Dachshund diaries day 31 JJ 's Birthday !

OOOOh how I wished there was a bit more of the above happening at 6 am this morning......

But no :I awoke to the whining and puppy ''howling'' of hungry puppies- can you believe it ?This is MUCH louder than ANY alarm clock- they are on a separate floor and many doors away..... and found a sleepy daughter cuddling Lucy while sitting in the larger dog basket- still half asleep herself....( GIRL that is, the pup was wide awake!)

HEHEHE, hahaha, hehehe.... The evil weasel is ready to play her evil part in today's play at the school: the BIG green adventure full of ecological statistics and ''green'' issues, a bit of biology and a lot of singing, dancing and recycling..... It was a main part, a big role and she fulfilled it with whicked glee......hehehe

AND it's JJ's - not Jack junior but big human JJ 's birthday so it was as well we were all up so early: costume? check. facepaints? check. Puppy breakfast? check ( scrambled eggs again...)

Jack and Lucy tuck in on the newspapers in the kitchen this time while Tom climbs onto a lap and begs a cuddle and then gets fed there- remind me: who's birthday is it again???? Way to go Tom! Meanwhile JJ has his breakfast in bed: apple hot cross buns dripping in real butter and mug of tea. He even gets out of his share of changing the puppy papers: uuuueghhh

Lucy has decided she can see over the top of the whelping box now:see??? This is NOT at the entry flap..... Good job JJ is home all morning then we have a lovely pub lunch out and spend the afternoon watching the school play/musical....

This is topped off with some gardening in the sun and a home- cooked curry with an old speckled hen ( not me!honest!!!) lots of 2 types of birthdaycake and a boy's DVD with more beer....

Skype to India to connect with sister and mum , niece etc and show off the puppies to all who can see.....Poor Jack wasn't so sure to be dangled above a small camera and be declared : such a long body hasn't he.....well he IS a dachshund I felt like protesting!

Such a great tecnical advance this skype internet connecting with cameras isn't it, if only there wasn't that funny delay when moving or speaking.....

Cuddles with Tom and Lucy ( but I reckon JJ has a soft spot for Tom) and then JJ declares: this is the best birthday ever......

( Chancellor please note the presents ammounted to 3 PACKETS OF BISCUITS wrapped nicely, a few plants and bulbs, flowers oh and a dinner at a sushi place in Oxford last week.... birthday recession style.....)

Meanwhile back to the puppies: Lucy is still working on her escape route: she really likes it outside the box!

LOOK! If I stretch can I climb onto mum's back and hitch a ride?? OK Luce says Tom I'm right behind you, I'll give you a nudge....

Oh no I can't reach, what's on the right? Nothing! You oaf! You've missed your chance, mum moved!

OK, try again! Tom and I are right behind you, show us the way big sis! Jack looks on and encourages Lucy to have another go....

To be continued.

( In green print as a THANK you to all who were involved in the school play and VERY GREEN and very good it was too!!!!!)

Dachshund diaries day 29 more feeding and adventures...

What a lovely weekend, mum had several lovely walks in the sun and the puppies continued to sleep , feed and play.
They were a bit annoyed that breakfast was an hour later this morning, but went for it in a hearty way.

Then the after breakfast playtime included several adventures out and cuddles after which they were found to be investigating their own independent forays into the wider world....

''Hey what you reckon :Jack you coming with me? ''Said Lucy invitingly....

''MMMM look! it's not so easy with mum's book pushed away but still possible?''

''Nah, I'm not coming I'm for a nap on the red rug now it's back it smells funny but is nice'n warm and I'm tired....''

Then after several hours sleeping on the red rug...

YUmmy yummy I just LOVE this yellow lumpy milky stuff, move over I want it all!!!


Jack and Lucy share a bowl , at 2.1kg and 2.6 kg they're a good match for each other.

And Tom at 1.9 kg has a bowl all of his own and the others don't even notice!!

Ta for a few days now as we have some big birthdays to celebrate and the end of term has many events including a school play and so on. See you again just before or in the Easter school holidays!

Ps the answer to the question as to who sleeps on his back was : Jack!!!

Dachshund diaries day 28: 4 weeks old and visitors

We've been so busy in the last few days! The puppies are growing well and still sleeping and feeding with mum for most of it but have taken to the weaning meals as well ....
Above they are having breakfast and not from a finger or a spoon oooh no they've graduated to independent eating from a saucer and later on even a bowl!

Mum still steps in regularly and is greeted with wagging fat little tails and they feed before she's even climberd completely in: hanging below her while she walks in further and settles to lie down....

They like their weetabix made with Welpi a special dried bitches milk powder that is very close to real '' doggie-milk'', my daughter loves the puppy picture on the packaging....

They also have trips out of the whelping box when we change the newspapers in their box, this happens lots of times a day : before and after meals, before and after naps, and as soon as they have clean dry paper they wee again anyway so we stay present to repeat the process.

It's just like a baby with a clean nappy- remember that? They always do it as soon as a clean one is on too....

This is the pups on a temporary trip in mum's bigger basket, but Lucy is investigating the escape route... They also sometimes just settle and go back to sleep...wherever they are!

Today- 28th- they are 4 weeks old so as a treat I ried them with scrambled eggs with butter and puppy milk: and boy! They LOVED it- 2 eggs all gone in no time! Jack and Lucy at the top with a bowl and Tom with his own saucer...

A third meal was brought and finished before I could take a picture!

Then I had to ''lol'' or have a laugh when Jack had a ''private moment''- my daughter said I should not take ''that'' picture but then it's sooo funny : can he get his legs any wider apart????

And it's a number 1, his whole tummy needed a wash then as the boys get themselves completely soaked, at least Lucy only wets her bottom..... For a short spell after that it was playtime: mainly biting and chasing each other , Jack has teeth now too and Lucy likes to try them out on your fingers....

She's also a proud housekeeper and has been rearranging the fleece blanket: now.... this will look better over here, see? She has taken control of the blanket and pulled it with her teeth to the other side of the box.

Instinct took over for :as she took hold she shook her head as if to ''kill'' it.

We had visitors on Friday and cuddles with all visitors were a great new adventure, shaky at first they soon learned to trust the newcomers and even fell asleep in the arms of a friend!

They also had their room hoovered out this morning and although they didn't like the noise, they are getting used to normal household noises, including the radio and the piano...

With the cello however they clucked like a bunch of wee chickens!!! We call it the puppy orchestra..

Dachshund diaries day 25

Hello and welcome back and due to the scarcity of puppy photos recently there's a lot here today!

First to say that they still spend most of their day either asleep or feeding with mum and Jack here enjoys a quiet spell with the newspapers just like grandad ....

It's much harder with the print being upside down. Or is he deep in thought???

Then in between those main activities : there's playing to be done and a bit of biting....

Tom and Jack do this mostly ; they don't have any teeth yet.

Lucy has had her first teeth come through yesterday but she's less keen on the playbiting anyway.

Here's the 2 boys at it , they do it to mum too and she is NOT amused but tolerates it with a big lick across their faces if they go on too long.

Then at 4pm we give them a milky weetabix meal and it gets EVERYWHERE....

It started by being licked off our fingers , ooooh tickly!!! But they are happy to lick a teaspoon now and we keep mum well away until the pups lose interest and then she eats the remainder.

Back to PLAYTIME: let's play chase!!! Tom starts this game by holding Jack's tail and Jack tries to make a getaway... Here's mum in the background cleaning the dish. After playtime it's back to the main pen and another sleep. Can you guess who this is? Answer provided tomorrow! ( the one on it's back)

We have had to ''close the drawbridge'' to the puppy pen today as they have shown an unhealthy interest in climbing out! This weekend we'll be working on a new play area in the kitchen - a special puppy run with toys...! For sunny daytimes only.

Dachshund diaries day 24

Can I go back a day or two? To Mother's day? I have to say it was a most moving and spendid sort of day for me and many thanks to all who made it that way, mostly of course due to my husband: THANK YOU JJ!!!

It started a little early- 6 am- as my youngest turned 9 and was oh sooo excited to open her presents that she could wait no longer.....
However she was whisked off fairly promptly and then the homemade cards and home made chocolates made an entrance and I was in tears of joy......It was the cards that always do it for me- that lump in the throat and then you read what they really think and see those drawings and you go oooh how did they get so clever and sweet ?

Then I got up and had a very busy few hours baking a birthday cake : TA DAH above and sorting out the puppies with food and weighing them and changing their papers, washing the red covers by hand to dry in the sunshine, walking the dog in that lovely sunshine....

AND THEN and then : I got very wet, very very wet and HAPPY.First it was a little crochet ( SUCH a treat) and a bit of Doris Day- good ol' ITV 3 had a series of films just for Mother's day!


And then it was a bit more crochet and lots of tears during '' POLYANNA'' - another film which I was allowed to watch entirely in blissful crochety peace...aaaaaah ...Even the choccies could not stop the flow.
After that it was off to my daughter's rollerskating party with the cake and then it was birthday fuss from then on in, great fun absolutely terrific. Nothing better than 9 giggly smiling faces on little girls enjoying themselves at a party.

Today: let's get back to the puppies: they are eating a saucer of ''mush'' once a day and fall asleep half way through being fed... We all take part, trying to feed one pup each but they do walk from one to the other and eat off each other's faces.
Mum has to be locked away and whines furiously until she's allowed in, then she rushes to eat what's left even though she's just been given her own tea in the kitchen....


This is Tom having a look around suspiciously.....

And below is Jack being tickled on his tummy, in his preferred position: on his back.

Lucy is now off the scale... the scales read ''ERROR'' as she's over 2 kg now and that's the limit on my kitchen digital scales...She's still the one least interested in mush and more keen to keep suckling her mum. She has also developed a baby ''growl''- grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ggggrrrrrrrrrrr

No more pictures today as my camera battery was ''dead'' and I was poorly yesterday- was it those choccies????Or the chicken???

Sorry no blog on day 23

Hi sorry - grandma- that's me is not feeling well so I'm not blogging today.
They are all well and walking confidently now.
Mum is sleeping in her own bed for most of the night and they like the weaning food thus far only once a day: weetabix and puppymilk - formula ( called Welpi)....we have to keep mum away as she 'll beat them to it and try to eat it for them!
Have I mentioned baby barking? Soooooo cute....along with the many other noises they now make, I do wish I had Dr Doolittle tendencies and could understand and speak '' dachsie-doggie''.

More tomorrow or when I can sit without being sick for more than 10 minutes....

Dachshund diaries day 21: 3 weeks old today!!!

Well here are those carrot tops from a while ago: they've grown but not as fast as those puppies!

Mum enjoying the sunshine in the garden today- she was brushed this morning but you can't really tell can you? She'll be going for a grooming and stripping session next week....

We had the puppies out in the living room today on the washed white quilt to encourage walking?

They weren't that keen and mum came running in when she found we'd moved them, sat down in the middle of the quilt and proceeded to feed them.

Only Lucy was on the ''wrong'' side of mum when she lay down so we thought: great we'll get pictures of her walking round mum- will she go around the head or around the tail end?

Turns out: neither!!! Lucy took the most DIRECT route to a teat: she climbed right OVER mum.

Top view:
It was very funny. A bit later we fed Tom and Jack some babydog milk with weetabix, mixed to a thin gruel consistency. They licke dit eagerly off our finger and tried to such a finger- such hard gums, teeth will be coming soon....

Lucy was not interested at all and Tom ''ate'' the most.

I'm having a day off blogging tomorrow for reasons of Mother's day and my daughter's birthday as well as her party..... See you Monday?

Dachshund diaries day 20 weaning starts...

Starting with a little brooch on a card for my mum which I made Wednesday night.....

We have decided we'll make Mother's day special for Pippa on Sunday!!!

As these puppies are now walking and that's a few days early as they are expected to stand by 3 weeks old- tomorrow- according to the books....
And they are licking each other which is in the photo above but he moved his head so you can't see the pink pupppy tongue- hence I thought we could start weaning them to give Pippa a break.

Well there was Jack who was NOT remotely interested. Kept yawning and only wanted to go back to sleep. Lucy had a quick lick at the mush on my finger but she wasn't keen either.

And then there was Tom who has only put on about 10 g ( vs 100g by the other two- EACH) today : he wriggled and wriggled and made a lot of noise but he liked the mush, ate several finger tip fulls and even licked it off a teaspoon! I was so busy feeding that we didn't get any photos of it yet.

Below is a boxfull of puppies who were moved temporarily so we can clean the pen and replace the newspapers. The ''rug'' got washed today so they were skating on the papers again: stand- ssslip, slide, stand, slip slide, stand oooh this is sssso ssslippery and frustrating!!!

The box is 45 cm by 28 cm to give you a sense of scale and they weigh almost 4kg alltogether now. Can you spot who lies where?

And finally for today a few pictures of Tom but as he was so very wriggly they are not quite in focus! Didn't use a flash either due to his eyes being open now and they are definately seeing !


He's also having some more weetabix'n puppy milk mush from a finger/ hand- lick lick lick.

And he was soooo adventurous he had a go at a white t-shirt too.