Why the Brits are bad for your baby.

There's a show on British television (shut up) called It's Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet. The lady's name is Victoria Stilwell and she goes into homes where they are having dog problems and teaches the owners and the dogs some respect. It was another one of those up-all-night-with-Ella's-reflux-might-as-well-watch-TV finds. It's also informative. And (shockingly enough) entertaining.

Anyway, I've learned quite a bit. The most helpful being what to do when your dogs are barking. According to Victoria, when your dogs are barking you aren't supposed to yell their names. You are supposed to make a loud noise like, "ACK! ACK!" What this does is simulate a noise the doggie mother would make if the dogs were doing something wrong in the litter. And, guess what? IT WORKS. Which is fantastic news since my usual approach of INDY! ABBEY! INNNNDY! ABBBBBEY! INDY-ABBEY-INDY-ABBEY-INDY-ABBEY! HEEEEY! SHUUUUUT! UUUUUP! really wasn't working at all when my dogs were barking.

So now at my house, when the dogs are barking you will hear me do a brief, loud ACK! ACK! (Go ahead and laugh, everyone else does, including my parents. Thanks mom & dad!).

End of the story? Not quite. Remember, we have an almost 7 month old. A few days ago Ella started doing this low grunt-like thing that comes out, "GRR! GRR!" - almost a cross between clearing your throat and grunting. I knew immediately what she was doing. The first time Todd heard her he said (look of confusion), "What IS she DOING anyway?!?"

My response?

I laughed hysterically (like any good role model parent).

ACK! ACK!