Blondie, of Blondie and Blackie fame, are the latest addition to our happy pack. Nate and Amanda brought them home after finding them wandering the streets after a fierce spring storm over a year ago. They are twins for sure, but not identical. Blondie is yellow, hence the name, and is some kind of lab/pointer mix so I’ve been told. Blackie is black; go figure. Blackie is a Australian Shepard mix.

I know, the names weren’t very creative; but this wasn’t supposed to be their “forever” home.  I thought their forever parents could give them their final names. Of course, when Nate and Amanda moved out, they left the twins with mom AKA the old softy. So now this is their forever home.

Anyway, the vet said that two dogs in the same litter can have different dads. I guess their mom got around a bit. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, long as you’re not married or anything.

Usually our pack gets along fine and shares everything really well. Well, maybe not brand new bones, but everything else- the attention, the toys etc.

Late last week though, Blondie started acting differently, not wanting to play as much. I kept watch to make sure she was eating, drinking, and pooping- which she was. Then this week, I couldn’t find most of the dog toys.  Usually, we have squeaky toys strewn all over the den. (With a pack of 5, you have a lot of toys.) Usually, we have squeaky toys strewn all over the den. So I searched and found them, all of them, with Blondie. She’d taken up residence behind a couch cushion leaning against the wall in our office with all the toys either under or right next to her.

She’ll let me next to her, and I can even pick up one of the toys; but the rest of her pack? They’d better not get anywhere close. If they do, growling ensues. A couple of night ago when Blondie and I left the office I closed the door, forgetting what she’d left behind. She came back and started crying at the door. It was the saddest, most pathetic sound you can imagine. I opened the door, and she flew back behind the couch cushion to the toys; at last count she had 12 with her. Take a look please. What do you think?

I think she thinks they’re her puppies!

When I let her back into the room, she then took those toys one by one and moved them to the corner of the coat closet in the den. Then she went in and laid with them again.

Is she crazy? She’s not pregnant. Nor has ever been. I’ve called dog trainers and the vet. No one has been able to give me an explanation. A trainer told me that sometimes the Alpha dog will hoard the toys. She’s never been the Alpha. Gizmo’s the Alpha, all 6.5 lbs. of him. (He had to abdicate when he was so sick last month.) However, he once again rules the pack with his iron paw.

I honestly don’t know what to do. The rest of the pack want to play with the toys, but she won’t let them near. Should I go buy more or will she just adopt them too? I’m dead serious here- if anyone knows what’s going on or how long this will last, please tell me. I really don’t know what to do.

Can anyone explain what’s going on with her?

Back in my day, women just didn’t do this. I had Brett in May 1983. I shopped at Motherhood Maternity at the local mall for my “ex-pan-do wear”. They had swimsuits for pregnant ladies then, not sure if bikinis were an option though. Not a problem for me. I never thought about swimming when I was pregnant. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that). If someone had been as insane as to have suggested that they’d paint my belly at all, much less with others around, I’d have thought they were on crack.

Maternity wear has gone through a huge metamorphosis over the last 25 years. All the tops I wore when I was pregnant looked like they’d been made by Omar the Tentmaker. They all had smocking across the top to give you plenty of room. Expectant moms just didn’t bare their bellies by choice back then. If you saw a bare bulging belly peeking out from under a top back then it was because either the mom couldn’t afford a maternity top, or had outgrown the ones she had. These days women proudly wear skin hugging t-shirts and sweaters that celebrate their temporary curves. Maternity tops now are really, really cute. I wouldn’t even mind wearing some of them now, but then I’d have to explain how I’m carrying my own grandkids.

Since I was able to quit work the last half of my pregnancy I never bought a lot of maternity clothes. I just rewore the same few pieces over and over again. My mother-in-law, Betty, is a sewing wiz. So I was all excited when she called and said she’d made me something. I eagerly awaited the arrival of my new duds in the mail. She made me a dress alright. It was a nightmare in polyester-  muddy olive green and cranberry plaid print- a large plaid. To embellish the plaid, which was special enough on it’s own, was printed ecru lace. It was the most butt-ugly dress I’d ever seen in my whole life. I called Doug at work to tell him just how awful it was. He defended the dress to me. (Once home, he retracted his defense). In good conscience I couldn’t even donate that dress to charity. It went straight to the trash. I only wish I’d taken a photo of it first.

Kinda got away from the whole belly painting thing- sorry.  (You know how I can be when I get wound up). Anyway, the photos on today’s posting are from the first two bellies that I ever did. I think they were pretty cute. It just goes to show you how much times have changed I guess.

The Duggars have their own reality show on TLC. It’s called 18 kids and counting. I guess next year they’ll have to change the name of the show. (I’ll admit I have watched the show from time to time.) I have to hand it to them; they receive no support of any kind from the government. I cannot imagine anyone wanting to have that many kiddos. Perhaps that’s because when I was pregnant with my second child, Amanda, Brett was only two and had his stroke. Our lives changed forever.

The Duggars have been extraordinarily lucky and have not had, up til now, any child with a serious illness. Michele home schools all the kids. From what I have seen I think the kids lead a fairly isolated life unless they are out with the entire family on a trip. (Which they take in a bus that they bought.) They go on a fair number of these trips so it’s not like they never see the outside world. However, they don’t have a lot of day-to-day interaction with their peers that I think is important. (Of course Michele and Jim Bob would say that’s they way they prefer it for their kids.)

One of my favorite photos of Doug is when Brett’s sitting in his lap and listening to a book that his dad is reading to him. I wonder how much individual time each child can have with their mom or dad when they have 17 other siblings? The Duggars have said when a new baby is born an older sibling is chosen to be their “buddy”. This buddy carries a lot of the responsibility in caring for the new baby. Michele Duggar is 42 at this time and does not believe in any prenatal testing. I guess her plan is to just keep having kiddos til she can’t anymore whether they have genetic abnormalities or not. So be it. It’s their life, not mine, thank God.

I cannot imagine what condition her female parts must be in. Every woman I have ever spoken to has had a problem, however brief, with incontinence when she sneezes after their child is born. After 18 kids- I can’t even fathom that. Labor though is probably pretty easy. One of my friends theorized that when her children are born it’s as if they’re coming down a big water slide at Six Flags. I don’t think so though. I’m guessing that she had velcro installed years ago, maybe after number 10.