Headshot

Just the proud mommie's favorite pic of Kharma. She is just 12 weeks old in this photo and I think it shows how sweet she is.

At this age, it was hard to get her to stop moving long enough to capture a nice shot. She stopped chewing on the strawberry carton for a sec. This photo was one in a series of 38(!), most of which show a blur of activity and motion. Thank heavens for digital cameras--what did we do before?!

Me and the Mutt

She got her second bath this weekend and she looked so fluffy and clean that we couldn't resist taking lots of pix. We can't believe how much she has grown! She is now 14 weeks old and her legs seem to have grown overnight. Her body is much longer and she is finally putting on some weight.
I am afraid that I won't be able to cart around my "baby" much longer! She is such an adorable chunk of pup and we've enjoyed her cute puppy stage.

However, she is now officially in the "pain the rear" stage. She jumps up on us. She thinks our hands were made for her to put in her mouth as much as possible. She believes anything we are holding is a toy for her and she is entitled to jump and tug on it. She loves doing naughty things, like sneaking upstairs, because it is such fun. We love her anyway.

We are party poopers in her mind because we are telling her NO! constantly, but she loves us anyway.

The Witching Hour

You know how kids get really, really tired? And instead of sleeping, they get hyperactive? And the more they move around and get silly, the more wound up they get? And unless parents step in quickly and stop this process, the child will not be going to sleep without many tears and the parents will wonder why in the world they ever wanted children?

Every night from 8 to 9, Kharma becomes Wild Puppy. She plays crazily with her toys, running from one end of the house to the other, jumping up on us (a no-no), and biting everything (another no-no) from furniture to hands. Every attempt to discipline her or focus her attention on something different is doomed to failure. In fact, she openly laughs at us when we try.

But this is the cool thing--apparently puppy chemistry is not like kid chemistry at all! Kharma can act like a whirling dervish for the hour and then she suddenly will calm down, lie on my feet, and nod off.

It's magical!

p.s. She sleeps almost 11 hours now.

Single Mom

Life is good. Homecoming now feels right. I put my key in the door and the very first thing I do is get Kharma, give her an all-over rub and take her out to the lawn. It's so nice not to come home to an empty house.

However...

It can be a challenge to take a shower or clean upstairs or use the bathroom, because like all new moms I AM NEVER ALONE!

So I am looking forward to the puppy's daddy coming home tomorrow. Yes, I'll be glad to see him for his own sweet self, but I am also looking forward to having someone else to share the joys and responsibilities of puppy parenthood with. I hope to actually take a quick walk with my walking partner one afternoon. I want to walk upstairs without either banishing Kharma to her laundry room lair or outside. I want to cook without checking on her whereabouts every 3.5 seconds. I want to fall asleep watching TV and not wake up to find her somewhere she shouldn't be.

I am ready to resign my single motherhood and go back to being a two-parent family!