Milestone-1 Week: Snoopy Dance

The puppies are doing quite well as we cross one week from their dramatic entrance to the world.

Psst! Hey, wake up boys. You are a week old today! Time to get up and celebrate.
We made it past a week, little brother. We deserve a pat on the back.

Maybe a little wrestling match?Nah, we can't see anything, so that's not much fun after the first pounce.

Or, how about a Conga Line to kick up our heels?

Oh, I know! What better way to celebrate than with a little puppy version of the Snoopy Dance.

Mr. Brindle, a bit more reserved and shy about his dancing skills, displays just a short bit of SnoopyDance.

His brother, Mr. Red, on the other hand, is destined to be "that guy" who wears the lampshade at the party! He makes no excuses for a wild and crazy Cardi version of the Snoopy Dance:

Seriously, though, the boys seem to be doing well, and they just keep gaining weight. I see little bits of personality emerging through their vocalizations (yes, the red dog is already 'barking'-big surprise!), and the way they respond to things. I can't wait to see what the 2nd week has in store for them, and I just hope they continue to grow and thrive.

48 hours and counting

Another milestone, the boys have made it 48 hours and we are well into Day 3. Syd is annoying (to me) because she can't stand it when the puppies have to be in the warming box and she can't have them.

The boys have crossed 48 hours, and we're working on Day 3. They gained more than an ounce yesterday, and today they've kept going, gaining a little more than 3/4ounce each.

The best thing I noticed today when I was taking photos is that the little brindle boy has white fur coming in on his feet! They are approaching the "fully cooked" stage, I think. And the little brindle boy is also starting to get the faintest bit of coloring on his nose. The red boy has some white fur, too, but not quite down to his feet yet.

Brindle Boy:

Red Boy:

24 Hours

The puppies have crossed 24 hours, and they seem to be doing well. Each has gained over an ounce from their birth weight (I'm so tired, I spelled that "wait" and had to go back and fix it- haa). So I'm hopeful that for now, they will continue to be OK. I'm seeing the slightest fuzz of fur on their toes and muzzles now. The red boy is a bit slow in the eating department, so I'm supplementing him a bit. Thankfully he took right to the bottle (I am now the proud owner of every brand of baby bottle Walmart carries in the baby section). The Playtex bottle worked like a charm, and everyone is happy! I just keep watching and waiting for some sign that the puppies are either out of the woods, or taking a bad turn. Right now, they are looking healthy.

I want to thank everyone for the thoughts and prayers for the boys and Syd, and for the puppies who were lost before they ever got started. Yesterday was tough for me, and the events were so quick it was surreal (until about the second time my alarm went off at the 2-hour increments). I'm so happy to have the two boys, and relieved that Sydney is OK. I also feel thiankful that if the other puppies were not able to make it, they didn't linger on and struggle.

Syd has taken to motherhood quite nicely, and I might even call her an over-achiever to the point where I have to tell her to knock it off on occasion. She'd really rather lay on my bed and have me deliver her puppies to her there for nursing, but we're going to have a talk about that one. Stay tuned for Sydney's bedtime story that she tells the two baby boys.

More Daddy-dog Pix

Some more photos of Daddy-dog Mick. All photos generously shared and copyright by Emily @ dreameyce. Mick is CH Telltail Like A Rolling Stone. He made quite a splash at the 2009 CWCCA National Specialty. Mick won WD, and then went on to win BOS from the Bred-by Class! Congratulations to Paula O. and Telltail!

It's Official!

As long as everything continues to go well, we WILL be hearing the pitter patter of Sydney-Mick puppy feet the day after Thanksgiving!!!

I was such a wreck at the vet today, I made Dr. Becker write it down and fold it up for me. I didn't watch his face as he palpated, and he really played it up, asking how many days from first or last breeding, etc. I was really discouraged, but he's quite the actor, because I got out to the car, and unfolded the paper to a big YES!!! written across it.

Let the Waiting Begin

OK, so now we wait and wait and wait. Normally I wouldn't even begin to say anything until I knew for sure if babies were cooking, because on a previous attempt, there were no babies. So I didn't want to jinx it. But, since enough people know or heard something or talked to someone who might know, I guess I'll post and then ask everyone to please think good thoughts that this attempt might work out.

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This will be my first litter (from start to finish), and through a comedy of errors that would require a flowchart to show how everything ended up this way, Sydney got a visit from the Stork (via FedEx), and she'd like to state for the record that, "This first date sucks!"

When I put the pedigree on paper (available when I can get it scanned as a jpg), I really, really like it. Not to mention the success of the dogs behind both of these youngsters, and the accomplishments of the two dogs themselves. In Mick's case, "Presence" comes to mind, and photographs don't really do him justice. Jacque and I are very excited and just hopeful that this time around, Sydney will agree that she has time to be a mother {vbg}. We would expect brindles and reds. And unlike everyone else chanting for girls, I'm a total sucker for the boys, so a box full of boy-baby-dogs would be just fine with me.

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So, if you can please think good thoughts, I would love to have good news to report in October. Syd was a good sport through all the pre-stuff and blood draws, etc., etc. so I hope that this will work and she can get through babies so that she can head back to her performance career and maybe some limited showing in the breed ring.

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Thanks,

Sarah and Syd