Cooper Bean

A few weeks ago, Bart started texting me pictures of dogs.  I was like, "Who is this and what have you done with my husband?"!  He has said NO to getting another dog for years!  He then gave me the "green light" in starting our search for a new puppy! (GASP!) 😮 I am still in shock, by the way.  Who is this man?  I had suggested getting a puppy many times over the years.  But he always said, "We have a dog.  We will get another dog after Max dies. One dog is enough.".  Well, thankfully, Max apparently has 9 lives and is not planning to leave our family any time soon!  The poor dog has been near death about 3 times, but is doing better than he has done in years!  So this "green light" really surprised me!  I did not see that coming!  

It didn't take me very long until I stumbled upon the cutest ball of fur I ever did see!  He met all of Bart's requirements: 

1.  Little to no shedding

2.  Bigger than Max

3.  Playful/energetic

4.  Smart

So, I'd like to introduce you to the newest addition to the Roberts family, an Aussie Doodle, 

Cooper Bean...  

Isn't he the cutest?!  

About his name....

Yes, his name is Cooper Bean!  

Where did this come from you might be wondering?  Well, when we chose him out of the bunch, we started tossing around names.  Bart was sort of kidding and suggested "Bean" because he is the color of baked beans. 😆 Is that my husband's humor, or what?!  I quickly shot that down!  No way would I name our dog Bean!  LOL!  The funny thing is though, we kept calling him "Bean" as a joke the week before we got him, so it just kind of stuck. After meeting him, we thought he looked like a Cooper (again, Bart's suggestion that I loved this time!).  But, ultimately, we decided we wanted to use Bean somehow, and so that became his middle name.  So, we settled on "Cooper Bean".  I am pretty sure he already knows that when he hears "Cooper Bean" that means he is in trouble!!  (He hears it a lot!) 😉

Oh, and if you are wondering why we didn't let the boys name him, it is for two reasons... First, they would NEVER agree on a name.  NEVER!  Second, we kept the new puppy a secret from the boys!  Hee Hee!  It was SO FUN having this secret for a week!  I would pick up things for a new puppy at the store and hide them in my Mom's room so the boys wouldn't see them.  We even had a doggy gate delivered via Amazon one day that arrived right after the boys got home from school. 😮 It was a close call, but thankfully they didn't see it!  Whew!  

I took a picture of his "loot" after going shopping.  I told Bart I felt like a new mom walking through Pet Smart.  So much has changed in 12 years!  The workers would ask me if I had a new puppy and would congratulate me!  😄  I needed so many things for this puppy, I felt like I should register for a baby shower!  Ha! 

Just call me crazy!  (I refrained from buying the puppy sling, by the way!)  THAT WAS A JOKE, MOM!

Bart and I set off to a work picnic at the lake Texarkana, Arkansas to meet the breeder to get our new puppy 2 weeks ago.   It was like we were bringing a new baby home from the hospital!  I was so nervous, excited, scared, etc....  ALL THE FEELS!!!  

This was the picture the breeder took of us when we picked him up.  Isn't he precious?!!  

My new baby!  It was love at first sight!! 💗

We bonded the entire way home!  We stopped a couple of times on the 3 hour drive home to let him potty and stretch his legs.  He did great in the car!

Backing up a bit, here are a few pics the breeder shared with us from his litter...

Look at those puppies!!  💗💗💗

The deciding factor for us in choosing Cooper were his eyes.  They are the prettiest green I have ever seen on a dog!  They are beautiful!  (Side note...Those eyes have gotten him out of trouble many times already.  I think he knows just how to use them on me!  Ha!)

Ironically, his eyes were crystal blue when he was born, and later turned green.  

Look at that cutie pie!

The breeder called these two the "twins" because they looked so similar, Cooper being the bigger of the two.  Actually, Cooper was the biggest in the litter.

Back to bringing Cooper home....

We finally made it home!  Bart told the boys we had groceries in the car and sent them out to help, only to find their new puppy!  So fun!!

It was love at first sight for them too!  (Well, for the boys, that is.  Not so much love at first sight for Max.)

Jack couldn't stand hearing Cooper cry.  At one point I found him stretched out on the floor of the mud room trying to get him to sleep.  😊

It didn't take Cooper long to get acclimated and start exploring his new house and yard.  I thought I had done a pretty good job of puppy proofing things....I was wrong!  😬  It's pretty much like having a baby that has just learned how to crawl.  Nothing is off limits!  By the way, I call chasing after him my new exercise routine.  If I don't lose a pound or two chasing after this little mess, I am going to be mad!  He keeps me moving for sure!!  

Having a new puppy is like having a toddler during the day and a newborn at night.  This little thing wanted to party ALL NIGHT LONG the first couple of nights!!  And I mean ALL NIGHT LONG!  Here we are "partying" at around 3AM on night 3. 

 NO SIR!  Mama couldn't keep that routine up for long!  Everyone knows Mama needs her sleep!  Thankfully, we finally figured out the best way to get him to sleep at night and it seems to be working.  (No, he is NOT sleeping in the bed with anyone...yet.)  He seems to like sleeping in my bathroom, so I consider it a win because I am sleeping now!!  And all God's people said....AMEN!

Meeting Max didn't go as well as I had hoped.  Max was NOT happy about us bringing him home a baby brother at all!  Keep in mind, Max is 12 years old and has always been the "only child" as far as pets are concerned.  This puppy pretty much ROCKED HIS WHOLE WORLD!  I mean turned it UPSIDE DOWN and INSIDE OUT!  He did not know what hit him!  Poor thing! 😞 He was not happy about this new addition at all.  He was VERY territorial and wanted to make sure Cooper knew this was HIS house and HIS people!  😬  Thankfully, after a few days, Max started to come around and accept the fact that this ball of energy was not leaving any time soon.  He even started to show signs that he sort of liked him by sleeping near him while I worked...

Sh! Checking him out!

Max has come a long way.  Now, at times, he will even allow Cooper to sleep in his bed with him!  Can we all say "AWWWW"?!  

Cooper wants so badly for Max to play with him, and Max just wants Cooper to let him sleep.  Ha!  I think Cooper tries to sleep next to him sometimes because he's resigned to the fact that Max is too old to play.  So if he won't play, he might as well join him and take a nap!  

We are obviously going to need to get Cooper a bigger bed sooner than later, although, Max really likes Cooper's bed because it's pretty cozy!  ;)

That about sums up Cooper for the time being.  He is doing great as far as the potty training goes!  He would eat ALL DAY LONG if we let him, so we have to be careful not to over feed him.  He already knows where we keep the treats!  He loves his family and we love him!  The only negatives are those dang baby teeth!  They hurt!  We are hoping this biting stage passes quickly!  Also, he tends to work Max up with his need to play and that causes a loud exchange of "words" between the two, ultimately leading to separating them until they cool off.  Whew!

Did I mention it's like having a toddler?!  Ha!

Welcome to the family, Cooper Bean!  We love you!