A Baby And A Puppy- Best Friends Forever

This is the story of a baby and a puppy. They are the best of friends. I'm talking about our daughter, Maddie and our golden retriever puppy, Josie. I'm sure you'll remember us talking about how Josie was technically one of Maddie's birthday presents, however she came a few months before Maddie's actual birthday.

When we started telling people that Josie was Maddie's puppy, everyone started saying they're going to be best friends. It'll be so cute to watch them grow up together. I can say this, everyone who said that, is absolutely right! Maddie and Josie are best friends, and watching how they're both learning and growing together is so awesome.

Josie is very protective of Maddie. If she thinks that you're trying to hurt Maddie in any way, she's right there getting in between you and Maddie. She's jumping and barking as if to say "Hey! Leave my sister alone!" We have to tell Josie all the time that we're just playing, and we're not hurting Maddie. It's great to see that Josie is so protective.

Maddie loves having Josie with her. For the most part, she's very gentle with Josie. However, there are times where we have to remind Maddie to be more gentle. Another thing that's really funny to watch is how Maddie shares all of her food with Josie. Whenever Maddie eats, Josie is right there because she knows she's getting some of whatever Maddie is having.

If you want to go back and check out what Josie looked like when we first got her, click here.

I'm sure you could use some cuteness today. So check out these videos of a baby and a puppy who are the best of friends.

It's also crazy to think that Maddie is 13 months old today! If you missed the pictures from her first birthday, you can check those out below.

Maddie's first birthday party was this past weekend, and I think it's safe to say, it was a success! My wife worked really hard to make sure that everything went off without a hitch. She wanted it to be a special day, and I think she succeeded. It wasn't like there were a lot of big things that needed to be done, just a lot of little things, but you can't let those slip through the cracks.

Y'all all know the little things I'm talking about. Things like picking up the cake, and the food. Getting the balloons and decorations. Again, all little things, but if you forget one of the little things, it can cause a chain reaction that can lead to unnecessary stress. My job this past Saturday was to keep my wife's stress level as low as possible.

Thankfully we had help. Kelsey's mom, sister, and our brother-in-law were there to help with setting up and picking things up. Two of Kelsey's best friends also helped with all of the last-minute prep. The wildcard in all of this was the birthday girl. What kind of mood was she going to be in? Because honestly, that was going to depend on how the day was going to go.

Maddie must've known it was her birthday. She was wide awake at 6am Saturday morning. While that made for a long day for mommy and daddy, it was a good thing. It meant she would be tired enough to take a nap before her party. A nap before the party was going to be crucial! Not only did she nap, she took a great nap! She woke up right before the party started.

Kelsey and I just wanted to take a minute and thank every one for all of the love surrounding Maddie's first birthday. Thanks so much for all of the messages and comments. We appreciate all of the gifts. It means so much to us that y'all took the time to reach out. Now we count down to birthday number two! Only 363 days to go!

For more photo galleries, videos, lists and articles from The Kicks Wake Up Krew, click here.

Here are some of the pictures from Maddie's first birthday party.