A few months ago I had one dog and he got all the love.  I really wanted another dog, I mean the more the merrier right?  However, I worried how it would disrupt my numero uno.  Would Melvin feel shunned, replaced, less adored? Add to that my concern that I could even handle two… I had so much guilt and worry driving home with Jake that I may have thrown-up.

Some of my having-two-dog-fears were realistic. It’s a lot of work.  Adding Jake doubles (sometimes triples) the work, I’m not sure how that can be but some days it just is.  But it’s not pull-a-muscle hard (well sometimes it is but I’m clumsy) and it’s not complicated hard (we figured it out) and there are far more exhausting things in life than working another four-legged-wonder into the day.  Also, two costs more.  That one is pretty black and white.

I had three months in my head as some magic ‘you’ll know for certain after three months’ time frame.  Not that I was going to give Jake back or anything, just that I’d know what life with two dogs was going to be like ‘fo sho’, after three months. Balls to the wall (funny since they are both neutered). I’d know how much I had emotionally crippled damaged Melvin by adding Jake.  Who knows where I come up with these things.

Well guess what, not only did we survive, we grew (in the spiritual sense) as a family!  Yep, there is still work to do but what worthwhile relationship in life isn’t a work in progress?

Here’s the thing – Melvin is doing great.  I doubt he even remembers life prior to Jake. As for me, I had no clue how much the love could grow. I love Melvin more than I ever have, he is the mack-daddy-diggady-dog-bomb!  Common, he’s so awesome I lose words sometimes.  As for Jake, I love him just as much as Melvin. Yep, I said it.  Sure, it’s a way different love but it’s love and it’s a crazy amount and Melvin does not get less he gets more and despite the act they put on sometimes, they truly do like one another.  And I like them as a team and they like when I’m happy. Boom, boom, boom!

When my younger sister was born I pretty much assumed I’d get less love.  My mother tried to explain to me how love grows when a sibling is added, how she said she loved me more as a daughter when I became a big-sister and I just thought blah, blah, blah!  Low and behold,  Mom is always right.

Here are my boys in the loft (something I worked on decorating most of this weekend). More pics from that endeavor coming this week!