WARNING: This post is VERY lengthy. That being said, I'm not forcing any of you to actually read it.
Okay so here’s the whole dog story. I feel that I have to somewhat defend myself because I know that people are going to assume that I’m the reason we don’t have a dog right now. And I suppose I am, indirectly.
Ben called me on Friday and told me that he had decided to get a labradoodle puppy. He had been trying for a couple of weeks to decide between getting a labradoodle puppy immediately or getting a cockapoo puppy after Christmas. I had told him that he would have to make the decision on his own since I did not really even want a dog in the first place. So when Ben called to say he was going to get the puppy that day I’ll admit it made me a little nervous. It seemed like this dog thing that he’d been talking about for months was going to become reality very soon and I was still not sure how having a puppy was going to fit into my already chaotic life. But I had decided at some point that if a dog was going to make Ben happy then I had better just make the most of it. After all, I love my husband and I wasn’t going to let a dog put a damper on our marriage. Besides that, I would have Ben home for the weekend to help me get used to it. So decided to welcome the puppy with open arms.
When Ben arrived that night with Bear, the kids were instantly in love. And I have to admit, he was pretty cute and I felt myself immediately warming up to him. He seemed to like me too so that made him even easier to love. I was surprised by how easy it was to love a puppy almost like it was another one of my children and I thought maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as I had thought.
That night Bear did great and slept through the night (I think—heavy sleeper). We did have to be very vigilant about watching him when he wasn’t in his kennel so that he didn’t do his thing on the carpet. I’ll admit I let the bulk of this responsibility lie on Ben’s shoulders. I was busy with my normal Saturday morning chore of cleaning the bathrooms. After that, Ben left for awhile to go get some things at PetSmart and I thought I did pretty well with Bear all by myself. Of course, he was in his kennel for most of the time which was okay with me because I was trying to get some sugar cookies baked. The kids were dying to get him out though so we eventually got him out and gave him lunch. I even took him outside to go to the bathroom and to run around with the kids for awhile. It was very cute seeing my kids and their friends laughing and running with a sweet little puppy chasing them. The rest of that day was pretty uneventful. It consisted of alternating between taking the dog out to play for awhile, feeding him, taking him outside and giving him rest periods in his kennel. And of course, whenever he was walking around the house we were watching him like a hawk for any signs of having to go to the bathroom. Needless to say, it was a lot of work, but I don’t remember saying too many negative things about it and I was realizing that some things about having a dog were actually fun.
That night, Ben took Rachel and Brigham upstairs to bed and I took Emma and Eliza downstairs. I then began my nightly ritual of trying to get as much done as I can while the kids are sleeping. Ben never came back from upstairs and after awhile I went to check on him and found him fast asleep in Rachel’s bed. He was obviously exhausted after the busy weekend and so I left him there to finish my work. I could hear Bear whimpering in his kennel downstairs so I went down and got him out. “Maybe I could be a dog person” I thought as he snuggled beside me while I folded laundry in front of the TV. Although a couple of times during the weekend I remember Bear looking at me with those pathetic black eyes wanting me to play and thinking “great, one more person who I’m going to feel guilty about neglecting when I can’t give them the attention they need.” Ben was totally dead to the world so I eventually took Bear to the bathroom and then put him in his kennel for the night. I went to bed and didn’t wake up until morning.
Anyway, to wrap up this LONG story Ben was up with the dog in the night and mentioned to Eliza that maybe we would take the dog back. I didn’t think he was serious when Ellie mentioned it to me until he actually told me that he had called the breeder and she had agreed to take him back and try to sell him to someone else. Well, let’s just say that this one act invoked more anger in me towards my husband than I think I have ever felt in our eight years of marriage. Number 1, I had not wanted a dog in the first place and had told Ben over and over again that it would just complicate our already busy lives. Number 2, he had spent quite a hefty sum of money on this dog. Number 3, I knew that even in the short time we had had Bear, we had all become attatched and that taking him back would be difficult. Number 4, looking at Bear lying innocently in the next room I felt totally guilty by the fact that I knew I would be somewhat relieved if Ben were to take him back. Well, I spent the next few hours giving Ben the silent treatment because I knew that if the words began to flow at that point they would start with something like “What on earth were you thinking!?” and I didn’t want to say anything that I would regret later.
In Ben’s defense, I will say that he really had me in mind when he made his decision to return Bear. There is also a tiny little detail of this story that I am leaving out at this time, but one that Ben was very aware of before he ever brought the dog home.
So that’s the complete saga of how we had a dog for a very short time. If it makes Ben feel any better, one thing may have been gained by this experience. I actually think that someday maybe we will have another dog when the circumstances are right. And that’s really saying something.
Here's the girls in their new pajamas on Christmas Eve. This is not one of our normal Christmas traditions, but I started them last winter and thought now would be the perfect time to actually finish them. It did make for lots of cute pictures so maybe we should start doing it every year.
Christmas morning finally arrived. I had been struck by the dreaded stomach flu a couple of days before Christmas, but woke up on Christmas morning feeling miraculously healed. So I was able to enjoy the excitement of my sweet children as they woke up anxious to see what Santa had left for them. Of course, Emma and Eliza were up quite early, but we had told them that they were not allowed to wake us until 7:00. Actually, they had to wait until 7:30 when my parents, grandmother, brother and sister arrived. They came to our house because I think my dad's missing the old days when he had lots of little kids around to make Christmas morning exciting. It was fun. We watched the kids open all their presents and then had a big breakfast.
Here's what Santa brought:
This is what Ben gave me for Christmas. I even actually used it this morning while I worked out. My sister is so proud that I'm actually becoming so technologically savy (okay, that might be pushing it). I can't say I gave him anything exciting. Most of the gifts I had for him had been puppy related and had to be taken back.
Later, we went over to my parent's house to play on their new Wii. Here's the fam bowling:
