Biggest Surprise of the Year!!

We have a new addition to our family.  And no, I'm not talking about the baby.  We got a dog!!!

Rob and I have been talking about getting a dog since Christmas, but I wanted to hold off for several reasons:
1.I still had a two-year-old to potty train and I knew I would soon have a newborn to take care of.
2.I am allergic to most dogs, so it would have to be a hypoallergenic dog.
3. I don't have a lot of experience training dogs, and I was nervous to be the one responsible for the care of a dog.
4. I did not want a dog that would chew up my stuff or a dog that would bite my kids or a dog that would pee and poop all over my house.

On the other hand, both Rob and I wanted a dog that our kids could grow up playing with and loving.  Also, taking care of a dog could help teach our kids responsibility.

So last Wednesday, Daddy came home with a big surprise--a dog!! He surprised all of us (including Mom) with a cute little male shih-tzu puppy named Tank.  He is small and fluffy and cute.  I love him because he is not yippy or hyper, but very sweet and cuddly.  He follows me around the house and sits by me on the couch. 

 The girls were absolutely beside themselves with excitement.  Dad walked into the house with the dog and Claire looked at him skeptically and said "That's not our dog." And Dad nodded to say that yes it is.  Claire said "REALLY?! Is it one that Mom's not allergic to?"  She was so excited. She calls the dog "Tanky Tanky."

Evie loves the dog, and mostly shows her love physically.  She squeezes the dog, picks up the dog, lays on the dog, etc. And if she doesn't know where he is, she says "Doggy! Doggy! Doggy! Where da doggy?"

We took the dog outside to get to know him a bit and Hallie said "If this is a dream, I'm going to be really sad." And a few minutes later, inside the house, she again said "I'm so glad this isn't a dream!"

The baby and the dog are approximately the same size.

We love our new dog! Welcome to the family, Tank!