What to do with Kip

Kip just now fell asleep on my foot. He and I are finally friends again, after a long and difficult winter and spring.

The difficulties included my being unable to take play with him like I used to, clean his litter box and the first six months of Michael’s life, which preoccupied me to the point of exhaustion, of course. But, even as it gets easier to take care of Michael (and I’m sure more experienced parents will laugh at that statement), its getting harder to take care of Kip the way I should.

I don’t give him baths anymore, which I’m sure he’s grateful for, but I also haven’t had a chance to de-shed him or comb his fur, so we’ve got fur tumbleweeds rolling across the floor every couple of days, if we don’t keep up with sweeping. I’ve only been able to cut his nails once since my third trimester. I’ve let him sniff Michael (not too closely), but I’ve never let him be alone with Michael — I work in news; I’ve seen too many horror stories.

I don’t want to be one of those people who gets rid of the pets as soon as they have kids or they get inconvenient. At the same time, I can’t take care of him the way I used to, pre-Michael. What to do???