Baxter's 1st Birthday!!!

My sweet, snuggly, loving, curious, adventurous, adorable, joyful, precious baby boy Baxter is celebrating his 1st birthday today!!!  It's been a day full of hugs and kisses and snuggles and love and fun and peanut butter pup-cakes and an oh so exciting trip to the pet store to pick out lots of new toys!

If you've been following along as Baxter has boldly navigated through his first year of life you already know that there was never a dull moment!  Nope - not with a fearless puppy around!  But let's not forget about all of Baxter's big accomplishments.  He really has achieved a lot in a very short time!

As you all know, he was on the cover of People Magazine's 100 Most Beautiful Special Edition......

And who could forget when he was named Time Magazine's Man Of The Year.....

And oh my......BAXTER!  Ummmm......there was also that time when he made it to the cover of Playgirl and was named This Year's Hottest Stud....

But seriously.....there just aren't words to express how much I love this sweet little baby boy and explain how much joy he's brought to my life.  Puppies have a magic that is just impossible to describe!  I can only hope that I'm able to make him as happy as he makes me!!!  

Happy Birthday to my sweet Baxter Boo Boo!  I love you so much and I hope your life is long and blissful and full of all the happiness and love in the world!

Hugs,
Jenny

Things Baxter Has Chewed On

Oh, how I wish I would have kept a list of all of the things Baxter has chewed on since we brought him home four months ago.  In the past two weeks alone he has chewed on......

A bundle of silk embroidery floss

The plastic wrap that held a raw pork roast

A razor

A piece of slate from a patio tile

Col Sew Fab's reading glasses

And a bag of marshmallows.  

That last one was actually pretty darn cute.  I was putting groceries away, I turned my back on him for about 5 seconds.....and when I turned back around he had dragged the bag across the room, torn it open and his face was inside the bag as he happily chomped away on marshmallows!

And a few other notable items that have been chewed on in the past few months....

Col Sew Fab's wallet

The lid to a gasoline canister

A random sharp, jagged piece of metal that he found in the yard

Every snail in the yard

Lots and LOTS of fabric hexies

Spools of thread

A glow stick (one of those emergency, flare type of things)

My needle book full of threaded needles 

Wine corks

And a Christmas ornament with jingle bells on it

Isn't he the best???!!! I love my little guy soooo much!  Puppies are awesome!!!

Hugs,
Jenny

Baxter Is A Big Deal!

Baxter has been in desperate need of a new harness and leash for a while now.  He was rapidly outgrowing his "baby boy" harness....it's been getting tighter and tighter......and the last time I put it on him he yelped as I shut the clasp!  Eeeek!  I immediately unhooked it fearing that he was going to break a rib if he took a deep breath while wearing it!

I searched all over the internet for weeks looking for the perfect harness......because that is what a sane person does with their time.  You obsess over finding just the right harness for your dog.  I found so many cute ones but I really wanted to find one that matched his personality even though Col Sew Fab said that Baxter doesn't really have a personality yet.  And I guess he's kind of right....Baxter's personality right now consists of generic sweet, happy, loving, air-headed puppy.  But there are small sparks of a real personality starting to shine through. And as I searched high and low for the perfect harness there were so many that were cute but they just didn't mesh with his budding personality....

Sailboats???  Cute....but it just doesn't "say" Baxter.  And he's kind of afraid of the pool so he definitely won't be taking up sailing or any other water sports anytime soon.

Squirrels???  Again....it's cute.....but Baxter isn't a big squirrel chaser.  He kind of chases anything and everything right now.  He doesn't favor squirrels over the cats over the dust bunnies over the laser pointer.  If it moves he'll chase it.

Argyle???  Totally cute.....but is Baxter a prep?  I just don't know yet.  Maybe he's more casual.  Or more modern and trendy.  Or more outdoorsy and rugged.  Who knows!

Well....it got to the point that I couldn't put this important decision off any longer.  When I went to PetSmart today I told myself that I couldn't leave without getting a new harness for Baxter even if it was just plain old solid blue.  He HAS to have a new harness NOW.

And then I saw it!  The one! After searching through the rows of leashes and harnesses something caught my eye......and the angels sang.....I had found the perfect harness that just screams BAXTER!

Yup.  "I'm Kind Of A Big Deal".  

Why yes, Baxter......you are!  You are a VERY big deal.

Hugs,
Jenny

P.S.  If any of you have seen the movie "Anchorman" you will understand the multiple layers of funny coming from the fact that I have a dog named Baxter and he now wears a harness and leash that say "I'm Kind Of A Big Deal."

World Peace

I have found the key to world peace.  It's really quite simple.  I can sum it up in one word.....

Puppies.  

Yes.  It's really that simple.  If everyone had a puppy (or a kitten!) of their own to love and snuggle and kiss and squeeze I think the world would be a much happier place.  Puppies have a kind of magic about them that can't be described.  It's just not possible to be upset when you're looking at this.....

My little Baxter Boo Boo, Nugget, Snuggly Nuggs, Pudding Pup continues to be full of sweetness, curiosity, innocence and pure joy. 

He's growing up soooo fast.  His paws are huge.  His legs are long.  He's actually doubled in size in the two months he's been in our family!  His sweet and soft Cavalier "fluff" is starting to come in. And he is now able to jump up onto the sofa or the bed effortlessly!  This is an accomplishment that fills my heart with both pride and fear.....just think of all the new trouble he can get into now when I'm not looking!

His days are full of chasing butterflies and splashing in puddles and napping in the sunshine...

I think he dreams of rainbows and unicorns and gumdrops and candy canes and seas of lollipops.

And ohhhh....the look on his face when he's about to get a treat....it's almost too much to take!  It's a mixture of joy and anticipation and wonder and amazement that something so magical is about to happen!

There's so much to learn from this little guy.  Take delight in simple pleasures.  Nap when you're tired.  If you're happy about something, don't hold back.  Never postpone joy.  Greet people with enthusiasm.  Live life to the fullest and enjoy every second of it!  Be so awesome that the world is a better place just because you're in it!

Hugs from me and puppy kisses from Baxter,
Jenny

Growing Up

My sweet little boy is growing up so fast!  It seems like he changed from a chubby baby into a long and lanky "teenager" overnight!  He's now able to take flying leaps off of things that once seemed impossibly huge to him.  He is eager and carefree and full of sweetness and love.  His mind and heart only seem to know happiness and joy.

He is also very hard to photograph while awake!  I've had some requests for more action shots of Baxter but so far I've only been able to capture new images of His Royal Cuteness while sleeping. But isn't he oh so cute as he blissfully dreams of his next big adventure???

Morning snuggles with Baxter

Hugs from me and puppy kisses from Baxter,
Jenny

Puppy Love

Oh Baxter....my sweet, precious, curious, innocent, trusting, tender, playful and unbelievably adorable puppy!  He is just what I needed.  I love everything about this little guy.  I want to spend every second of the day just soaking up all of that cuteness and kissing his soft, little face a million times.  He is the breath of fresh air that we needed after a rough couple of months.

I love the way he makes teeny, tiny, little squeaks when I pick him up.  I love the way he sweetly snuggles up next to me in the morning and lays his head beside mine on the pillow.  I love his "new puppy smell."  I love everything about him!!!  He's total puppy perfection!

Hugs,
Jenny

P.S.  I know he looks like he's on some sort of flying saucer in that last photo but he really is just floating on the pool!  I call that "his first swimming lesson."

It's A Boy!!!

I have so many stories to tell you and so much has happened lately and my mind is a jumbled chaotic mess but all I can focus on right now is MY NEW PUPPY!  I finally have another Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in my life! 

Emma and I went to pick him up three days ago and it was love at first sight when we met him!   I drove over FIVE hours away to pick him up in the San Bernardino Mountains (gorgeous area by the way).  It actually took SIX hours to get home because the GPS took me by Los Angeles DURING rush hour.  Eeek!  Kind of a scary experience for a small town girl with no sense of direction and a car sick puppy!  The GPS and I are currently not on speaking terms.

He absolutely adores Emma and does everything she does.  I'm so excited that Emma has a "mini-me" who worships the ground her paws walk on.

And she is such a good big sister to him.  She's so tolerant and patient and she happily "volunteered" to sleep in the crate with him for moral support during his first few nights here.

And are you ready to get some major goosebumps???!!!  Do you remember how Daisy sent me a sign that our new house in California was THE ONE?  After that happened I actually thought to myself "I wonder if Daisy is going to send me a puppy too....."  And guess what - She did!  This puppy was born on March 26.....and guess who else was born on March 26.....Yup....Daisy!  The new puppy and Daisy share a birthday.   Do you have goosebumps yet???

So now that you've all been properly introduced to the incredibly sweet, smart and stunning Sir Baxter Buckingham Puddingstone III I need to get back to staring at him as he sleeps on a down pillow beside me.

Hugs,
Jenny

P.S.  We're going to call him Baxter for short.  And there was no Sir Baxter Buckingham Puddingstone I or II.  My cousin came up with the idea to give him an outrageously long name with Sir at the front and III at the end.  And I reserve the right to change the name if I come up with something better in the next week!  He doesn't know his name yet so it won't be a problem for him.

P.P.S.S.  Don't worry about Emma!  She's not sad in that first photo.  We'd woken up at 5:00 a.m., driven 5 hours and entered a home that had 7 Cavaliers in it.  She was just exhausted and a wee bit overwhelmed!