So the first piece of news (and if you're your friends with me on Facebook or follow me on Instagram @greenchildcreations) you'll know that we now have a new puppy named Bella (short for Portabella since she'll be my mushroom hunting partner haha, she even has a mushroom shaped ID tag!). She is now 3 1/2 months old and full of sass. Fearless, and quite possibly part flying squirrel, this little lady is quite entertaining!
When Lola passed, I asked her to either find a healthy body and come back to us, or have a hand (paw?) in picking out a new doggy friend for us. After the disastrous rescue dog experience, and deciding to get a puppy instead, I had enough nudges to feel the right choice was going back to Lola's breeder. She had two litters of pups on the way, and we had a lengthy discussion of what our needs are with Kaiden. After the litters were born, she was able to narrow it from 7 female pups, down to two, that she felt would best meet our needs - calm, laid back, super sweet, low to medium energy. Upon meeting the pups, I didn't know which to choose at first. These two pups were equally happy to play with us . . . one looked similar to Lola with the head shape and big ears, and the other had much shorter ears and shorter snout. Both were calm and sweet. I spent a good half hour with them trying to decide. (Lola was easy; she picked us.) Then . . . one of the puppies tripped and fell flat on her face. My first thought was . . . THAT'S my girl, right there. Then later that pup crashed into some other things while playing . . . Lola was not a graceful dog by any means and crashed into EVERYTHING. I tried very hard to keep an open mind and not let my wish for Lola to come back influence my decision, but I started to feel that this clumsy puppy was probably the one we would take home. And then I noticed the other girl was more timid - when Kaiden pushed a large Rubbermaid container across the cement floor, making a lot of loud noise, the timid pup hid in a corner while the clumsy pup wasn't bothered by the noise. Kaiden makes a lot of loud noise; so this helped clinch my choice. This fearless clumsy pup happened to be the one that looked like Lola.
I don't know if it's just because I stay at home now instead of working outside the home, so I have more time to train her, or maybe she's just the smartest pup we've ever had - she is so smart, and so fearless, and she is very good with Kaiden. Even at this young age, she understands she cannot play rough with him like she does with us. He is slowly letting her into his personal space - not always, but sometimes, and that's progress. He is, however, constantly trying to share ALL his toys with her. While he's very rarely ever wanted to share his toys with anyone, let alone a puppy, and I think it's super sweet of him to want to share . . . but it's a battle because he is just not getting the fact that she is a puppy and will chew and destroy anything he gives her. It's not like she doesn't have toys of her own; he will even go get her toys if I ask him to and he enjoys throwing her toys for her to chase.
Back to Lola - so far I've had one person tell me she is definitely not Lola reincarnate, and two people tell me she definitely is Lola reincarnate. Interestingly, it seems like every time I start thinking about Lola, Bella seeks me out. And either she's just super smart (well, rottweilers ARE smart! haha) or possibly maybe she "remembers" some things. I also find it interesting that Lola's main health issue was her heart, and Bella has a tiny white patch on her chest (however, that can be common of any dog breed). Bella looks like adult Lola, but comparing their puppy pics, they are very different (she actually looks more like our male, Carl (RIP), did as a pup), and she often lays on my feet when I prepare food just as Lola did. But then . . . Lola LOVED her walks, and Bella is like, "really, Mom? Do I HAVE to go on a walk?" Lola wasn't a chewer as a puppy and Bella chews on everything! There are enough differences, but just enough similarities that I wonder. Then there were the two lucid dreams in which Lola visited and communicated with me after she passed but before Bella was born. I'm just trying to keep an open mind. Someday I may know, or I may not. Either way, Bella is a good addition to our family. Fun, fearless, friendly, loving, super sweet. (And naughty!)
On to Kaiden - we're winding down the school year - Kaiden's first year of full time, all-day school as a kindergartner. He has made a lot of progress, especially social progress - but he is not yet ready for inclusion into his mainstream class. He still has issues with personal space, and gets agitated when there's too many people around - acts out by hitting other students. :( The funny thing is I thought I'd be fighting the school to do inclusion, but it's the opposite. They are very big on inclusion, but Kaiden's just not ready (or willing).
We are of course still working closely on Kaiden's TNI supplement routine. Today we started Resveratrol, which is supposed to help the brain use acetylcholine more efficiently before it naturally breaks down. Some swear by it for cognitive benefits, some for motor skills. We'll see if it does anything for him . . . or not. Trial and error, as always.
