Our Little Lucky Charm

Today marks our 1 month anniversary of having Miss Waffles in our lives. It's as if she knows I'm writing about her as we speak! She's tummy down with her nose touching my laptop, watching what I type. She has brought us nothing but pure pleasure and joy. Yes, we had a rough first couple of days, but once we got into the rhythm of things, we started to really enjoy each other's company. We call her our lucky charm.

Not only does it play tribute to the boy's home country, but she really is our little lucky charm. She has brought the boy and I closer than ever, she has taught me patience, she is getting me healthier, and she is teaching me to love more on a daily basis. The boy and I truly do believe we are the luckiest fur baby parents. Ever.

In the last two weeks, Waffles experienced new milestones and continues to change physically! Since her 12 week shots, she is now able to go on walks with us! And boy does she LOVE it! When I strap on my fanny pack (No, you don't get pictures of that. Nice try!), and say "ga ja" which means let's go in Korean, she knows we're going on for a walk outside! She gets tired after about 3 blocks, but we're so happy that she loves walks! We've been going at least once a day, twice if I can muster the energy!

When I take her crate out and say ga ja, she knows we're going on a car adventure and climbs right into her crate! We love that she thinks of it as her happy place. She's usually pretty good about car rides and rarely whines. She just snoozes away, but once the gear is in park, she knows it's time to get out! Only then will she whine to hurry me up! Silly girl!

She's still learning her name and learning to go lay down. For some reason, it's the hardest for her to stick to the brain. She's chewing a lot less, but is learning to "no touch." We hope that one sticks soon because I'm tired of saying, "No, don't chew that!" 503 million times a day. She still chews on dadda's everything, but I know deep down inside, she loves him to pieces.

They're so cute together!!

She still loves her naps thank god! But the sweetest thing she's been giving me?! Time to sleep in!! She's allowed me to sleep in to about 8:30 on a daily basis! It's absolutely incredible and I know all the puppy mommas are drooling over this one. One time, she loved me sooo much that she slept in till 10! She got lots of treats for that one.

Stop it, Waffles. Just stop it.

She still loves chasing after her water bottles and looking out the window. She's found her voice and loves to bark at anybody that walks by. It was cute at first, but now I want nothing more than for her to kindly shut her trap.

She still dislikes taking pictures...

She ruined a perfectly good photo. If only she was looking where she was supposed to!

... but you know what?? She's gotten so much better at looking into the camera! I have to be ready at a moments notice before I lose the opportunity, but I'll take it. The photo taking Nazi in me is glowing.

But the biggest accomplishment of all??? For the first time ever, she has had ZERO accidents inside the home today!!! It's the perfect one month anniversary gift she could possibly give us! We're hoping that this positive trend continues! :)

We're so excited to see her grow and experience new adventures together. Momma and Dadda loves you like you never know, Waffles!!

Puppy Model

You're probably really sick and tired of seeing puppy posts, and are probably thinking if I have a life outside of Waffles. You are right to think that because as of now, I really have been doing nothing but loving this pup! And quite frankly, I'm not one bit ashamed to say that I wouldn't have it any other way! :D I have to fill my time with SOMEthing, so I take any opportunity I can to take pictures of the beautiful Waffles. One because when she's acting like a little shit monster, I can come back to these photos and remember her sweet angelic face. Two, and more importantly, I never want to forget her puppy face. She will be going through many stages in her life, and I want to make sure I document it the best I can.

But like I've mentioned before a couple of posts ago, Waffles absolutely despises taking pictures. She knows what they look like and when she sees one, she immediately turns the other way. She won't have it. So the perfect time to get her to stay calm and listen is when she's schleepy. It works like a charm every time! And just for the record, I didn't drug her or feed her alcohol. I promise!!

She absolutely loves to give kisses!

Just look at her sweet puppy face!!

I love it when she calmly sits to watch my favorite TV shows.

SELFIE!! :)

She loves laying on top of Booger, my life-sized Android. Possibly a Google mascot one day??

The boy cherishes moments like these. So effing sweet. 

The boy and I sometimes have the urge to wake her up from her sleepy slumber because she's so dang cute, only to regret it 2 min later. But when we're not so crazy, we catch ourselves creepily staring at Waffles while she sleeps. It's one of our most favorite times of her because one, she's not terrorizing the house, and two, she looks like an absolute angel! Judge for yourself.

And with that, Waffles bids you a good night! :)

Washcloth Lollies

My first DIY post ever! I don't really call myself a creative person, but I do enjoy trying to make new things as long as it doesn't consist of making pretty bows. I definitely lack in the fine motor skills department. Like I mentioned in the baby shower post, I made really cute DIY washcloth lollies as table decor for my sister-in-law! It was super easy to make, and I made a whopping 10 while watching an episode of Friends reruns. Thank you Pinterest for the inspiration!

You will need 2 baby washcloths (preferably different colors or patterns so it pops), a toddler spoon for the stick, tape, cellophane (in the baking section to wrap cookies with) from Michaels, and string to tight it all up together!

You're going to roll each of the wash cloths so that the white side is facing up and the colored side is facing down. 

Do the same thing with the second wash cloth. Be sure to tape the ends so that it stays put. It will make the next step so much easier.

Whichever wash cloth you want on the outer layer, make sure you put that one on the bottom. Put the second wash cloth on top. Roll the top wash cloth 2-3 times before you wrap the bottom layer over so when you're done, it ends more evenly. As you're rolling it, it should start to look like a snail!

When you're done rolling, tape both ends down so it stays kaput. It should now look like a delectable cinnabon! 

Next, take one of the spoons and tape it down to an uglier side because that will be the back.

Finally, stuff the whole washcloth lolly into the cellophane bag and tie it up with string. I decided to use twine because that was the only ribbon I had. Anddd... voila! A washcloth lolly!!

I put my lollies in a bucket I had lying around. A batch of 10 needed 3 buckets for me. The extra one went as wrapping decor for one of their gifts. Depending on the colors you have, feel free to mix them up so add the perfect boost of color to your baby shower table decor!

It definitely felt more meaningful that the mother-to-be can take home a part of the shower home with her and use for little baby niece. I thought it added more of an umph than buying generic table decor that I'd probably end up throwing away or stuffed in the black hole closet of mine. Make your own batch for the next baby shower and I promise it will be a hit! 

Baby Shower for Little Niece

I can't believe that my little baby brother is becoming a dad in a short 3 weeks!! I still see him as a little kid that I used to push around all the time, and now he's becoming a father?! What?! Mind. blown.

Well, in honor of the little niece coming into the world, I threw a small intimate baby shower for the new family. Catering Greek food and ordering the cake made preparing so much more fun and less stressful! Because this was my first time hosting a baby shower (and doing it all by myself might I add!), everything being a cinch was very important. None of this could have been possible without Pinterest!

A little something extra for the mother-to-be to feel special!

And then there's the beautiful cake!! C'est Si Bon Bakery in Cambrian Park did such an amaaaaazing job on the cake! Everybody was ooohing and aaahhhing at its perfection. Next to the momma to be, this cake is an absolute hit. Look at the cutesy feet, ruffled undies, and blankie! Nobody wanted to cut the cake because it was so pretty! Who can blame them?!

How gorgeous is this cake?!

I did minimal decorating outside. Even though I have all the time in the world as a teacher on summer break, I unfortunately don't have all the money in the world to decorate to my heart's content because well... I'm a teacher on summer break. The pom poms weren't much, but it held up it's end of the deal and completed the look of the pink theme I had going.

In the left hand corner, you'll see some lollipop looking things dancing around the vase of gerbera daisies. I knew I would need a little something for either table decor or centerpieces, so instead of just buying something generic at the party store, I opted to make a little something that would be both pretty to look at and functional for later use. Introducing Washcloth Lollies! They were super easy to make and I can't wait to share it with you all. I'll blog about that in a separate post.

There were no boys allowed for this baby shower, so they all decided to band together and have dinner while us girls did our thang! Boys being boys, they crashed our party. It was impeccable timing on their part because we were just about to open presents and have some cake afterwards! I'm glad they did because we got some really great family pics out of it. Good job boys!!

Waffles filling in for their little bundle of joy. But purely for picture sake.

I don't know about other cultures out there, but Asians need their fruit fix after dinner. That's why you'll always see oranges or watermelon being served at Asian restaurants after all the yum yums have been consumed. I could have served just regular sliced watermelons, but not this time! I decided to make a watermelon cake!

It looks hard, but it was surprisingly super easy to make! I wish I had taken pictures of each step to blog about it, but I was on get-'er-done mode and it completely slipped my mind! I'll have to find another reason to make a new one and I promise to take photos of it!

Overall, the baby shower was a huge success! The new parents-to-be received some more gifts out of it, the grandparents got to share this joyous occasion with their close friends, and me? I had the opportunity to throw the little niece her first party. I can't wait to meet the little princess and make me a real auntie!

Happy 3 Months Little Waffles

Wow... so THIS is the feeling that parents have that compels them to take monthly pictures. Never in a million years did I think I'd be THAT kind of mom, but here I am, trying to keep up with all her milestones on a monthly basis. Geezus...  I barely recognize this person!

She went in for her 12 week shots yesterday and everything came out clean! She is as healthy as a horse. Her ear infection is gone, her teeth are clean and growing, getting little taller, and she gained a solid pound and a half around her ass. She's now at 6.6 lbs!

Just look at her! Can someone please invent a potion to freeze them at their puppy stage?? This is her furmomma talking so I may be a little biased, but my dog is crazy, stupid cute. You'd be out of your mind if you disagreed. She gets love EVERYWHERE she goes! I've had people on many occasions stop in their tracks, turn around, come back and give her some love. Another girl seriously almost cried after seeing Waffles at Target. She got red faced and teary eyed from all her cuteness. A little creepy if you ask me, but I'll take it as a compliment! :P

She also got evaluated from a doggy trainer and she is a very emotionally stable and happy pup. But even better than that, I got news that every parent, fur or human momma, wants to hear: she is gifted. Too smart for her own good. She could be eating rocks for 2 different reasons: malnutrition or boredom. Since I'm feeding her the best of the best out there in the food department, that was immediately ruled out. So it's boredom. Judging by how fast she was able to figure out multiple puzzle feeders, it's been determined that she's a brilliant dog. And add beautiful that?? The boy and I couldn't be more proud of our Waffles. Our only hope is that we can keep her stimulated enough to maximize her puppy brain potential. :)