Dogs - essential to raising a baby?

I’ve been working on drafts on & off for a week now (an ode/update to cloth diapering, what we can & can’t live without eight weeks in), but for now I am over it. Bella still isn’t napping – yesterday she was awake essentially for 14 hours (five minutes dozes here and there, just enough for me to put her down to run a load of laundry or make a quick client call). She isn’t sleeping through the night, of course, but because we co-sleep I can at least get some rest in between feedings/changings since she snuggles in to me or R for comfort. On the upside she is smiling up a storm and loves to babble to me, so it makes those fourteen hours go by a little easier. ;)

After much debate, I had my Mirena put in last Wednesday. Since we are still undecided about having another child, I figured this was the best long-term solution until our minds were made up and we were ready to start again. The pill never seemed to work for me as it never corrected out my cycles and I had two early miscarriages while on it previously (even though I took it religiously at the same time every day) and Mirena was 100% covered by my insurance. The whole procedure was over in less than five minutes and I felt nothing, I was playing with Bella and singing to her the entire time. I had some spotting and mild cramping the same day but it seems like everything has now dissipated. I love the idea of not having to think about birth control for five years.

Sully has settled in and we’re working our way to being fully housebroken. He fits in beautifully and he really seems fascinated by Bella. If she cries, he & Kodyee (our yorkie) come rushing up to see what’s wrong (or they bring her toys). Bella was fussing to get out of her car seat after coming home from running errands and Sully decided to take advantage of a captive audience and curled right up in there with her. We don’t have a baby monitor – the dogs do a much better job.