Have you ever......

Have you ever had a cow STUCK in the dugout?


(We had to get the tractor and put a chain around her neck....drag her out, thought we'd choked her, but then she got up and was ok. The mud was so thick, she couldn't move......





Have you ever had to rescue a cow from what seems to be like an unknown BASEMENT in the BARN......(yeah, this is a real first. We had the mama and her calf in the barn as it was rainy and the calf was not doing well. We had to dry the calf off in the house, but after that we put them in the barn to bond and just keep out of the rain. WELL....this morning Ad went to check on them, and THE COW HAD FALLEN THRU THE FLOOR OF THE BARN, about 6-8 feet under....First off....Why in the world is there a hollow under the barn floor.
and secondly.....seriously? So Adam had to cut a hole in the barn, get the tractor, attach straps around her belly, and Neil, drove the tractor and hoisted her out!!! No broken bones. She is fine. Crazy.

Okay and this last one isn't that off beat!! It's so cute. Have you ever helped a baby calf get it's groove in sucking! Or also dried off a brand new baby calf, who is so cold cause it's raining and windy. So the last photo's aren't that crazy,but just cute!

Okay, I really need to now get a cowgirl hat to go along with my boots!!

P.S. Just so you know...Jackson is doing just great! (baby calf from last post.)

Gonna get me some cowgirl boots.....

Saturday was a big day for me. My original plan was to scrapbook all day. A and J were off to the last hockey tourney, so it was going to be a quiet day at the Lawson farm.

As I was driving out of the yard I saw that a mama cow had just birthed. I stopped to watch and see how things were going. After watching for about 15mins, I noticed the baby wasn't moving much. I went closer and saw that the calf was breathing and moving his ears, so I thought things were good. I did text a neighbour just to ask if there was anything more I need to do. He told me that I should make sure that it gets up soon, especially since it was windy, and he was right our in the open, no shelter to shade him from the wind.

I went back in about an hour and saw that baby hadn't moved at all since I last left. I went down, cautiously as the mama's are not super keen on new people being around their babies. I got close to the calf, and saw it was not doing well. He was shivering, and breathing heavy. I could tell that he hadn't gotten up, and it needed to get up and start drinking. I started talking to the mama, telling her that I needed to help the baby, so please...PLEASE don't charge me. (i know you true hard core cowgirls or cowboys are rolling your eyes, but I felt that I needed that mama to chill and let me help her baby.) I worked with the babe, rubbing it, massaging it, trying to help it stand up. As soon as I got him to stand, he would fall right over. He was really lethargic, and not perking up. The mama instinct in me told me I needed to get that baby some nutrients, and I knew I was not going to be able to get the cow to let me get the baby over to her to get it to suck.

I knew Ad has colostrum in the vet cupboard, so I mixed up it up, but could not find the bottles with the big nipples......what to do??

All I had was sippy cups, so I took out the stopper and put it in there!! When I got back to the calf, it was in the same position as when I left and his eyes were all half-rolled back in it's head, and not very responsive. I forced some milk down his throat. He liked that and after a bit of it he perked up a bit.

(Mean while still cow whispering to the mom.....she was nervous and even doing the hoof in the dirt and flicking it backward.....like a bull getting ready to charge. )

I could not get the calf to stand up and get moving. I had to get my neighbour to come help because even though I got a bit of milk into him, he had to get moving and get sucking from his mama. He came over and helped get the calf up and getting it moving. (I wasn't being "rough" enough with it. I was caressing, massaging, talking to him...telling him to get up....get moving, when what I needed to add to that situation is to yank on his tail upward and basically startle him....shake him out of his zone.) After that he did start walking and followed his mom.

I felt like it was my own baby(well...okay, not like my own baby, baby..but you know what I mean.) To watch it walking all wobbly following his mama, was really gratifying. Plus it was so cute to be petting and working with a new baby calf. (cute -when I wasn't cow whispering to the mama while she was snuffing and mooing to get away from her calf!!!)

Since I grew attached to the new baby calf I decided I had better name him. Here is a picture

of new baby calf Jackson. Nick name Jack. (cause you know that's how we roll around here...gotta be able to break the name down into a nickname!) Don't worry I won't be getting baby Jack's name tattoo'd on my body or anything!!

So I figure I a going to trade my black UGG's,(which by the way got lots of cow poo on them, but I didn't care) for a pair of pink cowgirl boots! Maybe like these:

Or at least for a pair of rubbers. I'm sure you authentic cowgirls are saying...just cause you helped one calf, doesn't make you a cowgirl....but let me tell you. I feel like a cow whisperer, calf saving cowgirl!

11 Months old......

Yesterday Nevaeh Chaltu was 11months old!

The real question is.....will we get to hold Nev before her 1 year birthday. The positive thinking in me say...YES. The cautious part of me says....not sure! Yesterday we received a returned cheque from Nairobi, because during the time that we sent the certified cheque and now, the wording, of whom to make the cheque out to, HAS CHANGED! Ahhhh....really? You couldn't just let it slide since it was made out BEFORE this change was made.....But our agency said this is a good thing, because it means that they have actually really gotten into our file, as opposed to just receiving it and it sitting waiting for them to dig into it. They want our money, so that's good! It took from March 2nd until March 16th for that letter to get to us, and our agency will be sending it BACK to them now on Friday. But still.........shoot.

So the question remains....will we or won't we. I am setting myself up for the fact that we may not get to hold Nev before her 1st birthday, and if it happens before, BONUS!!! (okay who am I kidding...MAJOR BONUS!)

Still, we are getting close my friends...close......(insert happy dance!!)

Nesting, 2nd hand store and reno's

I believe I am full swing into the nesting stage! My living room looks like a 2nd hand children's clothing store, I am sorting thru J's old clothes and trying to figure out what size of clothes to keep out for Nev! It's a little hard to know if I should be keeping out 6-12 month stuff, with not knowing how big she is(or how small!). But easier to keep it out and put it away once we know. It's been fun, remembering J in the stages of each different outfit.

We got news today that our documents are now in Nairobi. YEAH. We are now down to the last stage of this long, LONG journey. From now the wait is between 8-12 weeks until we travel. (Now I did hear thru the grape vine that someone did get thru this stage in 5 weeks, but I won't get my hopes up too high!!) Still easier to bank on the longest to save the emotional low of not hitting the "shorter time frame". ITS GETTING CLOSER!!! Our last leg of the journey.

Either of the time lines doesn't suit our lifestyle very well. In 6-8 weeks we start calving season. In 10-12 weeks we start seeding! Unfortunately I think this will cut our trip shorter over in Ethiopia. We were wanting to spend 10-12 days when we went to get Nev,but I think we will have to stay less. We will have to do some "crash culture learning" while there. Thankfully Ad's dad has been to Ethiopia a few time, once staying around 6 weeks, and he will be a HUGE tool in helping teach Nev about her country. No matter when the timing we will make it work. We have amazing neighbours and friends who would help get us thru whatever is presented to us. I am in NO way complaining about the travel times, I am so thankful we are where we are in our journey. We have friends who are facing tough situations in their journey's and I am thinking of them often hoping to hear good news soon. I am thankful we are getting close to travelling but have a heavy heart for my good friend who we got referrals the same time, but they are still waiting for a court date and important paperwork.

Also uplifting news is that 2 other pals left on the weekend to go pick up their children!!! So happy for them. It was a long time waiting. And R is going to take some pictures of Nev for us! She will hold her(if Nev doesn't play shy!!) and be able to pass our love to her through her arms and hugs. I will look forward to seeing how much she has grown.

Off to keep sorting clothes and watch Canada vs Russia. (As I type it is 3-0!! Go Canada Go!) Sorry the posts are few and far between. It just is so busy here, we are working on getting our basement remodelling finished in the next few weeks. It's gone from totally gutted to now having the drywall hung and getting mud and tapped in about a month. We have had a great crew from Swift Current, Zollhaus Builders, who really did an excellent job. The owners are good friend and I know that they really took into consideration that we needed our basement to be past the icky mudding stage before we brought Nev home. He had a fabulous crew and I would highly recommend his company. Thanks so much J&M. You have no idea how much stress you guys lifted from my shoulders knowing that our basement will be at the usable stage now so I can put all the basement stuff from Nev's room back in the basement where it belongs. No more canning stuff in my linen closest, or cattle vaccinations in Nev's room etc!!! Whoot whoot.

I had a dream......

The title sounds like this will be an inspirational post. As if I am about to quote Martin Luther King or something.

Nope, it's not. Far from it. In fact, instead of you thinking Oh, I am going to check this post out, get inspired and find a new outlook on life, I'd exit now. In fact, I believe that I will have to in return, be inspired by you guys.

Last night I had a dream. It was all about our journey to Ethiopia to go bring Nevaeh home. I will just go point form about the dream and explain from there..

*missed flight due to hockey game for J

*forgot camera so had to ask a stranger to take 1 photo

*forgot baby sling and had to carry Nev all around E

*actually misinterpreted that we ACTUALLY were getting 2 daughter and didn't have any clothes, shoes or any supplies for our 2nd daughter

*didn't sleep the whole trip

*Nev and 2nd daughter cried the whole time

and lots more, but don't want to bore you!!!!

Now some of this dream very well COULD happen! I have been known to not have my own camera on a trip BUT no because I forgot it, but because I had misplaced my own camera and had to borrow my sisters or mom's. I am into scrap booking so I would NEVER go empty handed, it just may not be my own!

Not sleeping the whole time. Now that may be a bit of a stretch, but I do not sleep well here in my own bed, so throw in oh 20hrs of flight time, different bed, new baby etc, it could very well happen. Now I could knock myself out with a strong sleeping pill or something and leave Adam or my father in law to deal with the 12 hr straight flight with Nev, but thinking probably not the best choice! But I am used to not sleeping, so that is nothing new. Do I function well on no sleep you ask? Well Adam could answer that one for you. Straight up NO!!! But I deal with it.

NOW here is why I am having an anxiety feeling in my stomach. This adoption process is slowly getting closer to the point of us travelling. I mean I still am not thinking before April-May, BUT that is still day by day getting closer. I have A LOT to do. Get Nev's room sorted out, sort baby clothes, start packing clothes for Nev. (But what size do I pack, I don't know what size she will be. Do you pack larger sizes just to be safe? Really to you who have done this....please comment!!) How will I handle the food. Emotionally how will I handle all I will see. How will I be able to pass by someone on the street and not want to hand over all I have just so they can have something.

But the main thing that my dream made me think of is the bonding. How will Nev and I(and Ad and Jay) bond with Nev. How do you prepare yourself for what is to come in this area?(and again, I asking this question to you guys who have been there done that, so please do comment!). Adoption is different that when I had J. I know what to "do" if I was to have another biological daughter. But Nev will be close to a year when we meet her. What if when the caregivers at the foster home hand her to us for the first time, she turns and wants to go back to that person. Do you just keep them in your arms....how far do you push the bonding process without being too pushy, but yet I don't want to back off too far so that I slow down the bonding process. Is skin to skin bonding(which I read was good for newborns) something you do with a toddler? How long do "we" just hold her. And who does "we" apply to? Does that include grandparents, my siblings, or literally is that just me and Ad and J? How long until we can leave her with a babysitter without her thinking we are another person in her life that is not coming back. (not that I am already thinking of when we can go on a trip or something...but just even a day to go to the city etc....)..............

These are questions that I think of often. I know it does me no good to worry about this "stuff" BUT some of this is "stuff" I need to start to think about, or inform myself. Yes, I can not do anything about if Nev cries the whole way home on the airplane BUT I can do things to prepare myself for those times to try to help the bonding situation.

So my dear friends, any of you who have advice.....please PLEASE comment away! Any and as much as you care to give. Links to old blog posts about how to pack or about a good bonding tip, GOOD(and emphasise on the GOOD part. I'm not a huge reader, so it needs to be a gooder)books you've read about bonding. Let it fly....I'm open.