They're Here...

Third time's the charm. For Stella's final performance as a #%^* in labor, she behaved like an old pro. She moved quickly through stage 1 and into stage 2 labor at 4pm, conveniently waiting until after my 1pm appointment, to deliver her first puppy at 4:45pm. The whelp progressed smoothly and steadily until the last pup was delivered at 7:45pm. None of the puppies required any special attention or effort on our part. Stella calmly and coolly took care of everything.

The results of her labors are 5 healthy, happy, hungry puppies. We have one yellow boy and 4 Stella juniors (black females). Everyone is gaining weight and keeping warm, including us. Our house is a toasty 78 degrees! We welcomed the warmth this weekend, when we woke up to an inch of snow and more still falling! Tonight is supposed to get down to 15 degrees, so we'll keep the fire going in the woodstove.

I am 2 exams and a project away from the end of my semester. I am looking forward to the near future when I can succumb to endless hours of (guilt free) puppy watching. It is my intention to post updates and pictures weekly, so check back to see the pups grow.