So Mom and I went shopping.  With Raines.  Not always a great idea, but Mom had her eye on a cute jacket at Getz’s, and she can be fast.

Getz’s was packed, so we took Mom’s jackets downstairs to a free mirror in the basement.  Which was perfect, really – Raines was able to run laps around the basement while we scrutinized Mom’s jacket.

He was loving it.  The basement was full of racks and racks and racks of last season’s winter coats – a virtual padded room for a toddler to crash around in.

During one of his laps, I heard Raines emit a low growl:  “grrrrrrrr”, he said quietly.  Then again, a bit more confidantly:  “GRrrrrrrr!”  I walk around the corner to investigate.  “Raines?”  I call out.  “Do you see a lion somewhere?”  Raines is standing there, watching a women try on a very largy, puffy jacket with a fur-lined hood.  “GRRRRRROOOOOOOWWWWLLLLL”  he growls, pointing, happy that he’s been so well understood.  I freeze.  The woman in the large, puffy fur-lined jacket freezes.  We stare at each other:  Mom vs Lion-Woman. She gives an embarrassed little chuckle, and sadly, the best I can manage is a mumbled apology as I turn beet red, then grab Raines and hightail it out of there.

I’m thinking she put the jacket back.

Raines, still happy at his lion-sighting, growled all the way home.  The pic above was him, showing us his best growl.  I love how his arms and hands are flexed in effort.

xoxo

S