So, the dogs' reactions:
Wally seems the most amiss. I am his people, so my time being consumed in baby land has cut his attention (but not the love, which is what I try to tell him). He does notice the baby, and he appreciates her about as much as he appreciated when my belly was huge and got in his way. Lots of snorts and grunts... he's a pug, pugs make noises all the time. At night he gets cranky and will snuggle with Matt instead of me if I have to keep checking on Claire. He has given her a few kisses, and he'll look at her... but mostly he's just interested in ME and ME time. He will sit nice around her though (posing for pictures is still a far way off). Tomorrow if the baby disappeared he wouldn't be concerned, as long as I was still here and had kibbles. I'm hoping when she gets a little more aware and can show him attention, it will melt his heart. Right now we call him the Grinch (since we're reading How the Grinch Stole Christmas a lot). Wally stole the Who-Hash! (You should hear this in HIS voice... laugh riot).
Dang! Are you freakin' kidding me? All this fuss over this thing? She can't even eat kibbles! Wally is way better! Now get me some Who-Hash already!Mogwai, who we thought wouldn't even be aware the baby came has been the most doting and sweetest dog. He loves to be close to Claire and loves to look at her. He always comes over by me to just see her and check on her. Since we are rooming in (lots of people/dogs sleeping in my room all of a sudden) Mogwai will pop up (not as much now that he realizes I have things under control) and check when she cries. It's almost like he's looking from me to the baby telling me I need to get on this... the baby needs something! He's such a sweet and docile dog anyway... I'm almost worried Wally will have a run for his money as Claire's favorite. He's not much of a snuggler, but it's so cute when he's on the couch and will lay his head right on her boppy (she's always in her boppy it seems, for the elevation) and sleep. Cute cute.
I can has baby? Muriel is acting pretty much like I called it. Granted, she's been a lot nicer than I thought she would be, but she's pretty melodramatic. Of course, since the earth hasn't opened up and swallowed her, she's starting now to be a bit more calm. She does sleep downstairs now, instead of upstairs with us. She likes to look at the baby and check on her (and I've never seen any ill will from her part, but I also KNOW my dog... she can be very mean for no reason, so for now she's not really getting any baby action). We've tried (TRIED) to make it not seem like the baby caused these changes. We'd been cutting back on activities and time with the dogs, and even sleeping arrangements, prior to her arrival. So I'm hoping Muriel won't just blame the baby.
Muriel doing what she does best... sleep on the couch where she's not technically allowed. Oblivious to all things baby, but waiting any moment for us to tell her to get down, when she will dramatically leap to the floor and pace around because there is no place to sleep or sit other than the couch, as the floor is secretly coated in some kind of dog killing poison and as soon as she lays down, it'll kill her.Overall everyone is doing well. I like being a parent and having a baby, but sometimes I miss the whole lifestyle before when my "kids" could be locked up for a night and I could go get a nice glass of wine. I'm hoping eventually (that I'll get another glass of wine? no...) that the dynamic will be more adjusted and now Claire can be their biggest playmate and we can sit back and enjoy the frolicking. For now I think we'll be fine though... Grinch and all.
The whole happy family... most nights (if you could come over and not send the dogs into panic mode to greet you, this is what you'd find.)
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