by Patti
I went missing again, didn't I?
It's amazing how life can just suck you in and swallow you up whole.
And I only have one kid!
Well, make that two.
No, I didn't suddenly become pregnant and gestate and give birth to a child in some warpy time-lapsed way over the past week. Instead, I became mother to this:
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| Could you just DIE? |
We have been waiting for 2 months for this little alien-like creature to come home to us. We actually met him the first day of 2012, but the idea of him was planted in our hearts before Christmas. And now, as if wishes really do come true, he's here, and his name is Gaucho.
Last Saturday, S and I hit the road and drove 5 hours to a tiny town in Southern Illinois to pick up Gaucho. M couldn't come with us - he had to work. But he texted me the whole way, sending me messages as if he truly believed I was driving for the very first time in my whole, entire life, and that just maybe I was actually also blind while doing so. First, uh, texting me when you know I am driving to stalk me into being safe? How is that safe? Secondly, I have been driving for thousands of years, and drove for that many before I ever even met the man, yet, he somehow has it in his head that I took my very first breath when I met him.
ANYWAY.
We made it just fine, thank you very much for your concern my dear husband, and I will never forget that trembly, nervous, sweaty feeling I got as we got closer and closer to Gaucho. One would think I was about to go pick up a real, live baby, not a furry one. S was no better. She was a mess in the backseat, trying to sing along to Michael Jackson but unable to hold a note for more than two seconds because she kept breaking out into nervous giggles. "I can't believe this is really happening!" she kept announcing to nobody in particular, in awe that her dream was coming true.
We spent two hours with all of the puppies, bid farewell to the wonderful woman who had cared for Gaucho since he was born, and tore our puppy away from all that he had ever known. My heart broke for him; we were taking him away from his brother and sister, his parents, his aunts and uncles, his home. But I also knew he was going to a new home that would give him all the love he could ever hope for, and then some.
He's been with us four days now, and already we can't imagine our lives without him. He's sweet, smart, playful, mellow, does all his "business" outside (at only 8 week old!) .... and, oh yeah, cries like a newborn at night. This is where the hard part comes in. I didn't sleep at. all. the first two nights, and I felt like I was starting all over again with a newborn. He just didn't want to be alone, and considering we ripped him away from all he'd ever known, I understood. So I slept with him tucked into my chest those first two nights, and took him out every hour or two to help him understand that he needed to go out. On the third night, bleary-eyed and nauseous from exhaustion, we decided it was time to let him "cry it out". In other words, we were going to FURberize the little furball. And sure enough, he yelped and yowled and squeaked and barked... and then he realized that his crate, which he LOVES during the day, and willingly runs in there throughout the day to partake in deep snoozes, was actually just as cool at night. And so he finally fell asleep, and when we woke in the morning, his little overnight pee pad had been put to good use, and he was still adorable and awesome and un-scarred.
So yeah, that's kind of where I've been. Falling in love is very time consuming, you know, and watching S and her little motherly instincts come into full bloom is something bewitching to behold. But I'm back, and be fully prepared to be completely annoyed by me, as I am afraid I have become one of "those dog people".
But if you had this face nuzzed into yours, wouldn't you, too?
