Abby's Discoveries!

My parents had a few homechecks on Sunday morning, so I said I would feed everyone, and watch over them...I had a TON of laundry to put away, and my room was getting annoyingly stuffed. So I figured I would put it all away and get my room in decent shape while they were out and about. At first I thought of setting up an X-Pen for Abby, but then I figured she'd be content just watching me, and she'd eventually fall asleep...So I rigged the stroller to fit inside the opening of my baby gate across my door, and went about my business. As I emptied laundry baskets, I stacked em on top of the stroller, and when I had a few items I needed to put away outside my room, I'd toss them into the basket on top of the stroller, and I'd push Abby around the house as I put away things...

Later, after my mom got home, she commented how miraculously I looked like a single mom (smile...such is the life of a foster mom).

Occasionally, Abby would sit up and whine at me to pick her up. Since I had some major Fall Cleaning to do, I told her she would have to settle for sitting there within the same vicinity as me...I just can't hold her all the time, you know?

Abby got her Keto Chlor wash yesterday, as well as a butt bath. Keto Chlor is to help the hair grow back on her head. It's a shampoo that has to sit on her head for five minutes then it washes off. Well, her sutures can't get wet, so it was good that she has the E-Collar on. I put her bum leg side toward me as I carefully applied Keto Chlor with our softest washcloth, and then when it was rinse time, I used the same washcloth to drizzle warm water. Unfortunately, I couldn't get out all of the shampoo without compromising her sutures, so she's got a bit of a hair-gel look going on right now with the thicker hair by the E-Collar...

I had an evening out on Sunday night, and my mom said she'd watch Abby for me (smile). So I had Abby in my room as I got ready, on the floor...We've decided that she needs equal parts being held and equal parts allowed to roam and build up her remaining three legs' strength...So she was moving around in my (newly cleaned) room, exploring the floor space, looking at me...

Well, she looked out the baby gate, which can really only be operated by a human hand as the latch is 2.5 feet off the ground...It has bars that run up and down, so she can see through but can't squeeze in between. As I stood getting ready, she used that newly-discovered voice of hers to bark at the foster dogs who happened to be passing through the hallway (we have a pitty pad in the bathroom adjacent to my room, so the dogs tend to go potty back there). Then, she realized they couldn't get to her, so she bowed down to play, wagging her tail, and continued to ruff at them! It was the funniest thing, but I didn't want to disturb her, so I quietly laughed to myself.

As if on cue, she turned around (as if to say, "Did you KNOW they can't get to us? Did you SEE?!"), and came towards me. I praised her for playing and staying safe: "What a good girl, Abby, did you wanna play with them? Good girl!"...And she walked over to me...and then, SHE SAW HER REFLECTION!

She came over to the mirror where I stood, and went nose-to-nose with her reflection. I've shown her mirrors before, with her in my arms, but I think this moment of discovery was much more interesting for a few reasons: 1) she's a little more outgoing now, 2) she was actually walking so she noticed the mirrored motion in the reflection, and 3) my reflection also appeared to move!

She bowed down to play with her own reflection, but I don't think she knew it was her...but she looked really fascinated with the doggie in the wall who did the same things she did...

It was a truly priceless moment.

I brought her out to see my boyfriend, and he says that she looks cuter than she did before, a little more hesitant with him as a stranger, but overall happier than the last time he saw her. I take this as a good sign, except for the hesitant part. He was impressed with the fact that she gave him kisses once she got over her initial "I don't know you" judgment...

She's come a loooooong way, baby!