Since Ryan (my bf) and I aren't even CLOSE to being ready to have kids, we always talked about getting a puppy together. It would be a little addition to our family that we could love and nurture and raise together. I have to admit, I was always a little hesitant about taking the plunge into "motherhood" -- I mean, I'm not exactly the most "maternal" type; but, the moment he brought George home and I looked into those sleepy little eyes, I was hooked!
We fawned over how cute he was and cheered every time he learned something new -- and even though we had bags under our eyes because he kept us up all night with his crying (yes, puppies cry like crazy the first few nights), and potty training him has been a literal nightmare -- I have arm muscles from scrubbing pee out of my carpet, Ry and I literally obsessed over George. Was he eating? Was he sleeping too much? Was he happy?
It was like my shriveled Grinch heart had suddenly grown 3 sizes and I had all this love inside that I never knew was there. George was my baby and I was his mom!
Like any new parent, Ry and I decided we needed to commemorate our newest addition AND introduce him to our family and friends; so, we decided to do a "gender reveal" photo shoot! It was a win-win! Family photos for our album and a cute way to let everyone know we got a dog!
That's where things went wrong....
I posted a series of photos to my Insta with the caption "SWIPE;" but, I soon realized, no one on social media reads the captions. People ACTUALLY thought I was pregnant! My inbox was FLOODED with congratulations and OMG's! The good news is, with the exception of my very angry father who legit refused to speak to me..., most people seemed excited that we had finally decided to start a family. It was actually pretty cute.
When my followers finally swiped through, and realized "our son" was a puppy -- the humorous excitement was unwavering. In fact, people seemed less surprised that my gender reveal was for my dog (which is actually a little concerning LOL).
Overall, it was a good experience -- and George was issued a very warm welcome. He has since sparked such a love and joy to our lives that we didn't know we were missing and I can't imagine ever going back!
....and we have some great photos for our album!
The one thing I've learned through all of this is if you're debating getting a pet -- DO IT. They really change your life.
And... if you want to have your own puppy gender reveal, take it from me: PEOPLE. DON'T. READ. THE. CAPTIONS -- so, be prepared to have some very cute photos and some VERY confused followers!
I'm pretty sure 1/3 of my followers still think I'm with child LOL.