Charlie Update

So how has our adjustment to becoming a 2 dog family been?

Great! Charlie just reached six months old, and we have been having a blast.

At first it was weird, because we didn't know his personality very well. It reminded me of when I brought my babies home from the hospital and it took me a while to to figure out what made them tick. I just spent day after day snuggling Charlie on my lap in the kitchen, hoping the close contact would help him feel at home.

And I wasn't sure how to read his adorably grumpy face. I mean look at this picture with two of his siblings.

Ha Ha! 100% grumpy; 100% adorable!

Potty training went smoothly (a big thank you to those of you who told me to quit using the pee pads!), and he is learning his boundaries in the house and yard. He stays in a crate in the kitchen if I have to go out for a few hours, and because of his great love of food, it is EASY to get him to go in it.

He sleeps either in Margaret's bed at night or on a dog bed with Shadow in our bedroom. I think Shadow helped Charlie adjust in every way, so there was never a night of lonesome crying-- just a big fur snugglefest.

Bathroom privacy is non-existent now, and I'm getting used to stepping over the two of them spooning on the bathmat each time I get out of the shower.  Charlie is very playful, and initiates a lot of tug-of-war with Shadow when she will oblige. He also sits on her head and tugs on her neck, inviting her to play. If she won't play, he just chases his own tail.

They also like to run after tennis balls and bask in the sunshine.

Yesterday, Charlie got neutered, so we are tasked with keeping him fairly inactive for the next ten days. That's not going to be easy, but at least he's not one to ever turn down an opportunity to take it easy and sit on a lap.

I'm so glad there was room in our hearts (and on our laps!) for another dog.

Puppy News!

So if you follow me on Facebook, you have heard that we are getting a new addition to the family in a few weeks. 

Meet Charlie:

Charlie is a King Charles Spaniel, and our first puppy ever (all of our other dogs were adopted at at least a year), so any advice and encouragement is appreciated! Margaret picked the name "Charlie"-- get it King Charles? I'm hoping it's not too weird to give a puppy the same name as my Grandpa and my late uncle. Margaret says it's perfectly acceptable because it's spelled differently, so okay.

A King Charles puppy has been a life-long dream for Margaret, that started when she and Jack were given this beanie baby by our friend Barbara. Meet Regal:

Regal has been Margaret's lovey since birth. His wayward ear is from a very sad year in which he was missing. I scoured the internet to pay a premium for a new Regal, quickly spurned as "Fake Regal" by Margaret, despite my attempts to muss his hair and make him looked loved-on. Fortunately, Shadow found Regal lodged between a dresser and a wall at my in-laws house in CT, and mommy and dog were reunited. 

I even have two brand new "Regals" and "Fake Regal" tucked in a dresser in my bedroom, in hopes that I will have a chance to give them to any grandchildren we have (Please, God, Please!). I haven't told anyone that until just this second.

So I guess you would say we are mildly excited about Charlie coming into our family. It's funny, but I'm having a lot of the same feelings I had while awaiting Margaret's birth. I was so worried about how Jack would take the new addition! We had her "give" him a new train in the hospital to soften the blow. I'm wondering how to help Shadow not be traumatized by the puppy. 

Anyway, the countdown is on over here! It will be sometime in the next month. Please remind me how excited I am when I'm dealing with pee pads and puppy-ness, okay? Okay.