Bear 1, Hearing Aid, 0

My mom's not here right now.  She's gone to pick up her new hearing aid.

Oh, you want to know why?  Yeah, about that...

Well, last week, Dad left to go to San Francisco really really really early in the morning.  So when mom and I came back from the bus stop, mom decided to be a couch potato for a little while.  She was reading a book on her phone and snoozing a bit, so I cuddled up next to her and sniffed around the end table too.  Anddddd, maybe I chewed on a couple of things.  Ok one little thing.  A blue thing.  With a little round battery and electronics.

When my mom got up, she started looking around for one of those things that helps her hear.  I ran out of the room and stayed very very quiet.

I heard her on the phone talking about something called a warranty.  Then I heard her make another call.  Something about X-rays.  Before I knew it, we were at the place where I get my shots!

They put me on this cold table in this thing where I had to be still.  Took some kind of picture, and said, "Boy, he's a little trouble-maker!"  But with that cutesy tone in their voice that everybody uses around me.  I gave them my most pitiful, desperate look when they took me back to the room.  The doctor said something about the battery already being in my colon?  She said to wait and watch me.

Well, I got to go home without any shots.  Later on, when I pooped, everybody seemed happy!  I don't know what that was all about...

All I know is I'm glad I'm cute.  And Mom says I should be thankful that little blue thing was warrantied!

No Popeye's for Bear

Let me tell you about my boundaries.  I have four.

• My crate (tiny)
• My play pen (small, but better.  food, water, toys, a potty pad.  oh, and Austin added a basketball hoop!)
• The family room (pretty big, but mom boarded off the entire banister and walkway to the kitchen. yes, i can fit through the spindles.  and yes, she did that because i'm a little slow on the uptake to the whole indoor potty training thing.  and yes, that's a story for another day)
• The whole house (i get free time after i pee and poop where i'm supposed to.  woo-hoo!  there's a lot of stuff i need to get into)

Anyway, the bad thing about my boundaries is that I'm cut off from the kitchen.  Dad brought home Popeye's chicken last night.  Do you know how good that stuff smells???  So I whined and barked and scratched at the barricade.  I just knew they would eventually give in.  Didn't work.

So I tried another tactic.  The sad-eyed, make-them-feel-guilty look.  That didn't work either!

Mom says there are some things that just aren't good for me to eat.  I don't quite get it... I had chicken the other day and I loved it!  But Popeye's is somehow "different?"  Whatever, I had to settle for bananas last night.  I guess Mom is just taking care of me.  Doesn't mean I like it.

Mom also says she wished she had someone who would prevent her from eating the things she shouldn't eat.  I told her I didn't think she would make a good puppy.  Her cute years were over a long time ago.  Hee-hee!

Learning to Help

My big bro is starting a new sport... cross country!  I have no idea what that is, except that my bigger brother has been doing it for years, still doing it, and now Austin is doing it.  Something about "it's the only sport 6th graders can do at school" and "it's how Robbo got started running."  If it has anything to do with running, I'm all in!

By the way, I'm fast, too.

So Dad brought home new running shoes for Austin last night.  They were sick!  Red, white, and black Nike Zoom Pegasus kicks... He was pretty excited about them and sat down to try them on.  I just figured I'd help...

Yeah, about that.  

Mom says sometimes people try to help in ways that aren't really helpful.  That their intentions can be good, but the results aren't positive.  When we truly want to help, we need to think through how it will impact everyone, and be thoughtful in our actions.  

About the shoes?  She said not to worry... it's okay, I'm not old enough yet to know the difference.  Whew.

Off to run!

The Hardest Part

My big brother started middle school this week.  My job is to walk him to the bus stop each morning.  And boy-oh-boy is it early!  We are out the door at 7 o'clock... <yawn>

It's pretty fun actually.  There are two of his buddies there too.  And then there are three girls.  One of them likes me - I know her.  The other two just stand there like zombies.  Teenagers.

After that, me and mom go for our morning walk.  Sometimes it's long, sometimes it's short.  Mom says it depends on what she has to do that day.  I think it depends on whether she's up for it or not.  <wink, wink>

The good think about going to school early is that he comes home early too!  So sometime not too long after lunch, I see Mom grab the leash and I know it's time to go back to the bus stop.  I can hardly wait to see my Austin!

The only problem with the first week of school is that we don't know exactly when the bus comes.  The first day, we had to wait.  And wait.  And wait.  I thought I'd never see that big yellow box with wheels!

Mom says waiting is almost always the hardest part of anything.  That people can usually deal with whatever happens - good, bad, in the middle.  But waiting is just a killer.

I hope I don't have to wait too often for things.  Or if I do, I hope I get treats?!?