Monday, September 5, 2016 at 1:31PM 
Short blogs today. Here is a gallery.
Saffron had a bath and she was so frantic to get back to her pups. But it was needed. Usually I do baths just before birth then clean off their bottoms after birth and then 2 weeks later I do a bath. But due to her pups sleeping so well, I just made sure I did the bath right after she fed.
Here are the videos:
Sunday, September 4, 2016 at 4:36PM 
How did 1 week go by so fast?
Rule of thumb the pups at 1 week are supposed to double their birth weight but this crew is just under that. I am not worried. It is only a guideline and they are just under. Pups are vigorous, eating amd sleeping VERY well. They are amazing how they move from here to there. That too would mean they are expelling more energy than usual.
I gave Saffron antibiotics for 2 days only to see if I could clear up her hard milk station. It did and before it was completely soft, I stopped the antibiotics as she was not eating well enough, imho. Antibiotics upset the tummy. Well, she is back eating very well but wants us to hand feed her and her human Daddy does just that. Yes, we only do this when they have babies.
She has had steak, ground veal and likes her kibble small. hahahahaha Her fave cheese is baby bell.
Oh. I love you Saffron. Her bowels are good. Her puppies bowels are good. They still sleep really well after feeding. I am amazed. It means they have enough milk in their tummy to sleep soundly. Good one, Saffron.
As Saffron is a small gal this is the best pups she could ever have. She can sleep between. Her body is not getting taxed. She is happy. It's the first litter I have been totally relaxed about. Usually I am making sure everyone is on. I am not able to go outside and if I do I have a tablet with me at all times. Instead, she feeds, we go out and we sit outside and enjoy the fresh air. It's wonderful for both of us.
Here are the videos:
Saturday, September 3, 2016 at 6:21PM 
No galleries today. Tight on time but we do have videos. The pups are growing well. They are steady and predictable weight gains. That's a good thing. Saffron is attentive but has her time outside to do her duty, get some fresh air and get her grooming. But each time I groom 5 minutes later she looks like a disaaster in the making. That is sort of what makes her so adorable.
Saffron is such a tiny gal that it will be interesting to see what the pups look size wise with her at 6 weeks.
The pups are sleeping about 2 hours between feeding. It is amazing how well they sleep.
Well here are the videos. Then I weigh the pups and start in on 1 more blog and then the gazebo. You will all celebrate when that is done, I know I will too. Heck, it's almost winter. hahahahaha
Friday, September 2, 2016 at 5:00PM 
Can you believe they are edging up on 1 week? They are getting plump and active. It's interesting to watch the yawns, the stretches and the squirms from here to there. They have gone from feeling so tiny to having some plump to them. They actually sleep for a good amount of time. I am not sure if Saffron knows how good she has it. They eat, she loves them up, cleans them and then they fall fast asleep for oh an hour and a half to 2 hours. They must be quite contented to sleep as they do and then be as active as they are when awake. You have good puppies, Saffron. No gallery today but I do have videos.
Here are today's videos:
Thursday, September 1, 2016 at 2:30PM 
Gee did 4 days go by so fast? It feels like it. Here is the gallery. Saffron is still being a bit picky about her food but her bowels remain solid. I brush her out and she is a mess 2 minutes later. But she loves the brushings as I place her on my lap, belly up and wash her with a cool soft face cloth. Then I brush her undersides and turn her over to finish the rest. She gets a massage in strategic areas as I brush. I suspect that is why she loves it so. I do the same with Rowan and Emmy. No one passes up a massage.
One of the pups is over 8 ounces and the others are sitting just below 7. So they have gained approximately a 1/2oz in 24 hours a day as an average. One is gaining 7/8 of an ounce each 24 hours. They are on track. The larger they get, the more they can eat and then the more they can gain.
These pups sleep solid. They eat. They squirm around and they sleep and they seem to do it altogether giving mom a break.
The pups are active and seem quite agile and strong. Looking at the features of the brown and white, he's going to be small. The verdict is still out on the others.
They seem to find mom quite well and she has yet to lay on any by accident as some brand new moms do. She seems to have a system down to make sure they are all together so she can lay down and then they come to her. It's interesting to see how they make things work.
Here are the videos:
Wednesday, August 31, 2016 at 12:02PM 
This was the smallest who weighed in at 4.75 and is now 6 ounces. Just looked at Rowan's and Emmy's weights at day 3 and it is very similar. Here I thought the weight gain was slow but steady and it seems theirs was the same.
We had a bit of a blip. Her lower milk station was impacted so the vet said antibiotics till they loosen up. From past experience, I say that is day 3 or 4. She has only had 2. So now her tummy is a tad upset as antibiotics do that so only Nathan can get her to eat. heh This is very minor. But it is obvious that one station bothers her. By tonight it will be looser and each day even more so.
What can I say about the pups. They are strong. They find mom more times than not. It's not by feel that they find her nipples. Many are quite small still but will change as the week goes on. The more they feed, the more they become pronounced. I hear them sniffing to find her. It's a riot.
They are totally ruining her hair. I guess soon I will have to get her shorter. We shall see. They crawl through her hair, over her back and all around her neck. But she so adores them.
Darlah
Well, her milk station is loosening up. She is eating for Nathan. hahahaha She wants steak not hamburger. Her pups have all gained well today.
Here are the videos:
Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at 5:46PM 
What can I tell you? She's excited to go outside to do her business but will only go when they are all sleeping. Then she does a happy dance to show the others - look at me. Her first day she was a bit intimidated by Emmy and Rowan but that has passed. All 3 had to adjust. Today I caught her in Rowan's pen kissing up her babies and Rowan didn't mind. Bravo!! I had just placed her down and went to gather dishes to replenish.
Dennis last night realized she had two nipples up almost to her neckline hidden under hair. I hadn't shaved that high not realizing she had 2 additional milk stations. You will remember we were not ready so we, well I was shaving her belly after her first puppy. One of the milk stations is working well but the other is not fully formed but has milk. This happens sometimes in mature gals too. It has milk in it but none of the pups will eat from it. We have had this issue before. How do you handle it? You manually express to relieve the pressure and in doing so you hope you get it to the point where a pup will use it and then that will be it giving 2 milk stations for each puppy. Today all we can manage is to squirt some in a puppy's mouth, which they don't mind.
This morning Saffron refused to eat. I figure she was uncomfortable and any woman that has had babies knows that being too full is not fun. After I manually expressed, Nathan got her to eat steak - yum and kibble and cheese and mousse and chicken and the list goes on. Her bowels remain solid. Usually mom's have issues for a week or two after birth. Not her.
Now that the dust has settled, we will talk about the pups. The one that appears black is actually a tri. Seems to have a silver sheen so the verdict is out on colour. One of the spotted pups is black and white and one is brown sable and white. Another is brown sable and the next is brown and white.
Pups are all gaining. They are all eating and lively. You will even see in one video how a puppy climbs right over her quite literally. Always said this line was mighty agile.
Here are the videos:
Monday, August 29, 2016 at 6:36PM 
Are we indulged or what? Here is the gallery. Took a video with the handheld but will have to get to that tomorrow. Sorry. I do have a foscam on them so I do have some videos.
Mom is doing well. She has solid output. She is eating well. Pups are starting to gain a bit more. You can hear them eating. They also cry to get mom to let her milk down. Emmy's pups did this.
Pups have output solid so their bowels are working too. Pups are doing well.
Got to wash a dog so here are the videos.
Monday, August 29, 2016 at 11:05AM 
Never any losses. Just slow gain. They are lively and doing well. I expect more significant gains starting tomorrow. But now I am happy with a gain and no loss.
Mom is doing well. She asks to go out. She asks to be fed. Yes, she always has food but nothing like holding the dish for her. She is attentive and knows enough to not lay on them. She does this shuffling with her body to move them so she can lay down and they can come to her. How did she learn that.
She is finally sleeping as I type. Think she was so excited she would only take 5 minutes here and there - cat naps. Not enough. So glad she is relaxed enough to deep sleep.
Photos and galleries later.
Sunday, August 28, 2016 at 3:09PM 
Saffron is happy, eating and so proud. All puppies are either holding weight or slightly gaining. Mom has milk in already. Bravo!
Didn't even get a chance to give Saffron a bath or groom her. We just cleaned up her backend. You know new moms how they want to get back to those babies right away!
Sunday, August 28, 2016 at 1:06PM 
First one born at 1155pm on the 27th. He weighed 5-1/8 oz 147g. He looked black when he came out but he is going to be a silver or a dark sable. Time will tell.
Second one born is a girl. She arrived at 12:47am on the 28th. She is a brown sable. She weighed 5oz 142g
Third one born is a male and he is a brown sable and white. He arrived at 120am. He is the smallest weighing in at 4-7/8oz 139g
The next one is a gal who arrived at 210am. She has 2 spots on her back. She appears to be black and white. She weighed 5-5/8oz 161g
Last one born is a brown sable and white. She has a half mask, spots. She arrived at 256am. She weighed 5-3/8oz 154g
Although she screamed on her first, she had no issues with her delivery. As soon as she was finished she started being attentive, kissing up the babies. She's had potty breaks. She has eaten very well a number of times. She is drinking water.
Here is a video of her before I groomed her and after having pups.
I slept at 7am to just before 11. Nathan slept from 315 to 7am and is back in bed after I bathed Moxie. Tomorrow Velvet and Mabel. :-)
Pups are of size and she remained tiny so we were going to go in for an xray on Monday figuring she may have had 1. We thought yes, we thought no. She started getting a bit round. There was no kicking so we went could be, may not be. If she is, oh no - no kicking.
We are a bit shell shocked but in awe at how beautiful her pups are and how good of a mom Saffie is.
You should have seen us when the water broke. We were running around with our heads cut off (Dennis and I) getting an xpen set up, supplies etc. We had zip ready.
It was an experience.
Sunday, August 28, 2016 at 12:51PM Saffron connected with Stone once. With Stone being so young, we thought not enough sperm count. It was one and only one time. Still don't know who did the ooops (let them together by accident and it doesn't matter now. We talked to our vet about spaying her but she felt as we did that the chances were low and she dooesn't like to spay during their heat especially for a small gal. I didn't want to lose her to an oops nor did I want pups now. What a quandry.
Well, guess what, her water broke last night and she presented us with 5 beautiful pups and I mean beautiful.
Not what we wanted this now but sometimes life has a strange way of unfolding. I have a friend visiting next week and we have Rowan and Emmy's pups for Judy. There's the pool. We will figure it out.
Photos and gallery will come in a bit. We did not take video till after.