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