Grace Under Pressure? Ummm....

So, here I am, dog-sitting for Kate and Clark as they frolic in DisneyWorld.
And let me tell you, it has been a surreal experience.
I had 4 dogs at my apartment, running in and out and up and down.
Craziness!
So I decided to take them all to Kate's house, since she has much more room.
Much better for the pups.
Now, these 4 dogs are super cute and loving,

so it is no hardship for me to care for them.
But Mazie, Kate's baby, is preggers.
We were thinking she was about 30 days along.
And we were really worried about her because she is only 1 yr old

and has a hernia and weighs less than 6 lbs

and my pup, Zane, the culprit behind here pregnancy, weighs 13 lbs!!
I was soooo worried about Mazie.
So, there I was Wed morn, laying on the couch getting ready to watch Lost.
Mazie was trying to sleep in the crook of my arm,

then she moved on to my back,
to my thighs, finally settling on the back of my knees.
Then I felt something hot and wet spreading on the back my knees.
"Omigoodness!! This little wench just peed on me!!"
I put her on the floor and look at the damage.
It was a lot of pee and still more on the floor where I put her.
"Jeez! Pregnant pups can't control their bladder!"
As I'm sopping up my jeans and the floor,

Mazie is licking and licking her "area 51".
"Ummm...was that pee? Or did her water break?!"
I kinda take a peek at Mazie's "area 51" and my jaw dropped.
There was something there that wasn't there before!
For a split second, I actually thought something had fallen out

and I had to push it back in!
Well, it then dawned on me that she was giving birth!
Oh Mother of Pearl!
I didn't know what to do!
And these puppies weren't supposed to be here yet!!
And I was ALONE!!!!!
So, meanwhile, Mazie drops the first puppy and walks away.
It was gross.
I'm not even gonna lie.
So there was this puppy still in the bag.
I took it and opened the bag.
And I threw up a little in my mouth.
There was this little seal-looking thing,

with legs and paws and ears and a tongue and tail.
But it wasn't moving.
And it was still attached to all the goo.
So I put it close to Mazie and she started to eat the goo.
And I again threw up a little in my mouth.
She kept chomping and chomping and then I guess she chomped to much
because there was stuff coming out of the pup.
It looked like intestines.
This is when I started to freak out.
I immediately get online to find a closer vet, since ours is 30 min away.
I get in my car and drive!!
Now on a normal day, I am a strict adherer to the rules of the road,
but I totally disregard them this time.
I get to the vet and they take the puppy from me

to see if there is anything they can do.
The vet comes out and she says there is nothing to do.
The pup was too premature.
It didn't even have any fur.
But they told me to bring Mazie back with any other pups that she has.
They also tell me they can dispose of the little pup for me.
I say thank you and I leave.
I race to get back to Mazie, who greets me at the door, tail wagging.
She then gets back to business.
I look around to see if Mazie had had any other puppies while I was gone.
And there it was, in the living room, under the table.
And it was also cold and not moving.
Then Mazie gives birth to her 3rd puppy.
I think I'm prepared for this third one,

knowing that it was not going to live either.
But when I saw Mazie cleaning him up, my heart cracked.
I know it's dumb.
This is nature, right?
But I just feel so awful and impotent.
There is nothing worse than knowing there was nothing you could do.
You just have to sit there and let it happen.
I pick up the little guy and put him in a plastic container with his sibling.
I then sit down next to Mazie.
She puts her little head in my hand and looks up at me through big brown eyes.
"I'm so sorry, little momma."
I sit there with her for an hour or so as she sleeps and I cry.
The other dogs, Zane, Chloe, and Leelu sleep around us.
2:30 comes around, time for the vet.
He takes an x-ray and sees something else in there, but it doesn't have a heartbeat.
He gives her a shot to help her expel whatever is still in there.
She comes home with me and sleeps most of the day
and I take her to the vet again the next day to see if she is okay.
The vet takes another x-ray and says with confidence that she is good to go.
I breathe the hugest sigh of relief.
"Thank you!"
I feel my shoulders roll and my stomach unclench.
I am so sad that there won't be any furry puppies

running around tripping over each other,
but I am still so grateful:
Grateful Mazie is ok,
Grateful the other dogs behaved,
Grateful for my friends,
and hecka Grateful I know how to drive!