Meet Oreo

As many of you know Kaylee has been getting allergy shots since the end of last year. The poor thing is terrified of needles (still), but her allergies were so bad she'd developed asthma. Her allergist said that if she did the shots she'd most likely outgrow the asthma. We decided she needed the shots. For many months she was getting two shots twice a week. Chris and I decided she needed something major to look forward to since getting shots was so hard on her Because Kaylee is an animal lover we promised her a dog once she was on her maintenance dose. She couldn't have a dog before maintenance because she was allergic to them. Early this summer she hit maintenance, and we started looking for the perfect dog, but then things changed. 

Kaylee started listening to a book on CD about guinea pigs. She started reading books about guinea pigs, and suddenly she wanted a guinea pig - more than a dog! We questioned her over and over just to make sure. She insisted she wanted a guinea pig. We told her that if we bought a guinea pig we wouldn't consider a dog until the pig deceased (they live 5-8 years). She wanted a guinea pig. Ainsley and Landon readily agreed, so we bought a guinea pig and named her Oreo Fuzzball (Landon insisted on Fuzzball). 

My brother and I decided she's like having a pet that's somewhere between a hamster and a cat. She looks more hamster-like, but she acts somewhat like a cat. She's very sweet. Ainsley has always been a little afraid of animals, and she begs to hold Oreo daily. She's also pretty funny and a little spastic when she's running around, so she fits right in with the kiddos. We block off hidey holes and let her run free in the living room. She talks, she purrs, she gallops, she jumps, she snuggles, she's the perfect pet. Good choice kids!