We are celebrating small victories. It’s the most basic things in our lives that
have come into full focus the last three weeks since we have brought home the new
baby. I forgot how the entire universe shifts a bit for that tiny little being. No, this time
it’s not a human baby.
This time it’s of the four legged variety. He came in a 12 pound, tail wagging, floppy eared, explosion of fluff, blond, clumsy body. He captured our hearts from the moment we laid eyes on him, but life as we knew it before that moment came to a screeching halt.
He is Buster. When he rolled out of his kennel the first day we met him he had the roundest balloon belly we could imagine, a playful excited greeting, and a snuggly disposition that we thought was just about the perfect combination for a family pet. So our decision really wasn’t a decision at all. We all agreed in that first instant we laid eyes on him, that he would be the perfect fit to fill the gaping hole in our family left from the passing of our dog Bucky last spring.
But I must say I completely forgot what it was like to baby proof the house. That sure didn’t take long to come rushing back though. I instantly remembered when the kids were first learning to move around the house, little accidents waiting to happen, every thing in their path, first deposited directly into their mouthes with lightening speed. I remember then too, like now, how inventive we all became in order to get anything done around here. All the small little daily tasks seemed monumental. Suddenly, just brushing your teeth, or taking a shower, or changing out of your bath robe was a tiny little victory. I remember thinking I would never again be able to accomplish a wardrobe change, complete with hair and make up all in one day. I also remember thinking surely I was the only one unable to function normally with this small new little person sucking away my attention.
But of course you learn to adapt. And we are once again doing just that with this new baby in the house. It seems many of those old coping skills are coming back to me in a pretty handy way. Just as I did with my boys when they were babies, I am forced to be inventive, see the world around me through new eyes. I’ve re-discovered how many incidental items around the house become make-shift entertainment gems when you really need to get the dishes done, or dinner made or laundry folded. I remember how the cabinet with all the pots and pans was gold when I needed just 15 or 20 minutes to myself, wooden spoons as mallets, pie tins as cymbals, pots as drums and joyful music as entertainment to sing our way through chores.
Today, I discovered an old Disney coffee mug and a plastic water bottle waiting for recycling, as the perfect toys for a puppy to chase about the kitchen for just enough time to accomplish cleaning up breakfast and loading the dishwasher. Mission accomplished.
Of course the babies wore diapers, and this one doesn’t, which presents it’s own set of challenges.
But in spite of the demands that now stretch the family to new limits, that send us racing about the house after this crazy bundle of energy, that test our patience, nerves, and will on a daily basis, the rewards, we all know, will be worth it in the end. They already are.
Just as I remember gazing at our peaceful sleeping bundles of joy all those years ago as babies, it’s pretty similar now, when Buster finally does surrender to the inevitable nap, huge paws limp, ears flipped and belly exposed. That familiar feeling of love mixed with exhausted pride and accomplishment come rushing back. The little daily victories, lost without a baby in the house to remind you how much you can do as a multi-tasker. Yep, he’s a keeper. But it’s nap time. Either I should be napping too, or I need to stop admiring his cuteness, and work at warp speed to get everything checked off the list today that needs to be checked.
This time it’s of the four legged variety. He came in a 12 pound, tail wagging, floppy eared, explosion of fluff, blond, clumsy body. He captured our hearts from the moment we laid eyes on him, but life as we knew it before that moment came to a screeching halt.
He is Buster. When he rolled out of his kennel the first day we met him he had the roundest balloon belly we could imagine, a playful excited greeting, and a snuggly disposition that we thought was just about the perfect combination for a family pet. So our decision really wasn’t a decision at all. We all agreed in that first instant we laid eyes on him, that he would be the perfect fit to fill the gaping hole in our family left from the passing of our dog Bucky last spring.
But I must say I completely forgot what it was like to baby proof the house. That sure didn’t take long to come rushing back though. I instantly remembered when the kids were first learning to move around the house, little accidents waiting to happen, every thing in their path, first deposited directly into their mouthes with lightening speed. I remember then too, like now, how inventive we all became in order to get anything done around here. All the small little daily tasks seemed monumental. Suddenly, just brushing your teeth, or taking a shower, or changing out of your bath robe was a tiny little victory. I remember thinking I would never again be able to accomplish a wardrobe change, complete with hair and make up all in one day. I also remember thinking surely I was the only one unable to function normally with this small new little person sucking away my attention.
But of course you learn to adapt. And we are once again doing just that with this new baby in the house. It seems many of those old coping skills are coming back to me in a pretty handy way. Just as I did with my boys when they were babies, I am forced to be inventive, see the world around me through new eyes. I’ve re-discovered how many incidental items around the house become make-shift entertainment gems when you really need to get the dishes done, or dinner made or laundry folded. I remember how the cabinet with all the pots and pans was gold when I needed just 15 or 20 minutes to myself, wooden spoons as mallets, pie tins as cymbals, pots as drums and joyful music as entertainment to sing our way through chores.
Today, I discovered an old Disney coffee mug and a plastic water bottle waiting for recycling, as the perfect toys for a puppy to chase about the kitchen for just enough time to accomplish cleaning up breakfast and loading the dishwasher. Mission accomplished.
Of course the babies wore diapers, and this one doesn’t, which presents it’s own set of challenges.
But in spite of the demands that now stretch the family to new limits, that send us racing about the house after this crazy bundle of energy, that test our patience, nerves, and will on a daily basis, the rewards, we all know, will be worth it in the end. They already are.
Just as I remember gazing at our peaceful sleeping bundles of joy all those years ago as babies, it’s pretty similar now, when Buster finally does surrender to the inevitable nap, huge paws limp, ears flipped and belly exposed. That familiar feeling of love mixed with exhausted pride and accomplishment come rushing back. The little daily victories, lost without a baby in the house to remind you how much you can do as a multi-tasker. Yep, he’s a keeper. But it’s nap time. Either I should be napping too, or I need to stop admiring his cuteness, and work at warp speed to get everything checked off the list today that needs to be checked.
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