I got the call around 4:15 on Friday that our baby was ready to come home. I knew she had an appointment at 3:00 pm and the vet would do some testing to see if the puppies needed to be dewormed, which would have delayed homecoming until Sunday.
I picked up the girls from their respective schools and told them that I had to go pick up a book from one of my classmates. When we got to the breeder’s, we were let in before she walked out of the living room holding our sweet girl. She was the last one left from the litter. The girls looked at her in astonishment, never before had they seen a puppy so tiny. The girls oohed and aahed about how cute she was and before she could stop herself, Sugar said, “Can we bring her ho… I mean, she’s really cute and I’d love to have her!” She apparently was trying to be on her best behavior and remember that she’s not supposed to ask for endless amounts of crap every time we go anywhere.
The girls’ eyes went wide with disbelief when I said, “Do you think we should take her home?” Between the hooting and hollering, I tried to talk with the breeder about feeding times, potty training, etc. Before long, we were on our way home. I had to be fair and told the girls that they’d each get to hold the puppy for half the ride home. They were so in love that they couldn’t be bothered to argue.
The Name Game started at this point. Spice suggested Sparkles, Sprinkles and Twinkles and Sugar seemed quite set with the name we had chosen in our hypothetical discussion several weeks back. The ride home was filled with commentary about how smart their new puppy was. “Look Mama, she moved her head. Look Mama she stretched.” This puppy is the most wonderful, the smartest, the cutest, they adored this little girl.
Once or twice *ahem* in the past, I have brought home new pets and I’ve learned (maybe I read it somewhere?) that it’s best to introduce the pack on neutral territory. When we got home the girls stayed in the car while I went in to get Bella Boo and Indy. We introduced them in the driveway. The puppy squealed and the older two looked at her like, “What the hell is that? Is it a guinea pig?!” Bella loves everyone, so she didn’t seem to care much. I expected Indy to be furious but he was much mellower than I thought he would be.
The night continued on as it had begun on the ride home: everything this puppy did was marvelous and magical. I forced the girls to take turns with the puppy and the older two. Everyone needed to feel a little love. Spice burst into tears multiple times saying she was crying because she “loved the new puppy so much.”
I expected bedtime to be rough and the puppy cried a little right before I tucked her in. I put her in a teensy dog bed next to me and Sugar heard the commotion and came in with a sleeping bag to sleep next to her. Bella spent the night pacing from her bed to the puppy’s to make sure she was OK. Indy curled up under the covers of my bed and pouted.
It wasn’t the easiest weekend. There were endless fights over whose turn with the puppy were longer, whose turn was next, etc. Indy still seems slightly miffed, but I’ve caught him loving her up a few times when she’s been asleep.
Then there’s the name game. We had one chosen, but the name seemed too big for a two pounder. We went through endless names over the weekend with friends and family sending suggestions as well.
Gingersnap. Pom Pom. Mimi. Coco. Snooki. Sabrina. Skittles. Bear. Poco. Morgan. Bitsy. Princess. Puppy. Baby. Mimosa. Hops. Hoppy. Ginger. Killer. I’m sure I’ve left out half of the suggestions.
This morning, the girls broke into song when they saw the puppy. When a word causes a household to break into song together, that’s the name you should choose.
Welcome to our house, Lola… We think you’re gonna like it here!
xoxo
Ice Princess
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