DIY Toy: Puppy Poster

Our neighbor had her dog on the back patio and it was barking like crazy. I asked Caleb, "What does the doggy say?" And --- do you know he made a "WOOF" noise ?

If I believed in past lives, I would say that Caleb was a dog in his past life. It is his spirit animal. Or maybe his love of dog comes from one in particular;  Winston, James' parents' Westhighland Terrier.



For first handful of times that James' parents babysat Caleb, Winston whined when Caleb cried. It deeply disturbed him. From the very beginning, these two were connected. These days, Winston tries to herd Caleb...you know, because West Highland Terriers used to herd sheep back in the day. It seems like that would be nice - to have a dog that herds an active toddler and directs them to a corner of books, instead of, say, to unroll all the toilet paper from the toilet paper roll?  (I think I have a photo or two to insert here...)

Maybe it's because of the friendship that's blossomed between Caleb and Winston, but my child LOVES dogs. A trip to the park means he gets to see at least a dozen of them. He  sits up eagerly in his stroller as a dog and dog owner walk past. He points at them, wide-eyed, and even  makes a little "d-ahh-gahh" sound.

After so many cute interactions with strangers' dogs at the park, James and I have had the "let's get a puppy" conversation several times. But...he's in school. I'm working. We don't have a yard. Our house is too small.  It just. can't. happen. right. now. So instead, I decided on the next best thing: a dog poster.



I know. Some people would say that it's lame. I mean really, how can this compete with his walker/ push-cart thing that has about 20 buttons and plays about a dozen songs  and even talks to you (it says "hey, let's play!)  AFTER you've left the room  and moved onto another toy... it reminds you that it's there to play with, like it's jealous  of that other toy you're playing with and wants you to come back and push all its 20 buttons again. (Okay, you can make it stop talking by turning it off..)

But really, some of these toys are more like computers...!




The dog poster  is a mommy or daddy powered toy. I have to (get to) sit down with him, point to the puppies, make up their names and stories about them, and even let him grab them because they're in Ziploc plastic bags and cannot be damaged (well, theoretically that is...)

Call me old-fashioned but I'm excited to provide Caleb with this alternative to the buzzing/singing/light-up gear that has become our living room furniture...and maybe if he really likes it, we'll have to have another "let's get a puppy" conversation soon.

 On that note, here's a photo of our future puppy:

 
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