The day has finally come that CJ has been waiting for. For the last two weeks he has been asking non stop to get a fish. He has also been watching Finding Nemo on repeat, which I think was his not so subtle way of trying to wear me down.

Well, two nights ago we gave in and told him he could have one. Almost two years ago the beta fish that he won at Community Day passed away suddenly. Christopher the Fish (CTF) was a wonderful companion for him. He lived in a beautiful tank next to his bed and CJ would talk to him every night before he went to sleep. Then, one day, he woke up and CTF was missing. We found him belly up in one of the houses we put in his tank. We had a beautiful ceremony for him, music and all, while CJ was at school, and paid our final respects. He came home super mad because he wanted to bury him in the backyard. Who knew? When he left for school that morning he told us we could do whatever you do to get rid of fish.

We never spoke of having another fish until it came up two weeks ago. There has been a lot going on here in the last month. Ella was in the hospital, school ended for the summer, Jack’s been moving around and constantly needs attention. I think CJ feels as though we have been spending less time with him, and despite the dog and cat, he wants another buddy in the house.

He promised to help clean the tank (doubtful) and make sure his new fish was fed as much as needed. He also made a case for Ella to get a fish. He thought that it would be nice for her to have something to watch other than Goldie and Bear. He even picked out the perfect spot for the tank so she could see her fish swimming around, and he promised to help care for her fish as well. His thoughtfulness was touching, and we agreed Ella could get a fish too! The verdict is still out on Jack. He’s a little grabby when it come to moving pets. He’s also a climber so I have visions of him reaching in the tank and trying to grab the fish.

Immediately after we gave him the green light, CJ had two names picked out. He named Ella’s fish Wanda, and his fish Dexter. He made sure to tell me their nicknames would be WTF and DTF. I won’t be getting the parent of the year award for 2020, but sure did get a good chuckle out of his name selection. We will try to refer to them by the full names when discussing them. I don’t need CJ heading back to school in September telling his teacher and friends about his new fish, WTF. Talk about a great first impression.

Our trip to Petsmart was successful. Originally CJ wanted a clown fish but we never made it past the betas. He picked out Dexter, a beautiful koi male beta with blue spots. I picked out Wanda, an elegant white beta. We needed to get some additional items for the tanks so that, according to CJ, the fish had things to do in their home. A ridiculous amount of money later, we were heading home with our two new pets.

From the second we put both fish in the tanks, CJ has been checking on them every five minutes. He has also been asking me non stop questions. Mommy, my fish is a baby. Do you think he will grow? Mommy, I can’t find my fish. Do you think he jumped out of the tank? Mommy, do beta fish camouflage? Mommy, why is Dexter not hungry? Do you think they fed him at the store before we got him? Mommy, do you think Dexter loves me? I have decided no matter what the question, the answer will be yes. I have also decided I am going to tell him daddy is a fish expert so he should save all questions for him.

Ella had an AMAZING day! She was laughing and smiling from the minute she woke up to the minute her head hit the pillow. She played with her new toy, spent some time outside with Dani, and did a lot of snuggling. She’s super tired because she didn’t get a nap today, and wasn’t too thrilled with Wanda when they met. I am hoping she grows on her.

One thing I have noticed is that Ella’s moods are worse when she hasn’t pooped in days. It’s so hard with the low tone for her to get her poop out like most people would. She literally lays in bed moving her belly and butt to try and work it out of her body. In her entire life she has only pooped once sitting up. This has been an ongoing concern for us that we have asked the GI doctor multiple times about. Multiple GI doctors too. We got one answer that ended being wrong, resulting in an unnecessary surgery. SHOCKER. It is something I will really be pushing (no pun intended) when we go to Boston.

For those wondering, I am suspecting her amazing mood today was because she did have a bowel movement last night, and it boy was it one for the record books. I would definitely be feeling like a million bucks if that were me. We do give her prunes nightly, have tried and failed with miralax, and enemas don’t always work. It’s been a rough go. I am open to any and all suggestions. The chiropractor does help but we only see him once a week!

Hoping tomorrow is just as glorious as today, only no more pets. We have reached our limit.

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