New Baby in the House!

Well, we have some great news! We have a new baby in our house. You may be saying, "Aw, more kids!?" But alas, not a new kid...a new PUPPY! Yes, we have finally given in to our children after 2 years of hounding us for a dog. One of our staff members knew of someone who had puppies and volunteered to get us one. Since it was Thanksgiving week and I knew we'd be gone both Thursday and Friday, I asked that the dog be delievered on Saturday. That would give us plenty of time to prepare for her arrival. Well, as Dulcie and I were driving home from Kingston on Thursday, Jaycee called to tell us the dog had come. Of course she (and the other 3) were so excited all we could hear was screaming and excitement. Once we got home we found a very adorable little black and white puppy that looked like she was only 5-6 weeks old. YIKES! But, thankfully, she had already been weaned and was drinking from a bowl.

Since we were not at all prepared, we scrambled around to find her a "bed"...she sleeps in a RubberMaid bin. The first night was very hard on her...and us. She cried ALL night long. So, the next night we found 2 small stuffed dogs to put in with her, and she slept all night! Thank you, Lord!

Because her head is black with a white stripe down her face, we named her Oreo. The Jamaican kids thought that was hysterical, and no name for a dog, but we like it. It suits her. Some of them are having a hard time with us having a dog in the apartment and loving on her so much. For a lot of them, dogs are only for protection, not playmates. So, we're trying to explain American pets to them.

Oreo is doing well. The vet came and checked her out and gave her a set of immunizations. She's as cute as can be and we are falling in love! If you know our kids at all, you know she is being "loved" to death! It's challenging having a "baby" again, but the kids are getting a good sense of responsibility...and some parenting. (Alyssa has dubbed herself "Oreo's mommy"!) All in all, we're glad for the addition.