Lucy's First

At the start of the school year I, being a dutiful parent, signed up to help with some school activities. Most of them have had an overabundance of help, and I have managed to stay in the background or leave early if I needed to. Today's activity was different. COSI On Wheels (the traveling exhibits from the science museum in Columbus) was coming to the school and they needed volunteers to staff the activity centers. It was an all day project at the school, an not may parents signed up for it. So, I was committed.

When I came out to the kitchen at 5:00 am to start the coffee and get things going for the day (all the chores needed to be done before 8 am so I could stay all day at the school. Usually there are a few things I don't get done until I get back from dropping off the kids.) I heard a very distinct peeping sound. The incubator has been living in the kitchen for the past month (so I can remember to keep an eye on the temp, fill the water channels, etc.) so I always look at it when I get up in the morning. This morning one of the eggs had a big chip pushed out and seemed to be peeping. This wasn't supposed to happen until at least tomorrow. Not a convenient start to the day.

After coffee and a bite to eat I went out to milk and get the goats and chickens set up for the day. Before leading the goats out to pasture I checked Lucy (as I have done every day for the past too weeks) to see if she was in milk yet. Lucy was due to kid the same time Orphea did. Of course today she was in milk. She didn't seem vary far along other than that, but it made me very nervous.

We rushed off to school, arriving just before the bell. The children went to class and I went to orientation. The morning went well. The lady from COSI was great, and the younger kids had a lot of fun with all the activities. When we broke for lunch I rushed home to check on everyone. Lucy was laying down in the pasture and didn't get up when I called. I fed the bottle babies quickly and moved them all out to the pasture. When I checked Lucy she had just started the first stage of labor. I figured I had two or two and a half hours. I moved her to the barn, settled her in the small pen, and headed back to the school. It took just over three hours to rap up the COSI event and get home. Lucy greeted us with a beautiful baby doe. Both seem healthy and happy. Then we rushed to the house to check on the chicks. One had made it out our the shell and was peeping away, all wet an floppy. Withing an hour it was up and pushing things around looking for food.