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PUPPY NEWS: the babies are starting to open their eyes and at the same time making their first attempts to move about on all fours. Still really wobbly of course. They are fast asleep right now so I am leaving them alone, but as soon as I have some good light and some awake pups I will give it a try.

Snugglies!!

Another visitor!

Jerry just had a personal visitor. He spent an entire visit on the arm of Tom P., who came to claim Jerry as his own and who plans to rename him Jethro.

Looks like a match made in heaven, as the little guy just settled in and did not complain one bit.

Hot in the Waffle House

If you know me, you are aware I don't tolerate the heat well. It is really, really hard on me.

Tom, on the other hand, true Californian that he is, loves the heat. He even went and played tennis today for a couple hours. The mercury crept over the 110 mark, unfortunately, and that was enough to make me suffer. And by suffer I mean I mostly complained.

Nothing but a batch of 2-week old puppies to make me smile though. When the puppy box is full, my glass is more than half full. Even if it is hotter than, well, you know....

TWO WEEKS OLD!

Hello Newman!
Georgie Boy
Jerry (on hold for Tom & Carol)
Kramer
Uncle Leo!
Elaine
Elaine (new parents: Gregg and Laurie) new name: Lainie Rose

Puppy Tree

Today I thought it was a good time to post the family tree of our puppies, to show their lineage, and to illustrate where they got their good looks of course. :))
In this slide show, you can see photos of Bella and Bacio as babies, as teenagers, along with photos of both their parents.

Day 11 - Box almost full!

While working, I occasionally glance over at the box to see if all is well. Bella goes in and out to feed the pups, and usually naps outside of the box when done. Not always though.

As evident by the photo above, she now has to contort her body to fit in there so she leaves enough room for the kids too.

Alert: High Cuteness Factor

No cute stories today, but since the pups are 10 days old today I thought I would post some videos. Enjoy!

Happy Father's Day!!

In honor of Father's Day, I thought it was fitting to pay tribute to our amazing daddy dog Bacio, who is the proud father of all our beautiful pups.
He was sitting in the grass while we were eating BBQ prepared by Tom's daughter Heidi.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the fathers in our lives.
We love you and respect you.

Oh goodness!

What did I just discover? There is a new chocolate treat on the market!!!! Not only that, it is only available in California for now. Of course, I will have to find out where I can get this chocolate concoction, as I am a true chocoholic. Just to try it. Once.

Here is how it is described:

"A shimmering indulgent new chocolate truffle treat with under

85 calories per finger. FLING™ Chocolate is first available at retail stores in California (just for now.) The rest of us can order online."

Well, I don't have to order online. So off to the store I go!

Special visit

This afternoon we had a special visit. Lainie's new parents came all the way from Danville to look at Georgie's little sister. Laurie and Gregg could not get over how small she is. Laurie held her almost the entire time, and as you can see, Lainie still fits pretty easily in a human hand. She weighs 6 1/2 ounces now, so in one week she has doubled her weight.

To the other families who were hoping for a girl, I must express I feel really terrible that it did not work out this time. There was only 1 girl and even that was really iffy for a while - Bella just seems to like having boys.

1 week old - first portraits

Tonight the puppies will be one week old. I decided it was best to use the daylight to try and make some portraits of these little guys. I have to add a disclaimer here: it is NOT easy taking photos of this little mongrels. They do not stay still for even second. They squirm, they scoot, and before you know it they are out of the frame. I thought of Velcro, but... no, just kidding.This was taken when they were all still nicely asleep.

Unlike with the two prior litters, this time it is much harder to distinguish one puppy from the other. The only two that we can always tell apart for sure (and who therefore receive more attention in here, for no other reason) are Newman and Elaine. Largest. Smallest.

For today's photos, I still put in a soda can for scale, but upgraded to a fine Italian soda. Turns out a certain someone was not pleased with my choice of Pepsi. Personally, I love Diet Pepsi, but so as not to give Robert (oops!) a reason to scoff at my choice, I went with another favorite: Aranciata. Yum!

Back to the photos now. Let me introduce:

Hello Newman!

Georgie Boy
Jerry
Cosmo Kramer

Uncle Leo
Elaine (Lainie)
I did not do this very well - the can is not a constant size in all the pictures

We have some visitors on the way from the Bay Area to come and meet the puppies.
Bye for now!

First clue for the Mystery KAL

Yesterday the first clue was released in the Knit Along (KAL) Mystery group for the Emma Bag. Have to admit it was a short clue: I was done in no time. The piece in the photo represents the bottom of the bag on the public side as Sharon refers to it. The next clue will involve another color. We shall see... in a week.

I suppose that means I can continue working on some of my other projects that are awaiting completion. Never a shortage in that department. :)

New digs

Last night Tom and I moved the dachshund gang downstairs. It was starting to get a little hot upstairs and Bella was sure to let us know. She kept wanting to come downstairs and flatten her belly against the cool marble floors. But then she would get all stressed out about leaving the babies by themselves upstairs. So we schlepped the whole shebang downstairs in our family room and now everybody is happy: Bella because she is near us, Bacio because Bella is near him, me because I don't have to run up and down the stairs all day, and Puppy, well Puppy could care less. She is just hanging out on the sofa.

I was asked several times today how the puppies are doing and if Lainie is going to make it. I guess I have not really made that clear in my posts. All the pups are in excellent health, and yes, Lainie is thriving too! She is still the smallest one of the bunch, and there is no certainty she will ever be as big as her brothers. She sure is strong though, and does not let anything get in her way. For example, yesterday, the towel in the box had bunched up and exposed some of the laminate tile that lines the bottom of the box. Lainie was trying to nurse but had no traction with her little feet sliding away behind her on the slippery tile as she was trying to get closer. She voiced her complaint and did not give up, determined as she was. It was really funny to see.

But yes, everybody is well, and we are now preparing ourselves having six little puppies running around our family room in a few weeks! Oh boy!
Dinner time is over and Bella has retreated to her sofabed and is making sure the kids behave! There is a secret exit out of the compound for her to leave when she wants. Shhhh, don't tell the puppies!

BOX O' PUPS

To illustrate how full the whelping box is after only 4 days, I took a couple arial shots. :)
I put my orange iPhone amongst the pups to show scale (I suppose I should have stuck with the Pepsi can). Now, when Bella gets in there too, there is little or no room to spare.

QUIZ: Who can spot Lainie? Newman? (Hint: smallest, biggest!)

While the puppies grow...

... I have set up office on the bed in the master bedroom, near the whelping box that contains our precious brood. It is quiet office space, only occasionally interrupted by a squeaky puppy that got squished or Bella who needs to go on a potty break.

Speaking of whelping box, with six puppies and Bella in there, we are talking tight quarters now, as these little guys (and gal too) grow at an astounding rate. In order to accommodate the growing family, we have had to build an addition to the box: we have opened the door to the box so that Bella can get in and out when she needs a stretch, a drink, or some "alone time". Next to the box is her private sofa, to where she occasionally retreats and rests. Of course we have a privacy fence around the "doggie estate" to keep out intruders. Well, kind of.

By intruders, I mostly mean Puppy and Bacio. Innocent as they are, they are curious, and you just never know what could happen. But in fact, I am actually more concerned for their safety than the puppies', as Bella can become quite hormonal when the other dogs get too close.

So for now, Puppy and Bacio stay downstairs: Puppy on the sofa, where she can see and hear everything in style, and Bacio at the bottom of the stairs, behind the gate, where he has been pretty much continuously (except at night) since Saturday afternoon. Poor little guy!

After listening to Bacio whining all morning, I decided to bring him up here and make him my office assistant. He loves it. The photo below is one of Bacio overlooking the doggie compound from the safety of the bed. Not the greatest shot in the world (for example the mess in the photo - oh well, I can't do everything!), but it allows for a better visual than I can create with words. Bacio just went to sleep and I am getting back to work.

Another slide show!

I promise tomorrow I will post at least one photo of papa Bacio. He is so sad and lonely downstairs because he is not part of the party. I did sneak him up here while Bella was wandering around the back yard. He was really excited as he sniffed and licked the babies. He kept looking nervously over his shoulder for Bella to come back, so we snuck back downstairs before Bella figured out what we were up to.
Pretty uneventful day otherwise - it's just eating, sleeping and growing!

Live from Granite Bay!

Just when you thought you could not stand any more, here are some live images of Bella and the pups. The boys are all nursing away, but little Lainie is hidden between the pillow and Bella's back - sleeping quietly in her warm little nest. And yes, it really is that quiet in here, besides the occasional squeal or grunt. All together now: aawwwww!

Day two pictured

For those of you wondering how Lainie is doing: she is the tiniest, littlest strong spirit I have ever witnessed. She is far outnumbered and outweighed by her five bigger brothers, but she stays determined to be right there in the middle. She gets pushed aside, yet she keeps inching herself right up to Mommy again. She rolls off or gets smushed, but her little legs push and pull until she is where she wants to be. She weighs 4 oz now and her ribs are not protruding like they were when she was born. Nursing is going much better now obvisouly, so we have put away the plastic bottle with formula for now, she did not like it anyway. Her little body is nice and warm like it should be and she seems very content. That is how we know she is fine. I could not handle the thought of losing her, so we did all we could!
One of the boys is pretty vocal, just like daddy Bacio. Since all are so similar in color, I am paying close attention to the subtle differences in personality that are starting to emerge. How else to tell them apart? Only two of them still have their ribbons on!!! Only Newman does not need one - he is chocolate/tan colored and he stands out... because he is the biggest!
Bella is doing great - she is such a natural mother. Compared to when she had her first litter, she is much, much more relaxed. She still only leaves the kids for quick potty breaks and then runs right back to them. Or when she can smell dinner is being made in the kitchen - time to go bark at Tom for handouts.
The best part of this whole experience is that Bella has complete trust in me to help her get what she needs. Luckily I can figure out what she is communicating to me with her eyes, her whimpers or her soft and loud barks.
And yes, those little pups do melt my heart!
Keep checking!!

What's in a name?

First day family photo!

Uncle Leo??

Newman and Elaine - 7 oz vs. 3 oz

It's been a hard day's night!

And no, I was not sleeping like a log. On the contrary, I did not sleep at all. Per the vet's instructions, I tried to let the little runt puppy nurse with Bella about once an hour. It worked ok in the beginning of the night. The biggest problem was Bella panting like crazy because of the heat lamp. She sounded and looked like she had hiked the Sahara desert. How could I keep those tiny puppies warm without causing Bella a heat stroke?

I fretted over this problem all night, turning the light on and off at intervals. Everybody made it through the night ok, all but me - I feel like I was run over by a truck. But for these little guys, it is all worth it!

No group shots yet, no individual portraits yet. I have decided to leave these tiny pups alone a bit but did manage to take a couple images with my iPhone. Once I can study them carefully one by one, I will record their vitals again, and name them....

Long night ahead...

It is almost 11 PM and the vet just left. She came over to check on puppy number SIX! Yes, 6!
And this one is a girl! She is so tiny, weighing only 3 oz.
While we were waiting for the vet, I kept her warm in a towel (a washcloth actually!) in my warm hands and kept rubbing her. She was able to suckle some a couple of times, so that was encouraging.
The vet gave her fluid twice and we were able to make her latch on some more. She is asleep now in a towel on my chest where it is nice and toasty. Yes, it is!
The first 24 hours will be crucial for her. But she has to make it, the ONE girl with FIVE brothers!

Names will be revealed in the morning!

Well...

9:07 and there came number 6. Really tiny, still in the membrane. Had to cut it open. Bella is working on it, but I am not sure this one will make it. :(

How to name 5 male puppies?

Well, we think there are 5, but we can't be too sure. First time Bella had puppies, the 6th one came way late, as a little dessert surprise.
But for now, there are FIVE 5oz boy puppies snuggled up against Bella. They all pretty much look the same, although I am sure in the morning we will be able to tell the subtle differences in their coloring and their special markings. Thank goodness for all the left over yarns I have laying around to "label" them! I do know one of them has a little white star on his chest.

It got a little hectic all of a sudden so I do not have photos of the last two. They came more than one hour after the first three. It is almost dark outside, so we to wait until tomorrow for the "group shot".

Names? Not settled on anything yet. Presidents? Golfers? Seinfeld characters? Ideas anyone?

8:07 PM another pup! What is this one!

Another boy! Wow! I have no idea what to name all these guys!

8:00 PM Number 4 is a ..... BOY!!!

6:50 BOY 3!!!!!

6:35 Another boy! Almost 5 oz.

Puppy two followed his brother out in no time. Same coloring as far as we can tell right now. So I put a little ribbon on big bro to tell them apart.
There better still be some girls in there!!
Boy 1 was a smidgen over 5 oz, boy 2 a smidgen under, but he is already nursing, so he'll catch up in no time!

6:20 PM It's a boy! 5 oz!

Laboring

No more pictures please!

Panting

Resting

More digging (and growling)

Digging

Here you can see how Bella has spent the last half hour, going from frantic digging in the towels to panting to resting. She did look at me as I took photos as if to say: no paparazzi here please!

Bella in waiting

Saturday June 13th, 3 PM.

Bella has just taken position on top of our bed, resting her big wide belly next to all the towels we laid out for her. It is here she chooses to rest and wait for labor to start. Same place as the last time, although then I moved her to the whelping box as soon as her water broke. Plan to do the same now.

Bacio is standing by the bottom of the stairs, making it known he is none too pleased to not be allowed up here. He tries every song and lyric in his repertoire and is frustrated that I am not understanding he wants to be part of whatever is going on up here. After all, he is the father!

Bella is restless. She can only stay comfortable for short periods of time - seemingly anxious for what is about to come. I have set up camp next to her on the bed: my computer, my phone, my knitting, my camera, the alcohol, towels, the syringe, and Tom on stand-by.

The rest is up to Bella!

5 PM She is definitely having contractions and does the "nesting and digging and growling" move. Just moved her to the whelping box. I am staying right here by here side!

Next quest!

While in the midst of a knitting Shop Hop that covers way too many square miles, I have discovered what my next quest is: an antique sock knitting machine. Once I laid my eyes on one this past Friday afternoon, I knew I had to have one.

Ever since seeing this amazing contraption, ideas are overflowing. Much excitement too.

So..... where will I acquire one of these machines is the question. Even bigger question is: how am I going to pay for it?

Thus the adventure begins!!!