Dried off...

Jake and I popped back in yesterday to visit Laila and her puppies.  The puppies had mostly dried off and it was nice to see their proper colouring.  In the short time we saw her, Laila looks like she's doing really well.  She's very possessive of her pups, who can blame her while they're still so tiny?  She didn't like us to hold them much and so I had to sneak a few pics while she was fussing over another of her pups...

 For now though, the puppies do just eat and sleep.  They'll only start being "fun" in a couple more weeks when their little eyes open and their personalities start to show.  Below is one of the little girls, the second born...

 Happily pigging out...

And that's all for now.  It'll probably be a little while before we see the pups again, they seem to have more than enough helpers taking care of them for now.

Sue X

PUPPIES are here...

The weekend was a long weekend.  We've been literally counting down the days till Laila's puppies are due and it's been so special to share these moments with Jake and Danie.  Today marked her full term (9 weeks in total - yes, just 9 weeks!)  It's been a real once in a lifetime experience and immensely educational for Jake...

We spent the entire long weekend at Danie's house (that's since Wednesday!), holding our breath as we sat on the edge of our seats with ants in our pants, waiting for Laila to go into labour.  It didn't happen.  It meant we were housebound pretty much all weekend, waiting and waiting.  Danie and Jake built Laila a whelping box (so the pups don't get squashed) and she eventually decided to make it her "home" yesterday.  She'd woken up showing plenty of signs of discomfort and passing something icky from behind early in the day.  This was it!  Or so we thought.  We got the room warm and ready and took turns keeping Laila company.  Eventually, night time rolled around and still no pups.  Jake went to bed with the promise that we'd wake him if anything started to happen.  Laila left her new bed and headed upstairs to sleep in her usual spot next to Danie's bed.  She was fidgeting and licking non-stop and eventually, at about 2:30 this morning, Danie caught a glimpse of the first puppy!  Hallelujah, they were finally coming.  I rushed off to wake Jake and grab my camera...

 Jake stepped right in and was keen to hold the puppies as soon as he possibly could, even though his eyes were barely open yet.  Gentle Laila was brilliant as ever and was so good at letting Jake get so close to her pups.  Trust... 

 Laila did a stellar job of cleaning up her pups... 

A tiny, perfect paw.  This is one of my favourite pictures of the morning...

No sooner had we arrived at her side, when the next puppy was delivered.  I'll spare you the gory pictures, but you'll get a good idea of how cute they look as they come out.  Perfect, little, sleepy sausages... 

 She quickly had the bag open and the big clean up began as Laila licked them to get them breathing and moving.  This is puppy number 2 (the first 2 were both girls) - check out that loooooong tongue... 

 Again, Dr Jake was quick to hop in and get some pics taken with the newest puppy...

 Oh my, how cute is this?  I just love those tiny pink feet and those little flat faces.  They look like little kitties... 

Floppy, slobbery lips in the making...

 The puppies seemed to struggle a little to find the milk jugs, but got there eventually and were soon suckling away happily.  By the way, new born pups make a lot of noise.  Actually, they sound like kitties too... 

 Next up was a boy!  A nice, healthy boy!  OK, this picture is maybe a little gross if you have a soft stomach, but it's also super cool how Laila manages to get that little guy out so quickly.  And how does she know how to do that all anyway??? 

 A quick lick and he's ready to join his sissies for a drink...

A beautiful, tired mommy, blushing as she shows off her new family... 

4 tiny little rats, squealing for something to suckle on...

 Next up - another boy.  This one, our first tan one!  I love this picture where you can see the puppy's long tongue (takes after his mom) and his little nose squashed against the bag as he struggles to make his way into the world.  He looks like he's wrapped in cling wrap...

 All cleaned up and ready to go...

While Laila waited for the next puppy to arrive, she carried on cleaning the ones already born...

A very tired mommy after 5 puppies.  She took quite a long break between pups 5 & 6...

I did manage to get a few more after everyone had left, including this one of Laila with her full, healthy brood - 7 in total; 4 boys, 3 girls.  All big and healthy - what a star mommy she is... 

Suckling newborns... 

 This little guy looks like a little newborn goat in this picture - I think I'm going to nickname him 'bok' till he goes to his new home... 

 It was pretty cold this morning, especially for tiny, wet bodies.  Laila was a star at keeping them warm, it's amazing how strong the instinct is to protect... 

 Since the puppies were born upstairs in Danie's room and the whelping box is downstairs in the scullery, we had to move them quite soon after they were born.  Jake was thrilled, Laila wasn't...

 A whole basketful of cuteness...

Unfortunately, I didn't get to take as many pictures of them as I'd have liked to, things got a little crazy, but we'll be seeing them again really soon, so I'll be sure to get loads more over the next 6 weeks.  Prom to share as they grow.

Love Sue XXX

PS.  They all have homes already.  Danie's mom's, her friend and my sister Rosanne are all taking girls and Danie's boss, his daughter and another two friends are taking boys.  It's going to be heartbreaking to say goodbye, but we have 6 weeks to enjoy them as much as possible and enjoy them we will!! x

It's a dog's life...

 Monday saw us heading off to the vet with Danie and Laila.  As her time to deliver her puppies draws nearer, we have become eager to know how many puppies she's expecting.  At least, when she actually starts popping them out, we'll know when we she's finished.  Laila is usually a very active, very strong and healthy dog and it's quite funny have seen her getting sluggish as her pregnancy's worn on.  Danie used to take her for regular 5km runs and she is fit and strong.  Very strong.  There's no ways that I can manage her on a lead on my own.  I tried it once on the beach and it was hard work.  She took me for a walk.

I took these pictures at Danie's house on Sunday afternoon.  We've had a ton of rain this winter and we were all just relishing in a little sunshine.  It actually got quite hot sitting indoors.  Laila was so lazy, she couldn't keep her eyes open for me.

 Laila!  Oh, there you go, hello pretty mommy...

 But seriously, if you were this "fat" you'd be exhausted too.  And I'm sure she's well aware that she needs to get her sleep while she can!

 So, back to the vet. You'll have to look very carefully at these next few pictures - I'm not much good in low light situations.  We first had a proper ultrasound done, where we could see the puppies hearts beating.  For those of you who've had kids already, you'll know that an ultrasound can be quite confusing at times.  Imagine it with a whole bunch of little things inside there and you have no clue where to focus.  The vet did the next best thing and took an X-ray of Laila's belly.  He popped it into the light box and began a head count.  Then a spine count.  Initially, he told Danie it was a small litter, probably only 4 pups, now he's confirmed 7!!  Oh my.  Least if there are lots of puppies, they'll be small and easier for Laila to deliver.

You'll have to use your imagination a little with these pictures and since I can't physically point the puppies out to you, it's a little more tricky.  Laila's head is on the left of the pictures and if you look at the bottom, you'll be able to see the spines of a couple of pups quite clearly.  Towards her tail end, there's a section that looks like it's bending in and is slightly darker - just above that and to the right are two little heads...

 The vet very kindly numbered each head and each corresponding spine, so that we could see what was what.  It's kinda confusing with so many little bodies to look at... 

 This one's probably the clearest of the 2 puppies I mentioned closer to her tail end.  Can you see them?  OK, is it just me, or is this just about one of the cutest things you've ever seen?  I am very anxious for these little beings to arrive now.  I want them to be safe.  I want Laila to be safe.  I cannot wait to share the moment with Danie and Jake.  Jake is beyond excited, he wants to visit them every day, he tells me...

For us in SA, there's a public holiday tomorrow.  I've taken Friday off as Jake's school is closed, so we're looking for a nice long weekend and hopefully the puppies will come sooner rather than later, so that we can enjoy them a bit before next week.  And hopefully I'll have some photos (if permitted) to share with you.

Take care and see you next week!

Sue X

Hard evidence...

OK, for all the sceptics out there, Jake brought home his test book for signing yesterday and I took some photos of his work to share with you.  Unfortunately I don't get to see his classwork/story books too often, but they're even worse than the test book and more shocking to see how little work he was managing to complete in class.

I only took pictures from the more recent tests, but you'll get the idea.  His work was untidy, dark and very uneven...    

  Sentences blurred into one word...

 Rubbing out the hard-pressed words was difficult and his work ended up very untidy and full of mistakes...

 

 His teacher has always been encouraging and he gets a sticker and a comment, no matter what he hands in (in his test book, that is).  The ones marked in green are assessment tests, so count towards his quarterly marks...

 The first list of words (1-10) are the words we've practised at home each week.  The second set (11-20) are revision words from previous tests.  Besides struggling with neatness and spelling, he also seemed unable to judge the amount of space available to him at the end of each line and instead of going onto the next line, he was either squashing the word in, or letting the words spill over onto the next page.  This was the last test he did without the Ritalin...

 It also appears that Jake wasn't reading through his work once he was finished, to check his spelling.  Or perhaps he was and just wasn't noticing his mistakes, some of them very silly...

Bring on the Ritalin and this is the test he did on just the second day!  With only 5mg (we moved up to 10mg on Saturday, so will see even more change)! He's managed to get his letter sizing right, his words better formed and properly spaced...

 This is last week's test (brought home yesterday) and it's even better.  He only got 3 mistakes (4 if you count the date)...

 Just look!  It looks like another child's book...

 OK, granted it's still not perfect and there's room for improvement and I'm sure it's not the neatest book in the class, but you have to admit, it's a heck of a lot better than 2 weeks earlier!

So, I rest my case.  My heart is happy and I know that I've made the right decision for Jake.  Ritalin does work!!

Well done Jake, I am so, so, SO proud of you!  You are so smart and I knew you could do it!  I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to make this life-change decision for you, I hope that it's all plain sailing for you from here onwards.  I get goosebumps when I look at your amazing work.  Keep up the amazing work, my sweet child.  I love you with all my heart!

As a parent, especially with your first child (or only child), it's difficult to know what the standard is within the class.  To know what is expected of them.  How much time does one allow for a homework exercise to be completed?  It's not easy to know when your child is not accomplishing what they should be; to know when they're not coping.  OK, it was easy to see that Jake wasn't neat, but as long as we could make out what he was writing, I thought everything was OK.  It's only now that I see these changes in his writing and know that he's managing to finish his work in class in time, that I'm aware of how tough it's been for him. 

I am blessed that Jake's teacher has more experience than I do and that she was able to point out the warning signs for me. I'm so glad that this was picked up and that I've been able to do something about it and help Jake to enjoy school more.  I am so blessed that the school has a remedial programme (with the most wonderful remedial teacher) to help Jake catch up to his friends again.  And I am blessed & most fortunate to have been able to help him.

Sue X

PS.  Can you even begin to imagine how frustrated he was??????

The first days...

So, we're more than a week into Ritalin (Thursday marks 2 weeks).  Jake has gone off to school today on his full 10mg, which we started over the weekend.  On both Saturday and Sunday, he suffered with a sore tummy in the late afternoon, so I'm hoping that it's not a long-lasting side effect of the meds.  It's all about getting the dosages right!

Jake had a really good week at school last week and seems a whole lot happier at home because of it.  They do tests on a Friday and bring books home on Mondays for parents to sign.  I was totally blown away by the visible change in Jake's work from one week to the next.  Previously, his handwriting was dark, untidy and squashed together, so that a sentence looked more like one long word; however in his book this last week, his words were beautifully spaced with capital and small letters shown correctly.  It's still not tidy and he still makes silly mistakes, but it wasn't the hard, dark writing I've become so used to.  It was so much easier on the eye.  The test book comes home again today and I will try remember to take some pictures to share with you.

In other school related news, Jake was awarded the "I try hard" badge last Monday too.  It's only his second this year (he was class captain during the first term for a week).  He was super excited about it and I think, by Monday, he was starting to feel better about himself and about school in general.

On Friday, Jake also received the "dragonfly" award in class and are allowed to wear a special cap in class.  This is given out once a week to the boy who is most deserving for hard work and good behaviour.  The girls get the butterfly wings to wear.  Jake was beyond proud of himself!  And you can't even begin to imagine how overly-proud I am of my special boy!!

The last 2 weekends seem to have been so much more relaxed, with much more listening and less shouting happening.  It's FANTASTIC to be able to talk once or twice (he's still a kid), instead of 8 or 9 times before getting a reaction.  Jake seems to be gaining confidence again quickly and seems happy in a crowd again.  I'm more relieved than I can tell you to see him enjoying life again; to see him cracking a joke and having a laugh at his own expense without getting flustered and losing his cool!  The change has been amazing.  Life-changing for us!

So, all in all, life is good for Jake and I right now.  We have a very good, very strict routine running at home now and I'm still being farily strict with regards to what he eats.  He is allowed some treats, he's a child for Pete's sakes, but it's far more controlled.  And there's no junk in the cupboards at home - I finished the last chocolate last night ;o)

Anyway, I'll try post pictures again soon.  Thank you all so much for your love and concern - we feel it!!

Sue X

Bokkie...

My garden is slowly starting to take hold and I'm thrilled by each little flower that opens. I snapped this pretty number yesterday while relaxing in the sunshine with Jake for a bit.  It's called a bokbaaivygie.  My parents always had these succulents growing in our driveway when we were kids and I loved their multi coloured prettiness.  I've got three plants growing beautifully in the sunshine and I love them as much now as I did then!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Love Sue XXX

Thank you...

Well, this was unexpected!

A newly disclosed reader and fellow blogger (Mrs FF) has given me an award!  I'm not sure that it's entirely merited, but I am grateful that she thinks enough of my blog to share this with me.

There are quite a few rules that go along with this award, they are as follows:

• Add the award logo
• Link the nominator's blog
• Nominate 5 - 10 blogs I usually follow
• Let the nominees know that they've been nominated and add their links
• Say 7 random things about yourself.

 OK, so, the picture's been added and Mrs FF's blog linked.  My nominees are as follows: -

• Lee over at Pink Granite
• Roo at Lala Ween World
• Caroline at Rhymes & Reasons
• Lisa at To Love Bella

OK, so I realise that I'm only nominating 4, but these are the 4 blogs I'm comfortable sharing with you.  The other blogs I visit are wildlife blogs/pop in without commenting blogs, so feels a bit weird to nominate them.  The friends other friends I'd love to nominate include Wendy, Pia, Louise and Nicola, but they all seem to be in a bit of a blogging slump at the moment, so it's not fair to add them to my list as their news is all old!  Perhaps this will get them to pick up their pens again...

OK, so the 7 random things about me...

1. I hold little value in material possession.  The type of car you drive, the house you live in, the designer handbag you carry all mean very little to me.  I truly am happy with the simplest things in life.  A thoughtfully hand-picked bunch of flowers means by far more than an expensive bunch bought at the florist.
2. I have panic attacks in the night time over my child's safety and one of my greatest fears is being attacked in our home at night.  My house is like a fort, I have tried to do everything possible to keep it safe.  I am fiercely protective of my child.  Being a mother is the most rewarding challenge in life.  I would give my life for my son, without a moment's hesitation.  That said, I also panic that something will happen to me, leaving Jake on his own.
3. I am 100% satisfied with the fact that I only have one child.  The idea of having any more freaks me out more than you can imagine.  Besides the expense of it all, it's emotionally draining to see them facing problems.  Babies are easy, kids are not.  I think I've reached the stage where I'm selfish enough to know that I'm happy with life as it is.  Plus, I'm 35 and Jake is 8, means I'll be 45 by the time he finishes school - young enough to enjoy a lot of life!!
4. I'd love to write a book.  Probably a children's book, but I have no idea where to start.  Would love to do this with Jake.  Like the painting I want to do with him...
5. I love the beach, I love knowing it's around the corner, but don't visit it as often as I should.  I love South Africa (besides the crime and politics) and cannot imagine living anywhere else in the world.  While I love travelling, Cape Town has always been home and hopefully always will be.  A walk on the beach and an ice-cream with Jake this afternoon is not a bad idea, the weather is stunning (20 deg C forecast!).
6. I get grumpy when I don't know when my next holiday is.  Ask Danie.  My heart is always away, thinking about where to next.  Unfortunately, life for now dictates that we stay at home for a while.  This is also good, but I need to know where to next.  Jake wants to go tiger fishing in Botswana, I want the bush and I think Danie would just be happy to have a break from work, even if he doesn't go anywhere.  For now, it'll probably only be 2014 before we do anything hugely exciting again.  Don't get me wrong, I am happy to get away for a weekend!
7. I am a hopeless romantic. I love cards and flowers and date night. I love cuddling on the couch with a good movie (I hate channel surfing more than anything, would rather not watch, as Danie knows). I love holding hands and feeling taken care of. Some of these things (like date night) don't happen often enough at the moment, but that's life...
8. Since I'm in the swing of things and since I only made 4 nominations, perhaps an extra "secret" would make up for it...  I love my girl friends, sisters and mothers to bits.  I am so blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing, strong women.  I don't see most of them as often as I'd like to, but again, that's life.

OK, so that's it.  Thanks again for the nomination, I feel very special!

Sue X