Junior Mensa member

How to tell if your child is gifted: "Watch for signs that your child learns quickly and retains information easily. Fast learners with good memories may be gifted."

A case of mistaken identity

Apparently, we need an electric fence for Bauer.
Not to keep him in, mind you. But to keep our well intentioned neighborhood Samaritans out.
For the third time since we began renting the house, someone has attempted to "return" Bauer to his home down the street where Cooper, a red-tinted Golden with an uncanny resemblance and a proclivity for neighborhood escapades, resides. The first time it happened, TJ overheard one of the kids next door say, "Come on Cooper, I'll take you home again," at which point he had to spend about 10 minutes convincing the boy that this dog's name is Bauer and that he belongs to us. Yesterday, Riley and I were outside enjoying the weather -- she was bouncing in her Exersaucer and I was cleaning the neglected interior of TJ's truck. When, out of the corner of my eye, I notice a pre-teen girl creeping slowly toward Bauer with a red leash looped in her hands like a noose. It was so much like watching one of those old school dog-catcher cartoons that I half expected her to see her "foiled again" by an anvil falling from the sky. Once she actually nabbed him, the look on Bauer's face was priceless:
Look kid, if you're going to take me for a W-A-L-K, then I'm all for it...but something tells me that's not what you're up to, so I'm starting to feel a little uncomfortable about this situation."
At this point, I stepped in to rescue my puppy. However, I have no doubt that at some point in the near future, Cooper's family will be returning Bauer to us after someone else takes him "home." I just hope he doesn't decide that Cooper's house has better amenities, fewer tiny hands that tug ears and whiskers, and that he might just want to stay there.

Every photo tells a story

It's a story of LOVE...Riley is crazy about HER new toy, the long wooden spoon, which she uses to bang on pots and pans...of course!

It's a story of BETRAYAL...there are consequences to leaving your beloved possessions on the floor in THIS household.

It's a story of TRIUMPH...as Bauer waggles around in circles, parading HIS new toy around the house.

Cookie Monster

This is what I wanted to capture: Riley's self-feeding skills. When she sees the animal cracker coming toward her from the package, she opens her mouth and leans forward as if it's just going to float right into her mouth. But after some "teaching," we've gotten to the point where I can put it in her hand and she takes it from there. I find myself cheering every time she does it...who would've thought such silly little moments could make your heart so happy?

And now a word from our sponsor

I had some really cute video of Riley and her animal crackers, but I couldn't get it to upload. I guess the files are just so big that anything over a few seconds is too much for this computer to process. I really wanted to share some live video with all of you, so I figured I try just a few seconds of footage. And I got it to work! So, this film is a "short," which is defined as "a first step into the cinematic art among young filmmakers. They are cheaper and easier to make, usually don't take very long to produce, and their brevity makes shorts more likely to be watched by financial backers and others who want some demonstration of a filmmaker's ability." So, maybe this feature presentation will sweep Sundance next year???
Well, at least it will make you smile.

Bauer stalks his prey

"BE VEWY, VEWY QUIET...I AM HUNTING ANIMAL QWAKERS..."

If it wasn't so darn funny, it would be quite disturbing -- the intensity with which Bauer fixates on the "low-hanging fruits" of the highchair and Exersaucer. He waits so patiently and intently, it's like the primal, ancestral hunting skills are summoned from deep in his domesticated bowels. Cesar would not approve. We tell Bauer that we're going to call for a Pack Leader consultation, but he knows we're bluffing. There's no doubt that we have created this monster. Well, to be fair, Riley encourages it as well. Most of the cereal and crackers I give her are promptly tossed on the floor to lure the wild beast forward.
The good news on the Animal Cracker front is that she actually picked one up herself and put it in her mouth for the first time yesterday to help soothe her gums. I was pretty excited. It's not that I don't love holding the crackers for half an hour at a time while she chews them, it's just that unless we find her a wealthy toddler Baron, the grape-feeding servant life may just not be realistic and some manual dexterity might come in handy.

Chompers!!!!

We have visual contact!!!
One cute little tooth is in the process of erupting onto the lower gum scene. It's funny because just yesterday, I met a woman with a little girl two days younger than Riley and we were talking about how neither of them have any tooth action yet. And then, voila. She's had all the signs for what seems like a few months, but she's also had two nasty colds lately, one which we still can't shake, so it's been hard to tell. But sure enough, when we were playing eye-to-eye this morning, I saw a flash of it. Impossible to snap a picture just yet, but as soon as it finishes its grand entrance, I'll be sure to post one. In the meantime, here's one from the other morning when Mr. Rubber Ducky was probably helping to sooth the gum line. Oh, and another thing we're perfecting this week is our pincer grasp. She'll spend minutes at a time holding her pointer finger straight out and just staring at it and its incredible separation from the others in amazement. So far, she has used the new skill to pick up a piece of Bauer's food. (He likes to bring one single piece of food as an offering to whomever is available before he eats it. Strange habit of the last few months -- not sure the reason, need to call Dog Whisperer). And yes, I'm realizing that the once "oh that's still a ways away" concepts of baby proofing and choking hazards are becoming swift reality. Now, as far as the dog food itself, well...it is all natural...so maybe, hmm...
Kidding, kidding!! She can also pick up small pieces of cereal, but she doesn't put them in her mouth, she just moves them from place to place and then onto the floor -- which is perfectly fine with Bauer.