A snippet of my Pentecost sermon.

Crest Manor full service on our facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=873290216504421

Is #2 for you?
He's gone through a few names: Calvin, Hobbs, Buck, Bucky and currently Tate (cause he is potato shaped and as #2 he is a TWOber.
He's mellow and loves snuggling. Highly recommended puppy.

Okay so the largest puppy (Parker #4) is only nine pounds, but that means he weighs as much as ALL NINE COMBINED on the day they were born! Astounding! Still, he's too young for much of a walk - but it was a great adventure!

Our niblings helped name the puppies, beginning with their favorites. And their favorites went on a field trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house, and somehow survived!

Our niblings each picked out a favorite puppy and took them on their first (and second and third) walks - it involved a lot of carrying.

#5 used to be Big Girl Athlete - she was the heaviest for awhile. Now she's one of the lightest but tall and strong. She's going to be a great running buddy someday. Her ruby red self is well named Rosie. And we know she is riveting.

First Lady, also known as #1 First Lady (firstborn, she was) is now Sophia. Great name for this silverback puppy. Since she is the most glamorous and beautiful, and a First Lady, we also know she feels an affinity to Michelle Obama. But Sophia is a great name, and she may grow into its wisdom. She is already noticeably well-rounded, consistently jumping out of the cage to play with us, siblings or Mabel.

Puppies are pooping every ~3 hours, plus Mabel poops twice a day. These tiny geniuses usually cry to go out, so we probably clean up 10 a day inside, and the rest Phillip is trying to track down and move to the edge of the yard. Even so, we step, sit, kneel in poop all the time. So do they, which does not bother them, and then the crawl on us and lick our faces.

The yard keeps us sane!

We had a couple nice days in a row and took full advantage. The more they eat, poop and pee outside, the less time we spend cleaning. Plus it's fun for all of us!

Mabel is relieved to be done nursing and is ready to play. They're daunted by her size and speed but keep trying to keep up. She knocks them over like bowling pins! And doesn't let them keep "her" toys for long.

Like young humans, they play hard, then come back to check in and snuggle.

I'd argue that Mabel never intended to get pregnant, didn't consent or request motherhood - especially not nine puppies, definitely too many for her.
I think I can count on one hand the number of times she nursed them unassisted by us. We've been rotating pups because there aren't enough producing breasts and she was bruised on the sides of breasts where puppies sucked harder and harder hoping they could make milk come out.

So her breasts engorged and we were read the internet, consulted, and applied cabbage leaves and milked her. We kept a t-shirt on her because she was clearly tender and didn't want puppies sucking (biting!).

And got to the vet today, thankfully - because she has necrotic tissue in one breast - poor Mabel! She'll be so relieved to get spayed.

With burdock and cabbage and ace bandages and prescriptions and lots and lots of rags and towels everywhere, we're going to get through.

Benji (#8) keeps Hannah-Olivier (#6) company at the lightweight end of the chart. They're also good company as two of the most playful, curious and eager for human cuddles.

He reminds us of another dog we loved, Booker, who also looked both like a baby and an old man at once (hence Benjamin Button) with thin skin and bones sticking out. These thin, cuddly boys have huge eyes that bore into our hearts as they ask for recognition, a cuddle, warmth.

How did they cross the line between puppies and tiny dogs? They walk with confidence, scratch their ears, bark and growl, and eat each others' faces - the change happened.

Their early weaning turned out to give them the calories they'd long needed, and they're growing so fast!