A baby at home!!!

Having a baby at home seems like the single most tiring thing in the world.When I say this,I am sure loads of moms and dads world over will agree with me!!!
This is a new experience for me and my mom.We got her home when she was barely 5 weeks old,this cute thingy,so tiny and helpless, I could hold her in one palm...Like any proud mother,my mom held her close and showed her off to all and sundry.Actually,all the neighbourhood kids were waiting for her arrival that day.My mom I believe had announced to almost every person she knew that we were getting her home.
She was soo cute,a little ball of black fur,with hints of tan here and there,black beady looking eyes,flip-flop ears,man was she a BABE!!!We christened her Pepper after contemplating forever. Had suggestions ranging from bubbles,cleo,rani to laila etc. but then decided that she was a Pepper and Pepper she was.So innocent she looked that day we didn't even think of the terror she would become in just a few days.She looked so meek and cute and just ate and slept and ofcourse left piddle puddles all around the house.Mom and I were so taken in by her good behaivour we didn't stop to think of what lay ahead.
Suddenly her tiny sharp teeth and claws all came out,then started the games,slowly but definately she gained confidence day by day.She started running around the house,exploring bit by bit,part by part on her tiny fat paws,so softly we could harly hear her move around.And when she was going about her buisness quitely,you knew that there was trouble with a capital T.She started with pulling our clothes off the beds,pulling and tearing the morning paper,our slippers ofcourse being her fav past time.All this we could take but then out came her pincers,she started targetting our toes, nibbling away at them all day,lucky for me i am not at home most of the day,but needed to have my defense tactics in place before i got home.
Her first victim of destruction was this clay ganesha idol that has been in our house from a long time,just grown with us i guess,always wanted to get rid of it but just let it be.well she gave us just the excuse we needed.one day she happily jumped on it,dropped it down and broke not one but both the hands!!my mom,ever so proud of her ward's achievement of the day announced this to me as soon as i got home.i was like oh my god,what did u do pepper?i thought ma would punish her like all the times when we were kids,but like i said,it seems the rules differ for us and for pups!!
Next came a beautiful, painted vase that stands (or rather stood)tall in one corner of our living room. The wires at home needed to be out of reach,we thought and we did just that.Didn't realize that by doing that the only remaining target would be our feet!!!!
There are certain things about her that are so endearing and make everything worthwhile, like the fact that at exactly at 11 every nite she disappears behind the sofa(her bedroom)and goes to sleep,love the way she goes to the kitchen and sits in front of the grinder whenever she is hungry,the concentration with which she nibbles at the chairs,or the way she loves to sleep in ma's bathroom,behind the sink,or the way she pulls the broom when the maid is sweeping:)),or the fact that she is so scared to come into my room,the way she loves to putter around in the garden,oh,the list is endless!Naughty little mutt that she is..these are the things that make u laugh and things that remain in ur mind after they grow up to full size and become scary devils!!!
Well one thing i'll say,she needs the same amount of TLC that any baby would need and we definately need the same energy.it's a full time job and it's tough.But it definately gives u the same pleasure as having a cute little baby at home and the added advantage that they become gaurds and the loyal friends they are known to be!!!!