Meet Jax!

It was last Tuesday afternoon when Babe decided we needed to go to the mall for a couple of things.  When we didn't find basketball shoes for Nas we were about to leave when I decided I wanted a pretzel. As we left the pretzel shop, Babe spotted a pet store across the hallway so of course we should stop in. The store had the exact breed we were hoping to get next spring: Havanese puppies. They had a bunch of different breeds and there were several people looking at the puffy little ones in the front window. I walked away to look at the Havanese, but Babe stayed behind, his eyes fixed on a kennel with a few of the puffy puppies that were also out front.

"Come look at this puppy!" Babe said sounding like he was a young boy all over again.  I went over to see what he was looking at. "What kind of puppy is that?" He asked the store employee.

We found out the puppy was a Bichon-Shih Tzu mix - also known as "Teddy Bears" - and he was awfully cute.

"Would you like to hold him?" the store employee asked.

"Uh no. I'm not going to fall for that," Babe replied.  With that I figured we would be leaving.  Instead we walked around the store for a few more minutes, and I found we were standing in front of that puppy again.  "Okay, can I just hold him for a minute?" Babe caved.

If you saw Babe in the little 'play room' with that adorable little bundle of fur and that teddy bear face, you would've gone to the end of the Earth to make sure he and Babe never parted. Babe and I went back and forth about whether it was a good time to get a puppy, if the breed would be a good match for our family, how awful we knew it was to buy a puppy from a pet store, how much this cute little puppy would cost us. I think it's safe to say I was set - If Babe wanted to get this puppy, we were getting the puppy because I had only seen him smile like THAT on the day our babies were born and on our wedding day.

After calling the pet store to let them know he would indeed be picking up the puppy in the window, Babe had me create a list of things we would need (gotta love Google!). Meanwhile, I had to keep the surprise quiet because the kids had NO idea we were getting a puppy.  I took them to Wendy's to get something for dinner - I was way too anxious to plan and prepare a meal after all. We got home, ate dinner, then watched some "Phineas and Ferb".  Then I heard the garage door open and told the kids to go hide! They obliged probably because we do random weird things like hide from each other in an effort to scare the bejesus out of the other.

Babe walked in and Nas was first to spot our new addition. He promptly took the puppy into his arms and held him close. Jay squealed in excitement about how cute the puppy was. Fortunately I had my video camera ready and got the entire scene recorded. Babe was all smiles, the kids were so happy you would have thought it was Christmas already! I was thrilled to have the cutest puppy on the block to call our very own and that I could witness this moment with my family.

Jax has been with us for just over a week now and he's been a fun little guy, although he is a lot of work. We're first time puppy parents - I grew up with dogs but I had very little responsibility for them so I'm pretty clueless about puppy rearing - so we're all learning but we're doing it together. Jax was named after the character on "Sons of Anarchy" primarily because we like the name: short, simple, and of course Babe loves that it - like his and our kids' - starts with a "J". I feel like a new mom all over again and I couldn't have asked for a better fur son! This blog will journal my experience as a first time puppy parent. I know Jax will keep it interesting!