Exciting Puppy News!! (Assuming You Give a Crap)

This morning, while I was still only half awake and feeling sad about the new year, my mom and my sister showed up for a surprise visit. My sister went straight for the puppies. A moment later, she shouted, "The brown one's eyes are open!"

I freaked out slightly and demanded to see my favorite puppy and said, "Oh, oh, Brownie, you have the prettiest... eye!" It turns out only her right eye was open, and at first glance, it just looked like maybe her eyelid, which is black, was a little bit wet... but the wet looking thing was a shiny, dark eye, no bigger than a ball bearing, peeking out for the very first time. A little while later, she opened her other eye and looked at right at me suddenly, as if to say, "Oh! There you are!!" It was an extremely moving experience for me, even more so than her birth.

A little while later, after Brownie had fallen asleep, we noticed that Blackie had opened both his eyes at once. Then we all sat with Spot, hoping to catch the moment he saw the world for the first time. My sister even half-jokingly threatened to squeeze him. "Until his eyes pop out?" I asked. She nodded enthusiastically. But all she really did was hold him in front of her face and say, "Wake up! Wake up, Spot!" So far no luck.

I have been strictly forbidden to take any more pictures--even without the flash--until the puppies are used to their eyes. Here are some non-flash photos from the last couple of days. Actually, the first two are some funny pictures of Spot that I somehow forgot to post earlier:

Now for photos from the 30th and 31st, when they were 11 and 12 days old. I like how using lighting in the room instead of the flash really brings out the texture of the fur, even though it's harder to get the shots in focus:

My mom holding Blackie:

I now have to keep a second box up against the front of the box they were born in to keep the puppies from climbing over the low front edge:

This is the same scene as above, from the other side:

Poor exhausted Ginger! I got her some soft old cloths to use as a pillow after I took this photo:

On my sister's lap:

Meanwhile, in the box:

Now Spot, on my sister's lap:

And the only picture I was allowed to take this morning. Again, on my sister's lap:

Next time you see the puppies, they'll be looking back at you!!

Thanks and bye for now!