Every morning for the last 10 days John has pulled the 4am shift – he gets up that early anyway. I would check Daisy when I finished reading about 10pm, and when he got up to get ready for work in the morning at 4am, he would check her on the firewood run. 
Yesterday morning I lay awake listening to him shuffling out to the verandah, down the steps in his Crocks, across the yard, the sqrunch of gravel as he crossed the drive, silence as he crossed grass then the wee distant tired squark of the Popes door in the big barn door being opened. Yesterday morning I listened to the slow sounds moving away, then cocked my head on the pillow at the pause, then heard the sounds hurrying back in reverse. John never hurries. I was already half dressed when he barrelled back into the bedroom and said, Baby on the way!
I went to the barn, he went to make coffee. He brought me my coffee 5 minutes later thinking I would be leaning on the gate watching and Daisy and I were drying down a new calf. Wow, he said. Daisy grunted as if to say she does not muck around.
The new Bobby (all the bull calves are called Bobby) took a while to stand up, but had an alert head and bright eyes. He is heavy and his feet are so small. But later (three hours later) he was up, dried off and in his jacket nosing about for a drink. The Breeder said that such a heavy calf is often slower to rise. I fed everyone else as the sun rose. The barn letting out a sigh. 
Later I opened the big door and Daisy led her calf out into the sun, and there they stayed the rest of the day. She licked his jacket right off him, she was so proud. But when it cooled off in the afternoon I put it back on. They had both slept most of the day.
I milked Daisy at lunchtime. The breeder had been out to visit and was a little alarmed at the size of Daisy’s udder. She had begun to kick at herself and was ripping the skin. The teats were so far apart that the milking cups would not be able to reach. Like a toddler trying to stretch her tiny fingers on finite palms to find the octave on the piano. So at lunchtime and then at 7pm I milked one side and then dragged my hoses and crept under the calf gate and milked the other side. It worked. Tending to her poor frayed udder. Using udder balm to massage her poor stretched skin and coax the colostrum out. After the second milking she relaxed a little. Massage and vacuous chatter does help an engorged udder. 
In the evening I fed her baby from a bottle and settled him in the sunroom with Marcel who I brought in from his day with Minty. In the night when I checked them they were in separate corners, snuggled up against the straw bales that created cosy warm nooks. All was quiet. Daisy who is free to wander to and fro now standing guard from her pen.
This morning when I milk her I will let her calf back out and they can spend the day together again, and until I know I have her udder and the mastitis under control Daisy will be milked three times a day. But my plan is to let her have the calf in the daytimes hoping that the frequent sipping from the calf 
during this time will promote udder health. Then with a bottle I will settle The Bobby in the sunroom at night then I will get a full milking in the morning (which will be shared with him too of course).
The milking parlour has been redesigned so that the calf can stand next to her while I milk but cannot get in the way. This feels kinder. The important thing is to make sure the calf gets plenty of milk and the farm does too so I am sure there will be adjustments along the way.
So, now, I will reshuffle the days, wriggling a little to allow for the milking to fit in, like sand shifting down the side of a glass with the movement. Finding a way for the calf and I to share the milking for a couple of months. And then milk for the next seven months. I am so full of plans.
But am so grateful that we have our wee calf and both Daisy and calf are both well so far.
Poppy is trucking along, developing a playful streak and I must be careful not to turn her into a big fat pig as well!!
Just think of the cheese! Oh I cannot wait!
I hope you all have a lovely day
your friend on the farm
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
113 responses to “The Bobby is here at Last.”
congrats on the calf. Just thought I would share a little product tip we stumbled upon. We use a product called Waxelene on our girls udder and teats in place of traditional bag balms. It works wonderfully for keeping her soft, supple and sealed up when she has small wounds and it has no petroleum. You may have to apply a little more often. Also consider some vitamin E oil, helps healing… Found out there is mercury in bag balm believe it or not, small amounts but still…
ah. thank you.. i shall find some of the waxelene.. looks like we are going to be needing it! I hate the mercury sneaking in everywhere scary stuff. c
So very glad Daisy gets some relief finally, and the bobby is big and healthy and happy! I’m slightly sad that I know you can’t keep the Bobbies so a name is out of the question. If it was, I know what my friend is naming her son! When he gets here…
I just told my friend, and sent a pic of the new arrival: “Aw, dammit! Well that’s a fine lookin boy. Hope mine is as cute!”
]]smile[[.. c
It looks like something out of a story book…”and all the barnyard animals gathered to greet the new arrival”….pleased all is well. Just curious….if Bobby was with Daisy through the night, would he nurse at all?
he should have, but she would not let him.. her udder is a mess.. but she loves him even though she is kicking him off,, but I am feeding him the bottle … we will see..
What a tender post & such tremendous photos of the whole process! Thanks for sharing with all of us these precious moments 🙂
Hooray hooray hooray!! Healthy baby Bobby, such great news, Celi!
Mazel tov to all! What a beautiful boy. So glad it was not a problem birth. Phew!
Oh how exciting! Proud Mum x2. I got teary reading your post. Wonderful stuff!
Cecelia ~
There’s a brand new blog (only 4 posts) that is written by “the jersey farm scribe” (erica). I gave her a link to your blog and thought you might like a link to hers:
http://thejerseyfarmscribe.com/2014/03/07/the-jersey-farm-scribe-introduction/
What a lovely series of photos.
Thanks for sharing these special moments.
Wonderful news! I have been away all day with my daughter but had to check in before retiring. I am glad that all in well.
A safe delivery, sunshine and milk pouring into the farmy. I think winter is being chased away. So glad to hear the good news. You and John are a great team. I love the top photo of the bobby.
i missed both of my guesses when bobby was to arrive.i have the same luck with the lottery.
we used to name our milk cows calf, because we knew it was going into freezer,t bone, steak, or hamburger.of course every once in a while, one would be named porkchop or ham. because we were farm kids with a warped sense of humor
Methinks there is enough warmth on the farmy at the moment to drive the vestiges of winter right away! Beautiful photos of the bobby . . . Daisy must be so glad not to have to carry that weight around any more 🙂 ! And nature is wonderful ~ think how long it takes a human baby to sit up and crawl and walk! That handsome big boy could do mit all on the first day!! Love the idea of the ‘babies’ of the farmy sleeping in the sunroom!!!!!
Beautiful images, especially the header and first pic – bovine art. Even though you’re geographically distant to my day-to-day life, the feeling of all is well reaches far.
What a handsome Bobby! I’m not surprised they both took long naps in the sun. You probably could use one, too. Queenie does seem curious.