My husband set up a webcam that I can put on our son during the day so he can see him at work.  No sense in keeping all that cuteness to ourselves.  Here for your viewing pleasure is the Aidan Cam!  Follow this link below.

Located in the sidebar now —>

The cam takes a picture about every 15 seconds, so hit refresh every now and then.  At the moment of this post he is sleeping in his swing, so not much entertainment value, but sure is darn cute!  Enjoy!

updated on March 5th, 2009 by William to reflect the webcam is now in the sidebar.

My husband Stubled Upon this video this morning.  I couldn’t resist posting it!  This is for all us woman who just love a good “awww” moment!

Laundry is done, dishes are being cleaned in the dishwasher, and we have no where we have to be.  I think the Lehman household will just take a day of rest today.  Hang out on the coach and watch some TV.

We have three very beloved pets.  A five year old orange tabby named Elijah, a three year old black and white calico named Keena, and a two year old Cocker Spaniel named Dugal.  When we found out we were going to have a baby, it became a priority to ensure a peaceful integration of a baby into our family.  We’ve had great success in that department!

I know that it’s been said that babies and cats are a big no no when it comes to combining the two in any environment.  This is a big fat myth!  This myth was started by people who either didn’t own cats, or didn’t get to know their cats.  The truth is, most cats (though not all) don’t mind babies.  In fact most will try to cuddle and comfort a new infant.  Our cat Elijah, pictured here with Aidan, will often snuggle up to Aidan while he’s feeding or sitting with me on the couch.  When things are quiet, Keena will peek into his bassinet to check up on him and study him.  What usually happens when you hear of a tragedy involving a baby and a feline is that some one thought it would be a good idea to allow their cat to sleep with the baby unattended.  Cat’s don’t know how to check if a baby is breathing, and a baby can’t push away when it’s first born.  A cat can unintentional smother a baby if you are not careful.  Also keeping the litter away from baby and mom if she’s breastfeeding is a concern as well.  But if you take necessary precautions, cats and babies should be just fine with one another.  We started training our cats before Aidan even arrived.  They are allowed any where except inside the crib or the bassinet when it comes to baby.  And they know it!  Believe me when I say a raised voice and a squirt bottle full of water will speak volumes to a cat!  When we brought Aidan home and sat him on the floor in his car seat.  The cats were the first on the scene.  Keena wouldn’t let him out of her sight, and Elijah walked right up to him and rubbed his head on Aidan!

When it came to the dog, we were a bit more wary.  Not because we were afraid he wouldn’t like him, but because we were afraid he would like Aidan too much.  Any one who has owned a Cocker Spaniel in recent years will probably know what I mean.  Cocker Spaniels were over bred in the 20’s, making some of their less likable qualities come out and branding them forever as a poor choice for a family pet.  Now a days, most Cocker Spaniels are very lovable, playful dogs whose main objective in life is to love and please their owner.  Dugal is a perfect example of this.  He greats us with an over abundance of tail wagging, jumping and doggy kisses when ever we walk in the door.  He loves to play, and wrestle, and has yet to meet a stranger.  We were worried he wouldn’t know that difference between a baby and a person and would possibly hurt the baby simple by being over excited.  We had some one bring him a blanket that Aidan used in the hospital before we brought the baby home.   We hoped the smell of the baby before hand might curb his excitement over something new.  Dugal did marvelously!  He came up very gently to Aidan on that first meeting and sniffed him from his head to his toes.  Now he’ll come and get me if Aidan starts to cry or whimper.  Running back and forth and looking at me as if to say, “Something’s wrong with him. Come fix it!”  He comes in and watches intently every time I change Aidan’s diaper, though from a safe distance now after discovering that little boys tend to make messes!  Not only does he still greet me and my husband when we walk in the door just as enthusiastically as ever, but he also pauses long enough to give Aidan a big wet doggy kiss on the nose!

When it comes to introducing a baby to any pet, we’ve learned that the best option is to be relaxed.  Expect things to go well, but keep a watchful eye.  If you are nervous, or overly cautious, then you’re pets will know it.  Allow your pets to approach the baby, but always stay close.  If you prevent your animals from ever getting near the baby and are constantly yelling at them to stop doing something, they will learn to associate the baby with something bad.  Make sure you still love on your animals from time to time so they don’t get jeleous.  Just relax and have the camera handy for all the cute oportunities that will come along when babies and animals are together!