April 18, 2018 Pupdate

We had a BIG adventure today.  The weather was forecasted to be nice so while they napped after their second breakfast, I put the ex pens back up on the deck, assembled the playhouse (except for the roof, that’s a 2 person job), and arranged beds for them.
When they woke, I carried them outside in pairs (second to last trip, I carried one so nobody would be left alone).  They almost immediatey pushed open the gate and were going in and out the door but eventually, I corralled all of them outside (the key was getting all of the big girls outside, the MaterGator been following me in and out with puppies) and the puppies had a picnic.  
They seemed to really like the outdoors and found all kinds of fun things to play with.  Who needs toys when one can play with leaves that are blowing around?  I don’t trust the hawks and the big girls don’t trust anything else so we all guarded them.  Nanny McPhoebe alternated positions facing out intoand I gave the Mama a perch so she could guard but not necessarily be accessible to the puppies when she didn’t want to nurse them and GrammieSammie took the defensive positions from the house side.
Judging by the racket the crows were making, I think there was a hawk on the hill but I don’t know if it was eyeballing our puppies or not.  Since they are all brave little toasters and have no compunction about roaming all over the deck (I’m glad I blocked it off or I think they might’ve gone on out into the rocks and yard),  I don’t trust the stupid birds not to try to get one.  I’m not sure they are much bigger than rabbits right now.  Once we put the shade sails back up, it will be more protected on the deck but not nearly as sunny.
They eventually took their post prandial nap outside but they kept insisting that they didn’t want lie on the fleece, bed or warm blanky from the dryer when they could sleep on the cool wet deck.  They’d go to sleep and I’d gently move them and they’d wake up and move back.  That’s how we progressed until they all woke up at almost 5.  I let everyone have time to potty and then we attempted to follow inside.  It went well until we got into the house and then one of the big girls started to go out the dog door so some of the puppies followed her into that ‘hallway’.  4 followed me and the Mater Gator to the pen.  3 more came running over when I called and the last 2 were finding their way out of the dog door hallway when I went to help round them up.  They followed me to the pen and I put them in with everyone else and they all nursed a few minutes.
It was really hot inside (80 degrees is hot in the house) so we switched from windows to a/c and the puppies cooled down.  I made a ‘pillow’ from the Totofit roll and laid down with them.  I was a puppy jungle gym, they were chewing on my hair and ears, climbing all over me and doing some cuddling as well.  Caly couldn’t figure out WHY I was lying on the floor in the puppy pen so she kept coming to lick my face, too.    All but one went to sleep so I carried her (I think it was a her, it seems to cycle through so I can’t remember which puppy it was which day) around with me while she got sleepy.  It was sweet but it meant that I didn’t get a nap today.
Everyone has eaten and we’ve sung the 3 songs; puppies are sleeping (big girls are wanting to make sure their dish is clean) so I’m going to say Nighty Nighty Nighty. Puppy breath to all