NaBloPoMo Day 20--dog vs child

As we start to think about the arrival of our pup (a boy), we have realized that we are going to have to make some adjustments. But as we were disussing our work schedules this evening, figuring out who would be around in the morning, whether either of us could come home at luch, who could get home in time to take Pup out in the evening, I began to wonder, is it easier to have a puppy or a child? They each have their good points, and in reality, the kid probably wins. After all, they will eventually be able to have conversations with you. And that's pretty cool. But then again, Adam has conversations with our fish, and swears the fish talks back.

The dog however, seems to have some distinct advantages over the kid. With a dog you can leave it in a crate/kennel during the day, they (eventually!) go to the bathroom outside, and you can generally leave a bowl of food on the floor for them so if they get hungry, they can just wander over to the bowl and eat as they please. Babies on the other hand, well, it's frowned upon to leave them home alone, especially if you were to leave them in a crate. They require a lot of assistance with the whole bathroom thing for many years. And at the beginning, they can't even get themselves from point a to point b, so fending for themselves on the food front is out of the question. So far the advantage seems to be going to the dog... Oh I'm sure babies have their good points (most of the babies I have met are very cute, and their parents *seem* to like them), but I think I'll start with the puppy. If I can't take care of something that is this independent, I think I might have trouble with parenthood.