Oliver.

When we moved into our house, I was ecstatic. There were little things I knew I would miss about being at home with my family, but more than anything I was excited and happy to finally be in a place of my own, in a new town, with the man I love. However, after only a few days in our new home, I realized the biggest thing that it was missing - a dog.

My family's dog, Toby, stayed behind at my parents house when I moved. I knew when I left that I'd miss coming home to him and his excited doggie kisses, but I had no idea how much. It didn't take long before I was searching high and low for a pup that Weston and I could call our own. I closely followed several local shelters, checking their websites daily to see if there were any dogs that may be a good fit for us (hypoallergenic due to Weston's asthma and allergies)  when finally, a nearby rescue center posted that they would have a littler of 8-week-old Schnoodle (schnauzer + poodle) puppies up for adoption the next morning!

Weston and I were second in line that Saturday, arriving two hours before the shelter opened. Once they finally let us inside, we got to observe the puppies playing together as the family in front of us made their choice. One little guy stood out to us right away. He was the fluffiest one - all different shades of brown, white, and black fur. One of the volunteers at the rescue handed him to me and he nuzzled his nose into my shirt and got comfortable in my arms.

And that was it.

As you can probably tell from the photos, I had tears of happiness streaming down my face throughout most of this experience haha. The family who had been fostering the puppies was really happy to see how much we wanted him. They even asked to take our picture so they could remember us! When they asked what we would be naming him, I told them we like the name Oliver and the mom teared up and said Oliver Twist is her favorite movie and that's why she's adopted several children of her own and why they foster dogs!

Ollie became part of the family instantly, but only two days into puppyhood at our house, he got incredibly sick. We frantically took him to the vet who was concerned it was Parvo, which is often deadly for puppies! I was inconsolable throughout the appointment. They ran some tests as we waited in the vet's cold office for thirty minutes. I held little three-pound Oliver in my arms as he whimpered and I finally got to understand a fraction of what my mom must have felt all these years, watching me go through health issues and feeling so helpless! Finally, the doctor returned and thankfully told us that it was NOT Parvo, but instead a parasite called Giardia.

Having a new puppy is challenging, but having a sick puppy is something else entirely. We went two days without sleeping because no exaggeration, every twenty minutes Oliver would get sick and we'd have to take him outside, clean up his messes, and hold his skinny little body while he whined. It was heartbreaking. After several really exhausting days of medications, he finally started feeling much better and showing more of his fun little personality. Now that a week has passed, he is super hyper and running all over the place like a whole new pup! It was quite a scary and stressful way to start off our time with him but we definitely bonded over it and Oliver is very aware of who cares for him now!

For a few more weeks we are stuck inside of the house, waiting until he gets the rest of his shots so we can start adventuring out in the world together! For now, we are keeping him busy learning his first few commands and mastering going up and down the stairs, which is pretty darn cute.

He is on a hilariously self-regimented sleep schedule too - falling asleep right around 9:45 each night and waking up at 7:00 on the dot each morning. He still loves to nuzzle his nose into my arms which is probably one of my favorite feelings in the world and on the rare nights that he whines a bit in his crate, if Weston and I talk to each other he becomes calm and quiet, listening to our voices. :) He certainly is a worthwhile handful. We just love this little guy.

Be prepared to see a lot more of Oliver in the future.
Welcome to the family, ya little cutie.