The Newest Addition to the Family

Toodeloo!
(That's just fun to say, don't you think? It's hard not to smile!)
You may be thinking, wait, I thought Orion was the newest addition? Well, he's the most important one, but a different species of baby beat him to the bunch - our little Red-Eared Slider turtle.
Last week our neighbor stopped by for a while and we offered him some of the heirloom tomato seedlings that Russell had sprouted on the back deck. I believe this prompted him to return a little while later with a baby turtle in a dish. He asked us if we wanted her, and I stood there for a second, thinking "Have I lost it? I'm about to have a baby - I don't need another pet right now!" But my mouth said, "Yes!" and Russell agreed.
I just love turtles, and this little girl is only the size of a quarter - very hard to resist. Besides that, I'd been thinking lately that I kind of wanted a fish tank. I'm not sure where the desire was coming from, but there you go. Also, as Orion grows and gets more interested in the world, he'll have a turtle that's growing along with him to watch. I also think it's really important for kids to have pets, and we already used a lot of turtles in the toys and decor in Orion's room - so perfect!
Russell came up with the name "Toodeloo" (from the Grateful Dead tune "Mississippi Uptown Toodeloo"), and I immediately agreed that it was a great name for a turtle. It's just plain affectionate! And she seems to like us as much as we like her - or at least she knows who feeds her!
She lived in a plastic bin for a few days with a big hunk of amethyst, but after a week or so we found a cheap (and complete) tank set-up on Craigslist and got her home started. A trip to the pet store fleshed it out with fake and live plants, plus a couple of fish companions (which she may well eat, at some point). We just added a flower pot full of stones with a large scallop shell on top for her to bask on, so she can get out of the water and into the light.
I'm really enjoying having a tank in the house, as it's very relaxing to hear the water gurgling out of the filter while watching the fish and turtle swimming about. It's also very visually attractive, with the shells and colorful plants all over.
Maybe it was a moment of insanity, but I haven't regretted doing it at all!
Russell has big plans for a larger tank in a year or two, once she's grown up a bit, with a full-on terrarium style set up - sand bank, live plants, a few fish, etc. She's going to be a spoiled girl, for sure.
Hopefully she'll be a part of the family for a long time (they can live up to 40 years) so that Orion can grow up with a little turtle pal!