Marriage: the puppy program
When Henry and I got married I knew it would be a few years before we started having babies. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean I don’t want a baby now. I’m 22 and I can feel my biological clock ticking away. On top of that, I have a natural urge to mother and nurture. Just ask my husband. So I told him, “Henry, I need something small and helpless to love and take care of. We need to have a baby or get a puppy.” The puppy won for a number of reasons.
This archived article was written by: Jenna Rae Rudolph
When Henry and I got married I knew it would be a few years before we started having babies. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean I don’t want a baby now. I’m 22 and I can feel my biological clock ticking away. On top of that, I have a natural urge to mother and nurture. Just ask my husband. So I told him, “Henry, I need something small and helpless to love and take care of. We need to have a baby or get a puppy.” The puppy won for a number of reasons.
Number one, we can afford to feed a puppy while our baby would likely starve based on our current income. Two, we can crate our puppy; baby– not so much. Three, when we come home after long hours of work and school, our puppy instantly forgives and forgets. I suspect our baby would develop some abandonment issues.
So the puppy won, and we brought him home last Friday. He is a Beagle/Basset Hound mix. His name is Eeyore and he is, very likely, the most adorable thing ever. My motherly instincts are fulfilled (for now). I completely love the new little life we are in charge of. That being said, Henry and I have entered a whole new world of difficulties.
Our Eeyore is two months old and therefore, can only hold his potty for about two hours. That means that one of us needs to be home every two hours, which is hard when you work and go to school. Also, Eeyore doesn’t like to be alone. Since he isn’t potty trained, he can’t sleep in jeour room, but being crated or locked in the bathroom makes Eeyore a bit crazy. That dog can cry, howl, growl and whimper for hours, literally. Henry and I have full, exhausting days, which are now followed by long, exhausting nights. There is not enough coffee in the world to combat an all-nighter with Eeyore’s vocal chords.
Our play schedules have been disrupted too. We used to go do our own things on the same nights. I have dance rehearsal and Henry goes to the Game Hub; I have yoga and Henry…well, goes to the Game Hub. But now, we have to change up the schedule so that someone is home with the puppy. It leaves less time for us to just be together.
It’s alright though. Eeyore is a wonderful addition to our family. We love him and love each other. It feels like we have a real little family now that there are three of us and one of them can’t go potty in the toilet yet.
