As I am sure you all know by now that we had 3 calves born within 24 hours..You can imagine how calm a scene that was!! We had planned Saturday morning to get up early and since it was going to be a 70 degree day!! we had planned to clean out the cows area, since it had rained alot the last week and everything was so muddy. David went out to feed everyone and he came running into the house and went into Elizabeths room to wake her..Liz said, "Nothing gets you up faster than your father walking into your bedroom and yelling "ELIZABETH! You need to get up I believe Clara is in labor." Then he called me and said,"I think you need to come outside, Clara is in labor." So sure enough, she was and she was pushing...David called Mark and Chrystal as they both wanted to participate in delivery..and we got Clara into our little birthing shed. Chrystal brought over John, as Emily was still sleeping and Brandon came to watch also. This was about 6:10..she did very well having the little one around 8:22..He is so cute. I have sent you all the pictures, but I will add one. . He is very handsome and Clara is such a good mom. She has no problem letting you get near him. We named him Casper for being born on Halloween.

Everyone was so relieved. We had been waiting all month. When the vet came and did a pregnancy check back in April..He told us, Clara was the farthest along and would deliver first, then Maddie and lastly Elsie..little did we know that he meant all within a 24 hour period!!

So we all were just watching Clara and smiling and talking. The kids were all excited and had lots of questions.(all good!!) and then we were cleaning everything up that we had used and walked over towards the house and I decided I would cook a big breakfast for everyone. We were all sitting around talking and Liz went out to check on everyone and came back in saying, "Oh boy, Maddie has a bag of water hanging!" We all scrambled to quickly find a place for her to calve as our little calving shed already had a occupant!! We moved our little heifer out of her stall and Mark expanded it and we got Maddie in there...She was mad!! Hollering at Owen, (her older calf) and of course he was yelling back..She was so agitated, that we decided to leave her alone for a while...it seemed she had just stopped everything! So we would check on her periodically and then finally she started showing more and more signs. Finally around 5:30, it was Marks turn to check her and he came in saying,"Liz, I see feet!" So off everyone went again and she delivered a lovely bull calf around 6 pm. She seemed stunned right after she had him and got right up and started washing him and now was mooing to him, he seemed to get up really fast..Maddie does get pretty protective of her calves and when Liz went to dip his navel she head butted her and caught her in the lip...Fat lip for the Halloween party they were all going to!! Well, it seemed that the babies were now over..as we recalled what the vet had said about Elsie..that she would be the last to deliver, so we all thought at least we had a few days or weeks to go..Off everyone went to the party and David and I were exhausted from all the work we didn't get done!! All night long, I had terrible dreams about Elsie, how in all our excitement with the other two, we had overlooked her and we were not there when she delivered and the calf had not survived...I tossed and turned alot that night..So when I finally woke, I realized it was Daylight Savings time and my watch said 7:30, but it was now 6:30!! I woke up David and said, "Get up, we have babies and Moms to attend to." We both laughed and I looked out and said, "Oh it had rained during the night! "My little heifer had been outside all night as Maddie was in her stall, so I felt bad and wanted to check her and my chickens as well as they have been staying the barn with the little heifer Lila and now they had been displaced as well. As I walked out the door, I saw Elsie on her side rocking side to side like she was trying to get up, but then she would be really still..Curly was right next to her and nudging her to get up..(Curly and Elsie came together to us, they were both so little and they really look out for each other) Curly finally succeeded in getting her up and I could see she really was in labor, close to delivery..I ran to wake up Liz (who had gotten home from her party around 3 am!!) and David called everyone..(we have a whole delivery crew!!) Everyone came to mann their stations..Emily made it for this delivery!! We could not get Elsie to come into the barn, she just laid down in the mucky hay and started delivering the baby...We rushed and put a tarp under her, so the baby would not be born in the muck..and sure enough out he came...What a handsome boy!! She was washing him off right away..and we made a sling out of a sheet and carried him into the barn, then she came right away to be with him..So now I have come to the end of my delivery stories..I am glad they are all done and I am grateful to all the help we had... and luckily I had put in a roaster chicken first thing this morning, so we could all have a big lunch, everyone was so hungry. But I am really exhausted, probably more mentally than physically!! Today we did get to clean up all the mucky mud and moved all the boys down into the lower area..Curly was not pleased as he could not see Elsie..but he did go in the barn with her after she had the baby so he could see she was all right..but he is down there yelling to her still... We still have to move Clara and Casper up to the upper paddock, we are making that one all moms and babies. so then I will have the 3 steers and 1 bull down in the lower paddock..Eddie is now a proven sire, but I wish he hadn't done it all in one day!! thats all for now, I am going to bed and sleep forever!!! Love and kisses, Patti