fifth floor up

Introducing: Avalynn Jane

2018-12-05T12:17:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the world beautiful girl!

Avalynn Jane Lorelai Hopkins

December 5, 2018

9lbs 8oz

Congratulations Kimi, Nick and big brother Atlas on the new addition! I cannot wait to meet you, baby girl!

Sara & Tanner's Wedding: Lover's Key

2018-11-16T12:13:00.000-05:00

When Sara and Tanner first started planning their wedding, I was not pregnant. Sara had sent out bridesmaid boxes and inside the boxes were sequin swatches showing which colors she would like for our floor length sequin dresses for a beach wedding in November. She insisted they would be beautiful with the sunset and water reflecting. My joke at the time was watch, I'm going to end up being pregnant and look like a disco ball.

Well, I was not pregnant because Wyatt decided to come four weeks early instead of two weeks late. However, I still looked pregnant and therefore looked like a mini disco ball.

I had booked a just in case flight. Even if I was a week or two postpartum I was still going to go. How could I miss my best friends wedding because I had just had a baby. Shannon's husband could not go because of work. The two of us decided to share a room and a rental car. By the way, did I ever pay Shannon for that rental car? Let me know please!

We both flew down on Thursday and planned to arrive within 30 minutes of one another. There was supposed to be a huge winter storm coming through New York. However, it was hitting after we left which kept it completely out of my mind. I made it to the airport with time to grab a snack and get to the gate comfortably. I knew other people going to the wedding and was wondering if I would run into anyone. Low and behold, there was Ellen! But, no Scott! Scott was flying in from Vegas as he just had a scuba convention there. We boarded the plan, sitting one row in front of the other, and managed to chat almost the whole flight.

We landed on time and Shannon was also landing. The last time I saw Shannon was at the baby shower when I was very pregnant and then in the hospital that next day, not pregnant. So, to see her five weeks postpartum was really nice as well. We managed to get a sandwich, the rental car and hit the road fairly easily. Shannon brought her daughter Ella as well so we had a lot of stuff. However, we did well! Then, we hit the road towards Lover's Key State Park.

Shannon dropped me off at the Beach as I had to do rehearsal before heading back to the hotel. It was windy and chilly. Everyone was crossing their fingers that tomorrow would be better. After rehearsal, we all head back to the hotel. I unpacked and then we headed down to the pool where there was a nice rehearsal happy hour. Shannon and I went looking for the scuba folk to join the family and friend folk. As expected, we found them in the neighboring bar. We dragged them down to the party. None of us stayed up too late as we had a busy next day and we were all exhausted.

The next morning, Sara was up early so we all went and had breakfast at the restaurant. We had a complimentary breakfast which was really nice. Plus, Sara didn't finish her amazing breakfast tacos, so naturally, I did. It was cool out however, the sky was blue and it was supposed to be a beautiful day.

We loaded up the cars with all of the decorations and headed to the beach to start setting up. It did not take too long before we had to turn right around and go back to the hotel to start getting ready! Shannon and Ella got to run around the beach while I helped set up. It was her first time on the beach or at the ocean! It was really cute to see her in the sand!

It took a few hours to get us all glam and we headed back out to the beach. Not before getting some snap shots with the photographer.

Then, it was time! The wedding was beautiful. The weather seriously could not be more perfect. The only thing all of us wished we could change was the No See Ums. They were everywhere and got every single one of us! I had bug bites popping up a week after the wedding. I thought we had bug bites until the other bridesmaids were texting about the same thing!

The reception was wonderful and the food delicious. I mean, BBQ with mac and cheese, how could you go wrong? Plus, a dessert TABLE!! My favorite kind of table. I danced around to help burn some calories before heading back to the hotel fairly early. I had to fly out in the morning and was also exhausted.

I was so happy everything worked out in my favor and I was able to attend the wedding. I would have been very disappointed if I could not have gone. Someone was on my side! I was thankful! I also got to spend a wonderful time with BOTH of my best friends!

Congratulations Sara & Tanner! All the best in love and war! JK, just love!

First Halloween

2018-10-31T12:42:00.000-04:00

Wyatt's first Halloween also coincided with his due date. Therefore, my parents were back in town as they had bought tickets to come around the time of his due date. Since my Mom was here when he was born, this was my Dad's first time to meet him! We got him dressed all cute and went to pick up Bob Bob from the airport!

Welcome Bob Bob!

Since there isn't much to do with a new baby in the house, we decided to go to New Jersey to say hello to Leif's sister and family. We went to Delicious Orchards first to pick up some goodies. My Mom loves apple cider donuts and I told her these were THE BEST. We also got some pies and cider.

Then we headed to another farm where we walked around for awhile.

We took a lot of photos to document Wyatt's first time meeting Bob Bob.

And our first time really doing anything Halloween.

This photo was to show Bennett that Grandma and Bob Bob got to meet superheroes!

We had a very nice visit with Diane, Ashley, Natalie and Joesph.

That evening we relaxed with the cute little pumpkin!

The following morning we decided to go to Brooklyn. Bob Bob had been craving a bran muffin from Cranberry's!

We dressed him up in his Halloween costume and away we went!

It had been awhile since I had been back in the old neighborhood. It was nice to be back and enjoy a delicious scone with this view.

It was cold so we did not stay very long. But, it was worth it!

That afternoon, we headed up the street to our friends Stephanie and Michael's house for trick or treating. I had not been trick or treating since I was in, probably, middle school! I was excited to do it all over again in a brand new way.

This was Stephanie's first time to hold Wyatt!

We had a lot of fun catching up with friends!

The little dogs even got to come!

Oliver sporting his hot dog costume he wears every Halloween!

It was wonderful and Wyatt slept the entire time!

What a great first Halloween!

Wyatt's Birth Story

2018-10-06T12:08:00.000-04:00

It all begins back during the night of my baby shower. Yep, you read that right...

We drove to the hospital. Halfway there Leif told me to let him know if he needed to start running the red lights. I said not yet. I had called the hospital a few weeks in advance to find out where we would need to go during the day and during the night. Emergency room it was.

I already hated this hospital from when Leif had his surgery. I did not want to go back to this hospital and I surely did not want to have my baby at this hospital. However, we don't always get our way now do we?

We arrived at the ER entrance and both flew out of the car with it still running. We went to the front desk and Leif informed them he thinks I was having contractions. They brought me into an office where I started filling out the paper work. At this point, Leif decided he should go move the car and I was moved into the Triage where they told me to start undressing and get in the bed. Leif was back quickly and started on the paperwork. I kept informing him to hurry up. He wasn't listening! Finally the resident on call came by and told him he could not do anything to help me until he got the paperwork filled out. That hurried him up!

Once they hooked me up the resident came back and asked the nurse why I did not have an IV in yet as I was having contractions. This is where everything started to go South. The reason I did not have an IV in yet was because the nurse who was supposed to give me the IV could not do it for the life of her. She tried in two different spots before calling in a pro. Thankfully, the real nurse was able to do it fairly quickly. The resident finally did an exam and informed us I was not dilated. She believes I was on my feet a lot from the baby shower and probably did not eat or drink as much as I should have. She said she was going to continue to give me fluids and see what happened. At this point I was having a contraction about every 3 minutes for about 30 seconds long.

Shortly after that, they came back to inform us they were moving me to another area as many women were coming in having contractions. Apparently it was a full moon and this is what happens during a full moon. Before they had me lay back down, I went to the bathroom as they were going to give me Demerol to relax me and try to help me get some sleep. You're not allowed to stand or walk around after. I'm pretty sure everything I had eaten in two days came out along with blood. The nurse informed me it was probably from my exam earlier.

Finally, I laid back down in a dark corner of the hospital and Leif tried to sleep. Leif said I slept for about a half an hour before I woke up and was having a bit more pain. We informed the nurse and she said I would have to hold out awhile longer before they were allowed to give me anymore drugs. Eventually, after huffing and puffing awhile longer, the nurse came back and said the doctor said I could have more Demerol. I remember saying, that did nothing, I don't want more Demerol. However, they gave me more and disappeared again.

This is when the pain really started to kick in and my contractions were about every minute apart. I pretty much lost all control of everything at this point and noticed I had either wet myself or my water broke. Leif went and got the doctor and they did an exam. I had dilated 1cm and it was not amniotic fluid. I did not know at the time I had dilated 1cm. But, even if I had, I knew you could be 1cm dilated for weeks! Leif then asked the doctor what the likely hood was I would be having the baby that night. She said not high and she did not think I would have the baby that night. The plan was to continue giving me fluid over night and I would be released in the morning. I heard this and started crying. My biggest fear at this point was that I was going to have to go through all of this all over again in four weeks.

The doctor disappeared again. At this point, there was nothing anyone was going to do for me. My contractors were every minute and lasted about 30 seconds. I was screaming at the top of my lungs now. I had not really made much noise until now. I was bracing myself with my right arm on the wall and the left arm gripping the side of my bed. I kept screaming, "Someone please help me! This is not right. My pain is a level ten!" No one came. Not once. I kept asking Leif to go get the doctor. He would go and come back with no one. Apparently, as previously mentioned, there were a lot of women in labor. We later learned there were five babies born during that time. He said the halls were empty.

For an hour and a half, roughly, as we both could not remember the time frame except that we arrived around 9:30pm, I screamed bloody murder with my bedmate. Leif said it was torture. He did not understand how the nurses did it each night every night. I informed him I had to go to the bathroom really badly and to find someone. Again, no one came. I don't know how much longer but again, I said to him, Leif' I'm about to shit all over this bed if you don't go get someone now! This time, miraculously, he came back with someone.

I guess those must have been the magic words because the first thing they did was an exam and immediately I heard, she's fully dilated, let's go! I had dilated from 1cm to 10cm in an hour and a half! AND NO ONE CAME TO CHECK ON ME.

Before I knew it, everything was unhooked and we were literally running down the hallway to the delivery room. Leif was right next to me running too! During the one minute run down the hall I had a major contraction and said he's coming! They said close your legs and don't push! Do you know how hard it is to NOT push? Your body was literally making you push.

We turned into the delivery room and they asked if I wanted to wait for my doctor. I said no. Then they asked if I wanted to get on the table. I said no. Then I had another contraction where they counted to 10 and screamed PUSH!! I literally felt like what it was going to feel like to push him out and knew I could have him out on the next push. Shortly after, it happened. I pushed my little heart out and on eight, he was out screaming his head off!

Oh my gosh, I could not believe what just happened! And, with no drugs at all! My whole family had asked me to give birth while they were here. I always deliver, apparently! The pediatrician took him and examined him. They wanted to take him up to the NICU. Before they did, a nurse took a family photo of us which I thought was very sweet. I did not get to hold him though and he was whisked away. The nurse looked and Leif and said "Wow, your wife is a rockstar."

I was informed that I had a second degree tear and needed stitched. They finished removing the placenta, which was extremely uncomfortable. More uncomfortable than the actual birth. Then, she shot me up with some numbing medicine and started the stitches. That was also uncomfortable. Leif held my hand tight and I believe at one point I asked how much longer.

I do not even remember being wheeled into recovery but I remember being in there and being very uncomfortable. I asked the nurse and she said it was normal. I honestly did not feel it was normal as from what everyone always told me, once the baby was out, instant relief. Well, apart from the immediate stitches, no immediate relief. I just held in there and waited for what I was supposed to do next. I thank god for listening to my friends who told me to bring my own pillow. It was a life saver. I eventually asked the nurse if I could lay on my side as laying on my back was very uncomfortable with the pressure in my behind.

My doctor finally showed up. He apologized profusely for what had happened. I informed him I was ignored for an hour and a half and almost gave birth on the stretcher without the drugs I wanted or without him. Oh wait, I did.

I told him about how uncomfortable my behind was and how it felt like a lot of pressure. He immediately did an exam and told me I had a hematoma, which means blood clot. Still to this day, I don't know what the blood clot was from. He said I needed surgery. My first question was, will I be put under? He said yes. So much relief went through my body right then and there. That is how I knew how much pain I was in.

When I was out of surgery, which was apparently only ten minutes long, is when my Mom and Aunt Nancy showed up. Jennie had to stay back with Elliot. Apparently I looked awful. My mother said I was grey in color and looked like I had just been run over by a truck. That was a pretty accurate description to how I really felt. Although, they did not tell me this until later.

A little after this, they moved me into my room. I still had not been able to go up to the NICU to see Wyatt. Leif and and my Mom had gone up while I was still in recovery and Aunt Nancy stayed with me. During that time, they changed my bedding and my pads as there was blood everywhere. We packed my things to be ready for when I was going to to up to the room.

When the nurse realized I had not seen him yet, she turned around and took me right to the NICU to go see him. He was in an incubator with tubs sticking out of him. They informed me at this time that he had stopped breathing and needed to be triggered to breath by the doctors. He also did it again shortly after that however, he started breathing on his own that time. I got to stick my hand into the incubator and touch him. At that moment, I still did not have a bond with the little guy. All I wanted to do was go lay down.

I went back to my room and lunch had been brought while I was away. I ate a little, still not very hungry. My Mom had to go take Aunt Nancy to the airport so Leif hung out with me for awhile then Jennie came. I was so exhausted. Leif came by a little later that evening and we went and saw Wyatt again. This was the first time I actually got to hold him. It was so strange with all the cords and beeps. It did not feel real and still had not sunk in.

That night I slept extremely well. I was so tired. The following morning I asked Leif and my Mom to be there for 8am. I knew I would want company after being alone all night. My Mom came while Leif took Jennie and Elliot to the airport. I went up and saw Wyatt alone as Grandmas were not allowed until noon. I walked, however, I needed a ride back as I felt faint and got very hot. I did take my sweatshirt off and felt better.

Eventually Leif came and we went back to see him. Leif's brother Dean and his Mom came later in the afternoon. They brought lunch and gifts. His sister Diane also stopped by. My Mom and I did some hallway walks, as Ditty recommended, to get my legs used to walking again after all that trauma. Leif took his Mom up to see him and eventually everyone left.

We had started to feed him. He was not taking the formula well and I did not want to breast feed. It was just something I was not interested in. I also had a breast reduction in college. Because of that, the doctors told me I may never be able to breast feed and I'll know when I know. So I did not want to put too much pressure on myself as well. I also did not want to try too early and it not work and then I gave up. There were a lot of factors. However, the little guy could not keep anything down. He was puking left and right. We felt so bad and so did his NICU nurse who eventually got the pediatrician to change his formula. She said the good news is I got the doctor to change his formula to the really expensive stinky stuff! But, he's doing better!

That evening when I went to see him, I felt really weird tingling feeling in my boobs. I mentioned it to my night nurse and in the morning I mentioned it again to the day nurse. She brought a pump in and I tried to pump. I actually got a little out of my right boob. So I continued to pump. I also met with the lactation consultant. She helped me out and showed me the different holds. Wyatt loved being next to my warm body and would just melt into me. I just became a sweaty mess and could not not him or the boob and he would just pass out!

The doctor wanted to keep Wyatt in the NICU for seven days. He said babies that tend to stop breathing will do it again within seven days, if they do it at all. Thankfully, Wyatt did not do it again. Once I was discharged, Leif and I came back to the hospital three times a day, 8am, 1pm and 8pm to feed him.

My Mom had extended her trip for another week so she could be here to help out. Oh my gosh, was she a life saver. When I went into the hospital, we had not cleaned up from the baby shower, gifts were everywhere, things needed to be washed, his closet organized as I had piles of things in it, and I had not bought the last list of items I needed! My Mother did it all. She was amazing. Thank you Mom, from the bottom of my heart. You saved me there.

I did exert myself a little too much we think one day and I had some excessive bleeding. I laid down the rest of the day and the following day I was much better. Leif went to feed the baby on his own that day.

Oh Thursday, we learned we would be taking Wyatt home on Saturday morning. My Mom was supposed to be leaving Saturday morning. So, she extended her flight a second time to leave Sunday morning. This way, after two weeks of being here and helping out, she actually got to hold him! You see, parents can hold the baby, but Grandparents can only go see the baby one time a day for five minutes. I was so thankful and wanted to make sure she would have a day with him. My Dad agreed and it was set.

On Saturday morning, Mom came with us to pick him up. We had practiced, with Mom's help of course, putting the baby in a car seat by using a teddy bear. It worked! The NICU nurse who let us walk out out of the building ALONE with Wyatt that morning was wonderful!. She really made sure we knew everything and had all our questions answered. So, we loaded the little guy in the car and headed home!

Once home, Grandma held him for the very first time! She was smitten! We pretty much watched movies and hung around. As he was in the NICU for so long, he was used to lights on and loud noises 24/7. We made sure we continued that as we knew this house was never going to be very quiet with three dogs and Leif.

That night, when we put him in his bassinet to go to sleep, he was fine until we turned off the lights. The poor little guy didn't know what to do! He had never had the lights off since he was born! He was and is a good sleeper so eventually he would go back to sleep and we would feed him every three hours. The NICU nurses had him on a such a set schedule that he would wake up right on time to eat. It was amazing!

I varied that schedule just a tad to get on a new one I read in the book "Mom's on Call," Wyatt has been on that schedule since we brought him home and it has been marvelous. He has taken to every little change so well. I highly recommend it. Thank you Shannon for the book!

The next morning, Sunday, I dropped Grandma off at the airport. We were on our own! We did really well rotating feedings. Therefore, Leif and I got decent sleep. I also napped a lot during the day. I was still pumping but not breast feeding. I was getting a lot of milk now and it was going well.

The following weekend, we took Wyatt up to the cabin for the first time. It was a nice little break, even though it wasn't. We spent a weekend at home then went up to see Aunt Nancy and Uncle Dan at the Vineyard. Wyatt did extremely well in the car ride. He slept the whole way. He woke up only in time for us to feed him. We had a very nice five day visit with family and came back. He was great in the car again.

Overall, the little guy only gets cranky when he is hungry, his tummy hurts or he has a dirty diaper! We love him so much and are so glad he is finally here!

Introducing: Wyatt Robert Hansen

2018-09-30T04:07:00.000-04:00

We would like to welcome our bundle of joy into this world!

Wyatt Robert Hansen

September 30, 2019

4:07am 5lbs 12oz 19"

You're already so loved little guy! Your Mommy and Daddy are so proud!

My Baby Shower

2018-09-29T21:28:00.000-04:00

Leif and I had been working so hard to get the house completed in time for not only the baby but the baby shower. I wanted to have the baby shower at our house simply for the fact that, my friends would never ever see my house if it wasn't for something like this. We live far away from everyone, in New York City standards. Anything you have to take multiple types of transportations, cross bridges, or a boat to get to is considered far. Even if it is free. I am very proud of our house, especially as a designer and wanted to show it off! Not to mention, most of my friends are also designers and would appreciate it just as much as I do.

Leif wanted to kill me bringing 40 people into our house using 90 year old plumbing. Come to think of it, I don't think many people even used the bathrooms.

It all started when Shannon was missing me and text me that she wanted to throw me a baby shower. I was very happy because I don't really have too many friends in NYC anymore and did not think I was going to have one. I went back and forth on trying to decide where to have it. Being that all my friends lived in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and all of Leif's family and friends wives live in Staten Island.

I googled for days trying to find just the right place. It just got expensive. That is when I decided I wanted to have it at our house. Everyone thought that was a good idea. Plus, my Mom, Aunt Nancy, Jennie and Elliot, Shannon, Eric and Ella were all staying with us or near us. Once we had the location set, we needed the date. This was also difficult as I really wanted certain people to be able to make it. We played around with a few dates and finally decided on September 29th. Pretty much 4 weeks until my due date. We were cutting it close however, everyone I wanted to be there was going to be.

Shannon, My Mom, Aunt Nancy, Jennie and Sara all helped organize and plan the day with a little direction from myself. Oh hell, they paid for the damn thing. I fell in love with these meat and cheese or fruit platters from a company out in LA called Lady & Larder. Of course, they did not have a shop here. I called them anyway to see if they did or if they could recommend someone. They recommended Poppy's in Brooklyn. As they were very expensive for platters, we got a meat and cheese platter and decided to make little ham sandwiches and a fruit plate along with a cake and cookies. Aunt Nancy was supplying the rose and we were also having some tea and lemonade.

Decorations and boxes started arriving for the day and I organized them for when the girls arrived. It was summer and it was hot. I was miserable on my commute and just not feeling well. The week had finally arrived and I could not wait to come home to my Mom. On Wednesday night, the woman who was supposed to come clean our house the following day messaged me at midnight asking if she could come later in the day. I messaged back when I woke up at 3am saying unfortunately, no, I have guests arriving. I had a sneaking suspicion this girl was not going to show up. I was fuming mad. Just as I thought, she was a no show. I called the company many times and messaged the girl. Nothing. Nothing.

So, I spent the next 8 hours slowly but surely cleaning my entire house for my family and friends who were coming to my house for not only my baby shower but for a housewarming party as well. This was the last piece of the puzzle. Everything had fallen together perfectly. Well, besides from Leif's hand... but that is another story. By the time I was done, I was exhausted. Everything hurt. But, I had a clean house.

Shannon, Eric and Ella were also arriving the same day as my Mom! I was home for their arrival now that I had to clean the house. We stayed in that night hanging out and eating pizza. We went to bed early as we had a very busy day the next day.

Aunt Nancy, Jennie and Elle arrived the next day, which was a Friday. We picked them up from the airport and started running errands. Their AirBnB was ready for check in so we dropped them off to check in and we finished up decorations. We went to Denino's for dinner that night with Leif's Parents. Everyone kept saying I should just have the baby now as they were all in town! It would be perfect timing! After dinner we were all exhausted and ready for bed.

The next day was the big day! Shannon and I went to Poppy's to get the platters and pick up some hydrangeas. Eric made the sandwiches and helped clean. Aunt Nancy and Jennie made the fruit platters. Leif finished up the final details. When we got back I had to quickly shower while everyone finalized all the details.

Leif came running upstairs to tell me that they had ruined the cake and I needed to come downstairs and see it. I said well if it's ruined, there is nothing I can do about it now. Then he told me they did the wrong color frosting. I told him I was with them when they picked it up and it was fine. He got really tough with me and told me to go downstairs. So I went downstairs and there was my "God Mother" Bethann waiting for me saying surprise! I stomped my little feet and yelled and ran back upstairs. I was so pissed he bothered me for something that like. If he would have given me just 10 more minutes to finish my hair, makeup and put the dress on I would have been so excited. But he fu**ed with me and I was mad.

My Mom came up to check on me and help me finish getting ready. Then I went downstairs to see everyone and tell BA I was sorry! People started arriving left and right and I just could not keep up with everyone. I would be in the middle of a conversation with one person I had not seen in six months and a person I had not seen in a year walked in! I was all over the place! I felt horrible that I did not get to spend much time with everyone. Although, I think they understood! I was either giving a tour of the house or chatting with someone. It was wonderful and I felt fantastic.

We finally cut the cake, which was the most delicious cake I'd ever had, and slowly the party started to die down. Leif and Eric went to lunch and hung out for awhile. Then they came back and he told me he was going to take my friend to the ferry. The next thing I knew, Jennie was flashing her phone around all weird and Shannon walked in and said your last present is outside and in walked Sara! I started crying and ran to give her a big hug! I did not think she was going to make it! It was such a great surprise!

Everyone finally left around 4:30pm, except for Shannon, Eric, Ella, Sara, Mom, Aunt Nancy, Jennie and Elle. We sat down and I opened presents. Something I did not want to do as I was tired and wanted to lay down for a bit. However, my Mother kept insisting! So, I did. I started to have weird pains, which I assumed were gas. They were very random and did not last long at all. An hour and a half later, Mom, Aunt Nancy, Jennie and Elle left to go to their AirBnb and the rest of the gang decided they were hungry. I told them I was going to lay down while they went to get food. When they came back with tacos, I told them I was really not feeling well and the pains were getting more frequent and painful.

At this time, Shannon decided to time them to see if they were contractions. They were about five minutes apart. Leif called the doctors office and while we waited for him to call back, I packed my hospital bag. Thank goodness I was prepared enough with a packing list so I knew what I wanted. At that moment I don't think I could have packed properly.

The doctor still had not called back but I told Leif let's go to the hospital. So, off we went as a family of two!

Home Renovation 101: After

2018-09-28T22:05:00.000-04:00

I do not remember the exact timeline but, I think it went something like this.

October 2016, let's move in together and renovate Leif's house in Staten Island.

November 2016, let's get married.

December 2016, start house renovations, starting planning wedding at courthouse.

January 2017, let's have an actual wedding.

February 2017, diet starts and I buy a wedding dress.

March 2017, I got my engagement ring.

April 2017, bachelorette party in Napa with my best girls.

May 2017, I move into mostly renovated house.

June 2017, house renovations continue and wedding planning and diet in full effect.

July 2017, wedding.

It was a busy time for us! But, we managed, I think...

If you do not remember the before photos from my previous post, do yourself a favor and go check them out!

We gave ourselves around six months to renovate the house before I moved in. It was touch and go for awhile and at the last minute, Leif decided to get the upstairs floors refinished the day before I was supposed to move in. I had to cancel my movers, who were going to charge me an arm and a leg to change days, find new movers and get all the paperwork into the building in just two days. Men.

For a month prior to my move, I had been bringing stuff to the new house. I tried to get everything but furniture and clothes. However, I did not realize how much shit I actually had. The movers arrived bright and early on a Friday morning. You see, my building only allows week day move ins and outs. So annoying. I had to actually take a day off of work to move. They loaded up the truck fairly quickly and we headed to the new house!

In traditional Alexis fashion, that evening, everything was completely unpacked and all of the boxes were gone. The only thing I had left to do was hang art and window treatments. Not to mention, buy a whole lot of new furniture, which I had already slowly started to do.

In the Living Room, I bought a new area rug and chair, a coffee table and I picked up a love seat from my friend Craig. In the Dining Room, we bought a brand new dining table, new side chairs, a chandelier and a new console. For our Master Bedroom, we bought a KING size bed and mattress. For that moment that was all we needed. Since then, we have purchased many more things.

Without further adieu, our beautiful home!

The curb appeal was always very beautiful. Leif did a wonderful job of selecting color for the home. We did nothing but maintain it.

I don't have a great photo of the Foyer. There were very ugly brown floral textured tiles on the floor which we removed and found beautiful blue mosaic tiles. We painted and added a new bench.

When you walk in from the Foyer you walk into the Living Room. I found this piece of art at Pier One during a search for a specific color curtains. It was on sale and I felt it would be perfect for this spot. The console is from CB2 as well as the stool. Most accessories are West Elm.

The Living Room was difficult as there was no great location for the TV. This was the best spot however, the glare from the wonderful windows is a pain. However, we hardly have time to watch TV and we don't even have cable! Apple TV for the win!

The area rug is from Ruggable. It is machine washable as we have a baby and three dogs. The new sofa sectional is West Elm along with the coffee table, curtains, chair and some accessories. The lamp is from CB2 however, they no longer make it. The shades, which were pulled up all the way so we could watch tv, are from Manhattan Shade & Associates, the company I now work for. Typically, they're only up halfway. They are a bottom mount tontine shade and I love them!

The throw pillows are from Home Goods. The small metal and glass side table is vintage and was given to me by our old window treatment vendor at MAC II. Thank you Louis!

Clearly, these photos were taken around Christmas as our tree was up! This sofa I got from my friend Craig who could not fit it in his new apartment. The bookcase is from West Elm and the Lucite chair is vintage and I purchased it from Aero when I worked there.

The Dining Room was the most completed room downstairs for the longest time. The table, side chairs and chandelier are from West Elm. The side chairs are vintage Danish which I found on Etsy. One day I will have them reupholstered. The console is from Restoration Hardware.

The small wood and cane chair is vintage and Leif actually had it. The area rug is from my old carpet vendor at MAC II. Thanks Rich!

The dresser is also one of Leif's pieces from when he was a kid. I changed out the old wood knobs for brass knobs and repurposed a marble top a client was getting rid of. The mirrors are from West Elm. One day maybe Leif will hang them for me!

The Kitchen was almost a gut renovation. We got rid of everything but the cabinet boxes, doors and drawers. Leif sprayed the cabinets and we added new hardware from Rejuvenation. We hired Leif's friend to do the tile work for the floor and back splash. We purchased brand new appliances as well.

This little nook is one of my favorites in the house. The light bulb was given to me by a vendor as a sample and I bought the cord on Amazon. The solar shades are by MS&A, the table from All Modern and this perfect banquette from none other than West Elm! It's like it was made for this space!

The pillows are from Homegoods!

The Sunroom was also another gut job. Leif literally removed everything from this room. If you look at the before photos, you can really see how much work it needed. The woman he bought the house from had show cats and this was their room. Oh, you could smell it!

Everything is new. New drywall, new wainscot, new door from Home Depot, new millwork and counter top from a local Brooklyn Cabinet Shop, new lighting from Home Depot, new flooring from Home Depot, new furniture and area rugs from IKEA, new window shades from MS&A, and new hardware from Rejuvenation.

We even added a split system for heating and cooling to make the room useable all year round.

It took Leif a couple of months to finish this room as his "accident" happened in the middle of it.

But, it was worth the wait. It turned out beautiful and is now one of our favorite rooms. It is also the dogs room. It serves many purposes.

The basement. Oh, the basement. This was one area I really wanted to get done before the baby. As I mentioned before in Basement Renovation, Leif could have cared less about this space. I was the one who pushed and I am so glad that I did! I was doing laundry every weekend with just Leif. I couldn't image how much more laundry I was going to be doing with Leif and a baby!

We decided to keep the old stairs and just paint them. We also tiled the landing between the basement and the Kitchen. There is a side door to the driveway which is a nice entry for us. I moved all of Leif's things in the basement as there was so much more room down there than in the little Foyer Closet.

When my parents lived in midtown Tulsa at the Yorktown house, they had this awesome rubber flooring in the Laundry Room. I had always wanted that flooring somewhere in my own home. This was the perfect place! It is extremely durable as well.

And there they are, my beautiful new washer and dryer and slop sink for the little dogs baths. It's love.

We even have a nice little pantry space for extra things that do not fit in the Kitchen.

We also gave the bathroom a huge facelift. This is a full bath with a shower. We only have one bathroom on the main floors, so this was a big plus!

I recently painted the stairs myself with an oil based paint. I was very proud of my work. I cut in all by myself too!

The stairs up to the second floor just needed some paint and a new runner. Again, my guy Rich came through with a beautiful runner! The privacy shade is from MS&A. This allows for us to have light in during the day, but no one can see in at night when the lights are on. This was important as this window is right outside our Bathroom and Bedrooms.

The Bathroom was the largest job by far. This was a complete gut reno. I have photos of the entire process. It was not pretty. However, Leif did such a fantastic job. It turned out exactly how I wanted it.

The toilet and vanity are from Home Depot. The flooring is from Cement Tile Shop. The subway tile is from Daltile. The fittings, fixtures and accessories are Brizo. The bathtub is Kohler.

We also added a NuHeat mat under the tile floor. This was probably one of the best decisions we made. It really keeps the bathroom warm all the time and feels so amazing on our feet, especially in the middle of the night. The dogs love it too. They lay outside the door if it isn't open!

The vanity is a custom designed vanity from Home Depot. It was custom in the way you had options to select from, not fully customize it. However, there were many options and it worked out perfectly. The hardware is from Schoolhouse Electric as well as the sconces and ceiling light.

The baseboard heating cover is from Amazon. I really loved the sleek modern look for the Bathroom.

I, myself, stripped, sanded, and stained this door by myself. It was a labor of love people. This was the third door I did in the house. I was supposed to do four more. Those did not get done. Never again.

I looked at many fixtures and fittings. However, we decided to order through a local company and they really recommended Delta Brizo for the fact that their finishes lasted and looked the nicest longer. We are very happy with the decision.

Our Bedroom did not need much work. Two of the three doors I stripped were for this room. They came out the best and I am so glad I did it. This room needed paint and that was it!

The Guest Bedroom is so nice to have. This was my old bed and mattress from the past 10 years. It is still wonderful and I sleep in here sometimes when Leif isn't home.

This room needed paint, which I did myself. I did an OK job. I never painted the doors or trim, which really need it. However, it will most likely not happen.

Sadly, these door did not make the cut. Maybe one day, I will strip them.

This room is basically a mix of all our old furniture. It turned out very nice for what it is. It is now also my home office.

Finally, the nursery! My favorite room. How adorable is this!

The chandelier is from Schoolhouse Electric and it was the piece that tied the whole room together for me. It was a tough sell, but in the end, I won....again...

The blackout roman shades are from The Shade Store, crib, rug, rocker and changing table from All Modern. The pouf is from CB2. The side table is from Homegoods.

The elephant basket on the floor and the elephant shelf is from Pottery Barn Kids / Baby & Child.

These photos are some of my favorite pieces in the room. They are photos I took on our honeymoon in Kenya. I had them framed with Frame It Easy online. It was very easy and quick.

The backyard did not need too much work. It really only needed some new trees, some mulch and plants along the side fence, the garage painted and some new sod.

A few weeks before the baby shower, which was our deadline, we had the driveway ripped up and a new one put down along with the sidewalk. Oh my gosh was Leif right, it looks so much better!

I had them add little planter beds on either side of the steps up to the Sunroom as well. We even got a new grill!

He finished painting the garage and we even got new sod!

Just a few days before the baby shower, we even got our new fence! It had all come together!

We only have two more rooms left to finish. One is the spare room in the basement. We are going to paint it all white, organize all the closets and set up our workout equipment. The last room is the Attic. This is going to be the playroom. This room needs a lot of work. Mostly, drywall work. But it also needs a split system, paint, new windows, new lighting, the existing closet needs to be completely redone and then we are good to go! Here is what the space looks like now.

I can't wait until it is finished and we can spend more time in there!

I love our house so much. We have both put so much time and effort into it and it really shows. I can't wait until it is completely finished. That will probably happen right around the time we are ready to move! Ha!

Palm Springs: Sara Gives Zero Flocks

2018-08-30T21:32:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm 32 weeks pregnant and on a plane headed to the hottest part of the United States. Sounds like the dumbest decision I've ever made. However, my best friend is getting married and I am throwing her bachelorette party, in Palm Freaking Springs. Clearly, when this was all decided, I was not pregnant. By golly, I was not even thinking about getting pregnant. But here I am, pregnant. Who plans our lives? Is it us? If it is, that was stupid on my part.

We started planning in January. Sara and I both work quickly. We are practically the same person except she is blond and I'm brunette and I've always had about 20 pounds on her and she can drink those 20 pounds on me. Other than that, the same. We had the same apartment, two floors apart, we have the same dog, we have the same furniture, we have the same lifestyles.

Sara was currently living in sunny Florida. I was living in snowy New York. It was January, we both had warmth on our minds along with someplace neither of us had been. After bouncing around glamping ideas in Southern Utah, we quickly scratch that with accessibility issues, we decided on a more convenient desert, Palm Springs. We found an AirBnB and booked it immediately.

About three months out, I clearly knew I was pregnant now, I started planning all of the details, buying all the goodies and ironing out the itinerary. My trusty Google Docs spreadsheet showed up again. Boy, I'm good!

The day had finally arrived. Jerra, Mayu and I were on the flight to Palm Springs. We were meeting Sam at the airport. Shannon was flying in a bit later. Sara flew to Orange County and was going to drive in with Suzanne. Michelle was driving in from San Diego. We were all meeting at the house. I felt great after the flight. It was on time and easy. Everything was coming together.

We easily got into the house and started to decorate. The place was HUGE and perfect for all of us. We worked out the room situation before so everyone knew where they would be staying. When we were done decorating, we informed Suzanne we were ready for her to bring Sara!

Once she arrived, we went to the grocery store for food and then got in the pool!

That evening we went to a local hotel restaurant called El Jeffe as they were having taco specials! Everything was delicious!

We were all extremely exhausted, as we woke up at 4am, flew across the country, decorated a huge house, swam in the hot sun, and went out to dinner in a different time zone. So we went back to the house and I went to bed. I also realized my throat was starting to hurt. Everyone was having allergies from the dryness and dust. I thought it was probably that as well. We also had to wake up really early the next morning as we had a spa day planned!

Suzanne, Shannon and I went to Starbucks and the donut shop. We came back and cooked a wonderful spread for breakfast which included eggs, toast, avocado, fruit, donuts and mimosas! Then we packed up the car and headed to Glen Ivy Spa for a day of sun and pampering. We all wore our matching shirts and visors too!

They had many different pools you could relax in, along with a mud treatment, massages and many more things!

We ended up getting a cabana, which was the smartest decision we made. It was set in the back of the spa, away from all the crowded areas. But, the best part about it was the button. You pressed that button and someone came running to take our order or bring us whatever we wanted! We loved that button.

Unfortunately, my sore throat was not getting any better and I feared that maybe it was a cold. The day before I left, I found out one of my coworkers was sick. She had come in for a day and a half without telling anyone she was sick. When I found out she was sick I was extremely upset. I told her if I got sick over this weekend, I was going to be very mad.

That evening, after our long drive home, we decided to stop at the store and buy junk food for dinner. It was wonderful! I also stocked up on medicine as I was starting to feel really crappy.

The next morning it was official. I was 32 weeks pregnant, across the country in a house that wasn't my own, sick, in bed, during my best friends bachelorette party that I had been planning for a year. I was pissed. Very pissed.

I stayed in bed until the girls were ready for brunch. I had intended to make two reservations however, one place did not take reservations. Our thought process was to go to the one without a reservation first and if we couldn't get in, we would go to the other. Well, we got in and I was so glad because this place was adorable and delicious.

We walked around and shopped a bit after that. We also got ice cream. Then we went home, the girls got in the pool and I went to bed. I started to feel horrible and actually changed my flight to leave early the next morning. I even skipped out on dinner that night. Everyone understood. How could they not with the pile of tissues next to my bed and the noises coming out of my mouth.

However, the girls seemed to have a great time without me! And, I'm very glad about that!

Shannon was flying home the next morning as well so we shared an Uber. The first flight I slept almost the whole way. The second flight was fine until we landed. They made us sit on the runway for 30 minutes until we were able to park at our gate. I wanted to kill someone at this point. Thank goodness Leif was there to pick me up. I actually stayed home in bed for two more days, had to take sick days from work that I did not have. Not to mention pay to change my plane ticket home. The whole thing was such a disaster. However, I survived, as I knew I would. But that cold kicked my butt for two whole weeks.

I'm just glad Sara and the girls had such a great time!

#SaraGivesZeroFlocks

Introducing: Harper Mae

2018-08-27T03:08:00.000-04:00

Welcome to this world beautiful little girl!

Harper Mae Gulotta-Gold

August 27, 2018

3:08am 6lbs12oz 20"

Congrats Daddies! I can't wait to meet her!

Car Jacks and Circular Saws

2018-08-07T21:36:00.000-04:00

** WARNING ** GRAPHIC CONTENT**

Car Jacks

It was my typical Tuesday in August. Hotter than hell and muggier than the rain forest. I can't remember if it was morning or early afternoon but I was working when I get a text from my Mom. I believe it was a photo with a caption that said, don't worry he's fine, he has a morphine drip! The photo was my Dad, in a hospital gown, sitting on a hospital gurney with an IV.

What the hell? That morning I clearly remembered my Mom telling me her car had a flat tire. I believe the next words out of my mouth were, you guys are not as young as you once were, please take the car to the professionals to do this.

Apparently she did not listen, tried to do it herself so my Dad came to help. The car jack slipped and he, what they medically call it, "de-gloved" his arm. I'll keep the photo small for everyones sake.

Well, thankfully he did not need a skin graft. He was home that day and on pain meds. He was going to make a full recovery. But damn. I did not need that in my life. Especially while pregnant.

Circular Saws

Circular Saws are scary. Anything that automatically moves in a circular motion with an extremely sharp blade is scary and not to mention noisy.

It was now Thursday at 5:30pm. Just two days after I got that horrific text of my father on the hospital gurney. I was getting ready to leave work for the day and enjoy my wonderful commute home at 29 weeks pregnant when I got the call.

"I'm in the hospital. I cut my hand really badly with a circular saw. I have to have surgery. I'm going to be here awhile. Don't rush."

EXCUSE ME... DON'T RUSH?!? I was out the door before he said goodbye. Of course the bus took forever to arrive. The commute home was torture. I had to go home to get my care and let the poor puppies out before going to the hospital. I arrived around 8pm. They informed me the Emergency Room was on lock down. They could not let anyone else in. I was like, excuse me, my husband is in there, he is about to go in for surgery, I need to see him. Nope. But I'm pregnant. Nope.

Around 8:30pm, after I was denied entrance for the 2nd time, I went outside to call my Mom and bawl my eyes out. A lovely nurse came up to me and asked if I was ok. I mean, a very pregnant girl standing outside the ER at night crying like a baby, No! I was not alright! I informed him what was going on, he asked who my husband was. He knew exactly who he was and brought me to him. About 10 minutes later the surgeon came over to introduce himself to us and five minutes after that, he was whisked away for surgery. I got in just in time to say goodbye.

The surgeon gave me his card with his direct cell number. He also took my number down and said he would call me after the surgery. He told me to go home and get sleep. There was nothing more I could do and he did not want me staying in the waiting room of the hospital. So, I went home, cuddled up with the dogs and tried to sleep. Around 11:30pm, he called, as promised, and gave me an update. He said the thumb was ok but he was worried about the index finger. Everything was damaged.

I asked what time I could come see him in the morning and tried to sleep. Leif was very adamant about me not telling his family. So I obliged. His nurse called me around midnight to let me know his room number and say he was doing well. Around 1am I get a text from his sister. Apparently he called her while trying to get ahold of me. I had all of his personal items so they did not have to lock them up. He had not memorized my number and was very confused and called her. Of course he was drugged up and didn't remember a damn thing. So then, at 1am, I had to go explaining what had happened to his family. Never again will I not tell them. Oh, I was so mad!

The next morning I was at the hospital at 7am to drop off bagels, coffee, seltzer, his phone and computer. We spoke with the surgeon who said he would be discharged that evening so I went to work. It was a summer Friday, which means I got to leave work at 1pm. I was able to come home and let the dogs out before picking him up.

Apparently, while renovating the house, he had a little accident. Thankfully, Tom, our amazing life saving contractor, was here working on the basement and helped Leif get to a firehouse where they rushed him to the hospital. So many people to thank for helping our family out.

Between Jennie, Elliot, Andy and Bennett (who got into a car accident the Thursday after the girls accident - they were fine, just some car damage and donut calories for Bennett), my kidney stones, my Dad's injury and now Leif, I informed the entire family we were going to bubble wrap Mom and tie her inside the house.

It's like everyone wanted me to go into labor early or something...

Well, as you all know, if you're keeping up, it is really January 2019, not August, and Leif just got cleared to go back to work. But first, he has to take his 5 week vacation he missed while on medical leave.... You can do the math. However, it has been such a blessing having him home during this important time in our lives. We call it a blessing in disguise. We are very thankful to the plastic surgeon, his physical therapist and the FDNY for helping us out.

The Nursery

2018-07-29T21:54:00.000-04:00

At the end of July, My Mom (Grandma) and Aunt Nancy (Nanna) planned a trip to come and help me set up the nursery. Being an interior designer, this was a big deal. Most women dream about the engagement ring and the wedding and finding out you're pregnant. Nope, not me! I cared about the house and the nursery. You're talking to the woman who picked the house over the engagement ring.

I put it together very quickly. However, I did not just go online and select pieces. I researched inspirations, drew up the space on AutoCAD and made a presentation for myself. I mean, why not? That's what I do.

I knew I wanted a safari theme. The honeymoon was still on my mind.

I found this inspiration image on Instagram under the #boynursery. It was exactly the feel I wanted, and more space. Sadly, I could not add more square footage to my room.

This is what I came up with, except in the end I did change a few things around when it came down to purchasing the pieces.

When sourcing the animal heads, the second my eyes landed on these guys, I knew they were the ones. They're from Fiona Walker England. I got them online at Bloomingdales. They have multiple sizes.

I knew I wanted to frame some photos I took during our honeymoon. It didn't take me very long to find some of my favorites. I edited them in photoshop and uploaded them to Frame It Easy to see which four I liked the best out of the newly edited photos. These made the cut:

I ordered a few extra decorations, the main pieces which included the crib, dresser and changing table, blackout Roman Shades, carpet and some baskets. I had most of the soft goods on my registry. However, people were taking too long to buy things so in the end, I did end up buying some myself!

My Mom arrived a few days before Aunt Nancy so we really prepped and cleaned the room for her arrival. By the time she arrived, the rug was down and we were already starting to assemble the crib. It took us a day and a half with two trips to the hardware store to finish the room but we did it.

We even cleaned, painted and built out the little closet. I was so proud of ourselves. It is amazing how handy we can be when we need to be. We might have been slow, and Leif might have come in and helped for a few minutes, completing something that took us an hour, but we did it! We also had fun doing it!

These two were hysterical and are going to kill me for sharing these photos but in my defense, their Grandson is going to want to see how his nursery was put together by his Grandma and Nanna.

We also learned, never let Grandma do the painting... but she was wonderful at everything else! Love you Mom!

Basement Renovation

2018-07-16T21:24:00.000-04:00

I had been wanting to renovate our basement since the day we moved in. It was old, ugly, dirty and just plain gross. Leif's answer was always no, it's a basement. Well, I wasn't going to let that fly. I eventually won the battle. We decided to hire a contractor to do the work as Leif did not have time while trying to finish the rest of the house before the baby was born and I was, well, pregnant and couldn't do much of anything anymore.

During my pregnancy commuting, I met a wonderful friend, who I call my bus friend. Her name is Pat and Pat and I had so much in common it was ridiculous. Anyway, we started sitting next to each other when we were on the same bus. They we decided to try to plan on getting the same bus everyday to finally exchanging numbers and informing each other which bus we got on. This happened after my kidney stone incident and Pat didn't see me for three days.

Well, one random day when we were riding the bus I asked her if she had a contractor. She not only knew of one, he turned out to be the best guy and life saver. Literally. I'll get to that part later. So in the middle of July, Tom started on our basement renovation. It was a long and slow process, as always. It was fun to come home and see the updated work everyday. Tom has a dog and she came everyday too!

I think Leif was thankful for not having to finish the basement himself. I literally had a punch list the length of a CVS receipt he was working on. Both guys had a deadline and that deadline was my baby shower. We were having it at our house and as an interior designer, my house was going to be perfect.

I unfortunately forgot to take photos of the basement before however, I do have some after the first week of gutting the place that I would like to share. You get sort of an idea, with that awful blue vinyl tile floor, of what we had to start with.

Leif's list included the following:

Sunroom Gut and Reno

New Driveway

Backyard Landscaping and Sod

Paint Garage

Install Stair Shade

Install Cabinet Hardware

Paint Kitchen Trim

And many many more little items...

When it's done, it will be awesome. But for now, please do not distract my husband!!

Eric & Guy's Baby Shower

2018-06-30T21:10:00.000-04:00

On an extremely hot Saturday, Leif and I drove out to Long Island to celebrate two of my best friends. They were expecting a little girl at the end of September. Our two babies were going to be a month apart! If I was going to go through this experience with anyone, I was so glad it was them!

The traffic was horrible and I was pregnant and cranky. But, I was so excited to be seeing my friends who moved literally across the country from me. Thank goodness Guy's family is out here so they come back often.

I listened and came prepared with my bathing suit. I knew I would definitely be using it. How often do you get to go swimming in a pool in NYC? Well, actually, the building the four of us lived in, which is where we met, had a pool. So... But, it was summer and I was pregnant and it was perfect.

You can tell they were really packing on the pounds during this pregnancy. Wink, wink!

Their cake was a masterpiece. I mean, isn't this the most adorable thing you have ever seen?

They also had an amazing dessert table. Leif and I grabbed a to go bag, literally, to take home with us. We knew the traffic was going to suck, so why not make it a little sweeter!

It was so good to see my friends. I can't wait to meet your sweet baby girl!

Kidney Stones

2018-06-12T20:55:00.000-04:00

Did you know Kidney Stones were common with pregnancy? Yea, I didn't either. Until now.

The week after I got back from Nashville, that Monday, I had my 21 week ultrasound. Everything seemed fine and dandy except for the fact that all of the sudden while I was in the waiting room waiting for my appointment, I realized I had to pee. Then before I went in for the appointment I had to pee again. After the 20 minute appointment I had to pee a third time. As my doctors appointment was on the opposite end of the island, by the time we got halfway to the ferry, I had to pee again. We stopped at Leif's brothers house. When I got to the ferry terminal I peed again. I peed on the ferry. I peed when I got to work. Do you see where I'm going with this?

I thought this was a symptom of pregnancy. A very common symptom at that. Therefore I didn't think anything of it. Well, I had a long commute home, on a bus, that doesn't have a bathroom, and is on a highway for 70% of the time with no where for me to get off. Therefore, I did the stupid thing of not drinking any water. I thought hey, I keep peeing, so I must be ok.

I drank some water when I got home however, in the morning, I had that awful commute again. When I got to work I started to drink some water and I noticed that the feeling of having to pee was getting worse. I would literally pee, stand up and feel like I had to pee again. Then I felt like I had to pee all the time. It was horrible!

I had dinner with my old colleagues from MAC II that evening and did not want to cancel. I stopped drinking water and headed from Tribeca to the Upper East Side. We sat down and had a lovely dinner. In the two hours we were there, I had to pee about 6 times. As half of my old colleagues were a bit older, they kept joking how I'm not supposed to have this issue until I turn their age! I told Randi, if this is what pregnancy is going to continue to be like, I don't know if I can finish this! She then proceeded to tell me about this horrible kidney stone epidemic she had the day before flying to India for two weeks. TWO WEEKS IN INDIA WITH KIDNEY STONES?!?!?! KILL ME NOW. Thankfully she passed it the night before leaving. However, I was still sitting there absolutely miserable. Finally, during dessert, I had to pee again. Now I knew something was wrong because I NEVER miss dessert. This time, after I stood up, I started to feel sick, hot and uncomfortable. I went outside and told the gang I had to leave.

They insisted someone left with me and got me home, or at least helped me in some way. But, I said no and left as quickly as possible. I got into a cab immediately and told Leif something was seriously wrong. Then I called my Mom... the only thing that did was freak her the f**k out! Miraculously this was the first and only time that I can remember in our relationship that Leif and I were both in Manhattan, after work, at the same time. He was working at the MET Opera and I was trying to enjoy dinner with friends.

I said, Leif, I'm heading to the MET. I need you to come out. I was laying down rolling around in the back of the cab trying to find a comfortable position but nothing was helping. We made it to Lincoln Center and I managed to pay and roll out onto the side walk when I saw Leif running my way all decked out in his tuxedo. He asked me if we should go to the hospital and I said yes. He asked if I could walk five blocks and I said no.

I guess it was my lucky night because there just so happened to be an ambulance parked out front of Lincoln Center. I guess it kind of makes sense. The opera tends to attract the older crowd...

Anyway, we hopped in, they asked too many questions which I was extremely happy and proud to know my husband knew all the answers to. Thank goodness because I was in no shape to answer. I was 21 weeks pregnant and something was seriously wrong!

Two minutes later, and I am not joking about that, we pulled up to Mount Sinai West and they brought me up to the Emergency Triage. From there they basically made me change into a robe, pee into a cup and strapped all of these electronic devises to my belly to make sure the baby was ok. I could have told you right there the baby was fine because he was having a serious party in my belly!

I felt horrible. The pain was so immensely intense they decided to give me morphine. Before they were able to, they had to make sure everything was alright with the baby. During that time, I vomited my little heart out. I had not puked since Freshman year of college when I had mono. I don't puke. This is when I knew something was really wrong!

I felt a little better after that but still decided to take the morphine. They had called for an ultrasound and MRI. I asked the on call doctor what she thought it was and her first response was kidney stones. Excuse me...Wasn't Randi just tell me about her kidney stone fiasco? This could not be happening to me. I had never had kidney stones before. Then she said, Kidney Stones are fairly common with pregnancy...

As we had no idea when I was going to get an Ultrasound or MRI, Leif decided to head home to let our poor doggies out as we knew it was going to be a few hours for myself. There was literally nothing left he could do. Around 2:30am they informed me that I would have to get my tests in the morning and they were going to admit me for the night. Around 3:30am, I was moved to my room, given some antibiotics and told to sleep.

Around 6am I woke up. Yay, 2.5 hours of sleep. I knew the only person who would be awake at that time was Aunt Nancy. She was very glad to hear from me as well. We chatted for a bit until the nurse came in and told me they were getting ready to take me to get an ultra sound. She also handed me a strainer and told me I had to pee into the strainer. Well, I knew right then the doctors diagnosis from the night before was correct. There was definitely "gravel" as they call it in my strainer. The pain had gone. They kept me on fluids and I was discharged that evening around 6pm.

I had to stay home from work the rest of the week. On Friday I had my normal doctors appointment. They were to give me the all clear to go back to work that following Monday. I was cleared and told to keep hydrated or else it could happen again. There was no way in hell I was letting that happen again.

The first thing I did after my doctors appointment was buy panty liners just in case I had any accidents on the bus with my new plan to drink myself to death.

Nashville: Family First

2018-06-05T20:28:00.000-04:00

It was your average Tuesday morning. I had just walked into work, sat down and was reading emails. It was June so the weather was still bearable. It was a normal day. Until...

We've had this issue with my Mother and her exaggerated texts. They typically go something like this... "Can I call you" or "Can you call me" or the worst "Call me now". No other information along with it, just something that seems extremely panicked. Of course when we get one of those cryptic texts we drop everything we are doing and call immediately. It is usually ends up being something like "I'm at Ulta, what is that color nail polish we like?" or "I can't get my computer to work... ok Mom, go here, click here, yes Mother it says it right there, just read the screen, No it doesn't, YES IT DOES, oh, you're right, it does...."

However, this was not one of those times. I called and the first things out of her mouth were Jennie had an accident... I'm pretty sure I turned ghost white right then and there. Apparently she slid down the stairs carrying my 4 month old niece and Elle hit her head on the wooden steps. Jennie rushed her to the emergency room while Andy got Bennett ready and out of the house to go meet her. She had fractured her jaw in three places.

My awesome boss at the time was an angel. He not only allowed me but helped me find a flight for a few hours later so I could go down and help them out.

I spent most of the time entertaining Bennett so they could concentrate on Elle Bunny. That evening we ordered Chinese delivery for dinner, and watched a movie, and wrote out his name with the alphabet gummies I brought him. Then I read him goodnight stories, which was very special.

The next day Bennett and I went to Yeast Nashville and picked up Kolaches! I had been wanting to go for years however, it seemed every time I was there, they were closed. Small businesses and holidays. Don't they know tourists come on holidays too!!

My favorite part of the day was when Bennett and I watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone! It was his first time watching Harry Potter and he loved it just as much as I did! We had a really good time.

The next day I had to leave very early so I could get back for a morning client meeting. Elle was still having some issues not eating because, her jaw hurt. So they brought her back to the hospital that day. They gave her fluids and she was back home in no time.

It was a very scary experience but Jennie and Andy handled it with such love and care. Elle is doing extremely well and just had one year check up and everything seemed to have healed nicely!

Pancake Weekend 2018

2018-04-14T18:00:00.000-04:00

Leif and I drove upstate for my family annual Pancake Weekend! Leif had never been before and I thought it would be the perfect weekend to tell the family I was pregnant. I had just safely made it through my first trimester and was feeling better mentally. Physically I never had any issues. It was all mental for me!

What better way to tell the family than this...

Needless to say, we had a great time and everyone was excited. I also napped a lot.

Introducing: Ella James

2018-03-26T21:54:00.000-04:00

My Best Friend had a baby!! Welcome to the world beautiful girl!

Ella James Andrews

March 26, 2018

7lbs 3 oz

Your Auntie Lexi can't wait to meet you!

SURPRISE

2018-02-24T12:30:00.001-05:00

Not only did we reunite Scout with his Mother on February 24th. We also found out we were going to be parents!

I'M PREGNANT!

After the shock wore off.... about 14 weeks later... we got a little excited.

I also know the date well as it is Aunt Nancy's Birthday. Therefore, I told her I had the best birthday present in the world for her. She was going to be a Nanna.

Reunion: Scout and Roxy

2018-02-24T12:30:00.000-05:00

It was February 24th. I know this date exactly and I will tell you why later.

I found myself back on the road in New Jersey heading south towards Rosedale Mills. The time had come to reunite the baby with his Momma. That's right! As I mentioned before, I contacted the family who adopted Scouts mother Muffy, now Roxy, and we planned a date to meet back where it all began. SoCo Rescue was also having an adoption that day so the pups got to see their saviors!

I brought Oliver along as Scouts emotional support animal. I'm glad I did because he needed it! He completely shied away from everything. Once he realized Oliver was by his side, he was completely back to normal.

It was wonderful to see everyone and let the dogs get to know each other again. I speak with them often and one day we will get them back together. Family forever.

Dallas, TX: Shannon's Baby Shower

2018-01-20T14:00:00.000-05:00

At the end of January, I flew down to Dallas to celebrate my Best Friend Shannon's baby shower. She was expecting a little girl due at the end of March. The plan was, I was going into work for a half day and Leif was going to load the car with our bags, pick me up at the ferry, and we would head to the airport.

Does anything ever go as planned?

Well, about an hour before Leif was supposed to pick me up, he called to let me know he was extremely sick and either had food poisoning or the flu. Well, clearly the last thing you want at a baby shower is a sick person. So, this cramped the entire plan. I had to leave work immediately to try to catch the next ferry. First, I went to the subway. But of course, with my luck, the next train was in 15 minutes. Seriously? So, I ran back up the stairs and south trying to find a cab. I quickly caught one and I told him to hurry. We made it a few blocks from the ferry terminal when traffic got so bad I got out and ran. I called an Uber when we were docking and ran outside to catch it. I made it home with just enough time to grab my bag, call another Uber to the airport, get through security and board my plane on time. It was a miracle.

However, the whole point in Leif going to Dallas with me wasn't to attend my best friends baby shower now was it? NOPE! The whole point was to meet Mother there, who was bringing us our two dogs, which my parents so graciously took care off while we were off frolicking in Africa, so we could fly home with them. If you didn't know before, you know now, you're only allowed one dog per person. Hence the both of us going to Shannon's Baby Shower!!!

This was a pretty big hiccup in my oh so genius of a plan. It really was if you think about it! It would have worked out extremely well if it hadn't have been for my husband ruining it!! It killed like four birds with one stone! I got to go to Shannon's Baby Shower, my Mom got to go to Shannon's Baby Shower, I got to see my Mom, my Mom got to see me, and we got our dogs back! Genius!

Well, Shannon picked me up from the airport and we hung out that evening. The following morning my Mom arrived with my two bundles of joy! I had not seen them in two months. We had only had Scout a month and a half at the time and I had no idea how he was going to react. It took about 5 seconds for him to realize who I was and he freaked with excitement. That made my day. Oliver, in his typical Ollie fashion, spun in circles and whined.

We went back to the hotel to drop the dogs off before heading back to Shannon's to help the girls set up for the baby shower. It was a wonderful day. I was so glad I was there.

That evening we went out to dinner to one of our favorite places, Whiskey Cake! That night I spent at the hotel with my Mom and the doggies. We cuddled the whole time!

It turned out Leif went to Urgent Care and was told he had a 24 hour bug and was going to live. Sunday morning, he hopped on an extremely early flight to Dallas, spent a whopping 6 hours in Texas, and turned right around and flew home with me and the two pooches. I guess it worked out anyway.

However, we did have a very nice Sunday. We went to a beautiful park in Dallas where I took some maternity photos for Shannon and Eric. Then we had a very nice brunch and hung out at their house until it was time for us to go to the airport.

It was a lovely quick trip and I can't wait to meet their beautiful daughter!

Introducing: Elliot June

2018-01-07T00:04:00.000-05:00

Welcome to this world my brand new niece!

Elliot June Skib

January 7, 2018

12:04am 6lbs 4oz 18.25"

You're already so loved my little Elle Belle!

Congrats to my Brother, Sister in Law and Nephew!

Honeymoon: Africa

2017-12-22T15:02:00.000-05:00

Leif and I decided to go big or go home for our Honeymoon. Leif wanted to go scuba diving and I wanted to go on a safari. Therefore, we met in the middle. If the Maldives were affordable, I would have said screw the safari, alas, they're not. We looked at many countries before deciding where to go. In the end, we decided to go with a travel agent. Even though I am amazing at planning and organizing, I decided I wanted to take this one off. Also, I didn't know where to go in Africa and also didn't know how safe certain areas were. Therefore, I decided to leave it up to the professionals.

I reached out to a few travel agents that specialized in Africa and decided on Mahlatini Luxury Travel because Glynis was on top of it and responded to every email promptly. She also worked with me on planning the honeymoon of our dreams. She is the one that selected Kenya and Mauritius. Apparently South Africa was right up there with the Maldives.

The itinerary was easy to create once we decided on locations. She sent multiple camps and resorts for us to select from within the price range we wanted to spend. From there, she did all the work. Our only job was to get vaccines and pack. If we were doing this, we were going to do it right. This meant, we went all out on gear and clothes. It was fun! Eventually, this wonderful finalized itinerary arrived in the mail with everything we could possibly need. It was amazing.

My parents had come for Thanksgiving and were able to take Oliver and now Scout home with them for two months. We still are thanking them. That took care of those two! Lucky went to Leif's parents for the time we were gone. We got our shots, ordered all of our gear, packed and were dropped off at JFK by Leif's Dad. Our flight was a little delayed however, it was a midnight flight so once we boarded, it was easy for us to fall asleep. We were flying Turkish airlines, coach, and it was amazing. They gave us hot towels to clean our hands, a little zip pouch with everything you could possibly need, pillows, blankets and movies galore. We both popped some sleeping pills and woke up in Turkey!

We had a decent layover in Turkey. We got something to eat at the food court, checked in with the families, and waited to board our flight to Kenya! The plane was smaller and a bit tighter however, it wasn't terrible. We landed in Kenya very early in the morning. I think around 4am. We had to fill out paperwork and go through security and customs before we could pick up our bags, then we had to go through a final security to get outside to meet our ride. A woman met us with a sign and she directed us to where we waited for our driver. Once loaded, we drove through the city of Nairobi to get to an old army base which now housed many different things, a few including a very small airlines which would be taking us to the Masai Mara! The drive was very interesting. Leaving the airport it was a lot of country and desert, then it turned to neighborhoods, then it turned city with thousands of people walking along the highways. It was a bit scary.

Once we arrived to the airport, we went through a tiny security with our duffle bags and back packs. We left our large suitcases with our scuba gear with our driver. He would be picking us up and taking us to the next location. We went and had a very nice breakfast at the little cafe, checked in with some family and waited to board our flight. When they called our flight, we were two of a whopping four people on board. The plan was maybe a 30 seater with two women pilots! It was crazy! We quickly learned the two others were a chef and employee of another camp. They told us a bit about the area. The flight lasted about an hour until we landed on a dirt runway. The other two passengers got off and the plan took off again and headed towards our camp. Landing was so cool! You could see animals everywhere. Once on the ground, we grabbed our bags and walked to the little gazebo to wait. We had arrived. It was a long journey but we knew it was going to be worth it.

Quickly a Land Cruiser came to get us and welcomed us to Kichwa Tembo at the Maasai Mara. As we drove toward the camp, we saw a rhino laying down in the bush, giraffes and elephants. We were in such shock and this was only the beginning. We had no idea this was nothing to what we were going to see!

Our arrival to the camp was amazing. About 5 employees were standing clapping sining a welcome song. We met Salim, who would be taking care of us and our tent, he grabbed our bags. Then we were brought into the bar area, giving some sweet tea to drink while we filled out our paperwork and got the lay of the land.

We went back to our tent to unpack, take it all in and turn around and come right back for lunch! The tent was one of the older tents. A bit more rustic than the brand new modern ones. It was also right on the border of the Mara and our camp. It was so cool. The bed even had rose petals for our honeymoon!

At lunch we met Wilfred (Willie) our server who took care of us for every single meal. We had a wonderful lunch under this majestic tree watching animals from afar and enjoying the beautiful weather.

After lunch we went back to relax a bit before meeting for our evening game drive. This is where we met our guide, Akatch for tea, cookies. Akatch was magnificent. We immediately enjoyed his company and knew it was going to be a wonderful time.

We were joined by another woman from NYC, whose daughter had a bit of a stomach bug and was going to be napping. We went out for the evening with our pants, long sleeve shirts and puffy vests as we were told it was going to get a bit chilly. We had a wonderful time and saw a leopard from afar. It was so cool even though we couldn't get very close. We did spend a good amount of time the next few days trying to spot him again. However, at least we saw him day one! We enjoyed some wine in the bush before heading back for dinner.

After dinner, we headed back to our tent. We noticed the beds were turned down with hot water bottles and a bottle of red wine was waiting for us!

The next few days were magical. I can't even begin to explain how amazing this experience was. We were lucky to see the Big Five the very first day! We saw so many prides of lions. So many females and cubs. We saw the three male lions of those four prides. We saw hippos, black rhinos, zebras, elephants, hyenas, water buffalo, and all types of antelopes. We even drove to the Tanzania border where we saw a Cheetah and her cubs. We also went to the border and took photos at the sign to the Serengeti. It was so cool!

Christmas Eve morning we went on a sunrise hot air balloon ride. This was one of the highlights of the trip. Leif was upset as it was expensive and we had to wake up extremely early. I also spilled his coffee all over the bed when I picked up my pot of tea. It was not a good morning for him.

We hopped into the Land Cruisers and headed out in the pitch black up the mountain and back down to the launch sight. Darkness surrounded us. The only light was from the bathroom and the burner flame for inflating the balloons.

We boarded, and were told to stay seated, and slowly drifted into the dark sky. The balloon went up extremely high where we were able to see hundreds of miles in each direction as the sun slowly started to rise. It was out of this world. You could see all the animals just waking up. The lionesses were all laying down and the cubs were all running around playing. You could see where they nested down in the bush. We watched the sun rise and then dropped low and skimmed the top of the bush for the next half hour.

Eventually we went back up to get one last glance in the daylight and then landed in the middle of the bush. We were picked up and driven to the sight of our champagne brunch.

As we walked closer, they sang us a welcome song and clapped to the beat while popping the cork to a bottle of champagne. We toasted to everything and then sat down to a delicious breakfast.

Leif right then and there said this was the most amazing thing he had ever done in his life. I guess it was worth it.

The morning game drive was pretty amazing as we got to see so many lions and cubs. We saw some elephants in musth, which was a bit scary. So many herds of elephants and giraffes. We even went to one of the few hippo pools. Did you know hippos can get sunburnt? It was such a magical time. That evening, Christmas Eve, they had a wonderful meal. Everyone ate and drank and celebrated.

The local Masai Mara tribe came for a bonfire, dancing and crafts. Leif and I definitely went to town on the gifts! They were almost all for us too!

The following morning was our day to leave. We packed our bags, had breakfast and had time for a morning game drive before leaving this beautiful place. This game drive was the one we had been waiting for. On our first day there, the lions had killed a hippo. Now, it is very hard to kill a hippo as they are so large. They usually only die if they are old or sink. However, a hippo had died and the lions were feasting on it. We had seen the three male lions earlier in the week however, they were back so far on the forests edge or they were passed out in the sun laying as flat as pancakes, it was hard to see them. Well, this morning, we had heard the lions were getting ready to leave the hippo. When this happens, it means the lions, lionesses and cubs were finished feasting and they were leaving it to the scavengers. Well, we got there early, along with 50 other Land Cruisers, and parked, and waited. Sure enough, shortly after we got there, all three lions did the same exact walk around our car to the closest watering hole where they each took a drink and laid down to relax. It was single handedly the coolest thing I had ever seen.

We headed back to camp to grab our bags, say goodbye to our wonderful new friends and head off to our next adventure. I cried. I cried a lot. I wanted to stay.

The plane eventually came, we boarded, and made three stops before heading back to Nairobi. One there, our drive arrived with our other bags and drove us to Hemingways Nairobi, where we were staying for Christmas.

After a quick check of the car to make sure we were not bringing in anything dangerous, the gates opened and we were dropped off at the entrance of this beautiful plantation mansion. Once inside, the massive staircase, the beautiful marble and the wide open doors to the fountains outside were incredible.

We checked in and were delivered to our suite. And yes, it was sweet!! The first thing I did was lay out on the balcony to get some sun followed by a relaxing bath in the freestanding tub, and then a nap.

We had reservations at the restaurant for Christmas dinner that evening. The evening was wonderful and the food delicious. We went back to our room, popped the bottle of champagne which was dropped off while we were at dinner, and then crashed hard!

The following morning, our driver picked us up and took us back to the Nairobi airport. We were headed to Mauritius for six days of rest, relaxation and sun. The flight was around six hours and when it was over, we were extremely glad. We didn't know we would be waiting in a customs line for an hour. That was horrendous. It was the last thing we wanted. However, our driver was wonderful and gave us the lay of the land on the drive towards our resort. We stayed at the Westin Turtle Bay on the North West area of the island. It was late when we checked in. We quickly unpacked and headed to the main restaurant for dinner. The buffet was amazing. There were different stations with different cuisines. The Mauritius cuisine is heavily Indian influenced. Needless to say, Leif and I loved the food.

The next few days were nice and relaxing. We got a couples massage, hug out at the pool and by the beach, ate at a few different restaurants (the Indian was our favorite) we went scuba diving two days at the neighboring resort, and even rented a car and drove around the island.

I did a lot of research before we booked the scuba diving and I'm glad we did. We were very happy with the selection. The shop was located in the resort next door to ours. As we were bringing our own gear, the shop owner, Clive picked us up. We hit it off immediately. He was wonderful and we throughly enjoyed his company. The dives were a bit beginner as we were diving through a resort which allows certification and diving, however, we did have a wonderful time. Clive invited us out to dinner with another couple who has been diving with him for years. We met his wonderful girlfriend at the restaurant as well. It was such a wonderful evening. We ate and drank and enjoyed the company. We would like to thank him for such a fantastic time.

We spent a day driving around the island exploring. It was interesting for many reasons however the most being that the steering wheel is on the right side and you drive on the left side of the road.... Let that sink in. Really confusing, right? We were really scared there for awhile. Thank god Leif is a professional driver...of firetrucks in tight spaces!

After leaving the resort, there was a short drive through more country side which then turns city. Not just any city, smack in the middle of downtown Port Louis. If you continue on the highway, you start up the mountain. We stopped at a few places on the way up including this huge crater. Once we hit the middle you're in more of a rain forrest type climate. We stopped at a rum distillery, visited an Indian temple and village, saw a huge waterfall and some large turtles along with the Seven Colors of Chamarel. All of it was very interesting and cool to see. Leif jokes, guys, we flew halfway across the country to go see dirt!

We stopped at a grocery store and got goodies and gifts. I got an awesome pair of flip flops with the Dodo Bird on it however that rescue pup we got back in September decided they would be a great toy. Sadly, the flip flops are no longer with us. We drove around Le Morne which had beautiful homes and golf courses. Then we headed back to the hotel.

Now, I am going to sound a bit spoiled here however, Leif and I tried to change our flights to come home early. Why might you ask when we are enjoying such a cozy lifestyle and it was dumping snow and negative temperatures back in New York City. Well, to be honest, the safari was so special and spectacular, Mauritius was kind of a downer. I know, it sounds ridiculous. But, we could do what we were doing back in Florida! We missed our dogs and I was starting a new job the day after our return and we were ready to be home. However, we were also ready to go back to the Maasai Mara too.

New Years Even we went to one of the beach restaurants. We didn't have a reservation, as we did not want to pay a prix fixe price when we would never eat the amount it would actually cost us, so we went to dinner early. Really early. So early that we were probably in bed asleep by 10pm. I heard the fireworks, but I didn't see a single one. Apparently, it was supposed to be an amazing firework show as well. Mauritians go all out selling fireworks for days leading up to NYE. Ooops. We were flying home the next day and well, we were done.

The flight home was easy and I planned it exactly how I wanted to which resulted in absolutely no jet lag. I'm so serious. It was amazing. I spent days going through the thousand photos I took and would talk about the safari to anyone who would want to listen. A year later, I was still looking at the photos and sharing them with friends and family. I could not recommend Kichwa Tembo or the Maasi Mara anymore. It was a once in a life time trip that I hope to do again. Well, in five years at least. We are already planning to go for our five year anniversary!

Cozumel: Scuba Diving

2017-12-13T14:54:00.000-05:00

I received a job offer with a new company at the beginning of November. As We had already scheduled a scuba diving trip to Cozumel and our Honeymoon, I was not going to be able to start the new job until after the new year. As I had a bit of a hiatus between jobs, Randi and I did a small freelance project in SoHo that was going to be incredible. It was very quick but it was so worth it!

Then we left for a quick trip to Mexico! We had not been diving in a really long time and were very excited to get in the water and get out of the country. Sara, her fiance Tanner and his father were also going to be on the trip. It was also Paul's 50th year of diving at Casa Del Mar. Therefore, we had to go even if it was just for a few days! The trip was fun and the diving was awesome, as usual!

Scout "Scooter" Hansen

2017-09-30T12:50:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a little over a year, but I'm still here slowly catching up my life after one hell of a journey. We are going to start off in September 2017, even though it is January of 2019... yikes!

It all started when my best friend Sara, yes, the one who left me and moved to Florida... sent me a link to a puppy that was up for adoption in Georgia. GEORGIA?!? Well, he sure was a cute thing and his Momma was with him. I tried to put it out of my mind that night however, the next day at work I was OBSESSING. Literally. So much so, I send in an application for adoption. The guy actually called me an hour later and we chatted.

You see, this wonderful rescue from Georgia, Southern Comfort Animal Rescue, comes up to New Jersey every two weeks and holds adoptions at Rosedale Mills in Pennington, NJ. It just so happened to be about an hour away from me and they were coming up that weekend.

Leif and I had talked about adopting a senior dog that just needed a loving home for its last few months of life. I had started to look. Sara's text was extremely random. She had no idea we were talking about it.

So, the guy and I chatted for about a half hour and I promised him I would be there Saturday morning at 10am. Leif almost died. I told him, don't worry, I am just going to go check the dog out. I made a promise and I am going to do good on that promise.

Friday night Leif headed up to the cabin with our TWO very loved dogs and I went to bed early ready for my big drive to NJ. The drive wasn't bad at all and I chatted with my Mom most of the way who was so against us getting a third dog the night before and had some house miraculously come around with one nights sleep... hmmmm...

When I arrived, I parked and jumped out of the car. I had to get him before anyone else did. Scott said he could not hold him for me however, I think he did :) Thanks Scott. I found the little guy (Scooter) right away, who was sharing a crate with his very loud and protective Mother (Muffy).

Oh my gosh. Let me tell you. I knew it was a stupid idea to go look at a puppy with the thought of not bringing it home. I mean I took one look at that little guy, called Leif and said, I'm not coming home without him. Leif is just as much a sucker for dogs as I am and said bring him home.

Scott had informed me that his mother had already been adopted. However, the family who adopted her let her stay the night so he wouldn't be left alone. Isn't that the sweetest thing in the world? I eventually tracked her down to thank her for being so nice!

We walked around and played for about an hour. Said goodbye to his Mom and Scott and headed home.

Here is Scout's (formally Scooter) story of the "Lumber City 9" as told by the SoCo Rescue team:

This update is a bit lengthy, for that I apologize. But most people simply don't understand exactly what is involved in rescuing a dog, to what lengths some of us have to go through or just how bad some of these dogs are found to be in. True, not all cases are this bad but, unfortunately, way too many are. As you read this update, please consider supporting your local No Kill rescues as many work hard to save dogs found in such conditions as the Lumber City 9. UPDATE 7/23/17: With the help from some very wonderful people and our own staff, we were able to remove all 9 dogs from this home last night! And from the condition that the dogs were in, I'd have to say we arrived just in time too. Please allow me to first give a big THANK YOU to Sandra Estep, Kim, Robert and SoCo's own Robin Lawrence for their tremendous help yesterday. Without this team effort, this rescue would not have been possible. Robin did her typical fantastic job in helping prepare kennels for these dogs, even working extra yesterday to free my time up so we could go and pick them up. Kim and Robert assisted in some previously scheduled work and help in getting the kennels ready as well as offering to foster the senior (15 year old) Lab. Sandra went with me to pick them up and helped with the bathing once we got the dogs and pups back to SoCo as well as lining up foster homes for some of them. When Sandra and I arrived at the house, we were greeted by the mom of the pups. She came out with tail wagging, smiled at us then just collapsed onto the ground. She didn't want to move again until she saw that we were also getting her four pups, which were all still wandering loose in the yard. We quickly noticed the pups were covered in fleas, more so that just about any dog I've ever seen and suffering from dehydration. One of the pups had his little tongue just hanging out of his mouth and struggling to keep cool. Once mom and pups were secure in the transport truck, we went towards the interior of the house to search for the other dogs. Once inside we found “Scooter” who gave little resistance to being rescued. Scooter had such a bad flea infestation that half of his normally long, beautiful coat of fur was missing. The last time I saw Scooter, he had a very full and beautiful coat and strutted around like he was King of the Castle but now he looked more like a meek and lowly peasant that would beg for crumbs. Scooter appeared to be in very bad shape and was also badly dehydrated. Even after we had him loaded into the truck, he just lay there looking like he had given up on life but did manage to wag his tail as if to say “Thank You”. Next we encountered Scooter's mom, Muffy. She simply refused to let us catch her and kept running in and out of the house. She eventually led Sandra to the rear of the house and that's where we found the senior (15 year old) Lab named Max. At first we thought Max was dead but he eventually raised his head. Max, also so flea infested that most of his fur was missing, just didn't have the strength to even stand. Apparently this old fellow had made his way outside to simply die. Very dehydrated and extremely weak, Max surely wouldn't have lived another day laying in the heat with no water. Nothing but skin and bones, we had to carry this poor fellow to the truck Muffy, who was in better shape than her housemates, still was a challenge to catch. Eventually she hid between the wall and a mattress that apparently once served as someone's bed. As I tried to maneuver over the mattress to gain access to Muffy, my body was invaded by fleas and cockroaches. And yes, it was disgusting and sickening but had to be done in order to get Muffy. Eventually Muffy calmed down and allowed Sandra to simply pick her up. Muffy then became very accepting of us as if she knew she had just been saved. Once back at SoCo, all of the dogs were bathed, given clean water and a bowl of food. Most of them didn't eat at all but elected to just lay on their clean, comfortable beds and take an opportunity to get a decent night's sleep. Upon checking on them all today, I'm told that Max was able to stand on his own, ate very well and even went on a little walk. Mom dog enjoyed some time outside but quickly retreated back to her pups, who are still looking very weak. Muffy and Scooter drank a lot of water overnight and just enjoyed being some place safe for a change and their newfound friends at SoCo Rescue. It's still too early to know if all of the pups and dogs from this ordeal will survive. Muffy and the mom dog seem the strongest and no doubt should recover from the nightmare they just went through. We're asking for prayers for Max, Scooter and the pups. I will add that I've found out more as to why this family suddenly left the home and these dogs all alone. Without disclosing their personal information, I will simply add that other than one's own death, there's absolutely no reason anyone should leave dogs in such a manner. The former owners did contact me last night to make sure the dogs had been rescued and to thank us for our help. They also apologized for having to leave the dogs alone. But, again, there is NO excuse... We'll continue to update on the condition of these dogs from time to time and may be asking for financial assistance once we determine what their needs are. Thank you to all who prayed and kept these dogs in their thoughts.

Scooter was found next. He looked as if he'd given up on life.

When I last saw Scooter, he had a beautiful coat of fur and his demeanor was that of a King. Now he just looks dejected and like a pauper.

It took 10 mins of rinsing before the blood from his flea bites stopped flowing off of Scooter's skin. We are still very concerned for this fellow as he's weak and no doubt, full of tapeworms. But he is doing much better, even is giving us a tail wag!

The story is extremely sad and still makes me tear up when I read it. However, I now know he has a wonderful home, with us, and he is such an amazing dog. We love him so much. The ride home was easy. He stopped to potty like a good boy and kept trying to crawl up around the back of my head, which we had to put a stop to.

Once home, he settled in nicely. Leif and the dogs were heading home and I was excited for them to meet.

The first thing he did when he came home was explore. And then he found the dishwasher, with his reflection, which I'm assuming he thought was his mother, as he jumped on it and scratched at it and whined for about 15 minutes until I pulled him away bawling my eyes out. Did I do the right thing separating him from his mother?

We curled up on the sofa and waited for the family to come home. Once they did, we introduced him to Oliver first, and then Lucky. Lucky could have cared less and completely ignored him. Oliver, who doesn't love other dogs and likes to be left alone, we were not sure what he was going to do. But, he just sniffed him and acted exactly the same. Scout fell in love instantly.

Still, to this day, I think Oliver knew Scout needed him and took one for the team. They are best buddies and are together 24/7. Scout had to be touching Oliver at all times, until about a year of having him. Then he started to get a little more independent. I could go on for ours talking about it all however, the point is, he's a happy lovable dog that we are so thankful for!

Our Wedding

2017-07-15T23:12:00.000-04:00

July 15, 2017

Vesco Ridge Vineyards

Venue: Vesco Ridge Vineyards
Photographer: Mountainaire Gatherings
Florist: Black Sheep Gardens Events Florist
Dress: Lee Petra Grebenau
Food: Lighting Lardy's BBQ
Cake: Kim Sanger