Our First Camping Trip...by Rachel

Last weekend we did something really different...Mom packed us up in the van with Momma and some of the big dogs and we went on a car ride. Now, last time we went on a car ride, it was just Mercedes and I and we went to somewhere Mom calls work....but it was fun!

This time when we stopped we got out of the van and into our room but it was in a weird place! Momma showed us how to dig in the dirt when she could move the pen without Mom catching her. Digging is FUN! Momma said there were goats and chickens too, but Mom didn't let us go play with them...maybe when we're bigger. Momma tried to bring some of the goats over to us, but Mom made her stop. I wonder if we're always going to have to listen to Mom when she bosses us?



When the sun was shining, we got to play in our room...but when it got cold, Mom put us in the van with Momma so we could keep warm. I think we kept her moving us back and forth from our room in the van to our room outside all weekend! And this mat thing? I guess we're not supposed to chew on it....but it was right there! What's a puppy to do?

That's me, Rachel. I tried this "please take me out of here" eyes on Mom, but she didn't fall for it once. I'm going to have to work on the look....I must be missing something. I'm going to keep working on it. I mean, really, how can you resist this look?

Kurt thought he could eat his way out of the room we were in. He's always trying to eat something...he's such a piglet.

Quinn found something called a Bully Stick that she chewed on when Momma stopped chewing on it. She said we'll like it better when we have bigger teeth....we're going to get bigger teeth? That's awesome!!! Imagine the things that'll fit in our mouth then!

It was an exhausting weekend. We played a lot, learned how to dig in the dirt and, of course, met new people who kept telling us how cute we were....like we've never heard that before!

On the drive home Mom kept making this noise she calls "singing." I'm not going to tell her who started yelling every time she sang....but I tell ya, it's hard for a girl to get her beauty sleep with

that noise she makes! Good thing we don't need much!

We're going camping in a new place next weekend Mom says. I can't wait to see what we learn there!

Our first escapee from the whelping box

Our first escapee from the whelping box was this quiet looking young lady, Mercedes! I would have bet on Rachel.

Last night we had our first puppy nail triming sesson. Everyone handled it well, some of them even fell asleep during the process. I only quicked a couple of them and a few belly rubs later they forgot and let me continue on.

Surfaces puppies have "walked" on (walk being a relative term): vinyl, fleece (both high pile & blanket), tile and loose plastic. They've also spent quality time in the room with the vacuum cleaner...I can't wait until they're big enough to chase it! And, of course, since they're in the bedroom, they're learning to sleep through the scariest of noises, my snoring!!

In no particular order, here are the rest of the 19 day old photos of the Glees

Finn

Quinn

Kurt

Rachel

Artie

Our first photo shoot

The puppies had their first individual photo shoots today. With Daddy and Grandma off doing trailer things (Grandma just bought a wonderful 2002 Chalet Aspen that she's going to let me use until sometime later) I got to be the puppy wrangler and photographer. Let me tell you, that was no easy task.

Taking a page from a friend's book, I picked up a puppy and just snuggled her until she settled down (I started with the girls, the boys are so much easier!) and then put her down for her picture, grabbed the camera and started clicking.

She just looks still and quiet. Satinka's girls are Satinka's girls! Thank goodness for the continuous setting on the camera, because there are about a million shots showing her trying to wander away from the camera... and she can't even walk much yet. Yes, that's just a hint of an opening eye there on the right.

This little girl is her Mother's Daughter! She announced her arrival at Kaos at the top of her lungs. She's the first to figure out how to stack up her brothers to use their heads to try and climb out of the whelping box (no mean feat considering she can't really walk yet nor can she see!) and she's the first to start to open her eyes. She's got trouble written ALL over her!

Yes, she looks like she's sleeping, but this little munchkin is just trying to decide which side the flash is coming from so that she can move her head away from me. I have several lovely pictures of the back of her head!!! More open faced than the first girl and lighter than the 2nd girl, it's going to be much easier to tell all three girls apart than it was with Emmy's litter.

As has become tradition with Satinka (does 2x make a tradition?) this little guy was born on my bed. Tinks was supposed to be sleeping in her whelping pen (a luxury suite that a mastiff would probably be comfortable in!). But she was restless and uncomfortable, which translates into me not sleeping either, so I let Tinks up on the bed for some belly rubs. I fell asleep...she had a puppy. At only 8 oz, this little guy has given me some concern, but I think he's going to make it. He's just so sweet and snuggly and such a little fighter! I recognize his "I'm hungry NOW" cry in my sleep. He's a little blurry because I didn't want him to start fussing. Maybe I'm babying him a little much, but we're trying not to over-stress him...so he's fuzzy...get over it :-)

The boys are just quieter (with the exception of Mr. Hungry). This little guy woke up when I picked him up, snuggled for a few seconds and went back to sleep. At least I didn't have to chase him around the bed with the camera!! I always wondered if Blaze would pass on his quiet, laid back temperament....at this point I'm guessing Yes. Again, the boys have helped me tell them apart by having different markings. Much more accommodating than Emmy's brothers. We could only tell two of them apart by the size of the white tip on his tail!

Of course, in every sweet boy, a little bit of Satinka is going to come out....even in his sleep. That or he's making a comment on my photography skills that should have been kept to himself!!