Hay Pups 3 wks old - Berry Pups 2 wks old
- Hoekema Family
- Mar 22
- 4 min read
All our wee tiny faces here have blossomed and plumped into fat, chunky, healthy and thriving squishy thick potatoes!
The growth this week has been incredible in so many ways. Their faces are changing, their voices are getting louder, and their bellies are round and full. Those tiny tummies are off the ground, powered by strong, stubby legs as they motor around the box.
The Hay babies are hovering right around 4 lbs, and the Berry babies are sitting right at 3 lbs. Everyone is growing beautifully and right on track.
There’s been so much commotion in the boxes this week that both whelping areas got broken down and expanded. The mamas have been stretching, sprawling, and clearly appreciating the extra space.
We added toys to the panel rings, and the mirror for them to gawk at is always a huge hit. Look at us! There’s SO MANY of us!
Potty trays were introduced into the Hay baby nursery a couple of days ago in anticipation of solid foods this week. There’s already been lots of exploring, and even a couple of successful test runs were accomplished. So proud of the babies!
Over the next week, I’ll be spending a lot of time sitting with them while they nurse, and as soon as they are finished, placing them on the trays to start building the routine. They always catch on incredibly fast, so this close monitoring usually only lasts 3-4 days. I’ll be adding trays to the Berry Babes nursery next week.
The Berry kids have been loving their bigger space, working those stubby little legs hard to get those bellies off the ground. Such strong little babes- I’m sure they will be doing laps any day now.
Their eyes have opened, and in the days ahead, they’ll only widen more as the world comes into focus for them.
A few of the Hay babies continue to take turns roughing up the Berry kids, and then head back to their own crew as if to report on all the excitement happening in the other nursery.
While I was setting up the Hay babies’ nursery with their potty trays, I put everyone together in the Berry nursery and they had a HAY DAY!
The Dremel was introduced at the beginning of the week - and the mamas thanked me. Each day we do little touch ups or simply fake nail pedis; the desensitization is so beneficial for them at this stage.
The vacuum runs multiple times a day, both in and around their space. Their hearing is developing at this stage, but I’m sure they’ve been feeling those vibrations from the very start. Before long, they’ll be so used to it that those thick little otter tails will be getting sucked right up!
Music has been playing for a while now, and we’ll continue introducing all kinds of sounds as they grow.
We were able to get out in the stroller a couple of times this week, but the rain was relentless, so the trips were short-lived. We take what we can get when it comes to sunshine here in Washington.
But yesterday morning, the sun broke through, and all the dogs basked and glowed in the warmth. Anya stretched out belly-up, Neema posed in all her glory, Tonka soaked it in beneath his dense coat, and the mamas were simply grateful to be outside.
The sunshine shone in through the nursery window and brought warmth in abundance to the Hay babies.
Every single moment for these dogs is heaven on earth. Every minute they get to be here, they are smiling. I adore them all endlessly.
I’m not sure it’ll be quite warm enough to bring the babies outside this week, but hopefully soon. We will be introducing water play this week, indoors for now, and then transitioning to the tub over the next couple of weeks.
The next 3-4 wks. Are some of the most fun, as I get to watch their personalities begin to surface, blossom, and grow. I’ve already started noticing little traits here and there, and in the weeks ahead I’ll be closely observing to see those behaviors continue to develop.
Puppy selections and visits are just 3 wks. Away for the Hay babies and only 4 for the Berries, so families are definitely starting to feel the excitement build. I can’t wait to share these little chubby bundles with so many.
It’s hard to believe how quickly time flies with these babies. The last few weeks do tend to slow down for me a bit, to be honest, as the workload ramps up. Being able to pour into their lives and make a difference during this time is something I don’t take lightly.
So many precious bundles, so little time, so much to do, so much I have been blessed with and so much to be grateful for.
There has been one family on my Isla/HAY Litter list that has chosen to delay their adoption until the fall so there is a new placement open within this litter. Let me know if you need a HAY baby in your life!
