1. I hate exercise. I know I say I enjoy it, but after my last walk with Janni, and my overwhelming desire to turn back, I admit now that I don't. I spent the whole entire 30 minute walk singing to the tune of Finding Nemo's "Just Keep Walking, Just keep walking, Just keep walking, walking, walking..."
2. If I could mentally handle it, I'd skip the whole getting ready for bed thing. I hate it. I like being clean and knowing I'm not taking any daily dirt or bad breath to bed with me, but let's face it... By the end of the day, I don't feel like brushing my teeth, combing my hair, or washing my feet/face. I'm just ready to collapsed into bed and call it a night.
3. I am not a pet person. Oh, I love animals! But I don't like owning one. I don't like them living in my home, leaving their fur behind, training them, or taking care of them. I love our dog, Frodo but it took some time to warm up to the idea that I would be being responsible for his care and upbringing for the next 10-15 years.
This is the story of bringing him home!
The cuteness of a puppy enamored everybody’s heart, even before the sweet moment when we threw out the voice of reason and Zack said we could get the very last puppy being sold in front of a local grocery store. No hesitation. No regret. Zack seemed thrilled to be able to give me such a sweet gift (it’d been a tough week). Even Janni squealed with delight as soon as Zack showed the puppy to her. She grabbed him by the back of the neck and shook him side to side as the puppy yelped and hollered. After a stern correction, Janni slowly learned that puppies are not animated stuffed animals! We named him Frodo
Good ol’ Albert Einstein (and God Himself) could have been heard laughing at me that first night when I had to get up with Janni twice and the puppy THREE times. That night, Einstein’s quote was caught staring me in the eyes, “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” Clearly, I had done a stupid thing. I had gotten a puppy, which resulted in Emily, mommy of TWO!!! I lay in bed that night with a snoring husband. I didn’t know whether to be more upset that Zack was snoring or that Zack let me get a puppy. The third round of puppy cries, I seriously considered putting him out in our then not fenced backyard and letting whoever found him keep him.
But this family doesn’t give up on difficult situations. So the puppy stayed.
If there are two things I know about puppies, it is that they are stinky and they like stinky things … For some time, Frodo quickly became my dirty diaper radar; equipped with a magnetic nose that became stuck to Janni’s diaper when filled with smelly content. When Frodo was seen following Janni’s diaper with his nose, we knew that it was time for a change. That was helpful but has since ceased. He also still likes trashcans, bathrooms, and any and all food that Janni decides should be thrown on the floor. He is also deadset on stealing Janni’s caterpillar stuffed animal and relentlessly snatches Janni’s no longer used pacifiers.
One night, a week or so after we got Frodo, as the puppy wimpered from his kennel (before you judge, at the time, he still treated the ENTIRE house like it was his bathroom), I confessed to Zack that getting him was a horrible mistake. “Why did you let me get a puppy, Zack?” Zack spent part of the conversation chuckling and the other part admitting the with such a young baby (Janni was all of 8 months old at the time), it was the wrong season to get a puppy. Another conversation, another conclusion: the puppy stays.
Slowly (and by that, I mean sssslllooowwwlllyyy), Frodo began to mark a place in my heart. His peepees on the carpet still made me cringe, his poopies on the carpet still made me scream, and when Janni got a hold of one of his turds, I cried (you better believe I had poison control on the phone in about .0378 seconds). But his silliness, lightheartedness, energy, and the joy he gave my Janni made all the hard feelings slowly melt away.
He started to become a little less dependent and I started to become a little more patient with him.
So, here’s to our family dog, Frodo … stealer of pacifiers, smeller of Janni’s behind, eater of sand, barker at the neighbors (we’re still working on this), and snuggler of our hearts!
And why do I write this you ask? Because yesterday was Frodo's first birthday!
Happy Birthday, You Crazy Animal!
Frodo, we're so glad you're home!
So sweet. I haven't been into the idea of an animal either, but my girls would LOVE having one.
ReplyDeletePets are much more work than I realized growing up. Kudos to my Mom who made it look like a breeze!
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