PUPPIES!!!!

Our laboring dog...
1/3 way through...
Here's all eight of them!
She's getting her turn to gently pet them...

We were up all night--mostly. I slept from 9:30 until 11:30, and then 5:00 am until 7 am. He didn't sleep at all until this morning (and is now at work!) We were anticipating that this would be the day for puppies since Lucy's temperature dropped below 99 (the sign that she will be in labor in 12-24 hours) yesterday. Sure enough, by afternoon, she was panting, and late last night she was showing obvious contractions. She kept trying to go outside (the urge to push!) Right between 1-1:15 am, puppy #1 arrived. A black first, a yellow second, and a chocolate third! We were thrilled that all three colors emerged within the first 3 puppy deliveries. By the end of it all, eight healthy puppies later, it was 4:30 am. There are 3 blacks, 3 yellows and 2 chocolates. It appears that 7 are males with one chocolate female. We are so proud of Lucy! They are all doing well, and I think the hardest work for us lies yet ahead. However, we made sure to remind Lucy that we really did love her since we stayed up all night with her. :-)