On my way home today, I was listening to some CDs and pondering a blog topic or two. I laughed out loud when I thought of the comparisons you could make between babies and dogs... Hopefully you will appreciate this as well - - - particularly anyone with a baby AND dogs! Although if you have either, hopefully you'll still be able to relate some.
Eating:
Our dogs eat once a day. You put their food in the bowl, they eat it as fast as they can, and repeat tomorrow. Babies? They eat multiple times a day (ours is eating 6 times a day, right now). His eating is also tied to my chest. It hurts if he hasn't eaten. It's "occupied" when he is. I have to schedule work around pumping (or the other way around, I'm not sure which)...
Nature Calls:
The dogs go outside, do their thing, and come back inside. Occasionally we step in it, and have to clean off our shoes. With the baby, it's multiple diaper changes every day. Some days, he's saved up pooping for the one diaper that explodes and requires a clothing change - - and often, that means a full clothing change not only for the baby, but also for us! There's throwing diapers away, changing out the trash bags so the whole house doesn't smell, you get the picture.
Sleeping:
Dogs will sleep anywhere, anytime. Once in a while they want our spot, but generally they just want to be with the pack. They want to cuddle. The baby? Well, thankfully he sleeps through the night. But often, he has to be convinced (with a binky aka pacifier) to take a nap. We have to put him in his bed. We often play music or turn on a toy to help him sleep. He requires being tucked in.
Playing:
The dogs can and do entertain themselves! Destuffing toys, gnawing on each other, you name it. They ask for attention when they need it, or just come say hello. When they want to play, they often bring us the toy so we can still be lazy. In terms of attention, though, the kiddo needs more. We have many toys for him, we bounce him, we show him a mirror. If he gets bored of one thing, we change it out. We move him from the floor to the sofa to his high chair. We hold him. We rock him. Sometimes we even put our finger in his mouth.
So, I ask you, why is it we rate "babies" above "dogs" in the household hierarchy? What is it that makes them so irresistible? Why are two legs better than four paws?
Two simple words. (Which coincidentally, doubles for what I'm thankful for today.)
Baby Smiles.
