At any rate, it came time to go for a walk, and we had to make a choice. Walk on the sidewalk and risk getting caught and kicked out of the hotel, or try out the beach. Naturally, we chose the beach. I was a bit worried that Bailey was going to cover herself in sand, but we went that direction anyway. 
Upon stepping off the boardwalk, Bailey looked like she was in heaven. "What is this soft, heavenly substance, that smells like the remains of dead plankton,?" her eyes seemed to ask. Then she started digging. She dug, stuck her nose in the newly uncovered sand, dug some more. She bounced around, searching feverishly to discover every particle in the region, smelling the air, then covering her nose with more sand. It was the cutest moment she had had so far. It was also a relief to me and Steph. Being the beach lovers we are, we had hoped for a dog that would appreciate all that the beach has to offer. 
The funniest part happened on the way home. The more comfortable Bailey gets, the more she wants to push the limits of what she's doing. On the way up, most of the sleeping occurred in the carrier. Towards the end, she started napping on Steph's lap, and finally, in Steph's arms. On the way home, however, she decided to explore new sleeping places. She started in Steph's arms, while I was driving. 
After a while, we switched off drivers and Steph took the wheel. Bailey decided that her vantage point would be better if she climbed up Steph. She took her position on Steph's chest by the window. About two minutes of looking out was all that it took for her to fall over asleep. She collapsed in Steph's arms and started snoring. Next thing we know, in her ever restless state, she has climbed up on Steph's shoulder and has her head on the back of the seat.
This didn't last long either, and Bailey nuzzled her way down Steph's back, rear end still up on Steph's shoulders, and fell asleep upside down, completely squished between Steph and the seat. How she found this comfortable is beyond me, but she stayed like that for a good half hour. Strangest thing I've ever seen, but amusing, nonetheless.
Then, Bailey and I went to Steph's office for lunch. Everyone at the law firm apparently wanted to see her. We went in and got attacked. She was snatched out of the carrier at the door, and everyone fell in love with he like we did the first time we saw her. I guess puppies have that effect. Through it all, she was her cool, calm self. I swear, this dog is the reincarnated form of Authur Fonzarelli. Everything is taken in stride, puppy zen style. After introductions, we wandered across the street to Altin's Cafe. Apparently, acting cool is had work, because Bailey laid down in her carrier and fell asleep, despite the hustle and bustle that is Fifth Avenue South during season in Naples.
One thing lunch made me realize about myself is that I am just as neurotic a parent as Stephanie. With Bailey and her carrier, I brought a baby bag full of puppy wipes, treats, her leash, water bowl, a few toys, and trash bags. Not a single item in the bag was used, most weren't necessary in any situation that could have happened that day. Yet, I brought them all, thinking that Bailey's lunchtime outing might not be perfect without them. I wonder how I'm going to react to a two legged child. Babysitting, child-care, bad friends, and public school are some of my biggest fears, and babies are still years away. Hopefully, Bailey will continue to teach me these kind of things about myself, and I won't be the worst parent ever.
I figured that she might sleep through at least lunch if I wore her out. Well, I might have started a little too early, as she collapsed a couple of times on the walk. I pushed her to finish the drill, though, and she hunkered down and made it happen (that's your Granddog, Chuck!). After going through the morning motions, we padded her crate with extra blankets, stuck a new interactive chew toy inside(it spits out treats- how cool is that?), threw some ice cubes in the tray, turned on the floor fan and radio, and tiptoed to the door. She watched us walk down the stairs, but didn't make a noise. I stood outside the door and listened for a minute, but not a peep. She really is a fantastic dog. I expected that she would have cried herself to sleep, but she wouldn't have any of that. Steph said she whimpered a little after lunch, but she was just playing with her toys when I came home that afternoon.
The nurse asked for poop. We didn't bring any. Fail. They let us stay, though, and went through with the exam. Steph asked the thousand questions that you would expect a new neurotic mom to, and the doctor was very gracious to answer them all. I learned that we're going to brush Bailey's teeth. I had no idea that this was something that normal people did. For some reason, I had always been under the impression that milkbones were enough. Doctor A. told us that she was healthy, teething, and growing big muscles (that morning walk, I tell ya) and needed to come back in two weeks for shots. I'm sure she'll love that, but at least she got to check out the place before they start poking her with sharp objects. All in all, a successful visit. 
The week she was supposed to arrive, we got a call from Nancy, letting us know she would be in Friday, a day earlier than expected. Since Stephanie had literally been counting down the days for at least a month, this extra day excited her, and she let out an excited squeal in her office. Everything was in order and we eagerly awaited her arrival at Delta Cargo. We tracked her online all day, from initial boarding in Arkansas, to a connection in Atlanta, to arrival in Ft.Myers. At last, Bailey was home.
She got out of the car, and did her business outside. YES! One for one. Our timid little puppy came in, did some exploring, did some inside business (dang, she's not perfect), and got used to us. It was amazing how quickly she went from scared, timid little puppy at the airport, to part of our pack. After a strong play session with every one of her new toys, she snuggled up on the couch with Steph and passed out. Literally, no warning, one second bouncy, tail wagger, the next eyes closed snoring. Funniest thing I've ever seen.
Finally, time to relax. I woke my two ladies up, and we headed towards the bedroom. Naturally, you wake a puppy, up, and it is no longer tired. We put her on the bed to wind back down, until she tried to fall asleep again. Since we're crate training her, into her carrier she went. Boy, did she not like that! I can imagine. First night away from home, no other dogs around, when there had always been several to snuggle with, and now you're stuck in this little dark box all alone. Yeah, I'd have a problem with that scenario, too. At that moment, though, we realized how loud a tiny little dog like her could whine. There's no way I'm sleeping tonight, I thought. Finally I realized that snapping my fingers distracted her, and eventually she laid down and passed out...for two hours.
One a.m., more whining, outside she goes to do what puppies do. Back in the crate, she cried herself to sleep in a matter of a couple of minutes. 3:45 am. More of the same. 7 am, guess its time to get up for the day. I'm exhausted, but we're at a better than 60% success rate with inside to outside bathroom duty, so I guess everything is going okay. We love her, and she seems to think we're okay as a replacement pack.
my apologies for the fuzzy camerphone images. The camera and video camera are both charged and ready to go for the future.
