Happy Birthday! One Week Old

I am so grateful that the first week has been uneventful. The only real problems I have run into are keeping the boys away from the pups. Oh and the pugs from my food! I am getting so good at being mean - grrrr. hehe

So, the big weigh in today:

The girl - weighed 4.75 oz one week ago - today she weighs 8.9 oz!

The boy with the most white - weighed 4.9 oz one week ago - today he weighs 9.5 oz!

The boy with the least white - weighed 4.75 oz one week ago - today he weighs 8.5 oz!

I've started working with the pups to get them well trained. The girl learned to high five. Here she is demonstrating her new talent:

August 25, 2008 - Weight Checks

Dear friends - these pups are growing so fast. Just a week ago I was trying on my Trust Whelping shirt with my belly dragging on the floor.



The kids weighed in at: #1 Girl - 8 1/2 oz., #2 Boy - 9 oz. and #3 Boy - 8 1/2 oz. This seems like a lot but actually they are right on the growth chart.

Thanks for stopping in. Pics tomorrow for their one week birthday!!!

August 23, 2008 - My Original Due Date

So, today was my due date but thankfully, I am delivered! Just 4 short days ago I gave birth to the most beautiful puppies. They were each about 4.75 oz at birth. Today, as you can see from the scale, they range from 6 7/8 oz to 7 1/2 oz! They are ginormous!

Mommy stopped by to see Dr. G today. I sent him a thank you card and a picture of me and the wee ones. He was so proud of me!

The pictures: the first is my girl - weighing in at 7 1/8 oz. Then my youngest son - weighing in at 6 7/8 oz. Almost 7 oz. and then the tubbiest of all is the middle child - weighing in at a whopping 7 1/2 oz! Then a pic of me and the girl.

August 21, 2008 - Mommy's Birthday

Today was a great day. It was mommy's birthday. Unfortunately, Fay came to town. For those who didn't know, Fay is a tropical something that makes a lot of wind and rain. Bummer.

Great news tonight: At the big weigh in each of the pups gained more than 1/2 oz!!! My milk is in and they are getting plenty. Like Cee said - no pumps or bottles for this mama! Of course, I am with them pretty much all the time but isn't that what mothers are supposed to do? Why, of course. They are only small for a short time.

Till the 'morrow - stay dry, my Florida friends!

The Video Clip as promised

It took mommy all day to get this to work. But I promised a clip of me 'covering' up my first born. She thought I was trying to bury the pup - I'm certain I was trying to keep her warm. Yeah, that's it - I was keeping her warm! This video was taken moments after her birth.

August 20, 2008 - Day 1 PP

So, I must say that day one went far better than I thought. They slept through the night waking only to nurse and well, go to the bathroom. I finally left the box at 9:00 AM. I just couldn't bring myself to leave those cuties!

The first thing I did after leaving the box was jump up in mommy's lap and thank her for helping me yesterday, I know, I know - I didn't really 'need' her help but let's say I thanked her for being there.

The second thing I did was eat! That's right I have quite the appetite now. I ate a large bowl of great food (dog food, of course). Then I voided. That's a polite way to say I peed. hehe

I have a couple of pics of the 'kids' getting weighed tonight. Oh, they are quite active and always getting behind me and such. The girl, in particular, likes to travel in the box. She probably thinks I am gonna try to bury her. (You may have to read the birth story to understand the burying thing. Video coming soon of me trying to keep my pup covered a.k.a. buried).

Oh and don't be jealous but I have my old figure back. Well, I am a little flabby and full in the front - if you know what I mean.

August 19, 2008 - Evening

It's 10:27 PM and I haven't left the whelping box. Mommy has been feeding me NutraCal - a high protein snack. I let Kristin Gartner know that the pups are nursing well.

This sweetie to the left is the first one and the only girl. Rebecca called it the other day when she predicted that I would have two boys and one girl. This little one weighed in at 4.75 oz. What a cute pink nose.

The first of the boys, this big guy below weighed in at 4.9 oz.

That's the second boy below. He's a good nurser and weighed in at 4.75 oz.

August 19, 2008 - Happy BIRTHday

It started this morning, I guess. Mommy took my temperature and it was down to 98.5. Normally it's 100.0. So, when the temp drops a degree - watch out, here come the babies. Well, I could have told mommy it would be today. I didn't eat all morning. Mommy had to leave for a couple of hours and when she came home I was so glad! She noticed that I was whimpering and digging through the covers on her bed.

So, she sat on the bed with me. I think she knew pretty much right away when I didn't try to get under her shirt. I just kept digging and digging to get those covers just right. She kept telling me what a good mommy I was. Meanwhile, every now and then I would get the covers just right and settle down. That lasted only a little while and I'd start digging around again. here is a pic of me after digging and somewhat settled down. This was taken at 12:54 pm.

Then, mommy put me in my whelping box. I was glad she finally did. I wasn't sure if I could move off that bed! She stayed right by my side the entire time. I have a devoted mother. This next picture was taken at 2:25 pm. By this time I had started having some spontaneous pushing, I was panting and every now and again I let out a cry.

By 2:29 pm. the first of the three started emerging from the birth canal. This was the easy part for me. Although it took me a while to get the hang of pushing. And then, at 2:34 our first pup was born! It's a girl and she is cream colored. Daddy says we should name her Fay. Me thinks not. Leo and I haven't even talked about names yet!

I heard mommy make a phone call to Dr. Cammi. Mommy was a bit worried because I didn't break the sac, eat the placenta and then was trying to bury my puppy. Well, I was just trying to get her out of the way! Puppy number two was on the way and I needed to get "Fay" covered up! Duh! Trust Whelping, trust it. Dr. Cammi wasn't worried at all. She encouraged mommy and soon we were back to birthin' pups.

So, number two finally decided to make his arrival at 3:21 pm. Just under an hour from his sister. That's right - it's a boy! He's a bit darker than the first one and has a cute white patch on the back of his neck. Leo is excited to have a son!

Speaking of Leo, I had no idea but when I went into labor mommy put a sign on my door that said "No Dogs Allowed". Well, after a while she decided to let Leo in with the promise that he remain quiet and not to snoop. This picture was taken while Leo was patiently waiting. It was taken at 3:49 pm.

It didn't take long for number three to makes its entrance. Thankfully! Mommy was IMing FIVE people who were watching the webcam, taking these fine pictures AND videotaping. Gee, she is such a first time grandmother. Watch out, all you human children of hers! That's right - when any of you decide to have babies - she'll be all about that!

Anyway, number three is another boy - he looks a lot like the other boy. I was very good with number two and three - chewed the sac, ate the placentas and didn't try to bury them anymore. I do believe I have a knack for this mother thing.

Weights aren't in yet but will update when we get that done. They are about four inches long from head to butt. Oh and sorry for anyone who goes past their due date - I was 4 days before my due date. They weren't born on Mommy's birthday (August 21) but they were born on my Uncle Richard's birthday. Happy Birthday Uncle Richard!

August 18, 2008 - Day 58

Well, today I am officially "in the window". That just means I can have the puppies any day and not be worried about their maturity. Also, today I am officially 'fat'. My belly is so big. Jeff called me 'saddlebags' today.

WARNING - BIRTH RANT - So, you'll see in today's pictures that there is a lot of talk about Trust Whelping - or as humans refer to it - birth. It's foreign to me that I have to 'trust' anything that my body will do on its on. Mommy says I need to wear the shirt and leave the sign posted in my whelping box She wants other to trust the process too.

She is a midwife. She trusts birth. She trusts whelping, too. She's always telling me what a good mommy I am going to be. Of course, she says she will help me if for any reason I need help. I have a new slogan - Trust Mommy!

August 17, 2008 - Day 57

Thought you'd like to know that even though I've gained almost 2 pounds in this pregnancy I am still quite nimble. That's right, I will do tricks for treats! Jeff (my human brother) gave me this treat after showing him I could still beg. That's Uncle Chubs next to me. He's okay - kind of looks like Marlon Brando (in his later years).

Pregnancy-wise I continue to grow! Those puppies move all the time. The latest past time at the Schmidt home is to watch my belly move. They are quite an active litter.

I was hiding in mommy's shirt earlier today when Leo and Hank decided to sit in mommy's lap. Well, they sat on me. Of course, I let out a growl to let them know I was under the shirt. You think they would know better! I am always under the shirt, boys. Gee.

Updated Pic of the Pups

My g-grandpop re-did the radiograph of the pups. Check it out!

August 16, 2008 - Day 56

Well, I had my appointment with Dr. G today. (His real name is Dr. Galipalli and he and his staff are awesome! ) It went pretty good. He took special pictures of my tummy today. Yeah, and dropped the bomb - I am having three little babies!!! Here's a pic of the babes. It's kind of hard to tell so my mommy marked where the heads are on this photo.

It's kind of hard to make out the picture but trust me - I knew there were more than two with all that movement in there!!!

After my appointment mommy took me to Chik-fil-A and got me a treat. Not a human treat - a dog treat. Here is a pic of me enjoying the treat.

So, stay tuned. Babies should be arriving in the next 7 to 10 days!

August 15, 2008 - Day 55

Well, we went to visit Dr. Cammi last night. The place was busy so we talked to her front desk lady - Sara. She's very nice. Unfortunately, the humans that were waiting in the front found out I was pregnant and started telling horror stories! Humans can be so stupid. They have shirts for humans that say 'Trust Birth". Mommy says I should wear one that says "Trust Welping".

Here I am weighing in at a lazy 7 pounds 10 ounces. I went to work with mommy today and all her patients were so nice to me. They knew that I understood the aches and pains of end of pregnancy!

August 9, 2008 - Day 49

In case you didn't know, a dog's gestation (how long it takes to grow them babies) is about 63 days. I have one more week until I am in the window. IOW, they won't be too little (premature) then.

When we saw Dr. Cammi on July 24, she recommended to mommy that I should have a radiograph. They think it would be smart to know exactly how many to expect.

Good news - there are two little peanuts in there! You can see the outline of each of the heads very easily.

I see the doctor one more time on the 16th. Oh, while I was there my hematocrit was perfect and I don't have any worms! (that would be bad for the babies).

My Waist is all but gone ,,,

That's right. When Leo and I got together I weighed 6 pounds even. Well, the other day I tipped the scales at 7 pounds 4 ounces! What a tubby! I understand that I shouldn't gain too much more weight. Even so, it's hard to do anything but sleep and eat these days.

August 5, 2008 - Day 45

Today was a big day for my human mommy. While my tummy has gotten bigger it wasn't until today that she was able to feel the babies move. She explained to me that it was normal for me to feel like their were aliens in my tummy. I kept chewing on my tummy 'cause they were tickling me. Mommy thought I had fleas :-)

Here's my tummy on day 45.

July 24, 2008 - Day 33

Today mommy took me to visit Dr. Cammi at the Pet ER. Mommy knows and trusts her. She wanted her to meet Leo and me. While we were there Dr. Cammi looked at my babies with the ultrasound. They were getting so big! They were both about 3 cm from head to butt! One of them kept putting its paw in its face. Too cute! Can't wait to lick that little face!

July 15, 2008 - Day 24

This would be a day of confirmation! My human mommy took me to her friend's office and did an ultrasound. That's where they look at my tummy with a probe and warm gel. It was nice to see the babies. They were so little then. Dr. Slade said she could see their hearts beating. They thought there were two maybe three.

Exciting times! If you look very close you can see the pups!

The Big Day

Well, Leo and I were married on June 21 and wouldn't you know it - a honeymoon pregnancy! It would take a couple of weeks to confirm the pregnancy by the humans. I knew almost immediately though. I only threw up twice!

Just a note about me - my human mom is a midwife. She helps humans have babies. I'm not sure how to tell her this but we dogs don't need much help. I'm glad she's there though.

Love and Marriage ...

Welcome to my blog! This is for all the dog lovers out there. Well, cat lovers, too. I met Leo and Hank when I arrived at the Schmidt's house back in June 2007. Hank is a blue chihuahua and Leo is a chocolate chihuahua. Leo is so cute!

Well, folks were trying to convince me to marry Hank. They would tell me how cute he was and how cute our babies would be, etc. I just never saw what they saw. Leo is more my type.

Rebecca married Leo and I. It was a simple ceremony. Speak if you take Leo, and I did!

This blog is about our marriage and our blessings in the 'oven'.