5 Weeks old and so fun.

I think every stage of puppies is my favorite, even though the time demand increases the older they get. Also, I remember the older they get the nail clipping seemed to get harder and less tolerable, but not so with this litter!  Everyone of them sat patently and still in my lap till I was finished.  Amazing!  

They are now not so timid when entering a new space (our kitchen floor, the deck outside, etc), but more quickly get curious and sniff out their surroundings.  

They've been getting dewormer every couple of weeks and this week we upgraded to a more effective one now that their bigger bodies are able to process it.  

As their teeth are coming in nicely, mama is feeding/nursing for much shorter spurts of time. (Imagine those sharp teeth beginning to bite). We've upped their softened puppy food feedings to three meals a day and will be softening it less and less every time.  

(On pick up day we'll have a small bag of the food ready to go home with you so that you can either get the same kind or have some to transition them to the brand you prefer.  There will be no need to soften it at adoption age.  They'll will be eating normal puppy food for several days by then.)  

Every time we bring them in the house or on the deck for playtime, we're rolling them over on their back in a submissive position.  You'll notice below that I mention that some pups are slower to relax on their back than others.  Please know that in comparison with the few other litters we've had, this litter seems to amazingly settle in a lot faster than any past litter's we've had at this age!  

Adopted but still Jane for now.
Black female - White collar

So observant and slow to react.  Frequently, as her litter mates are engaging in any kind of chaos that happens to gear them up, Jane will likely be sitting on the sideline just looking up at us.  

But will then jump in the fun and clumsily bound around engaging in all she can.  

AJ
Black Female - Pink Collar

AJ is similar to her twin (Jane) in her more calm demeaner, but takes a bit longer to relax on her back.  In the pictures it's harder to see that her legs stayed stiff for longer.  She also seemed to want to engage more with us than she did with the introduction of a new space and rolling ball.  

Adopted - Daisy

Formally Darla  

Yellow Female - Purple collar

Daisy was slower to engage with anything off our lap the last few playtimes.  Observant yet also slower to relax on her back.  Though once she did, she was all about the toys and coming back and forth to us for kisses.  

Adopted - Lambeau

Formally Buckwheat
Black Male - Brown collar

Lambeau has been on the move and it was tricky to get a good shot of him.   At the first introduction to our kitchen floor, he quickly jumped into the exploration and was wagging his tail fast the whole time he was on all fours.  This photoshoot on our deck was no exception.   On his back he was slower to relax and kept his legs stiff more recently but most other occasions he settles right in.   

Also notice he's got a very small white strip on his chest. This is a common marking for black and chocolate labs, though neither of his parents have this mark.  He inherited this from his grandpa, Choco. (Chaco) 💛

AlfAlfa
Yellow male - Light blue collar

AlfAlfa has consistently made feeding a priority and is now the biggest pup of all.  He has been quick to engage in every playtime.  He is independent and sure, though he didn't seem interested in any toys as of yet.  He relaxes pretty quickly on his back.   

Spanky
Yellow male - Yellow Collar

Spanky has also not been very interested in toys... yet.  He was the most slow to relax on his back and stiffened more if I removed my hand...though the pictures can't communicate that.   It's obvious he'd much rather be giving his debonair poses.  We think he looks most like his momma in face shape and charm.

Waldo
Yellow Male - Dark blue collar

Waldo was quick to engage with his new surroundings and has been consistent with relaxing more quickly on his back than his mates.  He was also the only pup to retrieve a toy and bring it back during one of the playtimes!   So smart.

Porky
White Male - Black collar

Porky and Uh-Huh stand out in two specific ways from their litter mates they both have a slight lightened birthmark on their upper snout and they engage with their surroundings similarly.  (We'll be asking our vet about this mark next week when they go in for their shots.) 

He is also one of the bigger pups. He's more interested in people. Slower to engage in surroundings.  He relaxed easily on his back.  

Uh-Huh

Yellow Male - Orange collar

Confession:  I think I missed getting pictures of Uh-Huh for two if the weeks postings early on.  😥

Similar to Porky, Uh-Huh stands out in these two ways.  He has a slight lightened birthmark on his upper snout and he engages with their surroundings similarly to Porky.  (We'll be asking our vet about this mark next week when they go in for their shots.) 

Seemingly chill, observant.  Slower to react and engage with their environment. Uh-huh stays fine on his back but keeps his legs stiff.  

Adopted but still Froggy for now.
White male - Green collar

Froggy goes straight into playtime with no qualms.  He relaxes pretty quickly and consistently but today scrambled to get up and get moving.  He's been very playful and is still my middle daughter's favorite