we may be crazy

Christmas came a week early over here!

won't you meet our newest addition...

over the course of maybe... oh, this entire year, Adam and i had been going back and forth about the decision to add a pet to our growing clan.

i was all for it back in feb/mar -while he was against it. in apr/may he was all set with blueprints of a doggy run in hand - while i was looking forward to summer with freedom on the horizon.

then summer arrived; with piles of {human}adoption paperwork to complete and the busyness of visiting my FIL in a  hospital far from home, we put the thought behind us..

except, it came up again.

who knew with Christmas looming overhead, the request would be so collective? and let me tell you, my kids are pretty darn persuasive. Evan promised poop duty, Rachel to groom daily, and Nick- he'll dish out kibble. sigh! don't forget Adam's oath to walk/run the dog every night he gets off work. i'd be off scott free.

you'd think with everyone's eager anticipation and vows to share responsibilities, how could i say no? but i remained adamant. y'all know realistically, i do not, repeat: do not have the time or energy to train and care for a puppy. . because we all know the novelty will wear off and the task would fall on me as the prime caregiver.

anyone been here long enough to remember Bella, the stubborn-as-a-mule Basset hound we took in? looking back i can only laugh, but i am determined to learn from my mistakes. this is a HUGE commitment. will i be able to follow through? i mean i already killed our class pet herbie. agh! :/

we continued to discuss and pray together. we even took our differences to our small group - and they prayed as well.

that's when the list of stipulations began. i would only consider the thought if:

the dog is a mutt (for health reasons)
the dog is housebroken
the dog can be left in the house alone
the dog is obedience trained
the dog is leash trained
the dog is calm
the dog is good with our kids
the dog is good with other dogs
the dog is playful and has personality
the dog is cute (maybe that's shallow, but who likes an ugly pooch?)

we scoured the animal shelter monday. in the stray unit outside, Rachel shrieked in terror at every bark, howl, yelp, and whimper. needless to say she was scared to death when we took a few from their cages in attempts to cross examine for a spot in our fam. Adam immediately fell for a gianormous yellow lab that wanted nothing to do with the rest of us (Adam grew up with 2 labs) . i had my eye on an 8 month old purebred brittany spaniel. the puppy was beyond gorgeous, also beyond out of control.  (i grew up with 2 spaniels and a doberman)

but the kids were still uneasy. so was i.

inside we roamed the endless halls of sad puppy dog eyes (be still my heart - i am going to lose it in Russia). we took notice of a black 2yr old shepherd mix, she was calm, too calm. like she'd been beat. adam asked the worker if she could snap, the lady agreed "she has that look in her eye."

when we left, it was down to two. two that were really just o.k. - not anywhere near my stipulations. i didn't get excited. i didn't even tell a soul, still very uncertain this was even a good decision. we waited.

the next morning, i opened my facebook to see this:


sent from my aunt who had no idea we were thinking about getting a dog, much less at the shelter the day before!

i texted adam at work: we have to get a lab.

wednesday after our preschool christmas program.. we set out for the shelter.  my heart was guarded, i didn't want to fall for something out of emotion. our kids come first. so who should make the final decision?

Rachel.

she's the one who pleaded for a dog, two dogs actually. how could we bring home something she's afraid of? she's drawn to calm. i need calm.

we checked out a few more pups outside since the two we came back to see were gone, nothing. then after one last once through, ready to leave...  adam said, "oh wait, there was that one dog inside that we didn't look at." he was a Labrador mix, one year old, and his paperwork just so happened to match my stipulations to the T.

"his name is Sea-mus? what the heck is that!?" i blurted out.
"Shay-musss, it's Irish," Adam corrected me.

Seamus wobbled out to the fenced in yard where the interview would take place, tail wagging happily. i noticed a mellowness in his strut. he was calm.  there was a lawn chair out there that he climbed right up in.. full of personality. he was playful.

seconds later Adam and i looked over in shock to see Rachel laughing and petting his back as he licked her hands. we looked back at each other.

we knew.

adam asked over and over again, are you sure? i was 100% in, exclaiming " i don't want to leave him here, someone else will take him." so we filled out the paperwork, paid the 80 dollar adoption fee. eighty bucks people!!! (oy, if only it were that simple).

so far he really is the perfect fit for our family. and we are so in love! now i'm just waiting for the too good to be true moment to happen...


{from left to right top to bottom} the night we met him, his first night with us, Rachel has a new best friend, i do too (he follows me everywhere), poor dog has a lifetime of being prodded and probed, he wants to be human, at the dog park, Nick thinks he's a pony, comforting the sickie..





note: i don't make our bed - go ahead, judge away! (sorry mom)

*****

GIVEAWAY WINNER

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