We had a great big party for Yannika's 16th birthday. Everyone came prepared to go sledding and to play in the snow. It was great fun! Counting our family there were 44 people in the house. We probably could have invited more people, but we let Yannika do all the inviting since it was her birthday. About an hour before the guests were to arrive Holly started to act a little frantic and was trying to climb into our shoe bins. So we quick got a box and lined it with towels. Fifteen minutes before the guests arrived her water broke. The whole time our friends were here she had one pup after another. We didn't plan this. A few days ago we didn't even know she was pregnant. How were we to know this was her due date?
I wouldn't recommend having such a crowd at a birthing, but Holly didn't seem to mind one bit. She is so trusting and calm. When one big fat fellow got stuck and we struggled to get him out it didn't seem like he was going to breath. Twenty kids were holding their breath while 5 moms were doing all they knew how to get the little guy going. Twenty kids cheered when he finally squealed.
These kids were all so thrilled to be a part of the magic of the birth of the puppies. Some kids were even choosing potential family pets. YES!!!! Say yes mom and dad!
As you can imagine there was a lot of guessing about the breed of the father of these puppies. Certainly he wasn't a pure bred golden like Holly! All the pups are balck and fairly large. Some have markings like a border collie, others have the marking of a rottweiler, and others are just black. They are all healthy and strong. This certainly wasn't in the plans for Holly. We will have her fixed when she recovers from all of this. We never once thought about the possibility of Holly going into heat while we were in Africa. Last time we bred her it took almost 3 years for her to go into heat again and it hasn't been a year since her last litter. The people who cared for her never dreamed of it either!
So far there are 3 female pups and 4 males. Holly was so tired on the last couple she struggled to push but she had a lot of coaches and she finally managed.
We had so many people and so much food!!! There were so many coats and boots the entry way was impassible.
I didn't get any pictures of the sledding but the most AMAZING thing happened while everybody was outside. A huge buck elk walked across the hills and stopped to gaze at the sledders turned gawkers! He was beautiful.
Now we are in a huge snowstorm. The one concern is that the Staffords have to drive over the Pass in the early hours of tomorrow morning to get Yannika back to Fountainview Academy. We are praying for their safety on the roads.
Untitled Comment
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, January 4, 2009 at 11:13 - Link
Angela, I love your blog. As a fellow SDA mom, wife - you inspire me. I feel so inept at times and I struggle daily with my walk. I pray -PRAY that I can be more like you.
A confident strong Christian woman...
Oh I love ELK!
Posted by mulberrylane on Monday, January 5, 2009 at 09:19 - Link
God is good to you all!
Ahhh, just wanted to mention that your pups may have multiple dads... Dogs can breed to several different mates in one litter. We had a litter like that from a dog we picked up as a stray. She had two that looked like Rotweilers, and one brown lab looking, yellow lab looking, and a fluffy yellow lab... and the Mom was a husky looking dog. We're thinking she wasn't a pure bred one, though. Pups are so fun, but multiple big dogs are hard to care for... hope you find homes for the little pups!
And don't fuss over my letters! You get caught up being home and getting into a schedule yourself.
We've got 8 college bound kids with us... since yesterday. Most from MN, but one we knew and they called us when they were about 20 miles from us and went into the ditch. There was a towing band on that stretch of interstate, so they stayed with us and are out right now trying to get the car out of the ditch this morning. Registration is today and they are all so worried about missing it, they are trying to register online... it's funny to see everyone at the kitchen table all on their own laptops... everyone on the couch on their laptops... good thing we have satellite/wireless internet.
There were alot of cars in the ditch, so hopefully they get out without waiting too long... often the tow trucks just get them out in order, rather than driving back and forth! Steve's at work, so we're not much help, but the roads are just skate rink glazed ice! Horrid for driving and our lane, just to get out is awful... Steve threw softener salt on the drive/lane hoping to melt some... but I fear we need about 200+ bags to make a difference!
Well, better go, just got on the check my mail and the weather...
