Our First Born...sort of

Technically Molly was our first "born" but our dog Paisley is our first child. A lot of people have asked how she is taking all of this change and adapting to having a newborn in the house and the short answer is  she has been great! But I thought I would elaborate a little bit.



From the first day I found out I was pregnant I promised myself that we would not be those people that forgot about their pet and completely focused on only the baby. And I think we have been pretty good about it. Sure, she doesn't get as much attention as she did before (which was a TON) and yes her walks are not quite as often (no more 2 a days) but all in all she is still extremely important to us and we love her as much as ever. She is, and always will be, our first born.

Paisley is a border collie, australian shepherd, blue heeler etc. etc. mix. I found her on Craigslist when she was just 6 weeks old and paid a $25 re-homing fee to make her mine. The best $25 I have ever spent. She has been the perfect dog since the day we brought her home and has turned into an excellent big sister.



A few things that we have noticed about Paisley:

• Paisley has always been a very protective dog and she got even more so when I was pregnant. Now that Molly is here she continues to watch over her and will stand in-between you and Molly if she doesn't know you.
• Paisley does not like the sound of a baby crying. She immediately leaves the room.
• She knows something is different. She can tell that we are a little less attentive to her and obsessed with Molly. But she is taking it very well.
• She isn't quite sure what to do with Molly. She will continually sniff her and check her out but is not 100% sure what she is.
• She is milking the treats. We have a tiny bit of guilt about not being able to swoon over Paisley as much so we give her treats and human food bites to make us feel better. She has caught on.

The things we have done:

• Walks are still a priority (when the weather is nice). She doesn't get a double dose like she used to sometimes but she still gets her exercise.
• Trips to the park on nice days are a must. She loves it and we want to make sure she still gets to go.
• Love on her. She isn't the only one we like to cuddle up to now but we still give her lots of belly rubs and back scratches.
• Keep her with us. We do our best to make sure she is hanging out in the room we are in, even though she bolts when Molly cries.
• Playtime. Chase still wrestles with her and runs around the house playing. She loves it.

We love Paisley more than anything and she will never be #2, she just has to share the spotlight a bit.