Wednesday, March 16, 2011

determined

This is probably another one of those don't-judge-me posts, but hey, why not? I'm on a roll.

I'm determined that Claire will like animals. Specifically dogs. Next cows. But, I don't want her to get too attached to them in case we need to eat one.

Addy: Yes mommy. Please tell me exactly what you would like me to do and I will pose for you.
Claire: These round things...could they be EYEBALLS???? I like eyeballs. Hmm...no, definitely not eyeballs.
Jett: Doh. I'll do every trick in the book and hope I get something right and end up at the treat jar.



From the time we brought Claire home from the hospital, we've allowed the dogs almost 100% (supervised) access to her. They can sniff her, nuzzle her, lay next to her, as much as they want.

Sometimes that means an occasional lick takes place, which causes Claire to bat her eyes and open her mouth wider, which incites more licking, to which I have to step in.

Already, I can tell they love her so much. All my worries about them being jealous of her have flown out the window. They care for her and protect her. When she cries, it bothers them (probably more than it does me...).

I love that I can measure her growth next to them. I just wish I could get all 3 of them to stay still long enough for the shutter to close. Any tips there?

17 comments:

Allison Waken said...

I love animals and babies, mine have always been around our dogs :) No judging here!

As for getting them all to sit still - good luck. Occasionally I'll get some interest out of the dogs with a different noise from a toy or noise maker of some sort, or a treat, but add a baby into the mix and my suggestion is just keep shooting!

Anonymous said...

We love dogs and so does our daughter and we have always allowed them to have access to her. Our dog has always been affectionate with her and we have never had any issues. Until yesterday. Our dog bit my daughter's face and nearly took of her top lip. I'm not trying to scare you but be careful! Shr is okay but required surgery to repair the lip. This was totally out of the blue and we have totally changed our view on having animals around our kids.

amytangerine said...

i don't have a baby, but my dogs always look at the camera when i 1. get their attention 2. have a treat in hand 3. place the treat just above the camera and click click. works almost all of them time. now for the baby? i haven't the slightest clue. perhaps you can have an assistant with a toy in hand right next to you.

*reyanna* said...

Awww! They are so cute together! No judging from me at all. My dogs LOVE babies (especially Ruby!), and I can't wait for them to meet our little one. LOL. :-)

Kristin said...

Sooooo cute. Ok spill it...where are you getting the headbands...I just love them. Charlotte looks like a boy without one so we are always looking to expland our options.

Amy Gordon-Pruden said...

We had 4 dogs at the time my son Wyatt was born. I was so worried that my personal dog would be jealous be she was the same as Jett and Addy, always worried when he was crying and loved laying next to him every opportunity she got. My son is almost 7 now and although none of those dogs are alive today he takes great care of our new Jack Russell Zoe. He laughs, she licks inside his mouth. Gross. Anyway, my trick to get her to lay still for photos is to place a bit of peanut butter on the roof of her mouth with my finger. She is busy concentrating on licking it off and stays perfectly still. This works too for trimming her nails. Good luck!

Kelly Goree Photography said...

Heeee! Love Claire and Addy & Jett! They are such sweet pups (And all mama's babies). xoxo

laura vegas said...

such an adorable photo of the three of them! i think it's great to get them all accustomed to each other right from the start. and now i will patiently be waiting for a photo of claire out in the field with the cows ;)

Kimberly said...

LOVE that they have accepted her with ease...It always seems to work out that way...so AWESOME!
These pictures are precious!
No judging from this girl!
xx
Loves,
K

newscrapper said...

lol....Maybe you could pose them when they are all sleeping. Like everyone els said it's so hard to get a pictures of dogs and baby's together. My dog Shelby loves laser lights so when the camera comes out and she knows it has a flash she goes crazy looking at the ground and very where els but the camera. I don't think I will ever get a good picture of my grandson and my Shelby together...lol
Dogs are great with baby's, let them play ;-) Like Laura I cant wait to see the pictures with the cows, and as long as you teach here they are food she will be ok even thought every family has a pet cow sometime in their farming life.
Wish you and your family years of love and happiness ;-)

Tina said...

I have to say I'm loving the un-staged photos of the pups and babe. My trick is say cookie but that also means he gets a cookie afterwards. :)

Susan said...

April she is too adorable with the dogs! I finally gave in and got a dog (a golden) so my girls wouldn't be so timid around dogs like I am. It's only been a few months but I think it's already working. Love your Claire photos- they are precious!

justem said...

No judging here! We are the same way, though our dog is MUCH bigger...so the supervision is sometimes key! ;)

Zorina said...

Oh, so cute! I enjoyed your entry and so nice to see your doggies & baby are having a ball. We don't have dogs but my SIL owns 2 chiwauwas and Baby H adores them, too.

Anonymous said...

Too cute... and I have no suggestions on how to keep them all still and looking :) but those pictures are stinkin' cute the way they are!

karenp (kphike) said...

no judging here! We did the same thing with our dogs! (and they are much bigger than yours!!) absolutely adorable pictures!!

Jenn said...

I think dogs and children are a great combination! These pictures are adorable.