Before we even had Grayson, Ray and I hypothesized about what our animals would think about him.

But of course, since Grayson is now with us, there is no more guessing. As I’ve said so many times before, each of our animals have their own personality (which means they all react to Grayson differently).

Every one of our canine and feline children has an interest in Grayson. That tells me Ray and I did a good job preparing them for their little brother’s arrival! :)

Yoshi was the first to meet Grayson. Right away, I had no doubt about whether or not Yoshi liked him. They were instant buddies. Now that they’ve known each other for 7 ½ weeks, Yoshi is very familiar with and approves of him. When Grayson cries, Yoshi simply sleeps through it.



Daisy is our sweet, caring, motherly child. She is so thoughtful and cares for everyone. For example, she always monitors Hobbes and Mya playing. When Hobbes gets too rough with Mya, she grumbles to let him know he better back off. Grayson is no exception…Daisy cares for him tremendously. When he cries, Daisy has such a look of concern on her face. I especially see it in her eyes. It is as if she’s saying, “Mom, can you not see he’s upset? Do something!”

Mya is our funny girl. She’s full of surprises. She’s famous for doing the opposite of what you expect. She has a very unique personality. She’s wonderfully awkward – if that makes sense. To usually be a shy girl, she can be very brave sometimes. When Grayson cries (no matter how loud), she walks right up to him to evaluate the situation. She wants to look him over for herself, sniff him, etc.

Finally, there is Hobbes. The other day, I was kneeling beside Grayson talking to him while he was in his bouncer. Hobbes was there visiting with us too. When Gray decided he was tired of the bouncer, he got an unhappy look on his face. I knew he was about to tell me he’s had enough and wants out. I said something like, “Uh oh. Are you tired of your bouncer?” I turned to Hobbes and said, “Hobbes, I think Mr. Grayson wants out. Let’s get him out, okay?” About that time, Grayson started crying and yelled out for me to get him. As I unbuckled his safety belt, I watched Hobbes slowly take steps backwards as Grayson’s volume increased! I couldn’t help but laugh!

I cannot stand when someone asks me if Grayson cries. Of course he cries! He’s a baby! And he’s an expressive baby. He knows that crying is one of the few ways he can communicate, and he uses it. If he’s crying, something is wrong. Gray doesn’t cry just to cry. So, yes, he cries! And when he does, it breaks our hearts. Knowing he is unhappy or uncomfortable in any way makes us so sad. We do everything possible to fix what is wrong. And we’re getting better and better at that as time goes on.

I honestly don’t think our animals have heard a baby cry before Grayson was born (unless you count the sound byte of a baby crying that Ray would play over and over to see how the dogs would react)! In the last few months, we’ve all gotten to experience what it is like to have a baby around 24/7 – the coos, the smiles, the cries, etc. I think the animals even agree it has taken some adjusting here and there, but it is absolutely wonderful. I have no doubt that they love Grayson so much. And I bet they get just as much of a kick out of watching Ray and I adjust and figure Grayson out as we do watching them do the same!

Our house is a busy place where there isn’t a whole lot of down time, but I wouldn’t change any of it for the world. We’re busy around the clock. As you can imagine, there is always something to do – either something necessary or something to make our operation run more smoothly. That is just me being honest. I cannot and will not paint a picture of perfection – angels, ferries, and butterflies. We feel challenged sometimes. For example, there are days we could use a little more “umph” as I call it (aka, fuel/energy). But considering it all, our lives are dreamy. Our family is more wonderful than I ever imagined it would be. Together, Ray, Grayson, Mya, Hobbes, Daisy, Yoshi, and I learn, have a lot of fun, and share so much love. :)