A toddler, a puppy, and a baby on the way….

We are full swing in 2016, and can I mention how chaotic the Doud household is? Dirk and I are continuously entertained by our spunky, intelligent, full of life toddler and her new best friend for life, a golden doodle with a penchant for misfortune, yet are wondering how we're going to survive when Lil Dirk arrives. We feel like we have our hands full! This year is going to be one of transition for us, and we are going to roll with it as best we can. Guess it's best to get that transition started with a little one that can be put in a kennel or outside when it's misbehaving.



Noodle is part of the family despite just arriving in mid-January. And boy has he hit our hearts and wallets hard. His first week home, he managed to frustrate our older and slightly grumpier dog Louie enough to earn himself a bite in the face. It left puncture wounds on his cheeks, and fractured his jaw. Sadly, he had to get a wire inserted in his lower left jaw and was ordered to wear a face mask for two months to minimize any further damage that chewing might cause. In addition, we discovered he had both Coccidia and Giardia which means he basically has diarrhea nonstop. We buy paper towels in bulk, and have still managed to run out. He has yet to sleep through the night for us. He also swallowed one of Dirk's foam ear plugs, which required us to get him some eye drops that induce vomiting. After his latest vet visit, I found him yelping in pain at home until I brought him back for them to give him some Benadryl and determine it was a reaction to the vaccine. Who knew getting a puppy would be such a tough time for us? 



I can't overestimate though how thrilled Dakota is to have a puppy in her life. I'm not sure if Noodle is as much in love as Dakota is... she loves to "cuddle" with him, although it may border suffocation. She enjoys putting Noodle down for a nap, covering him with a dishtowel and telling him "Night, night." She asks about "Noo-yul" first thing in the morning, tells him "Good boy," even when he's not one, likes to crawl in his kennel and shut herself inside, and giggles when he chases her all over the house. Noodle does seem to acknowledge his role as her protector, because I catch him underneath her crib napping whenever she is taking a nap. It is adorable to see them interact and playing so well together that it reminds me I wasn't totally insane to get a puppy. It is also good for Dakota to practice being gentle with Noodle, as she will have to be gentle with the new baby too.


We have made it to the final trimester! Our "Lil Dirk" is going to be a big boy too, if my bump is any indication of his size. We have an ultrasound next week to get a projected weight, and I'm eager to see how large he is actually measuring. It would be nice if my Doctor told me if it's very possible for him to come early. The best part of this phase is being able to feel him kicking, turning, and what I imagine is stretching. The worst is the constant lethargic feeling, unexpected contractions, general uncomfortableness, and waking up to pee every 3-4 hours! I have scaled back my activities to store up as much rest as I can, but with all the craziness a toddler and puppy create, it is difficult to get any time to feel restored. This is me at 30 weeks - and I should say overall I am thankful to have had a complication-free pregnancy so far.

Here is Dirk making Dakota laugh, which he does all the time. We took a hike at the Wild Basin Preserve yesterday to get out of the house! It was slightly overcast, but we needed the exercise. 

Here are some more favorite moments we've had these past few weeks-

Exploring a new zoo with the fun and super cute Jonah for his 2nd birthday! I always love getting time in with an oldie and bestie- Amber Ray. The fact that we are both pregnant right now is a bonus! I can vent with her about frustrations, and we also share our concerns with how these second deliveries will play out. I appreciate her more than she'll every know!!! 

Please note that Dakota is naked... she sat on her snack pouch in her stroller and had mushy food all over her dress. This was a zoo out in the middle of nowhere and with an odd collection of animals, but visiting with the Joplins and Debbie and Jim was the real treat.  Well that - and the albino peacock that spread its tail open for us! 

This picture may be the sweetest one I have of Dakota and her cousin, Devin. They took a bath at Nana's together over the Christmas holidays, and I love that it shows how much more they are interacting. Dirk and I talk about how similar their interests and abilities are right now, but how they maintain their own personalities. They are both outgoing and very bright little girls! I look forward to seeing them grow up together and being friends for life. It's also nice to have Derek and Jessica to bounce ideas off each other of how we are starting to discipline our testy toddlers. 

This is another one of my favorites from a park near our house. Dirk and I were preparing different "meals" for Dakota to eat at this dinner table at the park. We found rocks for a pea soup, grass and tree leaves for salads, and even flowers for dessert. Dakota allows us to use our imaginations and be kids together again, which makes us grow even stronger in our relationship. He is such an amazing Dad, and I love seeing how he pushes Dakota to think outside the box. And the way she looks at him and says, "Dad-deeeeee" I can tell she realizes just how silly and awesome her Dad is. Some of her new words right now they make us giggle are, "P-but butter" for peanut butter and "pit-sures" for pictures because she loves to see her family and point to them. She also sings her ABCs, the Elmo Slide, Twinkle Twinkle, and Old MacDonald, esp E-I-E-I-O! 

And last, the infamous Noodle! If he weren't this cute, we probably would have taken him back to the breeder by now. All jokes aside, he has a very sweet disposition and it's very fun to have a playful puppy again. We are going to make it work with this adorable, albeit accident-prone new member of the family and pray for some sanity as we count down the days til Lil Dirk joins the crew!