Lola

Lola,
​

I love the way you kick me in bed.
And stretch out, forcing me to the edge.


I love the gentle coo sounds you make in your sleep. The deep inhale followed by a pronounced exhale. A sigh.
And all the unique sounds you make.
Your rumbling snore.
Your escalating yips for food that manifest into a bark.
Your cries for help when even a single leaf brushes into you.
And your growl. Never threatening. Unless it’s at a crow.


I love the way you smell.
Wet or dry.
No matter how much your breath carries the odor of fish.


I love your playful behavior.
How you gently nibble at the face of the stuffed bear.
And the game we play where you run from me to your mom.


You light up a room. A walk. A store.
Everyone loves you.
Food is never far behind.
And you always find it.
You instinctually know who to beg and where.


I love how you stretch out your chicken leg when I scratch your thigh.
And the purrs you make when we rub your back.


I love your yawns. Constant and pure.
Your downward facing dog, far better than mine.


And the way you lick our hands. How we fight for your attention. I relish after every kiss on the face.


I love your mind. And your curiosity.
You are an explorer. A city girl yet a lover of nature. Keen to learn new tricks and discover a new world.


I love finding you in your favorite places.
The suitcase that was just packed.
The hamper, if it has enough padding.
And I love that you let it be known if it isn’t just right.


And the crunch sounds you make when eating apples.
The scraping of corn from the cob.
The hollow comps of watermelon.
Even the drool you drop in anticipation for ice cream.


I love carrying you, belly up, like the little baby you have always been.
I never grow tired of the attention you bring.


You know you are loved when you are given so many names.
Lola
Monkey
Boo
Angel
Princess
Honey Bunny
Lovely
Chunky Monkey
Lobster
Bear-ski
Snore Monster
Baby Girl
Tail-zie
Munchkin


I love sharing various meats with you.
And the remains of peanut butter from the spoon.
Home made treats.
Sweets from the pet bakery.
And the Susiecakes treats that you pull us to from a mile away.


I love watching your eyebrows dart up and down as you lay coolly in the prone position, observing all activities in the kitchen.


I love that you stole my Cliff bars.
You always enjoyed them more than me.


I love the memories of all of the places the three of us discovered together.
Hikes, hotels, beaches, and car rides.


I love witnessing your energy following a bath.
A puppy breaks forth from the water.
Life is reborn.


It warms my heart to hear the subtle clicks of your nails on the hardwood.
I follow every step as I listen from afar.


I love the feeling of your fur.
Everyone agrees you are the softest dog they have ever felt.


I feel pride every time someone asks about you.
Your fan club is a vast.


I love carrying you when you’re tired.
Sometimes even when you aren’t.
Just so I can hold you close to my heart.


I love the game we play where you expose your belly, I rub, and you nibble at my fingers. All the while making adorable piggy snorts.


I recall the memory where I was first left alone with you. I sat at my computer. Suddenly I felt you standing beside me, on your hind legs, informing me of dinner time.


I envy the infinite bond that you have with your mother. How you upgrade from my lap to to hers when she joins us on the couch. It makes me so happy to see how special the connection is that you have with each other.


I love how you politely knock at the bathroom door, wanting to join me. And wait before knocking again. Trying not to be too rude.


I love the way your ears fluff up and your already wide eyes widen at the sight of treats. You achieve ‘maximum cuteness’, which is difficult to resist.


I love your open mouth smile.
And how you scoop my hand with your head for pets.
How you fly onto the couch like a rocket.
The way you channel your inner cow to graze on fresh grass.
You even manage to make sneezing look adorable.


And how you magically appear from the backseat of the car as soon as we breach 40 mph, in search of a lap.


I love your inverted ears.
Your snaggletooth.


My favorite part of every day is the moment it is time for bed. Our routine is never broken. You roll onto your back and I scoop you into my arms.
Every single night.