Scrubs turns 5

As I write this post, all three kids are asleep at the same time for naps. Scrubby is curled up on one of the loaner chairs, loving that he gets to lay on the furniture. Since both of Scrubs' dog-beds (an old couch cushion we found on the side of the road and one of those kid-fold-out-sofas) are packed, we reserved one of the borrowed chairs just for him. It's raining outside. It's incredibly peaceful. He's konked out next to me.

And, he's passing terrible gas.

That's my Scrubby.

And here's my Scrubs when we first brought him into our family, just about two months after his May 18th birthday:

For those of you who may be new to my Daily Blog, you may not know what a blessing this pile of black spots was to me when he came into our home in 2007. I was working from home full-time. JB was working 80 hour weeks in his first year of residency. We were in a new town. I didn't really have any friends yet. I lived on a military Base which means there were kids everywhere. We had just decided to stop infertility treatments after our 12th failed attempt at Clomid, IUI and IVF.

I was on the verge of depression when JB surprised me with a puppy.

It was the best decision we ever made. Scrubs gave me something to love on. He gave me someone to occupy myself with. He was my jogging partner. He helped me to meet people. He kept me busier than I ever wanted to be. He was my best friend. I truly believe God made Scrubs just for me. Just to fill the hole that was burning in my heart.

A lot has changed in the last five years. Scrubs now has two brothers and a sister. There are toys everywhere. He is definitely not the center of attention. But he fits into our family so perfectly that I cannot imagine him not being there. He is a perfect mix of family member, guard dog, loyal friend, and goofy puppy. The kids love him. I love him. He drives us all crazy. But I'm sure we drive him crazy too.

Here's a look back at Scrubby's past birthdays.

• 2008 Scrubs turns 1 Scrubs turned one year old just a few weeks after Isaac joined our family. He immediately accepts him in the pack and lays by his crib as if he's Isaac's protector.
• 2009 Scrubs turns 2 Scrubs turns two. Isaac turns two. And Elijah is now 1.5. It's a busy house with three toddlers!
• 2010 Scrubs turns 3 You will notice that I don't mention Scrubby's birthday in this post. That's because not only did I forget to feed him dinner that evening, but I also forgot it was his birthday. This was just before we moved to Turkey and life was just a wee bit busy.
• 2011 Scrubs turns 4 He gets a small call out here on his 4th birthday. We live in Turkey for this birthday but the kids and I are bunkered down in Germany waiting on the arrival of Abigail.

Scrubs, you saved my life during one of the darkest years I have ever faced. I plan to pay you back with treats and ear scratches and cheese and peanut butter for the rest of your life!