What a day

On Sunday, a friend of ours who knows livestock stopped by and checked Bell. He said, "Oh yeah, there's a calf in there, and she's going to calf within the week. Maybe not in the next 24 hours, but definitely within the week."

This morning I go out to do chores, and there lays a calf. She's mostly dried off, but shivering. Now what? Nothing like a shivering calf to clarify my inexperience! What a blessing to have friends. I made 4 phone calls and within an hour there were three guys there helping me get the calf started off right.

Once I felt we had done all we could for her, I went to an interview with UPS and was offered a part time job as a driver for next day air shipments. That will probably start in February.

I came home from that, and took Sheryll and Carrie to their respective doctors. Sheryll got her staples out, and they checked Carrie's bilirubin because she looked jaundiced. Her number came back very high, so we had to check her back into the hospital so that they could put her under UV lights. Once we got her settled in, I came home so I could get the calf another feeding and milk the cow. Sheryll will spend the night in the hospital with Carrie.

I'm going to bed!

Sid and I help the calf find the "spigot".

Don Ost, the gentleman we bought the cow from came to help as well.

Here's the line of cars that came to our rescue.

Snowed In!

Well, we're experiencing our first genuine snow storm. We have drifts in the yard and driveway around 3 feet deep, so we won't be going anywhere until we move some snow. Sure glad we got Sheryll and Carrie home last night! They closed the main highway (83) that goes through Minot from Bismarck to the Canadian border. Not much traffic on highway 52 tonight either! Good night to drink hot chocolate and watch a movie, which is exactly what we did.

Home for Christmas!

Sheryll and Carrie were released from the hospital a little after 7pm on Christmas Eve. We were home by 8, and able to celebrate Christmas together. We are all very happy to be back together again with the newest member of our family.

It is snowing and blowing outside, with a blizzard warning in effect. I'm no expert, but I think Bell may be in labor. Her bag is huge and tight, and to quote a friend of ours, her back end is "floppy". She's standing in the cowshed like she's in a daze. I think I may get her back in the barn and keep her there for a couple of days.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Still in the NICU

Carrie is still in the NICU. Her lungs and breathing are now fine, but her blood sugar is still low. They will slowly wean her off the IV as she begins to eat more. She's not all that interested in eating at the moment, which they say is not that unusual in a baby born 3 weeks premature. So we're not sure how soon she'll be able to come home, but we're still hopeful about tomorrow being a weak maybe, and Christmas Day a definite possibility.

Because of the H1N1 virus, they will not allow children on the OB/GYN floor. So the other kids can't see Mom or baby until they come home. This is the first time they haven't been able to see the new baby soon after they were born, and they are NOT happy about it. And to not even be able to see Mom is almost more than they can endure.

We're thankful for good friends who are already bringing meals and caring for our other children while I'm at the hospital with Sheryll and Carrie.

And just to add some interest to the story, we're being hit by a winter storm that could dump up to a foot of snow on us. Is this fun, or what?!

Birth!

And no, I'm not talking about the milk cow. Sheryll's C-section was scheduled for December 30th, but today she began having contractions. She went to the doctor, and they decided to do the C-section today. So she calls me at around 4pm while I was on the UPS truck and said I should make my way to the hospital, because the delivery was scheduled for 5:30. After about an hour delay to begin the surgery, Carrie Reese Paulson was born at 7pm sharp. She weighed in at 9 lbs and 12 oz, and was 21 inches long. Since none of this was planned, we had no camera there so have no pictures yet. I'll fix that tomorrow.

Carrie had a little trouble breathing on her own at first, and her blood sugar was low. So she is currently spending the night in the NICU, but is progressing rapidly. She's already off oxygen and has normal blood sugar levels, so the only concern is some fluid in the lungs. Not unusual for a c-section baby, since it doesn't get squeezed out in the birth canal. Mom was a little more queasy than normal, but otherwise doing well.

For those who we normally would have called with this news, my apologies. We're making this up as we go!

Winter is here!

Well, now we know what 20 below feels like! Actually, today it is a balmy 25 degrees, and feels quite nice outside. Since my last post, however, we have had several days where the high was below zero. It did strike me as funny when one morning I woke up and saw 3 degrees on the thermometer and was happy that it had warmed up!

Working for UPS has been challenging when the weather is below zero. I'm thankful that I only have 4 more days of work to go. The non-stop running for 7-8 hours straight has revealed some weaknesses in my knees and ankles. But overall it has been a good experience.

The gentleman we bought the milk cow from talked to the vet who checked her before we bought her, and they agree she must have aborted the calf. He feels badly and wants to get her back with his bull for another try. I hate to disagree with the experts, but her bag is definitely larger and firmer, and I can't imagine why that would happen except in preparation to feed a calf. I think God is just hooking me up with the timing, since I really didn't want the calf to come while working for UPS. Christmas Day would be fine with me, so we'll see what happens.

Not much else new. Until next time...