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Sunday, August 7, 2011

Got me on my knees, Layla

I can't believe it is already Sunday evening.  Seriously, where do the weekends go?  Ours has been busy yet also relaxing, but it doesn't make me any more ready for another week!  I'm glad to have a little vacation on the books this week for some R&R with my family.

Speaking of family, I cannot believe I've been blogging for a month and have not yet introduced you to my dog-child.  Meet Layla:
Photo credit: the ALWAYS amazing Kristin Vining Photography
Is she the prettiest little girl you've ever seen, or what?!  We certainly think so - and so does she, as she uses her looks to get her way - a lot!  Sometimes I wish she would talk, because I bet she'd be hilarious.  I often wonder what kind of accent she'd have.  I am convinced she would talk like Aunt Jemima.  Dan thinks she'd talk like an Australian - Nicole Kidman, maybe.  Obviously, we'll never know...but it's fun to speculate.

Layla came to us a little over three years ago from Paint Creek Horse Farm in Wingate, NC.  She was a member of a broken home for a little while until I finally talked Dan into proposing.  And now here we are, 3.5 years later and she's going to be a big sister!  I am not yet sure whether she is excited or not.  I'll report back on that in about 6ish months.  For your viewing pleasure, here are some pictures of how cute, fat and furry she was as a puppy:

I have been wondering how she is going to react to Baby Baum when we bring him/her home from the hospital.  She is, after all, an only "child" who is treated like a human and rules the Baum roost.  Of course we've been reading up on this, and seeking advice from friends who have already gone through it.  The most common piece of advice we've gotten is to bring something - a blanket or onesie, etc. - home from the hospital that has the baby's scent on it, and introduce Layla to it before we bring the baby home so that she'll be used to it.  I think she is going to be a GREAT "big sister" and can't wait to see how she reacts.  She's gotten lots of practice with my nephews and niece, and has done remarkably well...we've only had to scold her a few times for growling when her eye was poked or her ear was pulled one too many times for her liking.  ;-)  I hope she and Baby Geronimo will be total besties!

All of this discussion about the dog child brings me to my next question: can she tell that I am pregnant?  I know, you are all going to think I am one of those total weirdo animal people, but just hear me out.  Layla has never been particularly cuddly, unless it is on her terms.  That does not mean that we do not cuddle - sometimes we engage in what Dan likes to call "forced cuddling," where I raise my voice and pretend I'm mad so she'll snuggle up to me for a little while.  Other than that, she'll cuddle when she wants to, but normally she's happy doing her own thing.  Until I got pregnant.  Y'all, believe me when I tell you that now this dog wants to be laying on me - particularly head on my stomach - ALL THE TIME.  I am not complaining, I like the attention, but it really makes me think that she knows!  Case in point:

The above photo was taken today, while I was lounging on the couch catching up on some TV.  This is her normal position these days...laying on top of me with her head on my stomach.  She has NEVER done this before.  She has also been a lot more protective of me than usual.  Just this morning, when we were sitting on the front porch waiting for Dan to go on our walk, someone was running by the house and she went into full-on ferocious mode, growling at them.  Any of you that know her know that this is NOT normal - she loves people more than she loves other dogs and is typically always looking for someone new to play with!  Her behavior was so strange, and also really sweet.  Not to worry, I did fuss at her about having bad manners.

I did some googling, and while there is no scientific proof that animals can tell, there is TONS of stuff out there from pet owners swearing that their animal knows.  I am a believer that Layla at least knows there is SOMETHING different, for sure.

Photo Credit Kristin Vining
That's all I've got in terms of my random thoughts today!  We finally got to meet our friend Grant & Emily's new addition, Olivia, this weekend.  She is GORGEOUS, with a head full of dark hair that stands straight up.  Emily is staying in town for the week, so I hope I get to snuggle Olivia some more before she leaves!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!  While I'm not ready for it to be Monday, yet, I am excited about drooling over Vampire Eric on Trueblood tonight.  Yummy!

Sarah

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