checking in quickly ... at 2:50 a.m.

So, to catch up some folks who might have missed it, there's a new member of the family now. Sandy, or as we've started referring to her, Sandy-girl. She's a precious 10-week-old beagle mix that I picked out for Christmas (hey, we celebrate it early around these parts!) from the animal shelter.

Every week, or month -- I don't know because I don't actually read the paper (shhh!) -- we run photos of cute puppies and kitties that need a good home. Well, last week there were a couple that Elizabeth and I just thought were precious, particularly a beagle mix named Tinkerbell. However, when I went to pick out the puppy, Tink's sis, Sandy, was this lovable little creature that had to come home with me.

Well, it's been nearly a week now, and man, what a blast! Last night, she actually slept through the night and didn't wake me up until 7 a.m. (and for those of you who know me, since we work nights, anything before noon is way too early!). Woo hoo! E-beth and I finally got smart and gave her "her blanket," an old afghan that she took to immediately when she arrived. When she's in the living, especially on the couches, it's what she lays on. Well, we didn't think for the first few nights that she might actually want it in her bed. Before, she was wimper and bark most of the night. It was so sad! But now she's doing great.

There are still a lot of kinks to work out. She's doing pretty well with the pottying. She actually made it over 10 hours today without peeing or pooping on the floor. She used the puppy pad, which has been an adventure. But she's learning! Of course, we're still trying to teach her not to bite -- our hands, our faces, the cord to the laptop, everything! She's learning. She really is.

She's such a cutie pie -- although I don't have pics available at the moment -- and really is a very friendly puppy. She hasn't met anyone she didn't like -- humans, big puppies, even the kitty down the street. My Sandy-girl is very, very social! It's party city with this one.

We've got a puppy gate in the house, and she's taken over the guest bathroom during the day. When we're at home, we let her roam around the guest bathroom, dining room and living room. In fact, thanks to my father-in-law, we even got the backyard puppy-proofed on Sunday. We put up boards so she can't get out from under the fence and even lattice to prevent her from getting under the house.

Of course, as first-time pet owners (or as I like to refer to us, as mommy and daddy), we're learning as we go. We try not to get our feelings hurt when she wimpers, or when we have to discipline her. And we're trying not to spoil her too much, though I think we've already made four or five trips to PetSmart (or is it PetsMart?) since we picked up ole Sandy-girl, who's a tough cookie and has been battling a case of the worms and a cold that has her coughing and sneezing. We think the worm is gone, though we'll find out Friday when she goes to the vet for her second set of shots, but the cold is still around. And we'll be making plenty trips to PetSmart, or as I renamed it today "SandySmart," as we've signed her up for puppy training. Our girl's gonna graduate at the top of the class!

It really has been an eye-opening experience, but one we've enjoyed so much. In fact, we made a trip to Baton Rouge on Tuesday (both took the day off) to go eat at Joe's Crab Shack and do some shopping, but kept thinking about how quickly we could get back to Alexandria so we could play with our Sandy-girl!

All right, I'll wrap it up now. There will be plenty more Sandy-girl stories later -- and hopefully a few pics as well!