And they just keep growing....

A few things have happened recently. First, the puppies are seriously cutting some teeth. All that cute nibbling on my fingers is now starting to hurt! They are also looking for anything and everything to chew on. The toys are getting constant abuse and when I let them out of the pool onto the floor for a bit, they found that power cords make perfect teething rings. So, we put a quick end to that and will try to discourage power cord chewing every chance I get. Luckily, their teeth aren't big or sharp enough to do any real damage.....yet.

Second, they got another bath yesterday. I've tried keeping them somewhat clean with sponge baths and spot cleans but it was time for another dunk. They did really well again. This time I took a couple pics. I also had the heating pad preheated and Will was around to help me deposit pups on the heating pad as they were done with their bath. It worked out much better this time with much less shivering and Molly wasn't nearly as stressed. They are so soft now! I love it!

They were introduced to the world outside the pool this week. They got their Christmas pictures taken (see www.facebook.com/mmbeckwith) and were allowed to explore for a while. We also brought them down to the living room for the first time tonight and that was very exciting for them. However, the wood floors presented a new challenge for them that they weren't quite ready for. Once they wondered off the area rug and onto the wood, they would just freeze and remain completely still. They really had no idea how to navigate on that slippery surface. It was really pretty cute. Once I encouraged them back onto the rug, they were back bouncing and running around like the crazy little things they are. They really love exploring, especially Blue, Green, and Pink.

Fearless Blue

Potty training up-date: I have their pool divided into a "sleep" area and a "potty" area. They have pretty well got it down. Very few accidents on the "sleep"side. This week though, instead of just having the area divided, I put down newpaper on the "potty" side so that they start to make the association with newspaper and potty. They did really well with the change. They are still using the potty side for about 90% of their urine and 100% of their doodles. I hope this will make the house-breaking process much easier for their new owners. Reinforcing the "don't pee where you sleep" concept should help them later with crate training or whatever method the new homes will use. Eventually, the potty area will get a little smaller and the play area a little bigger. In not too long, they should be able to be locked in a small room and know that they need to walk over the to paper to do their potty business.

Today was mom's official spa day. No more DIY treatments at home. She spent a few hours at the groomer and looks like a new dog. She's lost so much hair though! Up to a 50% loss in hair is expected post delivery so I'm not concerned, but her "cow skin" as I call it, is really showing through her fur. Molly requested a couple new sweaters on her Christmas list that we sent to grandma/Santa. I think she's going to need a full-blown winter coat when we're in CT. I love any excuse to shop for dog clothes! :-) She already has her Christmas dress for this year. lol.

Well, that's about it. There is a sale pending on Blue and I've contacted a few people who had previously expressed an interest. The pups need to go for another worming and their first set of shots next week. My oh my, how time flies!

Play, Play, Poop

No major updates to report in the last few days. However, the pups are so crazy this week! They are chewing on anything they can get their little mouths on (including your fingers and toes....and their fingers and toes too). Will had his foot resting on the edge of the pool and a few came over and started sucking, licking, and chewing his toe. Funny babies. They are trying their hardest to get the running thing down and are getting pretty close. Right now it still kind of looks like bunny hops. So cute though! The weaning is going very well. We're giving them 3 meals of gruel a day and Molly still nurses a little in between. I think we're going to have a really smooth transition. Molly is such a good momma with great instincts and I feel like I'm reading her ques accurately. Good team work I guess you could say.

Oh wait I do have one up-date! I almost forgot. The puppies are pooping up a storm! (Gotta love my updates....right?)

On Thanksgiving day (PS- happy belated Thanksgiving!) they created such a mess we had to give them their first bath. Head to toe poop. No lie. They did so great though! No fussing, no panicking. Even under the running water, they just stayed calm and trusted me. They did get a little chilly towards the end but I dried them all off and turned on the heating pad for a while. They were fine after a few minutes all huddled together. Blue got the most chilled- figures since he's the least chubby. They look much better now, feel softer, and most importantly....SMELL better. Molly seemed to get the most stressed by everything. I guess she could tell they were cold and in a little distress. Or maybe it was their smell. Not really sure but she calmed down after a few whimpers and then went back to her own affairs as usual. I totally didn't get any pictures...bummer I know. It was sort of an emergency bath. I walked up to check on them in the afternoon and it was such a dramatic mess that I just went right to work getting them cleaned up. Will changed all their bedding while I washed them up so I didn't have a camera man either. Maybe next time. They've done well at staying mostly clean after that. Only a couple spot-cleans since then. Their poo is getting more solid now that their belly's are getting more used to the puppy food which means less mess. Molly is still good about cleaning up after them too which is not always expected after they start to wean. We'll see how long it lasts. Yeah, it's gross, but anything that makes my easier is fine with me. Just don't let her lick you if you come to visit :-) Eeeeeeww.