Round Here Lately…
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The biggest news we have deserves its very own space on this weekly post…
We added another little soul to our family…
…and he is all black, with floppy ears, and was quite possibly the best Valentines Day present we’ve had in a long time.
Nick and I have been talking about getting a dog (specifically for Ayla) for years…and planned on making the leap when Ayla turned 5.
Well, that snuck up on us hella fast. Here we are, just a couple of weeks away, from our baby girl turning five years old.
On Valentines Day, we had the gift of a couple of hours to go out and have a day date. Our choice of time spent was heading to the local animal shelter to poke around and see if we felt any connection with the dogs there.
There was no plan on getting a dog that day. And let me also be clear…there was NO intention of getting a puppy.
As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure I told my email list that I was planning on getting anything but a puppy. No puppies, for the love of God, we are already trying to get one child to go potty where he needs to.
But, as all the best shelter dog stories go, our little guy chose us… and then after seeing his name “Noel”, it sealed the deal.
Can I tell you a story?
When Nick and I were anxiously awaiting the birth of our third baby, we had two sweet names picked out. This was the first and only child we were pregnant for that we chose not to know the sex of the baby. I had my girl and I had my boy, therefore I had all the girl/boy things. We’re good.
The two names we had picked out was “Dane” if he was a boy, and “Noelle” if she was a girl (Christmas baby).
So, after this puppy had already stolen my heart and had worn through all my puppy resistence…seeing the name “Noel” above his kennel felt like a little nudge and playful shove…
…this is your dog.
So, on the day that we were only planning on going to poke around, we left with a 3-month-old black lab mix in our arms and headed off to Pet Smart.
What on earth were we actually thinking… something I prayed hard into Nick’s shoulder that night as he barked for 5 painful minutes straight in his kennel at the foot of our bed.
What on earth were we actually thinking…
But 5 minutes later, all went quiet, and the sweet boy slept all through the night.
Roadtrips + Puppies…
While we were getting all set up to take him home, we asked the women helping us out at the shelter whether it would be too much for us to drive 5 hours north with him. We had plans to visit my parents and I thought it would be too much to ask for this little guy who was completely new to our family.
But this little dream boat puppy slept the entire ride, nestled on his bed behind the front passenger seat. He’s one of us now.
Potty-training Party
This weekend, with a snowstorm consuming our entire Friday, we took the opportunity to bite the bullet and potty train both Beau (that’s our new pup) and Dane all in one fell swoop.
Crazy? Maybe… or is it genius?
So far, it’s proving to be genius. Dane is finding some satisfaction in competing with his youngest brother on who can pee in the proper place most often…
I honestly think by the time we leave here Monday we will have two (mostly) potty trained little dudes…and I’m elated about it.
UPDATE: after the weekend has ended, I can only say that…we’re not quite there. There was a whole lot of pee puddles and dog poop that was cleaned up this weekend. Day 1 was amazing. Day 2, Dane and Beau were obviously in cohorts and decided to go on strike. Day 3 things were majorly looking up with Dane and at moments, with Beau too. So at this point, I’ll just say we’re still working on it. But I think we’re moving in a good direction!
How has your week been?
