Puppy love.

So Hudson, our 80 pound chocolate lab/doberman mix, loves the new house. He quickly got over the lack of doggie door (we had one at the old house, and I highly recommend their installation to anyone with a puppy under the age of 3, it was a lifesaver) and seems pretty well-adjusted to life in Clawson. I guess not much has changed for him. He still lays around all day. He still goes for runs with Eric in the evenings. Owen still tortures him by trying to order him around and/or "love" him.

But one thing that has changed for Hudson, which he seems pretty enamored with, is all the SUNLIGHT that pours into the new house. It struck me as so funny to see this giant, black dog basking on the sun all day long, that I started snapping pictures of him right after we moved in. Every morning when I wake up, Hudson can be found here, in the dining room, with its nice east-facing windows:

He's starting to get annoyed with all my photo-taking, I think. Look at that FACE.

As the day moves on, he will move from room to room throughout the house, trying to find the best sun. We think he may be part cat. Or at least he thinks he's a cat.

By mid-morning the sun starts to come through the high windows in the living room:

He also figured out that in the afternoon, the sun shines lazily into Owen's bedroom, a place not often ventured by Hudson unless he's following Eric or I in there. But this dog will go anywhere for those warm rays:

And, because he's a big stupid puppy (we say that in a totally endearing way), he will lay outside, in the 90-degree heat, right next to the garage, on the hot concrete driveway - probably the hottest place in the whole backyard:

And he has the nerve to act all indignant toward me when I call him to come in, panting so hard he can barely move, sweat dripping out of his big dumb mouth all over my floor.

But Hudson has truly been a great bed rest companion. He's made my days here at home seem much less lonely, even if he's not the most entertaining guy, what with all the laying around and doing nothing all day. He always lets me know when the mail has arrived (when anyone has arrived), and he is full of unconditional love and kisses. So that's nice.

He has also grown increasingly protective of me in the last few months. Not in a: "I'll bite anyone who comes near you" kind of way (since I don't think he even understands the concept of biting people) but in a: "I just want to make sure you're okay and guard you at all times" kind of way. He follows me from room to room, happily laying down next to me wherever I settle myself (including outside the bathroom door when I shut it in his sweet puppy face - he doesn't need to follow me everywhere). And today, as I embark on a weekend without my boys (Eric is running the Great Lakes Relay and Owen is spending the weekend split between two sets of grandparents), I am thankful for his big "puppy head" and all the love and laughter he has brought to us in his 5 years. He's a good chicken, indeed.

A parting note of our favorite nicknames for Hudson:

Stinky Chicken

Hudson Hudson Stinky Pants

The Stupid

Puppy Head

Hudson Bear

Photon Absorber

80 Pounds of Fury

Lover Puppy

More soon on tomorrow's 2-week check-in with my maternal/fetal specialist!