Van Gogh, perhaps?

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it.

No, I haven't been selected as an honorary Pointer Sister. But I am thoroughly enthused about the latest goodie the PBN hooked me up with - "pre-walker" shoes by Vincent. (I received the Mini Angela mary janes pictured above and the Mini in pink.)

Not only do I adore them, but Miss Dub loves them. And let me tell you, folks, Miss Dub is not a shoe wearer by nature. Like her mother, she likes her tootsies free and unencumbered, which has totally sucked heretofore because so many people gave me adorable infant shoes, but she scarcely wore any of them - some never at all - because she was so annoyed by the stiff soles and narrow passages.

But these bad boys are the opposite - they have a soft sole and wide footpad. Sort of like a Robeez, but they actually look normal and not like a leather pillow. (Sorry Robeez!) Also, the shoes were really, really easy to get on Miss Dub, but not so easy for her to get off herself. Again, a major issue in our shoe battle.

And if I don't sound saccharine enough, I have to say that Miss Dub began to take more steps after receiving these shoes. Granted, I was bribing her with her treasured stuffed bunny, but that has to mean something, right?

OK, there is a downside. The shoes have VINCENT written in large letters across the bottom, which would be no big deal, except it prompted about 1,200 people at church to ask me, "Who's Vincent?" And I really didn't know. I mean, is Vincent in charge of the place? Is Vincent someone's dog? I just don't know, and I like to be in the know, you know?

But here's what I do know. The shoes are awesome, though admittedly pricier than I would typically spend for Miss Dub. But they are high-quality and they are comfortable from what I can tell. But with infants' feet growing at the rapid rate they do, you might not want to invest until you hit a longer-lasting shoe size.

Of course, you could also try to win one of two $50 gift certificates that Vincent the Dog is giving away to two lucky readers. Just check out the Vincent site, pick your favorite shoe from their entire collection and post a comment here telling which style you like and why. (Winner will be picked by Nov. 2.)

But if you don't win, you can always use this discount - "OCT-20-OFF" - and get 20 percent off your first purchase through Nov. 11.

I'm pretty much going to use it myself.

Do you think they carry a women's 8.5?