A Birth Story

It is a tradition in the Mitchell family to tell one's birth story on their birthday. So today I will share with you my version (like there is any other version) of Raizan Marie Mitchell's birth story.

This birth story begins way before Raizan's actual birth (which I guess is true for all birth stories). Back when I was in eighth grade and two of my friends got puppies. After playing with their new puppies, I wanted one for my own. I wanted a dog that I could actually pick up and play with (that is, to play with without the fear of getting my face bit off). And so the begging began. My parents kindly laughed in my face when I first asked. I started off heavy, bringing up the subject every time my parents engaged me in conversation. Then I backed off, knowing full well that if it started to annoy my mom there was no chance of a dog. [side note: kkkkkkkkkkkjjjhuj --Amia just wanted to say that she likes Raizan so much that she kicks her legs and claps her hands when she sees her (this is, of course, a rough translation. what Amia really meant is, quiet frankly, beyond me)]. So then I only brought it up once in awhile to make sure they were aware I still wanted a dog and also to check to see how they were warming up to the idea (at this point; they weren't). [side note: kkkkkkkkmnnnnnnnbbbbbkjm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmkkkkk ---Amia would also like to say that she likes Raizan, but from a distance. She (Amia) is sometimes scared of the 85 Ibs. dog that licks her face. (once again, this is a rough translation)]. In the fall of my freshman year another friend of mine got a dog that was half chocolate lab. I fell [side note: \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ --Amia says that she is also scared if Raizan�s tail (for obvious reasons) this is not a rough translation due the look on her face] in love and while playing with it one day I decided that when I get a chocolate lab I'm going to name it Raisin (because if you squeeze together all the extra skin in a puppies face it looks like a raisin). Now that I had a name, all I needed was a dog. This led me to phase three of my master plan. I went online and sorted through magazines for pictures of dogs. Then I had to wait untile my parent's went out one night [my parent's didn't go out much so I had to patiently wait. the time (finally) came when they took the family out to Old Country Buffet with Grandma and I stayed behind].

Once they left, I got out my piles upon piles of dog pictures and taped them up all over the house. This idea, by the way, was not my own. I borrowed it from one of my friends (that's how she got her dog). When I was finished, there was no place in the house you could stand where there wasn't a picture of a dog in eyesight. My parent's came home and laughed. "Oh, Anya," they said while shaking their heads. By this time I had gotten Matthew and (I believe) Daniel excited and wanting a dog, too. Soon after I set up all the pictures, they had finally warmed up to letting me get a dog (I think my parent's finally broke after two weeks of finding new pictures of dogs everywhere they went). [side note: v\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ --free to interpretation] That is they were willing to let me get a dog if the dog was free. By the time March rolled around they gave completely in and on Naw-Ruz, after a basketball game my parents they told me they would buy me a chocolate lab. We found a breeder (after I cut out multiple ads from the newspaper that covered my desk in art class) and on April 1st the puppies were born, and one month later we were aloud to pick them up. The day we were to go and pick out a puppy I couldn't go, because of my soccer banquet. Instead Sara (this is where I would put "Dog stealer of the World", but I have learned to let that go by now and will refrain myself) went with my dad to pick out the puppy.

Raizan Marie you were the cutest puppy, if i don't say so myself. The whole family was up to meet you and you were quite overwhelmed. We spent the whole evening circled around you in the living room, you were so adorable. (okay so maybe we were circling you to protect you from Yammi, too) You became so overwhelmed with excitement that the second you took a breather (to drink some water) you collapsed (face first into your water bowl) and fell asleep (face still in your water bowl).

Hap-py Birthday Raizan!