A New Friend...An Old Friend

It's a BOY!  Yes, we have an addition to our family but this time around it is not another little person.  Our new friend is a guinea pig!  I know, I know, we are not pet people.  I can see the jaws dropping now!  But the kids have wanted a pet and a dog is not an option at this point in our life but the kids still wanted something that was fun and that they could play with and cuddle with. 
Therefore, a fish was out!  
So after a lot of conversations between Dave and I and doing a lot of homework on guinea pigs, we decided to get the kids one for Easter.   
So meet Hershey...our NEW friend.

 And now meet our (possible) OLD friend....Hershey.  Let me explain.  Hershey has been a great pet so far.  He is only about 4 months old.  We have been really good about keeping his cage clean (Mommy's stipulation with this pet was to avoid smells at all costs!).  He is finally comfortable with us holding him and petting him.  Caleb is absolutely in love with him and loves to put him on his shoulder and wants to pull him out of his cage at least 3 or 4 times a day.

So the fact that he may soon be an old friend has nothing to do with him as a pet.  Daddy has been having a lot of allergy issues this spring season.  However, it came to a head one night with wheezing, sneezing, coughing and discomfort.  It was the worst he has ever had it.  We had just "happened" to get Hershey the night that it was really bad.  It could have been the hay, the food, the bedding (doubt he is allergic to recycled paper though!) or of course, the pig himself. He went to an allergist last week and after much poking and prodding, we did indeed find out that he is allergic to certain trees and the pollen has really been affecting him immensely.  They also found he was allergic to cat hair and lastly...guinea pigs!  He was tested for all other rodents as well...mice, rats, rabbits.  Not allergic to any of those, only guinea pigs.  Even the allergist thought that was a little bit strange.  Strange but nonetheless, true.  

Soooo...what does that mean for our new furry friend?  We are not quite sure yet.  The allergist told us to hold off on finding a new home for him until the pollen season ended.  So at the end of June if Dave is still having trouble, then we will have to make a decision...Dave or the pig. 
JUST KIDDING!  We have already talked to a few people about the possibility of taking him. But for now, we are enjoying the company of our new friend Hershey.  
We will keep you posted for sure!