puppy love: a day in the life of oliver

Oliver's favorite thing to do is wake up early (much to his owners' chagrin).  He's a "morning dog" and a firm believer in the motto that the early bird catches the worm, er make that the cicada, bunny rabbit, and/or squirrel.  After breakfast and a walk, Oliver hangs out in the kitchen while we do other things around the house/get ready for the day. When we come back, it's often to a scene like this:

Who? Me?

We have since reclaimed our coffee table for its original purpose and purchased a baby gate that prevents Oliver from destroying the entire house.

Hmm... I wonder how that blind got so twisted? Those dirty paw prints on the wall certainly aren't any clue.  Nor is the puppy frozen in action - obviously he wasn't doing anything wrong :) (Please excuse the poor quality of this photo!)

If it's not too hot outside, Oliver sometimes gets to hang out on the screened-in front porch.  When this happens, he loves to peer over the banister at his best friend Tana's house in hopes that she might be in her front yard.  His other favorite porch pastimes include chewing things he's not supposed to, trying to dig up the carpet, running around in circles, and generally being so cute that you can't get mad at him.

Finally! Freedom! As soon as that porch door opens, he's off! Luckily, there's no need to worry as we know he's headed directly to Tana's front porch, where he will wait in front of her door until a human is around to let him in. 

The long play session with Tana combined with the morning walk makes for one tired puppy.  Oliver comes home from Tana's and fights sleep for as long as possible until he passes out on the beautiful brick linoleum floor (you know you're jealous).  Just in case you're wondering, he does have a dog bed and a blanket he could sleep on, but sometimes exhausted puppies like the hard floor just the same.

By the way, if this is a typical weekend day, you've just seen Oliver's life from 5:30 am to 10 am. We're not even to lunchtime yet!

puppy love: bringing home oliver

Dan and I adopted a dog this weekend. A really little teeny tiny puppy, to be precise.  He is only 5 weeks old (which makes me nervous because you normally don't get them until 8 weeks, but I try not to worry about that) and he weighs a mere 7 pounds 4 ounces.  And he is really, really, reallllllllly cute.

Isn't there a Golden Book called The Roly Poly Puppy?  Because that's what Oliver is.  He is very uncoordinated and often falls over with a plop.  It's really adorable when he does it though.  He has also been known to run straight into fences and do a face plant or two when the ground gets uneven.

He l-o-v-e-s to chew things like all little puppies do.  We are trying to teach him that sticks are an appropriate thing to chew, as opposed to our clothes, for example.

The first day he had a hard time keeping the stick in his mouth, but he's learning so quickly! He's already seeking out his own twigs and is getting much better at holding them in his mouth.

Of course, there's lots of nap time, too. This is essential, because since he is only sleeping for about 2 hours at a time (I feel lucky for 2 hours, because everything I've read says one!) right now, Dan and I have been getting very little bursts of sleep.  Naps are important!

Okay, I'm sorry, I haven't printed a picture in ages, but this one's getting framed on the wall.  Right? Indulge me, please.

He's so fluffy!!!! I seriously feel like the little girl from Despicable Me.

I don't have anything else to say. In fact, I'm super tired and going to bed to get as much sleep as I can.  Dan and I have started doing puppy shifts through the night so we can each get as much uninterrupted sleep as possible. Good night!