How we treated our dog’s nasodigital hyperkeratosis — wait, what?

hyperkeratosis dog paws, almost feathery in texture

I thought to write this since as an animal-lover, finding a solution to our woof’s problem lifted such a weight off my back. Hopefully it helps someone else’s puppy out too. A few weeks ago, Casey started limping. We first assumed it was a pulled muscle since she does this often up north when she runs around. She had been roughhousing (ruff-housing?) in the snow a lot with Junior. After a few days it hadn’t resolved itself though. I checked her paws quickly and they seemed a bit cracked. … Continue reading

DIY: Crib Rail Cover

I recently learned that I am raising a gerbil: I’m open-minded and an animal lover so this would have been fine, until I read one comment on a forum where someone said her kid chipped his tooth gnawing a crib rail. That and I don’t like my young boy eating paint. I needed a cover! I decided to use fleece (it’s cushy on the chompers) but wasn’t sure on just tying it on. Could he pull it up with his little bunny teeth (switching rodents), … Continue reading

One year ago today, my life changed.

John at 20 weeks old

Last August 19th, I found out my life was changing forever. I sat in disbelief, spouting happy obscenities to myself as I stared at a plus sign. From behind a closed door, Mixicat meowed something similar to the word “MOM?! MOOOOOMMMMM??” over and over, making me question my sanity and this moment even more. That night, I put the test in an envelope addressed in fake old lady handwriting to my husband and left it on the counter for him to find. When he opened it … Continue reading

Hello, Baby Boy!

I have a few seconds to blog that I’ll never get back again if I don’t take advantage, so here are some pictures of our (very hairy) newborn boy! Meet John. Go ahead and tell me that heartburn and hairy-born babies is just a wives’ tale. I’m not inclined to believe you, as I may have the hairiest kid on the planet (since my own birth short years ago) and I complained more of heartburn than has any pregnant woman ever known. Somehow, he has darker … Continue reading

39 weeks: The final mugshot? Please?

Here’s hoping these are the last bump selfies you need to see of mine. As noted on the Instagram version of this picture, Casey has been following me around non-stop. This isn’t totally unusual as she’s a big needy dog, but it’s definitely been amplified this last bunch of months. Junior does not seem to know anything’s different, except that he no longer dares to jump up on me with his giant paws. This week I’ve been making a lot of progress with Fitbit. I’m … Continue reading

39 weeks: Here’s the nursery!

I honestly didn’t think we would get this far into the pregnancy. Boy is estimated to be 8lbs as of last week (though I know that could easily vary… I’m a house now, so I believe it’s that much or heavier). It’s possible he might be late. This kid hates our wintry spring as much as I do. Today is milder, so there might be hope. Here are some pictures of our nursery. My niece came over with some cute outfits and other baby-related stuff … Continue reading

DIY: Easy upcycled knotted baby hats!

DIY knotted baby hats

What to do when a baby isn’t out yet? I decided to make use of our remaining free time — a lunch date here, a sewn diaper there… a plush toy or two. When it comes to materials, I’m a huge fan of using what you’ve got, so I was thrilled to find a sewing project for the bub that I could make using old graphic tees that didn’t fit anymore. Newborn babies have to have soft, adorable hats, right? I first saw these hipster … Continue reading

Flashback to March 2013 — Junior & Casey

Our little brown dog is now taller than Casey. I can’t believe how much Junior’s grown since we got him this past February. He’s not even a year old. Love this guy, when I don’t want to wrestle him for being bad.   Looking through their blog today and feeling the pregnant feels.  (Yep, every member of our family has some kind of web presence. Except two of the cats. They’re too busy hiding or stealing pens to blog.)   Share the post “Flashback to March … Continue reading

The Aubs

Welcome, little kid. Now grow old and optimistically-cynical and appreciate my blog! But seriously, isn’t she adorable? I mean, even if you don’t know her personally. You have to admit it. Oh, you won’t? Well my knee hurts. I don’t know, maybe it’s my veins again, but it could also be a pulled muscle. What? Oh right, the baby. Yeah, she’s a cutie. Share the post “The Aubs” FacebookXShare… Continue reading

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