy right now, so I figured I'd catch you guys up.

Christmas is just around the corner and things have been busy!! Our house is all decorated, inside and out. Batman isn't interested in the holiday decorations, but Dexter likes to eat presents so we have to keep an eye on him. Things with Dexter have been great the last couple days. Thank goodness, because before that he was a devil dog!! He isn't potty trained, and the training hasn't been going well. I bleached and mopped all our floors last week because I was so disgusted. OF COURSE we clean up after every accident, but just the idea that there was dog mess on the floor makes me sick. Alex spends his days at home with the boys, and he's been doing a good job training Dexter. He is only having one or two accidents in the house each day, which is amazing. We've decided to start having the pups sleep in their kennels. (We started this last night.) They didn't seem to mind. Grandma Williams bought them each a great big cozy bed that we've put in their kennels. They spend a lot of time in there now on their own- I think they love them! Since I go to bed much earlier than Alex each night, I take the boys out before I go to bed, and Alex takes Dexter out before he goes to bed. Dex hasn't had an accident at night since we started this.

Batman and Dexter are absolutely best friends! I get nervous sometimes because they play rough, but they love each other. Dexter was being loud and destructive the other night, so I put him downstairs with Alex while Batman and I went upstairs to sleep. Batman sat by the bedroom door and whined. And whined. And whined. He hates being away from Dexter.

Of course, there's still jealousy. If one of the dogs is sitting with me on the couch, the other one has to be there, too. If Batman is playing on the floor and has NO interest in cuddling with me, all I have to do is pick up Dexter and Batman is attached to me! I love it!

Here are some recent pictures of the boys. (And one of me and Batman matching in our Christmas outfits.) We bought the pups matching sweaters- both because I want them to be warm and because they are super adorable! Also, you can see that they are ALWAYS cuddling up together!! So cute!

How Did Batman Get So Big?

I've always thought Batman was a little dog. Until we got Dexter. Check this picture out- Dexter was hiding under Batman in the car. (He is terrified of car rides.) Dexter can stand up under Batty!

Cuddle Buddies

I have been getting some seriously cute pictures of Batman and Dexter. They keep cuddling up together on the couch and floor to sleep. If Dexter is feeling anxious, he just cuddles up to Batman and I think it makes him feel better.

Seriously, have you ever seen anything this cute?!

Bedtime Update

The boys are doing much better. They still like to play when we first take them upstairs for bed, but that's about it. Not once during the holiday break did Batman wake me up in the middle of the night to go outside. (Yay!) The other night Dexter and Batman were cuddled up together sleeping- it was the cutest thing! They were behind my mirror, so I couldn't get a picture, but it was adorable! They are definitely friends!

Bedtime

With Batman and Dexter in the bed, I wasn't getting much sleep last week. Since I get up and go to work every morning, sleep is essential. We decided the puppies should sleep on the floor instead of our bed.
This has been harder than I expected.
For the puppies and for me.
Batman has slept in my bed with me since I got him. He's always been really good and never used my bed as a toilet, so things were great. It isn't because of him that he now has to sleep on the floor. Dexter didn't understand that my bed is not a toilet, and that got old REALLY fast. 3 nights, that's how long he slept in my bed. On top of the grossness, he had a bad habit of biting my face to wake me up, and trying to chase Batman around the bed instead of sleeping. Not cool.
Now that they're sleeping on the floor, I think I'm getting less sleep than before!! Dexter whines! If he wants attention, he doesn't shut up! And for some reason, Batman has had to go outside at 4 in the morning the past couple nights, so he wakes me up. Then, of course, there's Dexter wanting to play and chew on everything. And pooping on the floor. It's rough.
I miss sleeping with Batman. He was a great cuddler. Now it just makes me sad to see him sleeping on a pillow on the floor.
I found this picture on my Facebook of me kissing Batman goodnight in our old apartment. He was such a great sleep buddy. :(

Oh Man

Life with a new puppy is very difficult. I feel like we adopted a dog with multiple personality disorder. He can be sweet and cuddly one minute, then crazy and loud and biting you the next. This is taking some getting used to.
Batman is being such a good sport. Although he gets tired of Dexter like the rest of us, he is still protective of him and worries about him. If Dexter is whining, Batman will run to him. But if Dexter is mean and tries to bite Batman's face (which happens a lot), Batman runs from him.
Having this new puppy has made me a million times happier with Batman. I feel like I have the best dog in the world. He's so well-behaved and quiet and sweet. (The opposite of his new brother.) I know Batman is more of an exception, and Dexter is the rule with puppies, but I was just so lucky with Batty.

Getting to Know Each Other

Batman and Dexter are getting to know each other. They don't love each other yet, and Batman isn't completely comfortable with him, but they're working on it.
Batman wants to smell Dexter and check him out, but really doesn't like it when Dexter tries to smell him. Last night we were all laying in bed and Dexter started smelling Batman, and Batman jumped and tried to run. I think he's confused by how tiny Dexter is. Batty is used to big dogs. Maybe he doesn't know that Dexter is a dog, too.
Alex said Batman is starting to show signs of caring for Dexter. Dex was sleeping on the couch yesterday near Alex, and Batman was in the kitchen with me. Dexter started whining, and Batman ran from the kitchen. Alex said he jumped up on the couch to comfort Dexter.
Unfortunately, as with most new puppies, Dexter is not potty trained. He has yet to go to the bathroom outside without having gone on the carpet first. Of course, he won't pee on the hard wood, which would be easy to clean up. He has to pee on the carpet. Or on our bed. (Middle of the night peeing on the bed makes Jillian crazy and not happy.) We knew this was something we would be dealing with, it's just hard. I never had to potty train Batman. Even when he was a puppy, he would wine if he had to go outside. He's only ever had maybe 3 accidents since I got him.
Here's a cute picture of Batman and Dexter smelling each other. And then a picture of little Dexter sleeping in his puppy bed.

New Puppy

Alex went and picked up the new puppy. He called me and told me that him and Batman were playing and getting along just fine. Then he sent me this picture:

Pretty darn cute!
FYI: We still don't have a name for the puppy. Alex is trying to decide. (I'm voting for Dexter. Or Nigel Barker, but Alex hates that idea.)

The First Meeting

Over lunch today I got an e-mail from the rescue and they said we could come get the new puppy. Alex had class in the afternoon, and I had to go back to work, so we didn't want to take him home right away. We thought it would be terrible to take him to his new home and then put him in his kennel for a few hours. Instead, we decided to bring Batman to the rescue to meet his new brother, and then Alex would bring the little guy home when he got out of school.
Batman behaved like I expected- totally uninterested. And a little scared. The puppy had lots of energy, and started kissing and jumping on Batman. Batman just backed away and wouldn't look at the little puppy. We left them on the ground together for a few minutes, and nothing changed. We decided Batty would probably warm up to the little guy, and since he hadn't tried to attack him or anything, it should be good to adopt him.
While we waited for another person from the rescue to give us the final adoption forms, Alex held the new puppy and I held Batman. Slowly, Batman started to get interested in the little guy. He leaned over and smelled him several times. When the puppy would lick him, he didn't act so disgusted.
Hopefully when we get them both home and they get used to each other, they'll be best friends.

New Brother?

Alex and I are in the market for a brother for Batman. Alex has been wanting another dog, one that will technically be "his." He is a big fan of dachshunds, or wiener dogs for the common folk, so that's what we've been searching for. Since we've both been getting involved with KS K-9 ResQ we've been looking at the Humane Society, the Wichita Animal Shelter and other rescues in town. Yesterday I stumbled upon LAPP rescue, and they just happened to have three 8-week old dachshund puppies that they got in two days ago. Alex and I went last night to visit them. One of them had already had an adoption application put in on him, so we hung out with two of the brothers. Both were super sweet and cuddly.
Alex decided on one of them, and we put in an application to adopt him. Since it's a rescue, you fill out the application and put down your vet's information. The rescue calls the vet to make sure we are responsible pet owners, ie: Batman has been consistently on heart worm preventative and has been to the vet for check ups. (Which, of course, he has on both accounts.) They also come by our house to make sure we have a fenced-in yard. (Which we do.) We were told it will take between one and three days to get the little guy.
We're planning on taking Batman to the rescue's kennel so he can meet his possible new brother. We want them to get along, and though we won't be able to tell everything from a quick kennel visit, we can make sure they won't try to kill each other.

I'm nervous about getting another puppy. Of course, I am excited. I love puppies! But I'm worried about Batman. In a perfect world, this new puppy would attach itself to Alex, and Batman would stay attached to me. Alex and I plan on giving both puppies attention, but Batty is my baby and he'll always be my favorite. I don't want there to be too much jealousy between Batman and the new puppy. Hopefully, since Batman gets along so well with his other brothers at Mom and Dad's house, he'll be really excited to have a new brother at home.
Everyone keep your fingers crossed for us!

Cutie

Batman is always cold, just like his mom, so he's always under the covers with me. Alex took this picture last night after I got off the couch to get ready for bed. Why is Batman the cutest thing ever?!

Busy

We are still very busy getting our house set up. In fact, it's going much slower than I anticipated. Which is fine, but I'm so tired of having boxes all over my floor!
This morning we had some guys out to clean our air vents. (Yay for getting a Groupon for 1/2 off the service!.. even though I hate Groupon...) Batman was surprisingly calm. The guys got there just before I went to work, and Batman sat with me on the couch while they brought their massive vacuum cleaners in. Then he hang out with Alex when I left for work. Alex sent me these great pictures this morning of Batman being calm. Such a cute puppy.

New House!

Things have been pretty crazy the last few days for me and Batman. We bought a house! That's right, me and baby Batman are home owners. It's been a big change for both of us.
Alex is living with us, and during the day he's home most of the time. So Batman no longer has to be put in his kennel when I go to work. He spends his time laying in a new puppy bed on the floor next to Alex.
We were a little worried that he wouldn't know how to react/walk on the hardwood floors. The whole house is hardwood, no carpet, but Batman's been doing great. If he runs, he normally slides when he's trying to stop, but other than that he's doing very well.
With Alex being home with him most of the day, his relationship with Batman has changed a little bit. Alex used to be Batman's favorite person. When Alex would come over, would run to him and want to play with him and cuddle with him and all that good stuff. Now that he sees me less, Batman has decided I'm his favorite person. Which I absolutely love. Coming home and cuddling with my baby is even better now than before.
Batman is also really loving the space in our house. We went from a tiny studio apartment to a two-bedroom, two-story house. The space is magnificent. AND to top it all off, Batman gets a backyard that is all his! No more sharing space with other dogs.

Halloween Dinner

My grandparents had a Halloween dinner party at their house this weekend. I haven't been to one of their dinners since I was really little, and I was super excited! Everyone goes dressed up, and then the menu for dinner has things like toad tongue, mud balls, worms and bat's blood on it. It is so much fun!
Batman and I went dressed as Batman and Robin. I think our costumes were GREAT!

Sick and Cuddly

Wednesday I stayed home sick from work. And Batman loved it! He spent the whole day curled up on the couch with me. On days when you feel like crap, it's wonderful to have the unconditional love of your puppy to put a smile on your face.

Silly Puppy

My little Batman is so funny! He lays like a frog, and now he sits like a person! Check him out sitting on his butt with his legs splayed out in front of him! Too funny!

K-9 ResQ Update

I went to the KS K-9 ResQ meeting Friday night, and then I volunteered on Saturday. The 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month, K-9 ResQ shows some of their adoptable dogs at the Petcos and PetSmarts in town. I went to PetSmart with some volunteers and three dogs. I talked to a couple of the fosters while there, and I think it's something I want to do. I've gotten a couple e-mails from people in the group telling me about how much they love fostering dogs, and how rewarding it is. I talked to Alex, and he agreed to go to a fostering information meeting with me.

Comic

K-9 ResQ

Tonight I'm going to my first meeting with Kansas K-9 ResQ and I'm very excited. They are a local group that saves animals from shelters and the human society that are going to be killed. Their volunteers foster the dogs and get them vet care, socialize them and help potty train them. When the dogs are healthy and ready, K-9 ResQ finds a home for them.
I'm excited to get involved, but I'm also worried. I know I'm going to love some of the dogs and get attached. And probably beg Alex to let me keep some. (Which he will say "no" to, as he should.) Because of this, I've told them I won't be able to foster any dogs, but I'm happy to help out with anything I can. Once a month they bring adoptable dogs to the PetCos and PetSmarts in town so people can fall in love with the dogs and want to save them. Tomorrow is one of the days they're doing this, and I'm hoping I can help out!

http://www.ksk9resq.org/

Sleeping Baby

Batman and I have been super busy lately. We are buying a house! That's right, Batman and I are about to be home-owners! We're moving in October 28, and there is a TON of stuff to do before we can move! Yesterday, I got the inspection done on the home, and got all the electric, water, internet, trash and other crazy stuff set up for us.
Needless to say, I was exhausted last night. I enjoyed a nice, quiet evening with my baby. That, of course, means me laying on the couch watching TV, and Batman sleeping next to me. It was wonderful.

I Wanna Hold Your Hand

Batman has started cuddling up next to me on the couch and laying on his back. It is the cutest thing! His little paws go limp, and he just stares at me. Today he let me hold his paw, but normally he slowly pulls away from my hand.
What would I do without this little guy to keep me entertained on my lunch break?

Batman used to be this size...

I found this photo on one of my favorite doggy sites- Dog Milk. Batman used to be this size...

Way too cute!!

Puppy Mills

I just started reading this new book about a dog that was rescued from a puppy mill. Although I've always known what a puppy mill was, I never really understood how horrible they are. This book makes me so sad! I laid in bed last night reading, and I just had to keep a hand on my Batman. It makes me happy to know that I got a pure bred Boston from a family, not a puppy mill.
I've heard that Petland gets their puppies from puppy mills, and that makes me sick. I love going in there and playing with the puppies, but I just want people to STOP going in there. The people that pay the outrageous amount of money they charge for their dogs are just helping support the puppy mills they get their dogs from.
I think when I grow up I want to be involved in saving puppies.

National Dog Day

It's National Dog Day! So HAPPY HAPPY DOG DAY to my lovely Batman! I can't imagine my life without him!

My Little Designer Puppy

Batman is just like his mommy- gotta have his designer bags. Batman has decided that my Chanel purse is a pretty great pillow, and he's been lounging on it whenever he gets the chance.
(Too bad my flash makes his eyes look weird...)

Batman the Batman

Alex and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary this week. Because he knows me so well, he got me a Batman costume for Batman. It is the cutest thing ever! I'm now planning my Halloween costume around Batman's- I'm thinking Catwoman. Or Robin. Undecided. But anyway, here are some very adorable pictures of me and my baby Batman in his cute costume.

Sick Puppy

My poor Batman is sick. He's been making these really weird noises the past couple days- kind of like he's trying really hard to blow his nose. His whole body tenses up and he starts wheezing. There's speculation that he might have bronchitis. (I had no idea dogs could even get that!) Since my vet was closed all weekend, I got him an appointment for this afternoon. I sure hope he's okay. He really makes me worry.

Last night he woke me up in the middle of the night breathing really really heavily and quickly. He sleeps under the covers at my feet, so I pulled him up onto my pillow so I could keep an eye on him. His breathing got back to normal after that.

My Favorite Boys

Batman and I spent this weekend at my parent's house again. He's always so tired when we get home. He cuddled up next to Alex on the couch and I got this adorable shot. I love these boys!

Batman and Alex

Today, Alex and I went to get him a new shirt. It's the same one he was wearing today, but the collar is all stretched out, so he wanted another one. Alex decided to put the old one on Batman. So cute.

Batman's "Whatever Mom" Face

This is Batman giving me his "Whatever Mom" face. I get this a lot. He can be quite lazy, and anytime I try to get him to do something he doesn't want to do, this is how he looks at me. Notice the slight squint in the eyes. I can just hear him saying, "You are so dumb. Just leave me alone."

However, this face is very close to his "I'm Super Tired" face. Since this photo was taken in the middle of the afternoon, I know this is his "Whatever Mom" face. But if it was late at night, or he'd been at my parents' house all day playing with his brothers, this would be his "I'm Super Tired" face. And he wouldn't be able to hold up his head. (Not exaggerating.)

My Car Companion

I took this super adorable picture earlier this week when Batman and I were driving. I think it's fantastic, especially considering it was taken with my crappy non-smart phone. It's now my background. I just love his big brown eyes!

Rain

Batman is terrified of the rain. And it's hilarious. Yesterday it was pouring when we got up, and it was tough just to get Batman out the front door. I brought an umbrella, and tried to keep him close next to me and under it so he didn't get wet, but he wasn't having it at all. After 5 minutes of trying to get him on the grass, I gave up and went inside.
Luckily for my little man, I got to go home for lunch and take him out. And it wasn't raining any more. I can't imagine he could hold his bladder from 10 pm to 6 pm the next day!

Lunch time

All last week, poor Batman had to stay in his pen all day long because I couldn't leave work for lunch. (Well, except one day when Alex was amazing and hung out with Batman for an hour during the afternoon.) Today I was finally able to go home and take Batman out. It was extra special for him because Alex came over too! Although he wasn't out playing for very long, Batman got a little break from his pen.
I'm afraid the rest of the week is going to be very similar to last week. I feel terrible, but sometimes I just can't drive 20 minutes home and then back to take him out. And these two weeks are CRAZY at work.

Baby Girl

There's still one baby girl Boston available on kansas.com. I'm thinking Batman is getting lonely... I look at this cute little one and I just want to take her home!

For the record...

If I ever decide Batman needs a sister, her name will be Bellatrix.

Batman and Bellatrix.
How cute.

Such a hand full.

Batman has been quite the hand full the past few days. He's still being ridiculous about wanting to play when I'm in bed. Now, he's started eating my things.
Last week he was chewing on the power cord for my computer. Although it still powers my computer, he caused a power surge, and now the CD/DVD drive doesn't work.
And twice this week I've caught him chewing on my entertainment center! Batman has never eaten my furniture! I think he's developed a taste for wood- Dad has been splitting wood in his backyard and then leaving the scraps out there. Batman chews on them when he's out with the other dogs. So not cool!
So when I start thinking about how I would love to get Batman a little sister (see how adorable the babies are in the post below?!), I remember that sometimes he can be a hand full, and I don't know if I could deal with two of him at once.

Babies!

I am certainly not in the market for a new puppy, Batman has been a little tough to handle lately, but these puppies are too cute!! They're crazy cheap for Bostons- only $200! If anyone is looking for a wonderful puppy, please consider these little guys. You can find them in the classifieds on kansas.com.

It's hard being a gansta

If we lived in the ghetto, I would dress Batman like this.

Cuddle Bug

Batman has been extra cuddly lately. He spent the weekend at Mom and Dad's, and I think it really made him sad. When I went over on Sunday to get him, he wouldn't take 2 steps away from me the whole day. And since then he's been crazy cuddly. He never lets me hug him like I am in the picture, and we sat like that for 10 minutes! He's such a wonderful puppy!

Fun Weekend

Batman and I had a very fun weekend! We spent Saturday and Sunday at Mom and Dad's, and then on Monday we spent the day with the whole family at Jack and Audrey's. We had a great time! I spent a lot of time being lazy, just watching movies on the couch.
Batman spent tons of time with his brothers. We stayed the night Saturday, and then I took him home on Sunday to sleep in our own bed. He must have gotten too hot, because he was sick on Monday. My bedroom carpet did not appreciate it at all. He's fine now though, so it's all good.
I got these adorable pictures of Batman and Louis playing tug-of-war in the backyard. So fun to watch! I was taking the pictures through a cloudy window, which is why they look weird.

Look at Batman getting tugged off his feet! So cute!

I have so much to catch up on!

I know it's been forever since I've posted, so I just have a lot of stuff that needs to go up. Here's some pictures of me and Alex spending the evening with Batman the other night. He still can't be on the floor if Alex and I are on the couch together.

Sick puppy

This weekend was a rough one for us. Saturday we were at Mom and Dad's and he threw up. I thought it was just because he was scared- Dad was cutting his nails with an electric nail trimmer and he didn't like it. Then Saturday night at 3 a.m. Batman threw up in my bed. Then at 5 he woke me up and I was able to get him on the floor before he threw up.
After that I thought he was fine. Then Sunday night we were all on the couch watching a movie and Batman threw up again. It was so gross. I can't be mad at him, but it was so gross!
Sunday night he slept in his kennel. I didn't feed him Sunday night or Monday morning before I went to work. He didn't throw up again. Thank goodness.

Another new toy

Here's my baby playing with his new toy! It's a rope ball. We were hopeful it would last, but it's tearing apart very quickly. He loves it though!

Here's my favorite boys playing together. Alex loves to play tug-of-war with Batman! And Batman loves any attention he can get from Alex!

I like how this one came out. You can see the energy in Batman.

This Weekend

I am going out of town with the women in my family this weekend, and poor Batman is going to be left behind. He's going to stay at my parents' house with his brothers. (my dad will be home) It makes me sad. I know he loves going to see his brothers. But he won't be sleeping in my bed with me and that makes me sad. I'll be sleeping in a hotel. And by that I mean I won't really be sleeping. I'll be missing my bed and my Batman.

A Different New Toy

I thought we had found the perfect toy for my little guy, but I was way wrong. Batman destroyed that rope/ball contraption in less than a week. Completely destroyed. So it was back to the drawing board in the never-ending quest to find the perfect toy.

Alex and I found something different to try tonight. It's a rope, but it's a ball. A ball rope. I think it'll be harder for Batman to destroy, atleast I hope so.
After chewing on it for a couple minutes I noticed some blood on the ball rope. I'm hoping he just went a little too hard on it, seeing as he was super excited. I'll give it back after a while.
Here's some pictures of Batman enjoying his new toy. My camera is being retarded right now and won't focus right. I don't really know what to do about it.