Leina loves Artie.

LOVES.

More than the boobies, more than momma and dada, more than her blanket or even the cats. Artie is her first true love.

Every time he wanders by she goes crazy. She’s like a cheer leader trying to catch the eye of the star football player. She bounces, she waves, she screams at the top of her lungs.

But lately, there has been something more. She is trying to say “dog”.

Not dog as in “hot dog” but “dawg” as in that slang term of “you go dawg” only she can’t say the “ga” part. Instead, she belts out (very loudly) “DAAAAW…DAWWW.” Even more hilarious, she pitches her voice very low, much lower than her normal baby babble. So she’ll be in her exersaucer playing away cooing “ba..ba..ba..” when suddenly she’ll hear the clatter of Artie’s unclipped toenails on the wooden floor. Her head will whip up, she’ll zip around to face the sound, and as soon as Artie’s snout comes around the corner of the sofa she’ll break into a very loud and low refrain of “DAAAAW, DAAAAAW, DAAAAW!” Artie, appreciative of this effort, will usual lick her face while he walks by which just makes her day. Even after he passes, she’ll sit for a while, practicing her one and only true word over and over and over.

“DAAAAW…..DAAAW….DAAAW”