New Beginnings and New Chapters

The start of  a new year often brings new beginnings!  It's only been a few months since our last update, but we've turned the page of another year with some new changes. Some of our chapters have ended and new chapters have begun. The last few months of 2020 were definitely busy with the holidays, and we experienced a few more transitions to round out this very unique year. 

We had Shark come back to visit us for a few weeks over Christmas break and also watched a very sweet and special, little guy named Beaver, who is very focused when it comes to using his fine motor skills to put things together. Both were here on a short-term basis while we waited for our newborn Hippo to begin care in December. We also had a delightful visit with Lady Bug over the Christmas break which was a lot of fun!

Two month old Hippo joined our den on December 16th. His name fits him pretty well. Even though he wasn't a big baby like his dad predicted, he's got a pretty bald head with cute little wrinkles. He is a very easy going baby so far and loves to eat, sleep and cuddle. All our other cubs have adjusted well to having a new baby here and often give him loving snuggles.

Last, but not least, our biggest change occurred last week when we said our goodbyes to Owlette. She has been with us for three and a half years, but ventured on her own new chapter to begin preschool. She was very excited about it considering her long time buddies, Piglet and Tortoise, already began their journey last year. She was such a delight to have in our care and was extremely eager to be our BIG helper all the time. She'd assist with getting Mr. Lion his yogurt or lunch, help the babies with their needs, and often wanted to be the one in charge, lol!  We miss her terribly already, but look forward to some future visits with our little leader and snuggler. We were able to get some great group pictures with her before sending her off with goodbye hugs. She wanted to make sure we included everyone, even Kangaroo's girlfriend.

We pray blessings on all these little ones and look forward to a new year!

Little Shark

Just thought I'd post an update! We've had a little friend visit us the last two weeks of July while his regular provider was on vacation.  It was fun to get to know him during our short time together.  We named him Shark because he he wore a lot of outfits with sharks on them while he was here. He loved to play with our ball tower and trucks, had a Blippie snuggle doll, and loved to eat fruit, especially berries. We especially enjoyed the way he would belt out in laughter over the most random things. He grew quite fond of little Sea Horse while he was here and loved to sit next to her or give her hugs. I love the group pictures we were able to capture while he was here. The kids all got along well!

 

We also had an unexpected change with Red Panda. She was only with us for a few short weeks because her parents received a call that a daycare center, which they were interested in since she was born, had a spot open up for her. They really struggled with making the change so soon after she began here and adjusted to us, but knew for the long-term they wanted her to be there for her preschool years. We were thankful for the short time we had her here and enjoyed her special personality.

Little Miss Platypus resumed full-time care in August, and we have really enjoyed having her back. She is only 8 months old and trying to stand by herself and take some brave steps. It's amazing to see how much she has grown. Little Swan is moving to a drop-in schedule since her family recently hired a nanny to help with all three girls in their family so mom can help run the family business. She asks for us often, so they are bringing her on an occasional basis. Our little Tortoise friend has moved on to preschool, and we miss him so very much! He will always hold a very special place in our hearts. In the meantime, we are enjoying our time with all the cubs and look forward to welcoming them back after taking the past week off. We look forward to fall and the adventures it will bring us!