And baby makes three

Having a new family member is always a joyful occasion, however it’s not always that easy to adjust. I remember when I knew that something was going on inside Mommy’s bell —  I would lie down on it, listen to the movement. I was so in tune with her I even had my own sympathetic pregnancy. So you can imagine our excitement when this little guy was finally out! We just couldn’t wait to meet him!

 When they brought him home we barked for joy, then we were quickly hushed so as not to wake him. Luckily,  baby was already used to our noise, most probably from hearing us while in Mommy’s tummy. We immediately knew we were no longer the babies. It wasn’t easy but we were understanding. We kept trying to enter the baby’s room but they would eventually gently shoo us away for fear of germs so we took to patiently waiting and guarding the door. Otto took this job seriously and would bark at anyone passing by except Mommy and Daddy. 

 Despite not having the same amount of attention as before, Mommy and Daddy did a pretty good job of making the transition go well, even if Otto did make a few sneaky poos where he shouldn’t have (his strange way of seeking attention!). Overall things are going great and we are all well adjusted at home. Here are a few tips for bringing home a new human baby into your family of fur babies.

 1. From the hospital, have someone bring home a piece of the baby’s clothing and have the doggies smell it. Dad brought home Sebastian’s little hat and we were able to familiarize ourselves with him from the beginning.

2. Try not to change too many things. They let us keep on sleeping in their room in our beds, kept our routine of night play in the garden after dinner. These things make us feel like we are still a part of the family.

3. We know the baby is fragile but we want to see him, too! Let us gently smell his feet while he’s in your arms… that’s all we need! Some extra spoiled jealous doggies may need to be on a leash for this. In the first few days, Mom and Dad let us hang out a little in the baby’s room while they were there just so we wouldn’t feel too left out. It was nice to be all together as a family.

4. Listen to our pleas for attention. Sometimes we just want some extra cuddles, too. I took to eating more and waking up more in the middle of the night and Otto, well, yes, sneaking poos in random places and sometimes not wanting to eat.

5. Spend a few extra minutes just with us.  As soon as they started giving us extra hugs and extra treats and more playing while baby is sleeping, things got better and even Otto stopped doing his nonsense immediately.

6. Spend as much time as possible all together with the baby. This is our favorite, when we all get to hang out in the living room, relaxing on a Sunday morning with baby, Mommy, Daddy and silly Otto.

7. Allow us some interaction with the baby every day even if it’s just sniffing those cute little toes! After all, he’s our baby, too!