Our newest family member

Elizabeth has wanted a dog ever since she understood what dogs are.  After 11 years of waiting, she finally got her wish.  Steven needed little convincing, as he grew up with dogs and knew a pet would add to our lives, but I was the holdout.  Zoe is our precious three-month-old puppy.  We all agreed on the name Zoe.  We would not have her if it weren't for Elizabeth (thank you, Elizabeth, for your decade+-long persistence and love for animals), so I'm glad the name we chose is associated with her.  When she (Elizabeth) was born, Laura accidentally referred to her as Zoe a couple of times (Laura's e-mail: "How is Zoe?" My response: "I don't know, but Elizabeth is doing splendidly.").  I think Laura's close friend had just had a daughter named Zoe, so that name was in her brain, and it stuck in my brain ever since.

We each enjoy her every day - she gets up with Steven at 5, I take her at 6, then Elizabeth and Michael play with her at 7 until we leave for school.  She loves every single person she sees (going on walks with her has been the catalyst for many friendships I now have in our neighborhood) and is so excited to just be.  She loves chasing after balls, following us around throughout the day, and sitting in Steven's car while he drives (is that illegal?). 

Elizabeth is such a good caretaker for Zoe (which includes standing in the pouring rain when Zoe goes to the bathroom).  Michael's favorite game with Zoe involves her walking on his back and biting his hair (Zoe prefers wet hair straight out of the shower instead of dry hair - just a little tidbit of information for you to keep in mind for when you visit and would like to bond with her, ha ha).  Whenever I'm in the kitchen, she lays down on my feet while I'm cooking or cleaning or filling out paperwork; thus, I have gotten rather adept at stretching my arms to reach whatever I need so I don't disturb her.  Steven has invented many games to play with her and we are all amused by her barely-audible growl when playing tug-of-war.  She has brought such joy to our lives.  Besides, who wouldn't love a pet who began sleeping through the night the second night she was with us?