A Boy and His Dog(s)

There really is a special bond between boys and their dogs. This morning we had a playdate. We were meeting our friends at the YMCA, picking up donuts from Dunkin Donuts and then coming back to our house. We didn't have to leave for the Y until 9, so we had a few hours after breakfast to play. Trent was into the dogs all morning. Dozer is his pal. Trent is partial to him over Duke. Dozer lets him roll all over him and they really are best buds. This morning, Duke wanted to play tug of war with Trent. So Trent was chasing after Dozer and Duke was chasing after Trent with a tug of war toy. It was chaos but they were all loving it. Watching Trent play tug of war with Duke is funny. It's like watching a water skier being pulled on a ski rope. The dogs are more gentle with Trent than they are with us. But it's a good matchup - Trent outweighs the dogs by about 10 pounds but when the dogs plant their feet, they can still give a good tug! The three of them ran around playing for a good little while until they wore eachother out. Then it was rest time.

Dozer and TJ relaxing (TJ's not sleeping, it just looks like he is)

Dozer's New Name

Doh Doh!

Trent is trying to talk more and more each day. Dozer now goes by 'Doh Doh' at our house.

Dogs on the Fireplace?

Duke and Dozer

The dogs have taken to sleeping on the fireplace. It's the craziest thing. I originally thought they were doing it to get away from Trent, but Trent can still reach them there. Apparently, the blankets that cover the edges for Trent's sake are just extra comfy. :)

The Instigator

Trent loves instigating the dogs. It's not always fair because the dogs know that they have to be gentle and easy with Trent, but Trent is not always gentle and easy with them. We're consistently working on petting and playing nice. Trent does well with it most of the time but he can't seem to resist getting them all excited to play.

Step 1: Climb into the dogs basket

Step 2: Nonchalantly pick up the dog toy

Step 3: Shake dog toy vigorously while making noise

Cute Moments in Florida

TJ with bells that Poppy gave him

Patton "protecting" TJ during naptime

The trip to Florida was a lot of fun. Poppy gave Trent two bells to play with and he thought they were the greatest thing. He rang them constantly. The other pic is of my sister's dog with Trent. Trent had fallen asleep on my parents and when they got up, Patton was proud to jump up on the bed and stand guard for the remainder of TJ's nap. It was too cute!

One for the team

Today, I went for a walk with with all three of them! That's right, Duke, Dozer and Trent.

Walking Duke and Dozer is difficult enough. Don't let their size fool you. When they are on a walk, they have the strength of two sled dogs, which would make going up the numerous hills in my neighborhood great IF they ever went in the same direction. Since they're both males, they also like to mark each and every mailbox. Not to mention, have to greet every person/squirrel/leaf that may pass by. We have worked on "heel" with these two for YEARS. Walking with one, it works pretty well; walking with two - a different story. I used to run them three miles a day, but somewhere along the way, they became middle aged dogs. They now opt for becoming anchors (complete dead weight, where they literally force you drag them or carry them) after about two miles. (We went about 1.5 today, and as I type this, they are both sleeping at my feet). Anyway, up until today, I haven't had the nerve to attempt to push TJ in the jog stroller AND walk the two dogs at the same time. The jog stroller can be a bit of a beast to push up the hills and can be hard to hold back on the way down. But today was the day. We all needed some Vitamin D after being inside all day so we strapped everyone in and off we went.

It went surprisingly well! The stroller forced them to heel since it could potentially run them over if they didn't respect it(and it's bigger), so the dogs walked nicely along side of it! I kept the dog leash in my right hand so the stroller also worked as a barrier between squirrels, mailboxes, neighbors, etc. What a pleasant way to enjoy the sunshine!

Friendly Game of Tug Of War

Duke and Trent play Tug of War almost daily. While Trent has the weight advantage by a few pounds, Duke normally comes out triumphant. It's really entertaining to watch and both Duke and Trent have fun playing. We've also included a video of Trent walking (assisted) for your viewing pleasure.

Cold, Blustery Days

This weekend we had a cold snap come through. Normal for this time of year is highs in the mid 70s. This weekend our highs were in the mid 40s, low 50s. The weekend was pretty low key. It feels great to have a change of seasons. We pulled out the fall/winter clothes and enjoyed some fresh air, hot cider and smores on the patio.

Bundled up and looking like a Norsk

Trent is really growing. He cut his third tooth this weekend and has a fourth on the way. He also constantly wants to stand. We took a family walk down to Jesse's grandmother's house this weekend and Trent was constantly pulling himself up on her coffee table. (Our coffee table has really sharp edges and is made of slate so we haven't even shown him that one!) At our house, we've noticed it in his room. He likes to stand while holding onto his crib or while holding onto you. It reminds me of that trust game you used to play in grade school. He stands up with complete faith that we will catch him. It is so fun watching him learn, figure things out, and become brave enough to attempt to see and touch things on his own.

Standing on Daddy

Tough Guy

Standing Up at his crib

Hey Ma, Look what I'm doing!

I think parenting must be easier for people with pets. It is instant entertainment for the baby. It is such a welcome break to watch him interact with them when I've heard the ABCs, 123s, and all the other silly songs that every baby toy seems to play over and over again. (Though teaching the dogs not to bark when baby is sleeping is a whole different story!)

Duke, TJ's favorite

Dozer and TJ

Pet the doggie

Trent is enamored by the dogs. He cracks up when they walk by him. He often reaches out for them and the dogs will either lay down and allow Trent to "pet" them or they will stay juust out of his reach. Even at Trent's young age, we are already teaching him to be gentle and pet nicely as other people's dogs may not be as forgiving as ours with Trent. Video from one of Duke and Trent's first interactions will be uploaded shortly. The pictures were taken today (Friday) . There's been improvement.



Jesse has plans to work on the patio again this weekend, but we'll see how it goes. It's supposed to rain all weekend. We have been stuck under a raincloud the last week. Just last night, we got four inches of rain! Hopefully, we'll see a little sunshine. If they're able to make much progress on it this weekend, I'll post some new pics.

And one more cute pic before bedtime:

Trent rockin' the fauxhawk

Duke's Bestest Friend

Trent is getting more mobile each day. He spends time daily wiggling on the floor for "tummy time." We have a blanket on the floor to make it more comfortable, but inevitably I have to rescue him from face plants on the hardwood floors a few times a day. Duke has been eagerly anticipating Trent being able to move on his own. He loves to play fetch and wants so badly for Trent to be his play buddy. He has noticed Trent's increased mobility and now brings the balls over to Trent. (If you look closely, you can see unamused Dozer sleeping on the dog bed in the back)

Another Day, Another Ball