The Tale of Dog

This story is six years in the making, so be patient; or just speed-read.

When I was pregnant with Nolan, my sister, Bonnie, gave me this dog for the baby. She had gotten the dog out of one of those machines that are filled with stuffed animals and you try to pick them up with a claw. I set the dog on the shelf and awaited our first baby boy.

When Nolan was around a year old, I guess, he took a liking to dog- who soon became Dog. Dog soon went everywhere with us. I found myself stitching up Dog's seems and trying to wash him, frequently. This dog got dragged around more than that blanket that Linus has.

I'll skip a few years.

Last summer, in July, Will took the older three kids down to Blanding for the family reunion. I stayed behind with tiny Amelia. Of course, Dog had to go. There was no question about that. After their four day trip, they returned- WITHOUT DOG. This was a blow to Nolan, they had forgotten his best friend. Left that poor dog at the cabin where the reunion was held. Nolan, at the time, was almost 5 years old. He took it better than I had expected. He knew dog was gone, there was nothing we could do about it.

Today, Daddy is a hero. He took a detour on his way out of Blanding to look for Dog. When Will got home, Dog and Nolan were reunited. It's been ten months. Nolan is obviously pleased. I do not know if he has put Dog down for more than 2 minutes. It's really cute. We took Dog on our walk this evening, he got to ride in the play-stroller.