Battle of the Bulge

At our house, the same thing happens every night.

Big Dave and I settle down on the couch to watch some DVRd shows. One by one, the cats jump up on the couch to join us. And one by one, they slowly meander their way to lay on top of my stomach, as they have always done. The problem is that the stomach is already occupied by baby-to-be, and can't have any additonal weight on top. So I push them off. Go back to watching the show. The cat settles at my side, seemingly happy to just be near. I become engrossed in the show again. Cat slowly inches back on top of the belly. Cat gets pushed off again. Cat gives dirty look. Walks over to Big Dave and settles on his stomach, but keeps eyeing my bulge. Big Dave and I go back to focusing on the show. Ever so slowly, millimeter by millimeter, slinks towards my stomach again. By the time the front paws are resting on my belly. Big Dave takes action. He goes to the kitchen, opens up a can of cat food. The cats, recognizing the sound of canned food, make a mad dash for their bowls in the garage. Once they have been herded into the garage, Big Dave closes off the cat door, effectively locking them in for the night. Ah, peace at last. We go back to the couch.

Koda the 67-pound Wondermutt wanders into the room and starts eyeing the warm, inviting belly....