Puppy Life

Well, it's officially been a week since we've had Teddy. Some how it feels longer! Ha! The girls learned quickly that puppies are a lot of work, but I am proud of them for putting in the time and effort. Anna continues to get up with him at 2am to let him out to pee. He only needs that one trip at night and has done very well in his crate over night. Some times he'll nap in it, but he certainly does NOT like to be left in it.

After the first few days of several accidents around the house, we quickly reassessed our plan and decided to gate him off in a puppy area between the girls' bedroom doors. They have a small hallway and his crate fits well there. We've been letting him out frequently and spend lots of time playing in the yard. This has really dropped the accidents down to 0-1 a day. We're also learning his signs of needing to go and that's helping.

He's an active little guy when he's awake. Some times he can get really stirred up which makes him a bit crazy. He's figured out that Paige is a fellow puppy...sorry Paige. Anna has already taught him how to sit and we are currently working on getting him used to clippers, scissors and a brush through exposure every day.

Teddy seems to be brave and playful. He wasn't afraid to meet CC and was even a little rough with her. We'll have lots of good training time with the two of them when we watch CC next week. He's also very affectionate and loves to be around his people. I'm hoping he's not too clingy and will be ok being alone too.

He had a good vet visit last week and will go again next week for some more shots. He'll need some grooming soon too. I'm excited about being able to take him on walks next week after he gets his vaccinations. This puppy needs to do some walking!

Teddy also met Patrick's parents who came in for a visit over the weekend. We enjoyed some low key time with them and did lots of walking as well as hanging out in the yard. So that's the dog life at our house. I keep reminding myself that these first few weeks are tough, but they get better. If we raised two babies, we can raise a puppy!

Welcome home Teddy!

We had the joy of picking up our newest family member yesterday in Charlotte. Welcome home, Teddy! The girls were beyond excited in the car, saying things like:

This is the longest car ride in my life!

Ten more minutes! 

I can't wait to squeeze him!

This is the happiest day of my life!

Best. Car. Ride. Ever!

We got there early and had to wait for a bit, but I managed to snag some Dunkin Donuts and that helped. Our puppy transport agreed to meet at a really sketchy trucker gas station, so that was amusing. But funny enough, another family was there to get their puppy too. Before all this, I had no idea this was even a thing!

Finally they arrived and I scooped him up to bring him to the girls waiting in the car. He was so friendly and did a great job pottying before we headed for our house, another hour away. Poor thing had been driving for 16 hours by the time we got home! No wonder he was up for a while when we got back home. 

The girls adore him and he's so sociable and brave. He hops like a little bunny which is hilarious. We've had a couple of accidents inside, but so far he's doing great going outdoors. The girls have been good to take him out frequently. They are taking their responsibilities very seriously, although both have commented that puppies are a lot of work. You don't say!

Teddy is definitely not crate trained and whines like crazy when he first gets in, but we're already seeing progress and he only whined for 10 minutes before settling last night. We took him out at 11pm to potty, but had nothing. Then Anna got up at 2am to take him out and he definitely went. He settled back down easily, but was up again at 3. I think that was a toy thing and not a potty thing, but Anna took him out again. I was up at 5:15 with a very playful puppy. But I can handle the early morning as I am usually stirring by then. We're starting to get a feel for his schedule and will visit the vet this afternoon.

So all in all, we're doing pretty well. We sure do love him and he's making things pretty exciting around here. 

Lake Fun

Last week we were able to get together for our annual summer fun at the lake with my family. My brother is currently living with my parents due to coronavirus layoffs so his commute wasn't long. My sister drove up from FL with her friend, Ashley and her girls. They stayed over night and joined us for a hike the next morning before driving on to see family. I'm so grateful she has these people in her life right now and all the girls got along great.

The first day Aaron took us to Lee Falls which was a beautiful 4 mile hike round trip. We crossed over the creek several times and passed through a few open fields before climbing up to the falls. It was a great trail and beautiful day with temps in the 70s.

The rest of our time there we did boating stuff, fishing, swimming, hanging out, cribbage, lots of eating!, puzzling and reading. The girls got to see Grampy's Rotary garden where he is in charge of the tomato patch and the produce goes to a local food pantry. Of course, they also hunkered down in the bunk room for lots of giggling and play time.

Anna taking Aunt Rachael for a jog

My brother won Uncle of the Year Award for sure. He managed to surprise the girls with a water balloon attack and treated them to a fun movie night in his room over the garage. It was complete with candy, popcorn and a huge couch to snuggle on. He also begrudgingly went riding on the tube with the older two before throwing up over the side. Ha! And I have to say his low country boil was legit.

While we were there, Patrick had to finish up some work on the Task Force. He was busy reading comments from the public on Thursday and implementing changes to the recommendations. Then on Friday, he had the last state-wide meeting. I was so proud of his closing statements where he essentially called out the entire state to do the things we need to do now in order to open schools up later as well as fully fund public education. It was a little sermon-esk and received the praise of many around the state. I was glad for him to be able to finish this work and finally enjoy some down time.

Our lake time was the perfect distraction while we excitedly awaited for the arrival of Teddy today! More on that later.