Upcoming "Additions"

So it appears that we'll be having puppies at our house in the very near future.  A few days ago, we realized that our weimaraner was looking different.  Weimaraners usually have fairly extreme tucks, but Muddy's belly was rounding out and she's been extremely lethargic.  So we started doing a little counting-backwards math and realized that, yes, the last time she was in heat would be about 8 weeks ago.  And yes, that was the day that she was left tied up outside in the shade, not in her pen, and there was a boy dog in our yard when we got home.  Oops.
So we spent yesterday in a frenzy of preparation, because her physical changes have been happening so rapidly that we keep moving up our totally-guessing-even-though-we-aren't-professionals due date.  Stuart made an AMAZING whelping box. It is even air conditioned, since the heat index has been around 110 degrees every day for the past week, and looks to be that way for at least the next 10 days. He even painted the box to match our garage, since the whelping box sits up against the garage.  Lauren said this morning that she thinks we should contact the Guinness book of world records, since she is sure there has never been another whelping box as nice as this one.  :)

It is 6 feet tall at the back and 4 feet across - yesterday Stuart, Lauren and the dog were all hanging out in there together, so it is plenty big!
We filled the bottom with rags and fabric and let Muddy in.  I think she's come out about twice since then!  That dog knows when she's got it good!

Lauren had swimming lessons this morning.  It was day 3 of her lessons, which she had been markedly unexcited about initially.  However, she has a great teacher and she's enjoying them more and more each time.  Not enough to take 2 extra days of lessons (which the teacher offered to us this morning), but I'm thrilled that she is enthusiastic now.  We have a swimming party tomorrow night, and after lessons today she was disappointed that the party is not today, because she can't wait to show off her new knowledge to her friends!  I've been sitting in the car during her lessons so that she doesn't watch me for my reactions to things. I think that she is braver when I am not there as a possible "safety net".  But she came to get me from the car today, excited, for me to come watch her pick up toys from the bottom of the pool.  And then her teacher had her float on her back all the way across the deep end!  She was practicing keeping her face in the water while she did arm strokes, and also jumping into the pool and remembering to blow out through her nose, so that she doesn't get water up her nose.  I can't believe how much she has learned in 3 45-minute lessons!  It's unbelievable to me that she has come so far in such a short time - I'm so proud of her!