It's calving time...in our basement!

Calving time is especially fun this year. Ryan and I haven't calved out any of our heifers since our son was a baby. So, the kids don't even remember what this is like. Just like farm kids, though, they are lovin every minute of it!

So far we have three calves, all girls, and two have them have had to spend a little time in the house. The first one came in the evening. Ryan went out to check them and found her on a patch of ice. Mama couldn't get her up, so we had to bring her in the basement to get her cleaned up and her first milk to her. She came about two weeks early so, as it usually goes, we were not prepared. Luckily, Ryan's friend, Tom, was able to come to our rescue with some colostrum ('first milk' replacer), a bag to tube her and a bottle.

Baby number two came around 2:00 A.M. Sunday night. As the saying goes, when it rains it pours. Our daughter had just woke up with a fever when Ryan came inside hollering for help with the newest addition. With the frigid windchills she needed cleaned off and dried ASAP.

Number three came during the day on Monday. Ryan did have to help mama out a little by pulling the calf, but all in all everything went well. She was cleaned up right away, fed and didn't have to spend the night in our basement like her playmates.

Babies spending the night in our basement has become very popular with our kids, but not so much with our dog. He sleeps in the basement at night and has had a few short nights due to the bawling from the juvenile visitors!