Growth Machine

Now that Ned has passed the six-month mark, it's humbling to see what he's becoming. He can be left at home for a few hours at a time without making a fuss, he can pull me down the sidewalk with all the might of a small ox, though he's faster than any ox. He can leap sideways over other dogs at the dog run, he can make sounds of frustration and joy that are entirely his own. There's even a Ned sigh, which has much in common with all the sighs that humans utter--it's brought about by similar things. He's already past the point where he's stopping those humans on the sidewalk. Oh, some humans stop, but humans are more likely to stop for a wiggly, skinny, big-headed thing than they are for a creature who can already pass for fully grown, though he's far from fully grown. We look at his paws, which seem bigger and blockier every twenty-four hours. We think, how many pounds right now, 50, 55? We look at the empty bags of dog food, and say, hey, didn't we just open that one up?

A few pictures to remember the baby he was.

Ned at Three Lives Bookstore, NYC (August)

Ned Getting to Leave (August)

Ned on the Ferry to Nantucket (August)

Ned in Asbury Park, NJ (September)

Ned at Dog Beach, Ocean City-Longport, NJ (September)

Ned at Dog Beach, Ocean City-Longport, NJ (September)

Ned and Me at Anchorage Point (September)

Ned at Amagansett Farmers Market, Amagansett, NY (October)

Ned in Hole at Beach, Amagansett, NY (October)

Ned on Fire Island Ferry, Sayville, NY (October)

Ned and Mark in Bed at Fire Island (October)

Ned Looking Over His Shoulder, Fire Island Pines, NY (October)

Ned Having a Thought, Fire Island Pines, NY (October)