I'm OK With Dirty Diapers!

These puppies have doubled in size in just 3 days! They are so cute and you can tell that they already have their own personalities. But, I think I'm OK with dirty diapers after all these years! I'll never complain again... Mieke has to lick her babies' bottoms to stimulate them to go to the bathroom because they can't do it on their own yet. (Needless to say...) They hate to be cleaned and squeal the entire time. Kinda reminds me of when I used to wash faces and hands when my children were small. Sometimes it even sounds like they are trying to bark. I put a picture of one puppy so you can see how much they are growing and also a picture of Mieke cleaning a reluctant pup. Poor thing - she nearly had him turned upside down and backwards to clean it! She usually takes the opportunity to clean them while they are eating, and that makes them even madder.

Oh, by the way - if someone you know wants to buy a puppy, we'll sell it to them for $1200 and give you a $50 referral fee if they buy it. Not a bad deal!

Mommy Mieke

We just took these pictures of Mieke and the babies. They are all eating so well (even "little runt") and seem to be gaining weight. I have to take food and water to her while she is in bed because she won't leave her puppies and we have to make her go outside to go to the bathroom. Mollie is loving going everywhere with Michael, but can't seem to understand what is going on with Mieke and why she growls at her every time she comes into the room. We'll keep posting some fun pictures!

Ahhh - Sleep!!

Well, after the 8th puppy was born, we thought Mieke was going to have one more, so we were up until after 5:00 a.m. Finally, we were so tired that we decided to go to bed anyway. I'm glad we did because she was done at last. She is such a good mother! About 7:30 a.m. we let her outside to go to the bathroom and I don't think I have ever seen her move so fast. She did her "thing" and was back at the door in less than 5 minutes. I think we'll be moving her bed into another room, though. 7 puppies are never quiet - even if they do make the cutest sounds, it's hard to sleep in the same room.

Just Kidding!

We finally went to bed about 1:30 a.m. and about an hour later I heard Mieke having another puppy - surprise - another girl!! I guess she decided to even up the litter! We will be watching her to see if she has any more. It's nearly 3 a.m. now. I think I have used up every old sheet in the house trying to keep her bed clean.

The Puppies Have Arrived!

Mieke had her first puppy at 9:00 p.m. She is a very good momma and really knows how to take care of her puppies. She actually had twins - a boy and a girl, but the girl was stillborn. I worked and worked with her, but to no avail. So far, she has 2 girls and 2 boys. The littlest is a boy and he is quite a bit smaller than the others. We really have to work with him to make sure he gets his fair share of milk. He has a hard time staying on. In between the birth of each puppy, I put the puppies in a laundry basket that has a heating pad in it to keep them warm. We think she is still going to have one more, so we put all 4 pups in with Mieke so they can nurse...and all 4 of them pooped all over me! Guess everything is working fine! She actually had two more puppies - both males. We think she is finally done. Final count is 4 boys and 2 girls (plus the one that was stillborn).

Mollie just sat on the bed wondering what was going on, but stayed her distance. I am amazed at how good she was, too! (Scroll down to see puppy pictures - I couldn't get them to move anywhere else...)

Keep watching my blog and we'll post a video of the puppies and more pictures as the puppies grow.

She's in Labor!

Hopefully we can post puppy pictures in the morning! She is certainly taking her sweet time - but then it's her first litter and we all know how first babies go! We'll keep you posted on the latest news!

Not Yet!

Just a quick note that Mieke has not had her puppies yet. She didn't eat for two days over the weekend, which made us think she would have the puppies any time. Guess you can't second guess these things! Her actual due date is today, so keep watching and we'll post pictures when they get here!

No Excuses...It's Just a Fact, Jack!

I know, I know - it's nearly been three months since I've posted on my blog. I promise to get back to posting regularly. We spent a lot of time in the valley and since I've been home, all I've done is Relief Society stuff. (You know I love it, right???) I have been putting together The Ten Virgins musical parable which our ward is doing for the RS Birthday dinner. It will be on March 13th, so I have really had to hustle to get the cast together, the food, decoration and clean-up committees, get music and scripts copied and order oil lamps that we plan to give to the sisters. On top of that, we have had 10 hours of visiting teaching interviews and I have been working on the lesson I have to teach in RS this Sunday.

We also expect Mieke to have her puppies this weekend. She refused to eat all day today, which is a really good sign that whelping is imminent. Her temperature has also dropped, which usually means puppies within 24 hours. We'll post pictures when they come. We have already sold one! (For $1800.00...) We expect her to deliver 4-6 puppies. Keep watching this blog for puppy pictures!!