New Family Members

We've recently added to our family!! We've wanted a dog that could be a family dog and fit right into our family.  We made a lot of mistakes with Bentley and didn't want to go down that road again.  This time, we did our research and got a 5 month old black lab rescue.  We hadn't intended on going that young but she had the right temperament and was the perfect fit.
To make sure we were getting the right dog, we had my sister help us and she was impressed with how good she was for being so young.  Her name was Emilie Marie and we were going to change her name, but the kids were stuck on it.  So we changed the spelling and middle name to make it Emilee Elizabeth Mitchell.  She's such a sweetheart and we are all in love with her!

Macie was the only family member that wasn't thrilled about getting a dog.  I knew this and had been praying and thinking about it for a long time.  We spoke with her psychologist and she thought it was a great idea.  She wants us to push Macie out of her comfort zone a little bit.  She also said that a lot  of things have had to revolve around Macie and we wouldn't let her decide if we were going to have another child or other life decisions, we would just help her cope.  So that is just what we did!

We set up boundaries and safe places for Macie to be when we brought Emilee home, we assured Macie she would have no responsibilities or be forced to interact with the dog until she was ready, I stuck close by Macie for a day or two, and we planned special time with her during this time.  Well, it wasn't anytime at all and Macie was petting her, giving her treats, filling her food and water bowl, walking her on the leash and even taking the leash on and off!  She sits on the couch next to her and corrects her when she does something she doesn't like.  Because we'd made all of the accommodations we did, she felt safe and secure.  She is on cloud nine and so proud of herself.  Her mneme therapist noticed she was different and asked Macie what had changed in the last week and she said I got a dog and I'm not scared of her!!  I was so happy and proud!

One of the special things we had planned was to get Macie a pet (or 4) that were closer to her speed.  Fish were the perfect fit!  So we now also have Emma, Sandy, Callie, and Fiona.  They are so calming for Macie and she loves to watch them and feed them.

 Lilah is the most obsessed with Emilee but we are all truly in love with her!

I'm so thankful we found Emilee and she has gotten us moving!  Brian and the kids have been taking her on walks and I went this morning.  Right now we are tapped out with animals and our family is full!