WEEK ONE: Laughter brings our breath back

Time has past quickly in this week of adjustments. We have adjusted to having a different little life's companion and he has taken control of this family's heart quiet nicely, thank you. We went to our vet for a check up and a kind lady in the waiting room blessed us for rescuing a dog and my heartfelt reply to her was, "Thank you, Ma'am, but actually he rescued us from the despair of losing a loved one." She understood as did all the kind people at the vet's office.

One look at Bentley's trusting face and a quick pet to his thick fur and he owns every one's hearts. When our dear vet was examining Bentley, I remarked, "You know he's not like Cubby at all." Travis smiled and said, "Yeah, I know, but he'll find a place in your heart soon enough." I have to admit that Bentley has already given us much more in this week than we could have even hoped to receive.

My husband shared that the enormous weight on his chest has eased to the point that he can finally breath again. Once again, his sparkling blue eyes light up when he calls Bentley to go for a walk, leave some paper product alone or snuggle with him.

Adjusting to a new dog's needs and quirks has taken a bit of time, but it was soon clear that Bentley choosing to sleep next to the pillow of his master with nose tucked under the adjoining pillow. Potty training continues and we are learning the subtle signs for opening the door. Barking isn't one of Bentley ways of communicating, yet, so we must be very Zen with his needs. It's a learning time for all of us, that's for sure.

An area of concern was the fact that we were in charge of the Grandlove from Thursday until Sunday morning. We loaded Bentley up for the two hour car ride to "The Kids." It seems that Bentley's bladder and mine are about the same capacity, so the stopping schedule didn't have to be adjusted on the journey. Sitting on my lap with a pillow under him seem to make him more nervous; riding in the back of the car actually calmed him down.

Car seat in the middle of the back, me next to said car seat and Bentley on my lap entertaining the baby was the comical way we made the return trip. Luckily the baby has a deep love for animals, so he was relaxed with the tickling of the black fuzz ball in the backseat. Once we got in, we didn't know how a new dog, a crawling baby and all the toys would work out, but we soon found out.

If the baby had a toy, Bentley needed to investigate and taste it; all baby snacks were fair game if left within muzzle reach; dog toys were more interesting, to the baby, than anything Fisher Price had made; plastic spoons for kettle beating were stolen; and stacking cups tasted really yummy.

One time I couldn't find the little black fuzz ball, until I spotted his pink, lolling tongue. Bentley was under the jeep walker and the baby was giving him a massage with his chubby bare toes. I know that the baby was enjoying the soft "rug" under his feet because I swear both my "boys" were grinning.

All our worries about the combination of baby and dog were for naught and the days with our Grandlove passed too quickly. When we were packing up the mountain of baby equipment and my husband began to load it into the car, he came back into the house for me. It seems that Bentley took his job of baby care quite seriously, for he had retrieved one of the baby bottles from the side pocket of the diaper bag and carried it to the gate. No nibble marks or anything, just a little "Mother's Helper."

Our journey with Bentley will continue for a long while and it will be all new and uniquely his experience. We are looking forward to the future with very dear, cherished memories of our past with Cubby.