Baby Love!

Gettin' back to the GOOD STUFF

We all know that life is just too short for the negatives...  What do we have time for in this life?  LOVE.  As a new mama, I have found a new love, an amazing, almost indescribable love for my son, Teo.  Different than the love for my partner, Simon and certainly different than the love for our dog, Tahi.  My love for Teo is true, strong, consistent, natural, deep and so full of my every ounce of my soul.  How did this happen?  (Actually, we all know how this happened, but I mean how did this little fella squirrel into my heart?)  My outlook on life has been changed this year, with the birth of Teo. 

So, to kick my blog back into the blogasphere (again), I decided to highlight the stuff I love in life! It should be easy to do, yes?  

Besides being a mama, wife and dog-owner, I love my job!  Jolkona does so much for others around the world.  See for yourself!  My favorite projects are about education and health.  Last year, our events team ran a holiday campaign and funded education (including tuition,  uniforms, shoes, lunch, school fees and books) for many children in Nepal.  These children have disabilities but aren't defined by their physical hurdles.  They are full of joy, motivation and love.  I met many of these children years ago when volunteering in Nepal and have stayed in touch with them (thanks to the power of Facebook).  I feel so lucky to still be connected to these kind souls.  

So do you love what you do?  If not, how can this happen?  Life is short people, love life! 

Honey and her puppy need a home! Spread the word!

 Honey (aka Honey Bear, Sweetie)

Brindle pup (aka Rolly Polly, Cuteness, Silly One)

I hope you are able to share this information with other family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc. 

Honey and her puppy want to be adopted!  My husband and I began fostering Honey a few months ago. She was a stray dog and VERY pregnant and after one night of living at our home, she gave birth to 8 healthy puppies at the Rainier Beach Vet.  All puppies have been adopted to other family and friends, but there is one brindle female puppy remaining. 

Honey is estimated to be about 2-4 years old, has given birth to only one litter and is a very, very sweet soul with loyal tendencies.  Honey loves to please and responds well to verbal commands.  She would be happy and a great dog for a home where the family and/or owners can give her lots of attention and additional training.  She is highly motivated by food!  

Honey is part pit bull (but the mix may be minimal, according to the Vet who birthed the pups), but only about 40 pounds.  She loves attention and is trained to sit, stay and lie down.  Since our family has grown (we just had a baby who came a month early), it's time for Honey to find a new home, too. Honey is not aggressive and is well socialized.  In the time she has lived with us, she has responded well to all adults, many children and our new baby. She is also learning to play with other dogs and has been on several play dates.    

We wish we could keep her, but since we had a pre-term baby, our lives are just very full with our growing family.  The puppy is 7 weeks old and until this last week has been playing with all of the pups of her litter and so is also very well socialized.  She has also been feeding from mother's milk and also soft dog food. 

Honey and her puppy will need to be de-wormed, shots, and neutering.  We are asking the new owner or owners to commit to paying for all of the initial vet costs.  The adoption is free.  

  

If you are interested in meeting them and possibly adopting her,  please e-mail me:

Mari

mariyh2001(at)yahoo.com

Week 2: Eyes open, busy bodies

Without any proper mama training, books about motherhood or a grand mama to show her the ropes, Honey is a natural mother.  She wanders into her room to feed periodically and keeps the pups clean, head to toe.  They have begun to gain weight at a freakishly fast rate.  Suddenly they moved from little furry slug-like creatures to fatty mcfatterson blobs, but still so cute and squeaky.  When the puppies were about 10 days old, Simon texted me at work to say they were opening their eyes.  A few days later, they suddenly transformed from soft, blubbery, sleepyheads to mobile, talkative busy bodies.  If Honey walks by, they will lunge up towards her to feed, paw each other to get close to her and at other times pile on top of each other with passion and playfulness.

Week 1: 8 Little Ones

Day 2 with Honey:  Simon walked Honey to the Rainier Beach Veterinarian Hospital (I thought he was going to drive the pregnant mama, but maybe the walk helped "move things along") The staff took Honey in the back room and quickly came out to say that she was giving birth.  What timing!  The puppies' birthday is May 11th.

Honey birthed 8 puppies and we all breathed a sigh of relief as I was worried this would all happen in our living room. Apparently, she was a true champ and took to being a mother very quickly.  The vet was very impressed.  After a few days, we decided to foster the family and they all moved back to our home.  The vet covered all costs of the bill.

As a side note, we noticed how food is a huge motivator for Honey.  As Simon attempted to load all of the puppies into his car, Honey took off running down Rainier Ave.  He finally caught up to her at the KFC, where the smell of fried chicken was too tempting.  She literally ditched her babies for fried chicken.

Here are the puppies when they are one day old.  Cute. Soft. Sleepy. 

Back at our home, we have designated a small, recently painted room for the puppies (aka Baby nursery- did I mention that I am pregnant in my final trimester?)  Honey took to nursing right away and after a few days of transitioning into our home, with Tahi and some new people, we all found a new peace.  Initially Honey was quite protective of her pups (understandably so) and wasn't always trusting of new people.  In a short amount of time, she's really come to love us, Tahi  (her new playmate) and of course, her little babies. 

Honey loves to play, play, play. She is one friendly girl!

The beginning... bringing home a small black dog

It all started with a visit to the Humane Society to just "look".  Our friends Becca and Nick, talked us into "looking" and not committing to a new dog to take home.  They had successfully visited the Humane Society several times and not come home with a new dog.  They are much, much stronger people than me and Simon.

We sat in the parking lot discussing how we would just look and not get excited about any one dog in particular.  As we wandered up and down the long corridor of pens, many dogs were interesting to see- the straggly looking chihuahua "Ginger", the old pit bulls with sad looks in their eyes, the big dogs that were 10 years old. Who would adopt these animals?  Then, I looked in a pen and saw a sweet, small, all black puppy named Patrick.  He looked up when I loomed closer and he stared into my eyes; he stared and stared. I thought we had better get out of there or else we would take all of the dogs home.

Simon and I visited him in the "Getting to Know you Area" and we played and played.  The volunteer said that puppies don't last long; his brother Walter and sister Sarah were just adopted hours before.  (This is the part of the story that differs).  Simon claims I "insisted" we bring him home.  I remember us deciding equally that this dog was a good idea.

How could one really leave this precious little guy behind?  He had to come home with us.

Playing and getting to know each other at the Humane Society. 

Simon quickly renamed Patrick to Tahi.  Tahi is Maori for "first" as he's our first little guy.  Oh how we have fallen in love with this dog.  He is very loved, a little spoiled, so smart and loyal and we just feel like he's an extension of us.  He's become a familiar part of the neighborhood and people recognize him as he "greets" neighbors walking by with his friendly bark.  Tahi quickly became friends with a little girl, we'll call CeCe.  She scooters around our neighborhood; she knows all of the dogs in the neighborhood and loves Tahi.

A few weeks ago, she came to our house flustered and frustrated.  She saw an abandoned stray dog who was very pregnant, but not willing to let strangers go near her.  CeCe had seen this dog near the same house repeatedly, so she thought perhaps the family moved away and left her behind.  Simon lured the pregnant mama dog into our living room with treats and a leash and she spent one uncomfortable night in our home, with major contractions, a friendly Tahi who wanted to play with her and a belly full of puppies ready to be born.

We named her Honey because of the color of her coat and because she is so, so sweet.  If we hadn't fallen in love with Tahi, I am pretty sure this dog would still be out on the street.  It's true, we love dogs.

Many people have commented on how this all happened right around Mother's Day.  Honey was becoming a mother and soon, we'll have a baby, too.  It's raining babies!

National Disabled Intelligence Reward 2011

Recently, Manoj, a student and young boy I met in Nepal in 2007, wrote to me about a personal accomplishment that he was so very proud of: 

Dear  All

Namaste

I am rewarded by "National Disabled intelligence  reward 2011" on December 3, 2011 which is disabled day .This reward gave by Nepal government Minister because this year S.L.C.(School Leaving Certificate) exam I had get highest mark among all the physical disabled  Student.  This time I am heartily thanks for my Sponsor Pam and Nanna pat   who have  great contribution  for my study…………….and I heartily  thanks for Amrit Sir who encourage to apply reward and always guide me to do best in my life  as well as Rose who Coordinate  and arrange sponsor for my education to go Baba Boarding school. Please find out the attach photos where you see the reward programe.

This time I am really busy for my study I have class 10.45 to 5 and around 1 and ½ hour I need for way so I have  only one Saturday free, that day I need wash my clothes, bathing and cleaning the room.

I had get the first term exam result which is good, still I need to work lots.

As you can see from the pictures above, Manoj is not a young boy anymore.  He has become a brilliant and hugely motivated young man who is headed for great things through education.  I have such loving memories of him and his constant singing when home from school.  I am so impressed and proud of him, in more ways than one.  

As a reminder, by donating to the Jolkona education campaign, you can make a difference by helping other Nepali children who live with Manoj and need help to continue their learning.  Donate today!

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement, nothing can be done without hope and confidence.

 ~Helen Keller 

Giving back... to others, in Nepal!

In 2007, my travels and yearning for volunteerism took me to the beautiful country of Nepal.  I spent time at the DRC (Disabled Rehabilitative Centre) for children with disabilities.  This was one the most humbling experience of my life.  Children who are poor, often without contact from their families and most likely experiencing some pain and discomfort from their disability, are bright stars, shining, full of joy and so thankful for donations and especially the chance to go to school.

Fast forward to today, I am an excited and enthusiastic Volunteer Director of Events at Jolkona which, thus far has been a rich, fun, learning experience.  Not only am I part of a stellar team that will produce an amazing fundraiser next year (stay tuned for details), but we are also a fundraising machine!  This holiday season for the 12 Days of Giving our team decided to give back to the children of Nepal.

In a newly formed organization, the Disabled and Helpless Children New Life Center, many of the children I met years ago, have grown and not only excelling in school, but also growing up, and beginning lives on their own... all despite their disabilities.  For just $36 you can sponsor one month of education (including books, uniforms, lunch and school fees) for one child!  What an amazing gift to give!  You can dedicate a donation in someone else's name and make a huge difference to someone who loves to learn!

How do you do it?  Visit our campaign page, check out the details and share with others!  Give big and with love.  That's what makes our world go 'round.

Thank you! Namaste!

Book: The Girls Guide to Homelessness

Wrapped in a life of social media and constant waves of information, reading a book seems like a distant pleasure.  I have many books (and keep buying more), why?  Perhaps it's because I fell in love with reading and books at a young age (thanks Mom!) and still love to get wrapped up in a story.  I have yet to take the Kindle or iPad plunge and even when I do, I still think a traditional book will be preferred.  There is nothing like the smell of a fresh book when you first open it, or fly though the pages.  I love the weight of books, the paper and ink.  What can truly replace this?

Last month, on a whim (which does not happen often in our household) we traveled to Vashon Island and fell in love with the township.  We stayed at the Artist's Studio Loft  For two nights we escaped from the world, spent hours in the massive bathtub, wandered the grounds, somehow got into a Harrison Ford themed movie campaign (The Star Wars trilogy AND Indiana Jones trilogy) and read, read, read. In less than 36 hours, I read the book "The Girls Guide to Homelessness"  It's an intriguing story about a woman's terrible upbringing with a family who mistreated her until she left to find her own way in life.

So many of us think homeless means, living on the streets, out of a box, begging for money.  Homelessness can be defined in a much broader way: person who lack permanent housing. Brianna lives a seemingly normal life- great job, beautiful appearance, savvy in many ways.  Her housing situation changes day to day and without the protection of her loyal dog, she'd have a much tougher time on the streets.

This story is about so much more than homelessness, it's about a woman who finds her voice, her strength in ways that many people could not.  It's a story that made me thankful.  Thankful for a loving family, who would support me if needed and for a support system who would carry me when I am weak.

Especially when the winds are high and rain is hard, I think of people who are outside trying to survive. Give thanks for what you have.  Give to those who are in need!

Jolkona!

As many of you know, I have been unemployed since last fall.  Recently, I started piecing different projects to keep me busy (and to keep the funds rolling in).  I've also taken on a different approach to volunteering.  I joined the awesome team of Jolkona as one of the Director of Events, focused on sponsorships and concepts.  Jolkona is Bengali for drop of water.  The idea is that through small giving, a large impact can be made (like a ripple effect in water).  I am diving in excitedly working on new events for next year to raise donations for the organization and for other projects. 


I am brainstorming some new ideas and will be sharing more about them here, so stay tuned!


Namaste!  Have an excellent week.