Margaret and Maddie

Not much has been happening lately. Margaret's working on standing (4 seconds is probably her record at this point) and she's starting to crawl faster ever day, but nothing too exciting. (The women at daycare keep saying "She's moving so much so early which always means that she's getting out of the way for another one!") Since I have to keep posting to keep interest in the blog, I figure that I'll write a ruminative post about Margaret's relationship with Maddie, the dog. This will probably be pretty boring, but that's what you get with a rambling post about a kid and her dog.


Margaret loves Maddie. It's a bit difficult to convey exactly how much Margaret likes the dog, but Maddie is one of Margaret's favorite things in the whole world. In fact, Margaret hasn't really been able to express preferences about much, but it's quite clear that she thinks Maddie is incredibly entertaining.

This has been the case since Margaret was just a few months old. Maddie was probably one of the first things that Margaret registered, even before she recognized who Mama or Dada were. She probably knew us before she knew Maddie, but the enthusiasm of any response was quite different for the dog. Early on, "Where's Maddie?" led to a swiveling of the head that clearly indicated that Margaret was looking for something particular. That phrase was probably the first that elicited an actual response and still gets a more consistent reaction than "Where's Mama?", not to mention the real laggard "Where's Dada?" In fact, I've always speculated that "Maddie" will likely be one of Margaret's first words, if not the first.

Even better, Maddie has always been a major panacea for all that ails us. Margaret's fussy after waking up from a nap? "Where's Maddie?" Margaret's having problems eating during dinner? "Where's Maddie?" The same trick works when she's resisting a diaper or experiencing the general existential angst that seems to afflict babies (i.e. moaning and groaning for no particular reason.) Maddie's role as a distraction and source of entertainment has been almost limitless.

Maddie's feelings towards Margaret are probably quite different. Early on, Maddie wasn't very interested in Margaret. On the advice of some nurses, I took home one of Margaret's stocking hats from the hospital to introduce her scent to Maddie, but the dog didn't even give it so much as a cursory smell. When Margaret came home from the hospital, the dog still wasn't very interested in her, but there was a definite, albeit hard to describe, shift in Maddie's behavior. She started spending more time on the periphery of a room and didn't try to insert herself in events as much as she once had. Relative to most dogs, she still gets lots of attention. Margaret and I often take her out to play ball early in the morning while Mom gets ready for work. And then we take her out after getting home while waiting for Mom to get home. In the first few months of daycare, that latter walk was very important since it helped keep Margaret quiet until a more competent caretaker could relieve Dada. Not only does Margaret have fun playing with Maddie, but watching the world and the other dogs is a good way to pass the time while Dada talks with all of the other dog owners. Incidentally, many of the other dog owners probably don't know my name, but they all know Maddie and Margaret.

A few recent developments have affected Maddie's interaction with Margaret. First, Margaret is increasingly mobile. Unlike some dogs who let kids climb all over them, Maddie has always scooted away whenever Margaret makes the least attempt to touch or grab her. Since Margaret does tend to yank when she latches on to Maddie's fur, that reaction is understandable. But now that Margaret's moving around more, Maddie has to be a bit faster in her escapes. Margaret will never catch Maddie, but incremental improvements in the baby's mobility have necessitated more vigilance by the dog.

On a positive note from Maddie's point of view, Margaret's forays into solid foods have opened up new possibilities for food. Maddie has always been a quick dog, and she rapidly learned to station herself under highchairs whenever we visit the Sterns in Philly. The same position is now becoming standard here, particularly as Margaret has started to eat things like Cheerios which are easily dropped by little fingers. Unlike the older Stern kids, Margaret has not learned that dropped food attracts the dog, but that's just a matter of time.

The third interesting development is that Margaret now tries to play with Maddie using some of Maddie's toys. There seems to be a clear understanding by both of them that some toys are dog toys and others are baby toys - Maddie never picks up Margaret's toys and Margaret rarely plays with Maddie's toys on her own. Instead, Margaret will pick up one of Maddie's balls (sometimes, but not often, putting it in her mouth) and wave it in front of the dog. This teasing leads to peals of laughter from Margaret as Maddie watches her expectantly. If Maddie takes it from her, that's even better. Even more recently, Margaret has started "tossing" the ball which really involves dropping it so that it rolls a foot or so. Maddie pounces on it which gets even more laughs from Margaret. It's clear that Maddie would still prefer to play with us, since she'll bring her toys back to us rather than the kid, but she's also increasingly willing to humor Margaret. And it's just a matter of time until they really learn to play with each other.

As a lazy parent, my dream would be for Maddie to become a real monitor of Margaret. Due to their work ethic and herding instinct, Border Collies have been known to keep babies and kids out of trouble. Since Maddie exhibits some obsessive tendencies, it's always possible that she'll start keeping track of Margaret. But I doubt it since she just doesn't display enough interest in the kid.