Good morning, little one!
"I know, baby."
Look how small you used to be,
"My little cutie."
and how hungry!
You were all alone when we first found you, Copper.
You needed someone to take care of you.
So, we brought you home,
fed you,
and fed you
and gave you tons of love.
"Some love and cuddles, huh, buddy?"
We wanted to hold you close forever...
but
you were a wild deer!
If you were going to have a normal deer life,
you couldn't get too used to living in a house.
You needed to stay wild.
We had to take care of you outside.
You didn't mind.
That's where your best friend spent most of his time.
You two would chase each other all day long.
"Back at it again!"
And be back in time for supper.
Just a dog and a deer.
You weren't like any deer we'd met!
Humans made you nervous,
but you weren't afraid of us.
"He is super sweet and very loving."
"Copper, kiss!"
You loved attention
"Aw, baby."
most of the time.
You knew we loved you.
You were our special, little deer.
But you didn't stay little for long!
"Looking dapper this morning."
You started to look different.
Your baby spots began to fade
"Won't be long, and these will be completely gone."
and tiny knobs appeared on your head.
"Right there? You see those knots, right there?"
You know what those are, Copper?
The first sign of your antlers!
Once those grow long, you'll be a big deer!
"So handsome! Boop!"
But until then, we're gonna keep feeding you
"You're so crazy in the mornings, buddy."
and giving you all the love you need.
"Oh, ear scratches feel so good!"
"All right, buddy, let's measure your nubbins."
"Thank you for being so still."
Look at them grow!
"Look at that! Good job, buddy!"
The older you got, the less we saw you.
You were getting comfortable being in the woods on your own.
But whenever we whistled,
[whistling]
you came running!
"Hey, buddy, where you been?"
"Oh, feels so good!"
"I knew you'd come see me, buddy."
But then, you were off again.
"You found another deer, huh, buddy?"
"Good for you, dude!"
You weren't a fawn anymore.
"You're getting so big!"
You'd turned into a buck!
Could it really be time?
We're going to miss you, Copper.
We hope you visit us from your home in the woods.
You were such a tiny baby when we found you,
but now, you're a big, happy deer
who's ready to be wild again.
"I love you too, buddy."