New Baby

I got home from Marlboro(ugh) yesterday and was opening windows to let the sea breeze in when I spied a fresh new cria in the pasture. It turns out he was born relatively early Monday morning. It was a complicated birth, as his front legs (which should precede his head)were both pointing back. As I wasn't there, I wasn't able to help, but the landladies were able to get their regular farm vet to come out and help get the little guy out. In spite of his rough entry into the world, he did very well and is an active little bugger. His name is Herreshoff, which is the name of a now-defunct sailboat company which made some really world-class vessels in the late 19th/early 20th centuries.



I also came home to a phone message from my mother telling me only to call her at work, which I knew meant bad news. My 91 year-old grandfather suffered a heart attack on Sunday and is in the hospital. It appears that it was fairly mild, fortunately, but his heart rate was slow enough that they implanted a pacemaker today. My mother had planned to fly down at the end of the month, but she's now leaving tomorrow to do what she can to help with my grandmother (86 years old), who's had a lot of health problems in the past several months, and help prepare for my grandfather's return home. I suspect that they're going to need at least some part-time in-home assistance. My uncle lives next door to them and has been helping out, but with both of them ill, it will probably be more than he can manage alone.

Otherwise, things continue as usual. I woke up with a bad spasm in my neck and can't really turn my head very well at the moment. I had decided not to take the Flexeril I've been taking to help me sleep better, as David complains that it makes me twitch in my sleep, but I'm thinking that this isn't really a good alternative. Also, I'm waiting for Madelyn to have her baby at any time. Alpacas generally give birth during the morning and early afternoon - an important adaptive mechanism when you come from a place where nighttime temperatures can drop below freezing year-round. The baby visibly shifted position on Sunday, but I've seen these girls keep you guessing for weeks before they go into labor, and last year Maddy gave no warning and delivered within the space of about a half hour. Since gestation can be really variable, there's no telling when I'll get the baby call. Expect photos, though.