Growing toddler. . . or kanine?

In a few weeks Jace will be one year old. Lately, though, I've been wondering if I should be counting in dog years. That's right, folks. Jace may, in fact, be growing into the world's cutest kanine. Oh, the signs were subtle at first. He wasn't different than any other infant. You know-- he slowly learned how to control his movements, hold his head up, that sort of thing. He learned to crawl pretty early, at around six months. From the time he could crawl he would set out after Andy. He followed that pup every where. Watching, learning, slowly deciding he would rather be dog than human. Bowman, Jace's cousin, started walking at an early age so we assumed that Jace would follow in his footsteps. But, it seems, he has decided to take another route. He has decided to follow in the footsteps of his four legged friend.

He now prefers to sleep in the dog cage. No matter how I try to deter him, he insists on trying to get in. It's gotten to the point that I have to shut the dog cage and lock it when Andy isn't in it. If he's not trying to get in the cage, he might be rushing to Andy's food bowl. If there is food in the bowl, he will grab it and attempt to put it in his own mouth. If there's not food in it, he scrapes it around on the floor, just as Andy does when he wants some food.

He also has an alarming obsession with balls. And, just like Andy, if you throw a ball for him, Jace will scamper off after it, crawling as fast as his little knees can pump. Sometimes they pump so hard that his arms can't keep up and he flops onto his face. This does not bother him. He simply sets his eyes on the target and carries on. He will search through a huge bin of toys, find a ball, and be done. He will move off with his ball, never looking back. And just as dogs have a problem with chewing furniture, so does our little Jace. We recently discovered teeth marks and spots of scraped off paint on the bars of his crib.

The most alarming new sign has started taking place just recently.

Well, I've laid the facts out for you. You can make your own decision. However, if he starts scratching his ear with his foot. . .