Snuggling with my whelp

After a long day today, the youngest snuggled up next to me on the couch and asked to watch PBS. Sesame Street was on, and the number of the day was 7, which means we got to see one of my favorite number vignettes, the lyrics of which include this gem:

The seventh son of the Alligator King
Was a thoughtful little whelp.
He said, "Daddy, appears to me
That you could use a little help."
Music and Lyrics by Donald Hadley/William Luckey (c)1971 Sesame Street, Inc. (ASCAP)

whelp
noun
1. A young offspring of a mammal, such as a dog or wolf.
2. A child; a youth.
3. An impudent young fellow.
4. A tooth of a sprocket wheel.
5. Nautical. Any of the ridges on the barrel of a windlass or capstan.
"whelp." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Answers.com 29 Mar. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/whelp