Christmas Recap

My first Christmas was a fun (and profitable) time for me. As you probably know, I have a lot of fans and consequently, got a lot of gifts. So many that I have been talking about turning the office into "Baxter's playroom". So far daddy (who works from the office) has not been listening. Compared to the other stuff, mommy and daddy's gifts to me were kind of lame. They got me a bigger crate. I'm not sure I even consider that a gift to me. I think it's more of a gift to them.

The neighbors across the hallway gave me a couple of squeaky toys and some treats. The rawhides were particularly divine. Grandma Linda and Grandpa Ray got me a bunch of toys and treats, including what I consider the perfect toy -- it's white, fluffy, and has velcro on it. All of my favorite things. They also got me a cool blanket with panda head and feet on it. I like to sleep on it and carry it around the house. Mommy had to do facial reconstructive surgery on my panda, though, 'cause I chewed off the plastic eyes and nose. Mommy' s not a good surgeon and now his nose is a little crooked. Auntie Cassie sent me toy in the mail -- it's both a squeaky toy and a rope toy. How cool is that? From Aunt Heather and Uncle Mark and Aunt Sara and Uncle John, I got a whole bunch of stuff -- including a candy cane that's as big as I am! Sometimes I trip on it when I try to run around with it. They also got me a squeaky toy chicken that scares me when it squeaks. Daddy likes to tease me with it, so I'm not so happy about that one. Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Mike gave me some squeaky toys when they were down to visit last month. I especially like chewing on them.

P.S. Thanks to Aunt Sara for the adorable picture of me. Believe it or not, this was before the New Year's Eve party got really rockin'.

Christmas Morning

Merry Christmas everyone! I'm having a great Christmas! I slept in this morning -- got to cuddle up close to daddy and stay warm! I got to open my presents last night so this morning I had lots of time to play with them. (I'll show you pictures of them a little later). Now I'm helping daddy set up his drum set. Check out our matching jammies. (Mommy has a pair of them, too!)

Baxter's Stocking

In the living room, there's three things hanging near the fireplace. A few weeks ago, mommy told me that the one in the middle is Baxter's stocking. I'm not sure why she told me that because apparently I'm not allowed to play with it. I know this because I tried tonight. Mommy took it away from me and told me I can't have it until tomorrow.

No Snow Day for Baxter

Mommy got the day off today and got to stay home. Baxter wasn't so lucky. Daddy made me go to work anyways. Something about how my commute from the bedroom to the office isn't outside and so I shouldn't be complaining. I was a little late in this morning ('cause I slept in with mommy), so I hope he doesn't dock my pay.

Snow!

Mommy, daddy, and I went outside to investigate the snow. (Also, I had to go potty and mommy's not happy with me using the balcony as my own personal bathroom. Even though daddy said it was okay.) The snow is taller than I am! I have to jump to get through it (watch the video!) Luckily the condo association has cleared trails through the snow 'cause otherwise I would get buried and lost. I'll admit it, though, it's kind of fun to run and jump through the snow. Last night I played outside with one of my doggie friends and we ran and jumped and wrestled each other. Lots of fun! I didn't want to come back inside, but mommy and daddy made me.

Another snow!

It's snowing out again! This time there's lots of it. When mommy, daddy, and I went outside earlier, I fell into a big pile of it and had trouble getting out. (It's taller than I am). Luckily, daddy decided he was going to take a nap, so I'm just going to chill out on the couch for a little while.

In other news, I got a message from Santa today. Well, actually mommy got it since she says I'm too young to have my own email address. (So I can blog, but not send email. That doesn't make any sense). Here's the link if you want to check it out: http://portablenorthpole.tv/watch/57068819ab5c598f591b0ca8f2b4b2f5

Oops

We had an incident last night. Someone -- I'm not naming any names -- had an accident on the bed. (Okay it was me. Don't judge me.) Mommy and daddy had to strip and remake the bed at midnight. Mommy was not happy. Daddy washed the sheets -- and the waterproof mattress pad -- today. (He still has to take the comforter to the dry cleaners). And then (this is where it gets interesting), he left the mattress pad on the couch. Well, you know how much I love to sleep in warm laundry.... So I decided to sleep on it.

And then I found out that it was pretty cool to chew on. The sides of the mattress pad are made of a meshy-type material and then there's a plastic-y part in the middle. So I shredded up the mattress pad while daddy was running errands today! It was so much fun! But mommy was not happy when she got home.... Especially since she also had to clean up all the bubble wrap I had played with while daddy was gone.

Lights!

It was a busy weekend! Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Mike came to visit me. They brought along my cousin Peanut. I guess Peanut is my cousin 'cause technically his mommy is my Aunt Heather. But he lives with my Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Mike. But I digress...

I had a fun weekend playing with Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Mike. I tried really hard to get Peanut to play with me, but he wasn't really into it. We even went to the dog park on Saturday and all he wanted to do was sit on Grandma Nancy's lap rather than playing with the other doggies! Can you believe that?

Last night, though, we went a park. But this time we didn't get out and walk. We gave people money at the beginning of the park. (I was sort of bummed that they didn't give us any food -- that's what normally happens when you drive by something and people come to your window). We drove through it and there were light displays all over! It was so much fun! Mommy opened the window and left me sit on her lap to see the pretty lights. I got pretty cold, though, so she had to wrap me in her coat. It was lots of fun, but I was so warm and cozy on mommy's lap that I fell asleep.

Christmas presents!

On Friday, daddy left me alone in the living room for a little while. I decided that Christmas was going to come a little early for Baxter this year and opened up my present. I picked out the only one that was for me under the tree (I'm a little concerned that there was only one for me under the tree) and opened it. Then I got to play with my present! It was a stuffed bear with squeakers in its paws! Lots of fun! Mommy wasn't really happy with me (or daddy) when she got home from work, though....

Helping

As I've mentioned before, I'm a pretty helpful guy. When mommy and daddy are loading the dishwasher, I'm right there, helping to load it. And if I happen to catch a delicious morsel of food while I'm doing it, well, that's just my reward for being such a great guy. Tonight I decided to help daddy unload the dishwasher. I discovered that there's no food when the dishes are clean. But mommy and daddy do keep sticks in the dishwasher and you know how much I love to play with sticks....

Hangin' Out

See my new hat? No, I did not take it away from Santa. Mommy bought me the hat on Saturday. We -- mommy, daddy, and me -- walked to the drug store a few blocks away and mommy bought it for me. I carried it all the way home all by myself. I had to hold my head up pretty high because otherwise I tripped over it. And now I like to play with it. Especially in front of the Christmas tree. Just don't tell Santa....

Helping Mommy

I was a big help to mommy today. At least that's what she kept telling me. She was wrapping Christmas presents and I helped by getting out the ribbon. I wanted to help with the paper and the tape too, but she wouldn't let me.

Lazy Sundays

Daddy and I slept in this morning. Well, I had to get up early with mommy to go outside and go potty. (I went potty outside, mommy didn't.) But then I went back to bed and cuddled up next to daddy. Speaking of going potty outside, I had a hard time finding a place to go. The grass was all covered with snow and crunched under my paws. I had a hard time walking and had to really look in order to find some grass. Today looks to be kind of a quiet day. Mommy's been busy cleaning up my toys and daddy says he has work to do. I'll probably have to help him at work. There was talk of a walk later this afternoon, though. I'll keep you posted.

Santa!

So remember that guy in the red suit that was hanging around at the Christmas tree a couple nights ago? Santa was at PetSmart today! So I had my picture taken and Santa told me that I was going to get everything I wanted for Christmas. I can't wait to get my pony!

The Sky is Falling!

There's something strange happening outside. I'm not sure what it is. But apparently there's pieces of the sky falling down. And the sky is cold and wet. Mommy and daddy called it "snow" but I'm pretty sure that it's the sky. I'm not sure that I like this stuff. It makes the ground slippery so I can slide when I run, but it's also cold and wet outside. Seems a lot like rain. I'll have to think about this stuff....

A bigger Tree!

Last night mommy, daddy, and I walked to the lighting of our city's Christmas Tree. Some chubby guy in a red suit was there, along with a deer with a red nose. It was a lot of fun, even if I didn't get any of the hot chocolate. I was also a little bummed that I didn't get to go on the horse rides -- there were horses pulling people in carriages. But I did get to watch the horses. And the people driving the horses waved to me. Of course, there were also lots of people who told me how cute I was and petted me! It was lots of fun -- and we got cheeseburgers and fries for dinner!

Birthday!

Guess what?! As of yesterday, I'm seven months old. That's old! And in celebration (since mommy and daddy didn't get me any presents), I'm sharing some baby pictures of me with you guys. These came from the people that owned my doggie mommy 'cause they were taken before I came to live with mommy and daddy. Enjoy!

A Tree in the Living Room!

So the weirdest thing happened on Friday. Mommy and daddy put a tree in our living room! Yes, in the house! I don't know -- I think they're going crazy. Then they put lights on it and hung toys that I'm not allowed to touch on it. I wonder if a bird is going to come sit in it next?

Yesterday I stayed home alone with Mr. Tree. Mommy and daddy went in the car and were gone a long time. They brought me back a bunch of treats, though. I was a good boy while they were gone 'cause I didn't mess up the house and played nice under Mr. Tree.

Today mommy is sick so she got to sleep in. I have to go to work with daddy, though, 'cause we took Thursday and Friday off.

I'm hiding.....

under the blanket! Brrr. It's cold outside. Mommy was looking for me, but I decided to hide. I tucked myself under until I was nice and warm!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yes, I know it's the day after, but I was too busy eating yesterday to update my blog. I discovered the sweet potatoes mommy and daddy keep on the shelves in the kitchen and decided to help myself. It's toy you can eat!

I love Thanksgiving! There's so much to eat and I loved everything mommy cooked. Except for the cranberries. I didn't like them raw or in sauce form. I did like to play with them raw, though.

Ah, sleep!

Mommy and daddy and I slept in this morning. We didn't get out of bed until after 9:30. It was so nice to stay warm and cuddled up next to daddy!

Coffee Talk

So as I mentioned before, I love dairy products. That love extends to anything that includes dairy products. Including mommy's coffee. Daddy's not so much -- he drinks it without cream and that's just yucky.

Dinner Time!

I'd don't usually think of myself as a finicky eater. I'm pretty much happy with anything for dinner. (Although, I'll be honest, my favorite food in the whole wide world is cream cheese). Still, I really don't understand why mommy and daddy insist on putting that... substance... in my bowl every night. I have to pick out all that *dog food* in order to get to the real food, like those little pieces of chicken or beef that they hide in the bottom of the bowl.

I HATE Raggedy Ann!

I know, another entry from me today. Amazing. I just had to tell you about the scary thing that happened to me this evening. Daddy and I were watching TV in the guest bedroom. (It's a long story -- the DVR was recording 2 things already and we didn't want to watch either of them, so we were forced to go to the guest bedroom to watch football). While we were in there, I spotted a very scary looking...thing. It looked sort of like one of my toys, but much scarier. Then daddy decided to taunt me. I'm not happy about that. Now I can never go into that room again. I think I'm going to have nightmares about that doll tonight.

Bad Boy

Mommy says I've been a bad boy tonight and she's only been home for about an hour. While she was changing from her work clothes into her play with Baxter clothes, I got into the closet and took a pair of shoes out. Did you know that shoes make excellent chew toys? This is the second pair of mommy's shoes that I've claimed.

Then when she banished me to the living room while daddy was making dinner, I stole a piece of bread off the coffee table. Apparently mommy and daddy were going to have that with dinner. How was I supposed to know that? I figured it was a buffet.

I tried to apologize to mommy by sitting on her lap on the couch and looking cute. I think she's still kind of mad at me, though.

Spying on the Neighbors

So now that I'm cooped up inside until my stitches heal, I've taken to spying on people when they're outside. Mommy and daddy have made it easy for me by putting one of my beds right in front of the window. This windows overlooks the area where the doggies in my condo complex go outside. I'm always able to watch (and occasionally bark at) other doggies that are outside. During the day, when I get bored, I like to go the window and see what's going on. If one of my friends happens to be outside, I can go to the door to alert mommy or daddy of my urgent need to go outside.

I'm missing a few things....

So I figured out what was going on yesterday. I had to go to the hospital yesterday morning. And I had to stay over night. And now I have fewer teeth, no dew claws, and am...um...missing some other stuff. Let's just say I won't be having puppies. I also got a microchip implanted so I can always be found. I'm feeling fine, though. The vet staff said I did great and I'm being good not to chew my bandages.

Mommy says my smile is much nicer now. My big boy teeth came in without my baby teeth falling out. Daddy said I looked like a barracuda with my double row of teeth. The better to chew you, I said. But I had 7 teeth pulled! Luckily, my doctor gave them back to me so I'm going to put them under my pillow tonight for the tooth fairy. What's the going rate these days?

I spent most of the day napping -- it's raining out and I'm not supposed to go for long walks or play anyways. I put on my 'jamies this morning and napped on the couch with mommy this afternoon (she was home from work) and now I've been sleeping on mommy and daddy's bed.

Football!

Daddy and I watched football last night. Well, technically daddy watched football while mommy and I napped on the couch. I did wear my jersey and hat, though. Well, I wore my hat for a few minutes. It itches.

In other news, something is not right around here. I can feel it. I didn't sleep well last night and daddy got up early this morning. I'm not sure what's going on, but I think something is going to happen. I'll report back later.

Workin' Overtime

I got to work this morning before daddy (the slacker) did. I hope he gets here soon 'cause I don't know if I can handle it all by myself.

A Walk in the Woods

We went to a new park yesterday -- with new smells. I had a great time running through the leaves and smelling as many things as I could. And there was a stream, too. It was so much fun! Then I was so tired that I slept in the car all the way home.

Today daddy went to his friend's house and mommy and I stayed home. We went for walks (and I got to play with other doggies) and we took a nice long nap. I love Sundays!

The Doggy on the Balcony

Apparently there's another doggy on the balcony. At least, that's the best that I can figure. He looks exactly like me and he follows me around! Everything I do, he does too. I just don't get it.

Laundry Day!

Yesterday was laundry day. I love laundry day. Not because I wear a lot of clothes, but because I love to play with the clean socks and -- more importantly -- sleep in the basket of clean laundry. That is, I get to sleep until mommy catches me!

Pizza!

Guess what I had for dinner last night?!?! No, not kibble. I had a whole piece of Domino's pepperoni pizza. For some reason, mommy and daddy left the last piece in the box, unattended, and on the coffee table -- exactly at my height. Mommy was putting her clothes away and daddy was in the bathroom and they left me alone long enough so that I was able to eat almost all of it. I managed to get it out of the box without disturbing the box, so no one noticed at first. Then, Mommy came in the living room and saw what I was doing and tried to take it away from me. I was almost done, though. Only the crust was left. :) I love pizza -- so much better than dog food! It almost makes up for them not taking me to do the dog park last night!

The last week

I am woefully behind on my blogging. The weather has been yucky outside -- rainy and cold -- so I've been spending my days cooped up inside. I don't like going outside when its raining out. In fact, I will do anything I can to avoid it. I've also been having trouble sleeping at night. It's too cold to sleep on top of the covers, but when I sleep underneath them (and next to mommy or daddy), I get too warm. I tend to alternate between on top and underneath. Of course, in order for me to get underneath, mommy or daddy has to hold up the covers for me to crawl under when I scratch their shoulders. That means mommy and daddy aren't sleep very well either. Last night I compromised by sleeping horizontally between mommy and daddy's heads. Mommy got my head while daddy got my tail. This meant that I was able to put my cold nose in mommy's ear to warm it up. Much nicer!



Yesterday I finally got to go to the dogpark! The weather cleared up and I got to run around and play with a couple of my friends. It was all muddy, though, so I had to have a bath when I got home. Then mommy had to turn up the heat 'cause I was so cold! I cuddled on the couch under a blanket next to daddy and watched TV. A nice afternoon!

Mommy's Birthday

Today's mommy's birthday and I'm spending the day in doggy daycare and the night at a doggy hotel 'cause mommy and daddy are going out. If you'd like you can check me out at day care on the webcam: http://www.sniffersdoggiedepot.com/Webcam.aspx. I'll report back tomorrow on how it went.

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

I've gotten some requests from my loyal followers to name my favorite things. Here's the top 5:
1. Dairy products (Especially ice cream. And cheese. Daddy and I have cheese break every afternoon)
2. Sleeping in late
3. The dog park
4. Air conditioning. (I love to lay in front of the vents in the car with my eyes closed)
5. Pita chips. (You saw my blog entry on it, right?)

It's been an... unusual day. Mommy stayed home from work to play with me. We went to a car wash. The water scared me -- I thought I was going to get wet. I don't think I like car washes. This afternoon, I have to go to the vet (and get a shot), but daddy says we'll go to the dog park early tonight since mommy is home.

Here's another video of me at the dog park. I have a lot of friends there that I like to play with!

Dogbook

I've got my own page on dogbook now! If your mommy or daddy is on facebook, have them create a page for you on dogbook. It's lots of fun! And then you can be my friend. Here's the link to my page: http://apps.facebook.com/dogbook/profile/view/7640838

Bummed!

So I'm kind of bummed. I was already to go to the dog park tonight when mommy got home and then.... we didn't go. Apparently mommy got home too late and it was getting dark soon. Since when are mommy and daddy 'fraid of the dark. Anyways, tonight I'm watching football with mommy and daddy (and eating snacks 'cause there's always snacks when there's football). Since it is halftime, I'm playing with my Packer toy. Better get back to the couch -- the game will be back on soon. Go Packers!

Crazy week

I know, I know, I'm behind on my blogging. Mommy and daddy have just been keeping me so busy! We've been going to the dog park pretty regularly when mommy gets home from work. I love to run and play with the other dogs. Tonight I'm excited because daddy and I are going to watch football on TV. I assume there will be snacks. (There usually are when we watch TV). Yesterday mommy and daddy left me home alone in my crate a couple times -- they usually don't do that on weekends. I forgave them because they brought me home food both times -- peanut butter ice cream from Ben & Jerry's and leftovers from dinner. I love food! Anyways, I gotta get going 'cause daddy's waiting for. Enjoy the video of me playing with some friends at the dog park!

Bor-ing

Not a fun day. Daddy and his friends are playing some version of Dungeons & Dragons in the living room and they won't let me play! I tried to grab an action figure earlier, but they caught me. Plus, there's lots of dice that are just waiting for me to grab them!

This morning I did meet a new friend, though. There's a new puppy in my condo complex and he's only 8 weeks only, even though he is bigger than me. We played for a little while.

Music

I do not like it when mommy and daddy do things without me. I should be a participant in every single activity. Mommy and daddy were playing Guitar Hero this afternoon. (Mommy was playing drums, which was sort of weird since she's not very good on drums, but I digress). Anyways, I tried my hardest to get some attention -- or at least to be able to play too. I tried playing with the guitar and then I tried the drumsticks. Nothing seemed to get their attention. Finally I had to take matters into my own hands (er, paws) and took the remote control. I switched it from "play game" to "listen to CD" and music from my favorite CD, Songs to Make Dogs Happy, came on. (I'm particularly partial to "Squeaky Deakey")

To say that daddy was not happy would be an understatement. Apparently he was doing really well on the game. How was I to know? BTW -- this isn't the first time I'm employed the technique of changing to "listen to CD" in order to get attention. It seems to work well and I highly recommend it to any other dogs out there.

Dull Week

Hi Peeps! I know, I haven't been so good about reaching out and touching you. Mommy and daddy have both been busy and it hasn't been very fun for me. Mommy's been getting home late from work -- which means we can't go to the dog park after she gets home 'cause its dark outside. So instead daddy took me yesterday morning. That was fun, although there weren't as many other dogs for me to play with.

In other news, I haven't been doing much. I'm trying a new kind of dog food and I'm not sure yet whether I like it. I know that I like people food (especially ice cream) so much more than dog food. Have you every tried dog food? (don't answer that, Grandpa Mike, I've heard about the beggin' strips story). Even though it usually smells good, it doesn't have a whole lot of flavor. I crave the flavor.

The picture is one of me playing with my Green Bay Packers toy. My great uncle Randy gave it to me while I was at their house a few weeks ago.

Dog Park

This morning daddy left the house. I was really sad. After he left, I followed his scent outside until I got to where the car is usually parked. He was gone! I was so concerned that he had gone to the dog park without me. Luckily mommy was still home with me. After mommy got done doing stuff around the house, we took a long nap!

The best part was that it turns out, daddy only went to his friend's house and when he came home, we went to the dog park! A couple of my new friends were there and I got to run and play. Depsite my long afternoon nap, I still got tired and had to go home after about 45 minutes of running and playing with a bunch of other dogs. The big dogs play in the other side of the fence, and I like to watch them play, too. Someday I might be big enough to join them.