Baby myth debunktion, part 1: babies and pets

Despite dire predictions about the fate of our pets [sometimes I kill me: I originally wrote "poets" instead of pets... as if the fate of our literary world somehow had hinged upon our baby] after the baby's debut, our dogs and cats have not suffered...well, no, that's not entirely true. Once, in the newborn period, when nights and days blended into the murky poop-and-nurse-athon that never seemed to end or even pause, Oyster got herself out the door into the building and, her absence unnoticed, spent a night inside but in the hallway by herself. I guess that was suffering of a sort, and I definitely blame Jonas for that.

But other than that, the animals still have it pretty good. We still make their food, we still walk the dogs twice a day every day-- rain or snow or what-have-you. They have never skipped a meal or been forgotten or neglected for more than a couple of hours (yesterday morning the dogs did not get breakfast until Jonas finished nursing, was changed, and finished nursing #2, changing #2 and was sleeping in his swing-- about 11:30).

The cats likewise have not been disadvantaged by the baby. In fact, they have many more places to hang out (bouncy seats and bassinets are their favorites) and more toys to play with (rattles, dangling mobiles). Lucas still sleeps on my pillow every night, and doesn't even protest when I have to move him to nurse Jonas in the middle of the night. Tinky jumps up in my lap while I am nursing and snuggles in for a double body warmer, from both me and Jonas. Oyster has been known-- though not encouraged-- to sit ON Jonas while he is hanging out in his bouncy chair. Neglectful parents that we are, we laugh and take pictures (which I will soon post) before shooing her away.

So, contrary to rumors, it is possible to have a baby AND still love your pets. I think one thing that worked to our advantage in this respect was that we never treated our animals like children. We love them as much as we possibly can, but they are animals and we treat them as such-- they have rules and we are in charge. The other thing is that we have so damn many animals that they have always had to cope with the limits of our ability to give them a ton of individual attention. Not that we have ever neglected them-- it's just that we don't lavish them with tons of pets and caresses every day, because if we did there would be no time for feeding and walking.

I am happy with the animal situation, though I am less tolerant of barking and other nuisances that I was never particularly fond of. Their walks have been a bit truncated, but they usually are in winter, because while the dogs love the snow and cold, I hate it. We have too many damn animals, and that is a fact. But we still love them all and care for them competently. And since this was a big worry for me while I was pregnant I am happy to say that the babies and pets myth has, for me, been thoroughly debunked.

In other pet-related news, Lolo my love needs another surgery...her first surgery was a success, but while she was recuperating from the operation on her right knee, she put a lot more pressure on her left knee, and, yes, the left knee blew. I love this dog to pieces, but she is so poorly built-- dogs were never meant to be 120 lbs., even though her size is one of the things that endows her with a humanlike quality and makes her even more huggable and lovable. I am less worried about this one, since the first one went well, but of course I will be a wreck when we take her in on Wednesday until I hear that she is out of surgery and recovering as expected. Wish us both luck!

In non-pet news, Jonas had his first vaccination-- we skipped Hep B, and opted for DTAP only at this past visit. He took it like a champ, and nursed through the pain. He is now 12.5 lbs., and solid. I wouldn't call him chunky necessarily (but he does have those chins!) but he's broad and dense and somewhat thug-like. He holds his head up well and is smiling (although he metes the smiles out carefully, as if there is a daily limit; he takes after me!) He still sleeps in 2-hour increments, but they are more predictable and reliable. I wake at 2, 4, 6 to feed and change him (actually changing is Speedy's job) and put him back to bed, where he goes to sleep pretty quickly. He is in his bassinet full time now, just in time for him to outgrow it and be relegated to the crib!