Yep, sounds like "first time mom syndrome" to me too! It's a whole lot easier to be the perfect mom before the baby is born than after! Usually it doesn't last long after the baby comes and reality sets in. Actually I feel sorry for children who grow up without knowing the love and friendship of a friendly family pet. They are missing what should be such a big part of their childhood. My daughter and sister in law have two large dogs and I think the female dog knew Allison was pregnant almost before Allison did! She never left Allison's side the whole time she was pregnant, even followed her to the bathroom! She knew! And after Ethan was born, she was just in awe of him, had to be checking on him all the time. He'd be napping in his crib and you could hear her toenails on the wood floors in his room on the baby monitor when she went in to check on him! The only time they didn't give the dogs free access to him was when he first started walking and they were afraid that the two big rowdy dogs might knock him down.
And Star, you crack me up about Ouixa and her Puss and Boots eyes! I know exactly what you mean! My first Boston, Ms. Rudy, would do the same thing. If she got in to trouble, her first line of defense was to look up at us with those huge, sad eyes, like dark limpid pools of sorrow. If that didn't work, she would continue with the sad look and would blink rapidly until actual little tears would form in her eyes ... a bit like Ralphie in "A Christmas Story" when he was trying to whip up some tears to stay out of trouble for breaking his glasses. If that didn't work either, she would continue with the sad look and the tears and would start slowly walking across the floor with a limp! Sometimes she would forget which side she was limping on and switch sides ... but who could stay mad at a pitiful huge-eyed crippled-up little dog who was crying real tears as she slowly limped across the room? Usually by this time we were laughing so hard that we had totally forgetten what we were mad at her about!