Love That Max : Pets and kids with special needs

Monday, January 31, 2011

Meet our new Puppy

While I was at the Blissdom Conference, the kids acquired a fish. Not quite the addition to the family I'd been dreaming of while I was away, but still, a thrill.

A Siamese Fighting Fish is far less of a shock to come home to than a dog, which is what happened to my friend Jill at Scary Mommy when she went to BlogHer. Evidently, there is something about blogger conferences that inspires your family to run out and get pets while you're gone.

Sabrina's named him Puppy, which sure beats what the kids named our last fish: "Fish" (Sabrina) and "Ish" (Max). Hopefully, I won't send this little guy off to that big fishbowl in the sky. Already there was some drama today; it suddenly occurred to me at around 4:00 to ask Sabrina if she'd fed him that morning, just two pellets like she was supposed to. And then I was all wracked with guilt that it took me most of the day to remember that she was supposed to feed him. Thankfully, she did. Tonight, I caught her giving him more pellets. "He needs a bedtime snack!" she explained.

Max is mesmerized by Puppy and, miraculously, doesn't even mind that he's blue and not purple. He stands there and just watches him swimming around and around, despite Sabrina's charming habit of shrieking "DON'T TOUCH MY FISH!" Even if we manage to keep feeding him, the poor fish may drop dead of a heart attack.

I'm already thinking about who's going to keep reminding Sabrina to feed him (she is six, after all), who's going to change the water, who's going to be the one to shout "OH NO! PUPPY!" when we're halfway en route to the airport for our next vacation. It's not the responsibility, per se—it's just one more thing that I have to remember to do, because I am this household's central databank.

And now you are all thinking, This is the woman who wants a third kid?!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Should we get a dog?

This weekend, my college friend Jori, her husband and their adorable twin three-year-old boys came to visit. They brought their dog, too, and Max basically followed her around all weekend. He was fascinated by her. I don't know what kind she was, just of the large and slurpy variety.

Over the years, several people have remarked that a dog would be "good" for Max. As far as I know, a dog is good for any kid, basically, or any family. We've been considering it.

As some of you may have heard, I am a goldfish killer wanted in 14 states. OK, I am not wanted, but I was responsible for sending our two to that big fishbowl in the sky. Obviously, it would be harder to do a dog in. But we're not sure we're up for taking on the responsibility.

I know, I know. I can't decide whether or not to have a third kid. I can't decide whether or not to get a dog. I am obviously hopelessly indecisive about little life decisions like this.

My favorite breeds of dogs are the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, above.