Now I wanna be your dog

I wanna be your dog, originally uploaded by e³°°°

Ashley loves our pug. Neither one paid much attention to the other at first. Lola (that's the dog) would sniff at her every now and then, or give her a lick if she came within tongue range. Otherwise they minded their own business for the first two or three months.

But now as Ashley's eyesight and hand-coordination improve, she has taken quite an interest in this strange creature. She watches Lola with great concentration. When Lola gets close, Ashley swats at her, grabbing patches of fur.

It won't be long before she's heaping all kinds of abuse on this poor animal. I wonder how Lola is going to react. What will she do when Ashley is chasing her around, pulling her tail, poking her buggy eyes? We've neglected her for so long, I bet she will enjoy the attention enough to put up with anything.

Routine

Routine Action, originally uploaded by @lex Roxy

More prompt than an insomniac rooster, Lola continues to wake me up before dawn. I'm not upset about it any more, though. Instead of trying to teach our old dog new tricks, I have incorporated our early rising into a new morning ritual.

We go out, she does her business, we come in and she eats breakfast. Then she goes back to sleep and I take a shower & shave. This is where I get creative. To my wife's dismay, I have picked up another new hobby, with all the attendant accessories. I set aside my practical, functional electric shaver, in favor of a 1940's Gillette safety razor.

Yes, my friends, I have entered the wonderful world of traditional wetshaving. It's a manly routine that is simultaneously bracing, relaxing, challenging, and enjoyable (except when I cut myself, which isn't very pleasant). End result: when I'm standing in the back yard at 5:30 in the morning, instead of wishing I were back in bed, I'm looking forward to the morning shave. That's a much better way to start the day.

Psycho Pug

Before our daughter was born, we were concerned about the effect it would have on our pug, Lola. She's a rescue dog; we're her third owners. Her original family gave her up when they had a baby. We thought that she might be harboring some resentment, or at least view the arrival of a newborn with suspicion. So it was a huge relief when we got back from the hospital and she acted totally normal for the first couple of weeks.

Then she went insane.

These days, the dog wakes me up around 4:00 in the morning. Sometimes we can get her to go back to sleep, and she'll be quiet for up to an hour, if we're lucky. Eventually I need to roll out of bed and take her outside. It's pitch black and quiet in the city before 5. I would enjoy it if I wasn't still asleep. Anyway, she has always slept in the bedroom with us, but I think it might be time for her to get her own place.

Babies are better than dogs, part 1

Suspicious package?, originally uploaded by JamesCalder

Our dog was fussing and whining at some time before 5:00 this morning. I was frustrated that she was being so noisy while I was trying to rest. To myself I said, "if I get irritated by waking up now, even though I slept through the entire night, how am I going to handle caring for a newborn?"

Then I had an epiphany. It's going to be so much easier with my daughter because I can take care of all her needs in the privacy of my own home. I don't have to go outside. I don't even need to put on pants!

Plus, unlike my dog, I won't have to chase my baby around the yard to make sure she doesn't do anything disgusting with her own feces. At least, not at first.