1-31-16

Adam taking a quick swing with Louie before coming to the barn to check on sheep.

Jacob and Adam got haircuts this evening

Jared giving a pep talk to #514

This evening we noticed Ewe #514 was in labor.  We checked on her every 30 minutes.  Every hour or so I'd check to see if I could feel any lambs but I couldn't feel any.  Then, around 3am,  I noticed that her cervix was only slightly dilated. All that pushing and her cervix wasn't dilated!  We put her in a stall and I worked carefully on stretching her cervix.  I got it stretched enough so I could feel the lambs.  I felt a couple heads and a lot of legs but it was very tight!  Now that her cervix was dilated we stepped out and gave her some time deliver the lambs on her own.  She was pretty worn out but gave some good pushes.  We checked her again and still no progress!  I was trying not to panic as I tried to determine which hooves belonged to which lambs.  I really wanted to find hind feet because then I didn't have to worry about the head.  I pulled some hooves out but they were front feet (no head).  I pushed them back and felt again.  Suddenly the ewe started bleeding a lot!  Now I was even more panicked thinking that one of my favorite sheep was going to bleed to death.  I finally found two hind feet and pulled.  I handed the lamb to Jared so I could feel for the next lamb.  The ewe was just laying on her side and still bleeding a lot.  I wanted to at least save the lambs before they died with her.  I pulled the second lamb feet first (head back) and Jared started working on it.  Then I reached in and pulled the third lamb by its eye sockets (feet back).  All three lambs were alive!  We towel dried them and tube fed them each 4 oz of their mom's colostrum.  We put the lambs by the ewe who was still laying on her side.  She raised her head and licked her lambs.  The first two lambs were so spunky and quickly worked on standing.  The third (smallest) lamb became hypothermic so I took him inside to warm him up by the fire with a heated rice sock next to him.  Jared set up a heat lamb in another stall and moved the lambs in there.  The smallest lamb quickly warmed up and was standing.  Jared came in the house and I asked him if the ewe was gone yet.  I hated to think of her suffering.  He said no and we went to the barn to check on her.  Now it was around 6am.  We looked in on her and she was sitting up!  We checked on the lambs and they were doing great!  There were two boys and a girl. The girl weighed 13 lbs 7 oz.  And the boys were 11 lbs 4 oz and 8 lbs 8 oz.   We went back to the stall and were shocked to see ewe 514 was standing!  We couldn't believe it!  We gave her shot of antibiotics and walked her to the stall to be with her lambs.  We went inside to clean up.  I messaged my family and asked them to pray for her!   Jared left for work and I woke the boys for school.

#514 and her triplets

1-30-16

Jacob spent a lot of time today learning songs on the piano

1-29-16

When we came inside from checking the sheep Jacob wanted to show us that he learned a song on the piano.  He played Mary had a Little Lamb.

1-28-16

Fyrne is always covered in hay.  She loves graham crackers!

1-27-16

1-26-16

Showing the lambs the creep feed area

and how to use the creep feed gate

Eli practicing his sight words with Daddy.  

1-25-15

Silly boys

I picked the boys up from school a little early today because we all had appointments at the dentist.  Eli went back for his appointment all by himself for the first time and did great.  All the boys did great and had no cavities.  Jacob did have a filling come out so we scheduled an appointment for him. We stopped at McDonalds for shakes on our way home.  Jared saw a bald eagle today and noticed a bald eagles nest just across the highway from his work.  Jared also saw another bald eagle just down the road from our house on his way home from work.  Jacob had his science presentation today.  There were 4 in his group and his part was to go over the adaptations of the Pangolin.  He said they did really good.  He loves working on Google Slides.

1-24-16

In the tent

1-23-16

Jacob got a wet foot when he broke through the ice in the ditch

Sewing a holder for his nerf gun

In their tent

Making a monster octopus 

1-22-16

Eli put on boxer shorts to be like Adam

Jacob chose to stay in from recess so he could get some extra credit and improve his math grade (which is a C).  Right now he is working on a presentation in science which he will be giving on Monday.  He loves doing presentations.