Puppy Love

Getting sick of pictures of my kids on the blog?  Not to worry!  We have an adorable new puppy to oooh and aaah over, so all my phone pics are now of her! :)  We've been a family of 5 for a month now, so here's another update on how Ivy is doing.

The above pic is when she made her Facebook Debut! :)  The letter board was a birthday present from Kristen and I LOVE it!  Also, since the taking of this picture, Ivy has learned how to work doggie door and has not had another accident in the house!  She's also much more chill about us leaving her during the school days, because she now has the independence to pass the hours running around and exploring outside!

 She's mellowed out about the guinea pigs too, though she still watches them intently and still under supervision.

 Ivy has also fallen head-over-paws in love with Delia, who gives her the most energy and attention.  They are good play buddies, wearing each other out every night.  I wonder if Ivy senses Delia is the smallest in our family and treats her like a companion, instead of a master, like Dave...

Or a cuddle buddy, like me!  Ivy has learned that I am the one who will provide her belly rubs and snuggles.  She curls up in my lap every day, a feat getting more and more difficult considering she's gained about 10 pounds already!  When I rest, she joins me.  I do like coming home to a quiet house after my day of teaching, but I love that I no longer come home to an empty one!

 Poor girl was spayed this week and spent one whole day not herself at all.  We gave her lots of love and were relieved that she perked up and was actually completely normal the next day already!

And just for the sake of keeping it real, I'll confess that life with a new puppy hasn't been 100% snuggles and tail wags.  Ivy's favorite trick is to take the toilet paper from our little bathroom and run outside with it, TPing my entire back yard!  She's gotten 3 whole rolls now!  The solution is easy enough-- keep the bathroom door shut.  But, it only takes one time to forget and we have quite a mess to clean.   Ivy has also decided that a certain pillow and a book had to die a terrible, million-pieces-everywhere, kind of death.  Frustrating, but the things she's destroyed can still be counted on one hand, so that's good, I guess.


Here are a few videos...

This one is Ivy demonstrating the 3 commands she mastered in her first week with us.

This is Ivy and Delia's favorite game.  It gets us giggling every time!