Sling Free & Trollin' for Treats

Little Sweetface walked SIX BLOCKS last night. I assisted with the sling, but it was really there "just in case". He did most of the walking himself. It was past 9 pm and if any of our neighbors heard us they probably thought we'd lost it. Both Ed and I were cheering and praising Achilles every step of the way.

"What a good boy! You stepped up on the curb all by your little self! Mommy loves you sooooo much!"

"Yay, little buddy! Yes, yes, that's it, hold it steady. Way to keep your balance little guy! What a great poop! Great poop! What a great poop! Good job buddy!" (that was Ed)

"Oh, oh, oh, look at him! He's sniffing the lavender bush. My sweet boy. Good job!"

"You had to pee pretty bad, huh little guy? Great work staying balanced. Good pee-pee! Good pee-pee Achilles! Daddy loves you. Yes, yes he does."

"Achilles walked that entire block in a straight line! Honey, did you see that?!! Wow! I hope you didn't miss it. It was great! Great job Sweetface!!!" (I sounded a bit crazed at times)

And so it continued for the length of the walk, Milo, Achilles, and the two of us. All we were missing were our pom-poms. Seriously. OH, and just to make sure Milo didn't feel left out, we'd praise him nonsensically here and there for nothing in particular.

We may have gone mad people. Achilles would just give me a "WTF?!" look every now and then.

After I got home from my spin class this morning , we went on our morning walk. Gosh, we haven't done that together as a family in almost three weeks! Wow. I decided to see what Achilles could do without the sling. He made it four blocks without the sling. Wooo-Hooo! My heart wanted to explode out of my chest with absolute pride.

Of course, that doesn't mean that the sling free walk was a graceful one. Ummm, not quite. He grazed a few bushes, bumped into a couple of keystone walls while zigging and zagging down the sidewalk, and missed the grass by a few inches and peed all over his back left paw. The curbs were a bit tricky to navigate, but he'd pause, lower his head, and contemplate each step down and then each step up. Soooo cute!

At the fourth block he stumbled a bit and plopped down. We took a little break while Ed and Milo continued. My little Sweetface and I sat in the shade waiting for Daddy and Lil Bro to return. I sat on the sidewalk and Achilles sat in the grass. He put his sweet little head on my thigh and gazed up at me. I can't put into words how much I loved him at that precise moment. Tears stung my eyes.

When he saw his papa and little brother walking back on the other side of the street, he stood up on little wobbly, unbalanced legs. The sling was put to work again on the walk home. Slow and steady progress.

The thing that has really and truly demonstrated to me that Achilles is on the mend is the fact that he's returned to "his" kitchen. He's my gourmet buddy and always keeps me company while I cook. He guards the kitchen entryway lest a wayward treat happen to try to escape. Nick was the same way. Milo, not so much. It's funny how different they are, huh?

The two pictures in this post are from this very morning after our walk. Sitting in the entryway, gallantly awaiting his meal of fresh poached chicken and kibble. He was happy, he was panting, he looked interested, he looked relaxed, and he looked alert. That's important to us because it means that he's enjoying a high quality of life. He still has a bit of trouble following my movement without tilting his head to the right, but I think that just makes him all that much more adorable. (Like he needs to look any more adorable, right?)

Today was the first time he's been in the kitchen in over two weeks. He has a bit of trouble on the wood floor, but I'm just thrilled that he's making his way over to his kitchen all by himself. He kind of stumbles in the first video, but is much better in the following two:







What a wonderful start to my day. I pray that this beautiful beginning will carry on into the rest of my weekend. I'm going up to my mom's house for the weekend. I haven't done that since autumn. Actually, I haven't spend more than a couple of hours at a time with my mom since then. It's been hard for me given how she feels about our marriage, and given the fact that she doesn't try to temper any of her stinging comments.

But, a girl I recently "met", sweet little Katie G'berger, reminded me that there are certain bonds that no matter what, constantly need to be tightened and cherished, for you never know which moment may be the last. My mother sacrificed so much for me to simply live in the United States of America. We were very close up until last autumn. I miss her.

I am determined to have a decent weekend with Mom. It doesn't have to be great or outstanding, although I pray that it will return to that. For now, I will settle for a decent weekend. Wish me luck.