Welcome Home Mia

On November 29th we found out there was a young female pit bull at the pound. Knowing that she would most likely be put down we called to get some information on her. She had been an owner relinquishment and we were told that she was two years old. The previous owner said that she was too much dog and he didn't have time for her. Rob and I went to see her and he was instantly in love. He just has a soft spot in his heart for pit bulls and can't help but want to advocate for them. She is very sweet. We agreed to take her as long as Tava was game for it and they were really happy that we were experienced pit bull owners. She had been spayed that morning, which was a Monday. If all went well we could take her home that Friday. So every evening we were off to the pound to spend a couple of hours with Mia so that she was already familiar with us when she was ready to come home. Most evenings were spent in Robs lap or following Aiden around. On Friday the meet and greet between the girls went great so we brought her home. Upon taking her to our vet and having her examined he let us know to our surprise that she was probably closer to 10 months old. No wonder she acts like a puppy. We will have our challenges ahead of us but Rob is a very happy camper and Tava has a new best friend!

Wish List For Santa

On the morning of November 25th Aiden put together his Santa list. We capped him at 10 items and talked to him about what Santa thinks of selfish kids. Last year he was on the maybe list so this year he has been working hard to not get a warning call from one of Santa's elves.

Part Of The Process

The week of November 14th turned out to be one that challenged our family immensely. We had received a phone call about a birth mom that was located in the state of Nevada. She was due very soon and was looking for a family. We agreed to be shown to her and after days of anticipation she chose our family for her son. We were ecstatic and immediately went into panic mode so that we could be ready to hit the road. We hit Walmart in a hurry and bought most of what we would need for the hotel room stay. Aiden helped me wash and fold tiny little boy clothes and helped us get packed. He was really excited to become a big brother and even more excited to go stay with his Grandma Janie and Grandpa Darrell. The birth mom was a bit sketchy from the beginning but our desire to become parents again over rode our doubts. We were ready to go and were awaiting the phone call to head that way. The phone call never came and the social worker that we were working with was avoiding all of our calls. She was just doing her job knowing that she couldn't answer until she could provide us with factual information. Eventually we came to find out that our birth mom changed her mind. We also found out that we were the fourth family that she had led to believe that we would be adopting her son. We were devastated to say the least but also knew that this was part of the process, something that we had signed up for. Aiden was so sad and we really questioned for the first time being so open with him about everything. Rob and I had made this decision as adults and hadn't thought about the negative impact that it could have on our little boy. So we sat down with him and did what we had done all along, we told him the truth. We knew we would all need some time to clear our heads and move forward. It wasn't meant to be for a reason greater than what we could understand at the time. We accepted it, packed up all of the things we had bought for him, and started waiting all over again.

Bad Dog

On November 19th I found our 6 year old pit bull Tava in bed taking a nap with Rob. The problem is that at our house dogs are not allowed in beds or on couches. She has her own posh place to sleep. She loves her daddy though and wherever he is she needs to be. Rob has tried to convince me since we put Millie down that she needs a friend.

Granny Suzy's Birthday

Granny Suzy's birthday was on November 13th. Aiden wanted to build a snowman and play outside with her. That evening we had cake and presents.

Aiden's Big Boy Room

On November 6th we finally finished and moved Aiden into his big boy room. Pretty much since we started our adoption journey a year and a half ago he called his old room the baby's room knowing that someday a little brother or sister would be in there. He was very excited. His new room is the biggest in the house. He can literally run in there.

Initial Pancakes

On November 5th daddy got creative in the kitchen making us pancakes. He made Aiden pancake initials. Aiden was pretty excited about it.

Trick Or Treating

We spent Halloween night with the Archibald crew. Aiden loves to be with his cousins. He wasn't quite as motivated as them to trick or treat though. About half way through he was done and wanted a piggy back ride the rest of the way. We laughed. He definitely has a mind of his own that can be changed by no one.

A Different Kind Of Throwing Up

Near the end of October Aiden cracked me up. Kind of a gross topic but something I wanted to remember none the less. He is of course independent these days with the bum wiping business, which is nice. He called out to me to come into help him and I of course asked why. He shouted to me, "seriously mom I really need you to come in here because my bum just totally threw up all over the place." I was concerned as to what all over the place meant. Thankfully it meant nowhere but the toilet. I laughed pretty hard. Aiden was very serious however as this was honestly his first conscious dealing with diarrhea. All of his prior episodes must have been from when he was to little to remember. We had a priceless conversation about it and that was that.

Halloween At Walnut Elementary

Celebrating Halloween at work is always fun. Most of our staff is good about it, some are a bit grouchy. It's a waste of a school day of course, cuz those little ones can't thing of anything but trick or treating. I don't even try to do therapy. We just play.