New Life!

We've been watching Christina, thinking that her udder was getting bigger, but not sure, and checking on her every few hours. I went out about 4pm to check on her to take a picture of her udder.  There was a calf!  It looked pretty wet and not standing so I figure it wasn't too old.
I took this picture before running in to tell everyone.

We are haunted by Christina getting milk fever last year so we were ready to spring into action.  Milk fever is a severe drop in blood calcium that can kill a cow.  I ran into the house to get Brian.  We got cow clothes on and headed out with calcium drench.  The idea is to put a tube in the side of Christina's mouth so she'll drink up this calcium liquid.  Christina thought it was a bad idea.  We struggled and struggled with her and we think we got at least half of it in her.

I checked into between those little baby legs and we think this is a boy calf.   We'll call him pepper, short for pepperoni.

Then it was time to worry about the calf.  The colostrum the calf gets in its first day will affect its entire life.  We were supposed to milk 3 quarts of colostrum and give it to the baby.  We started milking but only got 2 quarts.  He sucked away on the bottle, but he didn't quite finish it.  I think his little tummy got full.  So 2 quarts is probably enough for now.

He stood up with us for the first time, but he falls over really easily.

After milking we got things set up for the night. A heat lamp and a pile of straw in the milk parlor will be the baby's home.  Christina was moved out to her shed.  She can lick him, but not nurse him.

Then we did a final milk fever check.  Her ears felt warm (that's good).  She ate up her candy with enthusiasm when we milked her (that's good).  And she let go a big wet poop just before we left (that's good too!).

Today I began the day out at the prison protesting an execution.  Without knowing it was time, we had all silently, spontaneously, moved over toward the fence, facing the prison and the rising sun as he was killed.  At that moment, a few flakes of snow fell and then the sun shot out over a cloud, brightening the day.  My day started with death.

And I ended the day with God's blessing of new life.  The calf seems healthy.  Christina seems healthy.  My day ends with life.  God's grace is all around us.