Riley Colbert Miller

Our pup is officially named Riley Colbert Miller. His middle name comes from Stephen Colbert's "The Colbert Report" (yes, I'm a geek). Riley is happy and adjusted well. He's a very mellow dog (although he has his moments) and will grow up to be a very patient dog. I've been extremely impressed with him so far and very proud of him. He still has accidents in the house, but they are averaging two a day with most of them our fault. We've got a routine down that requires us taking him out at 2am and 6am. Not too bad. Kevin does most of the hard work, since I'm stressing with school and the end of the semester.

We are adjusting well to parental life. There are three days a week where Riley has to be kept in his crate for 3-4 hours while we're at work or school. Kevin installed a webcam so we could watch him while away, but it only makes me worry more. I fret about every little moment he's awake and alone in his crate. Plus, I hardly get any work done because I'm always checking in on him.

He still gnaws on me but is getting better. He is still a bit of a mama's boy and won't leave me alone if I'm in the room with him. He has to be in my lap; if I'm sitting at my desk, he'll try to jump. He also pouts. If he's embarrassed or had his feelings hurt, he'll go into another room and just sit there until you call to him or go get him. What can I say--he's a true Miller!

He sleeps and sleeps! And while he sleeps he snores. He has the largest variety of snores I've ever heard; each day he comes up with a new one. He will definitely not ever be sleeping in our bed with us. One snorer is bad enough. It's fun watching him sleep in all his different positions and see how far he migrates from his original spot.

So, life is good with our 9-week old pup. We've only had him for a week, but it feels like months! I really miss being able to sleep in, but we're adjusting and are very happy to have him in our lives.

As for other news...the weather here is crazy. We've had snow for the past week and freezing temperatures. Luckily, Riley likes the snow, but I'm sick of it. I was really cursing the weather yesterday. I had stayed home in the morning with Riley but had to be at school by noon for a special lunch with Dr. Tom Wellems, director of the NIH malarial research team. I left the house at 11am and planned to catch the 11:17am bus which is a ten minute walk from our house. I got a block from our house when the snow turned to rain, which, you all know, is much worse to walk in than snow. I was already cold and frozen by the time I made it to the bus stop, 5 minutes before the bus came. Well, I waited and waited in the cold rain for the bus, but it never came. I was getting so cold and wet that I began to pray over and over that the next vehicle to come into view would be the bus. Well, at 11:37am I see the bus coming down the road and waved at the driver to stop. The driver looked at me and kept right on going. I stood in shock as I watched the bus drive down the road and out of sight. I was so cold and wet, that I was on the verge of tears. Not wanting to chance waiting for the next bus or walk the 30 minutes to campus, I slogged back home as fast as I could, took our extra car (with a low tire), sped to school, and chanced a parking ticket at Notre Dame. I was only a few minutes late, although I was soaked and really upset. My jeans were stuck to me, my coat completely soaked, my backpack with books and papers were wet, and my hair was sopping wet. Oh well. Amazingly, I was able to laugh about it once I was at school and had stood under the hand-dryers for a while.

Easter was good. We had the Behling's and Janetski's over for a nice ham dinner and just visited for hours. Riley was great and enjoyed all the noisy people around. Hope you all had a nice Easter and that things are going well!

Puppy - Days 1, 2, & 3

DAY 1:

He's finally here! And I'm exhausted! We got him home without any problems (except it was snowing and really cold outside); he slept on my lap most of the way home and even started snoring. When we got to the house though, he got really nervous and upset. He was upset that we took him away from his mom and brothers, and he wouldn't even look at us. We'd set him down and he'd go to the furthest corner of the room and just lay there. He really liked his crate because it was small and dark like the breeder's kennel. But he just wouldn't warm up to us, and I started to worry. He slept most of the time and cried only when he needed to go out.


DAY 2:

I had to go to school, so Kevin had puppy duty all day. The pup had an appointment with the vet and was the big hit of the office. He was well behaved and got a rope toy for being so good. He really started warming up to us and began crying for attention. He played all day but still had his mood swings when he'd be upset with us. They didn't last long. Mostly he just wanted to play.


DAY 3:

The pup's been playing all day and is doing great. We're at about 50% for house training. We're getting better at picking up on the signs, but there are times he just doesn't want to go outside. He's now accepted us completely and will come when we call him (most of the time). His favorite pastime is crawling on top of me and nipping at anything sticking out- toes, hair, knees, fingers, elbows, shirt sleeves, anything. It's hard stopping him from doing that bad behavior. It's also time we named him. We're thinking of naming him Riley Miller.

So, everything is going well with the Miller clan here. I'm really really tired, but Kevin is going strong. I'm no good at the sleep disruption. I hope I'm up to puppy duty by myself for the next couple of days. Hope everyone has a happy Easter! We'll be taking a dog to the bathroom the whole day, but will have a nice big dinner with friends on Sunday night. We'll keep you updated on puppy developments. For now its time to catch some shut eye.

Update 2

Today is the big day! We'll be picking up the puppy tonight around 6pm. I'm excited, but a bit freaked out. I'm swamped with school and lab work and already feel really stretched. Kevin's been a trooper and has a puppy webcam all set up so we can keep an eye on the little one while we're at work. There's still lots of stuff we need to finish, but ready-or-not, the pup is coming home today. We have most of the essentials (a crate, toys, and a pooper scooper- and Kevin keeps buying tons of doggy treats) and have a vet appointment set up for tomorrow. One major complication is the weather. After three weeks of gorgeous weather, it has decided to turn back to winter. It's supposed to snow for the next few days with highs in the mid 30's! Neither us nor the pup will want to be going outside every two hours. Anyways, we'll be keeping our blog updated on puppy developments. Meanwhile, enjoy these diary entries--

Excerpts from a dog's diary:

6:00am - At last! I Go Pee! My favorite thing!
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
6:00 pm - They're home! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!


Excerpts from a Cat's Diary

Day 983 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt
me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a
"good little hunter" I am. Imbeciles!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices
tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the
duration of the event. However, I could hear the
noises and smell the food. I overheard that my
confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I
must learn what this means, and how to use it to my
advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to
assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his
feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow
-- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies
and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is
regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to
return. He is obviously retarded. The bird has got to
be an informant. I observe him communicate with the
guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my
every move. My captors have arranged protective
custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe.
For now...

Deep Thought Of the Day:

Some people are like slinkies, they don't really serve a purpose, but they bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.