April 9 Day 30 Stoli Continued....

As I said earlier,  Stoli was flown at a very young age from Russia to the US.  His first stop wasn't Seattle.  He lived in California for the first 9 months.  At that point he came to live with me until I could find a "Forever" home for him.  He didn't take long to adapt to the Alchmy Pack and learn that playing at the dog park, a raw meat diet and sharing his space on the King sized bed wasn't bad.  His temperament is so solid I called him the 'bounce back boy,'   If something new was thrown at him, he'd stop and think and then take it in without another blink.  

I had him for about two months before he moved to Sequim

Life in Seattle

TinTin    Stoli    Nickel

Eureka and Stoli

 Corsa and Stoli

The famous Number 9 Tail

Corsa  and Stoli 

The (eh hem... ) love afair started

when Nickel was 3 yrs old

But he was a bit of a Paramour :)








Stoli and Eureka

TO BE CONTINUED......

April 8 Day 29 Begin Week 4

Found this in the archives.. apparently didnt get posted.....

Here's the picture in bed today... that's Mica on the left, Boomer on the right... and of course Nickel in the foreground.

Nickel has been doing a lot of Belly Up  the past few days.  Her mom and Ico did the same thing once they were on their way.  I suppose it could be partially due to puppy discomfort but I wonder if it's a behavior that is stimulated by pregnancy... getting her prepared to expose those milk machines to the puppers.    She is still incredibly clingy and vying for attention more than ever.  She's back to her normal energy level and I'm going to start getting some exercise under her belt (gently of course :)   I don't want her to turn into a couch potato.  She's also very sensitive about being touched on her stomach.  If she's touched she sucks her stomach in.  I thought it's probably a great abdominal exercise.. ha ha ha.

April 7 Day 28 The Fetal Days

Eureka and TinTin


So.... I started to wonder.... When does an embryo become a fetus.  It wasn't easy to find the answer for a dog.   I used the info for humans and translated it to the (much faster by 4x ) development in the dog.  


Guess what?  Tomorrow as we enter into our 4th week we will begin the 2nd trimester and this is (according to the Mayo Clinic) when an embryo officially becomes a fetus.


HAPPY DEVELOPING INTO A FETUS FROM AN EMBRYO PUPPERS!


" The first stage of the fetus begins toward the end of the first trimester of pregnancy.  At the end of the first trimester, it officially becomes a fetus.  According to Epigee Health & Fitness, the fetus has facial features at this stage, and it's heart has already started beating.  Its organs are now mostly formed and working.  The second stage of a fetus runs throughout the second trimester.  The fetus develops its eyelids, nails and hair during this stage....  According to the May Clinic, it also starts to produce and eliminate urine.  Its inner ear bones develop enough to detect sound, and it can now start to hear noises outside the womb.  It will also start... to move around.  During this stage, the mother will start to feel that movement.  The brain goes into a rapid develop[ment] phase by the end of this stage. "

  

April 6 Day 27

OK!  So give me a break! ;)    I settle in for the evening to work on my Blog.  Settle in means crawling into bed, Corsa on the left top,  Eureka on the bottom left, TinTin in the crate next to the bed (she doesn't like being crowded ;), Mica on bottom right and Nicke on the upper right.  Ah Nickel... She has a particular routine.  She moves to about 10 inches of my right shoulder, turns counter clockwise until her back is against me and collapses into my body.  I don't think she could get any closer.

But that's not all,  she insists that I put my arm around her so she can rest her right paw and chin over my right arm.  Sounds all fine and dandy doesn't it?  Except that how  on earth do I type on my laptop?  Sometimes I try to type only with my left hand.  I can do it, mind you.   Takes about 5 minutes to write one sentence (hence all my typos...L0L).  So what's a grand ma do do?  Should I move my arm so I can type?   Nah... I take the opportunity to give her belly rubs.  I think about how those little pups might be taking in the vibrations of their, eh hem...... great grand mammie!   I love to think that even at this stage of the game I might be having some cosmic relationship with them.  Yeah Ok,  so My therapist says that I have a God Complex.  but really!   ;^)

On a serious note, today I felt a puppy!  I palpated her tummy and could feel that tell tale 'walnut.'   I think that Nickel is carrying the pups high up under her ribs.  That's not uncommon in the beginnings of pregnancy and I don't think it has any baring on the number.  I only felt one, but I wasn't going to start poking around for more :)

Nickel has her ultrasound scheduled for Monday night.  I'll either be posting Monday (late) or Tuesday morning.... ha ha ha!  Like I could wait until Tuesday to tell everyone!

April 4 Day 25

Today is the 8 month Birthday of Ico,  Nickel's sister's puppies!  I can't believe they're that old already.  It was a fun day to celebrate because Mica has his sister visiting.  They have been playing nonstop since she arrived.  Boomer is here because I have them entered in a UKC show this weekend.

It will be Boomers very first time in a show but Mica tells me that he'll show her the ropes ;)  He was in his very first show two weekends ago.  He and I went up to Canada and Mica came home with his first CKC Point.  Doesn't Mica look like a big Bear and Boomer a snarky fox ... ha ha ha

                                      

A little about Nickel

Nickel is from my first generation Alchmy poodles.  She is TinTin and Nicky's daughter.  and Ico (mom of 2010 litter)'s sister.   Here is her pedigree (you can click on dogs to expand the pedigree):

Am/Can INTL Ch UGrCh Alchmys Magic Tin Nick-L Blues Am/Can RA JHD CGC TDI VC

FO UGRACH UOCH GR CH Tiger's Unique Magic Nicholas UD RAE MX AXP MXJ AJP NFP VCX AM CH Gailwyn Alexander So Unique AM CH Unique Opportunity UD CH Gailwyn Reach For A Star CDX Tiger's Jubilee AM CH Ale Kai Always Ready AM CH Tiger's Echo UKC INTL CH Bibelot's Tolka Tintanium Am/Can RA NAJ OAP NJP UAG-1 JHD TDI Bibelot's Cherod Tinsmith Bibelot's Sheffield Bibelot's Parchment CAN CH Blacktie Graphic Ag Of Bibelot AM CH Blacktie Shining On Lake Cove AM CH Graphic Sauvie Quick Silver TP

Here's Nickel's Dad Nicky:

and Mom TinTin:

TinTin and Nicky's litter was, as I said, my first litter.  I decided to raise the puppies on raw diet with minimal vaccinations.  Nickel and Stoli have been on a raw diet and vaccinated minimally so the up coming litter will be a second generation of full raw/minimal vacs.  This is important to me as I feel that both of these things impact the immune system of our dogs.

April 3 Day 24

It's amazing how fast the first Month goes.  There was so little happening and so few changes in Nickel the past 24 days just flew by.  The changes that she was showing were so subtle that I didn't know if I could believe them or not.  Well,  now there's no doubt!

I bathed her last night and with her hair wet you could really see her shape has changed.  She still has a tuck up but there is a thickness up high toward her back at her waist.    I'm surprised that she's showing sooner and more clearly than Ico did, but perhaps it's because she's in a Continental so her belly shows more.... OR... she is carrying more pups (yikes).   My friend Theresa said (soon after the breeding) that she had a dream with 8 puppies in it.  Nickel says, "Theresa! couldn't you have seen  6 or 7 puppies?!"

I have a little (silly) theory that moms have the right number of nipples for the number of puppies.  (I know that's not really true since some dogs have up to 15 or more pups with the normal 10 nipples... but humor me)  TinTin had only 8 nipples.  One was so tiny that it only had one pore that the milk came out of... it was more like a little tiny pimple. Eeks.   She had 7 puppies.  Boy did those pups work at that thing!


Ico had the same number and the missing nipple is in the same place as TinTin.  Fearing a family legacy of 7 nipples and one eccentric pimple, I did a thorough exam of Nickel.   She has the normal 10.

 That means 9 puppies, right?

Can you see the pooch starting?

Ok, since we're talking about nipples I'll have to tell you my silly story...

For my work I have to call the hospital nightly to find out whether I have a 'case' for the next morning (I run a Heart-Lung machine for open heart surgery).   I call the Operating Room Desk and the nurse tells me the schedule.  Sometimes they're busy so I may have to wait on the phone for a while.  

So.....  I was sitting on the couch with the *very* pregnant TinTin in my lap.  She was sitting up with her back leaning against me and front feet held up in the air.  I think she was about 50 days pregnant so her mammaries were getting well developed and I was rubbing her belly.   When I called,  the nurse told me that she had to put me on hold.   So I sat there, and sat there, and started saying to TinTin, " OHhhhhh I LOVE your boobies!   You siwwy girl,  I Looooooooove your boobies.... Ohhh I love your boobies."  I'd totally forgotten that I was on 'hold' until I heard the nurse saying, " Errrr,  Ah... Hello?"