Mother Hen

I would say that during pregnancy and afterwards the most asked question Stephen and I received was not, "Is she sleeping well?" or "Is she a good baby?" You know, the normal new baby questions. It was, "How is Layla handling the new baby?" I guess it is because you could say that we own a high spirited dog. I say it all of the time but I will say it again. . .Layla is a wonderful pet for us. She is cute as can be, potty trained like a champ, is a non-shedder, and rarely has that "dog" smell. She is just great. (when it's just our four and no more!) Her flaw? Well, she has a hard time with company. The barking is almost more than you can handle when someone shows up no matter if she knows the person well or not. If you can tolerate her for 3-5 minutes, the barking will subside and she will become your great friend. That is until you make a sudden movement, inch closer to Stephen and I , or put on your shoes. Add to this the arrival of a new baby and all of the visitors that come by as a result and you have MADNESS! Layla has been on edge since January 22nd, the day we came home from the hospital.

Now to answer that question of everyone's. . . she is GREAT with Stella. I like to refer to her as Mother Hen. If Stella makes one peep here comes Layla to the rescue. She often looks up at us and I know she must be wondering why I am not moving quickly enough or making the baby happy. It is really cute, but sometimes annoying. Once I put Stella in her carseat on top of the dining room table when we got home. I turn around to find Layla ON TOP of the table as well checking on Stella! Needless to say, that never happened prior to baby. She always hops on the rocking chair and peers in her crib if she hears so much as a grunt come out of the baby. On Wednesday Stella slept in her own crib for a few hours at night and I tried out her baby monitor that the Lemmons gave her. That proved annoying because Layla could NOT get settled. The monitor is so sensitive that you can hear Stella's breathing and this drove Layla to distraction. Funny stuff! Normally Stella sleeps in her pack n' play by our bed or on the couch with me because she is so tiny and I am still very nervous about her at night time. Layla is always by our side.

Today Stella really needed some rest so I let her nap on her tummy on our bed. Things have really changed since I was a baby. Mom says she was taught to never put a baby to sleep on their back. It's now a big deal to not lay them on their tummy because of SIDS! Everyone stresses to lay them on their back to sleep which I understand but is rather difficult when your baby HATES to be on their back. *sigh* She normally only rests well in her Little Lamb seat, on Mommy's chest, or on her tummy. So I let her nap that way when I am right there to watch her. . . I know, I know. Unfortunately I can't do that at night until she is able to roll over on her own so the seat or my chest it is! Here is a picture of that tummy nap with Mother Hen ever at the ready. We have our own "Nana, the nursemaid" like the children on Peter Pan!