Pawsitively Kimmy

Eighty Two Paws

Dear Leo,

Today you started sharing your feelings rather early in the morning. 4:30 a.m. to be exact. I heard momma move around and then she and dada were up and at ‘em before I knew it. I ignored dada when he came downstairs. I’m good at pretending to be sleeping. Then I start groaning to show my displeasure in disrupting my slumber. When mama came down however, I got up and gave her a fair greeting because I knew that once momma is up, it’s time to get up. That’s when my routine begins for the day.

Most days I can go back to sleeps after we got outside and then get my breakfast going. But not today. We took care of you right away, but truth be told I laid down again and momma went up to take care of you. I played with you once you came downstairs, but, it was a little early dude. I still gave you lots of kisses and attempted some hugs before you started being silly. One of my favorite moments was when you came up next to me and head nuzzled me with a baby hug. I love you too lil’ dude. Thank you.

xo,

Kimmy

Eighty One Paws

Dear Baby,

A word of advice, don’t run on the slippery wet concrete or rocks unless you have paws and long nails. You will fall. I notice these human fails or learning opportunities as our humans say. This morning we were playing in the back yard. I wasn’t particularly happy about any of it because it was wet. When it is wet, I’m not too pleased. I don’t like the squishy feeling I get in my paws. It gets inside the delicate paws spots I have and then they get wet, and then the cold seeps in, and then the humans touch my paws because they can’t be wet inside. It’s a whole thing. But anyway, I forgot where I was. Oh yeah! Or maybe I should have written, “Oh yeah…”

You fell. Well really, you ker-plopped. Mama was there in less than two seconds. At first you didn’t say or do anything. Then you got a little upset because you’d gotten bark on your face. Mama wiped it all off, you brush-brushed off your hands and everything was fine again. You might be wondering why I chose to write to you about this? Well, it’s important that we all recognize the dangers of running on the wet things outside. So, word to the wise babe, watch your step. Or, work on your paws like me, and you’ll be as nimble as a dog in no time. I love you.

Kimmy

Eighty Paws

Dear Baby,

Today was holiday, or at least that’s what I heard repeated throughout the day. The humans love to make lots of foods on this day. They often hang out in the kitchen, it gets really warm and cozy in the house and everything smells delicious. I like to be near their ankles in case something spills. Mama and dad brought some kind of cloth stuff downstairs in the giant laundry basket and you absolutely loved it. The laundry basket, that is. While we were setting the table, you moved into the basket baby. You pushed it around, you got into it and mama pushed you around, you put all your stuffed babies into it and pushed them around. It was quite fun for some time. I’m not so into the pushing around of things, but you are. You adore moving things back and forth, all around, and playing your pretend imaginations in your smart head. Sometimes you try to race me back and forth with the object of choice, occasionally I play along, but when there is food involved. I don’t wanna play. Especially if the food is chicken, for me! So I focused on the chicken that mama had made just for me. You see, the humans don’t eat the things that walk, fly, or cry on land. But I do! Lucky Kimmy, that’s me!

We had both sets of grandparents over to visit. I hung out upstairs for a while, after having my special chicken dinner. When I came downstairs I was pretty jazzed up. You help me get even more excited. We raced around and around and then I bumped into you. The momma yelled stop, so I stopped, but I needed to just go do the business outside, which I did, really fast, and then I was calm. Sometimes a dog just can’t contain herself.

I love you,

Kimmy-Kim

Seventy Nine Paws

Dear Leo,

Today you and I had breakfast together. Momma helped me finish my crunchy food. I didn’t want to eat it, but she put a little bit of chicken in with it, then she fed me each piece or two pieces together. You helped me by laughing, calling my name, and being near me. I love being with you both in the mornings. I’m resting soundly on the couch right now while simultaneously sending momma my thoughts.

Yesterday I had a little bit of a hard late nap because I didn’t eat my foods and then my tummy got upset. So that’s why momma helped me this morning. She said that it’s better that I eat some than none. I agree. I really just want to eat all the chicken pieces and none of the crunchy foods, but that’d be a lot of unnecessary meats for the doggy in me when I already have all the crunchy foods.

Sometimes I have a hard time with the tummy business if things don’t smell right to me. We had a great romp outside and you flopped onto the wet rocks when you were on a race run out back. You brushed yourself off with mama and came and took me on a walk. It was a little bit rainy, but we had a nice time because it was so quiet and mellow. There weren’t any other doggies out in the rain. We go on our walks in the rain or sunshine. I pulled mama back to the plants to remind her to stop for you, and then you said to stop too, so she backed up and we all stopped. Mama pulled back your rain cover so you could touch the garden plants by the school. You liked that a lot and giggled about holding the dried up sunflower. I stuck my head in lavender and now I smell like it. Momma likes it, but I don’t. Well, off to dream land again. I love you buddy,

Kimmy

Seventy Eight Paws

Dear Kimmy,

HI KIMMMMMYYYYYYY! I love to say your name because it is my own special version of saying your name. Momma and dada think it’s similar to how dolphins talk, but I don’t know what all that means. I just know that you know when I call you, that’s all that matters buddy!

You had a very upset tummy and now you’re not wanting to eat your doggy food. But I’ve been helping you every morning and evening. I like to give you bits of food on my hands, or put your kibbles on the floor. I think having my baby smell on it helps you like it better. Sometimes I sit on mama’s lap and we feed you that way too. It’s fun! It’s like, “Doggy game with food!”

Take this morning for instance, momma and I sat on the floor and read, “Llama llama,” books and you ate some food from our hands, the “cookie” container and then off the floor. Momma said, “It’s better to eat something, then nothing.” I liked that we got to be with you and read stories altogether while you had your breakfast. It’s kind of like when we have breakfast and lunch for me! Although, there weren’t any bananas in your breakfast. I wonder why? I’ll ask momma later about that. I love you Kimmy-Kim, I mean, “Aaaaaaaaaa-yyyyiiiii-aaaaa!”

xo, Leo

Seventy Seven Paws

Dear Leo,

Do you ever cross your paws and feel really relaxed while laying down? That’s how I like to start my naps. I usually curl up on the couch, think of things like running in the sand in summer, and then I begin to drift off to sleep. I often wake up and realize that I am all curled up in a ball, or all my legs and paws are criss crossed cozy like. It makes me feel safe to curl up all snug on a soft place. Most of all when I wake up I like to see you, mama or dada near me. Then I know my pack is close by and that we’re all doing well. It’s my job to take care of our family and so I work hard to see that we are together in one place.

Sometimes the big humans go to another part of the house and then I need to follow them to make sure that they’re near me so I can protect them. It’s easier if they stay with me near the couch, or on the couch for that matter, but that they keep their paws on their cushions instead of mine. I know it’s important to share, but I’m not fond of sharing my sleepy space with them unless they act as a pillow, in that case, we’ve got a deal and I’ll be snoozing in no time. Speaking of snoozing, that’s what I plan to do now. I turned around on the couch and burrowed into the blankets. Night night.

Kimmy

Seventy Six Paws

Dear baby brother,

I have a confession to share with you. Sometimes I don’t want to eat my doggy food, so I try to hold out, or wait, and then I try to eat your food, or mama’s or dada’s because, it smells better. I get kind of fussy after I have been sick, when it comes to food. I just don’t really want to eat for a while, and then when I do want to eat, I don’t want to eat the same thing that I got sick-y from, you know what I mean? Well, I think you might know what I mean when you get older.

Mama and Dada told me that when I was a puppy I had a sickness called, parvo. They said I was so sick that the veterinarians told them they weren’t sure if I would survive! I did though, so I’m a wonder dog. When I get tummy sick like I did the other day, it worries mama because it reminds her of when I was really small and sick a lot as a puppy. But, none-the-less, here I am! I love spending our mornings together playing outside, going on a walk, and digging around in the backyard together. We re-buried holes that the squirrels dug up in our flower boxes and pots with the tulip bulbs. Those squirrels are always digging where they don’t belong!

See you in our dream baby!

Kimmy-Kim

Seventy Five Paws

Dear Leo,

This morning started off alright, and then we had a few bumps in the road, and things got back on track. I slept in my bed all night long in momma and dada’s room. Most evenings I like to venture downstairs and sleep somewhere cozy like the couch or love seat, but for some reason last night I just wanted to be with the family. I was tired too, so I slept until mama got up and then I smelled peanut butters downstairs so I ran downstairs. When we went outside for our morning romp and potty break for me, I didn’t want to run around or go potty. We spent a while outside and then I raced around and around, I made myself sick so I upchucked all of my breakfast. That didn’t feel so good. Mama wiped my paws and gave me water, I napped, and then had some foods. After that I felt much better, but there is something about starting your day off with a yucky feeling that makes it hard to get past. BUT, we took a walk and I forgot all my worries.

I love it when we take a walk because we get our exercise, smells, and visit all the neighborhood animals. You helped point out the direction to walk today. You pointed out each way and we walked our normal route, but backwards! At first I was quite confused, but then I realized we were just going the opposite so I felt ok about it. I like to know what is happening, I’m a routine hound dog-lab and I like to be in charge, even though I know you and mama are mostly in charge.

Nap time!

xo,

Kimmy

Seventy Four Paws

Dear Leo,

Today we played in the backyard. You were so excited when mom booped me, that you came running over and hollered about it. You’re a silly lil’ dude. I like to get all the doggy smells in first things in the morning, so I mill around taking in the smells on the ground and in the air. You were into smelling your rocks this morning too. I’m not sure what that was all about, but it was quite fun for you. I like to smell things too, obviously, I’m a pup. Perhaps you have finally gotten in touch with your inner doggy and are adapting to living a life through your nostrils as I do. It can bring forth a world of imagination, excitement, and amazing currents. It can also get you into a lot of trouble if you’re not careful!

Be mindful of anything that is or rhymes with skunk, like dunk, bunk, trunk, all of those things can get you into what the big humans call, “mischief.” I’ve been snoozing for some time now, but I left momma with a pile of paw notes so she would know what to write for me. I love you baby. Have sweet nap dreams!

xo, Kimmy

Seventy Three Paws

Dear Leo,

Today is a good day for naps. We had a nice long neighborhood walk with daddy today. We went the same route with him that we do with mama. You filled daddy in on all the important things, the plants, the squirrels, the dried sunflowers, the cats, the leaves, the wind, the trees, the branches, the…well you named a lot of things. Some of them I know, some of them dada knows, and some of them you make up new words for daily so it’s hard to keep up with what we’re calling the nature things, but you tell us so much about it all.

I love hearing your thoughts, one of my favorites is anything to do with, “Nana!” You seemed super happy and mellow about sharing a nana today. We all have moments when we just want our snack irregardless of others, but I practice a lot of doggy patience. You’re working on it, but you have a lot more to say than me. Sometimes you run around the kitchen like I do, but mostly you use your words, as the big humans say. I love you buddy.

xoxo, Kimmy Kim