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!

Fall Fun and A Snow Leopard

 Here are some fun pictures of our annual leaf pile that the kids always enjoy! Luckily, I was able to get it all bagged up before our snowstorm last weekend. I also love how my daughter Rabbit is not too old to join in the fun by laying in the leaves and Sea Horse's attempt at trying the big kid swing. Owlette was so proud and cheered her on! I really enjoy this season of the year and the memories it brings!

Fall also tends to bring new cubs into our den! On October 19th, we began care three days a week for a 2 1/2 year old little Snow Leopard. She is a big fan of our animals and gets so excited when she sees them. She often says "Ace out?" when our dog is resting in his kennel and also loves to follow the cats around when they come downstairs for food at the end of the day. We recently had our laser pointer out to play with the cats, and she tried catching the little red light just like a cat would. It's for this reason and the very light color of her hair that we came up with Snow Leopard. We had several animal names picked out as choices, but her parents liked this name the best. We think it fits well, and she is a very sweet, lovable new friend. Owlette has enjoyed having another playmate. We enjoyed the nice weather outside on her first day and were able to capture a group picture of all the cubs together.

This is our crew! Our newest cub was born on October 14th and will be joining us in December. His dad has already requested that we call him Hippo, lol! Looking forward to experiencing some new adventures as we near the end of this crazy year!

Beluga's Short Visit

We had the wonderful privilege to care for a little 22 month old in September. Her time here was very short, but it was also a very rewarding and special experience for us. We began care for little Beluga on September 14th knowing she was a foster child and her time here would be temporary. We named her Beluga because she had a full head of black hair, and her foster mom had to pull it up into a pony tail which she called her little whale spout.  

We expected to have her a bit longer than we did, but things unexpectedly changed and her care ended on September 23rd. She went to live with her biological aunt and sister. Our two weeks with her were a gift to us since we were able to care for and bless a little one who has faced some challenges in her short life. It was very eye opening and heart breaking to have a small window into the foster care system and what little ones must face. It also makes me appreciate so much more those who choose to be foster parents.

 We connected well with Beluga's foster parents and were able to work together with them to help her with some of her little challenges and give her a safe place to play each day. She blossomed here in just a few short days, learning how to say, "yes" instead of "no" and knowing that she was being understood, heard, and validated. Her foster mom said she got so excited each morning when she knew she was coming to Miss Karen's house.

We are unable to show pictures of her face, so we tried to capture some candid shots of her time with us and the way she interacted with our other cubs. They all got along so well and welcomed their new little friend each day she came.

It's amazing how you can bond with a little one in just a very short time. We were very saddened to see her go, but know it's for the best to be with her family members. We pray many prayers of blessing and protection over Beluga as she embarks on a different journey. She will be missed and hold a special place in our hearts.

Tortoise Treads On

We've had some more changes around the den recently. Our cub Tortoise, who we've had since he was two months old, recently started attending preschool this past August. We have so enjoyed getting to have him in our care for the past three years, and we will miss him dearly! His last months in our care were especially wonderful as his vocabulary exploded and he explored a love for doing puzzles with K-Bird. We talked to him a lot about going to preschool, which he embraced and talked about often as his "new adventure"! There are so many fond memories we have of him. We love how he said "my" instead if "I" or "I'm." He is so empathetic and attentive to people and how they are feeling, especially if someone is hurt or isn't feeling well. We taught him how to take deep breaths when he is upset, which was a great reminder for all of us as well, especially this year. His laughter is absolutely contagious and so is his cheesy grin! His personality is so bright and special, and he is so very loved!

After he went to preschool, we visited him at his house and got to see his two new kittens, Mochi and Kimchi. We also got to see all his toys, which he was thrilled to show us, and K-Bird got the chance to do puzzles with him again. We also had the pleasure of babysitting him recently over a weekend, and it was wonderful to have him back and spend time together! We hope to continue to have visits in the future, and we can't wait to see where Tortoise's "new adventure" takes him! We hope this isn't goodbye, but only "see you later"!

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!