Lucy X Derwood
Pups born March 3, 2009

LL

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A day before the "big day," Lucy went in for a prenatal check-up.  Don felt that Lucy deserved a special treat for doing such a good job with her pregnancy...A quick stop to Mickey D's was in order!

Lucy is thinking, "Uh, this doesn't look like the veterinary hospital...but something sure smells yummy!"	LL	"Mmmm.....Thanks for the hamburger, Daddy!"
Lucy much prefers the couch to her own bed, and we just didn't have the heart to make her get off like a good girl should!  (Please excuse the menagerie of blankets and towels in the picture--that is only a small portion of what we use when whelping a litter)!	LL	"OK, let's head to the veterinary hospital. I'm ready to see my babies' beautiful faces!"

The "Big Day..."

The puppies' birthday proved to be a horribly stormy day. However, on the way to the vet, we were given a sign that this would be a splendid day!  We'd rather have an isolet full of puppies at the end of the rainbow instead of a pot of gold anyday!	LL	Lucy had one last weigh-in before going in for surgery. You can tell she's not too happy about it, and is dreaming of getting her girlish figure back as soon as possible!
In the waiting room...	LL	Dr. Dottie is giving Lucy a big hug before helping her bring her puppies into the world!
Don is looking over his precious bundle of puppies.	LL	Like any proud papa, Don shows off one of the pups to a little girl that  was at the vet's.  Don is so considerate, bending down to give the girl the best view possible!

The count is in...      
3 brindle boys
1 brindle girl
1 fawn boy
2 fawn girls

Taking a snooze under the heat lamps.

LL

This is what we call, "Isolet City." It's not too pretty, but it's necessary for when the pups decide to suck on each other and we must separate them!

One and a half weeks old...

LL

And the line-up is: (colored collars)
Brindle Boys:
Red, Blue, Green
Brindle Girl: Yellow
Fawn Boy: Black
Fawn Girls: Teal and Mint Green

More photos to come...We're just trying to get through these first few weeks of very little sleep!
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3 weeks-old already, we can't believe it! The puppies have started on gruel, and all seem to like it a lot, more than any previous litter!  Of course, nothing is better than mom's milk, but they can't have that forever! 

While we love each and every stage the puppies go through in their short 8 weeks here, we get excited about this stage especially because they are finally walking, have their eyes open, and can hear us and each other better.  Most of all, their personalities start to show, and they interact with each other much more.  Puppy playland is right around the corner, but for now, here are some pics of the puppies at 3 weeks:

In the beginning, things are pretty calm and clean, but by the end of their meal, the puppies usually have gruel all over themselves!	LL	Green boy demonstrates the idea of "getting serious about his gruel" but what's with the hairdo?
After eating and being toweled off, they cuddle together for a nice nap.	LL	They must be dreaming of nursing on mom, but is anyone going to tell them Nemo doesn't have any nipples, and certainly not on his dorsal side?

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