The entry falls under the heading of "TMI"

Warning. . . . if you have a weak stomach you might not want to finish reading this entry

Consider yourself warned.

I had a great day with Noah (who is on winter break from preschool for the next two weeks). He helped me pick out anniversary cards for my parents, played a bit, and then we had a "big boy" lunch at a fantastic Mediterranean place with my mom and Auntie Arlene. Not wanting to cook or hang out at home tonight we took Noah to the mall where he had dinner and rode the merry-go-round together. It was a nice evening. Until we got home.

Noah had not had a poopy diaper all day. No big deal. So we got home from the mall, got him undressed for his bath, and then he ran around the house naked like he does every night. Next thing we know, he is standing in the kitchen next to Dan and I and there is a big turd on the floor (at least he had the good sense to do it on the tile and not our newly cleaned carpet). While Dan and I were trying to process the fact that our son has just pooped on the floor, our lovely dachshund Elie came into the kitchen, put the turd in his mouth, AND CARRIED IT INTO OUR FAMILY ROOM AND ATE IT! When he was finished, he just looked at the three of us with this shit-eating grin on his face, as if to say "what's the big deal."

It's been an hour since this happened and we are still stunned. And repulsed. And it goes without saying that neither one of us wants Elie licking our faces (or any other body part) this evening.

It's Hanukkah Time!

And needless to say Noah has been having a blast. For the first night of Hanukkah we had family over and had a nice Shabbat dinner complete with homemade for latkes which were a huge hit with everyone, including Noah. Dan and I got Noah one big gift which we gave to him on the first night: A bike, complete with training wheels and an Elmo helmet with knee and elbow pads. Noah was so excited and he tried riding his new bike all over the house. The next morning we took it to the park but he didn't want to wear the helmet nor did he want either one of us to help him with the pedals. When I tried to help him he said "No help mommy, I'm a big boy." Whatever. He is determined to figure out how to pedal the bike on his own without help from Dan or I.

Since the latkes were so good I was asked to make another batch for the second night of Hanuakkah which we spent with extended family. 10 lbs. of potatoes took 2.5 hours to make. But it was worth it. Noah had so much fun! He got to make a gingerbread house with his cousins and he received so many cool things for Hanukkah, including new Wiggle pj's, a Bob the Builder tool kit and a cowboy dress up outfit. It was nice being with family and it's fun creating traditions with Noah the revolve around the holidays such as lighting the Menorah or saying the blessings. Enjoy the pictures!

I believe these pictures speak for themsevles

We've starting potty training with Noah and so far he is enjoying the process. His Nana bought his some Wiggles underpants (which he LOVED) and I told him that if he went on the potty he would get a special treat. As you can see from the pictures, Wiggles underwear and M&M's are proving to be quite the incentive. So far, he has not actually gone in the potty but he is clearly enjoying the process.

P.S. Those are WIGGLES slippers Noah is wearing and he is reading a WIGGLES coloring book.

Noah News!

I realize that it has been a while since I posted a real Noah update but life sometimes gets in the way I guess.

Noah. . .where to begin. For starters, the kid talks NONSTOP. Full conversations. With Dan and me as well as with himself. Most of what he says is understandable, but sometimes Noah lapses into Noah-ese right in the middle of an otherwise coherent conversation. Noah also repeats just about anything he hears as evident by something he repeated last night in the car. Let's just say that Dan insisted what he said was "shoot." Noah apparently heard something else. And I think it is also pretty clear which parent his verbal skills came from. From the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to bed the kid is talking.

In addition to talking, Noah sings. If we're not playing the music he likes in the car, Noah will sit in the backseat and sing his favorite songs to himself. His greatest hits include "Fruit Salad" and "Big Red Car" by the Wiggles and "C is for Cookie" from Sesame Street. It's a riot listening to him go at it. Also in his repetoire are the "ABC's" and the Motzi over bread. The Motzi is a particular favorite and this is something we have to sing every night as a part of his bedtime ritual.

The one thing we struggle with is behavior at mealtimes, and if we could afford to eat in restaurants every night we would since Noah's behavior seems to be a lot better in restaurants. Noah barely touches his breakfast and dinner at home. However his teacher told me that after he is done eating lunch at school he goes around the classroom eating everyone else's leftovers. They also have a rule that you must stay in your seat at lunch. But my son figured a way around this. . . .he sits in his seat and uses his feet to pull himself around the room. His teacher said that it's hard for them to get mad at Noah because technically he is staying in his seat. Needless to say he discovered the fine art of working around the rules.

What else is Noah into these days. . . still loves the Wiggles (Doo-wah). But his tastes are expanding and now include Dora the Explorer and Bob the Builder. In fact, if you ask Noah what his daddy's name is he will say "Bob the Builder." He also likes the show Ugly Betty and when it's on TV he'll sit and watch with me. Noah also LOVES going to the park and feeding the ducks and today he could not get enough of the slide. Anything he can do outside interests him and now that the weather has cooled off we try to go outside everyday. Noah is and continues to be a BUSY and active boy who always seems to be going about 110 MPH.

Below are some of our favorite pictures of Noah over the last fewmonths, including some from the pumpkin patch and one from Halloween. . . .we had to bribe him with ice cream to get him to agree to try the costume on. He was the cutest spider!

A LONG overdue update

Needless to say, it's been a while folks.

In a nutshell, life can be summed up pretty succinctly.

August: The JCC Maccabi Games were great and we hosted two fabulous kids from Akron Ohio.

September: My job was eliminated and I became unemployed. Noah turned two and I turned 30. And by the way, all of this happened in the same week.

October:Still unemployed.

I was asked recently how I am spending my days since I am not working and Noah is in school all day. I workout. Occasionally I meet friends for lunch. I try to spend a few hours each day looking for jobs and then applying for them. Not only have I been cooking dinner, but I have been making more of an effort than I do when I am not working. I also watch Oprah. I like being at home, but the novelty wears off once the the severence runs out.

If anyone wants to hire me please email me through my profile. . . . .

Happienss to Noah is. . .

Birthday cake and musical entertainment.

Noah had a birthday party today for his friend Molly. Not only did he get to see his friends but Mr. John the music teacher from the JCC was there to entertain the kids. Noah "rushed" the stage and then hung out with Mr. John like a groupie. He had so much fun and was such a ham throughout the entire set. The other parents were even amused. Noah danced, sang (loudly) and even threw out a couple of requestions (the 'Oo-ah'/Monkey song from the Wiggles).

Then there was cake. Noah didn't just eat the cake. . . he stalked it. Whenever we weren't looking Noah went over to the kitchen island where the cake was on display. He'd walk around the cake and try to stick his finger in it. Then he kept asking us for cookies because the cookies were on the same table as the cake. This gave him another opportunity to admire the cake and plan his attack. In the end, his efforts were thwarted. Noah also enjoyed the party because they had a piano and he got to play (re. bang) on it for a while. My little Mozart.

In other Noah news, he is doing great! Talking up a storm, running, jumping, swimming, and just being an active little boy. He started Gymboree this morning and had a blast with all the climbing toys. He is also getting more and more interested in books and loves looking at picture books at night before bed. We are SLOWLY introducing the potty to him although right now he is more interested in watching me go to the bathroom and trying it himself. When I'm finished Noah likes to flush the toilet and wave "bye-bye" to whatever is in the bowl. It also appears that Jewish preschool is paying off. Last week we were talking to Noah about Shabbat. We asked his what his favorite part of the holiday was and he said, "challah." He also likes to sing the song "Shabbat Shalom" and then enthusiastically pumps his fist in the air and yells "hey!" Every day is something new.

About the Brittney interview

Since everyone knows that I am celebrity news junkie and I am going to share with you my thoughts on the Brittney Spears interview. It's so bad I'm having a drink while I watch it.

1. She looks trashy with her boobs hanging out. Sloppy, trashy, and lazy. I understand that she is pregnant, but if part of the idea of this interview was to prove that is a capable mom she is not exactly exuding confidence.

2. In some a ways I feel sorry for her. But driving with the kid on her lap and in the forward facing carset all slumped over is just irresponsible. First she said it was because the media was chasing her. Then she said it was becasuse she's country. Honey, pick an excuse and stick with it.

3. Tabloids are part of the problem, but I do think she attracts the attention sometimes. See above.

4. Spit out the gum. You're on national TV. It doesn't make you look classy.

5. You can't justify your actions by saying that your "country" and then get upset because people call you a redneck or white trash.

I spent so much time typing that I can't think of a title.

It's not Noah's party but damnit, he'll cry if he wants to.

We went to a birthday party yesterday for one of Noah's friends and he had a blast. He ate lunch (fruit, hotdogs, chips) and was introduced to the virtures of Cheetos by his friend Drew. Mr. John (the music teacher from the JCC) was there entertaining the kids with his guitar and Noah was dancing with his friends and having a grand old time. It was hotter than two pigs in heat on their wedding night but Noah could have cared less, especially when they brought out cake.

Anyway, Noah was sitting and eating cake with three of his friends and they looked so cute that I decided to put a festive party hat on Noah's head. That's when he lost it. As evidenced by the above picture. And for the record, I took the hat off as soon as Noah started crying and he just kept on crying. It should also be noted that his checks are not flushed from the heat but orange from the Cheetos. I just think this picture is funny. So funny that I might have to use this picture on his birthday invitation. . .and at his Bar Mitzah and wedding. Who needs the token naked baby pictures when you have angry-cheeto-eating-party-go'er?

It as at this point that I would like to take a moment and express my complete and utter loathing of Phoenix in June. And probably July, August, and part of September. It's hot. And miserable. And it's completely unnatural for it be be 100+ degree at 10am. Or 96 degrees at 10:30 p.m. (which it was the other night). It was 112 - 1113 degrees this weekend. Which is normal for Phoenix in June but still miserable. My APS bill is going to be insane this month because we are slaves to air conditioning. I know that I should be used to the AZ heat since I grew up here but I'm not. I want to be able to get into my car and not burn my leg on the hot seat belt. I want to walk from point A to point B without breaking a sweat. Yeah, it's nice that it's a dry heat, but it's still really hot.

In other news, we moved into the new house and are getting settled. Most everything is unpacked and so far Noah is loving having a bigger space to run around in. His favorite hobby of late is drinking (milk) and driving (his hot wheels) around the house. Through in a little Do-Wah (Wiggles) and he he's a happy camper.

Here's another picture of my little coach potato. Channel surfing like a typical man while wearing his favorite sleep shirt. . .his Wiggle "Sailing Around the World" concert tee.

Starving Students: The Best Move You've Ever Had (NOT!)

This blog is mainly about Noah and his antics but tonight I feel it necessary to use this blog as a tool to exact revenge against Starving Students Movers. I realize that there are maybe 10-15 faithful readers of my blog, but if I can protect them from this company I will have done my job.

We hired Starving Students Movers about a month ago to handle the move into our new house. They're licensed and bonded, and a friend from work had used to them when she moved and had a good experience. Dan made the reservation with them and then called to confirm with them earlier in the week. We had arranged for them come Saturday morning and move the furniture from the old house to the new house. Simple, right?

We signed all the papers yesterday for the house and our realtor called at 3:45 p.m. to tell us that the papers had been filed with the county, the house was legally ours, and to come get the key. At 3:50 p.m. the phone rings and it is Starving Students Movers. They picked this moment to inform Dan that they needed to cancel our move because they didn't have enough staff for the weekend and the earliest they could reschedule us would be sometime next week. Mind you, we've taken three days off from work for the move and we have to be out of this house May 31. Rescheduling was not an option. So I got on the phone and asked to speak with a manager. I explained the situation and asked what they were going to do to help rectify the situation since they were canceling on us with 36 hours notice on a holiday weekend because they could not efficiently managing their staffing. The jerk told me that it wasn't his problem, it was my problem. I asked if he could recommend another company and he gave me the name of some guy who only accepts cash and check (that's not happening). I told him that I would be reporting him to the Better Business Bureau and he said, "you and about 30 other people." Then I hung up. Asshole.

The good news is that I while I was fuming Dan opened the Yellow Pages and with one call managing to find a company willing to do our move (yes they are licensed and bonded). Whether they show up on time is another story but it's better than nothing. And while Dan was on the phone I was emailing my complaint to the BBB. The moral of this story. . . . Starving Students deserves to starve and they will not be getting their pizza and beer money from us.

Hell Hath No Fury Like A Noah Scorned

The past week has been completely crazy but a lot of fun at the same time. We went to Denver last weekend to see my sister and Noah was great from the moment we left until we got home. This is the first time we have flown with him since he was 8 weeks old and if you do didn't know better you would have thought he was a frequent flier. We talked, looked out the window, and looked at books. Dan on the other hand does not travel as well as Noah. He had to purchase Direct TV on the plane because the Cavs/Wizards game was apparently the only way to keep him entertained.

While we were in Denver we went to the Aquarium, walked around downtown, shopped and just relaxed together. We also went to the Denver Children's Museum. Noah was completely disinterested most of the exhibits except for the indoor kids basketball court (where he practiced shooting) and the fire engine. Noah got to "drive" the engine and push the button for the siren. Pretty cool. We also went to ESPN Zone for dinner Saturday night so we could watch game seven of the Suns/Laker series. Dan and Noah loved the fact that we had our own TV screen at the table and we tried to teach Noah to boo whenever Kobe Bryant on the screen. Except my sister said this was a bad idea because people in Colorado are sensitive about the Kobe-rape thing. Either way it was fun.

We also learned that Noah is developing his assertiveness. Right now he has four sentences: "doggie no," "go away doggie," "doggie no," and "Do-wah bye-bye." My sister brought her dog (a bull terrier) the hotel and he Noah and the dog were playing. The dog knocked Noah down and Noah bumped his head on the coffee table. I was holding him and he was crying hysterically. All of a sudden Noah stopped crying, turned his head, pointed his finger at the dog, and yelled "no!" And the dog, Dan, Karie, and I just stood there in awe. Noah wasn't hurt, he was pissed.

In other news, this week I was invited to Noah's class for a Mother's Day Brunch. It was very sweet. The kids had bagels and cream cheese, and pancakes with whipped cream and sprinkles. Noah played on the slide and then rushed to the front of the room during the motzi so he could be in front of the class and at the head of the food line. He then proceeded to eat absolutely everything in site. It was messy, but a lot of fun and I'd like to think he had fun with me there too. I thought he looked particularly handsome in his official Israel Football League (soccer) shirt!

Enjoy the pictures!

Pictures of our new house

Here are pictures of the new house and we close on May 25th. Though excited about the house I am starting to get nervous about the fact that we have not started packing yet.

This is the front. Except right now the grass is starting to turn brown because in Arizona there is winter grass and summer grass, and I guess in Arizona summer grass turns brown in the summer. And the for sale sign is still up but they have added a signed that says "sale pending." The remaining pictures are: the kitchen and formal living room, the formal living room, and the kitchen.

It's Wiggly Party!

Today was the day. The much anticipated Wiggles Concert. But the day got off to a rocky start.

I took Noah to the doctor yesterday and she thought that he might be in the beginning stages of croupe (no fever just a wounded seal cough). We were given a prescription for a steroid and told to run the humidifier and if Noah got worse to start giving him the medicine. Poor kid was a mess when he woke up this morning. Low grade fever and and the wounded seal cough. We were so excited to take him to this concert and the tickets weren't cheap so we didn't want them to go to waste. So we gave him a bath, the steroid, lunch, and a nap. By 3:45 p.m. he was better and well enough to go to the show.

Noah had a ball! He and his friend Josh wore matching Wiggle shirts and definately "fit in" with the rest of the fan base. It's hard to tell if he would have been more into the concert if he had felt 100% but we think he enjoyed himself and was just trying to make sense of everything going on around him. Noah's used to seeing The Wiggles on TV and not live and in person. There were tons of kids, singing, dancing, and even the prices at the merchandise booth were reasonable. At each seat was a Wiggles booklet with stickers and Noah held onto it for the entire show and got mad if we took it away. It was interesting to see all the signs and props that the kids (re. Parents) brought with them. For example, the red Wiggle plays the guitar so one kid made him a homemade guitar and they put it on stage (made the rest of us moms look bad!). Kids brought dog bones for Wags the Dog (they were donated to a shelter) and tons of fake and real roses for Dorothy the Dinosaur (she eats them). We had fun and I know that Noah and his friend Josh had a good time. Dan and I felt like we got our money's worth and it was such a good feeling to see Noah happy to be there. He was also in a great mood when we left and held our hands as we walked through downtown Phoenix to get to the car.

After the show we went with our friends to dinner and the boys had a blast. They ate, they babbled, and then they goofed off afterwards. It was a nice evening and Noah is feeling much better. At one point we were worried because his voice was so hoarse that he could barely whisper. We gave him some juice and within minutes was YELLING at cars as they drove by. Right now he is asleep and wearing his brand new Wiggles "Sailing Around the World" concert tee as a night shir since the smallest child size they had was an extra-small. In addition to the Wiggles sports bottle we also bought Noah a souvenir that combines his two great loves: A Wiggles ball.

Dan's Nightmare

Dan's worst nightmare has come true: Noah broke the remote control. The fancy one in the living room that controls the TV and the DVR. Dan is at a loss because the DVR won't work without the remote control and he is forced to flip between channels using the remote that goes with the VCR (oh the horror). Noah doesn't this realize the magnitude of what he has done but he will in the morning when he realizes that he won't be able to watch The Wiggles. To be fair, we can't be 100% sure that Noah is the one who broke the remote. We've dropped it on the ceramic tile about a hundred times. But we're not going to tell that to the people at Cox Communications when Noah and I take it back to them tomorrow.

Noah likes holding the remote, throwing the remote, and pushing the buttons (takes after his father). To keep him happy and to keep us from having to replace remotes every few weeks, we are planning on ordering Noah the "Weemote." It's a kid-friendly remote control that allows parents to program up to five channels in it at a time. Hopefully it will be worth the $24.95.

In other Noah news, he is doing great. He'll be 19 months this week and is running and talking nonstop. Last week he spent the a long weekend with grandma and grandpa while we went to Atlanta for a wedding. He had a blast, got a new pair of sandals for summer, went to McDonald's, and the railroad park. Grandpa even took Noah to his preschool class Passover Seder. From what we were told afterwards, Noah had fun, but he had more fun running around the building and pushing the buttons on the elevator. We had a nice Passover and Noah particularly liked the Charoset and matzah. He'll eat the matzah if it is served with something else (thus masking the taste).

He's just a happy-go-lucky kid. Dan and I went house hunting this weekend and Noah and my parents came to see a house we think we like. Noah was a riot. He ran all over the house, played hide and seek with the closets, and just had a good time. Needless to say he liked the house a lot given how at home he made himself. Then again, we could give him a cardboard box and could entertain himself.

If Noah is a rockin'. . . .

We went shopping at Arizona Mills this evening (HUGE outlet mall) and took Noah to Johnny Rocket's for dinner. There was a nickel jukebox on the table so Dan and I were playing some of our favorite tunes. Towards the end of the meal Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gee's came on and the restaurant turned up the volume so the staff could dance to it. Noah sat in his chair and was bopping his head his back and forth like he was their back-up dancer. Noah grinned, clapped his little hands and yelled "yeah!" He was so cute that when the song enged the manger cam over and told us how much they enjoyed watching him while they danced.

On the way home Dan and I decided that since we had bought Noah a basketball and a stuffed moneky that we could listen to what we wanted on the radio (i.e. no Wiggles). It was almost 9pm and Noah rocked out to every song. Night Fever (also by the Bee Gee's) came on and there he was in his car seat, bopping his head back and forth with a silly grin on his face. It was so funny watching him.

Finally, an update

Someone was asking me about my blog today and it dawned on me that I had not update in a while. So here goes nothing.

What can I tell you about Noah? He had his 18 month appointment and the doctor asked us a bunch of developmental questions and told us that he is "ahead" for his age. Dan and I are not quite sure how the doctor is defining "ahead" but we're happy with that assessment. At one point our doctor asked if Noah dances and as soon as she asked the question Noah started twirling around. . .while wearing nothing but his diaper. He also showed the doctor how well he can listen which I was pleased about. Dan and I were feeding him animal crackers and we'd say "Do you want more?" and Noah would reply "yeah." Then we'd ask him to say please and he'd grin and say, "please!" I was so proud! But perhaps the most stunning comment came when we were discussing Noah's height and weight. He is 33.5 inches (95th percentile) and 28 pounds (75th percentile). When I commented that everyone says how big Noah is our ped. said that height and weight should proportional and that Noah is slightly underweight. Never in a million My kid?

In other developments, Noah's obsession with the Wiggles continues and Dan and I are officially sick of "Doo-Wah." In fact he whines and cries in the car if we don't listen to it. For the last month or so Noah has been playing with the remote control and then crying when he pushes the buttons and the Wiggle disappear. Until now, the solution has been to put the remote where he couldn't reach it. Unfortunately, Noah has now figured out how to turn the TV on/off by walking to the TV and pushing the button (like they did in the olden days!). At first we were impressed that he figured this out on his own but he has also learned that if Dan and I are watching/listening to something other than the Wiggles or basketball that he can walk over to the TV and turn it off. I guess he thinks that by turning it off he will get his way. Noah is slowly learning that this is not the case.

I'm including some pictures from the past few weeks including some from when Noah and his friend Josh shaed cookie monster cupdcakes from Chompie's. Enjoy!

Except I Used Visa

Building Facility Charge: $9

Convenience Charge: $24

Floor Seats to See the Wiggles: $90

Buying into your 17 month old son's obsession with four singing Australians: Priceless.

Pudding

Noah and my mom were sharing a cup of pudding tonight. Is it just me, or does he look like a certain rogue political leader of German descent in this picture?

And yes. His shirt does say "Future Jedi Master."

Do-Wah is coming to town!

Say what you will about online message boards, but had it not been for my friend Anne I would never have known that The Wiggles are going on a US tour.

And they are coming to Phoenix at the end of April.

I HAVE to get tickets for Noah. GOOD tickets. We will not be sitting behind the stage or in nosebleed seats. I want Noah to shake his ass with Wags the Dog. I want him Murray (the guy in red) to see how cute Noah is when he dances to "Hot Potato." Noah will have no recollection of going to this show but I will know that we took him. Tickets go one sale March 11 through Ticketmaster and I am obsessed with getting them. I don't even know how much they are. But I did research some tickets brokers and discovered that you can get fifth row floor seats for the show in Portland for $220. Each. At that price it would cost $660 for our family to attend the show. Factor another $40-60 for parking, souvenirs (we can't let Noah leave without a 2006 Wiggles concert tee), snacks, and drinks. $700 is now the minimum price for Noah's happiness.

My life has become a joke. I am obsessing over getting concert tickets for a 17 month old. Last night we were walking around with two other couples who have kids Noah's age. We were all pushing our strollers and this 8-9 months pregnant woman and her husband walked past us. And the stupid woman gave us this strange look. Pity perhaps? Anyway I kept thinking to myself, "Enjoy date night with your husband now honey. Because in a few months you'll be spending your Saturday night pushing a stroller with a screaming toddler too. And while you're pushing that stroller you will be quietly obsessing about where and how to purchase the best seats possible for a Wiggles concert."

Noah Vocabulary

A few months ago we were concerned that Noah did not have enough words in his vocabulary. Not the case anymore. Must be the genes he gets from his mommy.

Dan and I had a conversation this evening about all of the words that Noah knows and we thought it would be fun to list them all out. For our purposes here, we are only listing words that he says which we understand. Because let's face, Noah is fluent in Noahese and Dan and I are sadly not. Noah will have entire conversations with us and we have no idea what he is saying. What makes this behavior sweet is that if you look at Noah's facial expressions and listen to his tone it becomes abundantly clear that Noah is very well aware of what he is saying. Making us the fools.

Here's the list: baby, basketball, bee (his pacifier), bottle, daddy, diaper, Drew, Do-Wah (the Wiggles) doggie, eat, go, feet, Ginger, Gaggy (Gladys, his teacher), Jack-Jack, Josh, mine, mommy, more, nana (banana or grandma depending on who is in the room), please, Rachel (his other teacher), school, shoe, sky, thank you, tree, and taggie.

Some will say that I am a typical Jewish mother, but I do this Noah's vocabulary is impressive for 17 months. Especially since he only had about three words 6-8 weeks ago. At Kids Club this weekend the staff was particularly amused that Noah walked around the room saying, "Daddy basketball." Which was very cute since daddy was in the gym playing basketball.

In other Noah news, his obsession with the Wiggles contiues and he has started having meltdowns in stores if he sees something with the Wigggles on it and we don't let him have it. Noah is also practicing how to eat with a fork, spoon, and plate. And I'm teaching him how to dip his food in ketchup. Only problem is that Noah hasn't quite figured out that when you are done eating it is not necessary to throw your empty plate across the room. But the dogs think it's funny.

See, Noah likes ketchup just like mommy!

Meet the newest member of the family!

Dan has been wanting to get a new dog for a while and about a week ago I gave in and said that I would consider the idea. We looked into adopting from the local beagle rescue but this afternoon Dan and I decided to also look at the Humane Society. We were just about to give up for the day when we found her. A beautiful Redbone Hound dog. She is four and was turned in to the Humane Society when her owners had to move. She has a wonderfully calm disposition and is just a sweet dog. She also gets along well with Noah and Elie is adapting to the fact that he is no longer the only dog in the house. The dogs name was Reba (ick) but Dan has renamed her Ginger. Right now Ginger is sitting next to me in her new dog bed knawing on a bone. As you can see from the pictures she is basically a bigger version of Elie. Same color too. It is interesting that Elie, Ginger, and my dog growing up all had the same color of red hair as me.