DiDi!

In February of 2002 we expanded our family by one. On Valentine's weekend we brought home a little bundle of fur and named him Digby. Digby became a wonderful companion to me as I spent many lonely days locked in my office trying to write my damn dissertation. He slept underneath my chair, took me for walks, and his always happy disposition brightened the most difficult writing days.

Then we really expanded our family by one but we had done extensive research before selecting Digby and were comfortable with the idea of a golden retriever and a baby in the house. At first, Digby was pretty bummed. He stopped eating ( a sure sign something is wrong) and even stopped bringing his beloved ball to us to play. He eventually rebounded but he knew he had been knocked down a spot in the pecking order and it stung.

Digby took a lot of heat that first year. Sleepless night after sleepless night led me to curse him, smack him, and curse him some more. Every time there was a 3am party in the nursery, Digby had to be there. When you got out of bed in the dead of night, you inevitably stepped on him and chaos ensued. His need to go out always came at the worst possible moment. But through it all, Digby hung in there and was always willing to reconcile with a giant smile on his dumb face.

When Grace became mobile Digby seemed perplexed. He followed her around, practically standing on top of her. When Grace realized she could crawl to the dog, the game was on and she spent endless hours trying to chase the dog down. Our research had paid off because when Grace did "catch" Digby (not hard to do when he sleeps all day by the door) he simply laid there as Grace stuck tiny fingers in his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. The guy is a saint.

So why am I pondering Digby? Well, the past 24 hours or so have been a little frustrating (teeth again) and today, Digby has been taking one for the team. Grace woke up obsessed with playing with him. She screamed "DiDi" this morning -- not "mama" or "dada." She's been doing little dances for him, throwing him his favorite balls, giving him treats, gently "patting" his sleeping head on the couch. You see, Digby has bought me some down time. Some time to write this entry, unload the dishwasher, eat some lunch, and generally have a few minutes to myself.

The dog still frustrates me at times. I've already screamed at him to never return to the kitchen, cursed his timing on when he needed to go out this morning, and generally been annoyed at him for licking clean the house. But off in the living room I can hear Grace screeching in delight as Digby flips around on his back and she tries to hug him. He's a good guy that Digby. I sometimes forget what a good team player he is. I have a big mental note to give him some extra dinner and treats tonight.