Baby's Best Friend

When I was pregnant, I was concerned about how Oscar would deal with Nora.  Ever since we brought her home, however, he has been sweet and protective toward her even though he has had a hard time adjusting to getting less attention.

Now that she spends a fair amount of time playing on the floor, he is always careful to walk gingerly around her.  He must know she's delicate because he has no qualms about stepping on me, my books, or my laptop, and I am sure he takes pleasure in knocking over stacks of freshly folded laundry.  He also climbs into my lap regularly when I'm nursing her.  I would be afraid this was an attempt to stake his territory except that he is always so careful to maneuver around without bumping her while she's eating.

When she started grabbing everything a few weeks ago, she found out that fur is fun to hold.  I was worried that Oscar might be bothered, but his reaction is to either lick her face or walk away.  When I tried to capture a picture of her petting him to send Billy, I looked at my phone after clicking the button to discover that I'd actually captured her grabbing his ear.  He tried to get away from her when she did it but he didn't react with any anger, so I thought that was a good sign.  In fact, he has never seemed even the least bit annoyed with her.

Now that she is tracking noises, she is mesmerized by practically everything he does.  He likes to play with his toys near her but somehow knows not to get too close.

The only time he has to be scolded is when he tries to lick her face, which he especially likes to do when she's blowing bubbles or drooling.  If they were left alone, they'd probably spend most of their time like this.  His licking doesn't bother her and it gives her easy access to his neck, which is her favorite thing to grab.  Here she is trying to lick him back.

I figured that once Nora starts eating and dropping food on the floor, she and Oscar would become fast friends, but I didn't realize that they would entertain one another at this early age.  He has become fairly desensitized to her cries, but he often waits outside her door after she wakes up, letting me know he thinks its time to go in and get her.  He usually sits on the floor next to the glider when I am soothing her at naptime, as well, and then walks out of the room with me after I put her down in her crib.

When I see them interacting, I often wonder what each one thinks the other is, especially right now when they are almost the exact same size.  In any case, I'm glad Nora seems to be a dog lover and thankful that he has taken so well to having a baby in the house.  Maybe they talk to each other.  How else can you explain this perfect Oscar lip snarl?  : )

Hopefully they are not planning a mutiny.  If they do, I know exactly what they will demand: unlimited access to kibbles, milk, and licking.