do you need a giggle?

If you want to laugh today, take three minutes to watch this...

if we didn't have dogs...

It all started off Monday morning with the pram blanket blowing into a giant mud puddle while I was getting the dogs out of the car. It just went downhill from there. After the walk and our annual trip to the vet, Kai had a terrible allergic reaction to her vaccinations requiring an emergency return visit to said vet. That was followed soon after by Berkley vomiting in the car, with just enough making its way into the car seat. Nice.

I had to put off a well-overdue trip to the grocery that day because I of course needed to get Kai home and keep an eye on her. No problem, went the next day instead. That time I got all my shopping in the basket and even made my way to the cashier only to realize I had left my wallet at home.

Fast forward to Wednesday and let’s try again. With a baby in tow and efficiency being paramount—after all the dogs still needed a walk once we got home and dinner wasn’t going to cook itself—I intended to combine the grocery shopping with a Mums & Bubs movie and some errands at the mall. (One-stop shopping is certainly a life-saver sometimes, eh?) Just as the movie finished, the mall was evacuated. I was on the fourth floor with the pram and no working lifts. But we would not be defeated. I was going to return home with groceries. We somehow made our way down and once given the all clear, we headed back in and, believe it or not, finally got the grocery shopping ticked off the list. Third time’s a charm, I guess. Later that afternoon when I returned to my car after all the shopping, evacuating, movie watching, and visits to the Parent’s Room thrown in for good measure, I found the wheel clamped on my car. And it was only Wednesday afternoon. Would this week ever end?

By Wednesday night I was spent. Well and truly spent. But I only had a week left to prepare for a two-month trip to the States. And babies and dogs still need looking after, no matter what else is on that growing list.

Quincy is on my lap as I write and I hear something… Ewwww, Quincy. Did I mention we started him on solids last week? Oh well, I guess it was nearly bath time anyway. Wait. I’ll be back…

Okay, where was I? So everything seems to take three times longer when you bring a baby into a house with dogs. You have to continue giving your pups all the attention and affection they are used to and deserve, and the new baby needs his share of lovin’. This somehow needs to be accomplished without sneaking in any extra hours in the day. But it doesn’t stop there. You also have to foster the oh-so-important relationship between the dogs and the baby. As Quincy progresses through his many varying stages, that relationship will change and surely present new challenges. I can already hear myself saying…

“Kai, don’t worry I’ll clean up that dirty nappy.”

“Quincy, you have got to remember to shut the gate.”

“Berkley, it’s not okay to grab carrot sticks out of Quincy’s hand.”

“Quincy, I know you don’t like cauliflower and Berkley looks starving, but believe it or not, before you started eating table food, we could actually see his waist.”

So, it’s now Thursday afternoon and things are looking up. The baby has taken a few long naps, a good, healthy dinner is ready to go, and the bub has unexpectedly already been bathed.

Plus I’ve just been treated to the most precious site. Picture this… a five-month-old Quincy lying on his tummy with Kai performing in front of him, doing play bows and barking and carrying on in Kai fashion, causing him to laugh louder and harder than I’ve ever seen him laugh. She even rolled over a few times, eliciting even more laughter. If we didn’t have dogs, I certainly wouldn’t have that memory to hold on to as I read Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy for the millionth time.

Besides if we didn’t have dogs, who would wash Quincy’s face? Who would clean up his spills? Who would let Quincy know when it’s time to wake up from his nap? And who would keep me company while I feed the baby?

All that worrying… Turns out it was for nothing. We all somehow manage to fit in the car and my lap is big enough after all.

Oh yeah, you know how I dropped the pram blanket in the puddle? Well, if we didn’t have dogs, I wouldn’t have had a couple (filthy) dog towels to wrap the bub in for our walk that blustery morning.

If we didn’t have dogs, life certainly wouldn’t be as busy, but there sure would be a lot less laughter.