It's about time for an update on how the baby transition is going for the pets. Halas is doing relatively well. He's still pretty unsure about Noelle, does let her pet him (which ends up being more of a hit), but only for a minute. Winnie on the other hand is not doing well with the baby. Now that Noelle is so mobile Winnie is not a fan. Hopefully she'll come around with time, but for now we're very careful with baby and cat claws. Here are some photos so you can see what Noelle's been up to with Halas.

 Taking Halas to the park to run with friends.

This was earlier this spring before we moved and gained a back yard.

We don't make it to the park much anymore, but Halas goes outside a lot more now, and loves his new house.

Dad even put in some new grass for him to run and play on today!

 Noelle hasn't quite learned the difference between baby toys, and dog toys yet.

But, I guess when Halas is bringing his toys to her we should expect situations like this.

Unfortunately for Halas, Noelle doesn't know how to play fetch with him yet. 

 We spend many minutes a day like this. Halas on his bed, Noelle reaching up to him.

It involves lots of licking, but is good for Halas to be on "his turf" (kinda) and more comfortable when Noelle tries to get his attention.

 There are perks to Halas for Noelle being around ... people food!

I've had to cut back on this treat, but Halas knows his place when it's meal time for Nono - under her high chair!

All in all, I think it's worked our pretty well for both of them. 

And, maybe one day we'll have some pictures like this with Winnie too. Maybe.

You never know how your pets are going to react when you bring a baby home. What made us nervous was Winnie's attitude problem, and Halas' fear of children. We were in trouble.

Winnie is mostly a non-issue at this point because she's a cat and keeps to herself. But, she does have claws and isn't afraid to use them. Recently Noelle has showed serious interest in her, and has actually tried grabbing her on several occasions, so we have to be very careful.

Halas is skeptical. He keeps his distance, and gives her hand a kiss in passing sometimes. Mostly though, they're just checkin' each other out.

How did your pets react to your new additions?

For a long time now Dave has told me to write a blog called "Chasing Our Tails." He said it would be funny, and should mimic the look of Chasing our Future, except for our pets. Hmmm...While I'm not going to start a sister blog for them, I will dedicate one whole tab to our first two children, Winnie and Halas.

Without further ado, I formally introduce you to Winnie and Halas.

The addition of our newest family member has been a big change. For dad and me, we had time to prepare, to talk about the adjustment, and how we were going to manage. Less surprises you could say. However, for our creatures, it was a bit shocking I think.

Winnie is her usual self. Does her own thing wandering around our apartment, cuddling when she feels like it. She comes over to sniff Noelle every once in a while, but is not so concerned. Halas on the other hand has had a harder time. For the first two weeks my dad was his buddy, but after my parents left, he was stuck here wondering why I was home all of the time, yet not playing with him. Poor thing.

We're in a good walk routine now, and have made friends with one of our upstairs neighbor dogs, Mia, who Halas loves. We are very thankful for the school parking lot next door that is gated, and unused in the evening. Many nights we can take Halas over for a run, and frequently we bump into Mia. They have a ball running and wrestling. This works out well for all of us, I must say, and both dogs go home ready for bed.

Halas, pal, this post is for you. We still love you just as much as we ever did. You're our favorite dog!