04/20/18 5 Weeks Old!

And growing like weeds.  (That’s my concession to marijuana references today)

Notes from the last few days:
I dragged out the CD player - they definitely noticed the noise.  I started off with some sort of relaxation CD that came with my pillow speakers and we worked our way up to the ones with thunder and one with all kinds of weird noises (I think it’s called a dog show CD but it includes goats or sheep noises and all kinds of weirdness). Today we didn’t need to play those because the noise from the guys putting up the handrail on the deck and changing the snow/ice thingies on the roof was plenty loud enough.  They use a generator and a REALLY loud saw.  The puppies weren’t too impressed when I carried them outside in pairs to listen and look (but not to be put down until I re-sanitize everything)
They also don’t move away from vacuum cleaner even though it doesn’t give treats yet.

I can’t beleive they are so very cute in little lion butts and they were really, really good while we did it, too.  It’s hard to beleive that they couldve become any more adorable but they managed again.  These clippers are quieter than the electric toothbrush I’ve been practicing with for this.  I think that the quiet clippers made a huge difference because none of them fussed at all.  They were mostly asleep before but they were all awake (and sometimes gently mouthing my fingers/face) during the actual clippering. We’ll need to work on getting their line straight but it was a really good first start.  Muzzles are waiting because I still don’t like to lose their whiskers.  

We lost our streak of pooping only on the potty area. They dragged parchment paper off to play with it (that was a fail anyway - not good traction, urine stays on top) and left it in the middle of the pen. A puppy stood on the paper and pooped on the new crate bed. Fortunately it was good poop  but I’m not sure it counts.

They now come to my voice even if I’m not really close.  Caly wanted in to nurse them but I was being cuddled by Phoebe so I called the puppies.  They ran to my side of ex pen so she had a clear path to jump.  I like that because I don’t have to go in and sit on the milking stool the whole time (but she likes it so I still do it most of the time.)

Tomorrow is their photoshoot and we have plans to have first real baths.  We’ll be cuddly lots of clean puppies in towels, I hope we have enough cuddlers since there are 9 of them.  It’s a tough job ;-)

They are going 5-6 hours without eating so I think I’ll post this and sleep from 1am until at least daylight.  I had to juggle their schedule a little because they didn’t want brunch so that threw off lunchtime. I switched brunch to a midmorning liquid snack and they ate at 7 and 1 and 7 and I’m hoping that schedule continues.  They didn’t wake up for the 10 o clock liquid snack but MaterGator had nursed them at about 8 so I’m thinking that will tide them over.  I plan to keep the pen closed tonight so I know if she needs to go in and feed them or not (there’s an off chance I could sleep through it otherwise.  Not likely but possible so this way I’ll know and we all know how I feel about KNOWING things ;-)
Wish us luck on the schedule tonight! Puppy breath to all,  Nighty nighty nighty!