Spring Fever

Last night, both Fat Dog and Moodle were bitten with some kind of bug. The kind of bug that comes out the first time of the year it stays warm into the evening. The kind of bug that comes out after we spring forward, and daylight hangs on until almost toddler bedtime.

Moodle and I had to head to Walmart because she pooped on her shoes at daycare, and she didn't have any other play shoes in her size. She giggled, played, and flirted with everyone she saw. When we got home, it was still light, and still warm. She didn't want to play in the backyard, so we spent 20 minutes climbing up and down the stairs to our front porch, and running in circles in the driveway. I offered to get her some toys, but she didn't need them.

When we headed inside, Fat Dog seemed to have the same idea. While Max Powers took over playing with Moodle, I headed to the fenced-in backyard for some playtime with pooch. One of our hillbilly neighbors had his pitbull off-leash (!!!!), and it came over to sniff our hyper beagle through the fence. It marked said fence while Fat Dog freaked out, helpless to save her precious fence from the stench of pitbull pee. Then she chased her flying squirrel toy for 15 minutes, working through her outrage.

Nuclear Man from Superman IV

But the outside time didn't seem to drain either of them. Apparently, they are either plants or Nuclear Man, and run on sunlight. Because then we had a 20 minute marathon of dog and toddler running through the house, playing tag or chase or some other unintelligible game that they both seemed to love, and could not be stopped.

Add it up, ladies and gentlemen. Dinner ended at 6:20. Trip to Walmart: 1 hour. Front yard play: 20 minutes. Backyard play: 20 minutes (including 5 minutes of dog freak-out). Indoor play: 20 minutes.  That makes it 8:20, and time for bed. But Motoring Moodle is still going, and doesn't even have her PJs on. Usually by this time of night, we are well into books and snuggles.  What the heck is going on?

Damn you, Spring Fever!

We managed to round up Moodle, get her in PJs, and onto a lap for story time. I ended up having to lock the dog in our bedroom so they would stop the crazy positive-feedback loop. She ended up in bed after a few stories, and going to sleep just fine, only a few minutes late.

Afterward, Max Powers and I realized it was funny, and we were lucky to have an active kid with a great pet friend like Fat Dog.

But then I couldn't get to sleep, either. Damn you, Spring Fever!


edit: ps...Our family lives 20 minutes from Walmart, and it's the closest place to get stuff like that. It didn't take very long to pick out new sneakers. This should also explain our hillbilly neighbors. We have several of them.

pps...This was all after a full day at daycare, where she also played outside and they did their damndest to wear her out.

ppps...I am still exhausted from my bout with the flu last week, and I STILL couldn't get to sleep. Damn you Spring Fever!