Its been 2 weeks!

Its been two weeks today since Cocoa came home. It has been an action packed two weeks! She keeps us on out toes and busy. She is a very well mannered dog though. She learns fast. She is house broken for the most part. We have about one accident a day and its usually later in the day when I am busy with dinner or getting the kids in bed. She whines usually when she needs to go out. She listens pretty well to her commands. We were having an issue with lots of biting, but invested in a few squirt bottles and that has seemed to have calmed her down with that. This past Monday she went to the vet for her 9 wk shots. She was 12.8 pounds. She is due back to the vet in April for her 12 wk shots.

The kids are really enjoying her. They play a lot together outside and she gets us all outdoors and active more. We just started walking and she is finally getting the hang of it. Its nice she doesn't have to stop and pee on each mailbox like male dogs, lol. I can actually get a work out in.

The cats are starting to accept her. Valerie did from the beginning. Valerie loved going outside with Odie in the mornings and they would walk around and do whatever they did. While Cocoa can't just go out like Odie did, Valerie still follows us on our walks. Mama Kitty has smacked this dog across the nose so many times that I am surprised Cocoa still wants to be her friend. Cocoa still tries though, I suppose she thinks she can win Mama Kitty over.

So, we have made it through two weeks with the puppy and lets hope we make it through a third. Things are getting easier in most ways. She doesn't cry in the crate at night anymore. However she loves to grab and run now and have me chase her from here to there as she carries a bottle of nail polish. So, we will check back in at 3 weeks and hope we are still surviving!

One of the major differences in my kids, is how they view and friend other children. Ethan loves everyone. He doesn't see the flaws in people. Honestly, I don't think he realized the different colors in people. He just loves kids and playing with them. He always fits in easy and tries to friend most anyone. Maybe this is him, or maybe its because he is a boy. I don't know. I will often ask him if there is anyone in his class he doesn't like, just to see what he says. He always says he likes everyone except one girl because she always tries to kiss him. That one makes me giggle. ;)  Then we turn to Brooke. She is shy and nervous by other people whether they are adults or children. She really gets a long with children younger then her better and I wonder if its because she doesn't feel intimidated by them. What shocks me the most though, is how judgemental Brooke can be at 4. She often tells me she doesn't play with a certain girl at school because of her clothes. It shocked me the first time she said it. I have sense asked other moms about this and they said their daughters were the same way. Brooklynn takes her time in the mornings getting ready for school. Her hair has to be a certain way, her clothes and so on. Such as this morning she stood in front of the mirror looked at her shirt and skirt, tucked it in and decided it looked better that way. She is going to be one heck of a teenager. Do I have any takers out there who might want her for a few years?  Ethan has just started taking notice of his appearance. He wants to make sure his hair isn't sticking up, and that's about it.

Obviously each child in this world is unique. I love each of mine more then anything. Its just interesting to take a step back sometimes and look at how they deal with life. Hopefully Ethan keeps his happy go lucky view on life and hopefully Brooke isn't one of those snobby teens and we raise her well enough that she likes everyone too, no matter what they wear. :)

Happy Hump Day!

Ethan learns that promises can be broken.

About two weeks ago we took Ethan to get his reward for stopping thumb sucking. This has been a battle and he has finally quit! Yay Ethan! So on the Monday after getting his reward which happend to be a Star Wars lego ship, who would have guessed, he decided to take his new lego people to school without telling me. When he got off the bus Monday afternoon he told me that he took his new lego people to school and a little boy wanted to borrow them. I got mad at first, but then took a step back. I sat down and asked him who the little boy was. It was someone he knew from pre-k. He isn't in a class with this boy and only sees him upon getting on the bus in the afternoon (they ride seperate buses). He said the child promised to give the people back the next day. I explained to Ethan that there was a chance he wouldn't be getting his toys back. I was upset that he took them to school without asking and from now on he needed to ask. I told him also he was going to learn a lesson from this. I told him I hoped more then anything that the little boy brings back his people but just because someone made a promise doesn't mean they will stick to it. So, two weeks later now, Ethan still has not gotten his people back. He knows now that he isn't getting them back. He is upset about it, but he understands now that sometimes kids/people will say whatever they have to in order to get something they want.

You might be thinking, why don't I step in and help him get his toys back. Well sorry, I am not that kinda Mom. He chose to take them to school without asking and he made the deal with the kid. I don't know the kid or the other mom. The school would careless about two missing lego people and well, when you let someone borrow something, you always take the risk they might not give it back. Ethan understands there is nothing I can do about it and that this was something he has to deal with. I told him to keep asking the little boy about it and you never know, he might show up one day and give them back.

Hopefully out of all of this, he will think before he lets someone borrow something. Lesson learned....I hope.

And we have a puppy!

Cocoa came home Friday evening. She was very calm that evening since she had just been spayed, and by Saturday morning she was full speed ready to be a puppy again. We have been having a blast with her. It really is like have a baby and one year old combined. She's mobile and into everything, yet she cries alllllll night. I made the mistake on the first night and let her sleep with me since she had just left all her siblings and had been spayed. She cried all night in my bed from pain and missing her siblings. I don't think that night I got a solid hour of sleep. Then she was up at 5:30 because she heard Ethan get up to potty. Saturday was the longest day to get through. We had fun though. Saturday night she was in her crate and cried for almost 2 hours. It was tough. She does really well during her crate training sessions during the day, but hates it at night. She had her first time alone yesterday when I had book club. I think she did ok. She wasn't crying when I returned home. Last night she cried most of the night. It was a tough night. The kids are exhausted. We are hoping this crying period ends soon. I had to move her out of my room last night to get any sleep because she just wouldn't stop. It makes it tough to stay strong and keep her in there, but I know in the long run it will be for the best.

Other then sleep being non existent right now, the kids are loving her. She seems to fit right in and its nice having her here. She gets the kids outside and active. I am outside all the time too. Oh and my living room has stayed toy free since Brooke knows she can't bring her toys out without the puppy chewing on them! Hopefully by next week we will all be less cranky and getting all the sleep we need.....and maybe not! I can definitely see now why people get a puppy before having a kid, it can really get you ready for a baby.

Now since she is passed out on the couch, I need to creep quietly to my room to get dressed and hope she doesn't wake up. Really...its like a 9 month old. Once you leave, they cry from the separation anxiety. Have a great day!

Preparing For Puppy

We are getting a puppy! This pretty girl pictured is going to be our new puppy. Currently her name is Cocoa that her foster mom named her. I think we are going to keep this name. The top of her head has a brown patch so I think this will fit her well. We went last week on my birthday to look at the 7 puppies who were needing homes. We had a tough decision but finally felt like she was the right one. I learned the other day that she was born the day before Odie passed away. I thought that was kind of interesting.

So, we have been busy here reading and getting ready for the puppy. I have been reading training articles, how to help the puppy sleep through the night and so on. I am thankful I have had a week to get ready for her. I am borrowing a crate from a friend so she can sleep in there at night for now. I am sleeping as much as I can since as soon as she gets here late Friday, no more sleeping through the night for me. I am hoping she catches on quickly what night means. We shall see. I am really not sure what to expect.

We are excited though and nervous. Hopefully the kitties aren't too mad at us! This little on might be a little more of a bother then Odie ever was to them. :)

Out of the mouth of Brooklynn

Brooklynn is very verbal, as most of us know. She has a very active imagination and is one of those children where you often wonder, "where did that come from?!"

So, now I must tell you about a conversation we had the other night. I am slightly worried, lol. Enjoy and hopefully we can all pray for her (and Jess too!)

Brooke: I am the devil's child. He came one night and took me, he put a hole in my belly with his wand. I am so bad that he gave me to God. Then God gave me to you mommy. Only I am too bad for you so you gave me to Nana, then to Grammy. I was still too bad so I went to Nani, then Aunt KK. Aunt KK gave me to Aunt Jess. I am still there. She can handle me even though I am still  bad. She needs me there. She makes me change those dirty baby diapers. They are so stinky. I have to stay and play with that baby too.

Me: Ok. So are you still at Aunt Jess's?

Brooke: Yes.

Enjoy your weekend! :)

Brooklynn got in trouble at school!

This morning I was taking care of a few of my duties at Brooklynn's school when her teacher came to me and told me that Brooklynn is finally coming out of her shell. For those that didn't know and as shocking as this is to those that know Brooke, she didn't talk at school. She didn't talk to the teacher or other kids. She had one friend that she would only play with. She was getting hit some at school and she wouldn't tell anyone. So, I have been working with her about talking to the other kids and the teacher. Brooke always said she felt a lump in her throat when she wanted to talk. So, we worked on it. Her teacher said this week Brooklynn has really come out of her shell which made me feel good. We have been talking about this for awhile so I am glad that she is finally feeling confidant enough to start talking. The teacher then told me that she even had to get onto Brooklynn once for being too loud. I began laughing and told her she didn't know how good that made me feel. Which I know for anyone who knows her, we know just how loud she is. The teacher said she had told other teachers that her class had been so wild she even had to get onto Brooke and the other teachers couldn't believe this little mute kid of mine got into trouble. So, February 8th 2011 will have to be a day to remember, Brooklynn got into trouble at school. I think somewhere I have Ethan's first bad note home from his first school, who would have known it would have been one of many! LOL. :o)