First Shirt

First experience wearing a shirt! He didn't mind after the first 5 minutes or so passed. He was a little apprehensive early on. He better get used to it though! He's going to need to wear shirts/sweaters in the winter since he's a havanese.

The Name

Finally! It was a long winding road with one big U-turn. But pup-pup has a name. It took us just as long I believe to give his older sister a name nearly 5 years ago.

Here's the story...back on Tuesday I decided on a name, I started trying out the name on him. Calling him by the name a few times during the day. But I wasn't ready for some reason to declare the name to be "the name". I still kept brainstorming other options. When Friday arrived I was texting with a cousin of mine and I ran the name by him to which he responded well. He thought it was a good name. He also mentioned he thought it was a natural transition from Cody and Simon. Which I hadn't considered as my focus has been finding a name that goes well with Piper. So Brad and I were quite sure the name was going to be "the name". As Saturday morning arrived we were fully ready to declare the name to be the one. Satisfied with our name choice I went to get ready for the day, as we were meeting my in-laws for a birthday weekend luncheon.

However, oddly enough while I was getting ready I had a huge moment of regret. Despite tossing that particular name around in my head all week long. Despite getting a little extra confirmation from my cousin that it was a good name. I just simply couldn't fully commit to the name. I instead had this light bulb moment, another name suddenly popped into my head. The new name was something we had briefly discussed but it wasn't a name we had in our top 3. For some reason though it was suddenly the name I wanted to use. A few minutes later I told Brad the new name I wanted with my fingers-crossed hoping he'd agree. He agreed!

Allow me to very happily announce the name of my early birthday present which "landed" very surprisingly in my arms 9 days ago. Introducing: Landon Leo Vaughn. Origin of Landon's name is England, same as Piper. He got a 3 letter middle name just as Piper has a 3 letter middle name. I guess it's our new pattern with fur-baby names! I was completely focused on Landon after I thought about how I was so surprised with how he suddenly "landed" into my arms thanks to my husband. I really wasn't anticipating a new puppy for awhile yet. Second biggest surprise I've ever received from Brad and best birthday gift!

 

Quick Snap Sunday

The nerve of a little pup! Piper sitting in the windowsill and her little brother decides to take over her bed for the first time. He's been rather respectful of her bed until this morning when he decided to try to climb in it.

Piper has been warming up to him a little more but it's a slow process. Still surprised she's acted this way towards the newcomer. Oh well, at least she's slowly transitioning into giving him a chance.

Stay tuned or check back later today....pup-pup is no longer just pup-pup...he has a name! I'll officially introduce him in a special post sometime this afternoon. 

Say Cheese!

Can you see it? No teeth on the bottom row yet. Just gums! He's having a hard time eating treats due to his lack of teeth. Oh and dare I say this, his predecessors would be astonished(and not in a good way), this little dude doesn't seem to like peanut butter flavor. Perhaps, he'll like it later on as he ages a bit but as for now he doesn't seem crazy about it. Too early though to see what his likes are. Today we will start him on puppy food of our choice. We used up the food the breeder sent home with him and now it's time to choose something else. I thought I had the choice made in my head. Then all of a sudden I thought about Eukanuba again. Eukanuba was good for the boys for their lifetimes. It got Simon to nearly 15 and Cody to 16.5. So I must end this early to go do just a smidge more research on dog food to start this little dude on.

The New Trend

So clearly there is a new trend. Loads of names are not female or male anymore....numerous are now unisex! I hate this trend. Yep, sorry I hate this trend. It's okay to have boy names and girl names. What is wrong with society that we all have to suddenly walk in the middle, so to speak? Everything has to be gender neutral so as to not offend anyone. Just my opinion but ultra masculine boy names are not cute on little girls. And I'm not liking that SOOOO many names I look up for this pup-pup is not just a boys name anymore. Every name I consider I have to look up...it's just how I am...I have to make sure it has a decent meaning. Like the name Tristan, cute name and all but it means riot! No thanks! Brody, I like it too but it means "a ditch". Although Brad vetoed Brody based on similarity to Cody. I can understand! Although just between me and anyone that reads this blog...that's what I like about Brody. It is one name I'd look past the meaning for. Just for that similarity to Cody's name. And can anyone argue that "Bro-Bro" isn't cute as heck as well as accurate as a nickname.


Anyway just to enlighten those out there here is a short list of names that have gone to the girls side.

Jonathan..."Jonnie" combined with a delicate floral middle name is popular folks!
Elliott...likely gone to the girl side because of obsession with names starting with that "Elle" sound. 
Wesley....nephew name for me...and forever a boy name to me.
Dylan....nephew name for me....and forever a boy name to me too.
Cody....I estimate when I first heard this as a girl name, my Cody was 8, I remember being annoyed.
Bradley....Um, yeah, husband and father-in-law have this name...forever a manly name to me.
Gary....Are you kidding me? My dad's name, so without question it's a masculine name to me.
Sawyer...Really people? Look at those first 3 letters, visually too masculine for a girl.
Camden....Hmm, I realize Cameron is unisex, kind of a shame though Camden is unisex now too.
Sailor....Another "hmm" from me...kind of a shame it's gone mostly female now.



I get it, there have always been names that are unisex...I'm just saying there's a massive trend happening right now to shift WAY too many names to be gender neutral. I feel sorry for boys actually more than I feel sorry for girls. With more and more girls being given boy names the girls won't be feeling odd about their names. But boys might get a little annoyed since it wasn't that long ago when they didn't have to share their name with girls.

On The Name Front

The other night I asked Brad what he thought of "blank" name(I'll keep the name as "blank" just in case it ends up being the one we choose). His response was, "well it's not cringe-worthy". Huh? He then said, "all the names you come up with are cringe-worthy". WAIT HOLD UP HERE! CRINGE-WORTHY? CRINGE-WORTHY NAMES FROM ME?

He must have fallen down and bumped his head. Because yours truly would never suggest a cringe-worthy name for a fur-baby. We all have different likes, maybe something I suggest isn't top notch but it's not cringe-worthy. Okay so there was a brief time I wanted to name Piper...Aggie. It was swiftly pointed out to me by my husband that we live in Texas and an Aggie is associated with Texas A&M...furthermore it was pointed out to me, this is a Texas Longhorn and TCU loving household. Only when there's no other "reasonable" choice does A&M get a few cheers. I still maintain that Aggie is not that different than Allie or Addie...but originally I was thinking of it as a slight change up from Maggie! Actually low and behold, this past December Brad's cousin and fam named their new puppy Addie. Anyway, I was never set on that name for Piper, it was only part of the brainstorming process.

Back to present day and the naming of the new little guy, just when I believe I have gotten Brad to turn the corner and ditch the superhero and comic book names he comes up with another one. Last night he was stuck on Star-Lord. Wait, is Starlord, one word or hyphenated? Or two words like this, Star Lord? I don't know? I don't care! It's not going to be this new little guy's name. When Brad tried to convince me last night how COOL the name Star-Lord is, I pointed at our fish tank in the corner of the living room and told him he was free to name any one of the fish Star-Lord/Starlord/Star Lord.

Bonus Note:  A few people already know this but I've never actually mentioned it on the blog. Brad for quite some time has wanted to honor both of the pugs by combining portions of their names into one name. Oh I know you are waiting on the edge of your seat to hear what he came up with...take the first syllable of each pug's name and put "Si" first, "Co", second....Sico....yep, pronounced Psycho! I can not begin to estimate how long I have spent trying to refocus Brad and get him to forget about Sico. He even told his co-workers that would be the name. And once again, I say, he has fallen and bumped his head because there's no way I'm going to a dog park or a grooming place, or a vet clinic with a dog named Sico. Picture it...me standing out at a dog park yelling for Sico!!!!! Oh my goodness, NO WAY! Um, on second thought don't picture that! LOL!

Quick Snap Sunday

I'm still shocked we have a new little guy in our household. Well it appears the weekend will end and he will remain nameless. We really are working on a name...believe me, we are. So far nothing is getting us truly excited. Perhaps, we are overthinking things...but then again, that's what I do best!

I must say life with a puppy is fun and exciting. Housebreaking is going very well. I trained him to pee pads. He's getting used to his surroundings. Still hasn't ventured down the hallway to the bedrooms nor has he braved going into the laundry room. Basically, he keeps to the areas that are well lit, he's not into darkness. Lol! As for the pic above, the coffee table and him are very well acquainted!

Piper and Pup-Pup

Well the relationship between Piper and Pup-pup is, um, how should I explain it? Non-existent! Yep, there isn't a relationship. She's not a happy camper about the new addition. I didn't think it would be quite like this regarding the new duo. He has no problem with her but she is completely unimpressed by his presence in her world. All I have to say is, I think it's a good thing we didn't wait any longer. Because clearly she was getting too comfortable being the only fur-baby. Getting her to accept him might be a bigger challenge than getting pup-pup housebroken.

In another update, I was pleasantly surprised how well pup-pup did his first night home. We did stay up a little late but he slept until close to 6:00 this morning. He slept in the laundry basket with blankets and one of Cody's/Piper's beds in the bottom of it. Yeah, things I guess didn't start off well for them as Piper had to relinquish a bed to the newbie. We saved 2 of the boy's old beds for the future pup-pup. The two beds we saved are more "puppy" appropriate than the one he was forced to sleep in last night. We needed him to be somewhat contained so the laundry basket was the obvious choice. Maybe soon we'll remember where we stashed those two beds? LOL!

Of course we still have dog stuff around here. So we aren't starting from zero but last night I told Brad I felt a little unprepared. We have certain things but we need a few "puppy" items. It's been raining like crazy here in recent days. So we waited to go get "puppy" items this afternoon after some of the rain passed. If you are in the DFW metroplex have you been washed away yet? The amount of rain since September arrived has to be approaching a record by now!

First Vet Visit

Today was pup-pup's first visit to the vet. He was a golden boy on the ride to and from the vet office. He did very well during his appointment too and weighed in at a not so hefty 2 pounds. Good boy, pup-pup! I promise you'll get a name soon! We're working on it.

Brad and I are very different when it comes to naming styles. He likes names from video games and superheroes...hence, Storm, a character from X-Men. I favor people names for pets...hence, Cody and Simon. We kind of met in the middle I suppose with Piper as it is a trendy name right now for little human girls, but it was also a character from a TV show. Okay, characters from TV shows I can kind of accept but characters from superhuman movies aren't as easy for me to deal with.

So moving on to food! This was the #1 thing I wanted to discuss with a vet. I've done lots of research already on foods. I've done so much research on foods in the last 2 years it's crazy. Not just dog food but cat food too. Anyway, the vet and I quickly got to chatting about the trend of grain-free foods and treats on the market. At Petco it's getting to the point that almost all they offer is grain-free. I wish people(as in the general public of pet parents) would wise up. Those types of things are just marketing schemes. Your dog doesn't need grain-free unless it's been suggested to go grain-free for a specific dietary concern. For example, Cody had some issues with saliva staining during the last 2 years of his life, so we switched him to grain-free. It made a difference for him...a big difference. It was necessary for him at that apparent time in his life. But please if you are not in the know about certain things ask a vet they will tell you the grain-free stuff is not appropriate for 97% of dogs out there. And for anyone interested pup-pup's vet suggested: Science Diet, Royal Canin, Purina Pro Plan, or Nutro to start our new little dude out on. The breeder he was purchased from suggested Purina Pro Plan or Nutro.

My Birthday Present!

Look...my birthday present arrived early!

 

 

 

No name yet! I was super shocked when Brad arrived home early from work and handed me a puppy in a carrier. He's a havanese. So we will have to become fur-baby parents that take their dog to the groomer. But at least he's a toy breed that won't shed very much. His fur is so silky, an awesome texture. Perhaps in the pics it looks like his head is black but he's actually chocolate color. And he has 2 chocolate areas on his body otherwise he's vanilla. My sister-in-law said he looks like a chocolate-vanilla swirl from Braum's. LOL!

 

If anyone out there has any name ideas we are brainstorming...so if you know one of us hit us up with a few suggestions. We hope to have him named by Monday!  

 

In other news, Piper is not impressed! Hopefully she warms up to him soon! She's been staying far away from him.

Quick Snap Sunday...on Monday

Quick Snap Sunday posts have been a little difficult to find time to do since football season started. Last two Sunday's we've had company and I'm busy getting food prepped in the kitchen, taking a quick snap picture and posting it hasn't at the forefront. I did however, capture these two "catnapping" on the couch during halftime of the earlier game yesterday. No pun intended for the term "catnapping" my dear Piper-girl! LOL!

Yay Me

Yay me, I did the yard work all by myself this morning. While Brad went off to tennis I started on the yard work. I even trimmed up the pink blossom tree. Is it perfect? No, it's not perfect but it's so much better than it was. I've never done much yard work that's required using a trimmer or mower. I'm new to that type of stuff. Yard work I've done in the past has been raking up leaves and planting flowers/herbs/veggies.

I'm not new to doing the yard work here at the house but like I just stated its been the easier stuff. Some weeks back I tackled the backyard and raked up 18 bags worth of leaves. There's 14 trees in our backyard and now that September has arrived they are already dropping leaves. Boy was my husband surprised when he got home that evening. Brad actually didn't believe I did all the work by myself. He assumed I had his dad come help and he wasn't happy that I would "bother" his dad. So it took me a few minutes to convince him I raked up all those bags worth of leaves by myself.

As surprising as it might be I'm not afraid of yard work. I'm not afraid of getting dirty. Perhaps no one believes me, except for my mom. She would believe me. I see something that needs to be done and I do it! Simple as that. I don't get caught up in waiting for Brad to do it when he gets home, If I go ahead and get something done like yard work, that's more time for us to spend together watching a movie and relaxing later on.

Flashback Friday

Flashback to 2 years ago when a big man named Cody was just trying to nap during a Cowboys game. Life gets loud in our household during football but clearly he managed to get in some much needed zzz's. His Cowboy shirt was keeping him warm and cozy too for his nap session. Um, can he get any closer to the wall? LOL!

Oh The Controversy

Oh my goodness! There we were yesterday watching the women's U.S. Open final when we were both dumbfounded and completely blown away. If you live under a rock and have not heard the controversy surrounding Serena Williams let me tell you it was quite unbelievable and sad!

We watched it all play out live in real time. The highlights we've seen of her meltdown do not capture the full sore loser embarrassing disgust that took place. If you are completely lost about what I'm talking about go look for some videos on Youtube, search "Serena Williams US Open 2018". I will also post a link at the bottom of this post to an ESPN video from Youtube. In my opinion despite all she has done in the sport of tennis it does not warrant her to act a fool! Her actions should not be dismissed. She completely tarnished her opponent's Grand Slam victory. That poor girl was crying at the trophy ceremony and apologizing to the crowd after they kept booing her for winning. A terrible display by an American athlete and a terrible display by the American crowd. Embarrassing!

For those that are sick of this subject or not interested stop reading here! Because I'm about to explain in better detail the infractions by Serena that caused the most epic meltdown in tennis history.

1...Her coach gave her signals from the player's box. And it was clear she followed those signals as we watched her do so! Now, any type of "coaching" from the player's box is not permitted in Grand Slams. Period! As a result Serena received a violation. She was mad she received a violation. She took it to a weird level and started throwing words like "cheat" and "cheater" around. Trying to say she'd rather lose than "cheat".  

2...She continued to not let the first matter go and continued to run her mouth off and on. She then got frustrated about a few missed shots she made and she smashed her racquet...violation #2 came her way. As tennis players are not allowed to smash their racquet. Same as in football, players are not allowed to spike the ball in an aggressive manner or their team gets penalized. Same goes for basketball! Anyway, she then became even more argumentative. Those two violations together meant she lost a point. Her arguing continued, as she started demanding an apology from the umpire. She then went on to name call the umpire.

3....Thanks to her name calling she was soon penalized a 3rd time for verbal abuse of the umpire. The penalty was now the lose of a full game not just a point. That's when the match was briefly stopped because she demanded to talk to higher powers than the match umpire. Nothing was changed by the two higher powers that came out to talk to her and the umpire. All the violations stayed in place. The match continued and was over pretty quick after that.

No matter the violations that cost her the point and then a full game, she still was getting outplayed by the young Japanese phenom, Naomi Osaka. It's just sad she stole such a happy moment from Osaka. When the match ended it was a bit of a somber feel that spread through the stadium. Not much of a reaction from the winner. Osaka sat in her chair with a towel over her head for awhile. A moment that should have been so joyous was completely subdued. Booing by fans swept thru the stadium off and on. By the time the trophy presentation occurred the crowd was still booing and the winner was crying. Osaka kept her head down part of the time at times pulling at her hat to keep it low. At one point young Osaka apologized to the American crowd for winning the match. After a string of non classy behavior Serena did do one good thing by asking the crowd to stop booing the winner. But in my opinion one good move by her doesn't erase the many horrible displays she showed during the match. In Serena's post match press conference, she was composed but still no apology for her actions. Plus she turned it into a sexist issue. As a female and an avid tennis watcher...I'm not buying the sexism claim!

I think it's also worth noting Serena's coach did admit when he was interviewed that he was indeed coaching her from the box. And that brief little coaching is what started the entire meltdown of his player, Serena. Okay, so the coach admitted he was coaching her from the box. Which is against the rules, and thereby could be seen as "cheating". What gets me about the whole thing is that Serena is the one that started throwing the word "cheat" around not the umpire. It was Serena that stated if she was getting coaching from the box that would be "cheating". But yet Serena is still claiming she doesn't "cheat". Hmm!

Video link from ESPN is below, it's been pieced together over the course of the issues. Might I add I have a hard time listening to the American commentators when it comes to Serena, they are so forgiving of her it's sickening...especially Chris Evert, she has slurped the Williams sisters Kool-Aid for years now! So there's my disclaimer for the commentating! :)

Here's link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiBrForlj-k

Quick Snap Sunday

Excellent decision Swiffer! My biggest compliments! Is there a better image for a Swiffer product? Um, no!

There I was walking the cleaning aisle at the store and bam my eyes were captured by this image. Cute little pug and a cat! Isn't that how life should be? A pug and a cat? No, wait....2 pugs and a cat! Bone-a-fide-purrfection! Of course I had to buy a box so I can look at this image every time I enter our laundry room. LOL!

My Bumble Bee

Earlier today I was going through a box of the boys items. There were a few of Piper's old costumes in the box too. Since she was so curious about what I was doing she suddenly found herself dressed in her bumble bee costume. Which was her Halloween costume last year. I'm still on the search for her costume this year. I hope by the time Halloween arrives there's another furry little one to get costumed up! :)  Can you believe she let me tuck her ears inside the costume? Brad couldn't believe it!

Is This A Future Moment For Us?

I have watched this little video so many times it's kind of pathetic. It cracks me up for some reason. The cat is sitting there contemplating what to do about this darn whining puppy. It's a 'should I kick him' or 'should I not kick him' type of moment. Maybe it's such an appealing video to me because it's a cat and a pug puppy. I think that's part of the appeal but also because our household will soon face this issue, introducing a new pup to a cat. Anyway, if you want to check out the link below to the video of the cat and puppy pug moment then click on it below(it's about a 20 seconds video). The look on the cat's face as well as the readied stance of the cat is the funniest part to me! Once you click on the link and the page opens up click on the sideways triangle in the middle of the video to start the video. (Sideways triangle, aka play button)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnJjrtEgww2/?utm_source=ig_share_sheets&igshid=1jd7yk40op3e9

Can I....

So we've been pugless, dogless for a short time now. We are however, starting to discuss the possibility of a little puppy in the house. He is affectionately being termed as "pup-pup" until he actually exists and has chosen us to be his human parents.

But here is the HUGE question...I mean HUGE question...Can I love anything other than a pug? I don't know? I have been so pug obsessed for so long. Our home has many "pug" features in it, from magnets on the fridge to a small statue on the hearth of the fireplace. Plus it's slightly unbelieveable how many pug ornaments we will unpack this December to put on our Christmas tree, I have a ton of those I've collected over the years! My world has been pugs! Happily my world has been filled with two pugs! I was always so super proud to be a pug owner too. Whenever I was standing in the checkout line at a Petsmart and was asked what kind of dog I have with immense pride and affection and always with a huge bright smile I'd say, "2 handsome pugs". Am I wrong folks, isn't "pug" a fun little short word to say?  No doubt about it the word "pug" brings a massive smile to my face every time.

So yes indeed, I'm stuck on this question, can I really love anything other than a pug?  My pug obsession started just a few months before Cody appeared in my world.  I saw a random pug one day being walked in the apartment complex I lived in. That pug was a head turner, as are most in my opinion! I was instantly head over heels for that irresistible pushed-in face and tater tot round body! He was too exceptionally cute and it wasn't long before I had to have one, then of course I had to have another one.

So reasons why I can't imagine anything but a pug...

- I love the antics! They are silly. Don't get me started on that breed trait side tilt of the head, it's simply too cute for words.

- I love the fact that pugs are sturdy little beings! They aren't little pushovers. Pugs have sometimes been described as having "big dog" personalities in a compact size. That description fits perfectly! Bonus for Brad with the pug size, he doesn't feel like a wimpy dude being seen with a pug at the end of a leash. Trust me, that's important to Brad, no frilly silly teacup dog for him.

- I love the attitude and demeanors. Super comfortable in their fur, they aren't a needy breed.

- I also love the activity level of a pug. Pugs in my opinion, have just the right amount of activity.  They are not overly hyper but they are not wallflowers either. Pugs seems to feed off the energy of their humans.

- Easy to train, little people pleasers! A stern tone was all I ever needed to discipline the boys. A stern tone and a serious look makes any pug snap to attention.

- The last big plus for a pug in my mind right now, they get along well with cats. Piper would consider that the biggest selling point! Pugs are in the top 5 of all dog breeds for their friendly ways when it comes to cats. Some breeds have an innate hatred for cats(like lhasa apsos and many terrier breeds).

And now for reasons to go with a different breed...

- Shedding, pugs are little shedders. However, I know more now about pug shedding. Simon shed, but about half as much as Cody. Simon had the "double S" gene in him. A "double S" gene means only 1 coat layer. Many types of pugs have a double coat, which means more shedding. So we would definitely search for a "double S" gene pug.

- Something different. Perhaps, it would be good to truly start over again, a brand new chapter with a new breed! Perhaps the biggest reason in my opinion to go with a different breed....so that the only pugs, the only precious little pugs in my life ever will be Cody and Simon. They would remain in a league of their own, solidly enshrined in my hall of fame! Maybe there isn't room in my heart to love any other pug as much as I loved them? Plus, would the new pug be like a rookie QB being put in a football game that has 47 point deficit? 

So what will we do? Either way there's some big paws to fill for this next little guy. Yes, it will be a boy! That's the part we know for sure! Boy or girl is not up for debate. What's the difference, you ask, well it's been said, girl dogs love their family with a sense of ownership of the household, meaning girl dogs secretly own you. As for boy dogs, they are often described as being IN LOVE with their family. They are head over heels with stars in their eyes for their owners. It's just a slightly different type of love boy dogs have for their human parents. Plus I'm still rebelling against my upbringing so it has to be a boy(sorry Mom). Let me explain that part, when I was growing up my mom was extremely against little boy dogs. I wasn't allowed to think about having a boy dog. I grew up with two little girl dogs in the household at different times. But when I got out on my own, I very purposefully got two boys, never once considered a girl dog. And now after all these years and experiencing both, my preference is for little boys! I'm not even willing to discuss little girl dogs. The love and admiration boy dogs demonstrate compared to girl dogs wins me over. Like I told Brad, "I need a dog that walks around here with little stars in his eyes for me, a girl dog won't do that." His response was "Oh brother". To which I responded..."yes, a little brother for Piper!" LOL!