Bennett's puppy

• This has been a tearful week in the Maloley household. Brux had been ill for several days . . . his days mostly consisted of lying around (and puking). I took him to the vet last Saturday. We found out right away that his kidney function was poor. By midweek, we knew he had cancer.
• I drove him to see an oncologist in Denver on Thursday after work. The specialist discovered a tumor in his abdomen. She wasn't able to determine the type of cancer, but we know it's aggressive. Chemotherapy is considered a long shot and was not recommended.  
• Karah and I drove back to Denver on Friday to bring Brux home. We decided that we'd just love the heck out of him and have lots of fun with whatever time we might have left with him. Remarkably, he's showed more "life" in the last two days than he has in the last two weeks.
• I never really understood pet lovers until I picked the 8-week old Brux up in South Carolina. I thought that treating a dog like a child was pretty wacky and over the top. Now I understand! He's been our loyal companion for 3 years now. He's brought more laughs and love to us than I could have ever imagined. What he means to our family is unmeasurable and indescribable. There is no doubt that he helped Karah and I become better parents for Bennett.
• I saw this at the specialty animal hospital in Denver on Thursday night. I couldn't say it any better:

• Brux and Bennett admire a "get well" painting from our friends the Kassmels (blurry, but still captures the moment):

• Here's a quote on an lighter note (I'm a poet and didn't know it): "I named my dog 'Stay'... so I can say 'Come here, Stay. Come here, Stay.'"- Steven Wright  
• Don't get me wrong, Brux is plenty ornery (and sometimes on the lunatic fringe). He's eaten my socks (and a cycling glove), steals toys from the neighbors' yards, jumps on strangers (he calls them new friends), etc. But as far as big brothers go, he's been the best (we were worried!)! He was in Karah's hip pocket her entire pregnancy (literally following her everywhere) and has been so good to and for Bennett. I never would have guessed that such an amped-up dog could be so gentle around a baby.
• Just so this entire blog isn't about our Bruxy (and  doesn't give him a big head) . . . here's a little video. Bennett has been in awe when he sees Karah and I brushing our teeth with our Sonicare toothbrushes. Karah put a little brush head on the toothbrush and Bennett will actually allow us to brush his teeth with it (until the vibration becomes unbearable):

Dogging the dog

Bennett thinks:  "Brux, you are my bestest friend.  I love playing with you!"
Brux thinks:  "My life was much simpler a year ago.  You aren't playing with me . . . you are playing at me!"

Concrete floor = 2, Bennett's footwear =0

Walk of Life

• We saw Bennett take his first two steps tonight (and by the looks of it he'd much prefer to run than walk).
• Clifford the Big Red Dog was on TV yesterday.  The cartoon kids started to applaud when Clifford arrived in their classroom.  Bennett joined right in.  That cracked me up (and left me astounded).
• I was watching Sesame Street (no, I wasn't by myself) for the first time in almost 30 years.  They still know their audience!  They had Elmo (& Rev Run) singing a rendition of classic Aerosmith/Run DMC ("ya ain't seen nothin till your down on a muffin, and theres sure to be a change in way") tune from my youth:

• I was 35 when Bennett was born and had heard my share of annoying parenting cliches: Enjoy it while you can.  They grow up so fast.  Don't blink.  Blah, blah, blah.  Well . . . all true.  He turned 11 months this week.  I feel like our baby has transformed into a little boy over night.  The rate of growth and learning is unbelievable! 
• Speaking of songs from my youth . . . thinking about Bennett taking those couple of unsteady strides towards Karah planted another song in my head tonight.  I must have been about 10 when this song and awesome video came out.  I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen!:  

• He got the action, he got the motion
  Oh Yeah the boy can play
  Dedication devotion
  Turning all the night time into the day