Moving Forward

Damn Dog

"You are so freaking stupid." I turn to Brad, complaining about the dog again "If that thing wakes me up one more time tonight I'm going to kill you. Actually kill you."

"Calm down." He mumbles as I get out of bed to let the dog out "Blame your kid, not me."

I open our bedroom door just in time for the dog to sprint down the stairs and cry at the bottom of them, as if that will make me walk faster. He runs to the door when I get to the bottom, and I happily let him out, hoping it's the last time tonight.

"Come on, Pinky!" I walk over to the side of the house where he's just casually laying "We need to go back inside."

He doesn't move for a while, so I keep the door open and go in to get one of his treats. He runs right in when he hears me open the bag, so I throw it to him and quickly lock the door.

"Let's go back up to bed." I walk towards the steps, turning the lights off so he follows me "You can lay in your bed again."

I walk towards Ava's room where Pinky's bed is, only to see her door open and her bed empty. Luckily Pinky doesn't notice and lays right in his bed, leaving me to finally go back go sleep.

"Why are you in here?" I crawl in our bed to find that Ava has taken up almost my whole side "You're supposed to be in your princess bed."

"Pinky left and it scared me." She cuddles up closer to Brad, who hasn't moved an inch since I got out of bed "So I needed you and daddy."

I choose to just let it go, knowing it isn't worth fighting over, and roll over to finally get some more sleep.

A few hours later, Brad shakes me until I wake up because the damn dog ate something and is throwing up in the hallway.

"What the hell did he eat?" I stand there in shock at how much is coming out of this small dog "Did you feed him something?"

"Is Pinky okay?" Ava mumbles, walking up behind me as we all watch "Is he sick?"

"Yeah, baby he's okay." I pick her up, looking at Pinky "He just ate something weird so his belly hurts."

"Like when I ate the cat food and I was really sick and daddy didn't tell you?"

"Wait? When did you eat cat food?" I ask her confused "I don't remember that."

I look to Brad when I don't get an answer from her, and he isn't any help either.

"Jen the dog is throwing up. Help it."

Ava jumps out of my arms, running over to Pinky and petting him thinking that will make him feel better.  I go over with some cleaning supplies once he's finally done, and work on cleaning everything while Brad takes Ava downstairs for breakfast.

"Maybe we shouldn't give Pinky any food for a little while yet.  He needs to let his belly calm down." I walk downstairs to find them sitting at the table staring at each other "What's going on?"

"Daddy won't feed me!!"

"That's not true!" Brad quickly defends himself "She wants pancakes and we don't have anything here to make them, so I told her she can have something else."

"But I want pancakes!" She says getting even more upset "Mommy can you make them?"

"Not if we don't have anything here." I walk over, sitting next to her "Sorry, baby."

"We can go out and get pancakes." Brad suggests once she really gets upset "We haven't done that in a while."

"Yeah! Let's go!" Ava jumps up, walking to the door "Right now!"

"Hold on, honey, give us some time." I laugh at her excitement, grabbing everything I need. 

We drive to a diner close by, and find a booth so we can trap her in behind us.

"What kind of pancakes do you want?" Brad asks, going through the menu with her "Regular, chocolate chip, or some with fruit on top?"

"Chocolate chip." She smiles quickly "And chocolate milk."

"What are you getting?" I ask Brad "I can't decide."

"I don't know.  Probably the omelette with bacon."

I look through the menu again, deciding on the french toast and whatever Ava doesn't eat of her pancakes.

"It's nice that all 3 of us are finally out at the same time again." Brad says after a while "I miss this."

"Me too." I smile, loving that we get to spend time together "When do you have to leave again?"

"Daddy isn't leaving!"

"Sorry, princess." Brad leans over and whispers something to Ava making her laugh "I should leave in the next three weeks, sometime after we get back.  Whenever they decide to start the reshoots."

"Well hopefully they don't keep you from us for too long this time." I finsish eating and look across at the two of them playing with Ava's food "You know, she gets all her weird eating habits from you."

"Yeah, because I'm the fun one." He says proudly, getting her to eat another bite of food "She knows I'm the best."

"Of course she knows.  She takes advantage of the fact that she has you wrapped around her little finger, too."

"That's because I'm cute, mommy."

"I know.  You're the cutest Avalynn ever." I watch how excited she gets "Daddy always says that."

"She's so cute because she looks like her momma." Brad says "Acts like you, too."

We finish all our food, and as soon as we get in the car to go home, Ava passes out.  Brad and I know it won't take much to wake her, so we drive straight home and he carries her up to her room.

"That damn dog chewed on the table legs." I look around the kitchen trying to see if there is anything else "She is so lucky I love her too much to take him back."

"You aren't mean enough to do that." He walks up behind me, pushing me towards the steps "Let's go up here while she naps."

"Brad, when did our daughter eat cat food?"