Toddler or Puppy - is there really a difference?

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between human babies and puppies? I'm beginning to think that the answer is NOT MUCH. See if any of these ring a bell...

1. They chew on everything
2. They have trouble walking in a straight line at first
3. They knock things over
4. They get into the trash can
5. They pee when/where they're not supposed to
6. They can only tell you what they want through crying
7. They accidentally injure those they love

I'm sure you were nodding along in agreement up until #7...let me explain. Last week, Aunt Jo called us to tell us that she had a black eye. And no, unlike Michelle on the Bachelor, how it came about was NOT a mystery. Turns out her 7 mo. old "puppy" Hershey the newfoundland had gotten himself all caught up in a ball of knitting yarn and was THRASHING all about. When Jo went to untangle him, chaos ensued, and he head butted her smack dab in the eye. Looked like someone had hit her square in the eye. Now, you're probably thinking "what does that have to do with toddlers?"

Well, Wednesday night, Casey, Robert and I were playing tickle time on the bed. Tickle time always brings peals of laughter and much flopping about by the Casey man. It is our evening ritual that happens shortly after the boys get home. Well, instead of flopping, HE decided to head butt me square in the nose. Much swelling ensued, along with a short debate about whether I should have it looked at. Casey, no worse for wear.

And, there you have it...toddlers and puppies are exactly the same.

On another note, we are up to 16 teeth, which REALLY explains Grumpy McGrumpypants. Last night we were playing in the tickle zone, the ultimate way to get Casey to open his mouth and show off the chompers, when lo and behold, we spotted the top two molars that erupted. All that are left are his very back molars, which are not supposed to come in until two years. We can only hope that Casey is going to get a reprieve from all the pain. He has been one clingy, grumpy, unhappy boy lately (for good reason).