We Have a Toddler in the House!

We have a toddler in the house again and it just reminds me that it takes a lot of energy to constantly monitor the movement of an active munchkin. Fortunately, we are not yet grandparents in the official sense. We can wait a long time for that one. This toddler is in the form of a six-month old puppy that normally lives in the apartment of child Number 1, and came to visit for the holidays.

Yes, for two weeks we have had four kids and four dogs in the house. The children of the human kind, now teen to young adults, like to sleep late. The four-legged creatures, at least three of them, have adjusted to the ways of the family -- lazily sleeping on or by our beds, and either waiting for us parents to wake or barking loudly enough to get our attention. The puppy, however, is under control of a small bladder, curious nature and a lot of high energy.

Puppies are cute, of course, and this one is no exception. The nearly 10 pound Pomeranian-Chihuahua mix fits the bill of an adorable lap dog, yet his tolerance for a lap is about one minute until the next distraction perks his ears, sense of smell or crosses his line of sight. Just when we want to settle in to watch a movie or play a game, he decides it is playtime, needs to go to the bathroom or already went to the bathroom, inside instead of outside the house.

While this is normal puppy behavior, we are spoiled. Our other three dogs have blended with our ways over the years (and with some good training by my husband). The 12-year old Labradoodle is a fairly low maintenance gal. The 8-year old Cockapoo is a pretty chill when we sit on the couch. The 5-year old Bichonpoo has her moments of energy, but is now nestled between my leg and the recliner chair I sit in as I type this.

The puppy, on the other hand, is looking for trouble. It is like he says, “hmmm, I want to play, so what can I do to get these other dogs all riled up?” At this point, we have potty-patrol gates up on the first floor to contain house accidents; it does, however, disrupt the visual flow of my house. On top of that we can’t leave the puppy alone. Silence is a sign of potential trouble and while the puppy playpen is a good temporary fix, we also need to help him learn the ways of the pack.

It is a small sacrifice for the joy of having all of the kids home under one roof, right? Just remind me of that one tomorrow. At this point, I need to stop typing because he has fallen asleep and I really don’t want to wake him up. I am enjoying a minute of peace and quiet.

From our ZagZig Family to yours, we certainly hope the holidays have been filled with happiness, joy, and moments of peace among the chaos.