Just One Of Us

So you all know by know that Miss Lily has become part of our family. She is extremely happy, active and loves to be patted and loved on. If she sees me, she needs to be with me, whether I'm inside or out.

Because of this, she has pretty much gone everywhere with us in her first two weeks with us. She's tiny enough to fit into a bag, but we haven't gone to that extreme (yet). She gets attention everywhere she goes, just because she's so tiny. The harness I got for her (extra small) was still too big and I had to sew a huge tuck into it just to make it fit. She loves the car and is happy to sit on any one's lap, although lately she's been trying to make her way into MY lap while I'm driving. I try to discourage it, but just like every other member of the Wheelz family, she's a stubborn little thing.

One of the reasons I wanted to get a dog was the belief that every little boy should have a dog. We did not have one growing up until my father got remarried and they had animals, which thrilled me. Although most people want pets to teach their kids responsibility, my bigger concern was to try to teach Noah some compassion. He has a tendency to be very self-oriented and I was hoping that maybe this would be the trick to help him to start thinking about something or someone other than himself. Believe it or not, I think it may actually be working. Between 7 and 7:30 every morning, Lily starts crying to get out of her crate. Noah, without any prompting, goes down, brings her and her crate upstairs, and waits for her to do her duty (you know what I mean) and then proceeds to clean it up by himself. Every day. Without complaint. Or prodding. I have been very proud of him for taking this upon himself. I am able to start every morning by saying "Good Morning Mr. Responsible" and he beams.

Aaron is sad because Lily would rather run and chase him than snuggle in his lap. I think it is just true to personalities. Aaron is not a quiet sit and think type of person. He is jumpy, bouncy, crazy and Lily likes to be able to play with him in that way. He doesn't realize it now, but that is a great thing for the two of them to have together and we love to watch them pounce around together. When I look at them, I can picture Hubby Steve as a little boy running around with Fritz, the dachshund that he had when he was a little boy. It makes me smile to see one more similarity between Aaron and his Daddy. As I sit here, he is singing a song he made about her "Cute Little Puppy". I know by the time I get in there with the video camera he'll stop :(

So, because Lily does EVERYTHING with us, it stands that the boys would want her to "swim" with them. So we took her out back into our little pool and let her go. Although she was a little confused, she soon got the hang of it and was paddling right around. I was a little nervous about her popping the pool, but so far, so good. Aaron often needs reminding to NOT put the dog in the pool unless I'm outside with them. But in general, if lily is outside, I am too. I just can't resist watching her race around everywhere. It's just so cute.


So, even though the potty training leaves a lot to be desired still, Lily has definitely become one of the family. I love taking her places and seeing how excited she gets the minute I say "Lily, let's go outside". I love watching Steve crack up when she gets running so fast that she does a somersault mid run and keeps on going. I love watching Noah be responsible enough to put on her harness and leash and take her for a walk around the block all by himself. I love watching Aaron get that proud smile on his face during the rare moments when she will settle into his lap for a rest.

I'm thinking Lily Wheelz is here to stay!