An Alvie Sandwich

A couple of nights ago when getting ready to go to sleep, I put Stevie on the bed first and and then Alvin.  Instead of choosing to curl up on any other area on the queen sized bed, Alvin chose to wedge himself against a sleeping Stevie, which left me very little room on what had previously been my side of the bed.  I had to contort and struggle to get enough room to try to sleep and then realized that we had just formed an Alvie Sandwich.  Although I was uncomfortably crammed in, Alvin seemed to enjoy his best imitation of a sardine in a can, with Stevie and I probably bearing down on his internal organs we were so wedged against him. He's a mystery because he gets afraid of touch but get that boy into a bed and he will let you nearly lie on top of him.  I couldn't get comfortable and so I decided that I would climb over them and sleep on the other side of the bed because God forbid I make the dogs move.  The problem was that what has become Maddie's dog bed was on the other side and so at 1:00 AM I was attempting to slide her over in her bed so that everyone but me could keep sleeping.  While I was trying to sleep on the other side of the bed I reflected on how ridiculous I was and was deflated with the realization that I would do it again.  All four of us ended up getting a good night's sleep in the end.

Alvin continues to enjoy sleeping next to Stevie.  Stevie can take it or leave it but Alvin does enjoy the companionship that Stevie's sleeping body provides.  Alvin's only oversight is that he often wraps himself around her hind legs and Stevie is known for randomly doing double back legs kicks in her sleep.  She has very strong back legs and her kicks rival that of a kangaroo but Alvin just doesn't seem to learn and takes the double kicks like a champ, besides who needs a spleen?  Here is a picture of them together recently.  It is difficult to see, but they managed to secure and use the two available pillows on the bed.  Not to mention that they were enjoying a $2,000 Tempur Pedic mattress with $150.00 pillows.  I could never be described as a big spender and anyone that knows me would tell you that spending money on myself is nearly excruciating for me, but a few years ago I just had to buy a new mattress and in the biggest splurge of my life I ended up buying the expensive mattress and they threw the pillows in.  I had coveted that mattress for other ten years but actually breaking down and buying it took months of intense indecision and anxiety.  I am glad that I did it because I have two foster dogs that seem to maximize the use of it.  Who cares whether I get to use it or even like it, they clearly look out for themselves and routinely hog the pillows and leave it up to me to find a place big enough to lie down on while on "their" bed.  It's ironic that I create and allow all these types of situations and then manage to shamelessly find a way to whine about it afterwords.

My dad recently stayed at my house for four nights and he had last stayed here in December.  He repeatedly commented that Alvin had calmed down quite a bit since the last time he was here.  Like I mentioned before, in the past about 10 days it's like a switch has been flipped and he is noticeably calmer.  I find that I often feel such a strong sense of pride towards him because I know how much bravery it has taken for him to get to where he is today.  With that said, my brother who has had very little contact with Alvin came over Thursday night and we were having a very serious, intense family discussion when my brother just stopped in mid sentence and started starring at Alvin.  I asked him what the problem was and he said that he was taken by the sight of a dog that had not stopped moving since he had arrived approximately 45 minutes before.  My dad and I hadn't even noticed because we are used to it and when Alvin is moving he isn't disruptive or boisterous, but my brother just stopped and kind of gaped.  What can 'ya do?

While my dad was here I was able to confirm that Alvin's devotion is aimed solely at my mother.  My dad sat in the chair where my mom always sits and Alvin did not spend the time gazing for hours at him.  He didn't quite know what to do so he kind of wandered around a lot but it wasn't the former pacing, circling behavior he used to display when he was at a loss.  He definitely liked my dad and allowed him to scratch under his chin but he only has eyes for my mom.  After four days, my mom made her grand entrance last night and Alvin resumed the position of standing at her feet and alternating his sniffing and gazing for the entire time she was here.  He has had such a marked decrease in his circling but her departure proved a bit too much for him and he had to circle around her chair for about ten minutes after she left.  You can only expect so much from a male in love.