Big Picture Posts: Pup, Not Puppy

Okay, peeps.

I’m just gonna be honest, here, and say that life has been so wonky this past month or so that I’m about 2,743 posts behind on this here blog. Shocker.

And, honestly, it’s a little overwhelming to think of going back to share so many odds and ends that I’ve had to gloss over. It’s a bummer, since I love sharing the minutiae of our days, but…for the time being, onward and upward is the motto as we emerge from this round of illness and yuckiness!

So…on that note, I’ve been wanting to share some bigger picture things that have been on my mind. Time willing, I’ll share a few of these in the coming weeks, but for now, the first topic of conversation is…

Coda girl, as a pup (not a true puppy) at 18 months!

This crazy, smiling, feisty, overwhelming, cuddle bug fur-baby of mine is equal parts JOY and WORK. 

But, much like my OBGYN used to tell me back in the day about morning sickness: it doesn’t get easier overnight or like a flipped switch, but eventually, you look up and realize things have gotten marginally better.

And that, my dear friends, is where we’re at: marginally better! And I’ll take it!

Now…one more smiling pic before I count the ways…

Okay, first up: our girl is rarely in her puppy jail (her playpen in the living room) these days—unless we’re not at home.

For the first year, we kept her in there all the time, out of necessity, if Coda just couldn’t stop being mischievous, wandering off and risking accidents, or getting into things she shouldn’t.

She also wouldn’t actively sleep—even when she was dog tired (ahem, pun intended) unless we put her in the playpen and forced her to nap. Just like a toddler, ha.

But, now—or, rather, a couple months ago—we entered the most adorable phase of lounging, all thanks to what we call The Princess Pillow.

I didn’t realize it at first, but sometime around the holidays, our girl started actively seeking out cozy spots to curl up and snooze when we she wasn’t playing with us or out on a walk or excursion.

And her chosen area to reign like the royalty she is??

One of my (not-cheap) faux fur couch pillows that we now officially prop up just for her so she can lay her privileged little head just so, and see the whole of her kingdom at a glance.

It’s a good thing I long ago surrendered the idea of actually seeing my glorious couch beneath the piles of cushy blankets and pillows, because this fur baby of ours had basically taken it over as her territory. 



She has direct line of sight to the front door, the windows to the backyard, and the kitchen, all in one fell swoop, and who wouldn’t love this kind of snuggly perch?



It was a life-changing transition to make it to January and realize that Coda girl loved her snuggle zone so much, she was even cool to chill there for a bit in the mad dash of getting the kiddos ready for school. 

No more juggling her circus jumping and cage rattling until I picked her up and carted her around in my arms from 6:20-6:50 a.m. amidst two hundred thousand other morning tasks.

The Princess Pillow Perch is LEGIT the greatest harbinger of sanity returning to m’brain after immersive puppy mayhem, and I’m so HERE FOR IT.

(And so is the hubby, who just dies over our princess and the pea and her lofty lounging. In her valentine pajamas, no less!)

And, guess what? The lounging has extended to other areas, as well. I’ve taken to buying cozy little beds and lounge pads and just tossing them in key areas (like the dining room) and if it feels plush, my girl will enjoy it.

Better, still, if she can have a window view and a sunbeam warming her body, tehe:





I mean, don’t get me wrong, we are still dealing with the MASSIVE challenge and overstimulation of Coda girl barking like a maniac over every car, human, squirrel, Amazon delivery van or yard crew anywhere in a one hundred mile vicinity, but…I guess it’s progress that after she stops barking her head off, she curls up again?





Or finds a random sunbeam to partake in all the vitamin D…

To be clear: this girl is still SO high-maintenance and indulged (read: spoiled) that she…

Won’t stars her mornings without180 devoted minutes of “scratchies” and snuggles (I kid, but not much) before she’ll even exit her sleeping cage and grace us with her presence…

Requires both a morning and evening walk to maintain peak hip performance and mental health…

Prefers intense, loving eye contact, compliments and the skin-to-skin embrace of her mother, 24/7…

Won’t retire for the evening without a little growl of impatience over the fact that we still haven’t caved and begun allowing her to sleep on our bed (ain’t gonna happen), but if she must be in her crate, the cozy blanket better be in place…

Oh, and treats should he endless and without merit..,just because she’s so, dang cute.

I truly have NO idea what we did before this pup of ours graced our home and invaded our hearts.

We had a lot more money, time and energy to devote to other pursuits, but…just look at this face and tell me she isn’t worth every bit of trouble:

SO grateful our girl, now at a year and a half old, is becoming a teeny tiny bit more manageable, and here’s to even bigger strides in the six months to come! (Like with her maniacal behavior on walks, for the LOVE.)



Happy Getting-Back-Into-The-Groove Monday, peeps!

Chaperoning a field trip mañana!

Over and out.