Puppy Progress

Leah's puppies are doing fine: eating, sleeping, and growing all the time. The first day or two they needed their mama constantly, not only for food but for comfort. If they were not touching her in some way they were unhappy. Now, at almost six days old, they are quite content to sleep alone or in the classic pile of puppy siblings.

I find it quite relaxing just to sit and watch them sleep. Even more entertaining is listening to all the sweet puppy sounds they make. They do a lot of grunting, especially at meal time, but they also squeal quite loudly if Leah happens to lay on one. They squeak for no apparent reason and they twitch and yip in their sleep sometimes, just like Leah and Red do when they're dreaming. Robin doubts the puppies could be dreaming already: after all, what could they possibly have to dream about yet?

Just this morning one of the black and tan little girls has learned to growl! It's a cute little growl, nothing like a grown-up one, and just like human children with a new word or skill, she seems fascinated with practicing it.

Leah is eating a lot now, making sure she has enough milk for her family. At first we could hardly get her away from her babies, even to relieve herself. Now she has figured out that they'll be fine while she's outside for  little while. She accompanies Cheyenne and me on our morning walks, leaving the pups for at least 15 or 20 minutes. Other times she takes off into the woods after a squirrel, getting some much-needed exercise  I think she's feeling a little confined, evidenced by her big sighs from time to time. Nevertheless, she's committed to being a good mommy and always rushes straight to her babies when she comes in from outdoors.

The puppies are still on the hearth in our living room, right where they were born. I'm so glad they're not in the basement. I'd be wearing myself out going up and down the stairs to look at them. On the other hand, that might be a good idea: maybe I'd shed a few holiday pounds! They'll be in the basement soon enough, though. Once they get their eyes open and start moving around, they'll be able to climb over the boards Robin put up to make a box out of the hearth. Then we'll have to create a better puppy palace downstairs, where they'll have more room to play. For now, though, I'm quite glad to have them in the heart of our home,  where we can savor their innocence and contentment.

We've Got Puppies!!

We've got puppies, yes we do!! Six of 'em, all strong and healthy, all just as sweet and beautiful as can be. And Leah is such a good mama. She had no trouble bringing her babies into the world and had them clean and content in no time.

The whelping box sits dark and empty in the basement. Leah spent yesterday evening on the hearth where she and Red have a piece of carpet for a bed. I guess I should have put her in the box, but she was moving around so much that I thought she would be too cramped for space. When the puppies started coming, we just grabbed some towels and watched, right there in the living room.

The first puppy made its appearance at 9:20 p.m. and the last one arrived at 2:00 this morning. There are three males and three females, two black & tans like Leah, one brown (probably like Red), and three "combos" that might turn out to be brindle or blue. No wonder Leah was miserable: I just weighed the biggest puppy (but they're all pretty much the same size) and it weighs a pound! It protested loudly at being taken away from Mama's warm tummy and Mama immediately got up to see what all the fuss was about. I tried to get a photo, but Leah didn't have any patience for that.

For a few days, at least, we'll leave the little family on the hearth, where we can watch the wonder unfold. We're mighty thankful that all are safe and well. Thanks as well to all you readers for waiting and watching with us. We appreciate all your messages of encouragement and congratulations! And now, let the puppy fun begin!!

They're Coming!!

WE HAVE PUPPIES!!! I'm not sure if we have them all yet, but we have three beautiful babies! After a restless and evidently painful evening, Leah produced the first one around 9:20 this evening. An hour later there were three! It looks like there are two males and one female. Determining colors is a bit trickier, although the female seems to look more like Red and the two males like Leah. I'll post a lot more details tomorrow, but for now, here are a few photos:

The first puppy meets Mom face to face...

...and gets some breakfast.

The second puppy arrives!

Isn't it sweet?

It's a family of three...so far.

Make that four!! Another puppy arrived while I was uploading these photos! More tomorrow. Or make that more later...much later...today, since it's now after midnight, which makes it tomorrow, right?

My New Look

As you can see, I've made a few changes to the design of This Sweet Life. What do you think? I've long wondered how to do something beyond the basic templates offered by Blogger software. Many thanks to Emily from Sweetly Scrapped for helping me out!! She was the only blogger who responded to my cries for help. Please bear with me as I learn and experiment. There may be some more changes in the days to come. But then again, maybe not. It all depends on when the puppies come! We're still waiting...can you hear my fingers drumming on the table???

No Puppies Yet...

Well, it's just past noon, and we have no puppies yet!  Leah had a rough night: restless, up and down the basement stairs, barking, whining, "talking," groaning, just totally miserable. Finally, when Robin left to go to the farm at 5:30 this morning, he put her in our bedroom, where I was finally getting some sleep, and shut the door. After snooping around and trying out several spots, she finally settled on Cheyenne's bed and was quiet for several hours. Cheyenne isn't too happy about losing her bed, but at least Leah doesn't seem so uncomfortable.

She's been outside for a while, and is asleep again on Cheyenne's bed, which I moved downstairs. So, we wait some more. Thanks to all of you who have sent your good wishes and concern! It's nice to know we're not waiting alone!

We're Ready...

We're ready for puppies! The question is, are the puppies ready for us??

Leah's whelping box is ready, complete with clean towels

and rugs on the floor outside, in case she decides she needs more room. There's a bowl of fresh water, too. We blocked off a small area of the basement so she can't decide to give birth amid all the stuff that's stored there. There's so much of it, we might never find the puppies!!

We have a baby monitor in place, on loan from Cindy, our friend who has sheep and uses the monitor in the barn at lambing time.

There's a speaker in the living room

and one beside our bed.

Leah has been in her box, voluntarily, all evening. She's never spent any time in the basement by herself before, so this is unusual.

We're hearing some noises on the baby monitor, noises that don't sound like she's very comfortable...so are the puppies coming tonight? Or, is she just miserable as she continues to wait?

On Puppy Watch

It's almost time! Leah's puppies are due in about four more days and we're on Puppy Watch.

The whelping box is ready in the basement. It's really an old kitchen cabinet, but it should do just fine for the first couple of weeks.

I think Leah knows it's for her. She doesn't mind being in it at all and has even taken a nap or two there.

Her tummy is huge, and it doesn't look like there will be a shortage of milk. She must be uncomfortable because she moans, growls, yips, bites at her tummy, and in general seems to be miserable. Sometimes, if we put a hand in the right place, we can feel the puppies moving.

The cut on her leg is healing at last. She spent the better part of the past two weeks wearing the Elizabethan collar and it has paid off. I don't think she'll need to wear it anymore. Thank goodness!!

Leah seems to know that her balance is off because she is very careful going up or down the basement stairs. She takes it easy outside as well, although a quick chase after the cats is not out of the question should the opportunity arise. All in all, she's being a very patient girl.

I find myself avoiding long periods of time away from home now. After a couple of hours, I'm ready to get back to see if puppies are arriving. I might have to make a trip across the mountains early next week, at the very least taking three or four hours. I'll be on pins and needles until I can get back!

Being on Puppy Watch is a bit nerve-wracking, but pretty awe-inspiring, too. After all, it's not every day I get to watch sweet, new life under construction. I'll keep you posted!