Madelyn and Princeton are now very aware of each other and it makes this mama’s heart smile with girl squeals as the soundtrack.

Princeton gets to know his sister minutes after we are reunited at home.

Whenever I’m carrying Madelyn, Princeton follows us around the house and hangs out in her room when we play. When she reaches for him, he doesn’t totally hate it. I mean, he kind of hates it, but that’s because he’s a scaredy dog and doesn’t do well with grabby hands from any kind of human — young or old. But at least he sort of tolerates it without any kind of retaliation.

Yesterday, I was watching both the furry child and fleshy child playing independently. Madelyn was exploring her room and picking up every object possible to inspect it and decide if it was mouth-worthy. She came across Princeton’s stuffed squeaky dog as he watched from a few inches away. She touched one end of the stuffed squeaky dog and Princeton took that as her intent to play. So he grabbed the other end with his teeth — gently! — and they had a mini tug-of-war with the toy. Princeton won. But that’s besides the point. It was so cute how Princeton assumed that her touching his toy meant that she wanted to have a game of fetch and Madelyn, well, damn, she just wanted to touch stuff.

Lately, I’ve noticed that Madelyn’s door goes from cracked to full on ajar during her naps. I think he’s going in there to check on her while she sleeps, which is totally warm-fuzzy until her usually-2 hour mid-day snoozes are cut in half because someone’s collar jingle-jangles too loudly. Uncool, Pdog.

However, all of Princeton’s approvals of Madelyn started before Madelyn even came home from the hospital.

I just came across this video that Bryan took when he went to our cousins’ house who were watching him while we were in the hospital when Madelyn was born. It was the first time Princeton had seen Bryan in three days and he had no idea what was in store for him when he’d return home.

Until this.

I think it was love at first sniff.

Every girl needs a loyal friend, and so far Madelyn’s bestie is her doggie, Princeton. Even from the beginning when we first brought Madelyn home, the two of them have been inseparable.

Everyone always asks how Princeton does with Madelyn joining the family, and I’m always so proud to say that he’s adjusted beautifully. At first, he didn’t really care either way about her, but then realized she was sticking around and wasn’t just a temporary house guest. After a couple weeks, he became curious, but timid, unsure of what her sounds meant or if her arm reflexes would hurt him. Then, finally, the magical move happened that every girl dreams about: during a quiet time, when the mood was just right, and the outside world seemed to stand still, he kissed her. It was delicate and sweet, but nothing ruins the moment like an overprotective grandmother (mine, not Madelyn’s) who shouts “Oh, no, no! Don’t let the doh-awg kiss the bay-bay!” (She’s a New Yorker). But you know what? We’re all family. And if he gives her a lick to say he’s cool with her, then I’m cool with it.

I’ve noticed over the past couple months that Princeton has done more than just tolerate the new baby in the house. He cares about her the way he cares about Bryan and me. The first time he showed signs of protection, he had such good intentions, but really, nothing to worry about. My cleaning crew — a brother and sister team — were over at my house. They are very nice and love babies. The brother went up to Madelyn who was sitting in her little chair, and he talked in his baby voice to her and said nice things in Spanish like, “Ay! Que linda!” or “Madelyn es muy bonita!” and Madelyn cooed and smiled back because, like her mother, she’s a sucker for men who pay her compliments. Well! Mr. Princeton did not like that this man was speaking to his sister like that and from afar, he growled and made Tony Soprano look like a wimp.

Princeton watches over her and protects her because that’s what his doggie instinct tells him to do, but I really believe he accepts her as a part of his pack. When Madelyn is in my arms as I feed her and rock her to sleep in her dim bedroom, Princeton guards her as he lays in front of her door and keeps watch. His ears twitch at every noise and his furry eyebrows hop around as he scans the room for the boogeyman with his eyes and nose. It’s not until Madelyn is safely tucked in her crib, armed with her pink poodle lovey, that he gets up to leave her room. But he doesn’t go past the door until he knows it’s closed and I say it’s okay to follow me away from the nursery. It’s these times that our 14-pound, goofy terrier mix suddenly embodies a Secret Service canine who takes his job very seriously.

And when Madelyn plays, he watches her. I know he’s a little nervous about her touching and grabbing him, but he still takes the risk and leap of faith to be by her side even with his ears or tail in jeopardy. Recently, her curious hands hooked onto a chunk of his fur on his rear thigh. I was in conversation and not watching very closely, but heard a soft, breathy whimper from Princeton, looked down, and saw that a good deal of his leg was in her tight grip. I quickly unwound her fingers from his fur, apologized profusely and praised him for handling it so well when he could have snapped or ferociously barked at her. And when he was free from her grasp and could have jumped away to a safe and baby-free zone, he licked her head and stayed between us for more cuddling. Loyalty like I’ve never known.

I knew life would change when we brought Madelyn home. I often heard from others that “Princeton had no idea what was coming!” or that “Princeton is your child now, but once your baby arrives, he becomes The Dog.” People told me all the time that Princeton was in for a rude awakening and that my priorities would change. I was so nervous that I wouldn’t be able to love another being the way I love Princeton. In fact, the morning we left to go to the hospital for the induction, I cried and cried and apologized to Princeton that his life was going to change when we walked back in that door with a baby in our arms. I told him that I was sorry that I was going to be cheating on him. I’m so glad to say now that I was wrong and so was everyone else. Madelyn did not replace Princeton. Princeton did not go down in rankings. I love both my babies immensely and love even more that they love each other. They can’t speak to each other or me, but they still know how to communicate and show loyalty that only a dog and an infant can know.

It’s been a while since Born Friedman was last updated. The site is more like Sleepy Friedman. Ooops! Wake up, Blog! Time for action!

Things have been busy around here as we are all figuring out our routine. Bryan is back to work and I’m mobile now, so the bubble of bringing-home-baby has popped and we’re livin’ life.

I hate to say it because I know it’s going to jinx everything, but Madelyn is, like, THE easiest baby ever. She should make a career of being a baby. She’s just so good at it! She’s a rockstar sleeper and is now snoozing away in her own crib. It was hard for me to say goodbye to her sleeping in our bedroom because it was a tiny benchmark that meant she’s growing up! But she’s taken to her crib well and once she starts to sleep, she stays asleep. It must be very tiring to be a baby because all she does is sleep! Madelyn also likes to sleep in her swing, her bouncer, and her bassinet, so she’s a very versatile sleeper. If she were a dwarf, she would definitely be Sleepy. Come Thanksgiving, she’s going to have us all beat with the turkey’s tryptophan side effects. Rip Van Winkle, you have competition.

Photo by Sara Marie Photography

Whenever Madelyn isn’t sleeping, she’s eating. And if she’s not eating, then she’s cranky! She rarely cries, but when she does, she means business! It’s taken some time, but I’ve figured out ways to calm her in a trial and error sort of way. She loves motion! I have a feeling this girl is going to be a thrill seeker or roller coaster fan. She likes to be rocked back and forth in her glider (Mommy likes it, too. Super comfy!) or bounced on my lap as I up-and-down on an exercise ball. I better get a terrific tushie from this activity! When that’s not enough, I sing to her! We’ve developed quite a repertoire of songs already. Sometimes we use inspiration from a Shirley Temple station on Pandora or sometimes we go basic with a capella tunes. Songs Madelyn likes: “Tomorrow” from Annie, “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music, “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz, and “When You Wish Upon A Star” from Pinocchio. When she hears these melodies, she becomes fixated like she’s in a trance. Either that, or she’s trying to mentally escape my 3 a.m. singing voice…

During the day, Madelyn is my sidekick as we run errands, veg at home, or meet friends for lunch. We’re having a great time and we love when Daddy comes home. Bryan relaxes with her or feeds her so he definitely gets his Madelyn time after a day away at work.

And where’s Princeton in all this? He’s still reigning the bed, snuggling with us on the couch, and joining us in the car. No worries. Madelyn’s big brother is very involved and I even think he has a soft spot in his heart for her. I love that my children get along famously.

Princeton is going to be a big brother!! Our first-born furry son loves all children and we know he’ll have a special place in his heart for the new baby! They’re going to grow up the best of friends and I can’t wait to watch them play together.