Rhett Hearts the Baby

We've had some news here... Baby Colt has a flat head because he, like the Tatum (and Bostrom) cocker spaniel fur brothers sleeps for 10-12 hours a night. Apparently when little babies sleep for that long in the same position, it flattens out one part of their head... We fur brothers are finding this confusing, because we sleep in our (ok, sometimes in our parents) beds for that long, and our heads don't get flat...

But anyways. Baby Colt's head got flat, so he has to wear a baby helmet for 8 weeks. A special helmet called a DOC band that Mom has informed us costs more than our three dog vet bills, food bills, everything! for the year. Now, the baby is supposed to wear the helmet for 23 hours a day, which means, one hour a day, no helmet. (Mom won't let me get in the tub with him, yet, but I really want to get in. He has great toys, and Rhett Bostrom loves toys...)

 I was a little confused by all this helmet stuff at first, I mean, he looks different in it! And I really, really wanted the chance to soft jaw that helmet when the baby had it off in the tub... But then I gave him a good sniff and realized its the same baby! I still love him... maybe even a little more now that it looks like he has a permanent toy on his head!

Wedding Bells

 So, Mom was organizing her wedding photographs, when it suddenly hit her. Rhett Bostrom never got to wear his Tux to the wedding. You see, originally Rhett Bostrom was supposed to be the ring bearer for the wedding, but after a long argument that lasted about six months, Grampa Bob (more on him soon) won out, and I was excluded from the wedding. Mom was sad, especially since my Tux had already been custom ordered, and I was already mentioned in the printed wedding program... So Mom and Rhett had re-wedding date night.

 

I'm a little concerned that Mom only dressed me up so she could have an excuse to wear her dress again, but at the same time, I love wearing clothes and getting attention so much, that I don't really care why I got it! I know I look good in my Tux, I my quick haircut before we started really added a fresh element to my look. Mom and I sure have had a long, blissful 5 years together so far!!

I think Dad gets jealous when Mom and I spend too much time together excluding him, so I try to make extra sure I spend time with him after. Sometimes Dad acts like he doesn't want my drooly, smelly tongue all over his face, or my dog bottom all over his pillow before he goes to sleep, but I know he's just pretending-- really he can't think of a better slumber buddy.

 Besides, Dad and I have been known to get close once we got to know each other. 

 Very close.

A VERY bad dog

Today has been a very bad day.

Fur brother Wade, the smartest dog in the world, has learned how to open the trash compactor... Wilkes and I were SO excited when he opened it up and showed us, and we all happily spread trash around the WHOLE house. The trash was totally full too-- old food, dirty diapers... all the good stuff. We dragged everything around on the carpets while tearing it up, so the house smelled really good too. We were so proud of ourselves, that when Mom and Dad came home, we barked and ran to greet them, and then remembered. Mom and Dad do not like it when we tear through the trash. We got in trouble.

And so, what was the very best day, quickly became the worst day. So, all I wanted to do was snuggle on the couch with a stolen baby toy, because after all, it was Wade's fault not mine!! Even though I smell like a dirty diaper (Rhett Bostrom may or may not have been in charge of dirty diaper shredding... I think my diaper breath/shreds of diaper left in my teeth might have given me away...) it was all Wade!!

But I got yelled at again for stealing the baby's stuff! And my Mom found out I had peed on the baby's playmat while we were romping in the trash today. I don't know how she found out since it was all dried up, but she did. Rhett Bostrom is now planning to sulk for the rest of the night until Mom feels bad and apologizes... I mean, with this face how can she possibly stay mad????????

Summer Lovin'

Good news!! I am definitely heading to the Vineyard this summer. I missed the trip last year, because my Mom was pregnant and the grandparents house was under construction so she was only allowed to take one dog. I thought for sure it would be me, but it turns out there was some concern about my need to mark new places and attack people who look me in the eye that caused my Mom to select Wilkes as the dog of choice for the trip. I was kind of bummed (Dad's office may or may not have needed a new rug from my month of pointed (re:peed on) reminders that I was NOT HAPPY to be left last year).

But, this year I will be on the island for three months!! Mom and Dad have to go to some weddings in June, so they will be flying me in and then me and the dog brothers (they said everyone is coming this year, even though I really think we can leave Wade and Wilkes behind so its all about me) will be on island until September!!

Yes, we all have to wear life preservers on the boat. I took dog swim classes in Middleburg a few years ago at the dog pool, and my instructor told my Mom that I am a great swimmer. I am so good, that when I jump off the boat, I start swimming as fast as I can away towards the horizon line. Where am I planning to go?? I'm not sure! But I sure do like to escape. Mom says the handle on the life preserver makes me easier to catch with a hook as I make the daily escape attempt... I don't really like it when she puts it on me because it is hard to do things like fit into the drinks cooler and steal peoples lunches, or rub my wet fur all over someones dry clothes, but I sort of like how stylish I look in it... 

(I'm just glad my Dad made her return the pink one and get me the manly blue! My fur brother Wilkes has a nerdy yellow one so I definitely feel cooler than him at least) Countdown to summer is on!!

Superbowl Sunday

 Well, it was quite the Superbowl Sunday. Baby brother Colt has a cold, so Wade and I started off the morning snuggling with the little guy... This is not an early morning household. Mom likes to sleep in, so we do too. When we all got up, Mom read to the baby, and even though I prefer to be the center of attention, I REALLY like story time so I made sure to get involved.

After that, we took a quick trip to the playground, where I became very jealous of all the attention baby brother Colt was getting. I didn't like that he got to wear the sunglasses (I love wearing sunglasses) and I didn't like that he got to ride in the swing (I also love swinging). I was so grumpy that when a small child came by, I tried to bite her, which caused us to leave the playground immediately.

Mom seemed to know what was wrong though, because once we got home, she got me ready for the Beyonce half time show, and I finally got to wear the sunglasses for the night, and I became MUCH happier...

 Until I realized we actually had to watch football until Beyonce came on. B-O-R-I-N-G. Rhett Bostrom was ready to dance, not wait.

Luckily Sasha Fierce was all I had hoped for and more. I don't know what happened in the game, because I like to go to bed early. As soon as my dancing gear came off, I had a good bark session to make sure the baby was really, really asleep (turns out, my barking can definitely wake him up!) and headed into my parents room where I noticed that it has been laundry day!! They had fresh clean sheets, and a dog hair free bed... My favorite day!!!!  So I nestled in, gave Dad's side a good greasy rub with my backside, and settled in for the night.

Rhett's Lady friend

Today I came home from doggie day care with a stellar report card- no attacks on any Petsmart employees, and minimal humping reported while in the playroom. When my Mom came to pick up me and my brothers, Wade got so excited he peed all over the pet hotel floor, so Wilkes and I did the happy dance through his pee and between the three of us made Mom's car smell amazing by the time we got home!! We were expecting a regular Friday night, but instead of heading to the house, we went over to our neighbors where we learned that we had a special surprise for the night... a FOURTH Cocker Spaniel!! Apparently Mom had agreed to dogsit as a special surprise for Dad! Four Cocker Spaniels for the evening!!

I happen to love our neighbor Lady. Even though I bark through the fence all day, especially while my baby brother is napping, I'm never barking at Lady, I'm barking across her yard at the neighbors dog on the other side.  Lady is my cougar girl friend; a few years older than me and happens to be almost blind and mostly deaf, so I communicate doubly loud to make up for her. I think my parents and the neighbors really appreciate it. So anyways, on our date, Lady and I shared a double leash and Dad got to learn to walk all four of us at once!! oh the trouble we can cause with one extra dog!!

 

 Lady and I are totally in synch, and I made sure to keep her away from my brothers so we could spend quality time ALONE together.

 Once we all got home, I was working on teaching her how to bark with me, Wilkes and Wade so we could get REALLY loud, but Dad didn't exactly love that... especially on a Saturday night. So, I wondered off to get some of Mom's perfume, but she came in and made me get off her bathroom counter before I even knocked over a single bottle!! (Last time I got a full bottle of Chanel Chance knocked off onto the floor and had a great roll around before she found me... Me, the bathroom and that side of the house smelled for days!!)

Mom just doesn't the lengths a guy has to go to to impress his Lady friend...

Auntie Allison IN DA HOWSE!!

I first met my Aunt Allison back in 2008 in my apartment in NYC. Aunt Allison came to visit my mom, and was staying on the pull out sofa. I of course, made sure to check her out and slept with her the first night I met her...

The next morning, Aunt Allison and my Mom and I all went out to brunch (in my NYC life, I was allowed to go everywhere with my Mom... of course, I had no dog siblings back then, so it was all about ME all the time...) and Aunt Allison asked my mom if I was allowed to go to the bathroom in the apartment. My mom said "no of course not!! why would you ask that??" and Aunt Allison reported that in the middle of the night, she got up to go to the bathroom, and then came back to bed.. When she got back into bed, she heard me get out, pee on my mom's desk, and then get back in bed. Aunt Allison is a tattletale!! Because of her,  my mom got a blacklight and checked out the apartment for "pee spots" and lets just say... She got quite a surprise, I got in quite a bit of trouble, and I had my first experience with indoor dog diapers (which, as mentioned in a previous post do not bother me in the least!! )

So anyways. Aunt Allison and I have had a long 5 years together, and I love love love spending time with her because she lets me do anything I want, and never ever yells at me. Its like I'm in charge, and I love love love being in charge of people!! I even get to sit at the head of the table when Aunt Alley is watching me :)

My mom is going out of town for a night, and she just told me the good news. Aunt Allison will be in da house while she is gone!

(Notice how I walk as far away from my dog brothers as possible?? That's because I pretend to be an only dog on walks with Aunt Allison because she never makes me walk on a double leash like my Dad does with my dog brother Wilkes who is SO ANNOYING... but thats another post for another day!!)