Day 59 - A Few Thoughts from Elsie

Okay. I'm ready.

Whatever this load is I'm carrying, I want it outta me.

Now.

[pause to pant]

No, really...like, NOW.

I've had enough.

[pause to pant]





And, as if carrying this watermelon-belly around weren't enough, Dad keeps lifting my tail and sticking this skinny plastic thing up my butt twice a day and holding it there until it beeps.

And then he says things like, "nope, not yet" and "you've gotta hang in there a little longer, Els."

[pause to pant and burp]

Excuse me. [I'm a polite Labrador]

Anyway, that's what Dad said tonight, after he heard the beep, pulled that plastic stick out and said something like "a hundred point three" (whatever that means).

[pause to pant, pant, and double pant]

You humans do the strangest things.

All I know is, my tummy is too wide and bumpy to lay on comfortably, I can't bend in the middle to reach what I want to scratch, my teats are leaking this sticky white stuff, and I can't maneuver myself into a position where I can lick them all to keep them clean.

[big sigh -- pant some more]

I can't even get comfortable on the couch.

Bummers.

[another big sigh]

And then there are all these funny feelings and pokes and prods inside my belly and under my ribs. It's like something is kicking me in there.

What's that about?

I can't even eat like normal, but at least I get lunch now, too. I could get used to this eating three times a day, except that I feel like I have to pee all the time.

[pause to pant and sigh]

Won't somebody please tell me what gives?

Thanks for listening. I needed to get that off my chest.

Now if I could just get this bulge out of my belly...

Udderly Elsie

Well, she's still hanging in there.

Literally.

Take a look (photos from today, Day 58, I think):


I'm not sure how much longer (or farther) she can "hang" (hehe).

Sweet girl.

She's tolerating her discomfort very well, and she continues to be as affectionate, alert, and as gentle as ever.

The puppies sure are lively!

I'm going to try to capture some of their movement (internal movement resulting in moving bumps on Elsie's abdomen) on digital video so you all can see what it looks like.

It's pretty wild.

And Elsie just rolls with it; doesn't seem to bother her at all.

Stay tuned!

'Til next time,
Joan

Kenya's Perspective

"Elsie, pregnant? What's that?

Oh, that's okay by me. As long as she's all right.

She's my bud. We snuggle together.

Maybe I'll just hang out here to make sure she's okay."

Ridge's Perspective

"Oh, yeah.

That puppy thing? Well, that was me.

Yup, me and only me. I'm the guy who did the deed!

Heh heh."

Baxter's Perspective

"Pregnant? Puppies? Oh. Okay. Hey, did you notice my bone here?"

Elsie's Perspective

"Four more days? You've got to be kidding! Oh, help and bother."

Still Wide and Waiting

Well here's Elsie today: still wide (maybe wider?) and waiting.




She's sleeping a lot now (resting up?). And she still needs much reassurance from us (seems like more each day):






















She just wants to touch. In these pics, when Don removed his hand to turn the page of the magazine he was reading, she pawed him to touch her some more--something she does more insistently now.

It didn't matter that she was butt-up-against Ridge or that Kenya was two feet away. It didn't matter that Don sat less than a foot away in the rocking chair. She needed Don to stroke her face and ears. His hand had to be ON her, and not on the rocker's arm.

She needs human touch. I guess we provide her with a kind of security the canine kids don't. Don't get me wrong; she still loves being near Baxter, Kenya, and Ridge. But she seems to need to be with us.

Go figure.

In any case, she definitely wants us nearby these days.

So nearby we will be.

Her temperature was 99.5 this morning, but she's back up to 100.1 tonight. So we probably have a few more days to go.

:o)

Stay tuned.

'Til next time,
Joan

Wide Load & Waiting

Here's the Elsie Girl as of today, August 20th, aka Day 57. She's now affectionately called "wide load," "preggers," and "little mama."


We're in watch-and-wait mode. Elsie's temperature has been running between 99 and 100 degrees (F) for the last two days (a normal temperature for canines is 101.7 F). When we saw her temperature dip below 100, I ran out and picked up the rest of our whelping supplies (I'll post about that another time).

We're ready (at least as ready as we'll ever be).

Our vet told us when she dropped below 100 (F) she was getting close to whelping (delivering her puppies), and below 99 (F) meant it could be anytime (certainly within 24 hours). That's essentially what the books have told us, too.

She was 99.7 (F) this evening.

She's producing milk out of all of her teats, and she looks like she's got nine miniature udders (she walks and sways like a cow now, bless her heart).


She appears to be waiting, just as we are.

She still seems uncertain about what's happening, and she wants to touch and be touched continuously by us humans (she's getting the bejeebers touched, rolled, and kicked out of her on the inside by those active little puppies!)

She needs more reassurance (something we gladly offer), especially since she's become so uncomfortable.

And she's clearly uncomfortable.

I would be, too. My, oh my, oh my! Just look at those teats. I feel uncomfortable seeing her like this, and it's been twenty years since I had my last baby!

I can't imagine she'll last much longer without going into labor -- not with how ready she looks and with how restless she seems.

So it won't be long. We'll let you know as soon as her temperature drops below 99. 0 (F). Then you'll know it's 24 hours or less until puppy time.

Stay tuned!

'Til next time,
Joan

The Whelping Box

The whelping box is done.

And we're gradually introducing Elsie to it.

For now we've put her dog bed in there, and removed the partitions, just so she gets used to the space.

You'll notice permanent internal rails along the sides. These are to prevent Elsie from accidentally smothering a pup between her and the sides of the box. If a pup wiggles under there, she can't lie down on top of it.


You may also notice the cut away "door" in the front. For now we'll leave that open so Elsie can come and go as she pleases.

But once she has her puppies, Don built a slider insert that can close that up to keep the puppies in. We'll just remove it so Elsie can get in and out as she needs to.

DH also built insertable partitions so we can cordon off sections of the box (if we have to rotate pups as they're feeding, or if we need to give Elsie a break from the puppies' constant demands). I'll post pictures of those as we get them inserted.

Oh, and DH (ever thinking about Elsie's comfort and puppy protection) made bumpers to cover the top edges of the box everywhere any rough wood is exposed. We just haven't put them on yet. Sweet guy, and handy, too.

He does good work, if I say so myself.

I think I'll keep him (hehe).

'Til next time,
Joan

Poor Uncomfortable Elsie

Well, the Sweet Elsie Girl is getting a bit uncomfortable these days. So much so, in fact, that she prefers sleeping on her back (something she didn't used to do much before).

She's definitely getting closer to delivery (notice the hair loss around her nipples)!


Last night, while I was sitting on the couch, Elsie climbed up to sit next to me (climbed, being the operative word, since she used to jump). It was a tight fit, but we managed. While we sat there, Elsie next to me and hubby watching the Discovery Channel from his rocking chair, I kept my eyes on Elsie's belly.

And, don't you know, I saw those puppies moving (little bumps protruding and moving across various sections of Elsie's abdomen)! I'd felt them earlier this week against the palm of my hand as it rested on Elsie's tummy, but to SEE them was a trip. Way cool.

Wow, what a throwback to my own pregnancies! I could almost feel the movement in my belly (is that empathy or what?)! And the most I carried at one time was two (twins). I can't imagine the pokes, prods, wiggles, rolls, and kicks of seven.

But she's tolerating it all very well.

She has to go out a little more frequently to pee (puppies are cramping her bladder), and she pants more (puppies are cramping her lungs), and she eats 3 smalls meals a day now instead of two larger ones (puppies are cramping her stomach), but she's just as pleasant as can be.

No grumpy pregnancy for this one. She's a trooper.

Ten days, Elsie. Just ten days.

And then instead of having pups poke you and prod you from inside, they'll do it from the outside.

Okay. I'll rephrase.

Ten weeks, Elsie. Just ten weeks. Then you can sleep peacefully on your belly again.

'Til next time,
Joan

A Question for You Readers

Do you all want photos of Elsie's delivery?

Or wil that gross you out?

Just reply by commenting below. If you'd like some photos of her delivery, we'll be sure to get some and post them as we're in process (DH, and DD, a friend, and I will all be involved with her delivery, so we have plenty of hands).

BUT, if delivery pics would be too icky for you, Regular Reader, I'll refrain.

Just let me know!

J.

Puppies in Utero!

Well, it's definite (not that we had any doubt).

It looks like Elsie has at least SEVEN puppies growing inside (that's how many skulls and spines we see in her x-rays). It's possible she has eight pups (one may be hiding behind the others), but I think we're banking on seven.

Here are her x-rays (the puppies are spread out over the center, center right, and bottom of the images):





And, get this: she's already producing milk and looks bigger than she should be by our timeline.

Our vet thinks she'll deliver closer to Day 60 than Day 63 (normal gestational day count). She's at Day 49 now. That's only 11 days away!!!!!

Yikes!

We're introducing Elsie to the whelping box tonight. I'll post pictures of the fabulous box DH made, even lined with linoleum to protect the wood and for ease in cleanup, over which we'll, of course, put rug samples for puppy paws to grip, and newspaper later on for paper training. It's really nice. :o)

She's doing fine; just a little slower these days. But still her happy self, but showing no signs of nesting yet.

We'll start taking her temperature every 12 hours this weekend. When she drops to below 100 (F) she'll like deliver within 24hrs.

The other canine kids are all fine.

We'll keep you posted. :o)

How exciting and nerve wracking!!!! :o)

"Til next time,

Joan (who's been working 12-hours a day for the last two weeks, six days weekly, for a huge product deadline at work -- sorry to be out of touch, but will be more now)

She Still Wants to Swim

Well, the Elsie Girl continues to widen. :o)

She's got a tummy full of puppies (only a week to go until we get her x-ray), and it shows now. She seems unaffected, though, except her need for touch. Otherwise she wants to run and play and go for walks and retrieve as usual.

With only three weeks to go until she's due to deliver, we find ourselves trying to limit her exuberance , for her own good and the good of the puppies. And we don't allow rough housing with Baxter or Kenya (Ridge isn't a rough-houser).

We try to protect her.

But she doesn't always understand.

We took her and Kenya up to the cottage this past weekend for a brief, fun, get-away with friends. Since the boys were staying home (23 and 19), we left Ridge and Baxter with them, and took the girls with us. It made it saner for everyone, especially since Kenya is in heat. :o)

The cottage, of course, is the canine kids' favorite swimming place. Elsie, bless her heart, just loves the water. We didn't, however, want her jumping on her belly or over-doing (something she'd do if we let her). So we let her retrieve just a few times from the shore, and then dried her off and took here back inside while Kenya continued to romp.

Elsie didn't understand.

All she knew was that she wanted to swim (something she was created to do), and we wouldn't let her.

She didn't get that we were protecting her and her pups.

She didn't realize that the boundaries we gave her were for her (and her puppies') good.

She didn't understand that in this season of her life, moderation is necessary for her health and well-being.

The rest of the pictures here say it all.

Elsie wanted to swim and when she couldn't, became depressed.

DH, good egg that he is, sat with her and comforted her and let her know all was okay.

She didn't understand our boundaries, but he assured her of our love.

Sometimes that's all we can do.

And maybe, in some small way, she'll come to understand.

In the meantime, she'll just have to trust us.

'Til next time,
Joan

Needing Encouragement

There's NO question now. Elsie is definitely pregnant and showing. Her nipples have swollen even more, and they grow pinker each day (it seems). She's developing flank bulges on both sides when you view her from above. She's got the pregnant waddle down already.

And she's grown more needy.

She's going through so many changes right now, and I suspect they're leaving her feeling out of sorts -- not in a grumpy or irritable way, but, rather, she seems less secure. Two behaviors in particular tell me she wants and needs reassurance:


1. She follows us around all day: If I leave a room, she gets up to move to the next room with me, even if I'm only going to warm a cup of coffee. Before she got pregnant, our movement in the house didn't even make her pick up her head most times; she'd just slumber. Now it's like she can't be left alone.

2. She wants touch, or more like it, she needs touch: Elsie has always enjoyed our touch; she's been our lap dog and leaner since day one. But now her desire for physical contact seems constant. And she's more demanding about it -- pawing us, nudging her head under our arms, pushing between us, nosing her way between the other dogs to be closest to us.

She just wants to know everything's going to be all right. And understandably so; this is new to her. She's never been a mommy before.

As I've been watching Elsie the past few days, I'm reminded again how like her I am.

For the last two weeks, my day job has been difficult. Not the work itself, but the development of a new project that requires me to wear hats I'm not accustomed to wearing. I suppose I should be used wearing strange hats; I have since I started this job (hats for which I neither felt capable nor qualified). At least with those hats, everyone else knew what their jobs were, so if I wore a strange hat, I could find clarity from others who wore hats to which they were better accustomed. We had guidelines.

This project is different; it's new for all of us.

Our five-member team is developing something that could become a huge, life-changing, incredibly helpful resource for people with all kinds of struggles and from all walks of life. It's a five-DVD seminar series we're doing from scratch plus a 100-page accompanying workbook -- the content of which is powerful stuff.

As if that weren't stress enough (the stress of thinking about the series' potential and the need for a professional, well-written product), my ambiguity about roles is making me feel even more pressured. Truth be told, I'm not sure what my role is on the team (writer? editor? admin? co-trainer? designer? token female? internal team member or external consultant?) As a freelancer, I know my roles and job descriptions. I understand them and run with them. I do my freelance assignments well.

But this isn't freelance. I have bosses (or just one boss? -- even that's not clear) and co-workers (or maybe they're not really co-workers, but more like my superiors?). How I do my job (whatever it is) impacts them for better or worse. But if I don't know what my job is (where my responsibility begins and ends), I can't really know how to do it. So do I take initiative and plow ahead and risk failure, reprimand, and the possibility of doing it wrong (or unnecessarily duplicating someone else's work). Or do I sit on my hands, keep my mouth shut, and just wait to be told what to do, but then regret it later when I know I could have made a difference for good?

It's just so weird. There aren't any guidelines.

I hate (as in, abhor) being in this position. I'd rather feel competent and sure of myself, instead of feeling like a bumbling buffoon who can't do anything right or well (like I've been feeling lately). My uncertainty scares me and makes me uncomfortable. It's new territory for me.

And so I'm needing more reassurance. I'm needing those things that soothe me the way touch and our presence soothe Elsie.

Thankfully, I'm surrounded by friends and family who gently and patiently meet my need the way we meet Elsie's. They're willing to walk through my season of insecurity with me and not leave me to fend for myself.

I don't know what I'd do without them. Or without my canine kids, for that matter. They seem to know I need assurance, too, so they give back all we give to Elsie and more.

The poor, sweet, Elsie girl isn't done with her changes or discomfort, nor will she be for weeks to come. And then another season of change will follow with even more insecurity.

But we'll be here to walk with and reassure her through it all. She needs us.

And we need her (and her pack mates).

Such is the way of it with Labs.

'Til next time,
Joan

Since Baxter returned from the cottage, and Elsie got over her initial tummy discomfort and lethargy, the canine kids have all returned to their typical behaviors:




Ridge still hides toys from Kenya.







Elsie still sits like a polar bear (I wonder how long that will last).

The Kenya Bean still wants (and gives) lots of kisses.






And the Baxter Boos, ever the gentle giant, seems bemused by all the fuss.






Isn't that they way of it, though?

Good news, bad news, job finds, job losses, pregnancies, terminal illnesses, births, deaths -- it doesn't matter what the event or how great or small: Life ambles on.

As one country song writer puts it, you can't fence time.

Nor would I want to.

I suspect at this point, neither would Elsie.

So, life is returning to some sense of normalcy here. Well, for the next two or three weeks anyway, just until Elsie gets her x-ray and we find out how many pups she's carrying. Then shortly after that we'll move into whelping mode (building the whelping box, acclimating Elsie to it, gathering all the necessary supplies, taking Elsie's temperature every twelve hours, clearing our schedules for the impending birth, etc.).

And we'll await her delivery.

Eight weeks after that, the pups will be gone, and we'll be family of five humans, four Labs, and one cat again.

And life will continue to wend its way.

Knowing it does and will makes me want, even more, to savor moments and make each day count - to enjoy this season and its lessons now, whatever they are, because this season, too, will pass.

It's truly a gift when we learn to treasure our days, whatever they bring. It's one of the many gifts my Lab kids and human kids have given me, and still do.

It's a gift I value and try to hold on to. And I'm doing so more effectively as the years go by.

The funny thing is that enjoying-the-moment isn't something we have to teach our Labs or children: they know it instinctively. But we, as adults, have to relearn the practice.

We have to relearn (or perhaps, recapture) wonder.

So I'm relearning and savoring, and thanking God for Labs and little ones.

Where would we be without them!

'Til next time,
Joan

Whadya Think?

Is she or isn't she?

With how big and pink her nipples have become in just the last week, we're pretty sure she is!

And check out the belly bulge:


We think our little girl is going to be a mamma! :o)

What do you think? Are we imagining things?

'Til next time,
Joan

Baxter's Away Playing at the Cottage

Sweet Daughter Sarah (SDS) and her significant other, Chris, took Baxter with them to the cottage this weekend.

Yup, just the Baxter Boos. Nobody else.

Sarah and Baxter are buds. Can you tell?


Ridge, Elsie, and Kenya are sorely depressed. The funny thing is they knew when Sarah and Chris were leaving where they were headed. And, boy, were they disappointed when they couldn't join them in the car!

Poor canine kids.

But it's good for Baxter to get his 1:1 time with SDS (they really are special buds). And it's good for Sarah, too.

At least it's cool here now, so all three don't need the trip. And we won't have to worry about ear infections or limber tail in Elsie or Ridge (common after trips to the cottage, and something we want to avoid with Elsie in case she's pregnant).

But all three are acting more subdued than normal. Even Kenya (aka, wiggle-butt-peanut-head). I think they miss Baxter.

The pack's just not the same without him!

'Til next time,
Joan

Looking Likely - Part 2

THREE MORE WEEKS!!!! That's how long we have to wait for x-rays.

The vet's office said they'd x-ray her after Day 47.

Geez-Louise! That's, like, only two weeks before she'd be ready to deliver!

They said that when they verify her pregnancy, they want to count how many puppies she's carrying so they wait that long since the pups' spines will be developed enough by then to count them. And they don't see any sense in testing now and then both (to spare both her and the pups).

I get it. And, I guess I agree. Reluctantly.

But I'm a Nervous Nellie. This is Elsie after all.

So we're treating her like she is pregnant (regular, moderate exercise; healthy diet; keeping her from being stepped on by the other canine kids, giving her the attention she needs).

She sure is acting like she's pregnant, laying around even though it's delightfully cool (only in the 70s this weekend -- a rarity in July here).

I mean, she doesn't even rise to greet us like usual.

She does play and run and such, and she's alert and attentive, and she still opens the back door on her own, and she still rises to bark at other dogs and strange sounds, so she's not sick.

But she didn't eat breakfast this morning.

Hmmm.

Do pregnant canines experience fatigue and morning sickness the way humans do?

I wonder.

It's going to be a VERY long three-more-weeks until x-rays.

I hope I can stand it.

'Til next time,
Joan

It's Looking Likely...Gulp!

Well, we're at 25 days since Elsie and Ridge first mated (they mated twice), and the books and vet manuals tell us that you really can't tell if a Lab is pregnant until at least 24 days after mating, more definitively after 28 days (when the pups spines have started to develop and you can actually see them on an ultrasound).

So Don is calling the vet today to set Elsie up for testing (I have to adjust our countdown clock above once we have the ultrasound date).

But it's sure looking like she may be pregnant:

• she's acting differently: she seems tired and more low key
• her teats are looking a little bigger (but not engorged)
• she looks wider (from above, not below)
• she seems a little insecure (she needs more touch and closeness)
• her belly feels firmer
  

Gulp.

Big gulp.

I hate not knowing for sure.

We'll keep you posted!

'Til next time,
Joan

Their Interest in What We Do

"Unbridled."

That's the term I'd use to describe our Labs' interest in everything we do.

And now that Elsie is no longer in heat, people have become interesting again.

Especially to Ridge.

As I've blogged before, I really believe he's finally made us his own (after coming to live with us as a three-year-old, nearly three years ago).

And it shows.

There's simply no containing his interest in our activity (even simple things like reading a magazine, pictured above).

It's almost as if, after two years of testing us out and finally realizing he's safe here, he wants to show us he can be a real Lab (not that he ever wasn't one; he's always been a great dog).

He seems to want to show us he can be affectionate and enthusiastic and people-oriented, too, just like the others.

He can even love to be touched (something he wasn't too keen on when he arrived).

But it seems he thinks he has lost time to make up for, so now he does all those things with abandon -- with enthusiasm that exceeds the normal Lab zealousness for all things human.

"Look, Dad! I can be a real Lab!"

Silly Ridge.

He's been a "real" Lab all along. We've loved him like one since the day he arrived.

And that love seems to be paying off.

Call me irrational, but I think our love is being returned.

Tenfold.

'Til next time,
Joan

Countdown Clock

Okay.

So we know Elsie and Ridge mated (successfully tied) twice during Elsie's prime fertility period.

And we know Ridge has successfully sired other litters with other females.

And we know Elsie is in prime health.

But we don't know if she actually conceived as a result of this mating, and we won't for another few weeks.

So, for my sanity, and so I don't have to keep counting days on the calendar, I've added a permanent countdown clock (from ClockLink) at the top of this page just so we'll all know when it's time for Elsie's pregnancy test.

And then, if she's positive, I'll change the clock so it counts down to her due date.

:o)

Otherwise I'd be leafing through the calendar almost every day, driving me and everybody else crazy.

:o)

Can you tell I'm nervous?

Man...if it's like this with my canine kids, I wonder what it will be like when our human kids start having kids.

Wow.

'Til next time,
Joan

Peace and Quiet

Ahhh....

Shhhhhh....

Can you hear it?

Ahhhhhh....

There it is: the sound of...silence!

Well, almost.

Better put, it's the absence of Ridge barking, moaning, howling, rasping, groaning, whining, and pacing to get at Elsie.

Even after he "got at" her.

Twice.

Elsie must be past her fertile stage. And Ridge is sane once more. He's even eating and sleeping again.

Poor boy.

He can be a victim of his own drive.

Oh well.

I suppose there's a lesson for me in there somewhere, if I'd take the time to look.

Nah. Not today. I'm driven to meet a deadline. ;o)

'Til next time,
Joan