Puppies and baby

Last week was spring break for my kids-so just imagine a week-in winter-with all five kids home and many friends and family gone on trips to warmer places and white sands.   We knew it was close to time for our beautiful viszla dog to have her puppies and about a month from my sister-in-laws due date for her forth "surprise" baby!  A had drivers lessons planned for the first part of the week with his cousin so he headed off there for a few days.   Sunday we had dinner and game night with my brother and very pregnant sister in law.  My sister in law  joked about taking a profile picture of her and the dog for memory sake!!   The weather kept getting better and better-wonderful walking and outdoor weather.  Tues my brother called with the announcement that my sister in law was in labour-so I headed up to the hospital to see the tiny little 5lb 1 oz peanut.  T had been staying with them so he and grandma came up with my nephews.  We all felt so privileged to be the first visitors for this special arrival.  She is the 22nd grand baby on our side-very unexpected and 4 yrs since the last baby-but so very wanted!!!

Friday while I was at a doctors with my foster baby I got the call from home that we had been waiting for-Susie was finally in labour.  I frantically made phone calls to family that had asked if they could be present and rushed myself back to a house full of people anxious to see the first little babies come out.  Susie is such a good lovable dog.  G is the closest to her so she normally stays in G's room.  It therefore only made sense to have her give birth there.  So we packed 15 people into G's room to watch this miracle.  It is amazing to watch nature take over and mommy dog have these babies, clean them up and watch them take their first breaths and creep with closed eyes to nurse. What  a beautiful  experience.  That is why we did it-we wanted to let her have one litter so that the kids could see the whole birth and nursing process.  She ended up with 8 puppies-wow-and she is such a good mom-takes such good care of them.  So the winter week we were kind of dreading and trying to think of activities to keep everyone busy turned out to be a more beautiful and eventful week than we could ever have imagined!!