Our Dexter Heifer is Here: Baby's First Afternoon

Dear Charis, Kol and Eden,

This post is dedicated to you, my grandchildren.  This baby is Didi and Mimi's "grand-calf" because Siobhan, her mama, was our first Dexter baby.  Until you can come meet the baby, here's her first afternoon in pictures.

Heavy, dark clouds piled up over the farm and rolling thunder threatened lightning and rain to come, so Aunt Kara and I got Siobhan and the calf into the barnyard.

The calf explored inside the barn . . .

and outside with its mama right beside it.

Suddenly the rain began pouring.  Aunt Kara and Mimi ran for the house while Siobhan moved her baby into the barn.

Later that evening after Didi got home, we went out to check on the baby.  We shut the gate behind her so she couldn't get hurt in the construction material for the milking parlor.

Siobhan ate her supper, and the calf pretended to do just what her mama was doing.

Suddenly she decided it was play time and started running around.

Siobhan looked at her in wonder as she wagged her tail, shook her head and pranced all at the same time!

Then it was time to run around mama.

Peekaboo!

All that playing made the calf hungry so she went looking for dinner.  Isn't it funny to think that baby Eden still needs Mama to pick her up to nurse, but the calf who isn't even one day old can go find her own food?

She knows exactly where it is!  It's good that Siobhan has stopped spinning in circles to lick her calf every time she nurses, so now the calf can take her time.  She wags her tail because it tastes so good.

"Ouch!" said Siobhan when the calf got a bit too rough.  Of course she didn't really say "ouch," but she kicked her leg a little bit to show the calf it hurt.  Don't worry, though, she didn't hurt her baby.

Didi came over to meet the calf up close.  He was the first person to see her after she was born, but he hadn't touched her until now.  "She's so soft!" he said.

By that time Siobhan was ready for some good green grass, and the calf was ready to meet the ducks.

She went exploring again.



Isn't she just too cute for words?

She's feeling frisky!

Already running around the barnyard, just like her mama did when she was a baby--except it was winter and there wasn't any nice green grass to run on.

Oops!  Sometimes her back legs go faster than her front legs!

After all that playing it was time for a nap in a safe grassy corner.

See, even calves don't always take a nap when they're supposed to!

Mama Siobhan didn't want the ducks to disturb her baby's nap so she chased them away.  Sleep tight, baby girl!