Queen of Toys

I had a lot of big firsts in the past week, and yesterday I turned nine weeks old! Here's my nine-week-old portrait. Mom and Dad measured me, and I'm a proud 11" long now - they think that's longer than I was before, but I think I've been a big dog all along, and always will be. I'm certainly the big dog in my neighborhood, since both of the neighbor dogs that I've met so far are twice my size but really scared of me!

For the first time this week, I can jump all the way up both the back and the front porch stairs all by myself. I'm eating like the big dog that I am, and today I finished all four of my meals in one day for the first time, plus my new favorite treat - bite-sized peeled chunks of Crispin apple. Also for the first time, I've realized that the black bags Mom and Dad use to clean my business make almost the same crinkle noise as dry leaves, so now I chase both.

Another first: I got my first care package today!! My Grandparents in Missouri sent really cool toys - a bone with ties at one end, just like my very own shoelaces that I'm allowed to chew to my heart's content; a ball that has crazy lights and sounds; and Mr. Oinks, a pig who I have to chew into silence every time he snorts at me. I'm looking forward to playing with my ball even more when I'm big enough to drop it and start its noises all by myself. Right now, my legs are WAY too short for that!

You see, I'm the Queen of Toys right now. New toys are the BEST for playing. Well, maybe second to Daddy's hands and face..