Look at this! If my dog is this tolerant of wearing a 'bat dog' costume, he has to have enough resilience to adapt to a newborn baby that is about to enter our household any day (or minute). I felt so guilty putting this costume on him and despite his obvious humiliation (particularly with the ear piece), Otis did not resist putting his front paws into the arm sleeves at all! Perhaps he was waiting for that extra special treat but he still does not understand that chocolate is not for dogs! He did not even mind that I took him around the neighborhood to show his human trick-or-treaters his cute little costume.
Yes, today is officially D-Day - baby due November 1st, 2008. There are still several hours of November 1st remaining but at this moment, I think the babe is quite happy to exist within the peaceful fluid filled environment in my belly. At the same time, I think Otis is quite happy to hold on to his place within the family and be the spoiled doggy that he is. He knows something is up and is wondering why the heck we have moved various pieces of new furniture into what used to be the computer room. He is curious of the stuffed animals and mobile features in the room but somehow he knows to keep his distance – despite the similarity to his stuffed dog toys, he somehow senses that these animals are not for him. Of course, he has been wondering about my belly for some time now and I can see his hesitancy when I ask him if he wants to dance with me. The food motivated creature that he is, he will still jump up and place his paws into my hands while cautiously avoiding my humongous belly. However, I can sense that he is not quite sure how to gauge his jumps anymore! Poor little guy.
I’ve been reading a bit about how to introduce your little one to your pet. I’m kind of hoping that once Otis gets a whiff of the poopy diaper, they will be the best of friends but there are all these cautions about even the gentlest dog behaving unpredictably. Of course, I want to ensure the safety of the baby but I also want to be sure that our Otis doesn’t feel neglected. If it wasn’t for Otis, I think I’d truly be a much more unstable person or I’d probably drink a lot more alcohol than I do! There has never been a time, where Otis has not run to the door to great me enthusiastically when I’ve come home from work. The tail thumping that I hear upon first waking in the morning says so much more than any expression of “good morning” that any human could say to me. His absolute love of running and playing in the outdoors has made me appreciate my own abilities (temporarily limited at the moment!) to run, jump and enjoy nature. Dogs do not worry about the day previous or the impending future either. They are truly the most amazing creatures that teach us every day about living in this moment – being fully present. How fantastic would this life be if we could spend more time fully living the moment that we were actually in! I hope that Otis thinks his humans are amazing creatures and he welcomes the little babe as he has his other owners.
