Happy Easter Puppy Photo Shoot

HAPPY EASTER BLOGGY FRIENDS!

This is one of my little girls posing - can you see her eyes have opened now. Two days ago the girls opened their eyes and the next day the boys did but they still can't really see for a few more days yet. They were not all so enthusiastic about the Easter Photo shoot either.

First a yawn and then they all nodded off!

Here are the 2 girls:

and the 2 boys:

and one of Aoife who so loves to watch my babies she was too distracted to pose:

and lastly I was persuaded to pose.



I look a bit sad here but it was just because I heard that we dogs can't have any of the lovely chocolate eggs that have appeared everywhere today. However I have heard there may be doggy treats on the way :-)

Wordless Wednesday - The Milk Bar

Growing Pups

Yes - this is me - taking a well earned break from my pups. They are growing every day - just about twice as big as they were when they were born and sometimes I just need a bit of time to myself :-)

This is my eldest boy having a nap with his sister for a pillow!

and here is that same pretty sister on her own.

This is my other little boy...

...and my first born little girl :-)

They all look quite different from each other now but as they grow up they will all be lovely little schnauzers just some a bit darker than others.

Here you can see them all together on the heat pad - boy-girl-boy-girl from L-R

Well I hope you enjoyed seeing the pictures but I'll say goodbye for today - I'm going back back to sleep for a while :-)

A Night at the Vets

Sad to say I have not been having a very fun time for the past few days as you might be able to tell from my blue bandage! On Thursday night I started feeling very sick - I had to keep running outside and couldn't keep any food down (or in :-( ) Luckily Leigh was there to help me in and out and clean me up and give me cuddles but I knew I wasn't right. I didn't want to leave my pups - I was so worried they wouldn't manage without me. Leigh had to carry me to the car the next morning to go to the vets - she said that she and Judith would do all that was needed to care for my babies while I was away and that I would soon be back. But worse was to come.

 I had to see 2 vets and they wanted to take an X-ray so I promised to lie very still so I wouldn't need an anaesthetic and they did what they needed to and that was fine. They said there were no really bad problems but when I gave birth I had started a little infection inside me and that was what was making me ill. The good thing was they caught it really quick and they had medication to make me better...the bad thing was that my milk had dried up and I was dehydrated so they needed to put me on a drip. I wanted to go home really but the vet said I had to stay in overnight. She was staying in a flat above the surgery and she said she would check every so often to see I was OK. They made me a comfortable bed and I stayed there all night. The next morning I was much better - I just wanted to get back to my babies. The vet told my peeps:  'Be careful as she might have forgotten about her pups' - I don't think so! All I was thinking about was getting home to them.

Here I am checking if they are alright. I know that Leigh and Judith stayed up all night to make sure my pups were fed formula milk and helped to go to the toilet but I don't think they will have been as good at mothering them as I am. My pups were so pleased to see me they scrambled across to me quick as quick :-)

Today things are much better - I have to have some tablets to make sure the infection doesn't come back and some special food to keep me going but as you can see my milk has come back and those little pups are growing well.

This little boy is happy now he's back to mother's milk :-)

and I am so happy to snuggle up with my babies again!

Meanwhile Trilby couldn't wait to tell me about her games in the snow. Yes - snow! And last year at this time we were playing in the sun in the garden. Here is Trilby sporting some snowball furnishings!

I'll be back again soon with more puppy pics - I can't wait for them to open their eyes and see me for the first time :-)

Wordless Wednesday - Puppy Pics

St Patrick's Day Pups

Well they came at last - after I had 2 days and nights of them thinking about it and kicking me and changing their minds those pups decided to pop out on St Patrick's Day :-) I was getting so tired and fed up and my peeps were getting so-o tired with not getting any proper sleep and then it happened. The first little bruiser (a girl) came out at 5.30 pm and by 7 pm all 4 were born. So Trilby has 2 new little brothers and 2 new little sisters only she is not allowed to see them. No-one can see them but me and my peeps just yet.

Here they are lying on their heated pad. They were each about 200gm in weight (7 oz) so no wonder I was fed up and feeling huge as a house before they were born.

Of course all they want to do right now is eat and sleep - 

not much different to me I suppose really :-)

Their eyes and ears are closed so they can't see or hear yet but they can certainly move and they twitch about all the time which my peeps say is their nervous system developing. Here are some close up photos of the pups:

I know last time everyone thought my pups were little rotties when they were born and this lot don't look much like schnauzers yet either but they will do - just wait and see :-)

Call the Midwife

More embarrassing photos - oh no :-( My peeps have been going into overdrive with preparations for my pups birth. I thought they were talking about a Red Nose Day joke when they mentioned shaving tummies but no - it was me getting ready for the day. Take care with that little shaver Judith! The birthing room is getting stocked up again:

My whelping box with the polyester fur and the red heat-pad for my pups to rest on when they aren't snuggled with me. The white rail is there in case I roll on a pup accidentally - as if I would!

There is a removable door with a window which can keep us all safe and warm when needed.

Piles of newspapers - printed and unprinted - and not for me to read but to keep things nice and clean in the box when my pups start moving about...and making a mess. So there's also plenty of these too :-)

and just in case something went wrong and I couldn't feed my little ones my peeps have some stand-by provision for that too.

So paws crossed that everything's OK for me - hoping to have my little ones this weekend and just so Trilby knows I've not forgotten (as if I could) on this day last year (15 March) I gave birth to 4 little ones including Trilby so she is celebrating her birthday today - with another Cherry Barkwell and a stagbar:

I may not be posting for a day or two but Leigh will keep you up to date on what's happening here.

Wordless Wednesday - Last Photos of Crufts 2013

Trilby, Crybbe & the Cherry Barkwells

Hello bloggy friends - it's Magic back :-) I'm not too happy about having pictures taken right now as I'm feeling not at all glamorous - trying to hide my tummy here from prying eyes! And then to make it worse Trilby comes back from showing off at Crufts with a rosette for Reserve in Good Citizen Bitch (Miniature Schnauzers). My name was there in the catalogue but I would have stood no chance like this I know:-(

Here she is looking so sweet with her rosette (and one of Crybbe's) 

As you can see Crybbe made sure he not only won more rosettes than Trilby but also had new toys and cakes to celebrate.

Crybbe gained Reserve in Limit Dog and then went on to take the 1st prize in Good Citizen Dog!

Here are some of the toys Judith brought back from Crufts - for us ALL Crybbe!

and these are the delicious Cherry Barkwell Tarts for Dogs :-)

Well after Crybbe had posed for his picture, he thought he would make a grab for those tarts before anyone else could get them:

He was sure he could get the lid off and grab one but...

they started slipping off the sofa and who was there to grab one instead?

Trilby!

Well Trilby did quite well all round actually because she also got a lovely winter jacket from the pet365 stand at Crufts too. Here she is in her red Hurtta jacket just in time for the cold blustery weather we're having right now. Snow again today.

That's the end of the Crufts extravaganza for this year. If anyone is interested in knowing about the overall Best in Show winner, it was a sweet Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen called Jilly and you can see her picture by clicking here Anyway I will be back later in the week to let you know how things are going with me. My whelping box has been put up again and Leigh is sleeping on the sofa downstairs by my comfortable Orvis memory foam bed in case I need to go out in the night or require a late night snack or such. It's very trying being pregnant with the hunger cravings, and the occasional need for a soothing stroke or words of comfort but I'm managing :-)