Day Eight - Too Cute For Words

Omeeka's puppies continue to thrive. They are getting so big they now have to compete when they, literally, belly up to the bar. They are such nice little pups, they snuggle in when I pick them up to clip their nails. Much easier than reaching into the pool. Thanks for that tip Cindy!

Omeeka is patiently waiting for a dip in the pool with her buddy Yorba who just happens to be her nephew (brother Omsi's boy with Ember). Yorba is learning to play nicely in the pool - thank goodness I figured out how to stop him from jumping onto Omeeka as she swims. It's a simple trick really. I just spray him with the garden hose. Now, all I have to do is pick up the hose and Yorba is a much better nephew!

One Week Old

The O litter is one week old today. They continue to be wonderful quiet little puppies who are growing by leaps and bounds!

Omeeka has started to leave the puppy pool unattended for short intervals. She is a very relaxed but conscientious mom. She enjoys her time away from the pups by cooling off in the swimming pool. It's a little challenging to dry her off when she is done swimming, but want to make sure that she is dry so that the babies don't get wet / cold.

Yesterday Cindy and Valle stopped by to see their girl and her pups. Omeeka was happy to see them and showed off her swimming skills for her family. Cindy took these fabulous photos recording the pups 6th day of life for posterity. Enjoy!

O Litter By The Numbers

The O's continue to thrive under the watchful eye of supermom, Omeeka.

I thought it would be interesting to track the pups' aggregate weight gain over the course of the next few weeks. (Ok, maybe it will be interesting or maybe I'm not adjusting to retirement as well as I think . . .) Anyway, here goes:

• On Monday evening (July 20th) the total puppy weight was 9.1 lbs.
• Four days later, Friday morning, the total puppy weight increased by 2 lbs.
• Nine of the pups are now one pound or better, only little brown who weighed 11.5 oz at birth is hovering just below the one pound mark.

As the work associated with caring for the litter increases over the next few weeks, it will be interesting to see how much time I will have for this kind of fun trivia!!

"O" Litter - Day Two

Omeeka and her 10 bambinos continue to do well. All of the pups gained weight overnight, are nursing well, and are so quiet.

Omeeka is a very attentive mom who is patient and gentle with her babies, keeps their pool sparkling clean, and rarely takes a break. Yesterday she had to be encouraged to go outside for potty breaks but today she is getting up and going out without being cajoled. In fact, this morning she stuck her toes into the swimming pool but came right out when I said, NO!

Zorba, Baby Daddy

With two good looking parents like Omeeka and Zorba, it's no wonder the "O" litter is so darn cute! Zorba is very handsome!

OHMYGOSH OMEEKA!

Omeeka's 10 bambinos arrived last night between 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. There are 5 boys and 5 girls. The pups are all good size, with weights ranging between approximately 11.5 oz and three one pounders. Everyone is doing well after a night of rest and a good breakfast and hurry break for mom. Pictures to be posted soon.

Everything's Ready

Everything is ready, whelping room with pool, newspapers, towels, colored yarn, pedilyte pops in the freezer, the one big exception is . . . Omeeka. She is resting comfortably on the cool tile floor in the kitchen, no signs of labor yet today.

Her puppies seem to be taking up all the space in her belly, leaving her little room for dog kibble. Thankfully, Omeeka is a very talented girl who is able to extract every last speck of the turkey burger mixed in her dog food without taking even one bite of the kibble!

Omeeka Keeps Her Cool

While waiting out the final days of her pregnancy, Omeeka enjoys keeping cool in the HOT HOT weather with a few laps in the swimming pool. Although she makes it quite clear to us that she would prefer to leap through the air into the water, she has been very cooperative in using the steps instead. She told me that she feels light as a feather in the pool, no small feat considering all the puppies she is carrying around! Omeeka is such a good girl.

Omeeka Arrives

Cindy and Val dropped Omeeka and all of her supplies off this afternoon. They are sure to miss sweet "Little O" while she is away. The good news is that Omeeka will have a few days of fun in the sun before she has to get down to business with her 10 bambinos. But, Omeeka likes to play hard; it will be quite a challenge to keep her from belly flopping into the pool after a tennis ball. So far, so good.

And the xray says . . .

Omeeka had her prenatal xray today. Although Mo can't guarantee a number, she spotted at least 10 puppies. woooowhooo! Omeeka definately has babies on board.