The Bub in the Belly

Many people have asked how Ryan takes to our pets, Max the dog and Tiger the cat. (Many people have also asked how Max the dog and Tiger the cat take to each other, but that's another story.)

Anyway, Ryan is quite interested in the pets. Whenever they walk past him, Ryan will stop whatever he's doing and watch them intently. Ryan shows no signs of fear of them whatsoever. He accepts, observes and learns about them, in the same way that he accepts, observes and learns about everything in this brand new world of his.

On their part, the pets have accepted Ryan in their lives as well. Most amazingly, Max has understood that Ryan is part of the family - Max has always been protective and fiercely possessive of me to the point that he doesn't like it if another dog comes near me. But, he welcomed Ryan into the family and he occasionally gives Ryan a sniff and a lick. Tiger was a little freaked out the first few times he heard Ryan crying - he thought it was another cat! But he's all adjusted now and he largely ignores Ryan because Ryan's lap isn't big enough for him to curl up in.