Ever since the first time I saw Mary Poppins, I loved it. I loved it so much that first time seeing it in the theater, that my mom offered to stay with me and watch it a second time. But it wasn't until I was a teenager babysitting and watched the movie again through adult(ish) eyes that I got half of what was going on in that movie. (Women suffragettes! A run on the money in a bank! Admiral Boom thinking the Hottentots are attacking!)
There are so many kids movies and shows that have two different levels of information. There is the level that entertains the kids, and there is the level that goes straight over their heads and entertains the adults. This is true from Mary Poppins to Toy Story to countless others. After all, we adults do not enjoy the same level of entertainment as the kids, but so often we have to watch the same things.
It's not just shows, though. At least in our house, Londo and I tend to amuse ourselves where we can, speaking above the kids' levels or referring to things they totally won't get for years. I thought I would share some of these instances with you all, as well as record them for posterity.
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Often when we get the Pumpkin or the Pookie to do something "on demand," we'll say, "Dance, monkey, dance!" It's good for a chuckle, although we do it less now that the Pumpkin repeats things.
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When the Pumpkin was going through a very contrary stage, I would say the nursery rhyme to her, "Mary, Mary, quite contrary. How does your garden grow?" She knew the rhyme (we've got a great nursery rhymes book), and would usually reply, "With silver bells and cockleshells and pretty maids all in a row."
But one time, Londo answered instead, "What garden? I don't have a garden!"
I laughed at the irony and added my own response, "My garden doesn't grow!"
(As a cute aside, the Pumpkin said to ME many times, "Mommy, Mommy, quite contrary. How does your garden grow?" I wasn't really be contrary at the time. She was just saying the cute rhyme, but saying to me.)
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A few months ago, the Pumpkin put a pair of pants around her head like a bandana. I told her to put a fist in the air and say, "Wolverines!" She totally did! And I cracked up so hard.
Who gets that reference? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
(Another aside: A few weeks ago, I read this post by The Blogess. And that typifies why I am developing a girl crush on her.)
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The Pumpkin likes to make up words and change sounds within words. While this can be cute, it can also be frustrating because she will sometimes argue with us over how to say the word. Even when she knows we are right or we didn't say what she says we did.
The other night, Londo asked her to sit in her chair the right way please. And she said, "Not clease. Please" though she did not turn around. He responded, "I said please." She said again, "Not clease. PLEASE!" He basically said whatever, then said very quietly to me as he passed me, "Not cluck either."
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I had a bunch more, but I keep forgetting to write them down, and then they are gone. I'll have to post more of these if I think of any more.
I almost made this a question of the week, because I'd love to hear any that you do. Got any?
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
But Wait, There's More
The little guy is about 8.5 months old now. He's doing things physically at a later time period than his sister. This is no problem at all, considering the Pumpkin did all physical and verbal things crazy early. However, what does seem to be frustrating for him is that he's trying to do it all at once.
Over the last month, he's been working on crawling, sitting, pushing to a seated position, feeding himself, manipulating toys, jumping in little activity centers and even trying to stand up! I am thinking that because he is trying to do all of these things at the same time, it's taking him a while to master any of them.
He still can't quite figure out how to crawl. I think it's so cute when he is on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth, and I love to watch it possibly because his sister barely did that at all. Almost every time I go to him in the middle of the night, he's on his hands and knees in his crib and crying. Poor guy. And poor me, cause this happens too much lately. He has figured out how to move his hands and his legs, but he doesn't have the timing or balance or whatever it is to actually start crawling yet.
When I sit him up, he stablizes for a little while. But when he focuses his attention on something like a toy? He loses his balance and topples over to the side. TIMBER! This is why we can't just plop him down somewhere and leave him. We have to sit him up with the Boppy around him or put him between our legs.
Though he's been actively working on pushing to a seated position in less time than the other skills, he is closer to master it than the others. I actually think he figured it out by accident. I noticed when he was trying to crawl, he would sometimes push one side more than the other. Then he noticed it helped him reach things. So he quickly put it together and now can push up to a mostly seated position, though he needs one arm propped on the floor and can't quite push off that to sit up straight.
He likes to have something to feed himself while we are feeding him. The complete baby-led feeding/weaning wasn't working for him or us, so we are spoon feeding him mostly. But we've continued to give him some finger food, and he's gotten quite good at getting it in his mouth.
He's at a really neat stage where he is able to start manipulating toys and figuring them out. I love when he jumps in his activity center while pulling and banging on toys. He's just really interested in all the things around him.
Similar to how he started figuring out how to push up to sitting, he is trying to push up to standing. There's no way he'll get there yet, but it's fun to watch him try! Also, he loves to pull himself up to standing by holding onto someone's hands. He's been doing it for a while, but we can just feel him getting stronger and more sure in his movements.
Is it no wonder his sleeping has been all over the place? Literally and figuratively. He moves all around his crib during the night. And we cannot predict his wake ups. Some nights, he wakes only once, and others he is up three times or really early or in some way tough on us all. Plus, his two front, top teeth are so close to cutting through!
There's just a lot going on in his little body. His amazing, growing, changing, developing, becoming-a-boy body! And yet he's still a very happy-go-lucky smile guy!
Over the last month, he's been working on crawling, sitting, pushing to a seated position, feeding himself, manipulating toys, jumping in little activity centers and even trying to stand up! I am thinking that because he is trying to do all of these things at the same time, it's taking him a while to master any of them.
He still can't quite figure out how to crawl. I think it's so cute when he is on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth, and I love to watch it possibly because his sister barely did that at all. Almost every time I go to him in the middle of the night, he's on his hands and knees in his crib and crying. Poor guy. And poor me, cause this happens too much lately. He has figured out how to move his hands and his legs, but he doesn't have the timing or balance or whatever it is to actually start crawling yet.
When I sit him up, he stablizes for a little while. But when he focuses his attention on something like a toy? He loses his balance and topples over to the side. TIMBER! This is why we can't just plop him down somewhere and leave him. We have to sit him up with the Boppy around him or put him between our legs.
Though he's been actively working on pushing to a seated position in less time than the other skills, he is closer to master it than the others. I actually think he figured it out by accident. I noticed when he was trying to crawl, he would sometimes push one side more than the other. Then he noticed it helped him reach things. So he quickly put it together and now can push up to a mostly seated position, though he needs one arm propped on the floor and can't quite push off that to sit up straight.
He likes to have something to feed himself while we are feeding him. The complete baby-led feeding/weaning wasn't working for him or us, so we are spoon feeding him mostly. But we've continued to give him some finger food, and he's gotten quite good at getting it in his mouth.
He's at a really neat stage where he is able to start manipulating toys and figuring them out. I love when he jumps in his activity center while pulling and banging on toys. He's just really interested in all the things around him.
Similar to how he started figuring out how to push up to sitting, he is trying to push up to standing. There's no way he'll get there yet, but it's fun to watch him try! Also, he loves to pull himself up to standing by holding onto someone's hands. He's been doing it for a while, but we can just feel him getting stronger and more sure in his movements.
Is it no wonder his sleeping has been all over the place? Literally and figuratively. He moves all around his crib during the night. And we cannot predict his wake ups. Some nights, he wakes only once, and others he is up three times or really early or in some way tough on us all. Plus, his two front, top teeth are so close to cutting through!
There's just a lot going on in his little body. His amazing, growing, changing, developing, becoming-a-boy body! And yet he's still a very happy-go-lucky smile guy!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Slightly Off
I'm feeling off today. Last night I fell asleep putting the Pumpkin to bed because she was taking forever, and this morning the Pookie woke for the day at 5:50. And everything since has been slightly off.
When I was cleaning my pumping equipment this morning (instead of the night before like I usually do), I got some soap in my eye. I took out my contact and cleaned my eye and the contact, but it's still stinging a bit and making things look literally a bit foggy.
I had to shower this morning instead of the night before, which was a first for me alone with two kids completely awake. I put the Pookie in his crib with toys and the Pumpkin in front of a TV show with a toy. I clocked my shower at 7 minutes, not bad. But the Pookie was fussing/crying when I got out because he was bored or wondered where I was or something. The time getting into, taking and getting out of the shower set my whole morning schedule back.
I brewed coffee, but didn't seem to have time to make my cup and then forgot to fix it to go with me. I am miserable without my coffee. I had a cup when I finally got to work, but it's not the same.
I forgot the Pumpkin's shoes for school, and she was very upset that she had to wear her snow boots instead of changing into the running shoes. That is a big change to her routine, and those types of big changes are still hard for her.
I needed to finish some work last night, but I obviously didn't because when Londo did wake me up from falling asleep in the Pumpkin's room, I was out of it and went right to sleep. So now I feel behind on what I need to get done at work today.
The post I wanted to write today/last night just isn't happening. This is all I can manage with my foggy brain and twitching eye.
At least I remembered my lunch today. I just need to find time to eat it before some marathon meetings this afternoon.
It's just one of those days...
When I was cleaning my pumping equipment this morning (instead of the night before like I usually do), I got some soap in my eye. I took out my contact and cleaned my eye and the contact, but it's still stinging a bit and making things look literally a bit foggy.
I had to shower this morning instead of the night before, which was a first for me alone with two kids completely awake. I put the Pookie in his crib with toys and the Pumpkin in front of a TV show with a toy. I clocked my shower at 7 minutes, not bad. But the Pookie was fussing/crying when I got out because he was bored or wondered where I was or something. The time getting into, taking and getting out of the shower set my whole morning schedule back.
I brewed coffee, but didn't seem to have time to make my cup and then forgot to fix it to go with me. I am miserable without my coffee. I had a cup when I finally got to work, but it's not the same.
I forgot the Pumpkin's shoes for school, and she was very upset that she had to wear her snow boots instead of changing into the running shoes. That is a big change to her routine, and those types of big changes are still hard for her.
I needed to finish some work last night, but I obviously didn't because when Londo did wake me up from falling asleep in the Pumpkin's room, I was out of it and went right to sleep. So now I feel behind on what I need to get done at work today.
The post I wanted to write today/last night just isn't happening. This is all I can manage with my foggy brain and twitching eye.
At least I remembered my lunch today. I just need to find time to eat it before some marathon meetings this afternoon.
It's just one of those days...
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Question of the Week - For the Record...
Last night, I published this status on Facebook: Let the record show that on this date, my daughter said to me, "Wow. You know so many things!" I will need this record in another 10-15 years.
Children are wonderful. They are such a blessing, so sweet and fun and just amazing beings. Mine especially. Of course I'm not saying they are perfect--if you think that, then you've obviously not been reading my blog more than a nanosecond. But I really, truly enjoy being a mom, especially to my wonderful kids, through all the good and bad.
I hope to be saying the same when they are teenagers. The fact is, those preteen and teen years are difficult for every child and parent in one way or another. It's like the regression/difficult period before a developmental/cognitive leap goes on for years, rather than the weeks for babies or months for toddlers and preschoolers!
And when my kids get to that stage where they think they know more than their parents do? I'm going to need some good ammunition to shoot down their high-falutin ideas that they know more or can get away with things! Londo and I have been there and done that, then lived through having children. I'm also planning to use some good, old-fashioned guilt to ensure behavoir and respect. hehe.
So this week's Question of the Week is:
What do you want on the record so that you can pull it back out to share with your kids at a later date?
In addition to my daughter realizing my brilliance for knowing which letters begin many different words (such as M is for mommy and P is for pear), I also want on the record for my daughter the screaming car rides we put up with and all the night wakings. Every. Single. One!
For the record with my son, so far I want to put the extremely difficult pregnancy I had with him, and the many night wakings which required mommy-only-mommy-will-do nursing sessions. Oh, and that time when our power was out for two days and it was 48 degrees in our house and he simply HAD to have me get out of bed, pull down my shirt and nurse him in the freezing cold. Oh yeah, that's on the record!
How about you? What acknowledgements would you like recorded for prosperity? Any hardships you want remembered by the kiddos? What do you plan to bring up in their teen years?
Children are wonderful. They are such a blessing, so sweet and fun and just amazing beings. Mine especially. Of course I'm not saying they are perfect--if you think that, then you've obviously not been reading my blog more than a nanosecond. But I really, truly enjoy being a mom, especially to my wonderful kids, through all the good and bad.
I hope to be saying the same when they are teenagers. The fact is, those preteen and teen years are difficult for every child and parent in one way or another. It's like the regression/difficult period before a developmental/cognitive leap goes on for years, rather than the weeks for babies or months for toddlers and preschoolers!
And when my kids get to that stage where they think they know more than their parents do? I'm going to need some good ammunition to shoot down their high-falutin ideas that they know more or can get away with things! Londo and I have been there and done that, then lived through having children. I'm also planning to use some good, old-fashioned guilt to ensure behavoir and respect. hehe.
So this week's Question of the Week is:
What do you want on the record so that you can pull it back out to share with your kids at a later date?
In addition to my daughter realizing my brilliance for knowing which letters begin many different words (such as M is for mommy and P is for pear), I also want on the record for my daughter the screaming car rides we put up with and all the night wakings. Every. Single. One!
For the record with my son, so far I want to put the extremely difficult pregnancy I had with him, and the many night wakings which required mommy-only-mommy-will-do nursing sessions. Oh, and that time when our power was out for two days and it was 48 degrees in our house and he simply HAD to have me get out of bed, pull down my shirt and nurse him in the freezing cold. Oh yeah, that's on the record!
How about you? What acknowledgements would you like recorded for prosperity? Any hardships you want remembered by the kiddos? What do you plan to bring up in their teen years?
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Our Beagle, Food and the Kids
Our dog has been real obnoxious lately when we are eating. She is a beagle, a breed of scent hound known for being extremely food-oriented and food-motivated. Before kids, we never ever gave her any people food, partly because she has some food allergies but also to help discourage the begging. But now there are kids and a highchair and food being dropped on the floor and food being left on the table within dog nose/tongue reach (she is big and tall for a beagle). The dog is becoming insane.
The rule is that the dog is not allowed in the kitchen while we are eating, but she can come in and clean up the floor when we are done and release her. We consistently enforce the rule (although the nanny does not always enforce it), but stubbornness is also a well-known trait of beagles. We constantly tell her to get out of the kitchen. She KNOWS she is supposed to stay in the family room on the carpet while we are eating mere feet away in the kitchen which is open to the family room. Yet every chance she gets, she tries to find a way into the kitchen. More than 2 dozen times each meal, we are telling her to get out of the kitchen, to go sit down, to GET OUT! Even the Pumpkin knows this, and in fact tells on the dog every time she makes it into the kitchen.
Then the other evening, she snuck in the kitchen when I was up getting a spoon or something. I turned around to see the dog's face stuffed into the highchair WHERE THE BABY WAS SITTING. As I was reaching out to the dog and telling her no, the baby let out a cry. That dang dog took the teething biscuit right out of the baby's hand! She didn't bite the Pookie--she's not a biter, and his hand didn't have any marks on it--but that is unacceptable!
So now when she doesn't listen and can't seem to help herself from trying to get into the kitchen and get the kids' food, I make her go upstairs and put her in her crate. She howls and whines, but she is at least out of the kitchen and I can let go of some of the tension from constant vigilance. I know she wants to be part of the family, as beagles are also extremely social, pack animals and generally hate to seperated from the pack. But she can't seem to help herself, and I can only take so much.
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The summer of 2001, Londo and I had been talking about getting a dog. Our cat was two years old, fiesty, sweet and, well, a cat. While I loved having the cat, I had grown up with dogs in the house and really wanted a dog. Londo was on board in theory, but maybe not sure of how ready he was. He grew up with cats and dogs, but in he lived in the country where the animals stayed outside. This would be a big adjustment for him, and he wasn't sure how to account for the house training when we were both working full days and he had grad school.
On September 11, 2001, tragedy struck. That day, Londo and I both came home early from work, sat on the couch stunned and watched news channels all day long. By evening, I turned to Londo and say, "We are getting a dog this weekend." He immediately agreed.
To me, dogs are so comforting. In times of distress and pain, the dogs I've had come right up to you and snuggle their sweet, furry faces into you, willing you to feel better. That day, I longed for that type of comfort. Our cat is not a lap cat, and though he is good for leg rubs, he does not provide that unconditional, want-you-to-feel-better, sympathetic snuggling that dogs do.
I had done a lot of research on breeds, and I felt that beagles would be the best breed for us and still be under the weight restriction of the apartments where we lived at the time. I followed up on an ad about beagles for sale and made plans to visit the breeder that weekend. We drove 45 minutes to a house in the Georgia countryside and met with a friendly woman and husband, who showed us their latest litter of beagles. We were the first to respond, and we would get the pick of the litter. We did all the little dog personality "tests" and picked out an adorable little puppy with a mostly black back, cute "tick" markings on her belly, a black/brown/white face and the softest ears you've ever felt. She was not too shy, not too agressive.
We brought her with us when we went inside the house to sign the papers. She had never been inside before, and she was overwhelmed. She scampered under the dining room hutch, and we had to pull her out when we were ready to leave. On the 45 minute ride back to our house, she rode in my lap the whole way, sleeping while I stroked her soft puppy fur.
Like the cat, we named her after a science fiction character (cause we are geeks like that). She loved the cat right off, although the cat took some time to adjust to her. She also loved the cat's food and litter box, both of which had to be put out of her reach very quickly.
She's always been very good natured, although a bit needy and stubborn. She's been a wonderful dog, and we feel so lucky to have her.
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The dog believes that the nanny comes to our house every week day for her. I'm sure of it. Our nanny loves the dog and gives her a ton of affection, though she is sure to reprimand her and try to enforce the rules of the house (mostly). The dog LOVES the nanny. She also loves being able to hang out in the house all day with her and the baby. Our beagle has some separation anxiety issues, which is common for the social beagle breed. If she is alone in the house, she needs to be in her crate where she feels safe and secure.
Every day, the beagle goes WILD from the moment she hears the lock in the front door jingling until the nanny makes her way through the baby gate into the family room, yelping and running around in circles. This at least distracts the dog from trying to get into the kitchen for, oh, a nanosecond.
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When we pulled the highchair out of the basement for the Pookie, the dog was SO excited. She knew what this meant, and she couldn't have been more thrilled. I should have known then that she was about to become a huge pain in the butt. I still had hope that she would be somewhat manageable, as she had been since the Pumpkin was out of the highchair. Beagles have great memories and are really smart dogs, but they can also be persistent and sneaky. Our dog remembered that the highchair in the kitchen meant more food on the ground, and I believe she started right then to planning ways for getting that food before any humans could stop her.
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This morning, the dog was being relentless. It was one of those breakfast times when everyone needed something at the same time, and I hadn't even had my coffee yet! As I jumped from one breakfast-making activity to another, the dog snuck in the kitchen under the table, dove into the kitchen to try to snatch up the food the Pumpkin dropped, and then snuck in again and stuffed her face into the highchair next to the baby's leg!
Keys jiggled in the front door, the dog went crazy. I sighed and put my head in my hands. The nanny came in, greeting the dog while trying to keep her from jumping up and from running into the kitchen. Once the nanny took over feeding the Pookie, I went upstairs to finish getting ready. I took the dog with me.
I did my makeup and put on work clothes, and the dog sat in front of the bedroom door whining to be let out. Downstairs there was FOOD! and the NANNY! and FOOD! Finally, I opened the door and let her out, though I stayed behind to collect a few last minute things.
As I walked down the stairs, I could hear the Pumpkin trying to get the dog to do something, or not do something, I wasn't sure. I immediately thought she was after my daughter's food, and I was getting frustrated. But when I looked into the family room, my daughter was in there, and the dog was right near her. I asked what was going on, and the Pumpkin said that she was trying to get the dog to play with her toy. Not the Pumpkin's toy, I quickly realized, but a dog toy.
The Pumpkin was throwing the dog toy so that the dog could chase it and fetch it back. The nanny was playing tug of war with the dog. I showed the nanny and the Pumpkin the best and safest way to get the dog to give the toy back so that the Pumpkin could throw it for her again. Then I watched them as I cleaned up the kitchen. The Pookie was in the nanny's lap, enjoying the entertainment by two of his favorite things to watch.
The Pumpkin threw that toy for the dog until my sweet little dog was too tired to keep playing. She plopped herself down and chewed on the toy. The Pumpkin at first tried to get her to keep playing, but I explained that she is an old dog and gets tired. She needs to rest a bit. But wasn't that fun? The Pumpkin seemed to understand, and we got her shoes on and left for school, calling out good bye to the nanny, the Pookie and the dog (and the cat) on our way out the door.
Beagles are also known for being great with kids. It was a large part of the reason we picked a beagle, knowing back then that she'd (hopefully) be around when we started having kids. She's a great dog.
The rule is that the dog is not allowed in the kitchen while we are eating, but she can come in and clean up the floor when we are done and release her. We consistently enforce the rule (although the nanny does not always enforce it), but stubbornness is also a well-known trait of beagles. We constantly tell her to get out of the kitchen. She KNOWS she is supposed to stay in the family room on the carpet while we are eating mere feet away in the kitchen which is open to the family room. Yet every chance she gets, she tries to find a way into the kitchen. More than 2 dozen times each meal, we are telling her to get out of the kitchen, to go sit down, to GET OUT! Even the Pumpkin knows this, and in fact tells on the dog every time she makes it into the kitchen.
Then the other evening, she snuck in the kitchen when I was up getting a spoon or something. I turned around to see the dog's face stuffed into the highchair WHERE THE BABY WAS SITTING. As I was reaching out to the dog and telling her no, the baby let out a cry. That dang dog took the teething biscuit right out of the baby's hand! She didn't bite the Pookie--she's not a biter, and his hand didn't have any marks on it--but that is unacceptable!
So now when she doesn't listen and can't seem to help herself from trying to get into the kitchen and get the kids' food, I make her go upstairs and put her in her crate. She howls and whines, but she is at least out of the kitchen and I can let go of some of the tension from constant vigilance. I know she wants to be part of the family, as beagles are also extremely social, pack animals and generally hate to seperated from the pack. But she can't seem to help herself, and I can only take so much.
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The summer of 2001, Londo and I had been talking about getting a dog. Our cat was two years old, fiesty, sweet and, well, a cat. While I loved having the cat, I had grown up with dogs in the house and really wanted a dog. Londo was on board in theory, but maybe not sure of how ready he was. He grew up with cats and dogs, but in he lived in the country where the animals stayed outside. This would be a big adjustment for him, and he wasn't sure how to account for the house training when we were both working full days and he had grad school.
On September 11, 2001, tragedy struck. That day, Londo and I both came home early from work, sat on the couch stunned and watched news channels all day long. By evening, I turned to Londo and say, "We are getting a dog this weekend." He immediately agreed.
To me, dogs are so comforting. In times of distress and pain, the dogs I've had come right up to you and snuggle their sweet, furry faces into you, willing you to feel better. That day, I longed for that type of comfort. Our cat is not a lap cat, and though he is good for leg rubs, he does not provide that unconditional, want-you-to-feel-better, sympathetic snuggling that dogs do.
I had done a lot of research on breeds, and I felt that beagles would be the best breed for us and still be under the weight restriction of the apartments where we lived at the time. I followed up on an ad about beagles for sale and made plans to visit the breeder that weekend. We drove 45 minutes to a house in the Georgia countryside and met with a friendly woman and husband, who showed us their latest litter of beagles. We were the first to respond, and we would get the pick of the litter. We did all the little dog personality "tests" and picked out an adorable little puppy with a mostly black back, cute "tick" markings on her belly, a black/brown/white face and the softest ears you've ever felt. She was not too shy, not too agressive.
We brought her with us when we went inside the house to sign the papers. She had never been inside before, and she was overwhelmed. She scampered under the dining room hutch, and we had to pull her out when we were ready to leave. On the 45 minute ride back to our house, she rode in my lap the whole way, sleeping while I stroked her soft puppy fur.
Like the cat, we named her after a science fiction character (cause we are geeks like that). She loved the cat right off, although the cat took some time to adjust to her. She also loved the cat's food and litter box, both of which had to be put out of her reach very quickly.
She's always been very good natured, although a bit needy and stubborn. She's been a wonderful dog, and we feel so lucky to have her.
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The dog believes that the nanny comes to our house every week day for her. I'm sure of it. Our nanny loves the dog and gives her a ton of affection, though she is sure to reprimand her and try to enforce the rules of the house (mostly). The dog LOVES the nanny. She also loves being able to hang out in the house all day with her and the baby. Our beagle has some separation anxiety issues, which is common for the social beagle breed. If she is alone in the house, she needs to be in her crate where she feels safe and secure.
Every day, the beagle goes WILD from the moment she hears the lock in the front door jingling until the nanny makes her way through the baby gate into the family room, yelping and running around in circles. This at least distracts the dog from trying to get into the kitchen for, oh, a nanosecond.
---------------------------
When we pulled the highchair out of the basement for the Pookie, the dog was SO excited. She knew what this meant, and she couldn't have been more thrilled. I should have known then that she was about to become a huge pain in the butt. I still had hope that she would be somewhat manageable, as she had been since the Pumpkin was out of the highchair. Beagles have great memories and are really smart dogs, but they can also be persistent and sneaky. Our dog remembered that the highchair in the kitchen meant more food on the ground, and I believe she started right then to planning ways for getting that food before any humans could stop her.
---------------------------
This morning, the dog was being relentless. It was one of those breakfast times when everyone needed something at the same time, and I hadn't even had my coffee yet! As I jumped from one breakfast-making activity to another, the dog snuck in the kitchen under the table, dove into the kitchen to try to snatch up the food the Pumpkin dropped, and then snuck in again and stuffed her face into the highchair next to the baby's leg!
Keys jiggled in the front door, the dog went crazy. I sighed and put my head in my hands. The nanny came in, greeting the dog while trying to keep her from jumping up and from running into the kitchen. Once the nanny took over feeding the Pookie, I went upstairs to finish getting ready. I took the dog with me.
I did my makeup and put on work clothes, and the dog sat in front of the bedroom door whining to be let out. Downstairs there was FOOD! and the NANNY! and FOOD! Finally, I opened the door and let her out, though I stayed behind to collect a few last minute things.
As I walked down the stairs, I could hear the Pumpkin trying to get the dog to do something, or not do something, I wasn't sure. I immediately thought she was after my daughter's food, and I was getting frustrated. But when I looked into the family room, my daughter was in there, and the dog was right near her. I asked what was going on, and the Pumpkin said that she was trying to get the dog to play with her toy. Not the Pumpkin's toy, I quickly realized, but a dog toy.
The Pumpkin was throwing the dog toy so that the dog could chase it and fetch it back. The nanny was playing tug of war with the dog. I showed the nanny and the Pumpkin the best and safest way to get the dog to give the toy back so that the Pumpkin could throw it for her again. Then I watched them as I cleaned up the kitchen. The Pookie was in the nanny's lap, enjoying the entertainment by two of his favorite things to watch.
The Pumpkin threw that toy for the dog until my sweet little dog was too tired to keep playing. She plopped herself down and chewed on the toy. The Pumpkin at first tried to get her to keep playing, but I explained that she is an old dog and gets tired. She needs to rest a bit. But wasn't that fun? The Pumpkin seemed to understand, and we got her shoes on and left for school, calling out good bye to the nanny, the Pookie and the dog (and the cat) on our way out the door.
Beagles are also known for being great with kids. It was a large part of the reason we picked a beagle, knowing back then that she'd (hopefully) be around when we started having kids. She's a great dog.
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