Puppy Heaven

We brought home our little Penny on Christmas Day, and I'm still amazed at the ridiculous joy she's brought into our lives!

We've had three days as new parents, and I'd give us a solid B+. We've learned some important lessons -- for example, no matter how many books you read about training, nothing prepares you for the shivering, wimpering, big-soulful-eyed resistance to being off your lap!

Winter has been a big challenge for housebreaking, especially for those of us under 3lbs, but we've had almost two days without an accident and I think she's learning to tell us when she needs to go "outside." (She actually starts shivering as soon as she sees her leash - what a drama queen!)

We're trying to get her on a schedule this week that gradually builds on her alone time so she's ready when I go back to work. Today I went to the gym for an hour and she cried for about 20 minutes, then found her bone and her bed and she was fine when I got back. (I'm glad our neighbors have dogs so they don't hate us for the noise. For such a tiny thing, her whine is pretty powerful!) This is the most challenging in terms of the heartstrings -- she really wants nothing more in life than to snuggle with us. Preferably on the neck :)

We've also started our Puppy Kindergarten (we'll start training classes at PetSmart in a month or so), and she's at least familiar with "sit" and "come." She met Aunt Janet the other day and she was such a ninny! I'm hoping the neighbor dogs will help with socialization. Thursday is our first trip to the vet.

I'm a bit surprised at how well we've adjusted to being new parents. I didn't expect E to be so comfortable talking about bowel movements, but he's been great. I have moments of "bad mommy" panic, but the happy moments far outweigh the worries.

A disheartening pause

As my idol Dorothy Parker might snipe:

"It serves me right for putting all my eggs in one bastard."

That's a little harsh, but I'm incredibly frustrated today. I found out that my master's thesis advisor, a professor I truly admired and trusted to help me with this undertaking, told me today that he's leaving Northwestern. And in one sentence, one quick blight of Courier New, I was thwarted back to square one.

Mind you, he told me this after months of not responding to my emails. Perhaps I should've been suspicious, but I wasn't. I picked this professor, a genius in health policy, for the same reason I tend to pick all my heroes: I see something of myself in them. In this case, his delightful brain would wander as mine does, and he was sometimes flighty and hard to reach. As I am.

I'm not entirely the victim here: I confess that I've been finished with my master's courses (straight A's! Even in Finance & Budgeting!) for months now, and I've been just sitting on my thesis idea, procrastinating for no good reason, unless you count working two jobs and getting caught up in wedding planning. Which I honestly don't.

But the irony is perfect: I had finally gotten that wind of inspiration, finally written that abstract and started forming my research questions. They weren't too shabby, I thought:

• How does the HPV vaccination narrative fit into the landscape of US vaccination policy?
• How is HPV different from other diseases for which vaccines are recommended?
• Who are the stakeholders in HPV prevention policy?

So this weekend I read and reviewed and concentrated, and today I submitted it to my advisor -- the gatekeeper whose approval means I can move on to the next step, write the sucker and be done with it! His response was characteristically nice, but devastating.

It's not the end of the world; I'll need to find a new advisor. Maybe I'll need to change my proposal. In the end, it's up to me.

Nesting

I spent some time this weekend with our soon-to-be puppy, Penelope. I could not adore her more!

I'm in full nesting mode lately: reading book after book about creating a positive home life for our new addition. I've purchased bedding and food, planned for safety and comfort, taken some time off work. I worry about being apart from her during the day once I'm back to work, I worry about her getting along with our fickle cat, Tasha ... But mostly, I'm excited and happy.

Going through this process makes me feel more confident that E and I are ready for new members in our family. Puppy first, then wedding... then who knows?