Happy Birthday Rocky!

It's hard to believe but we have now been the proud parents of Rocky for 4 whole years now. He has had, I think a very full life so far in his first four years. First by coming across country in a delivery truck and arriving in the middle of the night to this crazy city of New York. He was the cutest puppy you will ever find.

Then after getting his legs back and figuring out that the city isn't so bad after all we packed him up and moved him out to Utah. In Utah he loved the backyard (just ask my dad!) and playing with all the kids. He also enjoyed the few times the gate was left open for him to roam free. Rocky has been to more states then I think most people go in their lifetime. He has been to Arkansas, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Maryland, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, and of course Utah. We are hoping in the near future to give him some stamps in his passport. That will be an adventure!

We then packed him up again and drove him cross country (yet again) back to this city where he had to re-learn all the noises and smells. I have to say he has adjusted great! Now his favorite things to do are Sleep, Eat (only when dad feeds him), meet new dog friends, and most of all chase squirrels. Central Park is his new backyard and he has taken it over and claimed it one pee spot at a time.

He is such a good dog, most of the time. And I am happy to report to all who know him that he is slowly but surely becoming a much more calm relaxed dog. He still has the smiley puppy face that I hope he never looses. He has also gained quite a bit of weight since coming to this grand city. Adam has him over 95 lbs. Some quirky things about Rocky are: He hates sneezes. If you sneeze in front of him he will make sure you know that he didn't like it. i.e. bark in your face until you yell at him. Also he freaks out when the doorbell rings. If there is one on tv or radio, oh man prepare yourself for a bark fest. I think all doorbell noises should be banned from tv!! He also has a new girlfriend named Lola. She is a 1 1/2 Bernese just his size. They like to wrestle together, must be true love!!

For Rocky's birthday I made him his annual birthday cookies(If anyone would like the Oatmeal, Peanut butter, and chicken broth recipe please let me know!).

Rocky is going to have some big changes ahead this year but I have no doubt that he will be the best big brother!! :O)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROCKY!!!

Scontastic!!

I finally got the courage up to try my hand at Scones again. My sister in law Kristi by far makes the best scones in the world. I have tried her recipe once and mine were...... well let's just say it CRAP! So I thought I would leave it up to trips to her house for Scones. I also made the mistake of taking Adam over for her delicious scones and so he has requested that I perfect her recipe. Or at least come somewhere close to hers. But now since we live in New York and they live in Ohio I figured how often would we ever get to enjoy her scones. I better give it another try.


So.... I went for it yesterday. And I have to say they came out pretty darn good. I can't quite get the perfect little squares that Kristi gets but hey they tasted good so who cares right! I think I have impressed Adam with my culinary skills now. Adam's mom makes something similar but fills them with Feta Cheese. So we may try that next time. Well only with his half because I like mine gooey and sweet! Anyway, thanks Kristi for the great recipe. I have to remember next time to maybe only make half for just the two of us. That would make about 8 each right? That might be enough.... haha :O)

Central Park Hunter

I took Rocky for his walk in Central Park this evening and saw something that made my jaw drop! That use to be a regular occurrence but eventually you get use to the crazy things you see in New York. But tonight I saw something completely unexpected.....

I saw this HUGE Hawk trying to catch a squirrel!! That's right a Hawk. It flew right past Rocky and I several times on the hunt for it's dinner. We watched it for about 15 minutes fly from tree to tree. Rocky even sat in amazement at this massive bird soaring between the trees. When I got home I did a bit of research and this Hawk is pretty famous. There was a PBS Special on him called 'Pale Male'. Also there is a website dedicated to daily photos of him and his family.


It is amazing to me that a bird like this would choose to live in a city packed of buildings, people, noise, and craziness...... but maybe he is thinking the same thing about us! :O)

Another side effect...

Yet another pregnancy side effect stopped by last night.......Leg Cramps. Sheesh Laweesh are those ridiculous. I got 3 last night right in the middle of dead sleep. I did end up stepping on Rocky the first time when I jumped up out of bed with the first one. Any remedies that anyone has would be much appreciated! Just another fun reminder that it's getting closer! :o)

New Apartment

We have moved.... In anticipation of our new arrival in a couple of months we have moved to a bigger place. We are still on the Upper West Side, which we love. We are actually on the same street just two blocks east toward Central Park. We are literally steps from Central Park which Rocky loves. It's nice to get to see trees everyday. That's kind of a luxury in this city. Since we have moved Adam has run into Jeff Daniels. He lives right near us on the next block. Funny he has two Dalmatian dogs that Rocky likes to play with. That's funny because if you didn't know he was in the movie 101 Dalmatians.

Our new place is a one bedroom and for New York standards it's pretty large. We have a great view out our window. There is nothing but three story town houses for about 10 blocks so we get to see pretty far. Here are some photos:

Outside our building 'The Brewster'. We now live at 21 W. 86th Street #809 New York, NY 10024 (between Columbus Ave and Central Park West).

Our Living room.......

Our 'Study'.......

Our view out our windows. It's hard to get a good picture at night but it is really cool.

We now have enough room for visitors if anyone is planning a trip to New York!!

Pay it Forward...

There is this fun blog game going around that I joined in on Lori Ham's blog. It's a fun way to keep in touch while sharing your creative talents. So read the rules below and join in the fun!! :o)

Pay It Forward The Rules:

1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me - something crafty or yummy, who knows?!

2. Winners must post this challenge on their blog, meaning that they will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift -anything!- for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on their post about this giveaway!

3. The gift that you send to your friends can be from any price range and you have 90 days to make/ship your item. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Counts!

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate pictures and comments! If you are not one of the Top Three Commenter's on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!!So who will the lucky three be?? And hopefully you won't be disappointed in whatever I make for you or someone in your family!

Baby Update

I had yet another doctor appointment today so I thought I would post an update on how it's all going. I have to say pregnancy has been very surprisingly easy for me. Not a lot of sickness, not a lot of changes yet really(knock on wood you know now I am going to get it all!!). But the worst thing I have found with it is all the appointments it creates in your life! Man oh man do I have to go to the doctor, hospital, dentist and on and on and on. And it seems like anything that you might possibly have I am boarder line on so I have to do the full blown tests. Luckily they have all come out normal. But I know I am getting down to the finish line since my appointments have now changed from every month to every two weeks.


Anyway so here is the update....



Week 28.... So far I have gained a total of 3 lbs but I was just told today to expect some massive lbs in the next several weeks. I took the sugar test for Gestational Diabetes and it came out high so I had to take the extensive 4 hour test (I think it was made up by a man to see how long it would take a pregnant woman to throw up!). That has come back normal. So definitely good news there. Really my biggest issue is best illustrated by the cartoon below:

I find all this very fun. Like my own little science experiment! :o) I am definitely ready to see the final result!!!