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Tuesday, October 16, 2007

The Third Child Comes Home

We have become parents all over again. This is a one month old baby born on 9th September 2007. He arrived home on Friday, 12th Oct. His pet name is 'Duggi' as lovingly christened by Ojas & Tejas. While Ojas & Tejas have welcomed him with open arms, Ojas is a shade bit jealous or possesive. Jealous not because we hold Duggi, but if he touches him and we tell him to be soft with the baby. He feels affronted, runs off to the kitchen crying. When I ask him what happened, he says- Paani (water) to cover up for his angst.
They welcomed him by offering their toy, shorts, pillow case and all their mini board books.
But the question is, am I ready for it, yet? Am I ready to share my love (read time, care) with another baby? I feel a little concerned when hubby walks into the house asking for Duggi and carrying him first without carrying Ojas & Tejas who deserve his first and rightful attention. And they are still kids and I don't want to deny them their exclusive though shared rights. Perhaps Ojas & Tejas will also notice the difference, or perhaps not, I worry in vain. But in the words of hubby, "he has trusted me and come home. I owe it to him to be nice to him and care for him like my own baby". Well, give me a few years more and then I may be ready for it, for the sake of my kids especially, teaching them to care for and love another who is not part of their own system of 2 brothers. Making them responsible. It is not just enough to enjoy Duggi but be responsible for him and induct him into the family. Love comes with a lot of responsibilty and sometimes, one may not be ready for it.
Now I have 3 to toilet train, feed and spend time with and I am unsure of how to divide my time between the three of them. Each of them have different needs and my capacity is not limitless.
The weekend was spent having a mad time with the 3 of them.
Ojas & Tejas were on the road to sickness- cold, cough and fever and Duggi trying to come to terms with the new atmosphere, life, parents, home. More than that, me trying to come to terms with having another member to take care of.
2 days, and I am already attached to him.
Ojas gave him a ride on his potty inside the house and then tried to toilet train him saying - Chucchi...chucchi, pointing at the potty. Infact Ojas practically dominates him,pulling his ears and other appendages. Tejas tries to pull the vessel away when he is taking his food.
What I like though is that inspite of having him around, Ojas & Tejas have their own me time with their bookch and they carry on without being distracted about Duggi while studying. Ojas tried to sit in Duggi's crib.
Duggi is black (forgive me for using color as the first point of description, but for Duggi, being black must be the biggest asset), gentle, has slightly sad eyes and gives in to some playfulness between meals and sleep. Take a look.


















Our Midnight Black Labrador Duggi (Doggie) at 35 days



PS- do you believe? Hubby and his brother were checking names that numerologically fitted, for Duggi.



Duggi is a birthday gift for Ojas & Tejas from BIL

18 comments:

Minka said...

I am sooooo jealous ! He looks adorable - nothing like a black labrador to melt your heart . Best of luck with him !I am sure the kids will love him to bits .

Usha said...

Absolutely adorable. Please give duggi a huge hug from me. while you are at it give one to O and T each too from me. The little boys really deserve a pal like Dugs.

Rohini said...

Oh I miss my babies, who I had to send away to my mum's place after Ayaan's birth. I envy you!

Sukhaloka said...

Oh, he's so lovely and so sweet! No wonder Ojas and Tejas like him so much!

Am sure you'll handle your third baby as wonderfully as you do the Twins! :).

Anonymous said...

he is so adorable! and you have to be the best mom to care for one more at this stage in all your lives.

AA_Mom said...

Oh god the dog is so cute and adorable I especially like the snap where Ojas (?) is shaking hands with the dog.

My girls L.o.v.e. dogs. Hope we get to adopt one too sometime in the future.

Li'l Lite said...

he looks sooo charming and cute..!

Savani said...

congrats on your beautiful new addition. ojas and tejas are going to have a blast.. and i am sooo jealous. i want one too and can't convince my better half.

Sunita Venkatachalam said...

Aw so cute so cute. I love that baby. Wish my DH was a dog-lover like me. I would get one for Poppin in a flash. Wait maybe I'll show him this post :)

Sue said...

I'm sorry for all the extra work, but it'll be great for the boys! Much better than teaching an older dog to get used to kids, too.

I'm in Madras, by the way. Hello. :)

Still Searching said...

Awww.. I love little puppies, but they are a LOT of work!! Potty training and teaching them to bark at the right person is the biggest challenge! Best of luck, but its always great to have a pet in the house.. I think it brings out the affectionate side of men/boys especially!

Parul said...

Those pictures...I am missing my Jeannie so much...believe me, this is one decision that you will never, ever regret. No family can be happier than one which has a black lab in it. I love you, Duggi!!

The Visitor said...

Itchy - Duggi looks great and labs are fantastic as pets - gentle, affectionate, loyal, playful, non-fussy eaters. And dogs are easy to toilet train - but is likely to take time - maybe upto 2 months. They need regular exercise - atleast twice a day - when they finish they daily jobs. Keep a bowl of fresh water always ready for him in his place.

Food - feed him anything that you cook at home - rotis/chappathies, milk with rice, dal with rice, any other type of softly cooked dal (chana, rajma), boiled/fried potatoes; some even eat papaya, mangoes, bananas, cashew. Give him some fresh carrots / or french beans to gnaw - they keep the teeth healthy.

If you are vegetarian at home do not feed him any non-veg, because they may expect it later. But if you do cook non-veg you could give him some.

Pedigree - Purina - Royal canine - there are a variety of ready made dog food brands. Keep him used to this food - they are useful when you haven't made anything and are too tired to make his dinner/b'fast.

Avoid - onions, macadamia nuts (Dont ask me what it is), CHOCOLATE - they are poisonous to dogs. Also dont ever give him paracetamol, if he has fever - consult your vet.

Gnawing / chewing - is likely to be there for upto 6 months. Keep all your leather / important toys etc out of his reach until he grows out of this habit. You can give him dog chews (raw hide bones). Avoid a brand called Choostix - it is very addictive and makes a messy toilet :( ugh. You could experiment - it may not have the same effect on him.

Training - start training by yourself and hubby at home when he is a little older (maybe 2 months). Train when he is well fed and is in a mood to listen. Dont use loud angry words - they scare easily. Use a firm tone. Don't punish, reward.

Training commands - should be single syllable commands

Sit: easiest
Come: even more easy
Down: (to lie flat on the ground) - a little tougher
Stay: tough but very essential
Fetch: easy (fun)
Drop-it: tough
Find: (hide something and ask him to track it by smell) - can be done with patience and practice and real fun

Reward with a small tidbit for every right response and then with a hug/ scratching his neck and "Good boy".

You must keep him safe from the boys for about a month; labs grow very fast and in about another months time he probably wont be hurt so much by the boys. Labs are pretty big dogs - see if they are suitable for your flat. Make the decision (whether to keep him or have another breed- psst I have a cocker spaniel ;) ) soon - else you'll find that you aren't able to manage him at home and neither would you be able to part with him.

Ask Ranjit - Mosilager for more tips on pets and dogs.

And I am any time available for advice.

Good vet in Adyar - JP clinic on the Kasturiba Nagar road (next to Ambika appalam). In fact it is a posh clinic.

All the best - Having a pet is the best decision that anyone can make.

PS: I will definitely drop in at home when I come to Chennai. :) Dont be scared - just pulling your leg. :-P

Itchingtowrite said...

thanks visitor- and u r most welcome. thanks for the exhaustive update...
all- thanks... hugs passed on.. u r most welcome to come and play with him!!

The Visitor said...

A word of warning - Labs are BIG dogs (25Kg plus)- please see if they are suitable for your house. If not go for a pug or pomeranian or cocker spaniel (10-12kg).

In case you think of changing (I know it can be quite heart rending) preferably go for a female dog - they are smaller and probably more gentle and manageable.

Chickoo said...

Aww, Duggi is soooo cute. Love his shiny coat. Labs are really friendly.

Just Like That said...

OoooooH! I do so envy you. I would so love to have Sonny boy grow up (there's quite nothing like growing with a dog) with a canine companion too, but I have to wait until I can at least manage my time with him better.
Good luck with Duggi and the twins.

Unknown said...

Damn cute...

i'm one of those who received a pup as my first present in life..

can say that
(mom has a cousin who breeds and trains dogs for d police, it was a gift from him.. Tinku & i were born just days apart)

:) :) :)