My Babies Are Growing Up...

It has been a week since that long day when we had our babies. They have been doing very well. They are eating well and growing fast. The last weight that I got on them was 1 pound. In the last few days, their faces have been turning black. And now their paws are getting their markings.

I've been able to go to work this week, although I have been seriously worried about them the whole time that I am gone. This is me after work with one of the girls.



Again, without the flash. Sorry I look like crap. We've had a really, really rough time at the new hospital. It has worn me out.



Here is a close-up of the cute little cuddler. I just love these pups! And I worked so hard to have them. They are so very precious to me.



This is the little girl that is cuddling on my chest. She is the only one that isn't all the way black on her nose yet. Her nose is polka-dot. Isn't it cute!!



This is one of the other girls that has turned all black on her nose. My favorite part is to look at their feet markings. There are little black dots on some of the feet. These haven't completed their evolution yet, but it's still neat.



These are my babies sleeping in the "nest" that I prepared. I love the one that is chillin' in the back on the pillow. They are all so unique and special.



Another picture of the puppies sleeping.



And here are the puppies fighting to eat. They all get a chance eventually. I've finally learned to quit worrying about it and let them figure it out by themselves. They are all doing well and I'm still just such a proud mama. But I am the most proud of my little Mia. She's been such a great mom. And she went through so much. She is such a brave little girl.

We are planning to keep you up-dated each week with pictures so you can see their progression. We love you all and hope that everyone is doing well.

Utah vs. BYU

It was 4th down and 18 yards to go on our own 12 yard line with a little more than one minute left in the game. The Cougars were trailing 10-9. Everyone thought it was over... until...

Max Hall rolled out and threw one deep to Austin Collie who was wide open!

A couple plays and a lot of Utah penalties later, Unga ran in the go ahead score! Cougars win again!! It wasn't as dramatic as last year, but it was pretty darn close.

Brianna took this picture of the game from her seats. She was pretty high up there.

After the game the fans swarmed the field. I think they're doing the fight song in this picture.

Here you can see (through all of the fans) the stage set up for the trophy presentation.

Here's Kehl holding up the Mountain West conference Trophy.

Brianna took this picture of the scoreboard during the celebration after the game. You can see Unga hugging someone as well as the final score BYU 17, Utah 10.

The Cougs are Mountain West Conference champs again and the Utes go home with another agonizing loss. I love it.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING and JENNY'S BIRTHDAY!

We had a very hard day the day before Thanksgiving. After delivering four puppies, Mia didn't spontaneously give birth to any more. So we went in to the see the vet. At first, he thought that maybe she was only going to have four and she was done. But then, we did an x-ray... It showed that she had SEVEN left inside of her. We worked very hard all day long. We were able to get four more delivered. Then we went to the emergency vet. We tried to give Mia more drugs to make her deliver the rest, but we had to do a c-section. I helped during the surgery. Mia required a lot of drugs to get her sedated enough. The doctor got the three puppies out. There were two girls and one boy. We worked tirelessly on the puppies. It almost looked like two of them would make it. We did lots of CPR and tried to get them to breathe on their own. After a few hours, we had to give up. The puppies had been out of their placenta's inside Mia and they had been without oxygen for too long. We lost those three. They were beautiful. One girl was the runt. The boy was the biggest of all of our puppies. And we lost one more girl. I wrapped them up in a blanket and kissed them goodbye. We left heartbroken. I can only hope that there is something in God's plan that will allow us the chance to be together with Brady, Mia, and those puppies again. I had the hardest time just letting go. They looked just like the other puppies. They were so pink and looked like they were just sleeping. I can only hope and pray that they are in a better place. It only seems fair. Dogs are so pure-hearted, they deserve the celestial kingdom. Every single one of them.

But with all of the tragedy, we are so very grateful that Mia is okay. And we are thankful for our eight, healthy, beautiful puppies. We have 6 girls and 2 boys. Mia is doing a wonderful job as a mother. I've been at her side almost constantly. I'm just so proud of her. I haven't slept much... I just can't. I worry about them and I couldn't bear to lose another one. Brady is doing well. He has been so patient about it all, and his lack of attention. He keeps a watchful eye on the puppies, but maintains his distance. I am so grateful for my little family, though most of them are animals. They just mean a lot to me.

I am especially grateful for my dear husband, Spencer. Even though he couldn't help me with the deliveries due to his weak stomach....he was so helpful. He ran to the store at four in the morning to buy a space heater for the puppies. He went home to check on Brady and get me some food when I hadn't eaten all day. He kissed me even when I was covered from head to toe in placenta and amniotic fluid. I'm sure that I looked and smelled aweful. And most importantly, he held me when I was bawling. He loved me even though it was probably silly to be so sad. He told me that he was proud of me and the work that I had done that day. He told me that I had helped save the extra four, which made me feel better. And he said that he loved that I cared so much about those puppies that I felt like I had lost my own babies. He wiped away my tears and held me when I needed him most. I think he even cried with me a little. I am so lucky to have him. And I am so grateful for him, and for the support that he is to me. He is a wonderful man, and I love him more than anything. Thank you, Spencer.

I am also grateful for the support from his family and from my family. I had more phone calls that day than I've ever had before. Thank you. I'm sorry I didn't answer most of the time because I was working with the puppies, but thank you for showing that you care. I know that they are just dogs and I probably shouldn't care so much...but I do. I can't help it. It's who I am. So thank you for loving me for who I am. I love you all so much.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had a delicious feast, thanks to the efforts of Jenny, Mindy, and Joyce. Thank you. I'm sorry that I couldn't contribute. And thanks for letting the puppies and Mia come. Sorry about the floor, John and Jenny. To my family, we missed you dearly. I wish that I could have run with you in the mini-marathon and played fun games. But we'll be together again soon. And Mikey and Warren and Becky and Kenna, you were greatly missed. I hope to see you soon, and Mikey we are thinking of you and praying for you. You would have loved how Bently tattled on anyone who said a swear word and how Mindy got teased for dropping a puppy. You would have laughed at all of Jenny's kids opening her birthday presents without her. We had a good time, but the family just wasn't complete without two of the kids and their family. I hope that we get to all be together again sometime...

And to everyone...

HAPPY FREAKING THANKSGIVING!!!

AND HAPPY JENNY'S TWENTY-ELEVENTH BIRTHDAY!!

PUPPIES!!!

The first puppy cam this morning just before 4:00 a.m. There are two now and more on the way. Here are some pictures:

Brady standing guard.

Brianna helping the puppies eat.

Brianna and the first two pups.

The first two puppies (girls).

UPDATE!- Number 3 just came and it's a boy!!... We'll keep you posted.

BYU vs. Wyoming

This past weekend we played Wyoming in Laramie. The trip to Laramie is usually the worst because it is always cold and the fans are usually pretty mean spirited. This year's trip, however, wasn't so bad. The weather was actually pleasant and the stadium put a ban on alcohol, so the fans were pretty "normal" was well.

On Thursday night we flew into Denver and then we drove to Cheyenne for the night. The next morning we drove over to Laramie to do the stadium set up. The team flew straight to Cheyenne so we didn't see them until they arrived at the stadium.

Here is a couple of pictures of barrel man. He's an icon in Laramie. He comes to the games in a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, suspenders, a barrel, and nothing else. Regardless of the temperature he's always wearing (or not wearing) the same thing.

The game went well. We had a couple of injuries but nothing too serious. We ended up winning the game 35-10. With the win we clinch at least a tie of the Mountain West Conference title. This week is the Holy War vs. Utah...

Poor Mama Mia

The days are drawing closer to Mia's due date... However, when we had the x-ray done, the puppies' skeletons weren't very mineralized, so she might not deliver until somewhere in the last week of November instead of Thanksgiving weekend. I guess that only time will tell. I just feel so bad for her. Her belly is getting huge and she doesn't like to move and she hates going up and down stairs. She is starting to get sway-backed and I just feel so bad for her.

This is Brady cuddling with mom on dad on a lazy morning. Yeah, both dogs are on top of me. The funny thing about that is that we were reading something about the Samoyed breed, and it said that they were used in Siberia and the dogs would sleep on top of their owners to keep them warm at night. Maybe it's instinct...I don't know...



This is poor Mia. She likes to lay on her side. I'm sure that that is the most comfortable position for her and her big belly full of babies.



This is my little Mia laying on top of me. She is such a little princess sometimes.



Since Mia has been pregnant, she has gotten a lot more affectionate and likes to lick even MORE than she did before. She has become a lot more vocal. She likes to do a noise that sounds like a cross between a coo and a howl. She kind-of copied it from Brady's morning stretch noise (which sounds more like a growl and a howl combined...).

Now That You're In The World

I did a post a little bit ago saying thank you to my sweetheart, Spencer. I couldn't get some pictures to work, but I figured it out today, so I'm adding them now. I love you, Spencer. Thank you for making the world seem like such a perfect place and for making my life not seem such a waste. My life truly does revolve around you. And I know that no matter what happens in our lives, we are going to make it through. Come what may...


This is when we were engaged.





And this is last summer, right after we got back from our honeymoon.




And these are a few wedding pictures for those who haven't seen them.

Flag Football

My mom visited us this past weekend. It was really fun to have her. We mostly just ran errands and shopped and hung out, but somehow that was really enjoyable. Mama, we loved having you! And thanks for "shedding" the stairs... My mom went with me to watch and cheer on Spencer's flag football team.



Spencer is in the jersey that is number 11. He is defending here.




Isn't he handsome? This is between plays.



Here he is with his athletic cut, cute bum on the line.



Again, between plays.



This is Spencer getting ready for a play.



In this picture, Spencer caught the ball and was running for a first down.


This is the team in the huddle.



Here is Spencer defending.



Here's a close-up of my sweetheart.



This is Spencer with his friend and old mission companion Dan Ditto. He is also known as "Homeless" for the semester that he spent living in the football locker room and on Spencer's couch, "monkey" because of his body hair, and just "Ditto" for his last name and because there were two Dan's in the same circle of friends. We love Dan like a brother. He knows every Disney movie by heart and is the most energetic, fun person you could ever meet.



This is another picture of Dan Ditto and Spencer. I liked them both too much to pick just one.



This is Spencer with Andrew. I don't know Andrew as well, except that he works with Spencer as a manager.



This is the team after their only victory. They won 6-0. It was so fun to watch them all play, especially Spencer. Dan Ditto's brother is on the far right. During the game he fell really hard and was bleeding out of his ear. I think he got a concussion... Sometimes these boys take the game way too seriously. Boys can be so silly...



This is another picture of the team. It was a beautiful day and a great game. I was so glad that I didn't have work so that I could go and watch and support my hubbie.