A few posts ago, I mentioned that the Partner’s Group seemed a bit like Mommy’s Group….and I was not a Mommy. But how could I forget Henry?! Cam and I are definitely parents – to a 7 month old cockapoo :).
Last year when we were discussing business school and moving, we attended an “Accepted Booth Student” event in Boston. We all had to say one interesting thing about ourselves, and I said, “I am moving to Chicago so that my husband can go to business school….and when we get there, I’m getting a puppy!” Needless to say, my fact was, by far, the most interesting of all the facts we heard that night ;). People still come up to me today and say, “So, did you ever get that puppy?” Well, yes….we did get that puppy. And he’s been taking over our lives ever since.
In retrospect, perhaps we were dealing with enough life changes in September without adding a BABY to the mix. Perhaps moving, looking for a job, leaving our friends and family, and getting used to having a student in the family was stressful enough without bringing an entirely dependent being into our lives. Perhaps...(I can just see my mother rolling her eyes and saying, “I told you so!”)
It’s definitely been a struggle – much more difficult than I ever could have imagined. Everyone said, “Oh, it’s like having a baby! Are you sure you want to do this?” And I said, “God, it’s not like we’re the first people to get a dog! People have dogs, you know!” Well, that is certainly true….but we weren’t quite prepared for what bringing Henry home really meant:
1) Up every 2-3 hours (the 3rd floor seems like the 20th floor at 2am….)
2) Following him around EVERYWHERE while he’s loose in the apartment
3) Crazy barking the ENTIRE time we leave him alone in his crate (it’s a wonder we weren’t kicked out of our building)
4) Puking every time we go in the car. Even for 5 minutes.
5) Not being able to leave our apartment for more than 4 hours at a time (what parties? Chicago has a downtown?)
The beginning was rough. Thankfully, he’s come a long way, and a lot of these charming behaviors are no longer. He’s 95% housetrained, can be alone for up to 5.5 hours, sleeps through the night, and no longer barfs at the sight of the car :).
And did I mention he is ADORABLE? Even when I haven’t slept all night for a week or when he’s taken my socks hostage and won’t give them back, he can just cock his head and look at me with those puppy dog (literally) eyes, and I remember he’s my baby and I love him no matter what.
I guess I am a Mommy.
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