And there you have it!
We had a nice visit with Brecon for his first birthday. Friday night, a few days late, but still lots of fun! I showed up with a cardboard box filled with birthday goodies, and we let Brecon open his own gifts. Here's a short video of Brecon making quick work of the cardboard box!
It's uncanny how much Brecon looks like Syd. Complete with giant tongue and goofy smile, he's definitely his momma's son!
We did have a heart-stopping moment, Syd and Brecon were running in the back yard, and they disappeared around the side of the house. It was dark, and what we didn't know was that somehow, Elaine's gate was open on that side of the house. ACK! I got to the side of the house just in time to see two white tail flags trotting down the sidewalk. Well, at least they stayed on the sidewalk! Unfortunately, they were heading directly toward a pretty busy street in a college town. I got to the sidewalk, hollered in a happy voice something like, "Come on, do you want a cookie, let's get in the car good dogs yay for you let's go syd brecon BRECON good boy whheeee let's get in the house" and then I ran for the front door. I mean, of course I only gave very clear, level-headed instructions to the dogs (vbg). Thing 1 and her loyal sidekick Thing 2 turned tail and came running right for me, probably because they thought I was crazy and they were going to miss the big show, and they were both jumping at the front door to be let inside before I could turn the knob. W.H.E.W.!!! What good dogs. :)
Thanks for letting us come play, Elaine and Brecon. Elaine said that Brecon whined for a while after we left. I'm sure he wanted his momma to come back and play some more. Because the dogs had such a great time together, we're going to plan to get them together more often.
Can it already be their first birthday? Surely not! I remember it like it was yesterday, the early arrival of the two best puppies in the world.
I remember how naked the puppies were, no hair on their feet or bellies. They looked more alien than canine, and they spent most of their first couple of days in the warming box. I put them with momma Syd every two hours, because she was still groggy from the unexpected c-section.
I wasn't sure what kind of mom Syd was going to be. She accepted the puppies right away, even though she wasn't quite sure about their newborn squeaks right at first. Within a couple of days, Syd was in full swing of motherhood, and she did a great job, even when Brecon was sick.
When I was reviewing photos, I laughed out loud as I came across this one. Knowing Biscuit now, I should not have been surprised to find him like this as a newborn! Reading back through old blog posts, I found one (at one week old) where I described Biscuit as being the one wearing the lampshade at a party. Wow, who knew I had predicted so accurately!
The boys grew quickly, and everything seemed to be going so well. Healthy, happy puppies and mom were my only request.
I've never seen faces sweeter than these two boys.
Then the eyes opened! Hiya, Biski!
And then the bottom fell out of the world. Baby Brecon was sick, and the vets were not optimistic. Xrays showed a large mass, could have been an enlarged heart, fluid, or other problem. Twice daily trips to the vet for supportive therapy, tube feeding, and no sleep for me for a couple of weeks. Brecon was a trooper, and he fought the good fight. Dr. Becker calls him the miracle puppy to this day. :-)
Biscuit has always been a good sleeper, Brecon's illness did not set back The Biscuit.
Soon the boys were experimenting with "real" food. Guess who was first to the bowl?
Digging in!
Biscuit got fuzzier and fuzzier, almost as fast as he got cuter!
The boys learned to love the snow, and they played outside lots with their cousins (Kitty in the front).
Before I knew it, it was time for Brecon to leave. He and his mom had a great relationship, and Brecon is a mini-me, and he reminds me so much of Momma Syd.
...even when he's finding his way into trouble! 
