Blogging and Wiens Update

It was brought to my attention by an anonymous visitor to Wiens World that it looks as though this has become a blog about Nicolas. Not true, not true! This is simply a blog about life at our home, aka "Wiens World." It's simply that our lives have become consumed with baby. Also, I do not have much time to blog, and I know many friends and family have been visiting here to see recent photos of Nicolas, so I have tried to be considerate and have taken some of what is right now my VERY VALUABLE self time to upload photos. I hope the anonymous blogger and others who visit here to read about The Wiens escapades will forgive me for not blogging about them recently. I'm sure anyone who has been pregnant and then had a new baby will understand what I am saying.

Soooo...an update on Emmett and Roman...but, of course, some of the news will include baby stuff, since this has affected their lives as well!

Pre-delivery I think my parents approached me about "what ifs" regarding The Wiens and the baby 3 or 4 times...what if they try to hurt the baby and don't accept them, etc. I assured them that I already knew Roman is good around babies and children, and that I was certain that although Emmett has shown extreme aggressiveness towards them since he was a puppy that I knew he would take on Nicolas as part of the pack and love and protect him like he did with James when we got married. I chose to remain optomistic, and I also think I know my dog pretty well.

Well, it was apparent from the time Nicolas and I came home from the hospital that Roman has been around a baby before. He was great! Kept checking on the baby, making sure he was okay. Emmett barked at him the first couple of days he was home, but not aggressively. It was mostly when he cried. Within a few days, Emmett was checking on the baby too! :) After being here 5-7 days with us helping out, Mom said to me, "I think Roman taught Emmett what to do with the baby...what his job is. I really underestimated these dogs..." and proceeded to tell both of them she was sorry and what good granddogs they are, etc. And she snuck them lots of treats and cookies. She was right...they do an EXCELLENT job guarding their baby brother!!!

Roman favorite pasttime of choice is still chasing reflections. So much has happened. Somewhere in the last trimester of my pregnancy we noticed Roman had a petite mall seizure. Poor baby!! Vet put him on phenobarbatal and and let me tell you he is a completely different dog in a good way! He's more focused and all around happier. He acts like a dachsie more than ever! Emmett has done a good job teaching Roman "cat dog" how to be a dachsie. They wienie wrestle every day and Roman plays with toys and a tennis ball, even all on his own. He chases reflections every afternoon when the sun comes in the living room window. One day he was wagging so much chasing reflections the end of his poor little tail bled. We try to wrap it with stuff in the afternoons now to protect it. It has healed up nicely. He's a very happy dog.

Emmett, as I said, has learned quickly how to share Mommy with Nicolas. He still growls at Roman if he's on Mom's side of the bed, but he doesn't mind Nicolas there if I lay the baby in the bed with us early morning when James is at work and I am bone tired from being up in the night. The other morning he was snuggled up to me under the covers, and peeked his head out to sniff Nicolas' feet, then he laid his little dachsie head gently on his feet. Well, the baby is still getting a hold of his reflexes and inadvertantly kicked Emmett in the head. Emmett was so sweet, just moved his head slightly to one side. He didn't even get grumpy. It was just so, so moving. As I type, Emmett is doing his usual, playing with his beloved Lambie, his best pal for life. I believe we are on Lambie incarnate 9 now. I've tried to keep spare ones around. God forbid they ever stop making them! Yikes!!! :O He has also been patrolling the back and front yards intensely for intruders (aka neighbor cats) who refuse to take him seriously. Boy, does that tick him off! The cats just glare at him through the windows when he's inside, and every once in a while I let him out to chase one, just so he can show them who's boss in our yard. One day he trapped one in a corner and the cat hissed at him. Emmett just cry barked...once he had him cornered he had no idea what to do. LOL! All bark and no bite, eh?

Emmett has not had any more issues to date with IVDD. He is doing well. I don't think anyone would ever know from watching him that he was ever paralyzed. He gets quarterly acupuncture and chiropractic treatments...in fact he is due now and I am waiting for a call back from his chiro to set an appointment.

All in all, life is status quo. I will try to get on and post funny things as they happen with The Wiens more often...but I also intend to post recent photos of Nicolas, too. We are a family, after all.