Thank you all for the great insights. Our kids are 12 and 13, but I do remember the baby days and was thinking of future owners. Re dogs -- Julie, what a great idea! You have me eying the utility sink in the mud room and figuring out how to transform that spot for a shower .... not going to happen any time soon, but it's a great idea. Thanks to all for the info on acrylic and dog nails. Pricklypear, you're right, dogs generally don't need to be bathed that frequently. In fact, our collie goes to a groomer every once in a while. But he tends to stink due to a digestive condition, and sometimes needs "emergency" bathing. But the truth is, we do have one more bathtub in this house. It's also acrylic of some kind, but it's cheap, in the basement, and not something that has to be pristine. I'm still stuck with a 30" width, though, and that really limits my tub choices. On to search Vikrell and cast iron!

Since you have until May, you have time to read one or both of these great books! Living with Kids and Dogs without Loosing Your Mind, by Colleen Pelar Child Proofing your Dog by Brian Kilcommins Integrating a baby into a household with dogs is very doable, but you need to practice prevention first, and continue to provide lots of exercise and attention for your dogs. Congrats on the new baby, everything should be workable with some planning and an abundance of caution and you are obviously a good planner :) Baby gates will be really useful for you to keep things safe.

Found this one on line. Not sure if it is the one that you are looking for. There are some other dog treat recipes as well. Hammy Whammy Treats Ingredients: 1cup wheat germ 1 jar (2.5 ounces) of strained Ham baby food (you can substitute strained beef baby food if you like) 1/2 teaspoon of beef bouillon granules 1 tablespoon grated mild cheddar cheese 2 teaspoons milk Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In mixing bowl, combine wheat germ, baby food, bouillon granules, and milk. Roll into dough with hands and then work in cheese. Lightly grease cookie sheet. Roll dough into small balls about 1 inch in size and gently pat with hands and place on cookie sheet. You can lightly press the cookies with a cold fork to make a criss cross pattern, the way you would press peanut butter cookies. Bake for approximately 20 minutes and remove from oven and cool before serving. You can wrap the cookies in plastic food storage bags and refrigerate until ready to use.

Oh my gosh they are adorable. There's a house next door to my doctor's office that has a farm and lots of those little goats but they are the fainting goats. It is hilarious to see them all fall down in a dead faint at once. I was sitting in my car watching them play when one came running out from behind the barn and scared them and bam they all just fell down, out cold. In a few seconds they all woke up and started playing again. I had to keep watching and sure enough it happened again. I asked about them in the office and they said oh yes we love to watch them. Now when I go I make sure to park in the lot facing the farm. It was very entertaining lol. Our neighbors 2 houses down at our former home had some little ones for the kids ffa, they didn't faint but they did tricks. They would climb on top of their little house and the kids would hold up a hula hoop and they would jump through it. They did some really cute stuff. Darling little animals.