Nori

The Blanton's are expecting again!  It's not what you're thinking, though.  We're expecting a fur baby in March or early April!  She was born on January 27, 2014 and her name is Nori.  Nori Elizabeth, to be exact, according to Natalie.  Nori is a standard godlendoodle and will get to be the size of a standard poodle or small golden retriever.  She is an F1b breed, which means her mother is a first generation goldendoodle and her father is a pure bred standard poodle.  F1b's are less likely to shed, so that's why we went with a goldendoodle that's mostly doodle.  The breeder seems to be very sweet and reliable, she's a stay at home mom who breeds for the love of it only.  She has two males and two females, and each female has only one litter a year.  Most reputable breeders do up to four, I liked that she gives her mamas a good, long break.  The breeder sends weekly pictures of Nori, and this is our first update.  She's still so tiny, her eyes aren't open yet!

I'm sure you're wondering about Andi.  Poor Andi.  When Natalie was almost two, just before Nick was born, we made the tough decision to let Andi go live my Mom.  Andi was starting to exhibit some aggression toward Natalie and we knew, with Nick's pending arrival, I'd have a much harder time trying to referee all my children, furry ones included.  Andi spent most of her days in a small room, behind a doggy gate, with little view of the outside world.  She had no yard to romp in and was only allowed any freedom when I took her to Mom's house.  So, we packed Andi up and sent her to Grandma's, with the understanding that once the children were old enough, we had a new house with a yard, and were ready... Andi would come home.  Well, here we are, in a new house, planning to fence our large yard, the kids are old enough, but Andi isn't coming home.  As it turns out, Andi is the world's most neurotic dog.  She is on anti-anxiety meds and heartburn pills to help her with her nervous tummy and her nerves in general.  She gets really weird when the kids are around, she can't handle their constant boisterousness.  She always loved Mom with all her puppy soul, anyway.  She merely tolerated me.  Andi is happy.

It's that boisterousness that led me to decide on a goldendoodle.  I knew I wanted a doodle mix, and I knew I wanted a large, sturdy dog.  In my research I found that both lab and golden mixes are children friendly, but that golden mixes, in particular, CRAVE the rowdiness of children.  They're incredible pack oriented, loyal, and mild mannered.  They love children flopping on them and wrestling with them, apparently more so than most large breeds.  Sold.  It doesn't hurt that two of the smartest breeds of dogs, arguably the two smartest breeds, are poodles and golden retrievers.  Hopefully, training won't be too hard.

So that brings me to timing.  Why now?  Well, Natalie has been having some nighttime issues and we think the dog might help ease her fears, especially when she grows to her adult size.  Also, Natalie is having an incredibly hard time preparing for Chase's impending trip.  No, I won't get her a dog every time he deploys, but I do think that now, having just moved and with her nighttime anxieties, the pain of her father's absence might be eased by the distraction of a puppy to love and nurture.  The next time he leaves, she'll be almost 6, and hopefully will have better coping skills.  If not, then at least she'll still have Nori!  Chase was worried that Nori might not get a chance to bond with him if we got her too close to his departure date, but this way, getting her in March or April, should give her at least a small amount of time for her to get to know Chase.

Stay tuned, I'll be posting pictures of our new, sweet pup as I get them from the breeder.  We love her already and feel an emptiness that she's not here yet!  It's funny, I feel like I'm nesting again.  At the grocery store yesterday I turned down the pet care aisle, one I haven't visited in two years.  The kids and I looked at treats and food and talked about what it meant to take care of a living being.  We're all so excited!