At the end of the day ...

Sam and Hope

I didn't know if adding another dog to the household at this time was a really good idea. There were a lot of reasons not to and they were valid and with lots of merit. But, I am the queen of being able to justify my decisions ... all of them ... right or wrong ... good or bad.

Hope was and continues to be, a good decision. A good decision with lots of interesting consequences. Losing sleep, not such a big one ... she's getting better at sleeping through the night and does most nights. Barking ... well, that's just going to have to be something we'll be working on for awhile longer. Getting into and chewing things, not such a big deal. The thing one forgets, and all new parents of a human infant can identify with, is that once there is a baby in the house, all life as you know it is changed in every way.  Jumping into the car and running errands, or going to the gym or out to lunch with friends become daily events that become not daily events. They become huge events that are looked forward to like vacations. Unless where you want to go is pet friendly, you pretty much don't go .. for right now.  For several months because, puppy is a baby.

I really wanted Sam to have another companion since he's been an only child for ten months and had never been one in his life.  He wasn't quite sure about her for a couple of weeks, but now, he loves being a big brother ... nipped at legs and tail and all.

Every day I find new ways to love this ball of fluff ... every day I have Hope!