Mom and Puppies - Day 63 and right on schedule

Cait is too tired to report directly tonight. But tomorrow, I'm sure she will have something to say about the experience.

Just the highlights tonight. Turns out there are four puppies --- three females and one male. Coloring is predominately black with some tan and variations on the white collars and blaze. They were born around 6:00 p.m. this evening.

Everyone is fine, although there is a story to be told. For tonight, we are happy to report that everyone is resting and eating and then resting again.

Day 62

This is not my idea. I posed for these pictures only after being bribed with liver. Please don't dwell (or redistribute).

I'll get my waistline back a lot quicker than David will get his.

Thoughts of Moms and Puppies

Well today I did start slowing down. A little.

Saw Michelle my vet yesterday and it has been confirmed (as best as these things can be confirmed) that I'm carrying five puppies. David is still thinking that next Wednesday will be the due date, but Michelle is leaning towards Friday, March 21st. I'm hoping David's guess is right. It is time.

Now that I am on the verge of becoming a mom, I was thinking back to when I was a little puppy and my very special Mom, Pat. I have fond memories of my time as a puppy with Fiona, Mom, my littermates and even Spur. Thought I would share a couple of my special photos with Mom.

Day 53

Sorry that I haven't been in touch for a while. It is not my fault - David has been very busy at work, getting the nursery ready, and complaining about all the snow.

It should be about 10 days to go now. My pups are a very busy bunch and most active in the evening hours. I was weighed yesterday, and came in at a whopping 42.5 pounds. Keep in mind that my normal weight is 34-36 pounds, and I had dropped to 32 pounds on day 29 (the day of the ultrasound).

David has been able to pick up little heartbeats with a stethoscope and I am finally getting comfortable with all the movement and kicking. About 10 days ago I tried various lie down strategies, but the pups don't seem interested in where I chose to rest --- they just keep moving. So I now just try to wait it out although sometimes I like to have my tummy rubbed when the pups are active.

I still want to play and exercise as much as ever, but David stopped the frisbee playing a long time ago. So I'm left to run at top speed through the deep snow --- I figure if the puppies can jostle me, I should be able to jostle the puppies.

Trim - father of my pups

Sort of ironic that his name is "Trim". That used to be the way I described my waist line ... but I digress. There is a picture of Trim herding sheep this summer, and a picture of the two of us (Trim on the right).

We first met in Trim's back yard on a cold January morning --- January 16th to be precise.

The first thing I noticed about Trim was his beautiful eyes --- one brown and one blue. When you are a border collie, "eye" counts. I must admit that I was more than a little bit charmed by that first look.

I also noticed that he was very friendly, easy going and obviously in love with life. Trim is good looking --- not just the eyes, the entire package.

Humans generally don't understand this, but you can learn a lot about a dog through the scent of his (or her) pee. So I had a pee, and Trim had a pee --- then we sniffed, and then we peed again. We did that a few times, but whose counting. When you are choosing a mate you need to spend a lot of time smelling and sniffing.

We also communicated about sheep herding, fetch and our pack mates. A little bit of gossip is always an ice breaker. I learned that Trim:

• was imported in whelp from England;


• that his father is a pretty famous sheepdog, Beechwood Bob;


• is five years old (a year older than I am);


• really liked me a lot.

In fact while all the other boys I've met went a little bit weak in the knees, Trim even rolled for me.

And if you are looking for any more details on what happened after that, you won't hear them from me. I'm not that sort of girl.

In other news my morning sickness has passed and I spent a delightful couple of days with my best friends Doug and Gayla at the farm. This morning I have David busy working on the nursery, and since he is making a lot of progress on that important job, I'll take him on a walk this afternoon because it is a beautiful sunny day.

Until next week ...