Man's Best Friend

Right away, Henry and Maisie forged a give and take relationship at our house, meaning Henry gave her food, and Maisie took it. But in the last few weeks, it's deepened into something more, on Henry's side anyway. Henry's favorite word continues to be doggie, which sounds like ga-GA, and Maise is far and away his favorite playmate/plaything. This afternoon, I was out weeding, with Henry and Maisie in tow, and it went something like this:

Henry: (Chuckles) Ga-ga, ga-GA (grabbing fistfulls of hair, sometimes jabbing her in the eye).
Me: (I pry open his fingers) No, no, Henry, be soft to doggie, SOFT (I illustrate).

Then the drum-beat thumping begins, with or without toys, on the dog's head and back.

Me: Henry, no hits. NO HITS! Soft to doggie, SOFT (I illustrate again).
Henry: Ga-GA, ga-GA.

Maisie looks at me imploringly, as if to ask if that's the best I can do.

Let's hope Maisie is familiar with the old adage, "Don't bite the hand that feeds you."