My baby's growing up! Happy Birthday Milo Baby!

Happy Birthday to you.....

 Milo was born on March 1 2017!

This shot was taken yesterday...

Hey, Valet! Thanks for bringing my hot new ride to me!

Just let me check under the bow, er, hood...

WHAT!??  This isn't for me?   But it's MY BIRTHDAY!

We met Milo when he was 5 weeks old. He was just the tiny little dervish and ran around peeing on the breeder's floor.

I knew he was for me! We brought him home at 8 weeks and our lives have never been the same...

Well, what are you waiting for, lift me off this big porch!

He's still a dervish and still peed on my friend Mary's Christmas tree in December! (so sorry!) He still pees on his front legs because he is so anxious to keep walking!

Why, these weeds are taller than I am!! Where am I???

He got big quickly and everyone thought he'd be enormous.

mmph mmm, mmmphh

 From the beginning he took over!
He has always been mouthy, tasting first and thinking about it later.


He seems to have leveled out at around 54 lbs however. Tall and skinny. The vet says he's perfect.
He was injured at 5 months, a neighbor's dog rolled him, stepped on his shoulder opening it up and stretched all the ligaments and tendons requiring a big surgery. And another 4 months in a strict leg brace and no running. This may have halted growth, as he didn't gain weight for two months after that.

Yes, I learn by osmosis... eating words increases your vocabulary!

He is a very intelligent boy, learning words before I tried to teach him. He learned to sit for treats at two and a half months. He continues to want to learn, and want to please me. He's very loving, often feeling more like a hundred pounds when he snuggles up to me. He wants to be with me, and protect me.

This takes the form of his barking at every. little. thing. And coming to stand between me and other people including Daddy. He's been known to push Drew aside when he hovers over me at the computer.

Milo one day before his 1st birthday

He's inquisitive about everything, so I show him nearly everything he is interested in. He loves fetch, and chase and "my teeth are bigger" games. (we don't like those ) He is elegant and rough and tumble. Always up for a game of any kind, he will turn simple activities into games, such as putting away scarves or gloves. He destroys toys for fun, and love a ball.
He's always listening. He tilts his head all the time. He telescopes up his neck if I start a sentence with "do you want..." and knows if I ask a question.

I'm ready for my close up!

 He loves babies, and seems to know they are human puppies which requires a delicate touch. He's rough with big people though. I'm always happy when he merely leans against them.

Now if the meal is as big as the high chair...

He likes food, and will try anything, taking it oh so gently from my fingers. He'll roll it around his mouth, and drop it if it's unfamiliar. Then look at it, reach out a paw to touch it, pick it back up and then decide if it's to be swallowed.
He only eats his food if hungry, otherwise he leaves it in the bowl. I never have to worry about overfeeding him.  On the other hand, he makes snap judgements about bunny poop, eat first ask questions later.

Sometimes I feel remorse, so I lie down til it goes away

He adores tearing up paper. Shred, shred, shred, spitting it out, sometimes sharing the whole fun experience with me holding the edge for him to tear. I think that started when his legs wouldn't bend in the brace. He still sleeps on his back with all legs stick straight up in the air as if the brace is still on.

He tolerates baths and most grooming. He took to sweaters and boots like a champ. He chews at all leashes, seemingly offended at the very concept. He doesn't jump, probably from the brace and four times in his life of having to be on bed rest. Although the vet cleared him to run, and we took him to a field, and he ran like a wild thing, and jumped a stone wall to get to me! Surprise! Look what I can do!

He's learning not to put his mouth on people, slowly. We had to go to lemon juice squirted in if he did it. Now it's enough to brandish the little squirt bottle and he stops.
He's full of joy and wags his tail. Cole seldom wagged his tail, maybe only three times in his life. Milo thinks life is a joy til I'm mad at him and he has no idea why.

We got him some items to mark the day although every day is a celebration with him!
Either from happiness of finding him... or amazement we survived him that day.
Before I got him, I asked the universe to send a smart loving poodle, that liked kids and other dogs, that wanted to be with me, that would be pretty and sweet and healthy.
I forgot to mention, that won't grab us or the leash!

This is an indestructible chicken toy we gave as an early present. Actually he found it in the bag and took it himself.

He loves it. He often loves his toys to death, so since it's indestructible, I give it a month.

I can climb these big stairs so I can say good morning Mana and say I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

 He will always be my baby.

When I lost Cole I despaired of ever loving again.
Although I will always love Cole, I love Milo to the edges of my heart.

Portrait of Milo at one year old

 My heart expanded to love again, and that old saying it's better to have loved and lost than never have loved is so true.

Milo brought me back to humanity from loss, and daily gives me a reason to reach out and love again. He has taught me about touch, and the need for it. I was so injured by childhood I had a hard time being touched, and he's teaching me the benefits of staying close.He comes in from a walk and runs to me, and flops down on my feet.

 He makes me laugh and scream both. Both emotions are full of feeling and that's a good thing. He lets me know I am not alone, and that I'm safe. He lets me know how much he loves me.
Happy birthday darling!

Buy me all of them Daddy! You know we'll need them!

 This is a recent afternoon video. He had just been running around in circles making me scream with laughter, and as soon as I got the ipad he stopped! Still, you can get the idea...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUwEtIh0eKY
 

Milo's rock collection

Milo has been collecting rocks since we got him at 8 weeks.



















Yep, this little guy would grab rocks on walks. If we tried to take them he'd fight us for them. Tooth and nail literally.

We've tried to break him of his rock addiction all his life and he slowed down on usage til we moved here.

ROCK HEAVEN

Milo: This place has more rocks than any 100 dogs could collect! I mean, every yard is FULL of little delicacies! They get onto the sidewalk, just asking to be picked up. 
I love to find one, I leap on it lest it get away or mama sees it first. I strut around rolling it on my tongue as I go, throwing it up in the air! Catching it, chasing it if it rolls away, and having a great time. 

The way I figure it, Mama should be happy. If I'm busy with the rocks, I don't bite the leash or her hand or Daddy's coat. 

Hey... that's not a rock! That's candy, but I'll eat it anyway.

 LeeAnna: Well, I'm afraid he's break a tooth, or aspirate it  the way he plays with them. I'm personally tired of skittering around on rocks on the sidewalk, and seeing them instead of grass. The rocks are in shades of brown and light red, like the homes, like the surrounding land, like everything I see. It's all a shade of tan. 
 Thank God for the blue sky, just to remind me there is another color on the spectrum. 

All transplants from the east comment on the Brown. We're all starving for other colors. I look out on a sea of roof tops, all brown. The land? Brown. Hills? brown. 

Milo: um, Mama? this is about ME not you. Me and my collections. 

 LeeAnna:  Milo you are right my baby. Tell us what you like about rocks? 

Milo: Like? what's not to like? What do you want me to do, bark a poem to rocks? 
my poem: 
I LIke Rocks.
There! 

LeeAnna: When he comes running in at night from his evening walk with Dad, and happily throws himself to the carpet, still wearing his collar and leash I know he has another rock. We left all the MD rocks behind, but he's starting to amass a new collection

 This might be a life long obsession.

Link to Rock show post: CLICK HERE

Groundhog! Where's the Groundhog???

Groundhog!
Where's the groundhog???
(what's a groundhog?) 

prairie dog village across the street

groundhog? What's a groundhog? All I see is a poodle! 
It's my job to watch that poodle. It's all I do. Every time he comes out of the house, I stand up and watch. 
He got out once, but due to my diligence we all popped underground.

I don't know egg-xactly what a groundhog is but I hear cheeping... 

yep, that would be me. What are you, deaf! I was saying, watch out! The poodle is in the yard!

 huh? Sounds like my squeaky toys are all chattering! 

O.M.G.
 GO INSIDE! 

 HUH??
 wha... 
Mama? What's that? What's a shadow? I don't see any! Ooops what's that thing?

You mean this thing following me around? It has some meaning to you? (It doesn't smell, and disappears when I turn around... I don't get it)

All I see is this...

wanna play?

linking to
http://shadowshotsunday2.blogspot.com/
https://www.linkytools.com/wordpress_list.aspx?id=284457&type=thumbnail
pink-saturday/
viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com/
saturdays-critters-
Our World Tuesday
Travel_Tuesday  

Milo's Milestones... STAY! for a moment

My baby is growing up! 
We are working on self control this month, and it's not Milo's choice. 
In the picture above, I have put him in a "sit" and "stay" and walked down the hall. With a treat in my hand. 

I look away for a second to test him and sometimes he stays for a second, which is great!

Milo: She walks miles away, starts looking at something that must be really interesting if it causes her to look away from ME 
ME: As I said, a second, and he jumps up and follows me, becoming distracted at the kitchen door...

Milo: Well, that might have been a morsel of the chicken Mama was holding, she is pretty clumsy (I love her though) and I was hurrying to see what she was looking at without me. She might have needed my help! I'm VERY helpful, you know!

Me:.... he calmly plops down at my feet!
Milo: There! I did "come!" Where is my treat!??  Ain't I cute?

Me: oh yes. Cute. That's why you're still here. And the fact that I don't know how to shake you.

So we continue to work on Sit, stay, and wait.

This month he has also learned to lift his leg to pee. At first I praised him, but that was a mistake. I did it because until then he drenched his front legs while squatting.
Now he pees to mark, and leaves his mark all over the 'hood!


I can see there will be a need for fine tuning.
He also accompanies me to the inside toilet every time I go.
Milo: Well, it is a fascinating place and Mana is easy to trap in there because I'm so big now! I walk past her, reach around to grab the "play paper" that unrolls. I grab a bit, pull, spin!! grab it farther, more spin!!! Whee!!!
I could do this all day but Mama seems to be annoyed at me. Who can figure out mama's??? I'm just helping...
Me: ... himself to paper which he loves to tear up. 

He has also been using those big boy teeth too much. His toys are shredded... why this one had yet another amputation this week. 

Milo chose this little Bronco's Bear in CO this summer. It has little pellets inside along with the fluff. How do I know? They are no longer all inside... they bled out during the unfortunate amputation.

Milo:Heeeeeeyyy... whatcha doin daddy-O?? 
That's my bear!

Me: or what's left of him. Two arms and one and a half ears are gone.
Milo now brings us a toy, a special chosen toy, and pushes it in our laps to chew on. If we have the temerity to take it, he wrestles it from us and runs off. Then immediately returns to drop it in our lap.

Milo: what fun to torment them! I'm faster! They should know that by now! Still, gotta keep them occupied so I pick out the right toy, to get their attention away from the little screens. When they are stubborn and won't play, I chew on my bed.

THAT gets their attention! The Mama especially seems to hate me chewing on my bed toy.

Now that he is often free of his braces, he is getting around the baby gate and going up to the landing on the stairs...

 He forgets about the times he's stumbled coming back down.
Milo: well it always seems like a good idea in the beginning. Then it's all, "Milo! what are you doing??!" and "Milo, do NOT come up the stairs without me!!" I mean I am a BIG BOY now, with BIG teeth, and BIG legs, and BIG ideas and have lots to do in life. I want to get at it! 

 Know what I mean???