I'm Still Hungry!

Mama, Mama, Can I Get Out and Explore?

The Most Adventurous

This is the first puppy to crawl out of the box! I went into the bedroom to fold a load of clothes on the bed and felt something furry at my feet. When I looked down, expecting to see Mollie, I saw this little puppy licking my feet. This one LOVES to explore around the house! I wish I could just let her roam, but she also loves to do other puppy stuff - like poop and pee. She looks sleepy because we just fed them some oatmeal baby cereal and warm milk, so she's ready to snooze for the night! I guess Michael is going to have to put another board up sooner than he thought - like tomorrow morning...

Puppies at 3-1/2 Weeks

These puppies are growing so fast! You can almost watch them grow as they sleep. They are getting so playful now! They will play with toys now, too. Their teeth are coming in, so they love to chew on just about anything - but especially love to chew on a sibling. Their legs are getting stronger and are even running now if we take them out of their box - we can hardly keep up with them. They love to snuggle and cuddle with us when we pick them up. They even recognize us when we go to their box and come to see us and want to be picked up. I try to groom them every day now - brushing them and checking their teeth and give them some individual attention. They growl and bark and play, but they still sleep a lot. They are beginning to eat some baby cereal with milk so we can give Mieke a break from nursing. I wish all of you could see them!

Puppies, Puppies EVERYWHERE!

I decided that the puppies need to get out of their box so their little legs can get stronger and to be in the part of the house that has more sunlight. They absolutely love it! The crawl around and get in some of the most unusual places! It's working because we see them trying to get up on all fours - especially the littlest ones who seem to be able to get up a little easier than the chubby pups. Now that their eyes are open, they are starting to get playful with each other. I am trying to get a short video of them playing and walking. It just seems that by the time the camera starts to record, they lay down.

They also have TWO moms now - Mollie takes care of all of the pups by cleaning them, too. She will wait for Mieke to go outside so she can have her turn at cleaning the puppies. Normally, she would be the first one out of the door. When we went to the vet the other day, I stayed in the car with the puppies and Mollie. One of the vet assistants came out to the car because she wanted to see the puppies. Mollie was extremely protective of them and I had to hold the puppy out of the car window so she could see it. The puppies even try to snuggle up to her if they don't find Mieke. Surprisingly, we haven't had any accidents so far because Mieke and Mollie still clean them up. (Thank goodness!) I will be very watchful in the coming days, though!

Wiggly Puppies Don't Make Good Photo Subjects

I have been trying all day to get photos of these puppies with their eyes open! They are so wiggly and I finally decided that I couldn't accomplish the feat by myself. So, when Michael got home, we tried to get pics again - still not much success. The plan was to get a photo of each puppy, but even though I put different colored thread on their feet (came off because they will not be still) and tried different colored markers on their toenails (somehow disappears after a few minutes). It's not easy to tell them apart. Anyway, I have posted a few pictures that did turn out fairly good. I'll keep trying!

We'll Have to Go to Plan B...

These puppies have grown so much that they don't fit into the basket anymore! (Compare the pictures at the bottom of the blog when I put them in the basket as they were being born...) I always change the sheet on the bed everyday and put the puppies into the basket while I make the change. They barely fit now and we're going to have to think of someplace else to put them! They love to be in there and rarely make even a sound while they are in the basket together. They are 12 days old today and should be opening their eyes anytime now.

Growing So Fast!

I can't believe it's been a week since I posted any pictures of the puppies. I had to go to the valley on Tuesday to buy food at Costco for the RS Dinner and I brought Dean and Treven back with me. Then we had our RS Dinner and the Ten Virgins program on Thursday and Friday morning, Jared and Arleen and the rest of the family came up. On Sunday, Jeff and Heather, BJ and Brooklyn came up and went back home today. We had so much fun and everyone loved holding and snuggling with the puppies. At one point, I went into the bedroom and both Noah and Kayla were in the box with Mieke and the puppies. Michael had the camera, so I couldn't take a picture. (I'll try to get the pictures Arleen took of her kids with the puppies.) The puppies are growing so fast and getting so fat!! Mieke eats nearly a dozen eggs every morning, so I guess she's feeding them well. Their little legs are getting stronger and stronger, too. One puppy likes to climb to the highest point in the bed and lay there - we call him "King" (for "King of the Mountain). They should be opening their eyes in 2 or 3 days, and I'll post more pictures then.