33

Lots to catch up on...

I turned 33 the other day.

 

Thanks to my friend Becca, I had a cake to celebrate with. And a cheesecake at that! YUM! Normally my husband gets me an ice cream cake from Bruster's, but he thinks that taking me to Vegas in September relieved him of any birthday celebration duties. 

Unfortunately, the weather was super crappy out all day. If you know me, you know how much I love the sun. I need the sun to motivate me and keep my mood happy. 

Although the sun did not make an appearance on Monday, Jayce and I *did* see this on the way to his school. We actually saw a double rainbow at one point, but I didn't stop and pull over to grab a picture like I should have.

And I'm now in my 33rd week of pregnancy.

Thanks so much for taking a great picture, Monica! I enjoyed a birthday lunch with my dear friend the other day. It was definitely the highlight of my week! 

My pregnancy continues to go well, despite major aches and pains thanks to baby's position. I think I complained a little too much about baby J being so low and engaged in my pelvis already. He/she decided to perform some fetal gymnastics the other day and I now have a breech presentation baby. On one hand, I can pee with a normal feeling bladder again, but I traded that comfort for rib pain, which the baby's head is rubbing against. 

On a positive note, however, my blood pressure, weight gain, uterus measurement, and blood sugar are all awesome. Now if I can only keep this great weight gain for 7 more weeks :P

Keeping with the theme of this blog post, I could talk about the 33 reasons why we decided that Jackson was just not a good fit for our family, but I'm just done. His behavior last Monday and Tuesday were his third strike in his "three strikes and you're out" score.

I will tell you that this decision was not made lightly. We are not dog owners that shirk our responsibilities as soon as times get tough. We recognize that Jackson needs a lot of one-on-one attention, more training, and to live in a home without other pets or kids. 

Everyone is happy with our decision except for Brian. He had just started getting attached to Jackson and wanted to give him another chance. I do sympathize with my husband and he *almost* talked me into keeping Jackson, but I reminded him that HE wouldn't be the one to give Jackson another chance. That responsibility would essentially fall to me every time. I'm the one home all day. I'm the one that's been crate training, walking the dog in the rain, supervising him in our house, saving Jaina's stuffed animals from his mouth, taking him to his behavior classes, taking him to the vet, cleaning up his numerous accidents, listening to him whine and bark, making sure he is getting proper exercise, keeping Jackson away from Shaggy at all times, etc. It has been an exhausting 6 weeks.

Yes, there is guilt that we failed Jackson. But just a smidge. Mostly I feel relief. The kids are happier. Shaggy is most definitely happier. And I hope, in time, Jackson will be happier in his new home.

And last, but not least, look who's back to visit us for the holidays?

Does your elf need some creative ideas for resting spots? My friend Allyson found this website. Awesome!