Our Poor Ella

Last night at around 11 p.m. we went and checked on the pups and cleaned and weighed and measured them and Aaron said look at her tail? Our poor Ella had an "L" shaped tail. Earlier we heard a sqweal and went down stairs and did not see anything wrong. They were all eating and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. So we thought nothing of it until Aaron showed me her tail. I kept having stress dreams about her tail and called the vet first thing in the morning. My friend Brandy watched my girls again and then my friend Risa came with my to the clinic. They said that her tail was broken and they had to put it in a splint. :( We set up another appointment for Thursday to have them look at it again. The receptionist's were saying that she was such a good mommy. We waited outside by the grooming area with the other puppies and whenever another dog or person would come by Tally would growl at them. The receptionist said that that is exactly what you want mommy to do. You want her to be protective and you want her to watch out for her babies.

When I came home I started crying. I think that it is a woman thing. I felt so bad that I hadn't seen her tail sooner or that I couldn't keep her from getting it broken.

They are all gaining a lot of weight! As of tonight they are...

Rambo 2 lbs. 3.5 oz.

Bascome 2 lbs 7 oz.

Ella 2 lbs 6 oz.

Rose 2 lbs 4oz.

and Belle 2 lbs. 4 oz.

What good eaters they are. We also measured there length from nose to rump and they are...

Belle 11 3/4 inches

Rose 11 inches

Ella 11.5 inches

Bascome 12 inches

Rambo 11.5 inches

It is crazy to see how fast they grow and are changing. I am going to hate seeing them go but, it is comforting to know that they are all going to great homes!

The video of Rambo's tail wagging was taken last night before we cleaned them again for the evening. I was trying so hard not to laugh. It is soooo freakin' cute!

The other video was taken tonight when we brought them up to take pictures.

Day 3

Today is day three and I must say it is just like having a new born or in my case new borns. Tally is a very protective mother and is doing an amazing job at keeping them clean and fed. We have to put her leash on to get her to leave the puppies to go outside and go potty. She watches our every move when we clean the puppies and weigh them and switch their ribbons. She loves cuddling up with them and keeping them all close.

Some of these pictures are of them at the hospital. There are also a few of them their first day home.

We have decided on names for the puppies and when I say we I mean me. Aaron is so sweet and patient with me. He let me name all of the puppies. So here they are.... Black is named Bascome. He was my german shepherd growing up and Red is named Rambo for my other german shepherd that I had growing up. Pink is named Rose for Briar Rose on Sleeping Beauty. Light blue is named Ella for Cinderella and Yellow is named Bell for Beauty and the Beast.

When the puppies are four weeks old we are letting people pick what puppy they want and from there on they will be named what the new owners want us to call them.

In case any of you are wondering their weights they are as follows:

Bascome weighed 1lb. 8oz.

Rambo weighed 1 lb. 6 oz.

Rose weighed 1 lb. 6 oz.
Ella weighed 1 ob. 7 oz. and Bell weighed 1 lb. 8 oz.

Their length is about 10-11 inches from their noses to their rump, not their tales. It was hard to measure because they squirm so much.

We measured and weighed them last night and they all have gained between 3-4 oz. Yea we have healthy eating babies!

I wasn't there but I guess that the vet. who did the c-section said that these were big babies. No wonder the male died in the birth canal. We are very sadend by him dying but we cannot explain how grateful we are that the five others and doing very well and that Tally is alive and healthy.

We are going later on today to take the puppies in to have their dew claws removed and to see how they are doing and how Tally is. They all seem to be thriving well and Bascome is usually the first to start nursing and the last. He loves his food! Bell is usually close behind. Rambo is for sure going to be fawn and was the vet. clinics favorite. I am just starting to be able to tell the difference between Ella and Rose. They are quite similar but Rose has a little bit lighter fawn color on her shoulder blades. They are all so cute and Aspyn throws a fit everytime we have to go back upstairs. She reminds me of someone but I am not sure who. :)

More Puppy Pictures and Movies

This is Aaron making a post! I just got back from the hospital and am uploading some more pictures and movies. I hope you enjoy!

The Puppies are Here! The Puppies are Here!

Tally started hard labor at about 9:15 and Aaron was home alone with the girls while I was out delivering flyers. He called me about five times but my phone was in the car. He called his brother and Mark came over to watch Tally while Aaron drove around the neighborhood trying to find me. I headed home and he was following me. I pulled into the driveway and he said that her labor had started. I wasn't expecting her to go into hard labor for another two hours.
Well, she pushed and out came the water sack and about three others. By 11:10 p.m. she pushed a placenta out but no baby. We called two different vets. One said that it was normal and that it could take up to 12 hours to get a baby out. We didn't feel comfortable with that so we called another vet (Dr. Pew) and he said that he had never heard of that before. We were so confused. We didn't know what to do. So we waited for another four hours because that is what the vet that was near to us told us to do and still no puppies. We called Dr. Pew and he said to take her outside and to walk her around, sometimes that enduces labor. Well, nothing happened so Aaron took her into the vet clinic that was close to us at 2 a.m. They took an x-ray and gave her a shot of oxytocin to enduce labor. We were told she might have a puppy in the car on the way home or she might push a puppy out 40 minutes later. They told us to wait another four hours. Well no puppies four hours later. So at 6 a.m. I woke Aaron up and said to call the vet clinic again. The clinic gave us another number for another clinic that was also close so Aaron took her there.
Well, at 9:30 a.m. Tally had a c-section after another attempt of oxytocin with no puppies. We decided to have her spayed so that she did not have to go through this again. She was a trooper and was very diligent at pushing. Come to find out the puppy was breech and was dead. That is why she couldn't push it out. We are sad that we lost one but we cannot explain the joy we have that we have five healthy puppies. Three girls and two boys. They are all doing well and all weighed about a pound and a half. The girls are pink, yellow, and light blue. The two boys are black and red (looks orange in the picture). There are four fawn and one brindle. The one brindle is a boy. The tech.'s were not totally for sure about the colors because they change as they get older.
Yea, we have puppies. The vet said that Tally has to stay over night and that if everything goes well we can take her and the puppies home tomorrow!

Stage 1 Labor

This morning we checked Tally's temp. and it was at 98.7 degress. Yea, we have dropped below 99. Aaron left for work and Tally was pacing back and forth for about two hours. She kept checking out the front window to see when he was coming back. She was also panting like crazy. I called the vet's office to keep them informed and the tech. said that she will be having puppies in 12-24 hours and to call if there were any complications. I called Aaron and told him what Tally was doing and that she layed down for a total of about 15 seconds during that two hours. He decided to come home and do his work at home. Thank heavens he had work to bring home. I love where he works and I know that he loves it too!

We are praying that everything goes well and that Tally and the puppies will all be safe and healthy.

No Puppies Yet

As of today at 4:15 p.m. there are no puppies yet. Poor Tally, she is sooo big but she is as loving as ever. We have been taking her temperature regularly and it is still between 99 to 100 degrees. She has not dropped to 98 degrees yet. Her mucus plug is coming out but nothing else is happening. We are on the edges of our seats for any new developments.

We will let you all know when anything further develops.

Mission Call

For the past well forever we have been hearing how my parents are getting closer to going on a mission. They sent their papers in about a month ago but because of General Conference is was delayed a couple of weeks. They finally received it last night. My dad went to New Zealand on his mission and has remained close to his mission president, Mory Kjar. He has spoken to the current mission president in New Zealand a few times. He really wanted to go back there not only because of his mission but because that is where his dad went and because that is where his mom is from. We as a family would continue to ask him and my mom where they wanted to go and he would say New Zealand but would also say if we don't get called there we will go wherever they want us to go. He also told us that he wanted to go out and proselyte. He wanted to be with the people and to go out and teach while he was still physically able.

Well, they opened up their mision call and they are going to Vladivostok, Russia. They are going to serve as office missionaries and are leaving August 9th. They were in complete shock. They felt at piece and know that that is where they are needed. They are going to do amazing work and we are so excited for them.

Happy Birthday Aspyn!!!

Monday was Aspyn's third birthday and man was she excited! We went the Saturday before and picked up her bike at Sears. So since Saturday she was consistently asking to ride her bike. The day had finally come. First thing out of her mouth Monday morning was "Now can I ride my bike?" Aaron hadn't gone to work yet so he was able to see her open her presents. He favorite gifts were her bike, her My Little Pony, and a ball that sprays water. I felt badly taking her outside to ride her bike because I felt like that was probably a daddy thing to do. Well, she loved riding but I think that she loved putting on her "hat" and her knee "paddles" and elbow "paddles". She loved ridding and teaching her to push the pedals forward is how you go and pushing them backwards is how you stop. That is a hard thing for a three year old to understand. She is learning and had her first accident. I felt old, like an out of body experience only fast forwarded, telling her to get back up on the bike after she fell. She did and I was so proud that she did want to get back on and not give up. Way to go Appy!

That night we were planning on going to Cold Stone to get ice cream but we had to take Aaron's car to the repair shop. Well, his car died in the middle of a busy road at rush hour. Luckily he called his friend, Ben, to come and tow his car. They had their complication's, like his car coming off the tow straps in the middle of the intersection. So by the time Aaron got back it was too late to go get ice cream. We were given cupcakes from Kristen, my sister in law, with a dinner that she brought over so we used those for her cake. Good thing she is three and is happy with cupcakes. She went to bed wearing her new pony pajamas and was so excited to go to bed so she could wear them. Yea for pony p.j.'s.

We are so grateful that she is in our lives and it is crazy to think back to what we had to go through when she was born. She is stubborn and independent which is a good thing and at times not so good. Keep smiling and being true to yourself.

The Verdict Is In!

We went to the Vet. tonight and he said that there are.............six puppies! Yea! We couldn't be more pleased. The vet. tech. took her back and did the x-ray and when he came back he said there are a lot of puppies in there. So we were thinking 10-12 puppies. We were told that is a typical litter for great danes. Then the veterinarian told us that there were six puppies. I am so happy for Tally and am kind of relieved that there are six. The good news is that the puppies will be getting more milk so they will be bigger. The other good news is that there will be less puppy poop to clean up.

The vet. also said that she will be getting bigger within this next week! She weighed in today at 135 lbs. She is laying down more and is starting to show nesting signs (i.e. digging more in the backyard). Her favorite thing to do right now is to be touching us as much as possible. Yea six puppies!!!

Less of a Woman Who is Surrounded by Angels

About nine months ago my stomach started hurting really bad. It was keeping me up at nights for about four to five hours at a time. I couldn't get comfortable no matter what position I was in. I did some research at the wee hours of the night and I had a suspicion it was my gallbladder.

Well, my husband kept on bugging me to go to the doctor for months. I finally consented when on one specific episode it had me in tears. I consider myself to be pretty tolerant of pain but I felt like there was no end in sight. At least in labor you know they pain is going to end and you get a bundle of blessing in the end. Anyway, I made an appointment to go to the doctor for the next day.

Doctor Watson took some blood samples and asked questions and gave me a prescription for acid reflux. He told me I either have an ulcer, acid reflux, or gallstones. I was to take the prescription for a month and if I still had the same pain I was to take it for another month. If the pain then still continued then I was to go back in for another visit.

Well, I got a phone call about three weeks later, on a Wednesday, telling me that my liver was acting abnormal. I don't know the correct doctor vocabulary but if you want to know ask either Jon or Sarah. They can tell you. I was to go into their lab that upcoming Saturday morning to get an ultra sound. It sounded pretty serious so I scheduled an appointment. The crazy thing was that it was at the same day and time when Aaron was suppose to take Tally in to have her ultra sound. AHHH.

I then got a phone call telling me that my insurance wouldn't cover the ultra sound at their clinic but that it had to be at an IHC hospital. So I had to wait and hear from the nurse when that appointment was going to be. I got a phone call that next week telling me that my appointment was to be the next day. Hello, I have kids. Where am I going to find a babysitter at such short notice. Thank heaven for neighbors like Brandy Seaman. She is an angel and nothing short of that!

As I was taking my girls over to her house, literally around the corner, Aspyn throws up. Seriously, when it rains it pours. I called Brandy and she said to still bring them over. Luckily we found out it was just something that she ate and it wasn't contagious. So needless to say I found out that I had one large gallstone in my gallbladder.

I called the general surgeon that Doctor Watson recommended and at that appointment he went over with me how he was to remove my gallbladder. My appointment to get it removed was less than a week later. I had to schedule it quick because Tally was due three weeks from when my surgery was. My family and I were planning on going down to St. George for the Easter weekend and now we were not quite sure what to do. We did end up going down and it was a huge blessing. It got my mind off of the surgery that was going to happen the next day when we got home. It was also a blessing because I received a blessing from my husband, dad, and brothers. In the blessing it stated that I was to recover quickly. We drove home on Sunday listening to General Conference and went to bed.

My surgery was scheduled to be at 7:30 in the morning and the nurse said that I was to be there an hour before surgery. Awesome was the only word that entered my mind. This is going to be interesting with a one year old and a soon to be three year old. My parents got home late from St. George and were still willing to watch our girls that early in the morning. Thanks mom and dad.

As Aaron and I were driving to drop off the girls he told me "You are going to be less of a Woman". When we were first married I would have been so mad at him. What the .... Seriously. Now I know there is man lingo and there is woman lingo. I will be less of a woman because I will have less in me. All the men get exactly what he is talking about but us women get offended. I have learned to take the meaning that is not offensive. It makes for happier times.

The surgery went well and Aaron told me that I asked him three times how it went. I continued asking him different questions multiple times. Sorry Love. I guess that is what you get when one is hopped up on drugs. My other mom Shauna, went to the store and bought the groceries that we needed for that week. Thank heaven for mothers! They are life savers. Well, the next day I was walking around everywhere and doing normal chores. My husband continued to rep remand me and would send me back to bed as any good husband would do. By Thursday Aaron was back to work and I was doing laundry, dishes, cleaning, and playing with my girls. All the usually stuff that us homemakers do. So yes it was a quick recovery.

It makes it easier with sisters and neighbors who bring you dinner even when you feel like you can do it. I am so grateful for them. I am surrounded by angels. I hate asking for help especially when I feel like I can push myself to do it. I have no problem helping others when they need help but it is different when I am the one needing help. Anyone else feel that way? Anyway, love you all and thanks for your help.

The Count Down

So today starts the count down. Only 10 days left before the puppies are due. Aaron goes into the veterinarian on Tuesday to find out how many puppies we should be expecting and her official due date. The due date could change or it could stay the same.

Tally is getting big and is slowing down. She is still running outside trying to keep up with Teva and she is doing a good job at it. Tally likes laying down on her side because laying on her belly is just too hard and uncomfortable. The picture posted was taken this past Tuesday, two weeks before her due date, and she looks small then compared to today. Crazy. Poor girl.

We had Spencer and Shayli come and look at Tally. It was really fun to meet them. They are getting married in mid June. Congratulations you guys. They get first pick out of the males. We also got to meet Dawnell. She is getting second choice out of the females. Her daughter is the lucky one who gets this puppy. It is so good to see the future owners of our soon to be babies. The best part is that I feel like they are going to really great homes. We couldn't be more pleased! Thanks you guys for picking our babies.

We will keep you all posted when we find out how many puppies she is going to have. We are so excited! My dream of having a dog that is going to have puppies is finally coming true.