Another Tiny Boy: Canine Edition

Meet Wheatley. We've been talking about getting a second dog for a little while now. For a long time, we shuddered even considering it. Blackbeard was enough work. Then, it started to occur to us that a huge part of the work of taking care of Blackbeard was just...paying attention to him. Then we started to talk to people with more than one dog and 100% of them said it was worth it. Why? Because, believe it or not, they pay attention to each other. The clincher was when we set up a camera to see what Blackbeard did when we left him alone. Poor little guy didn't get into any mischief--he is the prince of polite house dogs--but he just howled and howled, like he was calling us back. 

That was it. We had to look into getting a buddy for him. So we went to the shelter and found Wheatley. He was tiny and shy, but you could tell he liked us right away and had a spark of playfulness to him.

It's taken a couple weeks for everyone to adjust, but the two dogs have really started playing together now. Wheatley, who is still a puppy at 9 months, is always the instigator.

Dat nose

Immediately after I posted my last post, everything started happening. First of all, I started feeling the baby. Let me go on record here and just say weird. But in a "thank heaven my baby is alive," way. Of course.

Objectively, it is strange. But subjectively, it is beautiful. I love feeling the little flutters and bumps. And I will certainly not forget the smile of T's face when he felt the baby for the first time. I think it was the point at which the pregnancy really hit home for him.

So that happened. (And it's happening right now.) And then this happened.

This is our son. And he already looks like T. I know ultrasound pictures are ghostly and abstract, but I confess I am completely bewitched by this tiny, adorable profile. This is at 18 weeks 2 days.

What else happened... Went to Disneyland. Went on several "forbidden" rides with no dire consequences whatsoever. Baby enjoyed the new cars land ride, the Hollywood Tower of Terror and Grizzly River Rapids without so much as a squeak, so you can suck it, Disneyland!*

Stats:

Gestation: 19 weeks (Whaaa...?)
Gender: Confirmed male.
Baby size: My pregnancy app says he is the size of an heirloom tomato and weighs about 9 oz.
Weight gain: 8-9 lbs.
Aversions: Nothing
Cravings: Shrug. Unhealthy stuff, mostly.
Maternity clothes: Tomorrow. I am SOOOOO uncomfortable in pants. Just... ouch.
Symptoms: Occasional heartburn. Nighttime restlessness. Round ligament pain (I had to consult Dr. Google to make sure the brief, stabbing pains in my side were completely normal. They are. Ligaments gotta stretch. Unfortunately, the first time I felt this pain was right after going on a "forbidden ride." I spent the next several hours fretting I had done my child irreparable harm. I didn't.) There are other symptoms I will refrain from reporting here, as this is a "family friendly" blog, but I will just say that I often think of that line from Jaws where Brody says, "We're going to need a bigger boat."**



*I wisely abstained from such bumpy rides as Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, etc. I'm not completely irresponsible.
**I substitute the word "boat" with "bra."