Look at her behavior as if it were 'symptoms.' Does she seem to be in pain, or ill? (Having an ear infection, and grabbing the ear even can be painful for older children and for adults.) Is she feeding as usual, with the usual rate of wet and dirty diapers? If 'allergies' and/or asthma run in the biological relatives, your baby would have one risk factor in a general sense for developing ear infections. External ear infections can happen (with a baby, with that thumb thing and/or with bathing... older children would get 'swimmer's ear' as an external ear infection). Those would look different to a doctor, and they would require antibiotics but probably as ear drops and not as drops by mouth. Middle ear infections are the ones that would require antibiotics by mouth. These infections are more common where there are ear drainage problems structurally, or as a result of lots of fluid (allergies, colds, etc). A little fluid that won't drain can serve as a growth medium for bacteria behind the ear drum. Any extra fluid and pressure problems can feel 'funny' or 'weird.' A baby feeling those kinds of effects is likely therefore to grab at their ears. Usually, of course, the fluid drains as any cold or allergy symptoms resolve and although there can be some time of weird ear feelings there usually would be no infection. But, sometimes there is a progression to an ear infection and that weird or funny feeling can go to painful... and increasingly painful until it is unbearable. Watch her for signs she may be in pain and you will probably catch any ear infection problem in a timely manner (before it gets to the ever increasing pain point)

We adopted a husky while I was pregnant. We had her for 5 months before DS was born, during which time she grew very attached to me. We also have a cat (well, at 25 lbs, he may be a second dog) who can be a little mean. Luckily, so far everything has worked out. We were a bit concerned because she had been abused, but she is absolutely wonderful with him. We did the things you've mentioned -- sent a blanket home, had DH carry DS into the house, etc. She was curious about him the first day home, but she was PISSED at me for having left her for 2 days. Luckily she didn't do anything but give me the cold shoulder for a while. DS is now 19 months old, and our dog is still wonderful with him. She's a little protective, actually -- she'll get between the stroller and someone who approaches us on the street; she gets upset if he cries, or she'll look at me like if it were her kid, she'd get to that crib faster than me! Food may be another big issue, especially if your dog is used to table scraps. Try putting your hand in/around the bowl when the dog's eating to see how she responds. If she's the least bit snappy, you may have to feed her when the baby naps, especially after baby is mobile. One of DS's favorite haunts when he started to crawl was the dog bowls -- to splash or check out the food (we try to empty the dish if she doesn't finish b/c the food can be a choking hazard in addition to being downright gross). And our DS also loves to feed the dog from his chair, so if that's something that's going to annoy you, make sure you don't let the dog or the baby develop that habit after you start on solid foods. For us, the problem began with cheerios at about 8 or 9 months. I've tried to make it a point to integrate the dog and the baby. We have a jogging stroller, and most days I'll take both of them on hour long walks. I think it helps the dog to just see DS as an addition to her life, rather than competition. We practice petting gently. When DS was old enough to sit up & reach for the animals, we would take his hand, help him pet them, and say gentle. Now if he gets a little rough, all we have to do is tell him to be gentle. That's pretty much all I can think of. We've got great pictures of DS crawling all over the animals and giving them hugs. Congrats.

I can't wait to find out what he decides to call you. Me, too, Quilly! Wildchild, when is your grandchild due? We can look forward to your pictures! can you imagine how much you'd be paying to buy film and have it developed. Yes, I can imagine--because I did exactly that with my three children and the first 8 years or so of Lizzie's life. Oy! But the best part of digital photography is the ability to share to my heart's content. ;-) Thank you all!

I wouldn't advise putting any blanket or quilt on a baby in a crib any more - usually the sleepers they're in are plenty warm enough. Crib death is a concern, and a big one! That said, there is no reason not to make a baby quilt. They are most useful for plunking down on the floor. This protects baby from "floor grime", and it protects the floor from "baby grime". A winner both ways in my (never) humble opinion, LOL! I generally use cotton batting in my cotton quilts - and these would never be approved for "sleepwear" use for babies, since the cotton is not flame retardent. Make and give baby quilts! Mothers always need something spread on the floor, or to wrap baby in for a cuddle. Baby needs something to drag around when walking. And older babies (1+) can certainly take the lovey quilt into bed when their nervous systems are more developed.