A Girl and her Dogs

While I was pregnant, we joked that this baby was the third child.  Cole, Kensi, Baby.  

My 3 babies cuddling while Ashlyn was still in tummy

We also called "it" the "Mancub".  

Ashlyn sitting with Kensi

Ashlyn sitting with Cole

When Ashlyn was born, we couldn't wait to bring her home and introduce her to her doggies.  We went with the method of dressing her in a onesie that Tim and I had slept with so she smelled "just like one of the pack".  It seemed to work.  

They've never had a problem with her noise or smell, and she liked to look at them, especially at the beginning when they would actually come close enough for her to see their black and white contrast bodies.  

Now that she's a little older and can wiggle and talk, the doggies can interact with her a little more than the cursory lick when walking by.  

They are pricelessly precious with her.  We thought Kensi would love on her because she loves kids, but Cole thinks she is his new best friend.

When she sits in her elephant seat, you can find him laying on the carpet next to her.  When she's on a blanket on the floor, he usually has his head on the blanket too. Sometimes he even lays on the blanket with her toys while she's taking a nap in her crib.  

Or he tries to cuddle with her in the car

He also seems to have taken his job as Beta to Daddy's Alpha very seriously, and already thinks it's his duty to protect her as well as me when Tim isn't around.  

Yes, they both love to lick her.  All the time.  Everywhere.

She doesn't cry about it any more, and I think she even likes it on her hand. If they lick her too much on the face though, she wiggles violently, so I tell them off, but since I know it's not going to happen with all licks, we let them lick her hands and feet.

She's just getting to the point where she will reach up at their faces and touch them.  And they let her, she just has a soft touch at this point, and doesn't have the coordination to grab ears and cheeks yet.

Some days I swear she's not talking to me, but instead telling stories to the doggies.    

They've started to fall into a little routine with her.  They all wake up at about the same time, I'm not sure if Kensi hears Ashlyn talking in her crib some days or if Ashlyn hears Kensi whining at me for breakfast and wakes up.  After Ashlyn eats, she lays on the floor and wiggles while I get ready to walk.

After everyones breakfast, we go on a walk, Ashlyn in the backpack, playing with my hair and talking, and Cole and Kensi on the leashes sniffing everything.

When we get back, the doggies run to the water bowl, drink, and then come to lick Ashlyn when I set the backpack on the ground (when this first happened, I wondered how Ashlyn could drool all over the straps of the backpack...dog water drool!).  

And the doggies seem to want to hang around anywhere where Daddy and Ashlyn are!

Or Mommy and Ashlyn. 

And sometimes I can't even get a picture with just Ashlyn.

But Kensi must have told Ashlyn that 8pm is bedtime, because she has seemed to adopt that too.  

We can't wait to see all three of them running around together!