One and the same

I think that having a dog, especially from a puppy stage, is good preparation for having a baby. They’re not alike in every single way, of course, but they do have their similarities. We got our dog, a golden retriever, about a month after my miscarriage, and we had him housebroken fully within a week because I watched him like a hawk and took him outside–sometimes with me barefoot and in shorts when there was snow on the ground–the instant he made any sign that he was going to use the bathroom. It was exhausting for the first month, especially because I had to get up several times during the night to let him out, but the end result was good. We don’t quite have Baby B housebroken yet (if only!), but she does have quite a few similarities to The Dog:

*They’re both escape artists. The Dog escaped from a garage with his littermates several times when he was a puppy, and he routinely jumps just out of our reach if he’s got something he’s not supposed to have and we’re trying to get it from him. Baby B can easily get out of regular blanket swaddles and the Swaddle Me–and sometimes even out of the Miracle Blanket.

*They’re both long and skinny, definitely smaller compared to others their same age.

*They both L-O-V-E to sleep (thank god!).

*They both like to fart (and seem to have a contest between themselves to see who can do it more).

*Neither one of them cleans up their own poop.

*I’m convinced they both like to trick me into giving them baths. The Dog does it because he goes to the backyard and digs, and I have to wash his paws before he comes back inside, and Baby B does it by spitting up so much. They both like their baths so much that I’m beginning to think it’s a setup!