Happy Birthday, Baby!

On March 23rd, we celebrated Emerson's 2nd birthday! (he hated the hat but was such a good boy to humor me for 2 minutes) Gifts included a brand new bag of food, a follow-up trip to the vet and a 2-pack of giant squeaky tennis balls. The vet gave him a bill of good health- allergies & rash are under control! The neighbors probably didn't appreciate the very loud squeaking from the new ball but, as usual, he broke the squeaker in less than 24 hours. Problem solved.

 I made cupcakes for the humans to enjoy- after all, we've made quite an investment in keeping him alive and well. On some of the cupcakes I iced a few of his all-time favorites: ice, pine cones, food, napping. Here are a few random facts you may or may not know about the baby:


1. He was born on Easter, 2008. He's our Easter egg!
2. His full name is Emerson Hoover: White Baby of Cypress. "Emerson Charles Hoover" when he's really bad. 
3. He doesn't seem to know that he is a dog. When we talk about "doggie(s)," he always looks over his left shoulder, as if he will find them there. We hope he's never caught unaware by a doggie on the right! 
4. When he was 3 months old, he fell into my parents' pool and sank like a rock. Chris jumped in & pulled him out. The baby was seemingly unscathed; Chris' wallet was soaked & his phone busted. 
5. He loves to be "naked," aka: without his collar on. We take it off, tell him he's naked and he runs around like a little horse. 
6. He lays all 70lbs. of himself right on top of us with no hesitation, yet grunts with immense annoyance when we adjust position or move him away. How dare we, right?!
7. He is allergic to bee stings. We thought we were going to lose him one morning after he'd snapped a bee out of the air & was stung on the tongue. Fortunately the vet knew right away that it was an allergic reaction. 
8. He will do anything for food, with the exception of lettuce and blueberries. 
9. His favorite toys/treats include empty yogurt containers & water bottles, tennis balls, frisbee, ice cubes, carrots and his Kong, preferably lined with peanut butter. 
10. He spends most of his time sleeping. 

Probably our favorite dog-centered discussion lately involves Emerson and 3 little kids who frequent the playground just outside of our apartment. As we come down the stairs, Emerson on-leash, one boy asks, "Is he going to poop?" This is immediately followed by another boy asking, "Does he like sticks?" This boy then waves a stick in front of Emerson's face, hoping he'll bite, and then gently throws a handful of wood chips at the ground in front of Emer. I tell him he's not into sticks but this happens every day. Emerson looks at me as if to ask, "Why does he throw sticks at me?" I shrug & announce, "Okay, it's time for our walk." On cue, a third child- a girl- starts reciting, "He doesn't have a tail!" This playground bunch runs their respective lines every time they see us. Chris created a little rap song to the questions of said kids: [begin beat box] "Is he going to poop? Is he going to poop? He doesn't have a tail! He doesn't have a tail! Does he like sticks?"....Oh what joy we've found in our little guy. :)  Happy Birthday, the Baby!