This is Shiloh. He’s quite the character these days. I feel like I’m saying “no” all the time now. “No, you may not eat that napkin!” “No, stop jumping on the couch!” “No, no barking from your kennel!” And last but not least, “No, stop biting Liv!!”

Shiloh is like a slightly naughty toddler that irritates you with persistent bad behavior while charming you with utter cuteness. He’s teething, which helps explain all the biting and chewing he’s doing, and he’s constantly growing. We’re supposed to feed him two times a day, but when he turns those dark puppy eyes on me while standing by his giant bag of food, I just know he needs a little more to eat. I’m the sucker in the family. And as the big weenie, I am the one Shiloh follows much of the day. Jeremy, the consistent disciplinarian and alpha male, earns all the respect but a little less loving. It’s not fair and I know it.

Shiloh is also the packiest pack dog I’ve ever had. If the family is upstairs, then every fiber of his being wants (no, *needs!*) to be upstairs, too. His place is by our sides and he’s quite the faithful little Coton.

We love our little pooch.

Forgive the poor photo, but I can’t resist posting this shot.

Liv has two questions she asks on a regular basis in the strangest, most monotone voice a five year old can muster. The first is, “What’s behind me?” It’s a strange little game she plays where she asks the question, holds absolutely still and waits for you to answer. Go figure.

The second question is, “Where’s the dog?” Asked in the same odd monotone voice, Livia won’t even look around the room. Somehow it’s your responsibility to locate Shiloh and report back. While Jeremy and I have taken to spontaneously and irrationally asking these questions in return, I ask you to refrain from doing so. Liv’s knowledge of my blogging is limited at best. In fact, I think she believes I’m working when I’m, in fact, blogging. So don’t ruin my secret just yet.

Hey, Internet! Where’s the dog?

Liv was a little sick Saturday. Maybe it was a one-two punch from the garage sale and all the sweets she had eaten the day before. Shiloh was either empathetic or also a little worn out, because he, too, lay around the floor much of the day.

Should a photo-happy mama takes advantage of such cuteness? Definitely.

Our little pup is doing great. He’s seriously the cutest thing ever and adds a new dimension of fun to our home. Recently a friend asked how we’re doing with the dog—and I told her that the dog is far easier than the child! He doesn’t talk back. We can put him in his kennel when he has a potty accident or the when the chaos is getting to me. We don’t have to worry about whether he gets enough fruits and vegetables each day. Etc, etc.

I don’t know if all Cotons are like Shiloh—surely some in his breed aren’t as delightful as he is—but overall, this little pooch is remarkably easy-going. He is quick to learn and is doing really well with potty-training. He likes to be part of the “pack” and will either sleep or work on a chew toy right by our feet. He’s not a lap dog, but being close to our legs satisfies him. He loves people, so much so that I have to keep him away from joggers and school kids so he doesn’t go home with them. Still in the puppy stage, Shiloh definitely nips with us a lot. But even then, we find that he responds well to a sharp “No!” The hardest thing is training Livia to understand that a playing puppy means a biting puppy. Liv moves quickly from playing hard with him (wrestling, she calls it) to shrieking in pain from a particularly sharp chomp. It seems like we have to separate them like a parent would any two children. “You, on the couch! You, in the kennel!” Okay, so it’s not really like two children.

At a doctor’s appointment yesterday, Liv was asked if she had any brothers or sisters. (My not-so-favorite line of questioning, as I recently shared.) She said, “I have a baby dog. A baby BROTHER dog!” I had to smile.

In light of the last post on the frustrations of infertility (thank you, by the way, to everyone who commented), I have to point out that this photo captures the grace of God in my life. He gave me Livia almost five years ago and for that I am a kind of grateful that words can’t accurately describe.

Jeremy and I walked into Jewish Family Service in Omaha about seven years ago in order to get approved for adoption by the state of Nebraska. Our social worker expressed a bit of surprise at my age—and I laugh now thinking of it—because apparently it was a rarity to interview a 24 year old for a homestudy. No kidding! Adoption is usually the second option compared to the first, which is pregnancy. But I praise God that he had prepared my heart for adoption years before, and that he gave me a husband who was willing to adopt as well. I mean really, I cannot imagine my life without Livia Raine. As many times as I say “no” and she says “yes,” as many times as I have to tell her to PUT THE DOG DOWN!, as many times as I stumble mentally to find creative ways to entice/encourage/promote obedience within her, Livia brings unspeakable joy to my heart.

Two years after the homestudy was completed, a baby girl needed a home. After so much wondering of the future (on my part, I don’t know that Jeremy felt the same way), after lots of tears and the greatest doubts of faith I had ever experienced, we received a simple email that sent us well on our way to parenthood. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

Thank you, God, for the joy you have given me.

Getting a puppy feels similar to adding a baby to our home. The dishes have piled up on the counter (even though my mom has washed them several times for me), the beds are unmade, toys are left all over the floor. But as with human babies, dog babies are freakishly adorable. And our pup is no exception. Shiloh’s sweet puppy face and silly puppy antics make up for the discomfort of disrupted routines and lack of housekeeping. He’s just so darn cute.

Internet, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Mucho doggies photos are in your future (which is why Jeremy added a Shiloh category for my blog posts).

Here are the five steps of The Child/Dog Meet-and-Greet.

1) Profound excitement at first glance.

2) Slight anxiety at crazy puppy antics.

3) “Whoa, there.” Mounting distress at crazy puppy antics.

4) Dog calms down.

5) Acceptance is given, love is exchanged, vows of lifelong petting and companionship are uttered.

The End.

That is, the end until tomorrow when I post more photos of Shiloh.

Liv is the kind of kid who chooses to play with pets over other kids. We’ll go to someone’s house to play and if she spies a cat or dog, forget her little buddies! It’s all about the furry creatures. Needless to say, she’s been asking to be a “pet owner” for a l-o-n-g time.

So we decided to get her a small critter for her birthday.

And after rotating through everything from Madagascar hissing cockroaches to rats, we settled on… a dog. We had two specifications in mind. 1) The dog had to be kid-friendly because s/he was going to get a lot of loving from an almost-five year old. 2) The dog needed to be as hypoallergenic as possible since several family members are allergic to pet dander.

Details of our plan fell together quickly this last week and it all culminated in a roadtrip yesterday to pick up our 10 week old Coton de Tulear named Shiloh. We told Livia that Daddy had the day off and we were planning to have a picnic and a few adventures. Halfway through our drive we handed her an early birthday gift. Here is her response:

Now taking it all in…

Sheer delight.

And finally, a Mommy-induced pose.

Livia had a wonderful surprise today in honor of her fifth birthday next week. As you can see, we’re already putting the newest Tredway to work in the yard.

When I get a chance, I’ll post more photos and blog the story of our day.