A Crazy Kind of Wonderful

I’m exhausted. And in love.

We brought Lucy home on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and the first two days were challenging, but happy ones. Nick and I shared responsibilities and split our attention between our two kids. Nick slept downstairs with Lucy — sometimes on the floor with one hand inside her crate. And he took her outside every time he caught her sniffing and pacing, or at the top of every hour — whichever came first. We sat on the floor together and watched Sam and Lucy play tug-of-war and chase each other around the living room. It was entertaining, and it was manageable.

Then, on Tuesday, Nick returned to work. And school. And left me alone with the wild ones.

I thought solo-parenting Sam was hard. How about a Sam who now climbs onto every surface within reach; sticks his hands in the toilet; dumps every block and every toy out of its bin; and screams at the top of his lungs if he doesn’t get his way. Then add Lucy to the equation. A Lucy who chews on cabinet corners and the legs of our kitchen table; picks up her water bowl with her teeth and dumps its contents onto the floor; uses our living room rug as her personal toilet; and escapes every barrier we build.

Sam and Lucy and I (barely) survived three days on our own. The house is still standing, and I consider that an accomplishment. Sam may have attempted to drink from Lucy’s water bowl, and Lucy may have eaten Sam’s puffs after he dumped them on the floor. I may have chased Lucy around the yard after she squeezed through the fence — in my socks with Sam on my hip, and I may have had to call for reinforcement when Lucy pooped in her crate — and proceeded to run through it.

But for every moment I wondered “what were we thinking?” there was a moment like this.

And this.

Toddler squeals. Deep puppy sighs. Belly rubs for both as they lay side-by-side on the floor. The way Sam giggles when Lucy licks his face. How he claps his hands and wants her to chase him, and how he collects her toys and piles them in her crate. How she slides across the kitchen floor when fetching her ball and lays on my feet when I’m cooking dinner. Just when I’m thisclose to losing my patience, I’m smothered in wet puppy kisses and toddler bear hugs.

It’s a crazy kind of wonderful.

8 thoughts on “A Crazy Kind of Wonderful

  1. I think you made the right move bringing a puppy into your home while Sam is toddler. We had our dog for almost 3 years when Levi was born, and Briscoe had a hard time adjusting. It’s obvious that he’s jealous of the attention Levi gets, plus Levi pissed him off one too many times by unintentionally pulling his fur. The dog is starting to warm up to Levi because Levi drops a ton of food on the floor during every meal, but it’s still heartbreaking for me that they aren’t buddies…yet.

  2. Aw, I love this post! Lucy is positively adorable! I couldn’t imagine having a toddler and a puppy, I give you credit! When Einstein was a little furry Golden puppy, there were days I would cry because I hated him and loved him so much all at the same time. It’s seriously agonizing and tries your patience, but the rewards are oh so worth it. Lucy and Sam are going to grow up to be best friends… enjoy watching their relationship grow 🙂

  3. Aw, SOOO adorable. LOVE the chase video. Almost makes me want to get another puppy. Harper (GSD) was 1.5 when Robby was born, and they do really well together! I mean, she wasn’t “old”, but she was established in the house, so I think, in part, it’s dog dependent. Our biggest issue is that she’s overly protective of him, and not too nice to other dogs if he’s around. But…think that’s more likely with a GSD than a golden. And we definitely have a coffee table that doesn’t have a corner from her puppy chewing days!

  4. Those videos are absolutely heart warming!! But I can definitely see how these two wiped you out! Lucy will get infinitely easier in the months to come, and they will be best friends for the rest of her life. When baby O’D arrives, Sadie will be almost 4. On the one hand, she’s much more mellow than in years past and is just great with kids. On the other hand, she is the princess of the house, and expects a lot from us. I already feel sad about her impending demotion.

  5. Hello! Found you all through http://katelynbrookeblog.com/ and am very glad I did 🙂

    I adopted a black lab in July – he’s now 20 months old and even when he’s a nightmare I’m crazy about him. My fiancé, who loves Charlie too but is slightly less of a dog person, was surprised when I told him that we’d have to factor Charlie and his evolving maturity (well, in theory… ha!) into our “when do we start a family?” conversations. So I’ll be following your adventures closely!

  6. These videos are awesome! We have a 3.5 year old terrier and a 10 month old daughter, and I am impressed with all you’re undertaking. There are still days that our dog is more work than our daughter! The puppy stage is exhausting, but those sweet kisses are limited (they get a LOT smellier :).

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