preparing for a baby

I believe they have CD's of baby sounds that you can play for your dog to desensitize her.  You know - crying, wailing, cooing, etc.- that might help.  I also think that the doll idea can't hurt.  If she can get used to you paying attention to something else and get used to the crib, toys, clothes, creams, powders (baby smells), etc.  that would only help. 

Get a copy of "Raising Puppies and Kids Together" by Sylvani and Eckhardt - best book on kids & dogs I've seen in a long time.
Another good one, "Childproofing Your Dog" by Brian Kilcommons

-Do the scent introduction first. If possible bring home a towel, blankie or article of clothing that the child has worn. However dont let the dog play with it like a toy or it will give the wrong immpression right off the bat.
-Right befor you bring the new baby home make sure the dog is heavily exercised to any extra energy or anxiety is expelled.
-If your dog sleeps in the bed now and you dont plan on letting him/her do so after the baby gets here then you should start conditioning the dog to sleep elswhere as soon as possible.
-If the dog dosnt have a crate or kennel where it can retreat to from prying baby hands and loud noises then I would get one now as well to get him used to it.
-Most important.....divide your attention between the baby and dog as best as you can. Dont make it seem to the dog that he only gets attention when the baby is sleeping or not nearby
 
A lot pf parents forget to teach their children proper doggy manners as they get older. I was at afriends and her three year old was a terror to their poor cocker spaniel.  The baby girl was yanking on his ears, pulling his tail, sticking fingers in his eyes, and the mother's only reply when I mentioned it was "oh Odie dosnt mind, he loves his baby". And thats great but its just not right, if one day the dog decided he'd had enough and snapped at the baby I could hardly blame the dog. Test him for his tolerance for hands near his food bowl, toys being taken away and see if he needs work on that and we can help you with that too.
Whew, lastly CONGRATS!!!!!

im going to guess from your pic that you have a pointer? regardless, it appears to be a hunting breed. in my experience the majority of these breeds are excellent and very gentle with babies and kids. my bird mix was a hyper 6 month old pup when i brought my first daughter home, but he has never displayed any negative behaviors towards her. i hate to be breed-biased, but i am of the opinion that just having the breed of dog you have is a good thing for starters. i would suggest a 'false scent' since you have no access to anything of the baby's. you can do this by going out now and purchasing a particular type of baby lotion and using it on yourself from now until the time you get your baby. then before bringing baby into the house slather him/her up with that same lotion. not only will the dog be familiar with the smell, but it will associate the child with you since you smell like the same lotion. i cant gaurentee this will work as i came up with it myself and never tried it, but i hope it might be of some help.
 
good luck and congratulations on choosing to adopt!

Any friends who you could babysit for that have a child about the same age? Barring that I think the doll, scents, and sounds cd ideas are all great ones to implement. Remember that dogs like routine, so try and set your days up like you already have a child a little in advance of the big day.

First of all, congratulations on the adoption!  Second of all, sorry this is so long!!  We're adopting a baby boy from Guatemala and hope to have him sometime within the next 5-6 mos.  Waiting is SO hard.  Let me tell you what we did with my daughter when she was an infant (she's now 4).  I'm not sure how old your baby will be when you bring him or her home, but when my daughter was about 5-6 mos old, we bought two expens (portable dog pens) that were 24 inches high.  We attached these two pens together and made our daughter a large play area.  Inside her "play yard" we had a padded carpet and her toys.  She was able to play in her area without nosey canine noses and I didn't have to worry about her being run over by my rather active group.  My dogs also got used to spending lots of time with a small human who operated more on her eye level.  We kept her play yard up until she was about 18 mos. old.  By this time she was, of course, all over the house, but still appreciated an area where she could go and play without doggie help.  We'll have another play yard in livingroom as soon as our new wee one comes home from Guatemala.  It also makes for good photo opps!  My dog friends cracked up with they found out our daughter played in expens!
 
A few other things we did before our daughter was born was to kick the dogs off of the furniture.  Until this time they were allowed on the couch, and we finally decided that it would just be better if only people were on the furniture.  I was amazed at how easily they made the tranisition, and after my daughter is in bed, I do "invite" them up for snuggles.  I also worked really hard on teaching my daughter to leave the dog toys alone and teaching the dogs to leave my daughter's toys alone.  I never let my daughter climb on or tug on the dogs, and I never let the dogs get pushy around my daughter.  At four she really has started to play with them and they have developed some very elaborate games involving dog treats and running through the house.  However, there were NO running/treat games until the last few months...she was just too small. 
 
All in all we had a very peaceful integration of dogs and baby, and I anticipate no problems bringing in our son.  When my daughter was born I had my adult border collie, her 6 mos. old son, two lhasas and an aged papillon.  Over the last 4 years I lost my papillon and lhasas and added a new papillon and a Polish Lowland Sheepdog.  It was a lot of work, but very doable.  I will say the summer of potty training my daughter and housebreaking the PON was rather brutal...I would find puddles on our floor and, quite frankly, didn't know if it was human or canine!!! 
 
Again, congratulations and know that this can work.  Spend the time waiting for your baby teaching useful lessons to your dog (off, sit, easy, how to walk next to a stroller).  And, as someone already mentioned, make sure to spend some time with your dog after the baby arrives.  When we brought our daughter home from the hospital, my husband carried her in so I could greet the dogs empty handed.  Once they were satisfied that I was back, I sat down with the baby and let them all come over and have a sniff...and that was it!  I was amazed at how easy they adjusted.  Just for the record, I didn't carry around a baby doll or even bring home my daughter's blanket from the hospital prior to bringing her home.  I think biggest key to our initial success was me being able to greet the dogs without holding the baby.  If you're traveling to pick up your baby, I would really try to make sure that the person who is most "in tune" with the dog greet the dog when you come home, while the other holds the baby.  Then you can switch out.  My husband even waited a few moments outside the door so I could come in and have a few minutes with an energetic crew before coming it.
 
 
 
Laura

Pap2labc, great post! It made me think to add......if the initial meeting dosnt go well its ok, they will have a lifetime to get to know eachother and will soon be best friends! Its a new transition for everyone and they way pap2labc slowly allowed freedom to play together and adjust is awesome! I defintly favor adjusting any routines that will be neccessary after the baby comes to start now

There were a lot of great suggestions in here, thank you.  I wish I could do all of them, espcially changing me and Abbi's routine now, but that would mean changing my work schedule now instead of when I bring the baby home. 
We will be taking Abbi to obedience scholl in January.  She came to us knowing a little bit,  but I would love the extra helping getting her to learn a little more.  She still needs help walking on a loose leash, but did okay last summer when I walked w/ my friend's baby and stroller.  We will have to practice more once the snow, ice and salt is off the roads and sidewalks.  It will also give me something to do to keep my mind off the waiting.
And yes, she is a pointer, so she seems to naturally be very good around kids.  We had some issues when my 6 year old niece stayed with us last summer- my niece had never been taught doggie manners, so we had to teach her. Abbi escaped into our spare bedroom quite a bit to get away from her.
I think I will get a crate too, I realize that I won't be able to drive with a baby and my dog in the car together without one.  Luckily she was crate-trained at doggie daycare.
Thanks for the help.