Over the years, I’ve blogged a lot about my first baby, Ryder. In fact, my first blog was called Mama Doggy Love, and it was pretty much all about Ryder and her first brother, our beloved Bismarck, who sadly passed away at age 5. (I stopped blogging there and made the archives private awhile ago.)

I brought Ryder home on March 23, 2002 from Pennsylvania, where she was born on January 30, 2002. The first time I ever saw her she was so tiny that she was asleep in a little cat carrier. I loved her from the moment I saw her. I remember on the way home she fell asleep on my legs and my heart just melted.

A few months before I got Ryder we had lost our family dog, Carmel, at age 13, and we had lost his littermate, Cracker, a year earlier at age 12. My mom didn’t think she was ready to fall in love with another dog… so she said that I could get a dog, but it would be mine and mine only. She wasn’t falling in love with a dog again. (But the first time she laid eyes on Ryder, of course, her tune changed. I remember putting Ryder on my Mom and Dad’s front porch, and seeing Mom fall in love right away.)

For awhile it was just me and Ryder. I was in college, living in an apartment, and she came everywhere with me. She was my baby, my doggy, my best friend. So for her first Christmas, it only made sense to take her for a photo with Santa. I remember bringing her to the Swansea Mall with my Dad, where they were allowing pets to pose with Santa, and proudly bringing my baby girl to Santa’s lap for our picture with him.

Yesterday, as Brian and I were putting up our Christmas tree and unpacking some of our Christmas boxes, he found that picture.

My little baby girl at all of 10 months old. I can’t believe this photo was taken 10 years ago. I’m so grateful to still have her by my side, now, of course along with my other loves, Brian, Tansy and Jethro.

I think it’s time for another family photo with Santa. 🙂