Say Cheese!

Four weeks old! This is the easiest litter to photograph--I rarely can take puppy pics by myself. I usually need an extra set of hands to position puppies and hold them still, but this group does exactly what I tell them to do--sit, wait, stay, look up....say cheese!

When did you get here?

The puppies have become very aware of us in the last few days--they want us to interact with them!

And--it's kind of funny, but I realized in every video I post, the washer and dryer are going in the background :) The puppies are in our kitchen next to the laundry area--just shows that puppies create constant laundry....

Grand children are great puppy socializers!

We had fun with our visitors here this weekend! The puppies got lots of great socializing and handling. The puppies are really starting to wake up now--they look at our faces, bark at us for attention, lick our faces when we lean down to them. They change so fast--it is truly amazing!

Litter Box Training!

We put the litter box in the puppy area two days ago--and I found Pink girl in the box this morning!! This is the stage when the puppies start to get messy--mama dogs begin to lose interest in cleaning up after the puppies at about this time, so it falls to us to take on that chore. We leave potty in the litter box so the puppies know by smell to potty there. We change the bedding multiple times a day to keep everywhere else smelling fresh. In a week or two, the puppies will be using the litter box 80-90% of the time--it never ceases to amaze me how much this process is driven by inborn instincts. The puppies just know to keep their sleep and play area clean. I know I say it all the time, but.....amazing!

Yet another puppy pile!

Three Weeks Old...and still growing!

Puppies are three weeks old. A couple of them have their first teeth popping through! Their coats are starting to thicken and wave--they will all have gorgeous soft wavy fleece. They are spending more time awake and playing with each, although the majority of their day is still spent sleeping. They have short bursts of playtime energy, and then they crash for a couple hours. By the end of next week we will introduce them to baby rice cereal and goat's milk--Mama Whimsey is not going to be able to keep up with their nutritional demands much longer--she's starting to look tired :)

Boring....

Purple girl couldn't wait for the photo session to end.

So sweet....

Pink girl and Blue boy snuggling for a nap.

Three weeks old and walking!

The pig rail came down today--the puppies were trying to climb on it! They are noticing each other and starting to play. They toddle around like this for five minutes or so and then fall back asleep in a puppy pile.

BUSTED!

Whimsey Caught with Her Paw in the Cookie Jar!

My daughter and grandchildren are here from Virginia visiting for a couple weeks. Last night we made butter rolls for dinner. We sat around visiting after dinner, and when I went back out to the kitchen for something, I noticed that the edges of the leftover rolls had been picked at. My daughter scolded her little children and told them not to touch the rolls. A while later I walked back into the kitchen to find the real culprit. Whimsey ran back to her puppies as if to say, "I have four hungry mouths to feed--can't you even spare a crust of bread?"

Plump pups....

I love the variety of colors in this litter--every puppy has its own unique shade of cream. Pups are all growing exponentially--they each gained 4 ounces yesterday! No wonder Whimsey is raiding the pantry for extra rations!

Two weeks old!

It's hard to believe the puppies are already two weeks old. Everyone's eyes are open--Pink girl's just opened today, Purple girl was first a couple days ago. The puppies are nearly two pounds now--up from 8.6 ounces in just two weeks!

Everyone was exhausted after the photo shoot--
it's hard work being so cute!

One of these things is not like the others.....

Can you tell which puppy was not enthused about having her
one week old picture taken?
Instead of joining the group in a little winter nap,
Purple girl insisted on exploring.

She finally found just the right spot and joined
her litter mates in dreamland.

What a difference a week can make!

 The puppies are growing like weeds! They have all nearly tripled their weight in a week. Their eyelids are starting to become defined--eyes should be open by the end of the week. Amazing!

One week old

Two hours old

Out like a light.

Sleeping is serious business.

 I often find Blue boy like this completely relaxed on his back--

no modesty whatsover!

 

It's a moving puppy pile--I never know what I'm going to find.