Umm, hi.

Tap, tap, tap…..umm, hello? Can anyone hear me? Hi. It’s me, Moe. And I’m back. 

Let’s see. Where should I start? I guess first I should tell you where I’ve been. My depression got worse. And things with the kids got more difficult (which, honestly, I didn’t think was possible). The book I’d been writing came out. (It’s an academic book about a samurai and history in popular culture.) Then my dad got sick. And then he got sicker, and then we lost him a few months ago. After that, I wasn’t sure how to keep going, but I did thanks to support from family and friends. And now my meds are straightened out, and I feel like I can do things again. I’m starting to work on a second book, and I think I might even be able to blog. 

If you’re still here, thank you. 

What else? Sky graduated and is getting ready to go to college!! Pink/Falcon just finished her first year of high school and is still drawing and writing. And Stow is in middle school (!!!). He’s taller than me now. In fact, they all are (but don’t tell Falcon I admitted that). And, Ren? Well Ren continues to amaze me with his fortitude. The man is still more active and flexible than me despite the fact he has a titanium rod from the base of his neck to his tail bone. He’s four years out from the last surgery and starting to have issues again, but we’re hoping they will work themselves out. 

If I can figure out where to dive in, I’ll post again soon! Hope you are all well. 

Dog Days

 Yesterday we celebrated Shiro's first birthday, and later this week will mark the three-month anniversary of her coming to live with us. My apologies for not keeping you up to date on how things are going. It turns out our life with a dog is even busier than our life without a dog! 

Happy Birthday, Shiro!

Shiro thought Halloween was pretty great except for the part where we kept wanting her to wear a hat. And, honestly, I don't know why I kept trying with the hat. A hat with the word "soy" on it doesn't make a whole lotta sense for some ebi (shrimp) sushi anyway. The kids were pushing for the avocado costume, which may have been cuter in the end, but we are a Japanese-American family, and somehow sushi made more sense to me. Our community held trick-or-treating on Saturday this year, so that meant even MORE kids for Shiro to smell and try to lick. My arms are still a little sore from our trip around the neighborhood.

Soy sauce dog

Shiro didn't love her costume, but she was a MUCH better sport about it than the cats were with their snail costume. They, at least, have more realistic expectations of us. Somehow we just can't keep ourselves from putting funny things on our pets' heads!

The indignities never stop.

We think that Shiro is being a pretty big help to Stow. Since she came, the number of phone calls from school has been close to zero. He hasn't resisted getting on the bus in the morning, and he is more willing leave the house for non-essential reasons.  We've been able to go shopping, for long drives, and even hikes with much less stress than in the past. When Stow is feeling overwhelmed, he is doing a good job of going to her or calling her to him so they can lie down together and help each other chill. All of these changes are huge. HUGE!

Co-regulation is the goal!

Sure, there are moments when he's hyper and she feeds off that energy so it feels like we have a tornado happening in our midst as we try to step in between or around dog and boy as they make their way through the house. And, sure, it's a bit of a drag to take her on long morning walks (to make sure she gets some of her energy out and does her business before getting on the school bus). Now that it's still dark and cold outside, the early morning outings feel especially challenging. We're still adjusting, though. 

Sunrise walk before school

Sometimes it's hard to get the pants where they need to go.

The cats still view Shiro as Enemy #1. Momo will tolerate her and even be in the same room as her as long as Shiro doesn't get too excited (which is REALLY HARD WHEN SHE JUST WANTS TO PLAY!!). Taro, on the other hand, refuses to even consider a truce. Lately he has taken to moving stealthily around the room like a commando, hiding behind furniture and slinking along the floor boards in an effort not to be noticed by the dog (who is so oblivious that it makes his efforts seem ludicrous). While it's fun to watch him, I do feel a little sorry for Shiro who JUST WANTS TO BE FRIENDS!!! We suspect that as long as Shiro interacts with the cats in all caps, there won't be much progress on their inter-species negotiations.

Three inches and a baby latch are all that separate Shiro from her unwilling partners.

So, that's the update from here. What's up with you guys?