wednesday morning...

October 3rd 2007- what a crazy day when Sage had her first litter of ten puppies. I knew she was very close to going into labor when I went to bed at midnight the night before. I set an alarm for 4am so I could get up and check on her. She came up to get me at about 4:15 after my alarm had gone off and I was lying there in bed. She was panting and looking at me trying to decide if I knew how to help her or not. I followed her downstairs to where we had it set up for her to have the pups. She paced and groaned and changed positions for about 20 more minutes and then the first pup came at 4:40am. The next one was at 5:50, the next at 6:50 -which was the first little girl, then 7:05, 7:25. After five I wondered if she was all done. The vet had told us five maybe six. I walked her outside and she seemed okay...and maybe done....but I didn't know. Matt left for work and I was alone with the kids and the crying new baby puppies. Every ten minutes I was checking on her and then at about 8:45 there was puppy number six. Wow...I thought...and then couldn't believe when puppy number seven came at about 9:45. That one was a little girl and had something wrong with her umbilicus. I took her in to the vet and they tried to replace some bowel that had come out. My neighbors were nice to let me throw my kids at them. I felt so crazy. I didn't want Sage to smother one of the puppies while trying to take care of the others...and I wasn't sure she knew exactly what she was doing. When I came back from the vet with instructions to try to get the seventh little puppy nursing with the mother, there was the eighth and ninth puppy waiting for me. I cleaned up real quick before I ran to get Kenton and Elise from the neighbors. Then I threw lunch at my kids, sent Kenton to a friends house and put Elise down for a nap. I layed down to try to take a nap because I was so spent....and I remember listening to puppies crying and crying. They must have quieted down enough for me to take a little nap before Elise was awake again. I checked on Sage and she was licking puppy number ten. I could not believe it. I had updated neighbors throughout the day at different times and it was funny how the next day some of the neighbors had heard there were six, seven, nine....and then ten pups. I had to take puppy number seven back to the vet and have them put her to sleep. She was not looking good and they didn't think she was going to make it. Sage was an amazing mother! By the time night had come that first day all the puppies looked like they were nursing just fine and we were so excited that the day was over!! I remember talking to my dad the next night and he said..."well great! You are in the clear, and they are on autopilot for about three more weeks". So fun!!!