Abigail Shea Ballerina

We are so fortunate to have a dance studio that was willing to barter for Lexi's dance lessons last year. It helped tremendously and (in the midst of all the lay off drama)took one item off of our worry list. Apparently the deal worked out so well that the owner asked if Lexi would like to take more classes. That would have been great except for the fact that Abby has been begging to go to ballet for awhile now. The owner was completely open to working a similar deal for Abby and so Abby began taking dance classes this summer.

She was so excited for the first day of class when she could dress up in the tights, leotard, skirt, and slippers. She also loved the bun and once she was all dressed she was all smiles.



When we got to the studio, she had a bit of an issue when she realized that she would not be in Lexi's class. Considering she has not necessarily been in a class environment up to this point I think she did very well. She came out to the lobby quite a few times but I think that was because the door was left open.

Anyway, here are some pics from her first class. She's the only one in black.

Introducing Lou's New Playmate - Smidgen o'Bailey Lewitt AKA Smidge

This past week has been hard--especially on me and Lou. After Cassi's passing, I was so busy that I really didn't have a time to stop and think about her loss for a couple of days. Stefan tried to help, but I don't know if he knew how. I don't know if there was any particular way to help without seemingly to make things a little worse.

I've been mopey and snappy. Things I would normally tolerate bothered me all of a sudden and at the strangest times something would trigger a memory of Cassi and I'd feel the lump raise in my throat and tears fill my eyes. I felt empty and really there was only one thing that would somewhat take away the void--a new puppy. I tried to convince myself that it was too soon but then I remembered a line from a show that I was watching recently that said, "How long you grieve is not an indicator of how much you loved. It's time to let go and begin to move on."

Lou was also in a funk. His appetite was a bit off and he was a bit mopey too. Stefan said that he thought that Lou may be worried he's next after giving Brandi away in December and the loss of Cassi last week. He also muttered something about Lou possibly being lonely and needing a playmate/companion. This got me thinking about a new pup and once that thought was in my mind, there was no getting rid of it.

I began searching the internet doing research. I was looking for a female, miniature dachshund or Shih Tzu mix pup that I could afford (preferably adopt or rescue). The pup must be something that would stay small because I like my dogs looking like pups forever and something that required no grooming or grooming I felt I could do on my own. Finally, I preferred that it be a light color. Well, we found Smidge online and she fit 3 out of 5 of the criteria.

I introduce to you the little pup that stole my heart, Smidgeon O'Bailey Lewitt AKA Smidge. She is a Chihuahua and Lhasa Apso mix breed born on May 17, 2009. She will never replace Cassi, but she will help to fill the empty that Cassi left behind.


Abby took to her right away on the way home and calls her "My Puppy Puppy".













And this is what happens when you take the puppy away.



We asked Lexi if she wanted to hold the puppy but she didn't. She was worried that she'd get scratched or something. She's definitely not the animal lover of my two children. She wouldn't hurt them in a million years, but she'll ignore them as though they do not exist. I don't understand it.

We made a quick pitstop at the house to drop Lou off before meeting Jen and Katelynn Taylor at McDonald's for dinner.





I couldn't just drop Smidge off when she's not familiar with what "home" is so we smuggled her into McDonald's in my purse.









After Mickey D's we had to make an emergency run to Pet Smart for the essentials. My sister knew we would be there because Mikayla was in contact by text messaging. When we got there, she gave me a Pet Smart gift card as an early birthday present. This definitely helped and Smidge got a lot of treats.



Welcome home, Smidgen o' Bailey. We love you already.