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Today I went and bought this at Target:

Yes, a pack 'n play is now needed in the Ligon household.

Before you get too excited: No, there is not currently a bun in the oven, or a baby hiding out in a dresser drawer or anything (sorry, Mom!). Nor are we adopting a child from China, babysitting for friends, or anything of the sort. No, our little playpen is for none other than Miss Lucy. Judge away, friends - I am judging myself just a little, but, here is the situation:

Last weekend when we had an awesome visit at my folks house, Lucy the Magnificent (her stage name, of course) must have performed some wondrous aerodynamic feat, and ended up with a sprained/pulled muscle. Now, at first, we weren't sure if we were actually seeing a limp. We would look at each other and say, "Did you see that? Is she limping? No, she isn't. Okay, maybe she is. I can't tell!" This went on for about a week. Was she faking? Was this just a new swagger she was trying on for size? We just weren't sure.

I went ahead and made a vet appointment for last week, but then the snowpacalypse hit Norfolk, and I had to postpone. By Sunday, I was seriously considering canceling the appointment altogether - it was a gorgeous 65 degree day in Virginia, we went to the park, Lucy did some competitive walking, ran around, had a blast, and it seemed like she had given up her sometimes gangsta swag.

Well, apparently running around in the park is not what is recommended for a dog that may or may not have a hurt ligament because on Monday a full-on absolutely pitiful limp was present. It made me sad, but I was glad we still had our vet appointment for Tuesday morning.

We went to the vet yesterday where the vet proclaimed her to have "lameness" (is that not the lamest diagnosis?), and said she needed strict and complete rest for two weeks, followed by a two-week slow return to normal. Now, this is the dog known for her leaps and excitement, so I jokingly asked, "Well, do you have a tranquilizer I can give her?" to which the vet replied, "Of course, just know it can make her uncoordinated." (!). I gaped at her and told her I was joking, and she said that in all reality we had to do whatever it takes to get her to rest - use a leash inside the house, dope her up with Benadryl, use an Elizabethan collar - whatever it takes! Well, we didn't think the leash was a grand idea - I mean, how would that really work? And an Elizabethan collar is just annoying for everybody, so Harris had the brilliant idea that we could contain her in a playpen. Now, granted, when he said playpen, I immediately thought of the above purchase, but really he meant something like this. Whatever. The pack 'n play is fine, I think - it is comfortable, I can throw in her blankets and toys, and even a water bowl, she can still see us, and we can easily move her from room to room. Win-win-win?

In short, we got a playpen for our dog. Cast ye your stones, readers. Cast ye your stones.