Today, I was greeted with amazing Mother's Day gifts from our four little ones. My favorite part was everyone's joy of being with each other... and the hand written letters from the children.

After some pancakes, I went out to spend time with the alpacas, hoping that Foxy decided to have her baby. I'm a ball of nerves waiting for Foxy's cria to drop! I'm hoping she has a normal, healthy birth. I'm also eager and excited to see what her cria looks like. The sire; Grey Goose from Laurel Springs Farm is a Dark Silver Grey beauty. I'm hopeful with both of their fluffy ears the baby will come out with the most amazing fluffy ears. Samwise can't wait to have a playmate. He's started teasing the ladies by nibbling on their back ankles. They do not like that, as you can imagine.

I sat out in the pasture for little over 2 hours, simply observing them. I love their personalities. Right now Foxy is in a lot of discomfort and when she lays down she softly hums and sometimes gives a little loud moan. The baby is settling into the birth canal I imagine. She's usually a much more chill lady. She is currently the matriarch of the herd and is still calm in demeanor around the others. Now a days though, anyone getting too close to her or getting on her personal space bubble needs to be ready to get a face full of spit. Foxy has also been more agreeable to my presence closer to her personal space, which I attribute to wanting reassurance since she saw me give Samwise comfort and assistance when he was a newborn. His birth was normal and so he only needed minimal interventions; drying off, checking temp, naval dipped a few times, and weight. 

Alpacas remind me a lot of Ents from Lord of the Rings. They are gentle and calm usually. They aren't hasty in anything they do except for running away when the wind blows too hard without warning or if someone is coming into the barn unexpectedly from the back entrance. They like routine and slow pacing. I find their temperament to be a perfect avenue for teaching mindfulness and how to be slow and present with your body and inner space. 

P.S: always wear Sunscreen... 

Dany gave birth to a little brown (for now) boy March 25th. Her birth was incredibly uncomplicated and she was semi attentive. Dany has a tendency to be a little bit more of an aloof mother. She loves her cria and she loves Sam just as much as her other babies, she just does generally seem to want to do her own thing despite having motherly responsibilities. Dany is not as patient with nursing and we needed to supplement Sam just a little bit, however she quickly realized what to do and after a day Samwise was a great nurser and Dany allowed him to nurse as he wanted. 

Samwise is our first cria born at Fluffy Honey Farm and his birth opened a passion in me I didn't quite realize. I love the birth process and assisting with birth. I think it is an incredible moment in time and I am at ease assisting the dam with her birthing experience. For Dany and Sam that meant sitting back and letting everything happened as needed. Sam's birth was laid back and Dany was a pro at knowing exactly what to do and was as calm as can me.