Samson Stories: Walking

Posted in Samson by teamtradermom

Samson loves to go for walks. It’s his chance to get out in the world and pee all over it.

Today we went for our first morning walk/run of the new year. The weather was perfect – 50 degrees – and the air was crisp. My iPod was strapped to my arm and we were ready to go!

Then we started walking and I forgot how bad Samson is at this. At first. He gets better the more we do it but today was a struggle.

Let’s back up. When we first got Samson he was a wild buck, full of energy and independence. He’s also freakishly strong. The first time I tried to walk him, I was using a regular old run of the mill leash. He took one look at it and scoffed. Silly human thinks she can control me with that flimsy thing? I’ll show her!

I got dragged all over the neighborhood. I was in tears by the time we got back home.

The vet suggested we try a choke chain. Basically, a choke chain is loose around their neck, but tightens if they try to pull, giving the feeling of being choked for a second. It doesn’t hurt them, it’s just meant to stop them from the pulling. Not Samson! He pulled anyway until he was out of breath. Then he’d stop, take a deep breath and keep pulling!

Again, I was dragged all over the neighborhood and in tears by the time I got back home.

Next on the list to try was a prong collar. It looks like a torture device with metal prongs (that are dull on the end so as not to puncture the dog’s skin). Again, it’s meant to poke at them to stop the pulling. Didn’t phase Samson what-so-ever. He would come back from walks with marks dug in to his neck. And I would be in tears.

Someone suggested a body harness. Basically it goes across his chest. That was the biggest mistake because guess where all his power comes from? Yeah. He really yanked me good then!

As a last resort, we tried the Gentle Leader, which goes around his snout, and then attaches to a collar on his neck.

The idea is that if he pulls, it will pull his head back and to the side. Also, the leader is on his nose which has the least amount of power. It worked. Or would have if we could get him to walk. As soon as we put it on, he dropped down on the ground and started thrashing about like he was having a seizure or something! He would not get up. for. anything. I finally gave up and just took him inside. We kept trying and eventually he submitted.

He makes you work to get it on him though. You have to chase him around the house. The only way to do it is make him go to his kennel, and then he’s cornered. Then he licks it obsessively. That’s his way of showing dominance over the Gentle Leader. “You may make me obey while you’re on, but dammit I’m gonna lick the crap out of you before and after!”

Like I said before, Samson is freakishly strong. He’s 90 lbs of solid muscle. So he can still yank me around if he gets enough momentum and drive.

And the first walk of the season sucks the most because he’s forgotten all his training. He pulls. He stops suddenly to sniff or pee or both. He lurches. He scratches at his nose to try and get the leader off. And he does “The Seal”.

This is a maneuver that he does a lot. Not sure if he’s trying to get the leash off or wipe his scent on the ground or what. What he does is dip his nose down to the grass and then push off his front paws, like he’s diving in to the water. He ends up sliding across the grass and then he rolls from side to side before pushing off again. It really does look like a seal swimming.

One thing he doesn’t do on walks is poop. He has a hang up about it. I think it’s a commandment in his little doggie world – ‘Thou Shall Not Poop in Thy Neighbor’s Yard”. Our neighbors appreciate that and so do I! Means I don’t have to pick it up!

But, today he took a big ole dump right in the middle of someone’s lawn, and of course I didn’t have a baggie on me. Cardinal sin, I know. I feel bad. He doesn’t leave small piles either…oh well.

So here’s hoping that he gets better as the season progresses and he gets more practice in. He and I both need to get back in running shape so the weekly runs ought to do us good!

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9May2011

Officially Official…and other stuff

Posted in Family, Holidays and Seasons, House and Home by teamtradermom

Our house is officially on the market! Phew! I’m exhausted from all the work we’ve done to the house but it’s not over yet. We still have a “to do” list of small items that need to be checked off. Then we have to continue our search to find a new house for us. And once that is done – we actually have to move ! Eek!

I’m tired just thinking about it…or maybe I’m tired from this darn summer cold I still have. We’ve now entered phase 2. Phase 1 was a constant sore throat and aches. Phase 2 is a REALLY stuffy nose. I feel like someone inflated balloons up in my sinuses. I just hope there’s no phase 3!

I started P90X today! Well, I actually started it 2 weeks ago but with all of life’s craziness and getting sick, I only got 2 days under my belt. So I’m starting over today. I’m not following the P90X diet plan. I don’t have the book and trying to find info online is confusing. I’ve gleaned that there are several phases and the first one is high protein, low carbs, so I’m trying to do that. I will allow myself to eat some carbs, just pushing to get a little more protein in, to build up the muscle. Don’t worry, I won’t write a daily entry on it like I did with the Shred. That would be come a really long post after 90 days and you would get sick of it. But I will provide periodic updates as I progress. And I might whine a little too… Winking smile I can already feel the soreness setting in from this morning!

Mother’s Day was nice. Pretty laid back as we had to do work on the house. At one point, I was in the kitchen scrubbing cabinet doors and looked up to see CJ reading the paper while drinking his coffee, Isabella playing with her toys and Samson staring at me wanting food. Now, what’s wrong with that picture?

But we did have a nice afternoon at the museum and then dinner with the extended family. Isabella was crabby at times but all in all, a day with the family is a good day indeed! And the best part – I got a gift certificate for a 90 minute massage which I will be more than happy to use!

At the museum. Isabella was a little tired here from running around so much!

Me, my mom and my sister. 2 of the best moms I know!

Believe it or not, I’m actually going to take the night off from house work. I plan to repaint my toenails and watch Dancing with the Stars. Go Hines!!

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29Apr2011

All done

Posted in Isabella/Munchkin by teamtradermom

I am going on about 40 hours of wake time on only 2 hours of sleep. Ya’ll are lucky I’m able to type complete sentences at this point. As soon as I click “Publish” on this post I am diving in to my bed and (hopefully) not coming out until tomorrow morning.

Why did I not get any sleep last night? Three words – Isabella is sick.

Her nose started running mid afternoon but otherwise she was acting fine and being her normal self. CJ and I had sand volleyball so my parents came over to baby-sit and we headed out. When we got home, my mom said that Isabella had a hard time going to sleep and was waking up crying quite a bit. Sometimes she does that so I didn’t think too much of it. I sat down to watch my DVRed American Idol from Wednesday and eat a yummy juicy cheeseburger.

About an hour later, it started. The first cry. A sense of dread came over me but I pushed it away.

Munchkin had dropped an oobie so I gave it to her and left the room. But she did not stop crying. She carried on and on. I went back in and picked her up. Usually a little love and time in the rocker will do the trick. Not this time.

The crying escalated. I offered her juice but she refused. I sang/snuggled/rocked/hugged but it did nothing. I had to pin her down to get her to take some Ibuprofen and even then she spit most of it back out.

Then she started writhing. I tell you, it was like she was possessed. She arched her back and tried to throw herself out of my arms. Then she wriggled around until her back was pressed up against me, reached her arms back and tried to claw my face off. I’m not even kidding. She left a good scratch on the left side too. I don’t think she seriously was trying to hurt me. The only thing I could figure is that she was so miserable all she could do was writhe and squirm. Poor little thing didn’t know what else to do.

I started to talk to her then, calmly and softly, and basically just have a conversation. I asked her what was hurting her. If her ears ached, if her nose was sore, if her tummy was upset. She actually stopped crying to listen to me. It calmed her down enough to where she snuggled in and nodded back to sleep. I rocked her for a good 5 minutes, to make sure she was out, and then gently put her back to bed.

20 minutes later she was up screaming again. This cycle went on all night.

See, she would fall asleep and then wake up at some point because her nose was stuffy. When she awoke, she’d discover that she’d dropped an oobie and start crying. Then she’d realize she was feeling poopie and the crying would get worse.

I went to bed around 10:30 p.m. and CJ took over. At 11:30 p.m. I woke up to her screaming again and CJ was having trouble calming her down. So I got up to help. We used the bulb syringe to suck some goobers out of her nose, which she was none too happy about, and finally got her back to sleep.

She was awake 30 minutes later.

This time when I picked her up she said, “All done…” like just by saying it, the cold and misery would be over. I wish it was that easy too.

I finally decided that the only way to keep her asleep, and us from getting up and out of bed all night, was to just have her lay down with me. If I brought her in to our bed, she’d keep us both up, so I took her out to the living room and we laid on the couch. She immediately passed out, snuggled up to me. I however, could not sleep. I was not in the most comfortable position. True to form, every time she dropped an oobie, she woke up. For the most part, she was finally able to get some sleep this way. I think it really helped her to be in someone’s arms. She felt safe.

I however was watching the time tick by and counting how many hours of sleep I WASN’T getting!

Finally at 4:30 a.m. I decided enough was enough and I needed to try for SOME sleep. I took her back to her room. She seemed out of it enough that she could be on her own. I slept for an hour and then she woke up. I made CJ get up with her this time, though I struggled to fall back asleep. Then my alarm went off and that was that.

As tired as I am and as much as I wanted to sleep, taking care of Isabella was #1. Knowing she was able to sleep in my arms, and having her snuggle up to me, did feel good. I want her to always know that she is safe with mommy and daddy. Someday soon she will not want to snuggle with us so I might as well enjoy it now!

Time to jet to bed. Well, maybe some ice cream and Grey’s Anatomy first. Pray that I’m able to get some sleep tonight!

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Vacation from my Vacation

Posted in Family, Holidays and Seasons by teamtradermom

With my new job, I now get to enjoy extra days off. It’s a beautiful little concept called Exchange Holidays! That gives me 3 extra holidays a year! Boo-yah! My first official exchange holiday was last Friday (Good Friday) so I am coming off of a 3 day weekend.

And now I need a few days to recover from it.

CJ and I basically saw this weekend as a chance to hammer out more work on the house. Isabella saw it as a chance to put mom to the test. The combination resulted in aching muscles, tired eyes and frazzled nerves.

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

CJ and I are dividing the house work up based on ability. He has the knowledge and skills to do lots of construction type work, having been in the biz for 30+ years, and I am really good at bossing him around. This weekend, he was focusing on getting our bedroom/bathroom finished up, along with various other things (including an unexpected plumbing project). I was going to be the one in charge of Munchkin so that he could work. I was really looking forward to spending the extra time with Isabella. Boy did I get a taste for what being a stay-at-home parent is like!

Friday was good. We played, we had snacks, and we ran to the store for some miscellaneous stuff. After she awoke from her nap, we went outside as it was a nice afternoon. She tried to help me pick up Samson’s dog poop using her bare hands. Luckily I caught her before she touched anything! I must have looked like a freak to my neighbors as I frantically waved my arms in the air and yelled NO!NO!NO!NO!

I can hear then now, “Gee Bill, I wonder what kind of interpretive dance Sarah is doing over there? Huh. Oh, maybe she got stung by a bee…”

I decided to take Munchkin to the park since it was so nice and neither of us wanted to go in. After playing for a few minutes, she decided it would be super fun to push the stroller so I let her push it all the way back home (about 2 blocks)!

Saturday is when the trouble started. I think Isabella has a little cold, or else she’s getting some teeth, and she was really crabby.

The morning was fine and she had an epic 2.5 hour nap after lunch. When she woke up we went back outside to play. It was a colder day though so we couldn’t stay out as long. She wanted to pick up flags. A few weeks ago CJ staked little flags out in our yard to mark the sprinkler heads so that the aerator guys wouldn’t run over them. Then he had Isabella go out and help him pick them up. Child labor is a beautiful thing. She remembered that and wanted to do it again, only there weren’t any to pick up! Well, ok, there was one. So I let her go out front and get that one but I wouldn’t let her run around with it for fear she’d fall and jab herself in the eye. Then I’d have to rush her to the hospital and she’d end up wearing an eye patch. I was not about to have her become a pirate and go blind on my watch!

She got very angry that she had to a) give the flag up and b) go inside. The cry-fest lasted for about an hour, off and on. I had to make a storage run and I ~~asked~~ begged CJ to come with. I was running on fumes and needed the extra help. I figured we could all go together, then stop and grab some chinese on the way back (food, not people). Crab Rangoon make everything better.

She whined/cried for most of the trip, partway during dinner and through her bath (which she normally loves). It took 30 minutes to get her to bed too. By the time all that was done, I was drained.

Easter Sunday started out great. We got up, had breakfast, did an egg hunt and Isabella got her Easter basket. It was getting to be about 10:30am and she was very tired. She started acting up. She wanted to be held and then she yanked on my hair. When I reprimanded her for it, she started crying.

That was all it took to break the dam loose.

She cried and cried and cried. For a solid hour. I tried everything and eventually just figured there was nothing I could do. I changed her in to her Easter dress (which I never got a picture of because of all the meltdown) and got her ready to go. Magically, a cure for her distress was found – hangers. Yes, that’s right, clothes hangers. In her teary-eyed daze, she wandered over to her closet and pulled out 2 hangers that were on the floor. She clutched those in her little hands and wouldn’t let go. She even took them with her to grandma’s house. Hey, fine with me. If I had known that, I would have given her that for Easter!

The rest of the day was basically more of the same. She had a few good hours here or there and then would break out in tears. We managed to get her through the egg hunt before laying her down for her nap. She was so beyond tired at that point that she refused to sleep. My mom had to use her super grandma powers to rock Munchkin to sleep. When she was finally down, a moratorium was put on the house that no one was to make a sound for fear she’d wake up. All the guys took that as their cue to nap too. Us women spent the time gossiping over cheese and crackers while the kids played outside. When Munckhin awoke, she went out and joined them.

Once we got home, she broke out in more fits and it again took about 30 minutes to get her to sleep.

By the end of the day, I was actually looking forward to going to work, just to get a break from the tantrums.

I tell ya what, I have renewed respect for my amazing husband who stays at home with Isabella every day. From the outside looking in, I get jealous that he gets all this time with our little darling while I’m at work dealing with deadlines and things. While he is lucky to spend so much time with her, and be a part of things I can’t, it’s not all fun and games and can be very exhausting. I definitely got a taste of that this weekend.

If only Arbor Day was an Exchange Holiday. I could really use another day off.

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21Apr2011

Smarty Pants

Posted in Isabella/Munchkin by teamtradermom

I think I’m in for some trouble.

My 18 month old is officially smarter than me.

Well, almost. She will be before too long and then I’ll be at a disadvantage. I feel like I need to go back to college just to stay 2 steps ahead of her!

Below are the things she did tonight that made me realize my fate.

1. She knows what money is.

Isabella has had a piggy bank ever since she was born and every once in a while I’ll stick some change in it. When she got old enough to be more dexterous, she began to do it herself. Tonight, I had 2 quarters fall out of my pocket so I told her we could put some money in her piggy bank (though I didn’t tell her what it was). She ran to her room and yelled “Piggy bank!” When I handed the money to her she said, “Quarters!” Surprised smile I had no idea she knew what a quarter was! Then I thought maybe she called all change the same thing so I got a nickel, dime and penny. She was able to point out the penny right away. The nickel and dime I had to help her with. I hope this trend continues so that one day soon she will become the worlds youngest millionaire. Then she can buy me the island.

2. She ate with a spoon

We have been working and working with her on how to use utensils. She pretty much just waves them around or beats them on the table. But tonight, she actually dipped her spoon in the yogurt cup and used it the right way! And she ate the whole entire cup of yogurt like that!

She still managed to make quite a mess but boy did she have fun!

3. She carried on a real conversation

For dessert tonight, I gave Munchkin some Spiderman fruit snacks. This is what happened:

Isabella: Hello Spiderman!
Me (pretending to be Spiderman): Hello Isabella!
Isabella: How are you?
Me: Good, how are you?
Isabella: Fine. Thank you amazing Spiderman.
Me: Uh, you’re welcome

I just sort of stared at her for a minute after that. She stared back at me, and then said, “All done Mama. Get down now.”

Oh yeah, right.

I tell ya, this girl continues to amaze me every day. And it scares me a little too. I clearly remember the day that I surpassed my dad in mathematics knowledge, which is not easy because my dad taught Jr. High math for 35 years. I came home from high school, I think I was a freshman, and asked him to help me with my calculus assignment. He looked at the book, sighed and then said, “I’m afraid you’re beyond me now.” I saw a glimmer of sadness in his eyes because at that moment he knew I was growing up and would someday not need him anymore.

I know it will be a long time before that day comes for Isabella. But tonight was a reminder of just how quickly she is growing and learning. Some times I want to just stop time and stay here forever.

Then she has a massive poopie diaper or temper tantrum and that takes care of that.

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