This Is What A Great Dog Looks Like

For 3 reasons:

1. It's mindless fun for a Friday night (and a Friday night during a heat wave, at that).
2. Maya's laugh is sure to make you smile.
3. Parker is the best dog ever.


 

Getting back on our feet

We've had a lot going on over here.

Besides the obvious (The Silencing of Maya and the news stories generated by the silencing---which I'm updating every few days) we were also all sick with hand, foot & mouth virus (which was exactly as miserable as it sounds).  Two and a half weeks later, we're finally all back on our feet. 

Maya was feeling better last week and got to do some painting . . .

 . . . but some days she was still so tired that she needed an immediate nap (which is not her style).

 

She continues to make great progress with her talker, and so does Parker (yep, really).  First, here's Maya, showing off how she is starting to put sentences together:

Maya loves to call Parker, but she makes a tiny, breathy "Pa" sound to call him.  Sometimes he hears it, but most often not.  I made a button on the talker that says "Parker, come!" and I've been teaching him to come when he hears it.  Finally, it's working :)  Take a look:

  

If you haven't already, we would really appreciate it if you could take a minute to sign our petition to keep this app available for Maya and its other users.  As you can see, it's her voice.  We can't let it go.  (And we would be especially appreciative if you would share it---via email, to listservs, on Facebook, through Twitter, from a banner on a plane, written in fireworks, whatever.)  Thank you!

  



The object of her affection

I was just going through some files on my computer and found this gem of a video, taken a few days after Christmas (you'll see the clutter that rapidly accumulates when we're on "vacation").  Maya and Parker were like little magnets---they kept separating only to get pulled back together.  I started filming, and by the end Dave and I were nearly in tears (you'll hear it). 

In fairness, it should be noted that Parker & Maya play like brother and sister (or 2 puppies, whichever analogy you prefer).  In this video, she's playing the role of the instigator, but there are other days when he follows her around, nudging her or bumping her to play.  (He's very smart around her---you can see a few times in the video where he moves slightly away (she has a habit of falling suddenly) and other times when he just freezes and stays still and kind of absorbs her weight.)

You have to admit they're pretty cute together.







If you're new around here, go back to April 2010 and you can read about (and see) when we got Parker.  He's a standard poodle, and we got him to be Maya's service/therapy dog.  Once she started walking, he shifted from training for service dog to remaining a therapy dog.  He's worked with her during sessions, and is just an emotional (and sometimes physical) companion for her, and for us.

Every kid needs to romp in a big pile of leaves

This is Maya's first walking fall.  Free from the constraints of the stroller (sometimes) she's prone to picking up sticks, rocks, clumps of dirt . . . whatever catches her eye.  On Saturday morning Maya was walking in front of our building, stopping every other step to pick up a leaf.  She was a leaf hoarder---using one hand to smush a growing pile against her coat, using the other to grab new leaves from the ground.

And then we realized that she's never gotten to play in a big pile of leaves.

"Big pile of leaves" is a fall tradition in the suburbs.  It's possibly the most fun part of fall for kids, jumping and rolling, shuffling and kicking and throwing and tunneling through a freshly raked pile.  We called my parents in NJ, asking the rather ridiculous question, "Hey, do you guys have any leaves?"  My dad said that he'd make a big pile for Maya, we grabbed some stuff---and Parker--and headed out.

This is a very big pile of leaves. 

And I can touch them all?!

When Parker sees that Maya is holding leaves, he likes to go and pull them out of her hand.  She may have taught him this by shoving random things in his mouth and then laughing when he takes them and spits them on the ground :)

 Parker, you're takin' all my leaves!  Silly doggie.

Rearranging the pile.

 Doling out leaves to Grandma and her next door neighbor

 Parker likes soccer.  Who knew?

 That, my friends, is a happy girl.

I couldn't resist.

Parker!  Stop takin' my leaves!

*special thanks to Dave, who is letting me upload pictures despite the fact that he's in desperate need of a haircut.

Our favorite partners-in-crime:

This picture of Maya & Parker is so cute that a friend of mine wrote on my FB wall, "Hey, you should enter that picture into this photo contest!"  and I thought "Um, I don't want to be that vote-for-this-cute-picture-of-my-kid" person.

Then I saw the prize.  $1,000 to the photo that gets the most votes between today and Sunday. 

And I thought about the appointment that we have a Yale next week---meeting with a new geneticist---we have hopes that this might actually be the first step on the road to a diagnosis.  For real.  Of course, it's not covered by insurance.

And I thought about the communication device and/or apps that we're hoping to get.  A little photo prize money, well, it would be mighty nice. 

Voting starts today---you can go to this link to vote.  1 vote per person, per day. 

Thanks you. 

A girl and her dog (and last day for the giveaway!)

How about a little Maya-Parker love on this gorgeous Monday afternoon?

One of the sweetest things about returning from our vacation 2 wks ago was the reuniting of Maya and Parker (who had spent the week at my in-laws).  Maya spends a lot of time petting him, hugging him, and giving him kisses . . . and he spends a lot of time being very patient :)  He seeks her out, too---bumping her with his nose, bringing her his toys, etc.  Getting her a dog was possibly the best thing we've done for her :)

Check out the video (taken from my phone---sorry for the quality) from this morning.  You'll want the volume on to hear all of her giggles, which escalate when he decides to throw in some little barks.  2 notes:  1.  Although you can see his mouth opened a little at times, know that he's extrememly gentle with his nose/mouth/teeth  2.  Maya's hugs are not usually quite so vigorous. 



How sweet is it that he wrestles out of her hug just to turn and lick her nose?!


Today is your last chance to enter the Leapfrog Letter Factory DVD giveaway!   Winner will be picked & posted tomorrow evening----you can enter up to 5 times, go check it out!


Also, next week I'm taking Maya to see the geneticist to have a new test done.  I've got some thoughts on that, but no time to sort through them just yet.  We're too busy enjoying the last throes of summer (and some beautiful post-hurricane weather) to get too serious at the moment.  Summer fun now, deep thoughts later.

Oh, you're my best friend*

This morning Dave took Parker for a walk and came back with a park bench.  A mini park bench.  He found it in the trash, grabbed it up, and brought it home, just like any good dad would do.  And Maya liked it :)

My new bench!

Parker likes it too . . .

Parker, I've got an idea.  Let's take some pictures with my new bench!

 Maya, sit still please.

Parker!  Stay still!

Everybody stay still!  Maya, this is not funny!  Stop laughing and be serious.

Oh, you are such a ham.

I'm gonna put my feet up like Parker's!

Just me, my best friend, and my new bench :)

Maya: (clap! clap! clap!) This is so much fun!

Parker: I'm outta here.

I give Parker treats when he's a good doggie :)

(Did you figure out that the titles with the *'s are song lyrics?  I thought that was the easiest way to show which ones are lyrical---like today's Queen quote---and which ones are just me.)

Here we come, walking down the street (for real!)*

Back in November I had a similarly titled post, in which Maya got to "walk" Parker from her stroller.  It was very cute. (Parker looks so much smaller in that video, by the way.)

But you know what's cuter than that?

Maya really walking Parker.  She's on her 2 feet, he's on his 4 feet, and she's in charge (for better or worse).  (Parker is clearly not convinced that we're actually letting her be in charge.  He keeps shooting me glances like, "Really?  Just stick totally with her?  You don't want me to heel to you?")



Although Maya seemed pretty confident that she could open the door herself, I thought I should help her out.  So here we were after we made it inside:  (This one is long, but there are many cute moments, so I'm not cutting it down.)



The best parts:
0:30, when she sits at the window and kicks up her feet.  Too cute.
0:40, when she calls Parker because he's starting to wander off.  Show him who's in charge!
0:45, when I tell her to tell Parker to sit, and she stands up and holds up 1 finger---that's our "sit" signal :)
0:51, when she suddenly decides that it's time to move along (because, as it turns out, she remembered that on the walk home we told her we would get the mail when we got home)
1:26, because falling down is no big deal.
1:42, when she's just pulling him along on an adventure, and the size comparison of him walking behind her makes it look like she's leading a pony out to a field somewhere.

I guess the whole thing is pretty darn adorable :)

The making of the Best Holiday Card Ever

Here's your behind the scenes look at the holiday card shoot (these were taken the last week in November).

Dave and I traded off with the camera and staging duties---it's surprisingly complicated to get a toddler and a puppy to simultaneously cooperate.  Add in some wet paint, and it's (literally) a messy situation.  (The paint was black fingerpaint--totally nontoxic, washed right out, and I'm not sure if he even knew it was there, so no animal rights hate mail.)

Did you know that you can click on any picture to make it bigger?  So don't squint and hurt your eyes :)

Setting the scene-in the living room (the backdrop is our comforter draped over our couch):

Parker is clearly enthused and ready to begin.

Me: Parker!  Get in there!

Maya: Parker!  Let's go!

Parker: I don't think I like this.

Ok, guys, come on-perk up!   Pay attention!

Um, not like that.  That's too children-of-the-corn.

Maya's starting to get into it.  Add the paintbrush!

Hold it like this, Daddy?

Parker: I don't like the look of that paintbrush.

 

Maya: I think I could do some serious damage here.  (Is it me or does the way she's holding the brush totally scream "Psycho"?)

 

Ok, Maya, paint your Parker.

THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!  I CAN'T EVEN STAND IT!

I love this day!

And then things took an  . . . um, unexpected turn.

Hope your holidays don't stink!  :)

The best holiday card EVER!

Without further ado, our 2010 card . . .

(You can click on this to make it appear full-screen)

Here we come, walking down the street*

Maya's figured out that Parker gets walked on a leash, and now she wants to be the one holding it.  So I devised a 2 leash system that lets her "walk" him from the stroller, but lets me be in charge (just a little sprinkle of uncommon sense) . . . poor Parker is slightly confused about where to walk, but he's figuring it out. 

Here's what it looks like:





I feel a little bit like I'm operating a sled dog team with the stroller in one hand and the leash sticking wayyyyy out in front of me with Parker walking near the front of the stroller . . . I can't imagine what people are thinking as we walk towards them on the sidewalk.  But if Maya can't see where Parker is, she keeps twisting around in the stroller . . . and I'm trying to introduce the phrase "With Maya" to tell Parker when to heel to her.

*If you watch the video closely, you'll also get a glimpse of my fun new puffy magenta coat, and one of the new Starbucks cups in action.)

**Tomorrow December arrives, the most fun month of all.  Stay tuned for a walk down Holiday Card memory lane, starting with Maya's first holiday card (2008).
***If you see an empty space with a play button, just click it and the video will appear.

****If you took the time to read all of these stars, you get 7 points. 

Oh brother

Try real hard to remember back to 8th grade.   At my (tiny) elementary/middle school, I graduated 8th grade in a class of 17 (I can still name every one of them---and a bunch are Facebook friends, who might even be reading this---so shoutout to my class of '93 8th grade grads!).  We were the top dogs, and felt like the coolest kids around.  Maybe you were the *best* something in 8th grade---the best singer in your class, the fastest runner, the funniest.

And then you went to high school.

And suddenyl you're a very little fish in a very big pond.

That was therapy dog class tonight.  Sigh.

If you've hung out with Parker, you know that he's a great dog.  We've worked really hard with him, and he does so many amazing things:

-He will lay down and stay at the playground, as little kids run past within an inch of his nose.
-He will whimper and look at me with big eyes---but not move or snap or growl or scratch---when Maya grabs a handful of fur.
-He will gallop floppily to Maya and eagerly lick her face when I say "Parker!  Where's Maya?!?"
-He puts himself to bed
-He will wait forever if I put food in front of him and say "Leave it"
-etc

But---he wants, more than life itself, to play with other dogs.  Just desperately wants to frolick with them in puppy madness.  At 7 months, he was the youngest pup there by far---and his puppy "Dogs! Dogs! Hey, you dogs!  I need to play with you I'm right here will someone look at me I can't stand it I'm all alone!"ness it the biggest challenge we're going to face.

He did great with the one-on-one stuff---the trainer and her volunteer could pull on his paws, stick fingers in his mouth, etc etc---no problem.  He took treats gently.  He sat and stayed.  But he whimpered, wiggled, and tried to play with the other dogs as they walked by----so embarassing!

I thought we were at the top of our game. 

Sigh.

We have a lot lot lot lot of work to do.  We might not pass this round of classes, I fear.  He might just need to be older to gain more of the self control.  

I need to look at it like a challenge, dust myself off, and tackle it tomorrow.  But puppy training is really hard work with a toddler in tow.  Throw in a toddler who needs constant physical support, and how can I manage it?  How can I do our homework --- "find strangers and get them to approach your dog to pet him while you kneel next to him"----while holding a wiggling Maya, or having her sit in the stroller (yelling) to watch?

I thought we were a lot further along this training road than we actually are.  And it's both daunting and annoying.  Argh.

Beauty is in the details . . .

My cleaning out has sputtered a bit this week . . . the apples that took over the kitchen clamored to be cooking into applesauce and apple bread (recipes to follow), the fridge is nearly overflowing with CSA veggies to be processed and enjoyed.  I only have a few free hours when Maya is napping, and they've gotten eaten up by more routine chores. 

But as we clean out, we are taking the time to make small upgrades, too.  Why wait?  There's no point in putting off fun little adjustments that make such a nice difference. (Speaking of upgrades---did you see my fun new clogs on the Facebook page?  When you get rid of old, broken shoes, you get new fun ones!)

I hung a bulletin board (that I've been intending to hang since we moved here . . . 2.5 yrs ago), but it looked too school-bulletin-boardish, so I gave it a quick sloppy coat of plum/wine colored paint . . . much nicer.  A free, tiny adjustment that makes me smile when I walk by it:

I've been trying to find a home for my glass vases (previously they were in a kitchen cabinet, but I want to free that space for more pantry stuff).   Finally, I decided to home some of them on the bookcases in our living room (we have three, with glass doors----two in a media center, one as part of a hutch).  At the craft store this afternoon I scored some pumpkins, gourds & pincones, which fill the cases are create a nice autumn touch---the hutch is done, now I'll have to figure out how to arrange the others. 


Doors open:                                                                      Doors closed:

I'm excited to swap these out with other seasonal stuff----my mom always has nice seasonal decorations . . . it just makes every time of year feel special  :)  And since these displays will all be behind glass doors, they will stay simple and out of the way.  No clutter!

In other news, Parker's therapy dog classes start tomorrow night (and I'm nervous!).  He's definitely been practicing here at home . . . his patience and obedience are tested daily by little Maya, who now like to give him hugs and kisses:

Maya: I love you, Pa-pa!  Mwahhh!

Parker: Oh brother.                         

Seriously, though, their relationship is so cute.  I need to get some videos and pictures to show off here----he runs to her with his little tail stump wagging and licks her ears and head and she giggle, giggle, giggles.  She yells "Ma ma!" (which is how she says Pa-pa, her best attempt at Parker) and he's learning to come running when he hears it (again, more giggles).  We don't know if we'll ever fully use him in a service dog capacity (who knows what Maya will need in the long run), but he's certainly her therapy dog, 100% of the time.  He's been everything that we were hoping for :)

Clean, Play, Cook

1.  Operation Clean House is still in full effect here.  We just cleaned out the top shelves in the closet, which consisted of: unwearable old clothes, clothes with tags still on them, framed pictures that hung on the wall of our old apartment (yes, about 3.5 years ago).   Oh, and three bottles of colognes---different ones.  So we sprayed all of them to see if any smelled good (FYI, not the best idea to spray 3 bottles of men's cologne in an unventilated closet). 

2.  Here's a taste of our morning:  Maya, Parker & I hit the playground for a bit.  It's getting easier to manage both of them on my own at the playground, now that Parker is older and more obedient.  We have to adjust ( or avoid) depending on how crowded it is, but today he just hung out on the side while Maya climbed around.  He'll watch birds, and kids running by, without moving at all---but when people approach him or talk directly to him he'll get up to say hi---we're working on that.

3.  We finally got some ground beef---for the first time in months.  This ground beef is fresh (well, frozen, but whatever) from Lewis Waite Farm, a local farm that raises grass fed, grass finished beef.  It's certainly pricier than regular ground beef, but it looks better and smells better (like a LOT better) and is better for us.  And supports local (and responsible) agriculture, cuts down on fuel for transporting food cross country, etc. etc.  (If you're into food stuff/local stuff, some good reads are Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, or anything by Michael Pollan.  Or you could take the easier route and watch Food, Inc.  Everyone who buys or eats food should really check out that movie.)

Anyway, the ground beef pictured above was turned into meatloaves, which were cooked & frozen in slices.  (And although I find the name "meatloaf" kind of digusting, I swear it's really good.)  That's a whole bunch of easy lunches/dinners.  And I have a great meatloaf recipe----I think it came from Gourmet magazine . . . but I cheated with a few things (we don't need ground veal, so I just do ground beef for the full meat amount), so it's "Almost Gourmet" Meatloaf:

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef (or whatever meat or blend of meats you want)
1/4 cup minced green pepper
3/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tbl horseradish
1 tsp dijon mustard (or whatever mustard you have)
ketchup
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (or whatever breadcrumbs you have in a can)
2.5 tsp salt
pepper
4 slices bacon (uncooked.  I like to chop up a few more slices of bacon and add them into the mixture, too)

Instructions: Combine everything except for the bacon slices.  Knead it all together.  Put it into a greased loaf pan and lay the bacon slices on top.  Then coat the top with a thin layer of ketchup (on top of the bacon and the whole thing).  Bake at 400 for 50 minutes, let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Freezing: After it's totally cooled off (like in the refrigerator for a few hours), slice into, well, slices.  I freeze the slices flat, then load them into a gallon sized ziploc bag after they're frozen. 

Eating: A dinner would be 1 slice of meatloaf, plus potatoes and 2 types of vegetables---so one meatloaf can really last for a lot of meals.  It makes an easy lunch too.

The weather outside was frightful*

So, we stayed inside this afternoon and frolicked in the living room, while the rain poured down outside.

First, it was time for arts and crafts . . . our first ever try at having Maya sit at her art table (a hand-me-down---many thanks!).  How adorable is she, with her little feet dangling in the air?

  

(Yes, she has bells around her ankle.  How else would we know where she is?  . . . Ok, kidding, I put them on when we were playing with her music toys and then she got mad when Dave tried to take them off.  So we had to listen to jinglejanglejinglejanglejinglejangle for longer then anyone human should have to outside of December.)

I told Maya that art means you have to put the colors on the paper.  She went with the literal interpretation, and spent most of art time putting all of the crayons onto the sheet of paper, then dumping them off, then putting them back on, etc. 

After art time, it was time to play with Parker, and the tunnel.  Parker is looking---um---rather big these days.

                                                                                   "Parker? Is that you ? When did you get
                                                                                        so big?!"


So Parker has played with & done some training with the tunnel, and Maya has played with the tunnel, but this was the first time they played with it together.  We had a fun time, especially around 1:25 :)



(Try to overlook my attire, as I was wearing an old, large t-shirt of Dave's to cook in, which just stuck around for our lazy afternoon)

I just paused while typing this when I looked up and saw:

Clearly, Parker wants more tunnel action :)