Busiest Summer Yet! I'm a New Mommy!

I'm EXHAUSTED!!! So let me tell you where this summer went in the House of Jensen this year.

This summer was probably one of the nicest weather summers we have had in the Pacific Northwest for YEARS. I mean, just gorgeous sunny days. Ok, maybe towards the end of summer it was a little on the humid side but other than that, it was great! But I really didn't get to enjoy the weather outside as much as I had hoped. I got some jogging in but virtually no hiking. :'(

I did get to do a tiny bit of this: (La Wis Wis & Mt. Rainier)

But that was not even until SEPTEMBER!!! And it wasn't even a hike! I miss hiking and I HAD hoped to do a great deal of it this summer since my cousin had whipped me and our friend Candi into shape last year. But this was a busy summer none-the-less.

My buddy Candi got married at the very end of September and both my cousin and I were also in the wedding party. so we were pretty wrapped up in the planning all summer. No joke, she had her wedding the first week of Fall and it stormed like a berserker! 40-50 MPH gusts of wind! Power outages aside, the wedding was beautiful and the reception was really fun!

This summer was full of baby showers, garage sales, visiting family, and even my very first (and possibly last) Mud Run!

Planning wedding showers and attending bachelorette parties kept us all pretty busy, but the biggest distraction, or commitment I had this summer, starting at the beginning of July was Henry.

No I didn't have a baby, or even adopt, but we did get a new little puppy. Not just any puppy, a hound puppy. Yes, the whole, Roo-Roo-Roo bit and everything.

Henry, as we have so named him, is a Walker Coonhound, bread for hunting and chasing down large prey animals like bears and cougars, as well as racoons or other small animals.

For those of you who might not know me all that well, I have been trying to convince my husband that we need a dog for at least 12 years. I just assumed we could rescue a potty trained angel looking for their "forever home." My husband thought otherwise, believing we would do better training a puppy from the get go and avoiding any possible bad habits... while of course, ignoring the fact that we would be creating them ourselves. 

I wanted a dog I could eventually jog with but not necessarily one that would chase all manner of small critters. So far, he hasn't shown much interest in chasing other animals... but he's only 13 weeks old.

So here is the real reason I have found time to write this update blog post. I am having separation anxiety about Henry's first day alone (in his Kennel). Up until today, Henry has spent time with either my parents or myself or an occasional kind auntie. Thank goodness he's so cute, or I probably wouldn't have had as much help in these first few weeks. I am in serious debt to my supportive family and friends for all their time and advice as well. Henry was a little young when we got him, so he needed tons more babying than a dog you would get at 9 weeks, Henry was only 5!

Puppies that young take a serious amount of effort for potty training and just reassurance. But like a protective mommy that I am, I watched every poo, monitored  his food intake and tried to mold his sleeping habits. We are crate training, but I had a tough time not just snuggling him back to sleep out on the couch. I still take naps with him that way.

The reality is, no matter what dog we would have gotten, they would have to learn to spend some of the workday alone. This is not unusual, and I totally accepted that it was going to happen. Eventually. But my baby is now at a point where he either learns to adjust to some lonesome time, or I pay buco-bucks for puppy day-care. And we simply cannot afford that.

I'll keep you posted about his progress much like new parents do on their mommy blogs, because in a way, I too am a new mommy. My best friend Kyla even sent me a new baby congratulations card, complete with a gift card to PetSmart to get Henry a special prize. (Thanks again Kyla!) 

Here is what Henry looks like as of 13 weeks: 

I work from home one day a week and this is what it looks like: (Hey mom, when can we play again? Whatever you are doing can't possibly be as cute as I am, right?)

Who could say NO to that face? It's tough I tell you!

I'm pretty sure there will be hundreds more photos of Henry to share in the coming months. So please stay tuned. I also have some fun crafts that I made shortly before bin Hank's arrival that I hope to post on here as well.

Thanks for reading!