At long last...

Willow has delivered her cria!  The anticipation of this particular cria's arrival has been intense!  Willow is my favorite girl in the herd and  this is Willow's very first pregnancy.  She was bred to our herdsire Chocolate Chip.  We had high hopes for this cria. 

Yesterday, the wait was over.  At 348 days gestation, Willow delivered a lovely, healthy, and large (18.8 pounds!) cria.   It's a girl - and we couldn't be happier!

Poor Willow...  She is a small girl, but her belly was huge!  I knew when I put the girls out on the pasture, that Willow would be delivering sometime today.  She is in the early stages of labor here.

Even though inexperienced, Willow handled delivery like a pro!  In less than half an hour from the time the above photo was taken, she had delivered her baby.

It was still cool and cloudy, and baby was cold, so we moved to the shelter where I could warm  her with the hair dryer.  Willow is so sweet and calm.  She waits patiently and gets to know her baby while allowing me to handle her. 

Although it's hard to tell in the pictures, the baby is a lovely mix of light fawn and white colors.  Not really a pattern, but a more subtle blending of colors.

At just an hour old, baby takes her first steps.  A greeting for Mom and she's ready for the 'milk bar'.

With a bit of milk in baby's belly, and a clear bond with each other, Willow takes her baby to the lower pasture for the afternoon.

The rest of the herd is very excited to meet the newest addition!

We are pleased to introduce the newest addition to our herd -  Laycee of Pronkin' Pastures!