Independence Day

This is the story of our two boys who have both discovered their independence in different ways.

We’ll start with Pancake.  His story began one day back in September.  Don and I were unloading a box truck and Pancake was supervising as usual.  That is until Pancake decided we no longer needed his supervision and took off.  It was about 10 minutes later when I realized he was no longer around.  I made a mad dash out the door looked left, then right, and left again to see if I could tell which way he may have gone.

Right about that time, a car pulls up and asks if I am looking for something…I guess it was probably pretty obvious.  I told her yes, my dog had gotten loose.

Is it Pancake? She asked.

Well apparently he has made a name for himself.  Hopefully it wasn’t in his typical greeting in which was recently described by Jenn’s second cousin as piggybacking on my back. I told her that I was indeed looking for Pancake and she nicely informed me that he was in her car.  It was at that moment that the New Jersey came out of her in a big way.  She took the next two minutes to scold me on why I shouldn’t let him loose, how the number on his collar should be answered at all times, and why it was irresponsible that I was not actually at my house because had she gone there and no one was home, she would not have known what to do. I bit my tongue and thanked her again for finding Pancake.

The next day as Pancake and I were walking around the neighborhood, Jerseylicious’ car again stopped me and said “Hey, I helped you find your dog the other day, and it inspired us..we’re having pancakes for breakfast this morning.”  I gave her my uncomfortable laugh, and thought to myself that is actually kind of twisted.  I thanked her again and kept walking.  Jenn and her parents thought I was exaggerating both encounters.

That is until this past Friday, when Pancake pulled a Houdini once again.  This time on Don & Teresa’s watch.  Once again it seems our favorite New Jersey Housewife did not need to travel far to bring Pancake home.  She knocked on the door and proceeded to tell Don & Teresa how they should be taking car of a dog.  She also informed them, that if they didn’t know how to take responsibility for Pancake than she would.  It was at that moment that I think Pancake realized his new-found independence may not be such a good thing.  I am pretty sure that even Snooki couldn’t live with that woman for a day.

Next we have Nolin.  He is growing up way too fast and asserting his new personality more and more every day.  He has now taken to climbing stairs, pulling up on everything and pulling everything out.  If he wants it, he will get it.  It has become quite the game for him.  He will look over give you his little smile, and then quickly turn around and take off like a race horse.  I just hope that he does not one day run off towards Ms. Jersey Turnpike’s house…I can only imagine the scolding we would get at that point.

Nolin has also decided that he no longer needs you to hold his bottle for him because he is plenty big enough to do it himself.  This is the one that may be the most difficult to accept.  Up until now he has relied on Jenn and I for everything.  I would be lying if I said that the first time he held the bottle himself I didn’t feel like this was this beginning of him becoming his own person.  You can see his personality forming right in front of you as you look into his eyes and see him just making sense of everything around him.  It is so exciting to watch him grow up, but maybe we could get just a few more years (like 30) before he decides that we are no longer cool and he gets to become too independent.