We've had quite a time lately!  We've had car troubles, then borrowed car troubles, then we were hemmoraging money into a rental before FINALLY purchasing a newer minivan!  I tell you, the stress has been unbearable.  I'm 19 weeks along (ALMOST at the halfway point). 

I've decided to keep most of the pregnancy stuff to myself in a private, old-fashioned journal.  See, there are just some things that really don't belong on the internet, IMHO, and it'd be silly to assume everyone in cyberspace cares. Those who know me, and want real pregnancy updates and all that, already use my email or phone.  I feel it's just TMI if I go on and on about my cravings and aversions to (no offense) total strangers.  So this blog will not contain any more pregnancy stuff, but will at least ATTEMPT to be a record of what we're covering in our HSing adventure.

We're reading more than anything.  We just recently obtained a baby bunny, who is the exact same colors of the moon (average moon, not pink or blue, ) so we named her Luna.  And, for those Harry Potter fans out there, we all know Luna's nickname is Looney.  Looney Tunes has Bugs BUNNY, bunnies tend to BE looney, so the name works on SO many levels.  She's a great bunny so far, and we're BOTH learning a lot about how different bunnies are from our other creatures.

Our black and white dog, Bella, (the previous sicko, if you remember) gets SO fixated on the bunny, it's SCARY.  She's in need of some serious dicipline regarding that bunny - it's NOT FOOD!  K dog is fine with the bunny, she remembers the buns we've had in the past, and knows how to respect the pets in the family.

Things we didn't know about bunnies last time: 

- the cage should be the 'safe haven' and no one should reach in and grab the bunny.

 - bunny love IS the nibbles on the clothes and hair

 - litter training will take a LOT longer with a baby (the last buns were adopted as adults!!! I've never had a baby bunny!) and I need to be VERY PATIENT (good practice for a Buddhist anyhow, LOL)

- bunnies don't like to cuddle all the time, and won't LIKE to be touched, pet, kissed, etc. all the time.  The best way to be with a bun is to just hang out together doing nothing (why is it everyone speaks of a DOG as the 'ultimate buddhist' when it's really the BUNNY, ha ha ha!)

- bunnies actually recognize play, and will shake their head, kick up their heels, and invite you to play some more!  The more laughing at the bunny, the more it 'performs' for you!

The rest of care and husbandry of bunnies, we already knew.  We're learning that it IS possible to train a bunny, but takes patience and bunny needs to be at least 6 mos old before it'll really take to the training.  Besides, the way to train a bunny is strictly positive reinforcement, with food rewards.  No amount of bunny psychology, dicipline techniques, or ESPECIALLY NOT PUNISHMENT will get a bunny to do what you want.  So we need to get to know Luna as a bunny, discover her favorite treats, and still need to assess what kind of bunny she'll be - cuddler? aloof? playful? before we can teach her things.

MCREST starts today.  K dog and I are going to keep the guys company and break the ice.  MCREST is a program to help homeless men in our county by putting them in a month long program, to help them find jobs and transportation, feed them and give them a "home."  Different churches take the guests on for a week at a time.  The men have to pass drug tests and a nightly breathalizer test in order to stay in the program.  My job (as I'm pregnant, and can't help with heavy lifting, and still have some major food aversions so I can't help cook or serve w/o gagging!) is to visit with the guys and help them feel at home and just talk with them.

Hopefully, K dog is mostly over her irrational fears of men, and will work in a therapy dog capacity in order to heal the men in ways medicine cannot.  Last year, I took Bella, and she got fearful after a loud noise.  She left a present in the dining area, and I banned her from coming back.  I worked with K dog for a year getting her used to different people and situations, and a few weeks ago, I took her to the church to reassess her degree of fear with strange men.  She accepted all of the men I introduced her to, with no barking.  Once she goes more than once, she'll remember the guys and look forward to all that attention, instead of being fearful.  My goal is mainly to help the men feel at home.  My secondary goal is to help K dog heal as well.  There's a chance I'll have to leave her at home, but I'm going to use all my experience as a trainer/behaviorist and create the picture in my head of the perfect MCREST visit.

Daughter will not assist in MCREST until she's 16, regardless of the restrictions placed on the guests, there are just too many opportunities should any of them be a child predator, and I'm not going to compromise her saftey.  IF she participates next year it's in a setup capacity, either with cleaning or cooking for the guests before they arrive.

Daughter passed a milestone (she's 5 1/2)!  She actually READ TO ME this time.  She sounded out the words, and needed help with only 2 of them (those funny phonics combos that don't make sense, lol).  It was a Biscuit book we haven't read before, so I really KNEW she wasn't doing anything from memory!!! WOO HOO!!!