Blessed 6 Years Old!

My dear, Baileys,

This is probably the 6th letter I've written you in your life. And I've mentioned countless times "how time flies"!

From the day you came into our lives, every detail remains fresh in my memory. The very first day I held a tiny and fragile you in my arms while papa drove at a slow speed back home, how you warily sniffed around our house, how we thought you were one in a million with the way you behaved (all puppies are destructive but we thought you would be different), how so fragile you looked that we would not expect you to be strong enough to break out from behind 2 large and heavy suitcases we used to area train you and how you were paper-trained in only 2 weeks or less. That day we came home to a wagging you, half of me was so excited to see you, and the other half, trembling in fear that you would have peed and pooed all over the house because just a day ago, you still did not know where to do your business. But that day, even though you found your own freedom, you went back through that tiny gap you made by pushing the luggage apart (and where you sneaked out from), back to the toilet and did all your business there.

And then you started teething...but the damage was minimum. We did not realise how little the damage was that you made, till we had Maen who actually ate up our whole sofa!

You grew out of your teething but developed separation anxiety when you'd find things to play with (and something damage) in our absence. You are tall enough to steal things off tables but you hardly did, till we return to Singapore and stayed at gong gong and popo's place.

I was disappointed that you were the culprit and not Maen because you ARE the more sensible one. But to be able to steal things from that height, it has to be you.

But popo can't stop praising you for being very loyal.

She used to think you look fierce and all ready to attack (I don't know why) but after the 3 months together, she's grown to love you, and grown accustomed to having you around. She is impressed by how you would stay close to her when she climbed up high. It felt as if you were watching to make sure she didn't fall. Instead of feeling irritated by you scratching on her door every morning at 6am for breakfast, she was impressed how you didn't have to learn to read the clock to know it's time you eat, and then start scratching at her door so she woke up to feed you, whether or not she was ready to wake up.

You just have the ability to make people love you.

You are 6 years old now and this year, you have to spend you birthday away from us. We miss you but haven't had time to visit you and Maen yet but you'll be back real soon to join us again!

ER hasn't met you. I'm sure he'll love you both and I know you will watch over him like you did with AN, and even popo.