What's a girl to do?

When Laurie and Gregg dropped off that soft fuzzy blanket for Lainie when she was only a week or so young, we had no idea just how popular it would be. Lainie loves that blanket, and when she goes to sleep, she loves to snuggle deep into it.

Well... she is not the only one!
Last night after play time outside, this is how we found the kids after two minutes. Yes, that is Lainie OFF the blanket in the upper right hand corner!

And this is bedtime last night, just before we turned off the lights.
Six fuzzy puppies on an even fuzzier bed!

Those hearts and stripes together are a Fashion Emergency, but does it look like the puppies mind?

6 1/2 weeks

How fun is it when the weather is nice enough to go in the backyard in the afternoon?! Rather than waiting for the cool down, this we love. And so do Newman, George, Kramer, Leo, Jethro and Lainie. No words needed.

Oh Georgie

It was one of those nights where I could not sleep well. No particular reason, other than I got to bed late and kept reading and by the time I was ready to sleep it was time for Bella to nurse the pups. Half the night gone for me.
My best morning sleep was interrupted by a howling Georgie, who insisted on human interaction, even though everyone else was still asleep and the sun was barely peeking over the far horizon. What is a tired dog owner to do?

Do you see the smug smile on his face here?

"Me so comfy! :D"

"What? I am being good!"

And yes, he went to sleep soon after I took these photos. So did I....

My latest knitting project (one of them)

Besides being preoccupied with things and activities related to long-haired miniature dachshunds, I have continued to knit and have completed several projects that I am really pleased with.
Below is a tote I knitted with yarn left over from a Mystery Knit Along that yielded a less than favorite result. To make up for it, I designed this bag and finished it off with a steel blue leather handle.

I am calling this bag Saint Tropez because of the sunny colors that remind me of La Provence. Another bag in this collection is in the works and will be called Very Miami, which will make sense once you see the colors.
If I can think of any other cities that would fit, I will continue to grow the collection. I am thinking grey hues for San Francisco?

Requested Recipe from Sunday's Brunch

Several of you who attended our brunch on Sunday requested I post the bread pudding recipe here on the blog. And yes, after all, this blog was meant for things other than dog stories.
I made a couple changes to the recipe, which I will describe below:

Arugula, Bacon, and Gruyère Bread Pudding

Gourmet December 2008
by Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez
(photo by: Romulo Yanes)

Here, we pepped up the fail-safe brunch combination of bacon, egg, and cheese by adding handfuls of flavorful sautéed arugula. They'll be jumping out of bed for this one.

Yield: Makes 4 (main course) or 6 (side dish) servings

Active Time: 20 min

Total Time: 1 hr

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream (I used 1 cup)

5 large eggs (I used 7)

6 bacon slices (I bought 8 slices good thick Applewood Bacon at Whole Foods)

1 large shallot, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves,chopped

7 ounces baby arugula or baby spinach (6 1/2 cups) (I used less and should not have)

6 cups cubed (1-inch) country-style bread (1 pound) (important that you use the right weight)

5 1/2 ounces Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated (1 1/2 cups)

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Butter a 2-qt shallow baking dish.
Whisk together milk, cream, eggs, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp. Transfer with tongs to paper towels to drain, then coarsely crumble.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Increase heat to medium-high and cook shallot and garlic, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Gradually add arugula and cook, stirring, until it wilts.
Stir arugula mixture, bacon, bread, and cheese into custard. Transfer to baking dish and cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake until golden in spots, about 10 minutes more.

PUPDATE

No photos to post at this time, just an update on Bella. She was at the vet's all day yesterday, so they could figure out which bacteria has gotten into her system. It was really hard for me to concentrate on my work because all I did was worry.
Tom brought Bella home just before I got home and he was loaded with medicine and instructions. New antibiotics and some painkiller/fever reducer. The pups are still allowed to nurse, and boy do they want to. Now that Bella feels less pain she is fine and waits patiently for little bellies to fill up.
Tom and I sat in the grass with the whole gang for over an hour last night as they all played and romped around. By 9PM they were exhausted and slept until 3AM without waking up or needing food (or attention). After that? Another story. Tom and I took turns tending to the needs of the now very vocal pups who know what they want when they want it.
An observation" this is the sweetest litter we have had. All the personalities are outstanding: these puppies are amazingly sweet and happy. George is still the most vocal one and takes after his dad in terms of needing attention. He needs to go to a home with people who will just love him endlessly and in turn they will get the most loyal and devoted and sweetest little guy.
Hopefully some photos later today.

Bella

Not the greatest news, but had to take Bella back to the vet this morning. They were busy and I could not get through by phone (darn Monday mornings) so I just dropped her off on the way to work, as I was so concerned about her. I had noticed yesterday she was lethargic and just kind of hiding out, laying on the cold marble in the hallway. First I figured she was tired from all the company and also hiding from her six children that continue to want to nurse, despite being able to eat regular puppy food.
Then this morning, when I picked her up, I noticed she felt hot and felt her teets were all swollen and hard again. Horrible! Darn! This is awful and I feel so guilty she is going through this.
I know she is in good hands - the vet is testing to see what bacteria is causing this infection so that we can target it with the correct antibiotic. With Bella being at the vet's, the babies have to eat their normal food. I played with them this morning in the backyard, trying to wear them out so they would sleep for a long while.
I am at work but I keep thinking about Bella and the puppies. Tom is at home, but I am sure I will head home sooner rather than later...

Growing up

We had a fun weekend but is also was a busy time in our household. There were lots of visitors, hence the puppies received lots of attention and had tons of opportunity to play and be cuddled. Needless to say, they are pretty worn out.
Tonight they played in the backyard, had a bath, and then were allowed to sit on the BIG dog bed by the fire place. No, the fire place is not burning. But it's the idea....

They think they are pretty special being allowed to sit and sleep here without being behind the fence. I can't believe we have less than two weeks left with them. I am thinking about keeping one of the puppies...

Family Style Dinner (and dessert)

When I come home from work, I immediately prepare a plate of puppy chow and take it outside with all the dogs in tow. They run and squeal and yelp with excitement because they now know the best part of the day is ahead. Not only do they get a yummy dinner, they also get to play outside in the grass.
As soon as the plate hits the ground, 24 little feet come running toward it and 6 little hungry faces swoop down on the chow. Not a sound but the smacking of little puppy lips.

(Oopsie, I see that my own foot wanted in the photo too!)
Only a matter of time before Bella, who has been lurking nearby, shows up, hoping I will not notice, of course. I have to tell her at least a couple times it is not yet time. When I finally let her come near to eat, the babies make a run for it and start nursing. As long as there is food left on the plate, Bella stays in place. The kids have figured this out by now and have learned to nurse fast and furious. It is a race against time for all involved.

Bacio is never far away and as soon as he sees his chance, he too comes and grabs some grub off the family platter. That is, if Bella lets him. She occasionally gives him a little growl, but for the most part she just lets him eat, as long as she gets most of it. Poor Dad is last on the list.
Meanwhile, the pups keep nursing away, their bellies rolling and their tails wagging.

As soon as the food has disappeared off the plate, Bella makes a run for it, leaving a pile of confused and disoriented puppies behind on the floor as they try to hang on for dear life. Bella jumps safely on top of her sun-lounger, where the puppies can not (yet) reach her. There she relaxes and recovers from the dinner routine.
That is they way the (doggie) cookie crumbles...

After dinner comes play time. Within no time, there are energetic and happy puppies with full bellies everywhere.
They now like to "bother" one another too. Just like kids.

We are melting. Are YOU melting too?

The sun is low now enough that it is finally safe to go outside. Phew! This was another zinger! Actually, what am I saying, it still is. My hands are slipping off the keyboard as I type here at the patio table outside.
While Tom BBQ'd some meat on the grill, I brought the whole kit and caboodle outside. Puppies and toys are scattered across the freshly cut lawn. They are now sleeping on the soft grass after a good long romp. Good thing the grass was cut today: we can actually see the puppies stick out over the grass. Seems that some weeks the grass grows faster than the pups.

Jethro had a special visit today, as Tom and Carol dropped by with Carol's mom to see the babies. Oohs and aahs galore as each pup was held and cuddled, but Jethro received the most special attention, of course. It is obvious Tom and Carol can hardly wait to take Jethro home to Izzy. Oh what fun she will have with her little brother! As long as she does not mistake him for a chew toy or a cotton tail rabbit!

Here are some images of the evening romp in the grass.

Sigh - they are just adorable.
With a heavy heart we decided this week we will be posting an ad in the paper to sell the puppies. Of course Lainie and Jethro already have the best of homes to go to, but there are four more cutie pies who will be leaving us. To those reading, if you know anyone looking for a long-haired miniature dachshund, we would prefer to place them with people by referral. For those of you thinking and contemplating, please let me know your decision as soon as possible.

I will keep posting on the blog, so keep checking for updates!

Splendor in the grass.

The gang.

Newman

Jerry aka Jethro

Kramer

Lainie

Leo

Georgie Boy (reserved)

Bella Update

Deep sigh of relief. We have been anxcious all day worrying about Bella's health, even though she appeared to be ok as far as her behavior. Just seeing how swollen she was, was really hard to take.
Karen, our most wonderful vet, just came over to check up on Bella and the pups. Bella will be fine. Here's the scoop:

Bella has no fever, and even though she is quite swollen, there was milk coming out of the glands when checked, no other unfavorable fluids were present. So it appears her problem is progressing favorably. We will watch her carefully. Karen gave Bella some more liquid medicine against fever and pain, and one more dose for tomorrow. We will continue to give Bella her antibiotics twice a day.

The puppies can nurse, even though it might be a little painful for Bella. Luckily they also eat solid food, so that should give Mamma a break.

Deep deep sigh of relief.

Puppies eat puppy food!

How could I have forgotten to mention that we introduced solid food to our 4-week olds a couple days ago? By solid food, I mean of course the following: finely ground puppy kibbles, mixed with powdered puppy formula and water into a paste.
We put the mixture on a large plate and this is what we end up with:

Bella can't help herself and hovers around until she decides it is time to join in and eat with her babies. She loves this stuff. Since she is still nursing, we let her join in near the end, giving the puppies a perfect opportunity to nurse while Mom is preoccupied.

Later I will post an update on Bella. We are still waiting for the vet.

4 weeks already!

Today our little guys are FOUR weeks old. It is so hard to believe. But anyone who has visited the puppies lately knows I am right when I say how much they have grown.
Not only do they have vision now, they are getting around pretty well. They have also started to use the paper pads. Most fun of all, they are are starting to "talk". Georgie is the most vocal of all - this morning he actually worked a mini growl into a mini bark. It was the most adorable sound I ever heard. Like he was saying: "pick me up, I want out of here". Georgie is the most outgoing of the bunch: first to sneak out of the box, first to find his way out of the doggie estate, first to follow me around, first to "talk". He is a rascal.
Today was visitors' day. First Cayden came over with his Mommy and Grandpa. He held a few of the puppies on his lap but then decided it was more fun to climb into the (freshly cleaned) puppy box and just sit with them. Cayden was perfectly happy there with the little pups nibbling on his toes and his jammies. But boy was he sad when he had to go home.

Next came Lainie's family to check on her and to drop off the softest, most luxurious blankie for Lainie, so we can get her family's smell on it. Lainie spent most of the time snuggling up to Laurie. I can see how these next four weeks are going to be torturous on Laurie! :) Thank goodness for photos and videos.

Laurie noticed Bella was not feeling well and looked a little engorged, red, and she was hot. After talking with the vet, we decided Bella needs to take antibiotics and started her immediately. We also gave her some liquid pain medicine and fever relief. She slept most of the afternoon and seems better already. I guess having these six babies is really hard on her.
Our vet, Karen, is coming tomorrow for a visit to check on the puppies, and she will take a look at Bella again also. We know she will be fine.
Our next visitors were Sonia, Juan, Analiese and Ivan. The kids loved holding the puppies too.

Below are some more photos we took today.

Tomorrow I will put up individual photos. I need some rest now!

Three and a half weeks

I have a hunch that some people have been anxiously awaiting an updated blog. Well, here it is. When I got home from work today, Lauren and I took the whole dang family outside, on the side of the house where it is shady. We let the little kids explore a little. Some liked it more than others.

Yankee Doodle Pups

On July 4th the puppies are three weeks old!! Below are slide shows of each puppy.
Believe me when I tell you it is really difficult taking photos of them when they are not asleep.
They do not sit still for a second!

Almost 3 weeks

Another work week behind us, so I am taking some time out to update the blog.
It is almost unbelievable how much the puppies have changed in the past week. They have lost that newborn, fetal look and have started to look like little doggies. In other words: irresistably adorable little faces with big eyes, floppy little ears, and wiggly tails.
With their eyes are open, they are ready to explore. Scooting is no longer the preferred method of transportation: we are talking real attempts at walking on all fours. Of course, the coordination and strenght are not as developed as their desire to move about. Sometimes they move backwards instead of forwards. Their heads are still pretty heavy but the muscles are getting stronger and we now see little heads popping up all the time, looking around to see what there is to see. The ears are getting a little bigger and hairier and the ear canals have opened up, so the puppies now react and respond to sounds around them.
Bella spends hardly any time in the box anymore. There simply is not enough room, but mostly she wants to be in command when it comes to feeding time. She goes in when she feels it is time to feed and when she is done, she simply gets up and walks out. This mommy needs a break once in a while and she knows it! That does not mean she ignores the little ones. On the contrary, she is never far away from them.
But this bond works both ways -- I noticed tonight that one of the puppies, Leo, climbed out of the box to be near his mom. He was just tall enough to look out and see her sleeping nearby and worked and worked until he was out and near his mommy. Pretty darn cute.
We do take all the kids out a couple times a day and let them move around on the blanket, but they get pretty sleepy after a while and fall asleep after a while, usually all snuggled together.
Tomorrow the puppies will be three weeks old, which means that I will do my best to post the most adorable individual portraits. It is quite a job, but I am up for the task!

Milestones: Eyes open and moving about!