Another New Baby!

Our phone rang just after 10:00 last Saturday night. Calls that late can be not-so-good news. But not this time. We were hoping for that call. You see, we'd been waiting and watching for another baby...

...this one from the tiny heifer we bought almost two years ago...her first calf. The phone call came from the folks spending the weekend in the Guest House. They had taken over Robin's late-night checks and called to say, "It's coming!" And come it did, quickly and easily, at least from our point of view. Mama might beg to differ.

With no electricity in the barn, the only light we had came from flashlights. It was a challenging photo situation for me, to say the least!

Saturday night was cold here, with the temperature near freezing. See that misty fog above the calf? That's the steam coming off her little body. Being born must have been a pretty chilly experience.

But Little Jersey (we're not too creative when it comes to names around here) knew exactly what to do. She licked and licked until her new baby was clean and almost dry, stimulating the calf's circulation to warm it up.

Just a little less than an hour after birth, the baby was trying to stand. All that wobbling and falling strengthened her muscles and her resolve until she succeeded. And yes! She's a girl!! In farm language, that's a heifer.

These are snapshots from video footage...can't seem to get the video to load. Bummer!

Fast forward about fourteen or fifteen hours, to just past noon the next day. I stopped at the farm on the way home from church to see how this little girl was doing. What a difference a few hours made!

At less than eighteen hours old, she was up and walking, even running a little. What a cutie!

And those eyelashes!!

She got her dark eyes and nose from her Mama, a Jersey milk cow. But she got her red coat from her Papa. His name is Baltimore, an Irish Dexter bull. He belongs to our neighbors across the road. Irish Dexters are a hardy, all-purpose breed, good for milking, meat, and work animals. I think this little girl is a lovely combination of both her parents.

There's no doubt about it: she's a spunky one! She wasn't afraid to meet her "cousin," who was born last September...

nor was she shy about trying out running and jumping,

all under Mama's watchful eye.

By yesterday afternoon she was almost two days old. She was nursing well, as evidenced by her energy and milk mustache.

Our guests in the Guest House became quite attached to this new baby. It was a girls' weekend out for two moms and their three "tween" daughters, ages twelve and thirteen. Just minutes after the calf was born, the girls christened her "Belle."

By Monday afternoon little Belle was showered with lots of love and affection...

...by the younger ones,

and the not-as-young ones. What is it about baby animals that draws us humans in and makes us smile all the way down to our toes?

Although Belle was enjoying the attention, getting all that love and affection was hard work.

It wasn't long before she was sound asleep.

And so, we have another new baby on the farm. What a joy these little ones are. In her first two days of life, Belle had visits from neighbors and friends who left the farm with smiling faces and lighter hearts. Oh, to be able to bless others by my presence like sweet and spunky Belle!

Finally Here!

Way back on the first of December, our Jersey milk cow was artificially bred. That was over nine months ago...and ever since then we've been waiting. First it was waiting to see if she "took," then it was waiting to see her tummy grow - that took a long time. For the last four weeks or so, we've been waiting for her baby to arrive.

Waiting,

and waiting,

and waiting,

and waiting some more.

It was obvious there was a baby in there, especially when

we took into consideration the size of her udder...

but it seemed as if it would never come.

For weeks Robin checked on her at bedtime, in the middle

of the night, and early in the morning. Yesterday morning it

was the same conversation when Robin came in:

Me: "No baby?" Robin: "No baby."

Robin went back to the farm to shock corn stalks and I sat down

to eat my breakfast. The phone rang: "Hurry up! You've got

a baby and he's trying to stand up!" I gulped my last bite

of toast, flew upstairs and threw on some clothes, and

grabbed the camera. The farm is just under two miles

from our house, and my car didn't piddle. And just look

what was waiting for me!

Mama Star had delivered her baby all on her own,

probably around 6:00 am. When I got there,

around 8:30, he was working hard at standing up.

It didn't take him very long to figure out how to get up,

but staying up was another story. All that effort on an empty

stomach was just too much, so a short nap was in order.

A hungry tummy is a powerful motivator, though,

and it wasn't long before he was up again and searching for breakfast.

He knew which end...

and he knew how to suck...

but he couldn't quite get in the right spot.

After several minutes of trying, he needed some more rest.

This time Mama joined him.

Later, in the afternoon, Robin got both Mama and Baby

in the barn. He helped the little guy out a bit and soon he was

feasting and filling up his empty tummy.

Because Star had so much milk, there was no way this

new baby could drink it all. Mama needed some relief!

Robin milked out over a gallon of the golden colostrum,

the rich first milk that is filled with all a newborn needs.

Although it was probably uncomfortable at first,

Star was mighty glad to give a bucketful of milk.

Later, she got a little treat of grain for all her efforts.

At home, I strained the colostrum and put it in bottles for the freezer.

It is highly prized by fellow farmers to nourish a weak calf or lamb

that needs an extra boost. We're thankful to have so much to share.

By evening, our new baby was stronger and more sure of his legs.

He's a mighty pretty boy!

This afternoon, he could go in and out of the barn by himself.

It's amazing how quickly this baby is gaining independence.

But he still needs his mama.

Just look at those eyelashes! What a miracle to behold!

We're so glad you're finally here, little guy.