Tots 'N Tails: Big Fat Positive

And we're back for our second post! Lucca, the two legged babe, is in time out so we, Stella and Bodhi, the four-legged children, are in charge. We're thinking that we'll start at the beginning and, each month, tackle a new phase in our blossoming tot and tail relationship. So...the beginning. Well, that would probably be in the glory days, when it was just the two of us, Stella and Bodhi. Actually, Stella would say the true glory days were when she was an only child and enjoyed undivided attention. But, even when Bodhi, the simple dog, was added to the mix, the days were still filled with frozen Kong treats and long romps at the dog beach. Excuse us...we're getting a little nostalgic...

Stella & Her Ball at Dog Beach

Back to that fateful morning. EARLY morning. When Mom shot out of bed at 4 am and ran to the bathroom to pee on a stick. (Probably one of her more dog-like moments.) She came out, woke up Dad. They talked. We could sense excitement and trepidation. Dad went back to sleep; Mom tossed and turned.

Dad - Equal Parts Excitement and Fear

Turns out, that was the beginning of the end. An expiration date was now set on us being at the top of the attention loving hierarchy. Mom and Dad were taking it very seriously. They wondered if they could love a two-legged puppy as much as they adored us. We wondered if we could love a two-legged puppy, too! And so, we all launched into baby boot camp to try and get ready for the special delivery expected in nine months.

Here are our top three recommendations on what you should do as soon as you see your lady human pee on a stick:

Send Mom and Dad to a 'Dogs and Babies' class. Those have great information on how they can make us dogs as happy and comfortable as possible when the two-legged puppy becomes the priority. Here are a few links to get you started:

• This is the class Mom and Dad took in San Diego.
• The ASPCA's recommendations on baby prep.
• In case you like to watch TV like us, here's a quick video.
• And here's a book to put on the shelf next to "What to Expect When You're Expecting."

Tackle any training "issues." Mom and Dad call them issues. We call it ENTHUSIASM! And nothing is more enthusiastic than an under-exercised dog. Just ask our mailman. Here are the areas identified in our pre-baby performance review:

• Loose leash walking.  We like to take the lead when we walk. We like to lunge at squirrels, bunnies, cats. We like to tell other dogs to get off our sidewalk. In other words, we like to be fairly unpredictable and, therefore, very difficult to handle now that Lucca's stroller is in the mix. Mom has basically given up on loose leash walking so she did find a number of stroller friendly off-leash places for us all to play. This is fantastic because we get to go bananas all over the place and Mom can get some exercise taking the baby for a long walk.
• No going on the furniture.  Babies are small! Like really small. Like we couldn't tell from the ground if there was a baby lying on the couch or the bed.  Mom and Dad didn't want us accidentally jumping on top of the baby so we have to have all four paws on the ground these days.  They did make up for it with some new extra soft dog beds around the house.
• Be friendly to visitors! We like to give visitors a vigorous barking welcome.  Particularly the mailman and the UPS guy.  Mom says it scares them. And sometimes it wakes the baby. Waking the baby is bad news. Our particular baby isn't a big sleeper so when he does finally sleep...well, you better not mess it up. You think our barking is scary? You see our Mom when she realizes that a baby nap has just slipped through her fingers. Yikes!

Create Sacred Spaces. Mom and Dad started "nesting" during the pregnancy. Which is weird because they aren't birds. All of the sudden, all of this new baby stuff was going in the spare bedroom where we liked to watch the trucks go by and they began calling it the nursery instead of the guest bedroom.  They also stopped letting us go in there because it was the "baby's room" and they didn't want us shedding all over the new stuff and laying on the glider.  Gliders are soooo soft! But they made it up to us by creating a "safe zone" in the house that they promised was just for us. No babies allowed! When we go in our safe zone there are fun toys to play with, soft places to sit and yummy treats. We love our safe place now.  So whenever there are a lot of people visiting the bambino or we're a little frazzled from all the crying or tail pulling, we can go to our sacred space with its big NO LUCCA sign and have some peaceful dog time.

A special treat to help take the edge off when baby is too much!

And speaking of sacred spaces! Check out this month's treasury because it has some of our favorite EtsyKids items to personalize your baby's sacred space.  And why don't dogs get nurseries? Who says we don't want monogrammed blankets and our names spelled out with zoo animals on the walls?? Maybe that can be a future blog post!

Our 'Nesting' Treasury

Wait, wait, wait! It's Lucca! Time out is over! I promised Mom I wouldn't pull Bodhi's tail anymore. (She's so gullible!) Don't you want to hear my tip once you find out someone like me is on the way? My favorite thing to do with the dogs while I was an inside baby was long walks with Mom.  Mom's midwife said it was good for her to get lots of exercise and I found the gentle rocking of her gait to be very soothing.  So lace up and get out there!

Up next month: Put Your Pups in Your Birth Plan!  Our Treasury theme will be birthdays and birth announcements. Leave us a comment if you have the perfect item to be included.

Tweet

Tots 'N Tails: Boy Meets Dog, Inspires Blog



Hi Everyone! We are Lucca, Bodhi & Stella from the shop, StellaAmbrosia, and we are super excited to be joining the EtsyKids blog as a monthly contributor. Each month, we'll be chiming in with some of our advices and experience in learning how to be the best of roommates as the three of us grow up together. Along the way, we'd also like to share with you some of the fun items our fellow Etsy friends have in their shops that inspire us.  So come check us out each month to hear about our latest antics and check out our treasury of paw-some products that keep us smiling.

This month, we're doing a little blog nesting and setting up for our big arrival in August. We wanted to take a quick moment to tell you a little bit about ourselves, the inspiration for our blog and what fun you can expect in the coming months.  And, best of all, we want to hear from you! Do you have tots and tails in your home? Or tots and scales? Or tots and feathers? Do you have any advices or training tips you'd like to see covered here? Let us know what's going on with your pack at home!

 

So...a little background on how this tireless toddler (Lucca), sugary sweet chocolate lab (Bodhi), and champion dock jumper (Stella) came to coexist...

 

Starting at the beginning, Stella was the "first born" joining our family in 2006. She was outstandingly smart and athletic. Mom and Dad couldn't be more proud.  So proud in fact, that when Mom and Dad decided to make it official, they didn't trust anyone more than her to carry the rings for the wedding ceremony.

 

After returning home from this fine event, the three of us decided it was time to add one more to the family. And that is when we came home with ridiculously adorable, he gets by on his looks, Bodhi. While he lacked his big sister's smarts, he more than made up for it in cuddles.

About two years later, Mom and Dad decided it was time to add a human puppy to the family. Preparing for his arrival, we all wondered how our family was going to change with a new two-legged presence in the house.  Well, two years later, we can say it sure did change and man has it been a learning experience for all involved.  But, fortunately, we have learned that while dog is man's best friend, dog is toddler's BESTEST friend.

So that's us! What kind of roommates are you living with? Mom says other people have kitties and bunnies and birds. We like chasing kitties and bunnies and birds when we play outside!

 

And with that, we wanted to share our July Treasury with you! It's been inspired by all the different types of pets Mom says you may have at home!

 

 

Up next month: Big Fat Positive - Preparing the Four-Legged Babies for the New Arrival.  Our Treasury theme will be things to prep a nursery! Leave us a comment if you have the perfect item to be included.

Tweet