You all remember my dog, right? 13 pounds, really small head, brains to match the head size? Well, I learned something new today...she knows how to swim! I realize that "all dogs instinctively know how to swim", but a chihuahua? Really? I had my doubts.
So here's what happened:
Andrew wakes up WAY early from his nap. Mommy is already bored out of her mind and full of cabin fever (can we say, it's only October...what the H%!& am I going to be like in February???). So we bundle up and head outdoors. And by bundle up, I mean BUNDLE UP. It was cold. Andrew gets gear from the grandmas, so he is decked out in a turtleneck, sweatshirt, winter coat, and fleece hat. Mommy is in the only coat she owns, a spring jacket. Yea, I'm a smarty. Anyway, because it's been raining so much, I decide to take Shadow along with us on our walk to the park. No problem...a dog and a toddler. I can handle it, right? I mean, I want another child, so I think of these outings as very easy dry runs.
Let's fast-forward a few minutes. Andrew and I are sitting on a bench preparing to throw the ducks some very old raisin bread that I found in the back of a cabinet today (it doesn't speak or move yet, so it's not THAT old, but it is a questionable texture and a bit more like toast than bread now). I was throwing bread WAY out in the lake to try and coax the ducks closer. I can't imagine why they didn't want to waddle around our ankles. A yapping, unleashed dog and a toddler yelling "Come here ducks" sounds safe to me? Shadow catches a piece that Andrew has thrown into the grass and decides that she likes it. So she DIVES INTO THE LAKE. Andrew and I fall silent as we watch Aqua-dog swim out to the bread, eat it, turn around, and swim back. At first I thought, "I'm going to watch my dog drown" and felt very sad. When I saw what a good swimmer she is, I thought, "I'm going to watch myself kill my dog for doing this".
Shadow walks out happy and proud of herself...and COVERED IN POND MUCK. How gross!!! Then I had to convince the toddler that we suddenly needed to leave the park, as I do calculations as to how long it would take hypothermia to set in for a wet, 13 pound dog in 50 degree weather. Shadow is running through the leaves like an insane wild animal. It took me 15 minutes to wash the briars and slime out of her fur.
Ah, the joys of being a dog owner. To top off my day, Andrew had a MONSTER fit at dinner. Jeff was at fencing and Andrew and I were just generally sick of each other. He brought me a container of cookies and declared that he was having a cookie. I had just moments before set his dinner down on the table. 15 minutes of screaming and crying ensued. I just kept telling him that he needed to eat dinner first. I kid you not, the fit just turned off. It's like he figured out I wasn't going to give in. Turned it off like you would turn off a light. Laughed and had fun while we ate dinner together.
Lordy, I am scared of the 2's.
2 comments:
Okay-- I guess I won't sweat the fact that one of the wascally wabbits CHEWED on our hutch. I think your strategy of waiting to get anything nice for your house until Andrew is a bit older... was a wise choice. And can I say that DOGS are SO much work. I can't imagine trying to give her a bath AND entertaining my 2 year-old.
Go Shadow. I can't wait to take her camping at the river. I laughed so hard when I read your posting today. All the stories about Andrew are wonderful too. So I'm biased. . .
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