The Dog Day (Week 33, Day 1)

This weekend, we went to Fort Wayne to see my parents before thanksgiving. We thought it would be fun to get to spend some QT with the grandparents, and they were thrilled to see Madeline. We drove in late on Friday night, and Maddy was a dream- slept every second of the 3 plus hour drive from Chicago. Even slept once we got there, and sat and chatted with my parents. She slept every moment until it was time for us to get settled to sleep for the night, and transfer her to the pack and play. And that is when she woke up. And stayed up. All night. I'm not sure where her pure hatred for pack and plays came from, but it seems to be here to stay. She wants nothing to do with them. Ever. That night was spent coercing Maddy to sleep next to me in bed, and was only half successful. I thanked my lucky stars that we had nothing major planned the next day, and could rest and relax.

One of the amazing things about my parents place is the space- after being in our shoebox apartment, Maddy now had some serious crawling space, and didn't hesitate for a moment to use it. It was such a fun site.

Another treat was a visitor for my parents - my sisters dog Jackson. He is one of the sweetest dogs in the world, and also a little bit of a sceredy cat. I knew we had nothing to worry about with Jackson being around Maddy - he was probably more scared of her than she was of him, and kept wandering near me to get a look at this small new object, but never got too close to her. He definitely couldn't understand what all the fuss was over this little being, and continued to ensure all the big people knew he were around him.

As for Maddy, she couldn't quite make out what this new furry creature was doing in her world. She alternated between giving Jackson a serious stared down to attempting to chase after this new friend. At one point, Maddy was sitting in my lap, and Jackson came in a little closer to check out the little lady. Maddys response was to throw her arms open and squeal in delight- making Jackson jump and run away in pure terror. It was absolutely hilarious to see how confused each was by the others existence. By the end of the weekend, Jackson had become accustomed to Maddy, and had found one of her toys that he really wanted to explore. I spent a good half hour with Jackson running around me trying to steal Maddy's toy, and Maddy crawling around trying to catch Jackson. It was absolutely adorable. 

A few days later, Maddy now clutches a tiny soft puppy while she sleeps. I think Jackson has made a lasting impression on her!