the love of my life...the joy of my heart!!

on december 26, a miracle happened...my family surprised me with a PUPPY!!!!!!!!! not just any puppy, but a puppy full of life and love and spunk and happiness! i can honestly say i've never been as surprised as i was then, that cold, colorado, december night. i felt overwhelmed with emotions and gratitude as i held this little puppy for the first time. there are still times, a few weeks later, that i can't believe she's actually MINE!! she's such a great dog...i loved watching her interact with aj and vivy...i could've watched vivy point and say "dog!" all day. i decided to name her "bailey" (with a little help from my dad's product placement of bailey's irish cream). i had always thought if i got a dog this year, i would name her "hope" but this little girl had too much personality...if anyone ever asks what her middle name is, it's "hope." i found out that my whole family pitched in to buy this dog...even some extended "family" members! my mom found her from an internet add and my dad drove to NEBRASKA to pick her up...do i have the best family or what!! after a few days in colorado, we flew back to san diego. she did GREAT!! it's so great for me to see people's face light up when they meet her...i used to be that person, begging the dog owners to let me pet there dog and love on it for a while, and now i get to let people love on bailey! it's been an adjustment being back in san diego...trying to juggle work, social life, etc, but i honestly don't mind making the sacrifices! she's met a lot of kids and other dogs, and i think it's great to get her socialized and used to children. she does GREAT on a leash, and it's such great bonding time when i take her on walks. there's only been a few times when i've had to carry her because we've gone too far, but other than that, it's so fun! she's doing really well in the potty training stage...she actually will go sit by the back door if she needs to go out...and when we're at other people's houses, i just make sure to let her out before we go in, and be consistent about taking her out. she sleeps through the night in her crate, and when i'm at work, she stays in her crate until i can get the point where i trust her to be in my room by herself (that'll probably be a while). my roommates are AMAZING!!! they love her just about as much as i do...they help me out and play with her and let her out when i'm at work. i couldn't ask for two better people to live with! one of my roommates has a dog, a yorkie, names lily...i think in time, they will be friends...i think lily can't handle the "puppiness" of bailey yet, so she usually puts up with her for a few minutes, and then runs back upstairs to be by herself (bailey can't climb stairs yet). puppy's are A LOT of work, but each day i'm getting more and more comfortable with her routine. she LOVES to eat, and chew and i'm trying to figure out how i can stop her from chewing on human flesh (fingers, toes, faces). i know she's just a puppy, but i want her to learn the word "no" and that biting in not permitted in my house. so it's a work in progress, but i can't stay mad at her for too long...look at her face!! i'm learning i can get the most work done when she's napping (right now, she's asleep next to me...curled up all cute). if i know i need to get stuff done around the house, i try really hard to ware her out...i've learned her threshold for play time is about 2 hours and then she crashes. i also found a toy i can squirt peanut butter into, which keeps her entertained long enough for me to take a shower or get ready. my absolute favorite is driving in the car with her. she could be going a million miles a minute, but once i start the car, she melts into my arms and stares up at me and goes to sleep...it's the best!! i can't wait to discover more about her personality...my roommate calls her "loca" because she is, at times, CRAZY!! she is my little angel...my heart is healing more and more because of her. "praise God from whom all blessings flow..."