[carmen in nj]

Congratulations on your girl, ok to start every bitch is different, I usually calculate from first day of mating, a maiden bitch can take up to 65+ days to whelp, and that is considered normal. I love DJ's site I use it all the time for the Java due date. I do take my girls temp, and is very reliable for me,once the temp drops and spikes, my girl will whelp withing 24 hrs. I take lots of pictures and give my parents a cd loaded with pictures, a booklet with tips and suggestions, parents pictures, copy of the contract, a bottle of puppy shampoo, a security blanket with the mommy's and litter's scent, a couple of toys, a dress or vest for puppy,a baby brush for puppy so they can start brushing their pup as soon as they have some time, a sample bag of puppy food, a can of wet puppy food, a sample of snacks, a washable diaper with the litter's scent to tell the puppy that is where he or she needs to go, a sample of a disposable diaper , all this in a reusable shopping bag that I buy at my favorite pet store. I also include a magnet that I have done with my name and phone number for the refrigerator so they can have my number handy, a silky terrier key chain, so they know what breed is the pup in case they forget..LOL also all my puppies are microchiped at my expense , all my parents love the fact that the pup is already microchiped and all they have to do is register him or her.
if I can think of something else I will share.. oh I use a kitchen scale too. it works great..
hugs,