Brothers

So our babies for the last 4 years, Gus & George, seem to realize something is going on. We tell them all the time they are going to have a new baby sister soon, and they tilt their heads and look at us as if they are trying so hard to understand what that means. We let them sniff around in Annie’s room so they get used to all of the new baby stuff. I’m worried that they are in for a rude awakening, poor guys. They're used to being the center of our lives, so I'm afraid they're going to be a bit disconcerted when they meet the new center of our lives.

We can somewhat predict their reactions. George (the big one) is a clumsy sweetheart. We think he'll be solely interested in loving up this baby whenever possible--following her around, constantly sniffing and licking her. He follows me everywhere now and his favorite thing to do is snuggle with me, so I think he'll be great company to Annie and I during those nighttime feedings. While he is sweet and means well, it does get annoying to have a tall, 90-pound slobbery ox constantly under your feet (or on your lap). I am really hoping that I won’t get too fed up with him when I’m overtired and trying to take care of a crying baby. I hope I can remember that his world is being turned upside down too, and that he can’t help his curiosity/clumsiness. And what I really hope is that someday he and Annie will be the best of buddies. I hope he snuggles her like he snuggles me, because that kind of unconditional love is the best feeling in the world. Plus, he's an excellent pillow!

Gus is another story. He can be very, very sweet. He loves to snuggle and he loves his Daddy. Yet he can also be pretty bratty. He’s been Paul’s baby since the day we brought him home, and he didn’t hesitate to let George know that when we brought him home when Gus was 6 months old. Since Gus is a small dog, he has to use his attitude to let George know who is boss. Our concern with Gus is that he’ll be jealous, especially when Paul is snuggling the baby. He’s not a biter or anything, so I don’t think we need to worry about anything like that. But we’ll definitely need to keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn’t act out by chewing up the couch (more than he already has) or get growly with her. On the other hand, he can be pretty independent--he’s happy just laying on the back of the couch in his spot, so he might end up just enjoying some alone time when we’re wrapped up with taking care of the baby. It will definitely be interesting to see how he is around her!

In any case, they will still be our babies, and we will do our best to make sure they aren't neglected over the next few months. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't let that happen anyway!