Toys for Alan

We were dog-sitting Quinn's Aunt Caitlin's dog Alan this weekend. Quinn was quite excited about this prospect. Alan is sort of one step above a stuffed animal, so he's not too intimidating for Quinn. And while Alan gets a little startled by some of the vagaries of human 1-year-olds, really he handles Quinn quite well.

Last night after supper, Quinn was playing in the living room while Alan roosted on the couch. One by one Quinn brought all his toys to show Alan. Over came Quinn's most prized possessions - his excavator, his Scooper, his books. Alan handled those ok. Alan was slightly less excited about the walking sticks and fishing rod. Quinn was puzzled as to why Alan wasn't as excited about his toys as all the kids at the playground are.

It was an early glimpse into what it must be like to have two young kids. It involved constant refereeing as long as Quinn was awake - and we only had to worry about what Quinn would do to Alan, not vice-versa (Alan is the most placid dog ever...). I can see why people say two kids is more than twice the work. However, I think some important mental groundwork was laid for Quinn, and I think he and Alan will have fun together in future...once Alan is more convinced that Quinn isn't going to eat him.