Sweet Martha's "Cookie"

Today, I got up, stretched out my shins and hamstrings, made coffee and got ready for a day of waiting. I asked Stella to join me and had her bedroom slammed in my face...I took that for a "No".

I met Dad and we walked over together, His goal to walk the Foundation Historical Walking Tour and get his prize, my goal, to see a calf born.

I got a few punches in my cards as we made our way toward the CHS miracle of birth center. As the doors opened at 9:00am we walked through the CHS to make sure no one was in active labor before a quick detour for a punch outside the horse barn and a quick hello to Diane!

Dad and I parted ways as he continued his tour, and I made a restroom stop, and stopped for breakfast.  The foot long stand outside the Coliseum is a good one, so I asked for a dog with raw onions and a coke.  The young lady said "Ma'am , we only have Pepsi, is that OK?"  I said "NO, just the dog then!" I walked the two blocks back up to the Coke booth and stocked up.  Returning to CHS I took my seat in the top corner of the cow bleachers. I had a book, and my old school blogger (pen and paper), and my phone.  What more could I need?

As I was getting comfortable at 9:30am, a little kid climbed up and sat near me, his mom came shortly after and as the kid told her he wanted to stay , the mother said "We are not going to just sit here and wait for a cow", I thought...I AM!

Sitting at the top of the empty bleachers was an interesting feeling , especially as people kept running to the top to try and see over at the lambs being born behind me. Every person that ran up said, "you can't see anything" and ran back down. It was a bit like a ride, and I wasn't completely convinced the bleachers could stand it and was hoping for people to sit down on the lower section to offer some counterbalance!

At 9:37 the first lamb was born.  It was sort of interesting as the whole barn stopped and it was really quiet and then a cheer went up! I was keeping my eye on the prize in front of me.  Every now and then the cow would lift her tail and her eyes would go buggy and you could tell she was having a contraction, but they were about 5-6 minutes apart, so I had a while to wait.  I named the cow down front, who was tagged #5610,  "Sweet Martha" as I listened to the announcers say that all the babies get state fair names.  The mothers get nothing :(  and I was going to be hanging with her for a while!

The girl in pink is Anna!

At 9:59, the cow began to lie down and get up again, this was a good sign! Up and down means she is making progress.

A couple minutes an older couple (who should not have been scaling bleachers) clambered to the top to try and see lamb #2 being born behind me.  I wanted to make a sign that said" You can't actually see the lambs from here" but people are sheep!  As the older gentleman tried to navigate his way back down he almost fell and sat on my head! It was going to be a l~o~n~g morning! At 10:15 "Pup" the lamb was born joining his brother "Pronto".  Sweet Martha was just chillin'

I got a call from Dad to tell me about his adventures! He was riding the Sky Glider up to the north end to get the Pet Center punch.  I didn't tell him I think that gliding may be taking a short cut on the walking tour, but who am I to judge when I only have seven of the thirteen punches in five days and I have used gliders and trolleys and friends Oh My!

As he was gliding over the Ford booth a wind suddenly took his prescription sunglasses right off his face and luckily they hit the ground (not a tent, truck or roof!) right near one of the guys working the Ford booth.  The guy picked up the frames ( and the lens that popped out on impact) and waved to dad!  What a relief Dad thought as he then glided over the roof of the little hands farm and looked down to see the sunglasses and other treasures littered there!  He did have to walk back down to get them, so maybe that is just Karma..he did do the whole walking tour!

I have been keeping tabs on the goings on in the barn and have learned that you will know things are progressing when you see a "blue shirt" (Vet) and a couple "orange shirts" (FFA kids), and then it is getting close when they bring in the cameras. At 11:01...."blue shirt" on scene!

A woman sitting next to me for a while (who I now know is Jeanne) was taking care of a sweet girl (Anna) who was waiting patiently, watching the cow, arms draped on the fences opposite us. We got to talking, it was nice to have company!

In a few minutes I got more company!  Dad and Michael showed up!  Dad finished his tour and got his prize, an emblem of validation!  Yes I am a winner!

  This was en exercise in patience and tolerance! The cow pooped and peed at 11:18 Wahoo!

At this point I made a prediction of birth at 12:48pm.  I was wrong, but not by too much!

11:30 we saw two orange shirts arrive as I heard a kid about a ten years old say..."how do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"  SERIOUSLY????? 

Dad and Michael moved on, as did Jeanne and Anna shortly thereafter. I told them I would update them via text, if there was any action.  Michael said it's hard to leave...you get sucked in!

At 11:52 all personnel left the staging area, so  I put my head back in my book.  Fifteen minutes later the Veterinarian entered and he had a mic!  He didn't start talking until 12:22 and said " Well it looks like she will give birth this afternoon sometime"  PHEW good to know!  He also said after her water breaks it will be about an hour, which it did about 15 minutes later!

12:45 pm, they closed off all access to the back side of the pen, there are three orange shirts on site, two vets, but no cameras.

The vet has a running dialogue with the crowd during this whole time as we all wait.  He says that no matter how many times he does this (hundreds so far) he never gets tired of it. I understand why. My book is put aside and now I am rapt.

It is 1:05 and two feet and the placental sac have been visible for a while and the cameras arrive! The vet says the feet are big, so the calf will be too! Boys are typically 10-20 pounds heavier than girls, A baby Holstein usually weighs in at between 80-100 pounds!

1:19 and the professionals are all waiting to see a nose, then they will decide if Sweet Martha needs any help.  She has been doing pretty well on her own so far! She is bellowing pretty good, so they want to help her out. They chain the calf's feet and help her by pulling. At 1:33 "cookie" is born!

I stood up on the top bleacher for the last 15 minutes and could see pretty well. The kids who climbed up the back of the bleachers, trying to see, were none too happy, but too bad.  You snooze you lose! It was AMAZING!  It was worth the wait!

I wanted to wait and see him take his first steps, but the vet said it could be an hour or so, and I had consumed too much liquid to sit there much longer!

I climbed down from my perch and got a few close ups of "my calf" and made a beeline to the restroom and then exited the barns.  Outside it was warm and sunny so I decided to take a break and head home.

I returned to the fair with Mom around 6:00 to go to the Knoblauch bench warming and celebration of a wonderful life! Mimi Knoblauch passed away this spring and this was her tribute and a way for the family to share her love of the fair!  It was fun to see friends and meet new ones, and they had games, drawings and fabulous prizes! 
I won two tickets to Ye Old Mill!  I offered to take mom forgetting she is a bit to claustrophobic for that one!  I got to share a few Garlic fries from the Ball Park Cafe too! 

The reception was just feet from the CHS barn, so I had to check on my calf.   Mom and "cookie" were still hanging out in the center pen, no other cows in labor!  The FFA kids had named the calf Ferris Wheel.  UGH, I am going to keep calling him "Cookie"!   I asked the vet when he first walked and he wasn't sure, but said he had been up and down a lot.  He was just snoozing.  I was scratching Sweet Martha's head and I told her "good job Mom" , just as I felt a tap on my shoulder and it was Lynn and Gordy!  (great friends of the family!)  I keep saying it is the Great Minnesota get together, you never know who you will see!

They were gonna close up the barns soon, so I took my leave, knowing I wouldn't see Sweet Martha again, but "Cookie" would be in his little pen to visit tomorrow, and visit I will!

Mom was watching the talent shows, so I headed north to meet her and took the trolley part way.  On our way out, we wandered through the Education building.  There was still a huge line for the Minnesota State Colleges wheel and so I waited for a bit to see what the big prize was.  I finally gave up and just walked to the front and asked. .....an Ice Scraper.  Oh my.  Not worth the wait FYI!  We decided to detour through the Annex and check out the slushie booth that Sonja alluded to in her blog.  FREE SAMPLES!  They tasted just like mom made. :)  A toast to another great day at the fair and then home!

I think I was more tired today from sitting so much than all the walking I had been doing!  We left the grounds at about 8:45, a twelve hour day!



Day Five STATS:
Distance: I sat most of the day!  I forgot the pedometer anyway!
Food Consumed: Foot Long, Coke, granola bar (packed from home), garlic fries.
Funny Hats: a few fish hats , won as fabulous prizes at the reception!
Free Stuff: Ye Old Mill tickets!, and another St Thomas bag!
Calf count: Fair: 7, ME: ONE!

I didn't crash into anyone or fall at all, even navigating bleachers!