mornings

My mornings are pretty hectic. Things had started to settle down and then we got a puppy, and by puppy I mean a 40 pound boxer mastiff mix that still chews everything, bites everything and doesn't exactly listen. I actually potty trained my 3 year old and the puppy at the same time-that's a lot of poop and pee!

Each morning is also unpredictable. Like take yesterday for example: the puppy slept on the couch the entire morning, thus enabling me to get the 3 year old ready even with his usual difficult negotiating tactics. I swear that child could negotiate his way out of an FBI building if he had to, simply by saying "no" to everything said to him. Today was not so easy. The puppy was very much awake and very much in the way the entire time I had to wrestle the 3 year old through our morning routine. Between the biting, the chewing of 3 year olds toys, 3 year olds whining, crying and pouting, I about lost my mind. Friend said to me today later at work: "I thought about you this morning, because its finally gotten easier (with her 2 year old) and I thought why on earth did she get a puppy?"

I've asked myself this question a thousand times, especially this morning when the puppy had not been to the dog park within 24 hours and is very rambunctious when he doesn't get to go to the park. The only answer I could come up with: that when he is finally done being a puppy, we will be happy that we put in the work, cause he is our dog through and through. I have to tell myself something to get through the days.

This morning while I was getting ready in the 30 minutes I have allotted after I have walked the puppy and before the 3 year old wakes up. I was in mid foot into legging when I heard a sound. The puppy had busted into the 3 year olds room while he was still sleeping and was standing next to his bed staring at him. Oh my god! I don't have a spare second for you to wake that child up any earlier then I need him to get up. I finally got him out of the room and closed the door. I finished getting dressed and then went in to wake up the 3 year old, who was still thank God sleeping soundly. What does the puppy do? He busts past me and takes a running jump onto the 3 year olds bed propelling the 3 year old about a foot into the air! Looking up from a dead sleep, 3 year old seems confused. "GET OUT OF THERE!" I scream and he bounces off the bed only to begin chewing on one of 3 year olds toys.

These are my mornings. I didn't even go into what I have to deal with just to get 3 year old dressed and out of the door. I feel like I'm waiting for something, waiting for the craziness to stop, waiting for these two to grow up a little into a more reasonable age, waiting for God to strike me with the knowledge of how to deal. Until then expect to hear from me  A LOT on this topic.