Walking around the house

Dottie throws fits. We are hoping that her split-second transition from calm to upset is a normal part of being a baby, not an indication that her genetics includes my temper. Once she starts whelping, yelling, or screaming there are several ways to calm her down:

• Bounce up and down in place, or sitting on an exercise ball. She doesn't respond as well to rocking.
• Change her diaper, or at least check it.
• Feed her, if we have any spare milk. Give her to mom if not.

Another option is simply to walk her around the house, because she might be bored. When she gets walked around the house, she gets to see many different visuals. This visual stimulation is sometimes enough to buy us 10-15 minutes while Alisha gets minimal rest or prepares more food for Dottie.

Here's a comparison of what she was like walking around the house at 1-week old:

with a walk we did around the house this morning at just over 6-weeks old:

In addition to being more alert now, she is also more responsive and does some limited cooing (if you catch her at the right time).