Week in Review

Whew ... it's been a big week for our little Kenzie. Going back to last weekend: She discovered the toilet paper roll in our bathroom (which we have since moved to where she can't reach it!), took to biting Ryan's hair (I'm sure she thought he would appreciate a nice head massage), and got ready for the beach. Unfortunately, the bikini photo shoot didn't go too well. As it turns out, Kenzie just prefers to be naked for now. :) But thanks to Grandma Summers, she can be outfit-ready for the sand and waves anytime!



Fast-forward to this weekend: Kenzie was a real champ at the vet's office again, where she got a round of shots and had her nails clipped. We also discovered that at 12 weeks, she is only 1 once shy of 6 lbs. — big girl! You can see the difference in her picture with the brown puppy. She is always good at posing, but the part you don't see is afterward ... when she cautiously looks all the way to her right and decides to tackle the stuffed dog.


Lucky for Kenzie, she got to meet her first "real" dog this weekend (aside from the puppies she was with several weeks ago, of course). Gidget the poodle came over for a visit and they wore each other out! Being so refined, Gidget couldn't quite bring herself to look at Kenzie most of the time, but they ran around like crazy — mostly Kenzie chasing Gidget, and then later, Gidget giving Kenzie a good lesson on how to fetch "turtle."


Some things that Kenzie loves: stealing Mommy's shoes and taking them out to the grass, one of her favorite spots; sleeping on the floor when it's hot; deciding what she's going to order next from the West Elm catalog (it's definitely her style, she said); and gazing off into the distance for a glamour shot.

Warm Weather Woes

It was a stifling hot weekend, and Mackenzie certainly noticed our lack of central A/C! She weathered the heat by spending time outside in the grass and, on Sunday when it was really, really warm, taking cover in the "shade" under the couch, which she barely fits under!


I can't resist taking pictures of her napping, just like a little baby. :)

This past Monday, I took Mackenzie to the vet for a check-up. She was so calm, and even took a nap in the waiting room, inside the tote bag I brought her in. The rest of the time she enjoyed popping her head out to see the world!


Kenzie weighed in at 3.8 lbs. at 9 weeks (tiny little thing for a puggle), and she's now on a couple of medications to get rid of some parasites ... poor thing. After we got home, of course, she was exhausted from the outing and indulged in a long nap.


Don't be mislead by all these sweet sleeping pictures, though. Kenzie likes to be up and about, having lots of fun (and occasionally causing trouble)! She romps all over the place, and every day when Ryan and I get home from work, she's super hyper and rambunctious ... for hours! But I don't blame her; after all, she's a puppy and she spends most of the day in our bathroom.


"Mommy, I know I'm not supposed to be chewing on this wire."


"Daddy, aren't you glad I'm helping you pay bills?"


Kenzie's first bath (she was so worn out afterward):


"Get me out of here!"

Mackenzie loves finding good places to sleep:


And already found her favorite spot in our bed:


Mommy sure loves Kenzie...

"I've been sliding all over this wood floor," Kenzie says. "I'm just going to sit down."

Kenzie's first full day at home has been pretty eventful. She even received her very first visitors - Matt and Ginny! She can't wait to meet their white poodle, Gidget.














When Kenzie came into our bedroom last night, she noticed her reflection in the mirror and rammed right into it. (oops!) Now, she likes to play with the other puppy in the mirror. And she's pretty impressed that that puppy has all the same toys that she does.


Little Kenzie has been really good about going to the bathroom on the grass today. She goes almost every time we take her out, and even walked to the door once on her own. (Good girl!)


But don't be fooled by the lush, green grass (not typical of L.A.). We found out that puppies aren't supposed to go "out in public" until they have had their last set of shots at 16 weeks. So my resourceful husband called up a company that sells artificial grass, and our balcony is now outfitted with a 3.5" x 3.5" piece just perfect for puppy. She likes playing around in it, too, and I don't think she has any idea it's not the real thing.


All that playing wore her out:


Here's Kenzie's photo companion. We'll take more pictures with him in the coming months, so we can mark how much she grows. Her tilted head is a result of telling her to "Smile!"

Kenzie Comes Home

In the course of a 16-hour trip yesterday, Ryan and I became puppy parents! We are so delighted with Mackenzie, the newest addition to our family — and the first in more than four years of marriage. Our trip up north took us to the home of a puggle photographer extraordinaire, where we came face to face with an extra-small puggle whose picture online we'd fallen in love with about two weeks ago. She looks like a model in her professional portraits, taken just three days ago, and we love that she is so alert and playful.













Kenzie was a real trooper on the 7 1/2-hour ride home. As a result of being in such close quarters, in her bed on either of our laps for pretty much the entire time, she is already completely comfortable with us — and loves to cuddle, too. We went through six or seven puppy pads, at least — and in only two "rounds" of going potty!

She slept much of the time ...


and played ...


and slept some more ...


and looked out the window ...


She snoozed in my arms for a full hour at one point, showing off her cute paws and big puppy belly! Surprisingly, though, she's pretty selective about her food so far and doesn't eat it all at once. Just a kibble or two at a time.