BABIES, BABIES, BABIES!

We've got loads of new babies around these days.

Congratulations to Shanti on the birth of her first little boy and to Surrender on the birth of his first boy.

Neither itty bitty has been named yet and since were born earlier this week, they will have their naming ceremonies next weekend (or thereabouts)

(edited to add that Surrender is still unable to go back to his village to see or HOLD his new baby boy.  Flooding in his village has made roads literally impassable and he waits - patiently - in Delhi for word that he can make the journey to lay eyes on his little one for the first time.  I feel horrible for him!  These rains are just not stopping and causing so much heartache and damage, both physically and mentally)

We also brought two babies home recently.

We have long thought about getting a dog here in Delhi - a smaller dog than Donut - since one of the the reasons we wanted to find him a better home was because of the lack of space in a flat vs the land/house we left in Ohio.  Donut was a cross between a German Shepherd and a Collie and was pretty dang big.

(I would link you to the posts I wrote surrounding the days of passing our beloved Donut to his new owners back in Ohio, but it would honestly make me teary to re-read them ... so just know that all of our hearts hurt when we handed him over to Jake and Kim ... and that we think about him nearly every day.  If you want to read about it, click to the left on the label section where it says "pets")

A couple of weeks ago, a friend posted a pic of 5 sweet pups that had been born outside of their gate to a street mama.

Ah - they had me at hello.

I gave Husb some puppy dog eyes of my own and we decided to get the kids a puppy ... one that was small ... one that was already "India-fied" and one that would be much loved by our family.

Fast forward to last Saturday when I left the house "secretly" to go pick up SA (pronounced "essay" ... which is short for Special Agent) that the kids had picked out.  Halfway home with the little pookie in my arms, i called Todd to give him an ETA. I told him that there was one puppy left who was so sweet and seemed sad to say goodbye to his brother.  When I said that it was good I already knew which one we had chosen and only had one puppy crate he said "Turn around"

So we went from ONE puppy ... very quickly to TWO.

I love my Husb!

So needless to say, we are celebrating 4 babies in our household these days!

The pups, SA and Lilly with their new vet, Dr. Choudhary

We are admittedly a dog family.  We love our kitties too, but there is something about the dog breath, the loyalty and the adoration that a canine provides.

Mia with her "Lilly Girl"

Welcome to the family, little ones!

(If anyone wants to know, they are SMART dogs .... there must be something in the "street dog gene" that is allowing them to be rockin' the paper training duties and they already respond to our "NO!" direction ... at only 6 weeks and with less than a week in our home!)

Babysitting the fish

Recently, in an effort to soothe the this-will-never-go-away ache of a boy who had to give up his puppy, we decided to get fish.

They don't require much care, the guards could handle feeding them while we were gone this summer, and sure don't require a vacuum cleaner for all of the hair or an electronic fence to keep him away from the deer, rabbits or stray chickens.

We were asked to also babysit two other fish over the summer while our friends were state-side.  No problem!  We'd be happy to!

Right before we left for our cruise, we instructed the guards on how much food to give, how often and we crossed our fingers that the water wouldn't get TOO nasty before we returned.

The night we got back, the poor fish were struggling to swim in the murky, green and clouded water.  A quick trip to the kitchen sink, a rinse of the shells and colorful rocks, a long refill of the water tank and all four fish were happy again.

Right before we left for our trip to Hong Kong, we again instructed the guards on how much food to give, how often and again - crossed our fingers.

This time though, right before we rolled the suitcases out to the car, Husb suggested we add just a bit more water.  I shrugged, and quite weary of having just packed a family of five for a trip that had rain forecasted for the entire trip, said "if you want to, go ahead."

He grabbed an almost empty water bottle from the counter, filled it up and as he was dumping the last of the water into the fish bowl, said "um ... this smells like grape?"

Oops.  Terran had apparently used that bottle to add some Grape Propel powder from Ellen and it didn't get rinsed out properly.

Again, I shrugged my shoulders and said "they'll be FINE ... if fish can survive in the Ganges river, they will be FINE in THAT.


The morning after we got home, while I was still sleeping, Husb quietly disposed of one floater that hadn't taken so well to the grape-flavored recipe.  The kids weren't too broken hearted ... after all, they are just fish.

Later that day, Husb paid said guards for their caretaking of the fish and added lightly "... even though there's dead fish involved."

Apparently, the silence and awkward looks were noticeable.  Kushal finally responded "Sir, how did you know?"


Husb :: What do you mean, how did I know?

Kushal :: How did you KNOW?


Husb :: Because it died.

Kushal :: How did you KNOW that it died?


Husb :: Because I threw it out.  

Kushal :: I don't understand.  The fish were replaced.

Husb :: What do you mean, the fish were replaced?


Kushal :: While you were gone ...


Husb :: You mean, a fish died while we were gone?


Kushal :: Yes - both of them died.


Husb :: Whose fish are in our tank?


Kushal :: Sanjeev didn't want the children to be upset, so he went and bought two fish that looked just like the two dead ones.



Husb :: So you're telling me that three fish have died?

Kushal :: ANOTHER fish died?


Needless to say, we appreciate the efforts of everyone to "do the needful" to make sure our re-entry to home life was remiss of any drama ... but it ends up being a pretty funny story!  


It has since been decided that when our friends return to Delhi, they are getting the two remaining fish (although who can tell if either of them are the originals)!  


Our stint as fish owners is now complete and over.

Emotional Progress

As predicted and soooo hoped for, as the days pass ... the emotional attachment to Donut the Dog is waning. Tony now tells folks - in a very matter-of-fact way - that we had to give away our dog because he wouldn't like India and wanted to stay in the snow.

Both littles got a replacement dog (FurReals) and every chance we get, we love on real puppies from around town.

Donut the Dog is thriving in his new home and we are confident that we made the right decision!

Sad Goodbyes

I won't even try to express what yesterday was like for us.

Donut left yesterday to go live with his new owners and we woke up this morning to what feels like a very empty house.

Tony writing a goodbye message on Donut's treat jar.

That killed me yesterday - as a momma - to watch the dog say goodbye to his boy.

I know it will get better as the days go on. With time, the sharpness of Tony missing his dog will fade.

No comments please ...

Mr. Jagels

Our animals both have a new home!  I got a call from Grandma Mary this afternoon with her acceptance and agreement to take Mr. Jagels!

We are sad, thrilled and relieved all at the same time.

Terran and Grandma Mary have always had a special connection, and I know it will mean alot to him to have his kitty be loved so much.

Jagels won't know what to do with himself without his tail being pulled, being chased around by Donut and living the life of luxury at Grandma Mary's!

Thank you Grandma Mary!!

Donut

News of our need to place Donut with a new home traveled fast. I sent out over 100 emails, and those recipients in turn forwarded the information on.

One of our favorite babysitters let us know that her daughter's brother-in-law was in the market for a new dog and we jumped at the chance to meet them.

J & K arrived on Saturday morning to meet Donut and he was on his best behavior.

We talked a bit about Donut's habits, personality, vaccination record, tendencies and silly things like that he LOVES stealing my chocolate from my bedroom.

They were the sweetest couple, plan to get married this summer and own their home with a fenced in yard.

Donut fell in love with them (and consequently left his mark ALL over their clothes since he's currently shedding his winter coat) and they fell in love with him.

After talking it over with Todd last night, we have decided the J & K are the PERFECT folks to be Donut's new owners. They have a deep love and respect for dogs, seem to "parent" the same way we do, and share our opinion on dogs being outdoor vs. indoors.

Equally as important as a good match, they are willing to respect our need to leave the transfer date open ended for now. They know that we need to get Donut to them sometime the middle of May, but are a-ok with any time between now and then.

What a load has been lifted! It will be a hard day when the moment arrives to hand him over, but they have promised to send emails and photos!

Now, if we could just find a home for Jagels the cat!

Animals.

I have long struggled with the decision on what to do with the animals, and quite frankly am still struggling.

We have Donut the dog who just turned 2 ... and Jagels the cat who is about 7.

While the family enjoys both animals, they are animals that need constant care, attention and love.

When I start to think about taking the animals with us to India, I get very torn between leaving them here and taking them along.

THE FLIGHT:

First, there is the flight. Making sure that they can handle (as I'm sure they can) the 20+ hour flight, with layovers and such along the way.

THE VACCINATIONS:

In order for both of them to be fully vaccinated, I need to get them into the vet on or before March 21st (rapidly approaching). This one is an easy one, as they will eventually need these vaccinations anyway, so I'll make an appointment for them today.

THE HEALTH EXAM:

Both animals must have a health exam, performed by a vet within 10 days of their departure to India. This poses a problem, as we planned to leave the Cleveland area long before our actual flight to India. The same vet that administers the vaccinations also does the health exam.

LIFE IN INDIA:

We are taking two animals from a very lax life with plenty of room to roam, possibly to an apartment with no yard to speak of. Is that fair to a young dog?

We also would like to think that we'll have plenty of opportunities for fun weekend getaways to sightsee and be tourists.

HOME VISITS:

We fully intend to come back to the States at least once a year, with another school break at Christmas that we're not sure about what we'll plan to do. What do we do with the animals then? I don't like the kennel options over there, and I'm not sure I could trust our staff to properly care for them in our absence. Summer break is LONG and Christmas break is about three weeks.

QUARANTINE:

I'm getting mixed responses about quarantine. Apparently, in the past an animal returning to the States would be required to undergo six months of quarantine, with no contact with other animals and only short play times outside of their cages. This does NOT sound good to me at all. Recently though, I've heard that with proper vaccinations prior to their return, they don't require quarantine at all.

FINDING NEW HOMES:

Should we decide to leave the animals here, I am adamant that we find homes with people we KNOW. I do NOT want to simply give the dog/cat to the "first responder" and feel that if we choose to not take them, this is their best option. When we come home, the kids could visit, right?

EMOTIONS:

Todd feels that the animals will help ease the transition. He also feels that the kids will hold it against us if we don't take them along.

I feel that the animals will soon be forgotten members of our family once we get settled in. No one will want to do the kitty litter, just like here at home. Everyone will complain when I ask for poop patrol to be conducted. There will still be muddy paws, hair shedding all over and cat vomit because he eats too much in one sitting.

We'll have to ship in the cat's food, as he is on a special diet ... can only imagine how expensive that will be.

ADJUSTMENT:

I feel like there is going to be enough on my plate in the final weeks here, and in the beginning weeks there. I really think that adding a dog and cat to the mix who are stressed out and unsure of what is going on, is just adding TOO much.

I just am not sure what to think, decide or do.

I am hoping that one day ... in the near future ... I wake up and have an epiphany and the decision will be made and final ... until then this is just causing me angst!