I’ve Been Waiting to Say This All Summer

This summer has been a lesson on waiting. Lots of work happened amid the waiting, so it’s not as if we sat around drumming our fingertips on the desk. Cocoa and I—yes, my anticipation comrade was my chocolate labrador—spent weeks struggling to perfect significant projects and works of art. Hers are much prettier, cuter, soft, cuddly, and more adorable than anything I’ve produced since my last child.

The best part about raising lab puppies isn’t the puppy breath or soft snuggles (though they are major brownie points), but rather the friends who come to enjoy those benefits. We’ve had more visitors who come solely to hold and play with puppies—not scope one out for purchase—than any other time of our lives. It’s fabulous. Some folks want the cute, and they love to play with them. Some need serious puppy therapy, so they sit and rock and pet them back to sleep, soothing themselves (and lowering their BP?) as they do so.

Cocoa certainly had a waiting period, only nine weeks of pregnancy and two-thirds of a day of labor on July 27 (check out the live-cast of the final hours when the puppies finally arrived). I waited all those hours with her through the night, but then I got a great night’s sleep afterward, while I’m sure she didn’t.

Since then, our family has waited for the puppies to grow into adorable playmates and visitor-magnets. We’ve waited for buyers to learn about them and express interest. And now we wait for the last couple of weeks to pass as they begin to leave our home for their new families.

Beyond doggie doula, I had other waiting roles thrust upon me this summer.