6 weeks old

The puppies are getting big and heavy now and are proper chunky little bears.  They play rough, but as they are all a bit sensitive like their mum (i.e. they are a bunch of big babies), there is much screeching at the same time.   If I dare to stick a foot or an arm into the pen, then I have at least 3 hanging off me as I try to retrieve my limb, and their favorite game of all is trashing the indoor pen, digging and ripping up the paper.

And they now have their new names, subject to approval by the Kennel Club.  Introducing ...

Infindigo Pippuri Aatami
aka Tito

'Aatami' is the Finnish form of the name Adam.

Infindigo Pippuri Kai
aka Sox

'Kai' is a Finnish boy's name.

Infindigo Pippuri Fiia
aka Fiia

'Fiia' is a girl's name and the Finnish form of mum Tuuli's kennel name.  And, of course, it's also her baby name.

Infindigo Pippuri Kaito
aka Tuulen

In Finnish mythology Kaitolainen is the son of the god of metals.  As that was too long for the registered name, we are sticking with simply Kaito.  And it sounds like dad Taito, see what we did there?  It might not have escaped your attention that it is also rather a lot like Kai... I can see some confusing times ahead for yours truly.

Infindigo Pippuri Talvi
aka Mini

'Talvi' is Finnish for 'winter'.

doppelgänger pt 2

It was a busy, busy weekend with lots of visitors and puppy activity.  So I have few words today - I'm all talked out.  But don't worry, I plan on making up for it tomorrow.

For now, here is an update of how the puppies compare with their namesakes. 

Maija  -  Mini

Taito  -  Tito

Tuuli  -  Fiia

Tuuli  -  Tuulen

Tuuli  -  Sox

Well, whaddeya know.  It turns out that the one who looks most like mum is the one who isn't named after her.  But I don't know if I could have come up with another appropriate name for a third Tuuli look-a-like, so Sox still works as a name.

By the time of the 6-week update later this week the puppies will have their new names.  And you shall be the first to know, of course.

instagram fam

More puppy visitors today which means more hoovering, dusting and general mud management for me.  These are the busy but fun days now as the puppies are growing up, becoming a bit more demanding, and without actually realising they are asking to go out, they are starting to wish they were outside to do their poos (yes, already!).

Best of all are all the visitors.  It's an unusually hectic time in this house that is generally unaccustomed to children for most of the rest of the year.  We get to see extended family and new friends and it's all great experience for the puppies.

No one will mind if I doze off over the custard creams?

Here's a bit of what the puppies' Instagram followers have been enjoying this week.  

Little bear  -  There's always one with a wet head
Enjoying a belly scratch  -  Howler of the day
Cute snoozer  -  Another cute snoozer complete with tongue
"I will stay awake..."  -  Howler of another day

5 weeks weights

Well, she did it.  Fooled most people, that is.  Granted, Mini still isn't, well, mini, but Sox has very quickly taken over the job of biggest puppy.  And he's rather a lot bigger when you see them.  In fact, I'm guessing that the people who guessed Sox are those who saw the puppies in person recently.  (Jay, you haven't been cheating, have you?)

Here's the news.

And here are some cute, sadly not-very-sharp photos of the gang scampering around in the frosty grass that I just couldn't resist a couple of days ago.  But first, and in haste because I have much to do before the arrival of puppy visitors today, evidence of just how incorrigible these water babies are.  New owners, consider yourselves warned.

5 weeks old

The time is truly zooming away and here are the Pippuri puppies 5 weeks old already.  Once again I pulled these photos out of the proverbial bag single-handedly.  Either I have a very well behaved litter of puppies or I'm going to start charging for puppy posing lessons.

Don't forget to vote in the poll - results tomorrow with the weight update.

Tito

Sox

Fiia

Tuulen

Mini

playmates

Between puppies and out-of-commission Jay, I've been run rather off my feet.  To save on 40 or 50 trips up the stairs each day, I moved the puppies downstairs a couple of days early.  They weren't complaining - they were already feeling crowded in the whelping box, enormous as it is.  They were definitely ready for the big pen world downstairs.

The best thing about moving downstairs, as far as they are concerned, is not the opportunity to finally get up some speed  in their zoomie games (although that is a big draw, to be sure), but rather it's the realisation that the world of big dogs comprises more than just mum.

Unlike Tuuli who spends a bit of time each day in the pen playing with the puppies (and their toys...), Neka never played with her own puppies at all.  She has, however, always loved being involved in her grandkids' upbringing, and they adore her.  And they never forget her - even long after they have moved on to their new homes.

Games with mum.

And games with granny.

Happy granny

And sometimes everyone plays together

yawwwwwn

For your amusement today, here are some sleepy puppies at various ages.

Fiia 2 weeks - photo @ Mark Treasure

Socks 2 weeks  -  photo @ Mark Treasure

Mini 2 weeks  -  photo @ Mark Treasure

Tuulen 2 weeks  -  photo @ Mark Treasure

Tito 3 weeks

Tuulen 3 weeks finding eating very tiring

Tuulen again