Baby's Babies

While I was waiting for my total at the grocery store yesterday evening my phone rang. It was my husband. "I think the black face is having her baby now," he said.

"Oooh!" I answered. "I'll be there in a few minutes!" I wrote my check and handed it to the girl. "My sheep is having a baby now," I excitedly told her. She was unimpressed.

I drove home as fast as I legally could and threw the cold stuff in the fridge. Good thing I only had a few items. I grabbed the camera and hoped I wasn't too late. After all, I have to document as much as I can for the interested blog readers! All five of you!

When I got out to the barn I could see Baby inside one of the stalls. She was on her feet and bawling uncomfortably. My husband was on the patio next to the barn and told me she'd been that way for a good twenty minutes.

WARNING!!! The following photos may be too graphic for some. Proceed only if you are not grossed out by slimy, bloody, birthing photos.

For a while Baby had her head in a corner.

I hastily spread some fresh straw. I thought it might be a while yet because she hadn't lain down. But then she started stretching her head up like this. This is how they do it when they are laying down so I figured she must be in the last stage of labor by now.

Sure enough, the feet appeared.
Baby started walking slowly around the stall and as she passed by me I took this shot of the feet and nose now showing.
The head is out! (Yell this like Arnold Schwarzenegger in "True Lies", remember "The bridge is out!")
Finally Baby collapsed to the ground and gave another push.
But she's up again! And now she has a dangler!
Aww! Unfortunately I didn't realize the camera was focused on the straw in front.
Within minutes the baby was up and at 'em.
But then Baby started the neck stretching again. Could it be twins?!?

Yes!

She finished this one laying down.
I put the new baby up front so she could lick them both. Then we let them be for the night. I was so excited I forgot to iodine the navels but they seemed totally fine this morning.
Here they are this morning. Twin girls. The one on the right was the first one.
So I'm thinking of calling them Ellen and Portia. Or is that really not cool? Hey, remember we're in California.

We've got one ewe left to lamb, and that would be Jamie. She's really big but her back end is not showing any significant changes yet. Maybe she'll be giving me the birthday lamb(s).

current lamb count: boys - 3; girls - 3